Oct 9 (LBO) Stocks closed 0.21% higher with foreign investors interest while domestic speculative play was seen on some stocks. All Share Price Index closed 12.90 points higher at 5,909.95, up 0.22%, after reaching an intraday high of 5,932.32. The S&P SL20 closed 1.41 points lower at 3,255.93, down 0.04%. Turnover amounted to 722.97 million rupees, up from 490.34 million rupees the previous day, with shares of 117 firms gaining against 83 losers. Foreigners bought shares worth 349.85 more..

Oct 9 (CT) The Govt must recognize that the 13th amendment has come to say. It must realize that there are States where devolution of power has not led to separate states but instead provided a modus Vivendi for a minority to live in peace with a majority giving up the claim to be a separate state. The people at large do not understand what is involved in the nature of the State and have not learn’t political science. The problems of majority -minority are projected to the people by the politicians more..

Oct 9 (LBO) A business forum coinciding with the CHOGM in Sri Lanka is targeting about 2 billion US dollars of investment leads, an official said. Mohan Kaul, head of the Commonwealth Business Council said already proposals have been received for airports, energy and manufacturing. The Commonwealth is made up of countries of the former British Empire. At least one business proposal may touch a billion US dollars he told reporters in Colombo. more..

Oct 9 (CT) The reformist group of the UNP said the decision taken at Monday's Working Committee meeting to appoint a Leadership Council and vest it with certain powers, has created 'absolute confusion' in the Party. The group also termed it as another attempt by Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, to evade being held responsible for the imminent failure of the Party at the forthcoming elections to some of the PCs. more..

Oct 9 (Island) Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa told parliament that he would conduct an inquiry to find out why a copy of the gazette notification, relating to the construction of two luxury hotel complexes, containing gambling and betting facilities at Slave Island and D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, had not been placed on the tables of the Opposition MPs. When the relevant gazettes were presented to Parliament by Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, UNP Dr. Harsha de Silva more..

Oct 9 (Island) The Indo-Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) needed to be finalised for the greater good of both countries, visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Salaman Khurshid said. The Minister who concluded a two-day official visit yesterday, during which the Sampur Power Project and the Trilingual Programme agreements were signed told journalists that CEPA would help boost trade between the two countries, which had exceeded USD 5 billion. more..

Oct 9 (AD) The Govt today said that Canadian PM Stephen Harper is isolated in his decision to boycott the CHOGM in Sri Lanka. Minister G.L Peiris said that the Canadian PM's absence will not have a negative impact on the summit. He said that several Commonwealth leaders including the Australian PM, who met President Rajapaksa during the recent UN General Assembly, had also assured participation at the Colombo summit. more..

Oct 9 (DM) The businessman, who had gone missing and alleged to be a Coordinating Secretary of Minister Mervyn Silva had come to the Maradana Police in a luxury vehicle with garage number plates and the State symbol on its windscreen. The businessman had returned home last night. However, after noticing the media personnel at the Police Station, the State symbol had been removed. On Wednesday, the two men including the businessman were reported missing around more..

Oct 9 (Island) The main killer in Mohammed Shiyam murder case M. Fowsudeen Muthalif had been conditionally discharged that was something that would shock the conscience, said President’s Counsel Hemantha Warnakulasuriya, when the matter involving the murder of Bambalapitiya businessman Mohammed Shiyam was called before Colombo Additional Magistrate A.M. Sahabdeen yesterday. Ex-DIG Vaas Gunawardena, who had been the third suspect, was made the more..

Oct 9 (AD) The govt will have to face the consequences of creating frictions within the opposition party, UNP MP Gayantha Karunathilaka stated. MP said that the govt was unable to find solutions to the problems farmers were still facing to sell their harvests while pensions were not being paid and Sri Lankan Transport Board employees were not receiving their gratuity payments. He stated that the price of milk powder was increased more..

Oct 9 (Island) The National Gem and Jewellery Authority had decided to take full control of gem mining activities in the Thalduwa area along the Kelani River in view of large scale illegal gem mining activities damaging the environment, the Environment and Renewable Energy Ministry said. Authority’s Director General Janaka Udaya Kumara said that with their latest move the govt would be in a position to generate a healthy income, while contributing 10% of that income to more..

Oct 9 (CG) The police said that 30 suspects have been arrested over the clash that took place in Matara at a UNP protest walk recently. Police headquarters said that more suspects who were identified as being involved in the violence will be arrested in future. The IGP is also taking keen interest in the investigations into the clash. The Matara Magistrate had on Saturday evening issued an order on the protest walk against UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe held in Matara. more..

Oct 9 (Telegraph) The UK Prime Minister said he would personally raise concerns with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa over a suspected murder cover-up in 2011 during Prime Minister’s Questions. Khuram Shaikh, a 32-year-old Red Cross aid worker from Rochdale, had been in Sri Lanka to rest after an assignment in Gaza, when he and his Russian girlfriend were attacked by eight men in a hotel bar in Tangalle, more..

