Feb 3 (DM) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) executive committee will have a crucial emergency meeting today to take the final stand on the controversial position paper of the ICC which is aiming to bestow world cricket’s controlling powers and financial benefits on just three cricket boards – India, England and Australia. However, SLC has already taken a firm decision to vote against the proposals as the special committee of SLC Office Bearers more..

Feb 3 (SM) Both the govt and the Northern provincial council (NPC) has no future if the govt and NPC do not collaborate, says Vasudeva Nanayakkara,the Minister of National Languages and Social Integration. "There has to be a dialog with the NPC. If not, there will be no future for everyone. Even though the govt does not engage in a political dialog with the NPC, the govt and the NPC must work in collaboration. If not there will be no future for the NPC as well. more..

Feb 3 (CI) Bowlers Rangana Herath and Shaminda Eranga will miss the second Test against Bangladesh with injuries, team management has confirmed. Herath has suffered a recurrence of a knee injury, while Eranga has strained a quad muscle in the approach to the match. Both will return to Sri Lanka on Tuesday. Batsman Kusal Perera and allrounder Thisara Perera will replace the pair in the Test squad, but with the match starting before they arrive, neither will be available for selection. more..

Feb 3 (ST) In what is likely to be treated as a major diplomatic insult, the Sri Lankan Govt has refused a visa to US Ambassador at Large for Women’s Issues, Catherine Russell, forcing her to cancel a high-level visit scheduled for February 10-11. “It is regrettable that the Govt of Sri Lanka has refused to grant a visa to Ambassador Catherine Russell for this trip,” a US Embassy Spokesman said. more..

Feb 3 (AD) The EPDP has decided to expel the Opposition Leader of the NPC, Kandasamy Kamalendran, who was arrested in connection with the murder of the Delft Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman. The Administrative Secretary of the EPDP has informed Kamalendran regarding the decision via a letter, dated Jan 29, sent through the Jaffna Prison administration. The letter states that the decision was reached by the party’s Central Committee which met on January 16 after considering more..

Feb 3 (LBO) Sri Lanka's private credit is expected to pick up from this quarter, based on historical trends, but there could be a delay, Standard Chartered Bank said, as credit slowed following a balance of payments crisis. "Historically, there has been a one-year lag between the first change in the policy rate and a turnaround in private-credit growth," Standard Chartered Bank said. "By this logic, year on year private-credit growth should start picking up in early 2014. There is already some positive more..

Feb 3 (PTI) Demanding that India move a seperate resolution against Sri Lanka in a UN body next month, TN Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today said Congress-led UPA however would not do that and claimed "scenes will change" after Lok Sabha elections where her AIADMK will have a say in this matter. Jayalalithaa said there were reports about four countries, (including the US) trying to move a resolution against Sri Lanka in more..

Feb 3 (AT) Competitive, state-centred international politics are often a barrier for victims of human rights violations to find redress through global judicial institutions. To circumvent some of these restrictions the civil society-led International War Crimes Tribunal was founded by Bertrand Russell in 1967 to try the United States and its allies for war crimes against the Vietnamese people. The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) was established by Lelio Basso in Bologna in 1979 more..

Feb 3 (CI) Sri Lanka Under-19s took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with a comprehensive 111-run win over Australia Under-19s at Colts Cricket Club ground. Like in the first one-dayer at the same ground on Saturday, the Australians failed to pass 200 and on Monday they were bowled out for a paltry 137 in response to 248. Sri Lanka opted to bat and they got off to a poor start, losing Sadeera Samarawickrama in the first over to the left-arm seamer Matthew Fotia. more..

Feb 3 (PTI) After last week's cordial talks between fishermen of India and Sri Lanka over fishing rights in Palk Straits, the next round of discussions would be held in Sri Lanka where amicable decisions would be taken, TN Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said today. The two sides had agreed upon certain conditions, including use of specific types of fishing nets, she told the Assembly in her reply to the motion to thank the Governor for his address to the state more..

