Sep 9 (LD) The president has been asked in writing to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to probe Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, says a Buddhist monk. Ven. Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera, Director of the National Observation Centre against Unethical Conversions, said the CJ had demeaned the Buddhist clergy in a recent ruling, and verdicts had been questionable in around 100 cases heard by him. more..

Sep 9 (LD) A woman journalist was shot and wounded in Batticaloa this evening (Sept. 08th), police said. The victim, Radhika Devakumar was admitted to Teaching Hospital of the area with injuries to her stomach, chest and back. According to police, unidentified assailants had ambushed and shot the journalist near her home at Kattankudy around 7.45 pm. Ms. Devakumar, 45, is the former media coordinator for Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, TMVP leader and chief minister of east province.

Sep 9 (LD) The Supreme Court ordered teacher unions today (Sept. 08th) to begin the marking of answer script of G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination immediately. Taking up a petition challenging the boycott by teachers, the SC also ordered the Education Secretary to grant a salary increment and formulate a promotion mechanism for teachers without delay. more..

Sep 9 (LD) A minor explosion in Colombo injured nine people this evening (Sept. 08th), police and hospital sources said. The victims, all men and two in critical condition, are receiving treatment at Colombo National Hospital, said its director Dr. Hector Weerasinghe. SSP of the area Premalal Ranagala said the blast at Gas Works Street, Pettah around 9.30 pm appeared to have been caused by a hand grenade. more..

Sep 9 (LBO) Sri Lanka's most prosperous conditions are found in the Western province followed by the central and southern province, while the Northern province trails behind, an index devised by the Central Bank has found. Officials say the index goes beyond traditional measures like economic growth to find out what makes people feel happy and prosperous. Central Bank deputy governor W A Wijewardene says researchers turned to philosophers to find out what made people feel happy. more..

Sep 9 (BBC) An organised group of people are defrauding returning migrant workers from Middle East pretending to be offering lottery money, authorities said. The group has urged the returning workers to hand over a lump sum before getting their lottery money, Chairman of the Foreign Employment Bureau (FEB), Kingsley Ranawaka, told BBC Sandeshaya. The group, he said, has visited the workers who have recently arrived in Sri Lanka and told that they were entitled to Rs. 390,000 pay out under Sahana Insurance policy. more..

Sep 9 (AP) The Sri Lankan government said Monday it is barring all foreign aid workers and many local staff from rebel-held areas in the north because of the raging civil war there. The decision came as the government stepped up its offensive aimed at crushing the Tamil Tiger rebel group and capturing its de facto state after a quarter century of civil war. With the fighting escalating, aid groups have expressed concern for the welfare of the tens of thousands of civilians who have more..

Sep 9 (IRIN) Rohana Rosairo has hung a sprig of paddy rice over his front door, a good omen for prosperity from the first harvest he reaped a few weeks ago from a long unused field. Rosairo's field, across a dirt track from his home, was just a mass of weeds until April when he cleared the plot and planted seed paddy. "My father used to grow rice here, but he stopped a long time ago," he said. High salinity levels had made growing rice difficult. more..

Sep 9 (LG) Voting is over, long live voting. Though President Mahinda Rajapaksa has announced that he does not intend to slap a snap polls to Parliament ahead of time, riding the wave of the twin Provincial Council poll victories in North-Central and Sabaragamuva, it is no guarantee that there would not be other polls elsewhere in the country. Rather than winning or losing elections, political parties and their leaderships have begun making polls a diversionary tactic to keep off 'marauders' from power. more..

Sep 9 (LG) Theravada Buddhism had described two Truths; Absolute Truth (Paramatha Sathya) and Conventional Truth (Sammuti Sathya). Nagarjuna Thera of the Mahayana Tradition also identified two truths, but his theory was different from that of Theravada Buddhism. Are there, in fact, two types of Truth in Theravada Buddhism? Do these two Truths vary in degree? Is Absolute Truth superior in anyway to the Conventional Truth? more..

Sep 9 (LG) Nearly 1000 Anti LTTE protesters gathered in Bern Switzerland to protest against LTTE activities in Switzerland on the 6th of September. The Sinhala and Tamil Diaspora against the LTTE activities in Switzerland were joined by Sri Lankan patriots from Italy, France and Germany. The well-attended protest against LTTE terrorism was held on Saturday starting from 13.00 to 17.00 hrs, in front of the parliament in Bern, Switzerland. more..

