Apr 14 (Telegraph) But they did last year, when the Sri Lankan team were attacked by terrorists in Pakistan; and one of the duties of the editor of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was to recapture the event for posterity. It quickly became apparent how words frequently used in cricket were neither adequate nor appropriate for this reconstruction of the terrorist attack in Lahore. more..

Apr 14 (LT) The Sinhala and Tamil New Year which marks the transition of the Sun from Pisces to Aries has dawned. Sinhalese and Tamil New Year is marked as one of the very important cultural events in Sri Lanka due to its capacity to allure the society to its economic and social needs. The New Year is considered as a new beginning. We believe there hasn’t been any other instance in history than today to embrace this concept with a tight grip. more..

Apr 14 (DM) The general elections have been to a large extent concluded except for a couple of violence marred electorates and the voters, who perhaps were numerically less than on previous occasions seem to have metaphorically shrugged their shoulders, their duty done , and have returned, to continue with prosaic acceptance of the verdict, to their normal lives. People seemed more concerned with preparing for the Sinhala and Tamil new year, more..

Apr 14 (CT) The main opposition UNF is likely to accommodate two experienced professionals, who are newcomers to politics, as its appointed members of parliament, UNF sources said. The UNF will appoint banker Eran Wickramaratne and economist Dr. Harsha de Silva to fill two of its nine national list positions. UNP seniors Tissa Attanayake, Joseph Michael Perera and Rukman Senanayake are also strongly tipped to be appointed to parliament. more..

Apr 14 (IL) It is with great anticipation and pride that I wish each of you in the Sri Lankan community in the United States a Happy Sinhala & Tamil New Year. As we all know, this New Year will be the first in many years without conflict in Sri Lanka. What better time to forget past differences and begin anew? So much has happened at home in this last year that we have much to be thankful for, and much to expect in the New Year. more..

Apr 14 (LG) The final results of the General Election are still awaited, although the outcome is known. The government has won an overwhelming majority, but the satisfaction of knowing the exact figures will have to wait until after April 20, when the re-poll in two electorates will be done. The steamroller of the election machinery of government candidates overshot their mark in at least the electorates of Nawalapitiya and Trincomalee. more..

Apr 14 (LG) Long long time ago, people worshipped nature: the sun, the moon, the rain, the wind and so on. They saw God in Nature. The Sun became the Sun-god, (Iru Deviyo) the moon, the Moon-god, (Sanda Deviyo) and rain, the Rain-god (Vassa Valahaka Deviyo). For people who farmed, there were no gods higher than the sun, the moon and the rain that brought them a bountiful harvest. These gods gave the Sinhala farmers sun and rain in due season. more..

Apr 14 (DH) The remarkable victory won by the UPFA led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the parliament elections held in Sri Lanka is a continuation of the impressive mandate secured by him in the presidential elections in January. The popular goodwill and political strength gained by him after the military defeat of the LTTE last year have expectedly continued to give his alliance a near two-thirds majority in parliament. more..

Apr 14 (TN) The Tamil New Year was observed in a low key in the North as well as in the East of the country. The Vanni uprooted civilians held in Vavuniyaa Sri Lanka Army (SLA) detention camps, not allowed to resettle in their own places despite countless promises and dates announced by the government, had other unfulfilled basic needs in their minds than the arrival of the New Year, more..

Apr 14 (LR) Nowadays, it is not with the nature’s call of “koho.. koho..”, but with noise of various merchants that reminds the arrival of New Year. This is the time for those who spend time in the hustle and bustle of the cities to go back to their village and enjoy the serenity of nature. However nowadays, its great struggle for private sector employees to get leaves to visit their parents and relations. more..

Apr 14 (LP) An Information Desk to facilitate arrangements for the first meeting of the first session of the seventh new Parliament will be operative in Parliament from 9.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. on April 16 to 18 for the convenience of Members of Parliament. Members of Parliament and all new Members of Parliament are requested to be present as arrangements have been made to provide vital information and various documents at the Information Desk. more..

Apr 14 (LG) New Year celebrations in any society are celebrations of friendship and expressions of solidarity and times where the human aspect of society comes to the fore. People make the time to greet and talk to each other and look for persons and relatives who they might not have seen for some time. New Year is a time when things of a commercial or political nature or ill will are left behind. It is a celebration by humans of their humanity. more..

