Sep 5 (Sky) Sri Lanka paceman Dilhara Fernando has been drafted in by Worcestershire for the remainder of the season. The New Road outfit have been hit by injuries of late and officials have moved to bolster the attack as they continue their push for the County Championship Division Two title. The 29-year-old is expected to fly to England in time for the Pears' NatWest Pro40 clash with Hampshire at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. more..

Sep 5 (LBO) Sri Lanka's securities watchdog has asked John Keells Holdings to make timely disclosures after a court order on its bunkering unit, and had asked legal advice on what it could do to help implement the order. The Securities and Exchange Commission said in a statement that John Keells Holdings had to disclose material information relating to the deal, and failure would result in an offence. more..

Sep 5 (LBO) Sri Lanka would bring in a new law to collect taxes going back more than half a century from individuals, companies and corporations, a government official said. The new law which has already been drafted will make it easier for authorities to collect back taxes and lay down procedures to do so. A committee will also be set up under the direction of the president, to examine whether the concerned individuals are alive, and more..

Sep 5 (LBO) Retaining skilled information technology professionals is critical for Sri Lanka's corporate sector when planning business continuity and disaster recovery, according to experts in the IT field. "The human factor is the biggest risk we have today," says Sujatha Nadesan, country manager, Raffles Solutions. "To train a person to be really proficient in software, it costs a lot of money and takes time to bring someone up to a standard." more..

Sep 5 (LD) The JVP is left with only 24 of the 39 parliamentary seats it had at the outset when it joined the UPFA government. The party is now without 15 MPs - including front liners Wimal Weerawansa and Nandana Gunatilake. Siripala Amarasinghe, also a labour leader, is the first leave, to accept positions as consultant to Strategic Enterprises Management Agency and chairman of the State Paper Corporation. more..

Sep 5 (LG) Sri Lanka is at war for the past 25 years. There hasn’t been any let up in fighting as killings continued irrespective of ceasefires. Various theories claim that the war and its root causes date back to 25, 35, 52, 84, etc. years. The year 1956 is regularly quoted and misquoted in literature about the conflict. However, there are undeniable facts that are either omitted or ignored in discussing racism in Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 5 (LG) Raghu who is a first secretary to the newly appointed Chief Minister to the Eastern Province, Mr. Shivanesathurai Chandrasekaran alias Pillayan, went last week to India and secretly met some of his LTTE fans and two officials of an Indian Intelligence wing In Tamil Nadu, report Sri Lanka Guardian’s reliable sources. Raghu went to Chennai and spent a week there on some secret mission on the future plans of TMVP. more..

Sep 5 (LG) People of the north, who undergo a number of miseries, are now unable to live peacefully in their own homes. The reason is that robbers forcibly enter houses at nights and commit robberies. Recently, at Kannathity lane in the Jaffan town, a gang of 6 robbers, who entered a house, attacked and even cut the inmates with swords and committed a robbery of jewellery worth four hundred thousand rupees. more..

Sep 5 (LG) Sri Lanka that won its independence from Britain has had three constitutions. Subsequent to the Soulbury Constitution, Srimavo Government enacted a new constitution in 1972. Thereafter, J.R.Jayawardena Government enacted the third constitution in 1978. This 1978 constitution framed by JR government is still in force and there is hardly any likelihood of it being replaced or dropped in view of its nature. more..

Sep 5 (LG) Analysis of piracy trends remains focused on traditional hotbeds of maritime criminal activity such as Nigeria, Somalia and Indonesia. However, there is a noteworthy military development taking place in the Indian Ocean, which is increasing uncertainty over the level of risk posed to the numerous shipping interests in the region. The LTTE are facing a heightened level of military pressure and the very real prospect of losing their battle with the Sri Lankan government. more..

Sep 5 (LG) Price of cooking gas has been increased by Rs 126 per cylinder. Price is increased to Rs 1863 from Rs 1737. This increase of gas price is the 6th instant within a shot period of time. As a result, consumers are worried and they wonder how to cope up with the cost of living. Since the prices of food items have increased more than ever before. People are unable to cope up with their expenses. On the other side, value of the Sri Lankan rupees is declining. more..

Sep 5 (LG) Government Defence spokesperson, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has at last accepted that Tamils are differentiated and discriminated in implementing security measures. Rambukwella has stated that those, who indulge in attacks and kill members of all communities, find shelter among Tamil people and this has made it necessary to differentiate and subject the Tamil people to special security measures. more..

Sep 5 (LG) The propaganda mill of the Tamil Tiger terrorists, now on the verge of meeting its Waterloo with the imminent defeat of Tiger terrorism, appears to be twisting humanitarian ground realities in the Mullaittivu and Kilinochchi Districts to LTTE’s advantage. The latest ruse came to light with the publication of stage-managed photos where some civilians in un-cleared areas were taking cover inside LTTE dug trenches and pits which totally distorted the truth, according to escapees arriving in cleared areas. more..

