Aug 27 (ST) Modern life is full of stress. Not only parents and children but even those living alone have a heavy workload. It is a race against time household chores, office work, school, extracurricular activity, tuition classes, each day starting early and ending late, only for the routine to begin the next day. Where does one turn to, for shelter against the raging storms of life. In a small building, not away from the madding crowds but right in the midst of traffic and people is that “eye” of the storm. more..

Aug 27 (CT) There are all kinds of elections. We have general or parliamentary elections. We have presidential elections, elections for local government authorities and provincial councils. There are elections to all kinds of bodies. So we have ‘election’ preceded by ‘general’, ‘provincial council’, ‘presidential’ etc. And yet, that’s just description of event and not phenomenon. The phenomenon called elections are associated more readily with words like ‘fraud’, more..

Aug 28 (Island) The recent developments in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not only compromised the Treasury, Central Bank and the SEC, as their analysis of the situation did not find credibility in the eyes of the govt which has allowed two chairpersons of the SEC to resign in under a year, and the country’s laws too have been allowed to be flouted openly. more..

Aug 28 (Island) Elections Commissioner (EC) Mahinda Deshapriya is in an unenviable position. His is a task akin to cleaning the Augean stables with a bucket with a hole. However, he is apparently making a determined effort to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his path to conduct free and fair polls. Whether he will succeed in his endeavour remains to be seen. Three warehouses stacked with goodies which were to be distributed among people by former NCP Chief Minister Bertie Premalal Dissanayake in the PC polls fray more..

Aug 28 (CI) Nagenahira Nagas returned to the blueprint that devised their first three victories, as a belligerent innings at the top of the order and a clinical finish from Angelo Mathews backed up a strong bowling performance led by Shaminda Eranga. The Nagas' six-wicket win over Uva Next ensures they avoid top-placed Wayamba United in the first semi-final tomorrow, a task Uva Next must now face, perhaps without wicketkeeper Upul Tharanga and allrounder Andrew McDonald, more..

Aug 28 (ST) Questions are being raised as to whether Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Nalaka Godahewa could face ‘disqualification’ by serving as chairman of a company that recently announced construction of a 180 room city hotel. This came after a local news channel raised the issue of the conflict of interest and also arising out of a media conference on Tuesday held by Dilith more..

Aug 28 (Island) Longtime fans of Elephant House Orange Crush got a treat this month as the local favourite was re-introduced to consumers in a striking, new bottle. One of Sri Lanka’s most beloved soft drinks, Elephant House Orange Crush was re-imagined with a new look and feel to be more appealing to young people. Having most recently achieved a 20% year-on-year gain in sales volumes, primarily as a result of consumer love for the brand, Elephant House Orange Crush is more..

Aug 28 (DN) "Neither teachers nor university Dons have a moral right to take trade union action, taking students hostage in effect as they all are products of free education. "Every citizen has contributed at least Rs 50 for their education," the Minister of Environment Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said. He was speaking at a ceremony held to mark the laying of the foundation stone of a new Secondary Science Laboratory in Giri/Dodampotta Kanishta Vidyalaya. The Minister said, more..

Aug 28 (DM) In the backdrop of lowered spice production in Sri Lanka, Chairman of the Spices and Allied Producers and Traders Association, Viren Ruberu, called for the formation of a national action plan to develop the industry. “Production is the main issue. We need a national action plan, and we need it now before Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Vietnam overtake our spices industry.” Ruberu stated. more..

Aug 28 (DN) Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) offered a new broadband package Abhimaana with superior broadband experience to all govt sector employees at a nominal price. The dongle too would be offered at cost prices. SLT believes govt sector employees are the lifeblood of the nation and their tireless contribution is powering Sri Lanka's march towards prosperity and progress. SLT chairman Nimal Welgama commenting on this launch said: "In keeping with the aim of the Mahinda more..

Aug 28 (CT) Deputy Minister of Resettlement, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna has accused his LTTE colleague and former Eastern Province Chief Minister, Sinanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan, of being an ‘illiterate’. Muralitharan was addressing a election rally in support of his sister Rudramalar Ganabaskaran in Valaichenai on Sunday. He said it was because he did not contest the 2008 Provincial Council election that Pillaiyan was able to become the Chief Minister. more..

Aug 28 (PTI) Coast Guards of India and Sri Lanka are holding a four-day meeting here where they will discuss maritime issues against the backdrop of allegations of attacks on Indian fishermen by Sri lankan Navy. A delegation led by Sri Lanka Coast Guard Chief Rear Admiral AARA Dias, who is on a visit here from 26-30 August, held a meeting with his Indian counterpart Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan, a Defence Ministry statement said. more..

Aug 28 (Hindu) DMK president M. Karunanidhi on Monday took exception to the training being given to two Sri Lankan Army officials in the Defence Staff Services College, Wellington, and urged the Union govt to put an end to the practice. He said though the DMK had submitted the resolutions adopted at the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) conference to the Prime Minister, urging India not to provide training to Sri Lankan Army personnel, the practice was continuing. more..