Oct 9 (AD) The payment of a deposit is mandatory if the residents of the Rathupaswala area in Weliweriya, Gampaha want a water supply, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board stated. The Chairman of the NWSDB, Karunaratne Hettiarachchi said that the laying of pipelines in the area has been completed however only two residents have paid deposits. He said that the Water Board does not have the capability of providing water to that area free-of-charge more..

Oct 9 (Island) The Consumer Affairs Authority said that it would take legal action against milk powder companies selling their products above the stipulated prices. CAA Chairman Rumy Marzook said that several milk powder companies had, during the last few months, sought approval to increase the prices of their products, but the CAA had not given its approval to any company. He said that the CAA had received information that one company had increased the prices of its products without more..

Oct 9 (MEA) The sixth annual world Rubber Conference, of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries started at Galadari Hotel in Colombo yesterday under the patronage of the Minister Basil Rajapaksa. The Conference was organised by Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) in collaboration with the Plantation Industries Ministry. Year 2013 conference was on the more..

Oct 9 (CG) The govt today noted that some extremist groups are attempting to destabilize ties between India and Sri Lanka. Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament today that India and Sri Lanka have a strong relationship. However he said some groups, including those in Tamil Nadu, are making attempts to create a rift between Sri Lanka and India. He was responding to a question raised by JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake on the security provided to Sri Lankan more..

Oct 9 (CG) A Sri Lankan man was among six individuals arrested in Lancashire, England for immigration offenses, the British High Commission in Colombo said today. The 38-year-old man was arrested for overstaying his visa. He had also been working illegally at a shop in the area. The five others arrested were from India and Bangladesh. They were arrested by a Home Office immigration enforcement team which had been acting on intelligence. more..

Oct 9 (DM) Puttalam District Judge Ranga Dissanayake upheld the CID’s investigation report on marked ballot papers and ordered the CID to hand over the stock of ballot papers to the Asst. Commissioner of Elections, Puttalam today. When the case came up for hearing, the CID told court that it did not find any evidence of irregularity or malpractice in the incident. The CID told court that it was a case of negligence more..

Oct 9 (CI) Prasanna Jayawardene may just be vying for a return to the Sri Lanka Test side after he hit the third hundred of the Board XI's innings, in the four-day match against the Development XI. Jayawardene's unbeaten 105 from 220 deliveries drove Board XI to a mammoth 575, after Kaushal Silva and Kumar Sangakkara had made centuries on day one. Prasanna began the day on 27, and though he lost overnight partner Angelo Mathews in the sixth over of the morning, more..

Oct 9 (AN) Catholic leaders in the Northern Province have called on Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran, who was elected at the end of September, to bring "stability, peace and development" to the people of the North. His was a major victory in the first provincial elections in the north after nearly 30 years of civil war. The new provincial chief is a member of the TNA, the country's largest Tamil party. On 7 Oct, after taking his oath of office before the President Rajapaksa, the chief minister said more..

Oct 9 (Telegraph) The Foreign Affairs Select committee is due to publish a report on human rights next week which is expected to highlight Mr Cameron's forthcoming trip. Several MPs on the committee want to use the report to express "regret" at Mr Cameron's decision to attend. The committee has yet to reach a final decision on whether the concerns will be included in the report. A source close to the committee said: more..

Oct 10 (NS) Street Art, in Sri Lanka, has been restricted to a few ‘seasonal’ discourses, such as the art exhibitions along the Green Path or the even scarcer drama and improve for which the street and public spaces are used. Till very recent times, the urban and suburban locales were not too infrequently used by street-theatre groups, be them those influenced by the likes of Gamini Hattotuwegama and his ilk, or university dramatic troops. But, within the last five years or so, more..

Oct 10 (NS) The question should be ‘Who is Ranil?’ some might point out. Identity, however, is not only about lineage, gender, ethnicity, religion etc.; it is about ideological choices too. As important is the ‘casting’ which is produced by decision and behavior, and this is what makes the ‘what’ of the title question valid. UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is a remnant of the Senanayake-Kotelawala-Jayewardena-Wijewardena family circle that governed post-independent Sri Lanka for more..

Oct 10 (SO) The Health sector is an important subject that has to be developed in a country in any region. Whether it is a world superpower or a developing nation health facilities have to be given top priority. In western, southern and central provinces as well as many other areas the condition of the health sector is satisfying. And it is noteworthy that the gap between the levels of the medical facilities in northern and eastern more..

Oct 10 (GV) Venerable Watareka Vijitha Thero is the Chief Incumbent of the Rotalawela Mahaweli Maha Viharaya in Mahiyanganaya, in the Uva province. In July 2013, the Mahiyangana Pradeshiya Sabha of which Vijitha Thero is a member had discussed the destruction of a building above the shop in Mahiyanganaya, where Muslims used to pray, as this was deemed to be an illegal construction. The Thero had opposed the destruction, as it was a period of religious festivities for Muslims. more..