Sep 9 (LG) According to a UN report “LTTE is unlikely to allow substantial outflow of population from the Wanni” even though there is internal pressure mounting, as the war intensifies, for a mass exodus from the theatre of war in the Wanni. This is recorded in the minutes circulated by the UN after a meeting with INGOs and NGOs held recently at Habarana. The minutes were circulated last week by Head, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Zola Dowell. more..

Sep 9 (LG) Further to an article by Namini Wijedasa (An Echo Of Nullius Filius) about foreign Minister Bogollagama's antics and escapades, there is amusement at the highest circles in Sri Lanka, that the minister was thoroughly frisked by the Italian police during the World Food Summit in Rome, earlier this year. According to these sources, the summit was for heads of state, but it seems the Sri Lankan foreign minister managed to gain access into the meeting after having been frisked by the Italian police. more..

Sep 9 (LG) The news that Maha Nayake of Asgiriya Chapter Ven Udugama Sri Buddharakitha Thero is staking firm on a principal issue of Buddhist monks respecting the judiciary is a welcome news and set to guide the extremist monks to respect the laws of the land in the island nation of Sri Lanka. The Maha Nayake has very appropriately said: ‘both monks and lay persons must respect the judiciary and its hallowed traditions to ensure discipline in the country’. more..

Sep 9 (LG) Sources close to the LTTE confirm that LTTE supremo Velupillai Pirabakaran’s wife Mathivathani Pirabakaran and their two children have migrated to South Africa using the sea route. The couple’s eldest daughter Dwaraka and the youngest son have joined the mother in the voyage. Their eldest son Charles Anthony is said to be remaining in Vanni and helping the father in the military operational matters. more..

Sep 9 (TOI) Officials from the Chennai unit of the Narcotic Control Bureau on Saturday arrested a man in Kanyakumari for helping smuggle heroin to Sri Lanka. The man hailed from Madhya Pradesh. According to NCB sources, based on a tip-off that attempts would be made to smuggle heroin to Sri Lanka by boat, officials increased surveillance and a suspicious-looking man with a travelling bag was nabbed. more..

Sep 9 (AT) Norwegian Against Terrorism bares the role played by Norwegian Government in funding and assisting in the production of the LTTE propaganda film – My Daughter the Terrorist. In its recent monthly report, NAT revealed that Norwegian Government in 2005 funded Ms. Beate Arnestad , the producer of the LTTE propaganda film, Norwegian Kroner 250,000 (US Dollars 50,000). more..

Sep 9 (AT) Allegation of Parliamentarians threatening to ‘beat’ Selvam Adaikalanathan MP whenever he raises issues of Tamils, was flatly refuted by Dinesh Gunawardene. Chief Government Whip. Also the Chief Government Whip pointed out that Selvam Adaikalanathan as well as all the Members including the TNA Members of Parliament, have subscribed to an oath of allegiance to uphold the constitution and defend the unitary state of Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 9 (LD) Berty Premalal Dissanayake, who won power through violence and malpractice, and Duminda Dissanayake, his minister son, are continuing to target political opponents in the North Central Province, alleged provincial opposition leader Janaka Perera. Speaking to the media in Anuradhapura today (Sept. 08th), Maj. Gen. Perera claimed many UNP activists and supporters have been victimized by the ruling politician. more..

Sep 9 (LD) Police have refuted allegations that it was protecting criminals. Police spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunasekara said, "Police do not protect wrongdoers. Police have not gone to the dog. A few dogs have crept into the Police," he told 'Divaina.' He was commenting on recent media reports that the police were responsible for certain sexual abuse incidents and had also protected criminals. more..

Sep 9 (LD) A major in the Army has been arrested along with a sub inspector, a businessman and six others on a charge of having hunted for treasure in the Kavudulla forest reserve in Polonnaruwa. The major is attached to Minneriya Army Camp and the SI to Kantale Police. Hingurakgoda Magistrate Indika Shehan Attanayake remanded the suspects till September 17th. more..

Sep 9 (LBO) Supreme Court has given the bunkering unit of John Keells Holdings (JKH) till September 12 to vacate a tank farm, and the company has been ordered to pay compensation to workers, lawyers said. Lanka Marine Services (LMS), a unit of JKH, was ordered by court to hand over a land containing a tank farm to Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), following a ruling in which the group was faulted over the privatization of the bunkering unit. more..