Sep 5 (UNICEF) Until the opening of the UNICEF-funded Tangalle Water Supply Scheme in southern Sri Lanka last week, Apsara Gunaratne’s problems were much like those of the approximately 1 billion other people around the world who live without access to safe water. Ms. Gunaratne, 30, had to walk long distances to fetch water, thus losing crucial hours where she needed to earn an income. more..

Sep 5 (TT) For the first time Sri Lanka will participate as a partner country in the 3rd International Shillong Shopping Carnival beginning tomorrow at Fire Brigade Ground, Laitumkhrah, here. The carnival is being organised by the Industries and Trade Fair Association of Assam (ITFAA) in co-ordination with the development commissioner, handicrafts, ministry of textiles. Padmashree and educationist Helen Giri will inaugurate the fair to commemorate Teachers’ Day tomorrow. more..

Sep 5 (BBC) The Sri Lankan military says it has received ten more bodies of soldiers killed in recent clashes with Tamil Tigers rebels in the north of the country. The bodies of the troops were passed on to the military by the International Committee of the Red Cross said Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. Tamil Tiger rebels have handed over the remains of twenty-nine soldiers in the past few days. more..

Sep 5 (AT) The striking feature Sri Lanka has achieved during the past few months is the strong political stability the island nation has established for itself said Professor G. L. Peiris addressing a distinguished gathering of professionals and academics at London’s Chatham House. Addressing a well attended meeting presided over by Dr. Gareth Price, Head of the Institute’s Asia Program, Professor G.L.Peiris, more..

Sep 5 (AT) "Lakshman Kadirgamar was proud to be Sri Lankan. He wanted the new generations to look at each other in the spirit of Sri Lankan brotherhood and sisterhood, transcending narrow differences. He steadfastly stood for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka." Mrs. Suganthie Wijayasuriya Kadirgamar, widow of the late Lakshman Kadirgamar said, “despite threats to his life from the LTTE, he was not deterred from standing for what he believed to be right.” more..

Sep 5 (AT) President called on the nation to leave petty differences behind them and contribute to the battle of uniting the country. President made these observations at the swearing in ceremony of newly elected members of Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provincial Councils held at the Presidential Secretariat today. Maithreepala Herath and Berty Premalal Dissanayake have been sworn in as Chief Ministers of the Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provincial Councils respectively. more..

Sep 5 (UN) The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced plans today to boost rice production in districts of Sri Lanka hit hard by recent floods or conflict and by the soaring cost of many basic foods. Under the $500,000 project, families in four districts of north-central and eastern Sri Lanka – Batticaloa, Ampara, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura – will receive certified seed paddy and small implements so they can increase their rice production. more..

Sep 5 (GDI) As a part of United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization's (FAO) campaign to help developing nations overcome the impact caused by high food prices, Sri Lanka will receive USD 500,000 to boost rice production in the country. According to FAO sources, under the this project families in four districts of north-central and eastern Sri Lanka – Batticaloa, Ampara, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura - will receive certified seed paddy and small implements so they can increase production. more..

Sep 5 (GDI) Text books to Jaffna schools will be shipped from Colombo today (05), sources from the Ministry of Education said in line with the Government's vision of ensuring that all communities and regions in the country benefit equally from development drives and the particular need to bring back normalcy to the classrooms of areas that have suffered from the conflict. A ceremony has been organized at the Bandaranaike Jetty to celebrate this moment where more..

Sep 5 (GDI) Defence sources confirmed that an LTTE leader, "Lieutenant Colonel" Neelawannan, was killed during a confrontation with Troops in Vennirikulam area on Monday (01). It is also reported that 41 LTTE caders were killed during the same confrantation. Intercepted LTTE communications have exposed that Neelawannan was killed in an attack launched by the security forces in Kilinochchi. more..

Sep 5 (GDI) With the establishment of a "humanitarian corridor" by the Ministry of Defence, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has invited civilians living under the grip of terrorists to escape to liberated areas leaving un-cleared areas, said Minister of Media and Information Anura Priyadharshana Yapa. "The sole purpose of ensuring a safe passage is to bring relief to the innocent people detained by the LTTE." more..

Sep 5 (GDI) Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will take steps to supply Ceypetco gas to the local market from December this year. It is also expected that with the Corporation producing gas at local level, the consumers will pay Rs. 400 to Rs.500 less per standard domestic gas cylinder. Accordingly tenders have been called to distribute 1, 50,000 gas cylinders at the initial stage to the local market through dealers. more..

