Apr 21 (LeN) The majority of members of the Lawyers’ Society of the UNP have declared that Ranil Wickremesinghe should be removed from the post of leader of the party. This meeting was held under the leadership of Upul Jayasooriya the President of the National Lawyers society, yesterday evening (19). Over 100 Lawyers who attended the meeting, except three were of the view that Ranil Wickremesinghe should resign from the UNP leadership. more..

Apr 21 (DN) ‘There’s another aspect, regarding English which was brought home to me with a bang. This was during my years as a Technician in the Airport and Dayanthe Athulathmudali was our Exec Director. It was our AGM and my name was proposed as Hony. Secretary and as is usual, I tried every excuse in the book to squirm out of it. But the guys insisted cajoled me with such statements like “oka ganin bung, api full support eka denawa” etc. more..

Apr 21 (DN) The General Election results once again confirmed the trust reposed by the Sri Lankan masses, particularly the rural population in President Mahinda Rajapaksa and their firm determination to back him in his fervent efforts to develop the nation as what it is termed “The Wonder of Asia”. The Government has secured the maximum number of seats that can ever be obtained under the present Parliamentary Election System, despite many predictions to the contrary and more..

Apr 21 (DN) The National Drugs Authority has decided to ban a leading pharmaceutical firm which allegedly supplied drugs unfit for public consumption, from selling its pharmaceutical items in Sri Lanka until further notice. This follows a raid conducted on the premises of the firm at Narahenpita by officers of the Authority yesterday on a complaint made by the Strategic Enterprises Management Authority more..

Apr 21 (Island) The Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) is seeking police assistance to eliminate begging and selling of books and food items inside buses as it has received more than 1,000 complaints from commuters. The Lanka Private Bus Owners Association found in its recent island-wide survey that a single beggar earns around Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 5,000 a day through begging, LPBOA president Gamunu Wijeratne more..

Apr 21 (Island) The People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections said that yesterday’s elections were relatively peaceful and uneventful. The PAFFREL report on the re-polling in Nawalapitiya and Trincomalee electorates, said: "The vote was peaceful, with no events of irregularities witnessed by our observers." Full text of the PAFFREL report: The election results in the in 37 polling stations in the Nawalapitiya electorate and more..

Apr 21 (DM) A Daily Mirror online team in Kandy to cover the General Elections repoll were followed and video taped by a provincial journalist on the instructions of the Nawalapitiya police, according to him, and even threatened the media team from Colombo. A red colored three wheeler overtook the vehicle of the Daily Mirror online team who were leaving Nawalapitiya after interviewing a Minister of the area and more..

Apr 21 (LeN) Chamal Rajapakse, the elder brother of the President whose name has been proposed for the post of Speaker for the new Parliament has admitted himself to the Jayawardena Hospital suddenly. It is learnt that Chamal who is now in ward 3 of the Jayawardena Hospital is afflicted, more by the post of Speaker which is to be foisted on him rather than any other physical ailments. more..

Apr 21 (DM) Matugama Magistrate yesterday, ordered the Commissioner of Prisons to permit Palitha Thewarapperuma, who was elected to parliament at the recently concluded general elections, to take oaths at the parliamentary inauguration proceedings and to take part in any orientation programmes to be held for the newly elected MPs. Mr. Thewarapperuma contested the Kalutara District at the last general elections, while a remand prisoner. more..

Apr 21 (DM) Ruling UPFA fell short of few seats to obtain the 2/3 majority in the 2010 General Elections according to the final results after the completion of the re-poll of Nawalapitiya and Kumubrupitiya electorates yesterday. According to the data available the government was slated to get 127 seats, UNP 51 DNA five seats and TNA 13 seats without the nationalists seats. more..

Apr 21 (DM) The TNA is awaiting a response from the government to its stance that the TNA would co-operate with the government if an acceptable political solution was proposed while resolving problems of displaced civilians. TNA member elect Suresh Premachnadran told the Daily Mirror the government was yet to respond though the party had made an official statement expressing its desire to begin talks with the government. more..

Apr 21 (LP) The Political parties which gained seats at the General election held on April 08th announced their National List of Parliamentarians today. Accordingly UPFA announced its 17 National list nominations which include, Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka, D.M. Jayarathne, Dulles Alahapperuma, G.L. Peiris, D.E.W. Gunasekara, Tissa Witharana, Githanjana Gunawardena, Ellawala Medananda thero, Muththu Sivalingam, more..

Apr 21 (DM) Countering the objections that a General Court Martial (GCM) could not be held against Gen. (retired) Sarath Fonseka, the Prosecution argued at the second court martial yesterday that discipline was of paramount importance in the forces and, therefore, the head of the Army should be subject to military law. Deputy Solicitor General Buwaneka Aluvihare, appearing for the state, more..

