Oct 4 (CT) Minister Mervyn Silva said, he does not bear a grudge against a vindictive media and the sordid (thakkadi) media personnel, but at the same time, he respects media institutions that publish reports truthfully. The minister who went on to further castigate the media, invited media personnel who wish to follow the right path to come to his devale in Kelaniya. He added that President Rajapaksa had vested powers in him, enabling him to go to any place where relationships among more..

Oct 4 (Island) Clarks, the world renowned name in footwear opened new store in Colombo on 2nd October showcasing their range of beautifully versatile and perfectly crafted British style footwear. Situated in Colombo 7, it will present all of Clarks signature styles for adults. The collection offers a variety of footwear to match the needs of the times. Clarksmen’s and women’s shoes juxtapose vintage British styling with contemporary tailoring to stay ahead of trends. From smart office wear to more..

Oct 4 (FT) The UNP says that the proposed Matara-Kataragama railway project is rife with corruption. UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera said that the Transport Ministry has submitted the relevant Cabinet memorandum for approval. He explained that the first phase of the project from Matara to Beliatta is estimated to cost US$ 290 million. “This means a kilometer of the rail track would cost almost US$ 10.7 million, more..

Oct 4 (Island) The power sector regulator, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) is confident that with the implementation of the Demand Side Management, the country could contain the increasing annual 8% growth in power demand or cut down between 1300 and 1200 Gwh through energy efficiency measures. PUCSL DG Damitha Kumarasinghe said that the new regulations would be completed within two weeks as they were in the process of finalising them. more..

Oct 4 (CT) An individual, who planned to kill his mother-in-law and wife, by shooting them with a locally-produced multi-barrelled handgun, was arrested by the Mirihana Police. The weapon was made with six small barrels joined together, into which ammunition can be loaded, and with the use of the power of two batteries, six bullets can be fired. The suspect revealed that he had made the weapon to kill his mother-in-law, who is supposed to have broken his marriage, more..

Oct 4 (Island) Nationalist groups warned that a recent resolution, passed by the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC), demanding the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, was meant to advance the separatist agenda in the wake of the ITAK securing the Northern Provincial Council (NPC). They pointed out that UPFA constituent, the SLMC and the ITAK voted for the controversial resolution. more..

Oct 4 (CT) Education Minister, Bandula Gunawardena's statement, that every student who received over 70 marks at the Grade 5 Scholarship exam could be deemed as having successfully passed the said exam, is as ridiculous as his claim that a person can survive on Rs 2,500 a month, the Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU), charged. The CTU alleged the Education Ministry was attempting to cover up the massive faux pas it had made by releasing the Grade 5 Scholarship results more..

Oct 4 (TOI) Two out of the 500-odd fishing boats from Rameswaram, which ventured into the sea on Wednesday morning failed to return. While one of the boats is reportedly stranded in Sri Lankan waters due to a technical snag, the other's whereabouts are yet to be known. Four of the fishermen who strayed into Sri Lanka have been lodged at the Neduntheevu police station for interrogation. The mechanised boats from Rameswaram go fishing on 24 hours schedule on three fishing days more..

Oct 4 (Island) The Supreme Court has recently directed the Attorney General to consider indicting the Directors of Okanda Finance Company. The Commercial High Court was directed to liquidate the company as expeditiously as possible. Deputy Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne appeared for the Attorney General. A group of depositors had complained to the Supreme Court that the aforesaid finance company had failed more..

Oct 4 (TN) A drunk maid sprayed chilli pepper into the eyes of a woman who she suspected of stealing her boyfriend and then tried to stab her to death, a court heard. DP, 28, from Nepal, and an accomplice attacked NS, 32, from Sri Lanka, before dragging her to a stairwell and stabbing her in the head, chest and stomach. Prosecutors said the attack on April 2 this year was motivated by revenge as the Nepalese woman blamed the Sri Lankan, also a maid, for “stealing” her boyfriend. more..

Oct 4 (CT) Officers of the STF had dug the family burial plot of the late UNP MP, K.W. Devanayagam, in the Kalkuda Electorate in the Eastern Province, on 26 September, in search of weapons and bundles of cash, believed to have been buried by the LTTE. According to STF sources, they had engaged in this exercise, consequent to information provided by an ex-LTTE cadre, who is currently being rehabilitated. Reportedly, the ex-combatant had said, it was possible that the LTTE more..

Oct 4 (DM) The Cosmetics Devices and Drugs Control Authority said there was a high tendency of school children getting addicted to sexual enhancement drugs to merely get a kick out of such drugs, which has become a serious issue. “We have received information that the use of sexual enhancement drugs among school children have increased in the recent past. This medicine should be used only under a prescription as it has more..

Oct 4 (Island) UNP Kurunegala District organiser Akila Viraj Kariyawasam yesterday dismissed speculation that he would resign from his post over the party’s debacle in the district at last month’s election. Referring to Party General Secretary Tissa Attanayake’s submitting his resignation from the post of the party’s Kundasale electorate organiser on Wednesday, accepting responsibility for the electoral debacle, Kariyawasam said he did not approve of such acts. more..