Aug 28 (DN) The world is facing retribution for the acts of others who damaged the environment in the past. Environment pollution has become a common problem for everyone due to the sins of others who have acted in a manner that damaged the natural environment, said Uruvarige Vanniyalage Eththo. Participating the launching ceremony of the Mihithuru monthly publication of the ANCL yesterday, he said young people should be guided to protect the environment. more..

Aug 28 (Island) Foreign observers and state leaders visiting the once war-torn North and East have expressed satisfaction with the Sri Lankan govt’s efforts to rehabilitate and resettle those living in camps following the 30-year-old war, Minister Professor G.L. Peiris told the Mahanayake of the Malwatte Chapter most Venerable Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera yesterday. He told the prelate that some visiting leaders had noted that more..

Aug 28 (CT) An Army corporal is on a fast unto death at the Galle train station, protesting his interdiction from work and demanding that he be reinstated. The Army Corporal, Ajith Kumara, who had been in the Army for 18 years was arrested in 2007, while he was engaged in mining activities in him own land. He had been arrested and charged with treasure hunting. Consequent to the arrest, he lost his job, but was reinstated later following an inquiry by the army. more..

Aug 28 (DN) The Archaeology Department submitted a draft Bill for the amendment of the Antiquities Ordinance, to the Cabinet, with provision to mete out harsher punishment for artefact thieves and treasure hunters. No bail will be granted for suspects of artefact thefts in accordance with the Antiquities Ordinance amendment proposals. "A two- year jail term will be mandatory against those who commit artefact thefts or destroy ancient archaeological sites for treasures," more..

Aug 28 (CT) The lecturers of the Colombo University Medical Faculty engaged in a one-day token strike yesterday, in support of the university lecturers’ ongoing trade union action. The academics attached to the Faculty of Medicine are not part of the trade union action launched by the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) on 4 July, however, they have decided to go on strike to show solidarity with the other more..

Aug 28 (Island) The 8th Asian Netball Championship witnessed its most lopsided contest so far on the third day of the event yesterday when Sri Lanka compiled 127 points to beat a hapless Nepali outfit that struggled to muster three points, during the entire game at the Sugathadasa Stadium. The hosts made the most of the height advantage over their diminutive counterparts to keep on piling point one after another, while the Nepali lasses struggled to keep possession of the ball. more..

Aug 28 (BPS) Bowlers suspected of throwing will have nowhere to hide if the ICC's plans to introduce a device to measure their actions in real time come to fruition. The ICC has poured $500,000 into funding a device developed by Australian Institute of Sport that can be worn by bowlers to assess their action in the heat of battle. Previously, umpires gauged the legality of players' actions by sight and referred them to biomechanics laboratories for further testing. Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralidaran more..

Aug 28 (CT) The Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union (CTSU) urged the govt to annul the Grade Five scholarship exam held last Sunday and reschedule it, as the papers had allegedly been leaked out before the exam. According to the CTSU General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe, the exam papers had been leaked out the night before the exam in Rambukwella, Polgahawela, Debarawewa, and Anuradhapura. more..

Aug 28 (DN) Former President J R Jayewardene folded the electoral map while President Mahinda Rajapaksa unfolded it, Minister Mervyn Silva said. “The UPFA will win the September 8 Provincial Council election in all three provinces with a large majority,” the minister said. Silva said a govt can go forward only by checking public opinion. "The people at rallies do not portray the accurate public opinion. "The people at rallies do not portray the accurate public opinion. more..

Aug 28 (Island) The first day of postal voting, for the North-Central, Eastern and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council elections, ended yesterday without any incident. Additional Elections Commissioner R. M.A.L. Ratnayake said that postal voting was held at 3,200 centres countrywide. Rathnayake said that 100,818 government servants, including the members of three forces and the police, had applied for postal voting. He said that the department stationed its officials at more..

Aug 28 (DM) Mahanayake of the Malwatte Chapter most venerable Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera said court action should be expedited against those in custody over terrorism charges while those who are innocent should be released. During a courtesy call by Minister G.L. Peiris, the Thera said those detained on minor offences should not be unnecessarily kept in custody and they should more..

Aug 28 (CT) Media Spokesman of the UNP, Gayantha Karunatilake questioned the ability of a drug addict to orchestrate a robbery at the National Museum, located in a high security area in the country. “Five months after the museum robbery, the govt and police say they have caught the thief believed to have been involved in the heist. Police officials have made various statements regarding this. The JHU, which is a constituent party of the government, more..

Aug 28 (Island) Chinese engineering experts who inspected the Norochcholai coal power plant have informed the CEB that they are not in a position to say when repairs to the plant will be completed. Two weeks have passed since the breakdown of the coal power plant and CEB engineers are checking sections of the plant they have identified as non-functional. The breakdown has deprived the national grid of 300 mw of power and resulted in daily power cuts countrywide. more..

Aug 28 (DM) Laws are to be introduced to make it mandatory for motorists to pay compensation to third party or victims of road accidents departing from the current practice of settling the damage only between the two parties involved in the accident. The issue of getting a majority of road accidents settled between the two drivers or the owners of the vehicles involved under the recently introduced Vehicle Insurance more..