Sep 9 (TN) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials who met the committee appointed by the Colombo Supreme Court to explore the possibility of resettling uprooted people from the High Security Zone (HSZ) of the SLA, told the committee on Friday that more than 600 families, outside the HSZ and the adjoining no-man zone, have been resettled, including the data as part of the uprooted families within the HSZ. more..

Sep 9 (CH) While most Nova Scotians were bracing for the remnants of tropical storm Hanna, Pamela Porodo was continuing to do what she can to help those hit much harder by Mother Nature. Ms. Porodo and her husband Jerry were living in Sri Lanka in 2004 when a tsunami hit and devastated coastal areas. When the waves hit, she said she saw the absolute worst nature could deliver and, to this day, anything to do with weather and water still frightens her. more..

Sep 9 (Reuters) Central bank on Monday said its suspension of benchmark 91-day treasury bills, along with easing inflation, would gradually reduce market interest rates this year. The central bank has suspended 91-day T-bill auctions for the last three weeks, and has only made 182-day and 364-day bills available for investors. Banks in Sri Lanka base their own interest rates off of the benchmark 91-day T-bill rate. more..

Sep 9 (CI) Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies, Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene and South Africa's Dale Steyn have been nominated for both the Cricketer of the Year and Test Player of the Year categories for the LG ICC Awards 2008. While South Africa captain Graeme Smith is the fourth nominee for the Cricketer of the Year, Jacques Kallis completes the list for the Test Player of the Year. more..

Sep 8 (LD) The Supreme Court today ordered the release of the chief incumbent of Welikada Meditation Centre in Rajagiriya who was remanded last week after failing to appear in courts in a noise pollution case. The release order came following a bail application made on behalf of the monk. Controversy surrounded the case after the SC rejected a motion for bail for Ven. Pannala Pannaloka Thera on September 05th. more..

Sep 8 (WB) Sri Lanka has a rapidly aging population and need to move fast on the policy front to avoid major social and economic implications. This study focuses on four key areas connected to population aging: * informal support, * old age income support, * health care of old people, and * labor market participation of old people, in each area indentifying key issues and proposing policy recommendations. more..

Sep 8 (AP) Air force jets attacked a rebel bunker line in northern Sri Lanka on Monday morning as a new wave of fighting in the country's civil war killed 22 ethnic Tamil rebels, the military said. The fighting was part of the military's recent offensive aimed at crushing the Tamil Tiger rebel group and seizing its de facto state in the northern jungles of this island nation. more..

Sep 8 (LD) Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will visit Sri Lanka tomorrow (Sept. 09th) at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollagama. Mr. Jiechii will arrive from India, his first visit to both countries since taking office in April 2007. Mr. Jiechi would also hold talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on investment and other matters. more..

Sep 8 (LD) Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickremanayake says certain countries and organizations are interfering in internal affairs of Sri Lanka. This amounts to a violations of Bandong and nonaligned agreements and would not be tolerated, he told a function in Galle to mark the opening of a new building of the Southern Provincial Council and the 86th International Cooperatives Day. more..

Sep 8 (DM) The abandoned 160km long A-15 highway connecting Trincomalee-Batticaloa for several decades is to be renovated with the construction of five modern bridges over Upparu, Gangai, Ralkuli and Verugal in the Trincomalee district and Kayankerni in the Batticaloa district at a cost of) Rs. 105 billion. The work is to be carried out under the Trincomalee Integrated Infrastructure Development Project (TIIP) more..

Sep 8 (DM) Popular actress Chathurika Peiries was issued summons by Colombo District Court in response to a case filed by a film production company claiming Rs.1.5 million as damages. Sri Sai Baba Cine International situated at Palmyra Mawatha, Palmyra Court in Colombo-03, a film production company of India and Sri Lanka cited Ms. Peiries of Gemuni Mawatha, in Kotuwegoda at Rajagiriya as the defendant. more..

Sep 8 (Island) The Oil Exploration Licence awarded to Cairn India has been approved by Cabinet Petroleum Minister A. H. M. Fowzie said. "It was submitted to the Cabinet for formalities sake so that no one can accuse the government that due process was not followed without consulting the people," he told the Island Financial Review. Sri Lanka issued its first oil exploration licence in June when Cairn India signed the Petroleum Resources Agreement (PRA) with the government. more..