Sep 5 (GDI) Minister of Petroleum & Petroleum Resources Development, A. H. M. Fowzie emphasized the necessity of increasing the capacity of the existing oil refinery process up to one hundred thousand barrels per day. "Our oil refinery station, already 35 years old, is only capable of purifying fifty thousand oil barrels per day," he said. more..

Sep 5 (GDI) Chinese investors have expressed a keen interest in investing in the tourist and gem mining industries in Sri Lanka. This was revealed when a visiting group of Chinese businessmen met President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday (04) at Temple Trees. Their visit is in response to an invitation extended by President Rajapaksa when he visited China recently. The group is led by Hongmin Zhang, Chairman of Huichen Investment Holdings Ltd. more..

Sep 5 (GDI) Cabinet granted approval to a memorandum submitted by the Minister of Education, Susil Premajayantha to get 15,214,500 copies of textbooks on 188 subject categories printed in the year 2008 as per the requirements for the next school year. Accordingly the task of getting these books printed was awarded to 32 printing institutes. The total value of the books is Rs. 1,395,820,757. more..

Sep 5 (TN) "The roles played by the major powers in overlooking the state terrorism and human rights violations of the Sri Lankan state, will stay permanent in the Tamil memory for ever," said Rev. Prof. Dr. S.J. Emmanuel, the former Vicar General of Vanni region, in an open letter from Germany, reacting to the silence of the International Community to the unfolding catastrophe of civilian sufferings in the districts of Mullaiththeevu and Ki'linochchi, more..

Sep 5 (PISL) I wonder whether I could begin by asking for a moment’s silence in memory of the victims of July 1983. Thank you. The reason for having this program is that, as I believe everyone is aware, July 1983 was a watershed in the history of this country. I think it is fair to say that we had ethnic problems before that, difficulties caused some would say because of legislation based on majoritarianism, whereas more..

Sep 5 (LNP) Sri Lanka`s army said it advanced along the battlefront south of the headquarters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam after capturing a strategic town from rebel forces earlier this week. Soldiers entered the southwest of Mullaitivu district, three days after taking the town of Mallavi, which served as an LTTE administrative center in the region, the Defense Ministry said on its Web site yesterday. more..

Sep 5 (LNP) An underworld figure identified as Nuwan Udaya Gunathilleke, alias Kudu Nuwan, who was alleged to have accompanied Minister Mervyn Silva to the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation at the time of the attack on its News Director has been charged with molesting a young girl. The victim had lodged a complaint with the Kollupitiya police yesterday, stating that the suspect had taken her to an upstair house and sexually molested her. more..

Sep 5 (LNP) The JVP can justifiably claim the credit for many firsts in Sri Lankan politics. It was the first to stage a youth uprising against a democratically elected government in 1971. It is believed that the LTTE at its nascent stages borrowed a leaf out of the JVP`s. The JVP also introduced the poster as a powerful medium of political propaganda. The much dreaded galkatas (improvised gun) and T-katas (assault rifle with the barrel cut in half) were also its inventions. more..

Sep 5 (LNP) Sri Lanka cricket could be in lucks way if the proposed tours by New Zealand and England take place next month following the postponement of the ICC Champions Trophy Mini World Cup in Pakistan. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) sources revealed yesterday that both New Zealand Cricket Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are keen in touring Sri Lanka in October for a series of one day internationals following the void created by the postponement of the Champions Trophy. more..

Sep 5 (GDI) In a bid to increase the annual production of fresh milk, the Government is to implement stern action against the indiscriminate slaughter of cattle in the country. According to Presidential Secretariat sources, 450,000 head of milch cows, calves and buffaloes are needed to achieve the expected milk production targets. Minister of Livestock Development C. B. Ratnayake said the assistance of the Ministry of Defence has been sought to implement the existing laws sternly and more..

Sep 5 (LNP) President Rajapakse is confident that the day is not very far for the ninth Provincial Council to function. He was addressing a ceremony organized for the swearing in of Cabinets of the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces. The President said they had liberated the masses, who were under the power of the gun and helped them to create their own leaders. Today they are attempting to solve their own problems. There are eight Provinces and very soon the ninth Provincial Council will function. more..

Sep 5 (SAMN) The Supreme Court Thursday granted leave to proceed with the rights violation petitions filed by the MTV television channel and its journalist against Minister Mervyn Silva and the IGP, claiming Rs. 110 million as compensation. The Bench comprising Justices, Asoka de Silva, Saleem Marsoof and K. Sripavan granted leave to the MTV Channel to proceed with the petition on the alleged infringement of the fundamental rights to equality and more..