Apr 21 (LP) D.M. Jayaratne is scheduled to take oaths as the Prime Minister before the President this evening. The first session of the new parliament will open tomorrow. Mr. Jayaratne is a senior member of the SLFP, who has waited eagerly for the occasion. The parliament will meet tomorrow to elect the new Speaker. Thereafter, the elected members will be sworn in before the Speaker. more..

Apr 21 (Island) President Mahinda Rajapaksa would not address the inaugural parliamentary sessions on Thursday, Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Kitulgoda said. He said that the election of the Speaker and the taking of the oaths would take place on that day. Earlier, President Rajapaksa was scheduled to address the sessions and diplomats were informed that it would be a ceremonial sitting, but they were later informed of the change. more..

Apr 21 (AFP) Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, who cemented his grip on power Wednesday, is set to clash with his arch-rival former army chief Sarath Fonseka when the new parliament opens this week. Results of parliamentary elections showed Rajapakse's United People's Freedom Alliance had secured 144 seats in the 225-member assembly in the April 8 vote. more..

Apr 21 (CNN) Contrary to earlier plans, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will only swear in a new Prime Minister Wednesday, with the rest of his Cabinet ministers taking their oaths of office on Friday, a government spokesman said. A hill country parliamentarian, D.M. Jayaratne, will be the new appointee. Authorities did not offer an explanation for the change of plans. Wednesday also saw the release of the official results of the country's April 8 parliamentary elections. more..

Apr 22 (LBO) The UNP has appointed an economist and a banker to parliament while a minority party has appointed a lawyer experienced in commercial litigation. The UNP has appointed economist Harsha de Silva, who was also a banker and Eran Wickremeratne, who resigned as chief executive from listed National Development Bank to enter parliament. The minority TNA has appointed M Sumandiran, who practices in superior and commercial courts. more..

Apr 22 (LT) The names of the UPFA members elected to the Parliament from the national list have been forwarded to the Commissioner of Elections by the Secretary General of UPFA Susil Premajayanthe. The name of former Speaker W.G.M. Lokubandara, who followed his son to the UPFA to strengthen President’s hands, has been ejected from the national list. more..

Apr 22 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's shares hit a new record on Wednesday led by state funds buying up banking shares, brokers said, after the ruling party recorded a landslide victory in parliamentary polls. The All-Share Price Index hit a new all-time high of 4,052.10 points, surpassing its previous high of 4,044.94 on Tuesday. It closed 0.41 percent firmer at 4,038.89. "Going forward the market will move up further on earnings," more..

Apr 22 (CI) A combined bowling effort helped Sri Lanka level the two-match series 1-1 at St Paul's Sports Complex. In another low-scoring encounter, West Indies stumbled to 160 chasing 199 and were primarily let down by three run-outs. After opting to bat first, Sri Lanka began strongly, with their openers Chamari Atapattu and Dedunu Silva adding 68. But they lost their way, losing three wickets for 14 runs before a 48-run stand for the fourth wicket more..

Apr 22 (APP) President Asif Ali Zardari Wednesday felicitated President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa on the resounding victory of the UPFA in the recently held parliamentary elections. President Zardari in a message conveyed congratulations to his Sri Lankan counterpart and said the election results testify to the great trust the people of Sri Lanka repose in his able leadership. more..

Apr 22 (IANS) Police are keeping an eye on Sri Lankan Tamils possibly working on fishing trawlers and in the mushrooming hotel industry in coastal Goa after the union home ministry warned of infiltration by surviving cadres of the decimated Tamil Tigers. ‘The home ministry circular was forwarded to us by the state home department Monday. The instructions are to keep a vigil on ghettos where Tamil-speaking persons tend to stay,’ more..

Apr 22 (FP) Coconut Cultivation Board (CCB) has decided to cut down 400,000 coconut trees in the Southern province in a bid to control the Weligama coconut (leaf wilt) disease, which is reported to be spreading fast. CCB Chairman H. A. J. Gunatilleke said it had submitted an estimate of Rs 750 million as the total cost for the programme. CCB had also decided to fell and eliminate all coconut trees in Galle and Matara Districts as well. more..

Apr 22 (Reuters) President Mahinda Rajapaksa swore in one of his party's longest-serving members as prime minister on Wednesday, but delayed naming a new cabinet after securing a commanding parliamentary majority overnight. Since he won a three-decade war last May, Rajapaksa has told everyone to wait for the end of the political season before he made big changes. Now he has Sri Lanka's strongest government in decades and a peace that's his to win or lose. more..