Oct 4 (CT) The Ponnalai Varatharaja Perumal Kovil in Jaffna had been broken into and jewellery and other valuables worth over Rs 10 million stolen from the inner shrine room. The temple was where LTTE Leader, V. Prabhakaran, fired his first shot killing former Jaffna Mayor, Alfred Duraiappah. OIC of Vaddukottai Police, S.A.S.C. Satharasinghe said the robbery had taken place at midnight on Wednesday. The robbers had entered the kovil by breaking open the door to the temple priest's room more..

Oct 4 (Island) Since the govt initiated measures to discourage women seeking jobs in West Asia after the execution of Sri Lankan housemaid Rizana Nafeek the number of women migrating to the region, as housemaids, had declined sharply, Minister Dilan Perera said. He said that the housemaid migration had declined by 72% in August 2013 compared to August last year. In August last year, 3,798 housemaids received training at more..

Oct 4 (FT) Following the monumental victory of the TNA at the NPC election last month, Party Leader R. Sampanthan will meet President Rajapaksa for talks today. The President is expected to meet the TNA Leader at 8:30 a.m. The pair last met in July this year. Likely on the agenda will be the oath-taking ceremony for the Northern Province Chief Minister Justice C.V. Wigneswaran, which has been a sticking point with the TNA expressing unwillingness to allow its Chief Minister to more..

Oct 4 (Island) MP Karu Jayasuriya has informed UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe that he does not wish to accept the offer of a Working Committee position until various issues within the party were sorted out. Jayasuriya had met Wickremesinghe on Tuesday and stressed that the priority was to unite the warring factions and not his appointment to the WC. MP Jayasuriya had explained that there were others who were also deserving of slots in the decision making body and more..

Oct 4 (DM) The Court of Inquiry appointed Army Commander Lt. General Daya Ratnayake had found that the army had exceeded their legal duties during the Weliveriya shootings, and a ‘summary of evidence’ is currently under way in order to frame charges for a Court Martial. Army Commander said that the Court of Inquiry appointed by him to look into the Rathupaswela shooting had found that the conduct of the Army had gone more..

Oct 4 (DM) The demise of Dr. Aluthwewa Soratha Kririwehera Maha Nayake Thera is not only a great loss to the Sasana but also to the academia in Sri Lanka as well. Soratha Thera’s service was not confined to his routine religious duties at Kiriwehera. It expanded into a massive social service in Kataragama, an economically deprived area of the southeastern tip of the country. He built villages, gui­ded and initiated the political leadership of the day to develop Kataragama by constructing tanks more..

Oct 4 (CT) A class teacher was once taken aback when he asked a young student how many games he could play, and student replied: "All." The answer may sound exaggerated and stupid to experts. But the reality, like it or not, is that children do make the best sportsmen/women because of their passion for and joy in the games. There are thousands of boys and girls who make some of the finest ambassadors in the field of sports and it is time somebody spared a thought for them. more..

Oct 4 (CT) Dayasiri Jayasekara who was sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of the NWP, goes into history as having achieved the highest number of preferential votes in a PC election. Jayasekara who led his election campaign under the banner Ratama kemathi Maha Amathi (Chief Minister loved by all in the country), in an interview, spoke of his plans to uplift the lives of the people of the NWP. more..

Oct 4 (SL) The Supreme Court ruling last week that land powers are in the hands of the central govt and not the provincial councils had created ripples among political parties and civil society. Some are of the view that the ruling has laid to rest demands for land and police powers to be allocated to the provinces. The TNA has been pushing for land and police powers to be in the hands of the provincial administration. more..

Oct 4 (Island) More than six weeks have elapsed since the burning of confidential documents belonging to the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) at the General Cemetery, Kanatte, but the inquiry reports have yet to reach the authorities concerned and no action has been taken against the alleged culprits, CMC workers complain. Over 1,000 documents were set on fire, but three Municipal Councillors managed to save about 50 files, more..

Oct 4 (Island) The first coal-fired 300 MW power plant at Norochcholai will be reconnected to the national grid on October 8 or 9 after nearly two months of maintenance work. A senior engineer said that though they were planning to restart the plant last month, they had been compelled to delay the process when they found mollusks and shells in the main water cooling intake. "We thought the private divers were done with the cleaning, but more..

Oct 4 (CT) A new tug-of-war between the Sri Lanka Badminton Association (SLBA) and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) is brewing after certain factions in the SLBA complained to the WBF of malpractices and an inappropriate conducting of its Annual General Meeting. Professor Ranjit de Silva who was to contest for the presidency of the SLBA said that six affiliates made the complaints to the WBF regarding the irregular manner more..

Oct 4 (PTI) DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Friday urged a pro-Tamil outfit leader, on an indefinite fast here since the last three days to press for expelling Sri Lanka from Commonwealth of Nations and shifting a meeting of CHOGM from Colombo, to protest through other non-violent means. ".. on behalf of DMK, I insist that he breaks fast and continues to protest in other non violent ways," he said in a statement. more..