Sep 8 (Island) JVP Western Provincial Councilor Kingsley Kasturiarachchi yesterday joined the National Freedom Front (NFF) led by JVP dissident MP Wimal Weerawansa, at the NFF headquarters in Battaramulla. Kasturiarachchi, having joined the JVP in 1970, successfully contested the 2004 PC polls on the UPFA ticket from the Gampaha District. Earlier, he had worked as a JVP member of the Gampaha Municipal Council. more..

Sep 8 (DN) Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka during a tour to the Jaffna peninsula to evaluate security developments on Saturday afternoon unveilled a special monument dedicated to the memory of Armed Forces and the Police at the Palaly Security Forces Headquarters. The monument built by the Army carries all four logos of the tri-services and the Police and is symbolically guarded by two soldier sculptors. more..

Sep 8 (DN) Rich List Publications has released RICH LIST 2008, the most successful business people in Sri Lanka. The book contains information about the companies, their histories, their brands and their directors. There is an economic history timeline of Sri Lanka and graphs on major economic indicators. This book is a snapshot of wealth at a particular time in our economic history. more..

Sep 8 (SAMN) Close on the heels of teacher unions boycotting the evaluation of A/L answer scripts to pressure the government to rectify their long standing salary anomalies, Human Rights Commission (HRC) chief Nimal Punchihewa rapped the Salaries and Cadre Commission for failing in its job. Had the commission done it duty, this wouldn’t have been the case, he said on Saturday. more..

Sep 8 (SAMN) The People's Bank has launched a new loan scheme called "Micro loan scheme" in order to grant loans for self-employment projects.Loans were granted to 30 housewives in the Ibbagamuwa area under this scheme for self-employment projects by the Ibbagamuwa branch of the People's Bank at a function held at the bank premises recently. These loans were granted for self-employment projects such as dress making, making sweetmeats, selling fish, tailoring and hair dressing. more..

Sep 8 (SAMN) The National Police Commission (NPC) Sunday said Police Headquarters needed to take tough action against sex maniacs in the department to ensure an already bad situation from getting worse. This follows a shocking revelation of an alleged sexual assault on a teenage boy by an Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of a police station and several other similar incidents. K. C. Logeswaran, Secretary to the Commission said a report would be called from Police Headquarters on the alleged sexual assault by M. G. Chandrasiri, OIC Hakmana Police. more..

Sep 8 (SAMN) The Minor political parties Sunday slammed a government decision to ban parties that are not active in the political arena. The decision was notified by Minister Dinesh Gunawardene, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms through a public statement Saturday. Democratic Unity Alliance (DUA) Frontliner Roy Bogahawatte said the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) which has not contested at elections since 1989 should also be banned as more..

Sep 8 (LNP) Buddhism and the history of the Sri Lankan State are, as is well known, inseparable. Besides the spiritual guidance provided to the people, tremendous are the sacrifices that the Buddhist monks have made to protect this country they did not hesitate even to make the supreme sacrifice, especially during the colonial times to prevent the disintegration of the nation. So, they came to occupy a special place in the Sri Lankan society. more..

Sep 8 (LNP) A 12-year-old boy who had been ill-treated by a middle-aged woman and her daughter for about one and half years has been rescued. They have been arrested along with the middleman who had helped them to procure the boy. Acting on a tip-off, the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) found the boy employed as a domestic servant at Iluppudeniya in the Chilaw police area. more..

Sep 8 (LNP) People of Germany and for that matter even the international community though are willing to help Sri Lanka, they ask the question as to why should support countries that spend more on arms than on schools and hospitals. This was stated by Ambassador of Germany in Sri Lanka Jurgen Weert at the 15th Business for Peace Forum of the Business for Peace Initiative of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Sri Lanka (FCCISL) on more..

Sep 8 (GDI) The Government plans to bring greater focus into the growing of fruit in the next few years, as part of the "Api Wawamu, Rata Nagamu" initiative introduced to achieve self sufficiency in food production. Accordingly a programme has been introduced to promote the cultivation of 11 fruit categories at a cost of Rs. 15 million. The fruits that will come under the programme include banana, pineapple, mango, avocado, jack, more..

Sep 8 (GDI) In line with the International Literacy Day which falls on the 8th of September, the United States Embassy in Sri Lanka will work with "Room to Read" international organization to promote literacy among children in the Puttlam. Issuing a statement, the US Embassy in Colombo said that it will join with the Sri Lanka Office of "Room to Read", an international organization committed to improving literacy among children in Sri Lanka, more..