Apr 14 (LBO) Sri Lanka needs a price formula to match retails price to match import costs to retail prices as a part of a reform of the energy sector, the Central Bank said as the state petroleum utility lost 12.3 billion rupees in 2009. "A realistic pricing formula needs to be developed to price petroleum products in the local market and the prices should be adjusted at reasonable intervals based on movements in the international oil prices," more..

Apr 14 (DN) BOI expects to target US $ 5 billion investments in the future. It is expected that this will generate 80,000 employment opportunities, BOI Chairman Dhammika Perera said. Major telecommunication service providers have invested Rs 194,687 million in 18 projects to improve and upgrade networks with new technology in BOI Export Processing Zones (EPZs). It shows the rapid growth in mobile phone, land phone and web-based activities. more..

Apr 14 (DM) Former TNA Member of Parliament (MP) M.K Sivajilingam was denied entry into India today at the Chennai airport and is due to return to Sri Lanka later tonight, former MP N. Sri Kanta told Daily Mirror. M.K Sivajilingam, who had defected from the TNA together with N. Sri Kanta and formed their own party during the January Presidential elections was denied entry into India even last December. more..

Apr 14 (LeN) Sri Lanka Telecom came under the management of the Government since the expulsion of Japanese in year 2007.The Maxis (through Global Telecommunications Holdings NV-GTH) had interest over the NTT stake of 35%, purchased and plundered more shares from the stock market to reach the stake 45% which the government intervened and stopped further purchasing shares as their intension was sniffed by the President which more..

Apr 14 (Xinhua) A fuel storage tank used by the Tamil Tiger rebels in northern Sri Lanka was discovered by a special police operation team, police said Colombo Wednesday. Police spokesman senior superintendent Prishantha Jayakodi said the underground tank was discovered Tuesday in the former northern rebel stronghold of Puthukudyiruppu. The 18-feet-long and eight-feet-wide tank was carrying 25,000 liters of fuel. more..

Apr 14 (AFP) Sri Lanka's hotel owners are racing to refurbish and add thousands more rooms as foreign holidaymakers pour into the country after the end of nearly four decades of ethnic bloodshed. Leading hotel groups plan to spend millions of dollars on new decor and facilities for the influx of tourists drawn to the plentiful sunshine, beaches and tropical wildlife on the Indian Ocean island nation. more..

Apr 14 (Economist) President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ruling coalition has claimed victory in parliamentary election, the first the country has held since the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels. A “triumph of democracy”, a jubilant Mr Rajapaksa called the result. A triumph for the president, to be sure; only the exact margin of his victory is unclear. The election commissioner put off declaring the final result until April 20th, after more..

Apr 14 (EB) Tamil film director R V Udayakumar, creator of hits such as Kizhakku Vasal, Singaravelan, Chinna Goundar and Yajaman in the 1990s, is on a mission to open the doors of the Indian film industry to talented Sri Lankan artistes. On his decision to choose the bubbly Sinhalese starlet, Nadeesha Hemamali, for his Telugu film ‘Rascal’, which is to go on the floors in Hyderabad later this week, Udayakumar told Express that a lot of talent is bottled up in Sri Lanka to more..

Apr 14 (NF) The second death within the last two weeks that occurred due to dengue within the Galle city limits, took place place on Monday. This time, the victim was Thanoj Hasanka, a resident of Milidduwa area and a student of the Siridamma Vidyalaya, Labuduwa. He was also the captain of the basketball team of the school. He succumbed to the disease after receiving treatment for a few days. more..

Apr 14 (MH) Authorities accounted for 14 of the passengers aboard a suspected human smuggling boat that came ashore near Haulover Beach on Monday night, but concede more might have slipped away. Men and women from Jamaica, Haiti and Sri Lanka were in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody Tuesday afternoon and face deportation. Also on the boat: roughly $11,000 in American and Bahamian currency, more..

Apr 14 (EB) Speculation is rife in Sri Lankan political circles about who will be the Prime Minister following the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance’s landslide victory in the April 8 parliamentary elections. Names which are doing the rounds in the media are Basil Rajapaksa, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother, chief advisor and long time campaign manager; Maithripala Sirisena, SLFP general secretary; more..

Apr 14 (NF) The Central Bank says that the losses of several state enterprises have increased in the last year with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation topping the list and the national carrier SriLankan Airlines occupying the second slot. The highest operating loss for the year was recorded from the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation at Rs. 12.3 billion. The national carrier SriLankan Airlines has recorded a operating loss of Rs. 12.2 billion. more..