Apr 22 (Nation) Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was not happy with the security arrangement in Pakistan last year when his team returned to play the Test series after a break of about four weeks following the first leg of the one-dayers. This has been revealed in the latest edition of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, often referred to simply as Wisden or colloquially as “the Bible of Cricket”). more..

Apr 22 (IL) Former Speaker of the parliament W.J.M.Lokubandara was sworn in as the new Governor of the Sabaragamuwa Province before President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees this afternoon on 21 April. Mr Lokubandara who was elected to the parliament in UNP ticket in the previous general election pledged his support to the UPFA candidate President Mahinda Rajapaksa more..

Apr 22 (TA) Nearly 140 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers who ended their sit-in on a western Java dock this week claim they were hoodwinked by Indonesian authorities, who told them they would not be sent to prison. The Merak asylum-seekers say they were "kidnapped" when they were taken to the Australian-built Tanjung Pinang immigration jail. While up to 50 others who left their boat and made their way to Christmas Island separately more..

Apr 22 (LBO) Sri Lankan exporters should reduce reliance on traditional Western markets where demand will decline, and diversify into booming Asian economies, Asian Development Bank officials said. While exports are recovering after being hit by global recession last year, reduced consumption in key US and European markets are likely to dampen the recovery unless alternatives are found, the ADB's Sri Lanka country director Richard Vokes said. more..

Apr 22 (IPS) Whenever Sri Lankan rights activist Shereen Xavier attends a meeting related to her work in this war-battered northern capital, she makes sure to be dressed in a sari, a traditional gown worn by South Asian women. "To be accepted by society here, you need to be seen in a sari," says Xavier, executive director of the Home for Human Rights (HHR). But back in the confines of her office, more..

Apr 22 (LBO) A senior lawyer, M A Sumanthiran, practising in Sri Lanka's supreme court, court of appeal and commercial high court and district courts in a variety of civil litigation is entering parliament as an appointed legislator. Sumanthiran is coming as a 'national list' or as an appointed member representing the minority TNA. His court work in fundamental rights, judicial review of executive action and judicial scrutiny of legislation before being more..

Apr 22 (LBO) Dr Harsha de Silva has been an exemplary policy intellectual. He had the greatest impact in contributing to the shifting of the frame for discussing inflation in Sri Lanka from the misguided focus on imported inflation to one that correctly places the actions of the Central Bank and the now commonly understood term, money printing, at the center. His persistence paid off; his words made into the discussions of the Monetary Board. more..

Apr 22 (AFP) The United States called on Sri Lanka’s new government Wednesday to use its mandate to pursue a “healing process” as the island recovers from decades of war. Sri Lanka’s new parliament is set to convene Thursday after Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse’s allies won just short of a sweeping two-thirds majority. more..

Apr 22 (IL) Mr D.M.Jayaratne, senior member of SLFP was sworn in before the President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the 14th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka at Temple Trees this afternoon on 21 April. Disanayake Mudiyanselage Jayaratne (79 years) the former parliamentarian from Gampola electorate in the Kandy district was appointed through the National list for the newly elected UPFA government before he was sworn in as the Premier. more..

Apr 22 (TN) Jaffna police recovered Wednesday the body of an elderly man who had gone missing 15 April from his house at Kachcheariyadi in Jaffna. Police suspect that he had been abducted and later killed to rob the gold jewelry he wore and the cash he had in his possession. Meanwhile, robbers who entered a house in Thirunaavatku’lam Sivan Koayiladi in Vavuniyaa Tuesday night stabbed a nine-year-old girl to death and more..

Apr 22 (LG) Sri Lanka has called on the Member States of the UN to exercise their political will to render tangible and meaningful assistance to other nations who face the challenges of terrorism and trans-national organized crimes. Addressing the 12th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Salvador, State of Bahia, Brazil last Thursday, 15th April 2010, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Brazil, A.M.J. Sadiq who more..

Apr 22 (AFP) The ‘Jewel of Muscat’, a traditionally-made Omani ship that is making a historic voyage from here to Singapore using ancient maritime techniques, has arrived in the Sri Lankan port of Galle where the crew was given a festive welcome. It reached Lanka after a ten-day journey from Kochi in India, its first stop after setting sail from Muscat. more..

Apr 22 (TC) Some of us are born at the wrong time or in the wrong place or in both the wrong time and place. Nietzsche said he was born posthumously. He meant that the world was yet to catch up with his thinking but would do so, in a time of great cataclysm and wars fought for ideas. With his values, ideas and style Chanaka should have come to adulthood in colonial Ceylon and joined the struggles for reform in the late 19th or early 20th century, more..