Feb 3 (Reuters) The Sri Lankan rupee closed slightly firmer on Monday, stiffened by inward remittances and exporter dollar sales, but dealers expect the local currency to depreciate on lower interest rates that could drive credit growth and imports. The spot rupee ended at 130.64/67 per dollar, firmer from Friday's close of 130.72/75. "There were inward remittances and export conversions. With lack of importer demand the rupee ended firmer," more..

Feb 3 (DM) Former Justice Ministry Secretary and Additional Solicitor General Suhada K. Gamalath and prominent lawyer De Almeida J. Guneratne were sworn in as Judges in Fiji. Fiji President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau welcomed Justice Gamlath and Justice Guneratne at the swearing in ceremony at Government House in Fiji today. The judges from Sri Lanka took the oath of office in the presence of the Chief Justice Anthony Gates, President of the Fiji Court of Appeal, Justice William Calanchini, more..

Feb 3 (DM) Police said today the man whom senior journalist Mel Gunasekara had hired to paint her residence at Christmas time was believed to have stabbed her to death on Sunday when his attempt to rob an empty house had failed because she might have accosted him. SSP Ajith Rohana told a news conference held at the Mirihana Police Station where the suspect Samson Anthony (39) was being detained that the killing more..

Feb 3 (APP) The govt of Pakistan through its High Commission in Colombo has funded the construction of two clean drinking water supply projects for the vulnerable communities in Kodapokuna village of Polonnaruwa District. The High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka major general (retd) Qasim Qureshi visited the village and handed over these projects in the presence of the community leaders. Mrs Rashida Qureshi, spouse of the High Commissioner and Faizer Khan, more..

Feb 3 (CG) At the invitation of the Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations the Assistant Director General and Regional Director, ILO Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mr Yoshiteru Uramoto, will make his first official visit to Sri Lanka from 4 to 7 Feb. During his trip to Sri Lanka, Mr Uramoto will pay a courtesy call on PM, D.M. Jayaratne. The ILO Assistant Director General will meet with Gamini Lokuge, Minister of Labour more..

Feb 3 (LT) Revolutionaries would never retire, they do not need positions to work for the betterment of the masses and he would be in the revolutionary movement until his death says the Leader of the JVP Somawansa Amarasinghe. Speaking at the 7th National Convention of the JVP held yesterday (2) former Leader of the JVP said the JVP would embark upon a new path with a new leader and the policy framework adopted more..

Feb 4 (NS) Nothing lasts forever. Long years ago, there was a party called the SLFP. People called it ‘SLFP’ or just ‘Sri Lanka’, as opposed to ‘UNP’. Then we had the People’s Alliance; it was called PA or ‘Podu Peramuna’. Now there’s the UPFA, generally referred to in Sinhala as ‘Sandanaya’. Through it all, there was the UNP. United. National. Party. Someone might ask ‘Party, what kind of party, what kind of music, where and when?’ It has come to that. As for ‘national’, let’s not talk about more..

Feb 4 (NS) Last week, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga had an unenviable task: he was briefing countries represented in the UNHRC regarding developments in Sri Lanka in the context of the upcoming UNHRC sessions in Geneva. Weeratunga was attempting to counter the widely expected resolution against Sri Lanka in Geneva that will be moved by the United States and strongly endorsed by the UK. Both countries have categorically stated that they will make every more..

Feb 4 (SO) Providing an uninterrupted power supply, for the population to attend their day-to-day needs, for industrialists and investors to engage in their industries and for the smooth functioning of businesses and other essential service is the responsibility of any govt. Though considered a luxury in the bygone era it has now become a basic need of any human and cannot be compromised by any responsible govt. more..

Feb 4 (CT) Many believe that the next Presidential election will be held at the end of this year or within the first four months of 2015. Everybody who is interested in politics knows that the incumbent President will contest for the third time. Now the question is who is going to be the common candidate to challenge Mahinda? Will Chandrika challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the next presidential election? Will Chandrika be the common candidate of the Opposition? more..