Oct 4 (Island) Newly appointed principals will protest opposite the Education Ministry, Isurupaya today, demanding a pay hike. Ceylon Teachers’ Union General Secretary Joseph Stalin said that there were nearly 7,000 newly appointed principals who had passed a competitive exam, but of them more than 3,000 had no schools to head. "Most principals work as teachers or sectional heads, while thousands of schools were more..

Oct 4 (ST) Crucial heart surgeries at the premier National Hospital in Colombo will be cut drastically due to the lack of experienced Medical Officers (MOs), following a massive transfer scheme implemented by the Health Ministry. Only about 15 cardiothoracic surgeries will be performed every week from Monday (30) onwards, as against the usual 30 operations, raising the serious issue of disruption in patient care, the ST learns. more..

Oct 4 (AD) Police have launched investigations into the alleged blasting of the boulder covering the cave which is believed to have housed the remains thought to be of a local princess, Sugala Devi dating back to the 12th century A.D. and the stealing of the jewelry encased with the remains. It had been previously uncovered that the cave located in the village of Meewathpura in Mahaweli C zone was the final resting more..

Oct 4 (AFP) Switzerland on Thursday defended the deportation of two asylum seekers who were arrested upon returning to Sri Lanka, saying they were accused of backing Tamil rebels. The deportations happened shortly before Switzerland's August 26 decision to halt the forced returns of rejected Sri Lankan asylum seekers, amid growing human rights concerns since the separatists' defeat in 2009. more..

Oct 4 (DM) During the past few decades, wars have been fought and a heavy price paid in human, material and financial resources for the rich countries to gain control of the remaining oil and natural gas resources in the world. Most independent political analysts believe this was the secret agenda behind the war the US launched in Afghanistan and Iraq where hundreds of thousands of people were killed or injured and billions of dollars wasted on the basis that the US wanted to more..

Oct 4 (TN) While Pakistan continues to be hit on regular basis by terrorism after 9/11, it needs to gain some inspiration from a much smaller and poorer Sri Lanka, which is literally rising from ashes after having fought with the rebel Tamil Tigers for nearly 27 long years and ultimately defeating the insurgents on May 29, 2009. Sri Lanka was left with a daunting post-war task to ensure the welfare of nearly 300,000 IDPs, who were held as a human shield and a bargaining chip by more..

Oct 4 (CT) A few days ago, on Sept 24th, Sri Lanka Central Bank (SLCB) issued a “Notice To The Public” in order to absolve it from allegations leveled at it by politicians, investors, general public and certain professionals in the financial industry, after the virtual collapse of Central Investment & Finance (CIFL). If I remember correct, for the first time in history average people during a recent protest, held placards with writings that denounced SLCB. That may be the reason for issuing more..

Oct 4 (LBO) Stocks closed 0.4% higher on speculative trades and the rupee strengthened against the US dollar. All Share Price Index closed 23.15 points higher at 5,837.95, up 0.4% after reaching an intraday high on 5,849.76 in late trading, data showed. The S&P SL20 closed 18.55 points higher at 3,239.26, up 0.58%. Turnover amounted to 622.16 million rupees, down from 840.78 million rupees the previous day with shares of 107 firms gaining against 87 losers. more..

Oct 4 (ST) Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Department Director General N.D. Hettiarachchi said, Sri Lanka was pushing for an early meeting of the Joint Working Group with India to resolve fishing issues between the two countries, but the response has been poor. Mr. Gunawardena said although the Indian Central government had shown interest in resolving the issue, the Tamil Nadu state governt was blocking efforts. Excerpts: more..

Oct 4 (PTI) A court in Sri Lanka today remanded till October 14, four fishermen from Tamil Nadu, arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for reportedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line. Oorkaval Thurai Magistrate M Mahenthira Raja passed the order remanding them to judicial custody till October 14, U Arulanandam, president of Pamban Innocent Fishermen's Organisation told reporters here, quoting information he received from Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 4 (Island) The Applied Sciences Faculty of the South-Eastern University, located at Samanthurai, was closed indefinitely following a bloody clash between two student factions. The clash, which erupted inside the faculty premises yesterday, left 23 hospitalised. Samanthurai police arrested 41 undergraduates in connection with the clash. Senior lecturer, M.A.M. Sameem said that second and third year students clashed due to a problem that arose at the Students’ Council election. more..

Oct 4 (Island) A surprise night raid by the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) at the Wellawatte beach on Monday led to the arrest of a group of divers supplying lobsters to city hotels. The seven persons were taken into custody along with 207 lobsters, including 91 females with millions of eggs. In accordance with Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act No 2, of 1996, it was a punishable offence to possess lobsters without a valid permit. more..

Oct 4 (CG) The United States (US) has noted that the reaction of the Sri Lankan media to the US govt shutdown is negative to what the US stands for. USDS Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said that in general, people around the world cant understand why the US can’t get it’s house in order. “I’ll just give you one example of local press commentary somewhere else in the world that one of my folks showed to me this morning: That the US, and particularly many in Congress, have urged more..