Sep 5 (CI) Arjuna Ranatunga, the interim committee chief of Sri Lanka Cricket, is adamant that the tour of England in April and May 2009 will still go ahead as planned, despite opposition from several senior players, including the captain Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, who would rather be plying their trade in the Indian Premier League. more..

Sep 5 (SAMN) Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said Thursday that more UNPers would crossover to the government shortly, but declined to comment on the exact numbers. Addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing at the Information Department, he said that it was a matter of time before a group of UNP’ers joined government ranks. Asked to reveal the exact numbers, Yapa said "Let them come. Why should we talk about it now?" more..

Sep 5 (SAMN) The SLMP (M) Leader Mangala Samaraweera Thursday lauded the JVP leadership for making one of its MPs, Anuruddha Polgampola, who was allegedly charged with human trafficking; resign from Parliament less than 24 hours after the case was revealed. “Bringing the MP before a disciplinary committee and taking action against him is a new trend in the field of politics,” Samaraweera said in a statement. more..

Sep 5 (SAMN) A Colombo Magistrate remanded a Buddhist monk and two other suspects till September 9 for allegedly causing damage to a Hindu kovil at Grandpass Thursday (04). Additional Magistrate Ajith Anawaratne remanded Ven. Sapugasyaye Dhammananda Thero, Sanathchandra Lokugamage and Chaminda Wijekumara till September 9 for allegedly causing damage to the statues in the Muttumari Amman Kovil at Grandpass. more..

Sep 5 (DN) Over six teeth of every Sri Lankan is damaged due to the lack of proper oral health while there are about 1,200 million cavities in Sri Lankans teeth, a research by the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry Dental Medical Unit has revealed, Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said. He said 40 per cent of children below the age of 12 suffer from different dental illnesses and 68 per cent of children below the age of 15 suffer from the same problem. more..

Sep 5 (DN) The Government extends its fullest co-operation to those who conduct scientific research and invest in modern technology based industries, Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Karu Jayasuriya said at a meeting organised for the representatives of related private companies seeking Government’s assistance for their products and researches. There are only a few number of students who could obtain professional qualifications and join the development process. more..

Sep 5 (Island) A senior official in the Power Plant Division of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is suspected of having violated a tender procedure involving Rs. 300 million to purchase ten small one Megawatt generators, CEB sources said yesterday. Either the Power and Energy Ministry or the Auditor General Department should hold a detailed inquiry on the shady deal. He said recently the CEB decided to replace old one MW generators. more..

Sep 5 (Island) Private sector healthcare institutions provide a far better service to patients than State run hospitals, Healthcare Minister Siripala de Silva said. This was because duties were strictly categorised among staff of the state sector, he said. Citing examples, he said a doctor or a nurse would not voluntarily help an ailing patient to the extent of fetching a bed pan or assisting the patient to his or her bed as seen in some of the European countries. more..

Sep 5 (DM) ‘Colomba Wate’, the first Sinhala mobile game that was launched recently will be conducting its awards ceremony at the BMICH today. ‘Colomba Wate’ is the brainchild of WGT Fernando, the Managing Director of GTS. The game features a taxi driver who has to drop passengers around the Colombo area. The special feature of the game is that the city’s actual road network is embedded into the game. Another feature of the game is that the advertisements are sponsored in the game itself. more..

Sep 5 (DM) Testifying in an abduction case against Western Provincial Councilor Duminda Silva, the father of a young woman told the Colombo High Court that he was abducted by the accused, Silva, and his armed gang, demanding that his daughter be sent to him. The main witness in this case, Roger Allan Francis, gave evidence before High Court Judge Thilak Thabrew in a case in which Duminda Silva stands indicted on five counts, more..

Sep 5 (LD) Bamboo gates at level crossings in the island will be no more pursuant to a decision taken by authorities to replace them with signboards and mirrors. The Railway Department said bamboo gates had been a failure, largely due to the negligence of duty by their keepers, who constantly complaint about inadequate pay. The method was introduced during the office of the late President Ranasinghe Premadasa. more..

Sep 5 (LD) The executive, the judiciary and the legislature should act independently without any confrontation, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. The President was speaking at the swearing in at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday of the chief ministers, ministers and councilors of the UPFA newly elected to the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils. The president also said that he respected decisions of the judiciary, adding that he would not comment on them. more..

Sep 5 (BBC) Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka have protested a ruling of the judiciary to arrest and remand a monk for not obeying a court order in relation to sound pollution. Nearly 100 Buddhist monks refused to stand up as three-bench panel arrived for a hearing on arresting a Buddhist monk. The Chief Justice, Sarath Nanda Silva, said monks’ refusal amounted to contempt of court. He requested the monks to leave the court premises and enter again as a compromise but none of the Buddhist clergy left the court room. more..