Aug 28 (Island) Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena yesterday requested IGP N. K. Illangakoon to probe those who, he said, tried to tarnish the credibility of Sri Lankan examinations, including the Grade Five scholarship exam by spreading false rumours. The Minister said that there was an organised team, claiming to be teacher trade unionists, who spread misinformation after every examination that there were several errors in exam papers. According to Gunawardena, more..

Aug 28 (Island) Head of the Colombo Crime Division, Senior DIG of Police, Anura Senanayake yesterday requested the public to help the police apprehend the main suspect in the National Museum robbery. He requested media to publish the main suspect’s photo and name regularly along with the offer by the police of a Rs. 500,000 cash reward. Senior DIG said that with the arrest of the chief suspect, Lasange Priyantha Mendis, the claim that police had misled the public to more..

Aug 28 (ST) About 1.5 million people comprising both residents of Colombo city and those who visit it, are at risk of contracting typhoid and other water-borne diseases due to sewer water contaminating tube wells and even chlorinated pipe-borne water, health authorities warn. CMC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said the increase in the number of toilet pits was the main reason for more..

Aug 28 (ENS) The executive committee meeting of the AIADMK on Monday dubbed the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) conference as a deceitful drama enacted by DMK president M Karunanidhi who had, long ago, lost competence to speak about the welfare of Lankan Tamils. “The executive committee of the AIADMK strongly condemns Karunanidhi who looks after only the welfare of his family when in power and when out of power, more..

Aug 28 (LB) Like any other trade union action, the strike by university lecturers will have to end in the coming weeks. It is only a question of time, and of an appropriate exit strategy. Several ministers have already indicated that a draft agreement is ready for signing between the FUTA and the state. It is expected to define the govt’s commitments in response to the many demands put forward by FUTA. “It has been finalized,” said minister Basil Rajapaksa, more..

Aug 28 (PTI) A row over animal sacrifice ritual at a famous Hindu temple in northwestern Sri Lanka today prompted a local court to ban demonstrations around the vicinity of the shrine. The district court in Chilaw ordered that no protest demonstrations should be held around the vicinity of the Sri Bhadra Kali Amman Kovil until September 2. The order came in response to a complaint filed by the Chilaw police. Fears of clashes between the Buddhists and more..

Aug 28 (NDTV) The DMK, a senior member of the ruling coalition at the centre, has said the Prime Minister must intervene to stop India from training defence personnel from Sri Lanka. The DMK chief, M Karunanidhi, said that the sentiments of Tamil Nadu and its people have been hurt by the Centre's stand on the issue. Yesterday, Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju's said to reporters,"Sri Lanka is a friendly foreign country and the training will go on. more..

Aug 28 (GDI) A five-day international symposium organized by the Atomic Energy Authority of Sri Lanka with the member states of Asia Pacific region commenced in Colombo, on Monday. The symposium will focus on "Improving Soil Fertility, Land Productivity and Land Degradation Mitigation" . Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Korea, Sri Lanka more..

Aug 28 (Island) A JVP backed union yesterday claimed that the Health Ministry move to import BTI Bacteria for aerial spraying was just an election gimmick. All Ceylon Health Services Union (ACHSU) General Secretary Gamini Kumarasinghe said that the BTI Bacteria were capable of killing only dengue larvae, but not dengue mosquitoes. The govt was trying to win the provincial govt elections by importing BTI bacteria for more..

Aug 28 (SL) With the disastrous decline in the share market and the recent revelations of a ‘Mafia’ that has been having a field day making billions by Insider Dealings, Market Manipulation, Front Running and various other violations of SEC Regulations, the time has come for the government to re-assess its policies. The first thing to do is to stop putting the blame on others such as the Tamil Diaspora, Western Conspiracies, Regulators, more..

Aug 28 (CG) A girl born to Sri Lankan parents has been selected among the six finalists for the Miss Italy of the world crown in the Miss Italy pageant. Nayomi Andibuduge, 18, was among the 20 contestants competing in the category and has now been included among the six finalists. The Miss Italy pageant will take place next month and the Miss Italy of the World is a new segment included this year where a foreigner living in Italy for a minimum of one year can take part. more..

Aug 28 (CG) President Mahinda Rajapaksa will visit to Iran to attend the 16th NAM Summit to be held in Tehran. The 16th Summit of the Heads of State and Govt of the Non-Alighted Movement is scheduled to be held from 30-31st August, 2012 in Tehran. Led by Rajapaksa, a fifty-member high power delegation, including Foreign Minister, Oil Minister, a business delegation and media persons, is visiting Iran’s capital city, more..

Aug 28 (DM) While the controversy over the fraudulent import of sub-standard fuel continues with no one being held accountable for the abuse or waste of public funds, serious issues need to be addressed about the quality of medicinal drugs being imported and the procedure for the testing or checking of the drugs and good manufacturing practices. Sub-standard fuel damages vehicles, while medicinal drugs which are sub-standard or have lost their efficacy could damage or more..