Apr 14 (IPS) About eight months back, delivery boys for this northern city’s main newspaper were accompanied on their rounds by government soldiers – the first time a Sri Lankan broadsheet was being delivered under armed guard. Today, almost a year since the war against the Tamil secessionists ended in May 2009, life for Jaffna journalists is slowly changing for the better. "We were facing threats from some armed groups and we had to seek protection," more..

Apr 14 (UCAN) Christians celebrated the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year with Buddhists and Hindus by organizing activities focusing on peace and reconciliation after years of civil war. “We have organized cultural games with Buddhist and Hindus to promote religious harmony in Ratnapura diocese,” said Bishop Cletus C. Perera of Ratnapura. “We had New Year Masses in some parishes today,” more..

Apr 15 (NDG) Some of the poorest schools in Sri Lanka have been presented with much needed resources by North Devon charity Paddle4Relief. Braunton surfer Tim Tanton and volunteer Leah Reynolds from Bideford visited the country to carry out a number of projects, one of which was to distribute a range of books, stationery, games and toys generously donated by people in North Devon and the South West. more..

Apr 15 (BBC) Parents of a murdered youth in Anamaduwa have accused a local official of killing him on Tuesday. Anamaduwa residents, meanwhile, protested in front of the police station on Wednesday accusing the police of failing to take action against a Samurdhi officer who was accused of many other attacks. Kasun Chamara Nipun, 19, was killed using a sharp weapon on Tuesday night in Ihaladivulveva, Anamaduwa, in Puttalam district. more..

Apr 15 (BBC) The European Union, while congratulating the government on election victory, has urged Sri Lankan authorities to investigate violence on the election day. Catherine Ashton, the deputy president and the Foreign Minister of the European Union, has congratulated President Rajapaksa and the government on the election victory. more..

Apr 15 (TC) Sumangala Kailasapathy, currently a resident in the city of Ann Arbor, has announced in a press release that she officially filed her nominating petitions recently to appear on the Aug. 3 primary ballot for City Councilperson in Ward 1. She will challenge incumbent Democrat Sandi Smith, media in the City of Ann Arbor reported. more..

Apr 15 (DBS) Tamil goons of ruling UPFA conduct terror campaign against newly elected Tamil National Alliance MP from Amparai (Digamadulla). Podiappuhamy Piyasena the Tamil speaking Sinhala MP from TNA is confined to "house arrest" due to threats and unable to move about freely. In a pathetic interview to BBC Tamil service a terrified Piyasena said gangs had chopped at the doors of his house with axes to instill fear. more..

Apr 15 (IL) President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family celebrated the Sinhala and Tamil New year rituals at Carlton Residence in Tangalle, Hambantota. First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa conducted all rituals at the auspicious time with the President Rajapaksa. President Rajapaksa's elder son Namal Rajapaksa, newly elected MP for Hambantota district and the Defence secretary and more..

Apr 15 (LG) Elaris Alwis of Kandana is a special friend of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). He passed away today, April 14, after suffering from long illness. In 2002, when his grandson was tortured by a group of policemen at the Kandana police station, Elaris Fernando began a fight seeking justice against such behaviour. His fight continued to the last. Lalith Rajapaksa was Elaris Alwis’s grandson. more..

Apr 15 (HG) Hosts Singapore survived a scare on the opening night of the 2010 HSBC Asian Five Nations Division I tournament, as they squeaked by a much improved Malaysia, 22 – 20. In the opening match, one of the strongest Sri Lankan teams to take part in the A5N since its inception in 2008 easily outlasted a Chinese Taipei XV loaded with new faces, 37-7. Singapore extended its mastery over regional rivals Malaysia with a nail-biting 22 – 20 victory more..

Apr 15 (MoD) The Central Bank has introduced a special loan scheme titled Northern Spring to boost livelihood development of the people in the North. The bank has already allocated 3 billion rupees for this purpose. Loans will be given to the public at a concessionary interest rate of 9 percent per annum. The loans will be disbursed by state and commercial banks. These banks have already issued loans worth 1 billion rupees to the public under this scheme. more..

Apr 15 (MoD) Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivad Cabral said that Sri Lanka's economy was strong and vibrant despite the downturn in other countries as the government laid a strong foundation in the country during past four years. "While ending the war against LTTE terrorist organization, the other economic sectors were also uplifted to good standard. There is financial stability in the country and the country's Banks were not paralysed, more..