Feb 4 (CT) Sri Lanka's victory in the first Test at Dhaka has to be more due to the overall superiority of the Lankans than the poor display of the hosts. At least that is my conclusion as Angelo Mathews and his team overwhelmingly defeated the Tigers by the biggest ever margin achieved so far by Sri Lanka in a Test match between the two countries. From day one when most pundits and observers felt that batting first was the best option, Mathews' decision to filed first had more to do with more..

Feb 4 (CI) Sri Lanka's major battle in Chittagong will be in the mind, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said, as his team prepares to pursue their first away series victory since 2008, which had also come against Bangladesh. Four times since July 2010, Sri Lanka have allowed an opposition to level the series after heading into the final match with a 1-0 lead. "The mental approach is going to be very important in this game," Mathews said. more..

Feb 4 (CT) Memories, memories and more memories, that's all we would be eventually left with. If our legacy to our children is only those memories, then we have let them down very badly. As a country, as a nation and as a people, we have come 65 long years, celebrating the dawn of Independence each year on 4 Feb or more precisely expressed, granting of Independence from the British Colonial powers with pomp and pageantry, with glee and glory and with passion more..

Feb 4 (CT) For the first time most Muslim religious, social and cultural organizations and individuals buried their differences and formed a National Shoora Council NSC, on 25 January 2014 to deal with to deal with burning issues faced by the community. The NSC, consultative council, which has been under discussions for more than a year also elected in its inaugural session last Saturday a permanent general assembly and an executive committee. more..

Feb 4 (NS) ‘Baila’ is a form of music. Some who consider themselves connoisseurs would rate it as a lesser creature in the musical firmament. This is perhaps why it has often been used as a metaphor for things of lesser worth. This is why a song by Nanda Malini that was popular among rebelling and rebellion-cheering youth of the late eighties, penned by Sunil Ariyaratne and titled ‘Master Baila’ was spoken of and more..

Feb 4 (Island) Sri Lanka celebrates its 66th Independence Day today. The British left in 1948, but has the country been able to throw off the colonial yoke yet? If the answer is in the affirmative then the question is whether British PM David Cameron would have behaved the way he did last November here if this country had been truly independent and sovereign. His hubris and callousness unbecoming of a head of state would not have stemmed from anything other than more..

Feb 4 (ST) It is a favorite argument of the cynical minded among us that SL never had a functional system of law in a manner which actually served the people. This argument may have its adherents and its critics. Indeed, radical theorists would argue that the role of law and courts is at the best, only limited in its impact and that the framework of social justice encompasses far more than judgments of courts or provisions in statute books. This critique too would be right but only in part. more..

Feb 4 (CI) Having received their fourth-worst clobbering in Mirpur, Bangladesh need to find their resolve to make the Chittagong Test more of a contest. Peppered by bouncers in the first Test, Bangladesh batsmen appeared more interested in providing short-lived entertainment than working through the tough periods. End result was the kind of performance that diminished the advances B'desh have made in Test cricket. more..

Feb 4 (DH) Excitement is writ large on their faces but talk to them and you can feel a sense of apprehension as they try to converse in broken Hindi or English. Comfortable with Sinhala, these craftsmen, who have come all the way from Sri Lanka to participate in the 28th Surajkund International Crafts Mela, were anxious as it was their first time in the country and especially in a fair where buyers of their art are majorly Hindi-speaking. “I know a little bit of English,” says more..

Feb 4 (DM) Popular actress Ruwanthi Mangala said she has not been nominated to contest the upcoming WPC polls on the UPFA ticket. She said that although several Ministers and provincial councilors wished her for receiving nominations yesterday, MP Duminda Silva had informed her in the evening that she was not being nominated. “I was not given any explanation other than the fact that I had missed my opportunity since the party decided not to field actresses,” she said. more..