Oct 10 (GV) At a time when few practise what they preach, Lankan scholar, writer and social activist Dr E W (Edward Winifred) Adikaram (1905-1985) was an illustrious exception. As a public intellectual, he had the courage of his convictions to speak out on matters of public interest — even when such views challenged widely held dogmas or went against populist trends. As a sceptical inquirer as well as a spiritualist, he always ‘walked his talk’. He never hesitated to take the often lonely more..

Oct 10 (CT) Students of politics and history know Sri Lanka was 'once upon a time' hailed as a model democracy, one that showed the developing world just how a country could succeed in not only adopting multi-party democracy but also maintaining the same for decades without serious reversal to military or dictatorial rule. Our democratic history spans a space beyond independence, as small and gradual steps since the late 1800s more..

Oct 9 (CT) I found the response to the letter by Rev. Emmanuel, titled ‘An open letter to the Queen’ unsurprising and yet most disappointing. This is not an attempt to defend the Reverend: I presume he can do that himself should he so wish, but to use it as an example, and comment on the language of public discussion. Several years ago, while teaching at a university in a Moslem country, I invited students to imagine the following. The door to our lecture-room is suddenly opened; more..

Oct 10 (SL) Despite being an active newspaperman for long years, reading the headlines of some of our Sri Lankan newspapers creates a degree of credibility about them despite our fervent hopes. There was the report about our erudite Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris having signed a joint statement on ‘No first Development of Weapons in Outer Space’ during the UNGA Sessions that were held in New York last week. Of course we realise that the significance of outer space activities more..

Oct 9 (CT) One piece of testimony came from IGP Rudra Rajasingham. When asked about the Left being accused of the July 1983 violence, he said that he was surprised when the accusation was made, adding that the Left was definitely not involved. This seemed a matter-of-fact statement made without any cal-culation. But when told that Ratnatunga and T.D.S.A. Dissanayaka had made him party to the accusation, he was disturbed and later even annoyed. Yet his silence all these more..

Oct 10 (CT) Unlike any other Province, Sri Lanka's North has multiple challenges before its people, and now, before its new provincial administration. Just like the challenges, it is also full of new opportunities. Other provincial councils have been functional since the introduction of the Provincial Council system in 1988. Their effectiveness is yet to be assessed, but in principle, an elected body which is modelled to work closely with the people has a much better opportunity to deliver efficient more..

Oct 10 (FT) There is an old story in UNP circles about Sajith Premadasa that dates back to May 1993. His father, President R Premadasa had just been assassinated in a brutal suicide bomb explosion at the UNP’s May Day rally. The 25-year-old Premadasa had been in pursuit of a Masters Degree at the University of Maryland when he received news of President Premadasa’s death. Upon his arrival in Colombo to attend his more..

Oct 10 (ST) The egg theory always baffles me. I still keep wondering if not for the egg, how did the chicken come into being? Then what would have happened if the hen did not lay the egg in the first place? But, when you are kind of bored you just try this. Keep running round an egg for a while and see if you could see any tell-tale signs? I guess you would end up as dumb as I did. Just as much, there is another theory that I love to delve into. It is to learn who got involved in school cricket first? more..

Oct 10 (CI) Allrounder Ramith Rambukwella has been named in Sri Lanka's 24-man preliminary squad for the New Zealand limited-overs tour in November, after having had a good match for Sri Lanka A last week. Opener Upul Tharanga, who had been in the side for their last one-day assignment, has been left out, as has middle-order batsman Jehan Mubarak. Opener Dimuth Karunaratne, who has been a Test specialist in internationals so far, finds a place in the squad more..

Oct 10 (CI) The last six years have been an eventful era in Sri Lanka cricket. It was an era during which Kumar Sangakkara was considered as the world’s best batsman and most popular cricketer, an era during which Mahela Jayawardene had few peers when it came to tactical brilliance. An era where a little known mystery spinner called Ajantha Mendis humbled the best players of spin bowling from India into submission. more..

Oct 10 (Island) Colombo’s new deep draft terminal constructed under the Colombo Port Expansion Project (CPEP) received the largest container ship to have ever called at the Port of Colombo on October 08. The 13,808 twenty foot equivalent units (TEU) Ultra Large Container Ship (ULCS) ‘MV THALASSA HELLAS’ is operated by the global ocean career Evergreen Line. The introduction of Thalassa Hellas to Evergreen fleet marks its first entry into the ultra-large class container ship more..

Oct 10 (FT) Troubled Touchwood Investments is turning out to be a popular salon, judging by the entries and exits of Directors. The company yesterday announced the resignation of recently-appointed CEO Dr. Sujeewa Lokuhewa with effect from 7 Oct. He was first appointed on 27 Sept. When he was appointed Lokuhewa was identified as the Director of ETI Regent Group, with expertise in accounts, special management techniques, human resource management more..