Feb 4 (Economist) In feb 2009, during the final throes of Sri Lanka’s civil war, Tamil Tiger rebels packed two light aircraft with explosives and flew them towards Colombo. Pilots planned to execute kamikaze attacks on the capital. Mercifully, they were shot down. But in the process one plane slammed into a high-rise govt building, killing 2 people and injuring 50. Thus ended one of the most dramatic episodes of the war. more..

Feb 4 (LBO) Mel was regarded by colleagues as a hard-nosed financial journalist even after she switched to a more lucrative job with an international ratings agency, but few would have known of her other passion - motor sports and classic cars. When I had the first call asking me if I knew that Mel had been involved in some tragic event, the worst I could think of was her bending a fender in her new car. I had never heard of Mel being involved in a road accident, but, I thought, this could be a first. more..

Feb 4 (AN) Sri Lanka today celebrates her 66th Independence Day with magnificent pomp, pageantry and spirit of patriotism. The day signifies the effort of a developing nation to celebrate her cherished sovereignty, rich cultural heritage and diverse ethnicity in right earnest. Indeed, on Feb. 4 each year Sri Lanka unites as a nation, despite fratricidal differences, to commemorate the heroic sacrifices of freedom fighters. It is nothing short of an irony that the same populace, more..

Feb 4 (AN) As Sri Lanka celebrates its 66th Independence Day today, its Ambassador Vadivel Krishnamoorthy reiterated his country’s commitment to strengthen the strong ties between the island and the Kingdom. “Ever since we established diplomatic relations with the Kingdom in July 1974, the two countries have been maintaining excellent relations in social, cultural, political and economic fields,” Krishnamoorthy said. more..

Feb 4 (AN) The Jaffna Peninsula is a 400-square-mile tract of colorful temples and barren, strange spectacular landscapes in northern Sri Lanka that have only recently opened to tourists after the 26-year civil war. You get to see the reminders of the war all around. Ethnic Tamils living in the northern Sri Lankan city of Jaffna are recovering fast from the devastation caused during the country’s 26-year long civil war, which ended in 2009. Large-scare development projects are under way. more..

Feb 4 (AN) The end of insurgency has been a boon for the Sri Lankan economy as the island nation ushers in a new era of investments aimed at consolidating its reputation as a regional hub. The end of the war in 2009 meant countless new opportunities for the Indian Ocean island nation and previously unexplored streams of business are opening up further. The country has succeeded in establishing itself as a priority destination when it comes to investments and trading since more..

Feb 4 (CT) While the main political parties are hurriedly finalizing the nomination lists for the upcoming Provincial Council (PC) elections in the Western and Southern Provinces, sources from the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the United National Party (UNP), said their lists will be minus certain stars who are being denied nomination, with only Ruwanthi Mangala being tipped to be nominated by the UPFA. more..

Feb 4 (ST) One would surely be forgiven for wondering this Sunday morn whether it is the provincial hustings or the annual National Film Awards Ceremony that is scheduled to be held come March. The more one considers the lineup of those vying to be nominated for the planned event the more one gets the distinct feeling that it has less to do with the rough and tumble of common day run of the mill politics but more to do with the ritzy-glitzy glamour world of the show-biz glitterati more..

Feb 4 (AN) On the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the independence day of Sri Lanka, I would like to convey my warmest greetings to my fellow Sri Lankans residing in Saudi Arabia, and would like to thank all our friends for their good wishes. This is a significant day for the people of Sri Lanka as it reflects the sacrifices made by many Sri Lankans for our freedom. It has been a matter of great satisfaction that Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia maintain excellent bilateral relations since more..

Feb 4 (FT) With effect from tomorrow, it will be possible to view the results of all examinations published by the Department of Examinations via internet and SMS. “The launch of this e-Service under ICTA’s Re-engineering Govt Program will facilitate viewing of the results of all examinations published by the Department of Examinations via internet and SMS,” ICTA Chairman Professor P.W. Epasinghe said. more..