Apr 6 (BN) The 2015 edition of cricket’s World Cup will feature 10 teams after tournament organizers decided to trim four nations from the event. “The International Cricket Council hasn’t quite decided on the format but it will be a 10-nation event,” the council’s chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, told reporters in Mumbai today. Work on completing rules for the 2015 event, to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will begin soon, he said. more..

Apr 6 (AN) In Sri Lanka women employed in the textile sector continue to be underpaid, exploited and are often victims of violence, although the government has asked the industry five yearly wage increases and better working conditions. According to Apparel Industry Labour Rights Movement (Alarm), not all industries have implemented the new provisions. In at least six textile factories employees work seven days a week for a minimum wage of 60 euro per more..

Apr 6 (NN) Staff attached to the Central Mail Exchange in Fort launched a strike today over a new government circular on working hours, a union spokesman said. Spokesperson for the postal employees’ joint trade union, Chinthaka Bandara said that mail distribution from the Central Mail Exchange has come to a standstill as a result of the strike. The staff have refused to distribute mail to the respective post offices and will also not work overtime as part of the protest. more..

Apr 6 (PTI) Reaffirming India’s support for the Sri Lankan Tamils, Congress president and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said New Delhi would continue to press Colombo for constitutional amendments to ensure equal rights and status to ethnic minorities in the island nation. “In our neighbourhood, there is no issue closer to our heart than the Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue. There was significant progress last year and India had committed and provided large sums of money for their rehabilitation,” more..

Apr 6 (DM) Today, life in our little once Paradise Island has changed a great deal and in the process lost its priorities. Not only has the nuclear family come into being but the extended family has been disrupted with families losing touch with each other. In rural Sri Lanka and among marginalized urban families parents especially the mothers have migrated as domestic workers. A couple of days ago I went to visit a rather sick octogenarian relative on the occasion of his birthday. more..

Apr 6 (DM) Every time a child enters the world we hope against hope that despite the cruelty, difficulty and negativity that abounds in this world that our child will survive, make it against the odds and come out triumphant, healthy and honest. We anticipate that we will raise that individual that makes an impact on this world whether it is through fame, fortune or simply idealistic good deeds. Thus we do all we can to provide him/her with the basic necessities to succeed; love and care, more..

Apr 6 (DM) The all-important ‘Local Government (Special provisions) Bill to amend the Municipal Councils and Urban Councils Ordinance and the Pradeshiya Sabha Act of 1987 will be taken up for debate today in Parliament.The Bill is a result of the recommendations of the all-party Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms (Committee) chaired by Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardana. more..

Apr 6 (LG) Irurasa, a sister publication of the Sunday Leader failed to publish a reply sent by the editor of the Sri Lanka Guardian, Nilantha Ilangamuwa. Irurasa published on the March 27, 2011 an article under entitled 'Editor of Lanka Guardian is a liar that makes up lies'. Mr. Ilangamuwa sent in a detailed reply to each of the allegations made against him stating that the entire article filed by someone using the pen name, Atharaa was fabricated and had no basis in fact. more..

Apr 6 (LG) April 5th has significance to Sri Lanka due to the JVP uprising of 1971. The word uprising has been used for this event by way of an exaggeration. The exaggeration came mainly from the then-government and its propaganda machinery, supported also by UNP, who were the main opposition party, in unleashing unrestrained repression to suppress whatever that was taking place. It is this massive suppression that is being justified by the use of the word ‘uprising’ for what happened in 1971. more..

Apr 6 (MoD) Ambassador Admiral (Rtd.) Wasantha Karannagoda with Embassy staff and Sri Lankan community members in Japan visited two evacuation centres in Fukushima prefecture in Japan on Sunday to show solidarity with the people and Government of Japan. With the strong support of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Tokyo, the Sri Lankan Honorary Consuls of Ibaraki and Osaka along with the Sri Lankan community in Japan gave Sri Lankan rice and curry to more..

Apr 6 (LG) The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) visited Buttala and Siyambalanduwa on March 26th, 2011 during their last outstation session. Around 50 oral submissions and a similar number of written submissions were presented during the two sessions in this predominantly Sinhala area. The majority expressed their displeasure of being neglected by the government and aid agencies and claimed that no one is concerned about what happened to them at the hands of the LTTE. more..

Apr 6 (LG) Appropriate advice has been given to the new leaders of local bodies by the govt and the opposition parties. They have been exhorted to commit themselves to dedicated service avoiding political sins - our politicians are generally prone to - such as abuse of power, misuse of public property, fraud, corruption and extravagance. Both parties have emphasized the need, above all, for maintaining discipline while warning them with appropriate punishment in cases of errant conduct. more..

Apr 6 (GV) Journalism is still a heavily male dominated field in Sri Lanka. Women are slowly but steadily getting into the field of journalism. On the other hand, we are mostly assigned to cover “soft” issues such as to handle the women’s page of a newspaper or cover culture or sub edit stories. We are hardly and rarely assigned to cover conflict or sports, because male journalists and editors think that these are “hard” issues women are unable to cover. more..

Apr 6 (LG) Mr. M.I.M. Noordeen in an able critique of another writer unfortunately stains an otherwise good article by bringing in the Tamils quite un-necessarily. In the process he also misleads himself – vide “unlike the un-united Tamils the Muslim community is united” I would have allowed this slight to pass without comment under normal circumstances. However, one cannot but notice in recent times many initiated Muslims here appear to invoke this engineered fallacy far too often - more for electoral mileage. more..

Apr 6 (NS) The commentary on the Pagnamakkanuvattanasutta (‘First on the turning of the wheel’) in the Raja Vagga (discourses referring to kings) of the Anguttara Nikaya (Numerical Discourses) that I began a few weeks ago was interrupted by the need to respond to some tendentious comments by Human Rights Watch. I return this week to the third attribute that a Chakravarthi or ‘Universal King’ is endowed with, according to Siddhartha Gauthama, our Budun Wahanse, that of mattagngnu. more..

Apr 6 (MoD) The much talked about satellite-based vessel monitoring system (VMS) to monitor movement of fishermen and other maritime activity is currently being tested. Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratna said, they have begun pilot programs with two international providers of fishing vessel monitoring systems to find an effective surveillance system to monitor fishing activities in Lanka's Exclusive Economic Zone. more..

Apr 6 (Island) Minister of Higher Education S. B. Dissanayake has put his foot down! Successive governments had let the grass grow under their feet until very recently, allowing politically motivated disruptive elements to ruin the national universities, which they have succeeded in turning into hell holes for the peace loving, voiceless students. The Sabaragamuwa University, which remained closed due to JVP-led protests against the suspension of a group of more..

Apr 6 (DM) While millions of Sri Lankans were talking, thinking and waiting amid hope and tension for Saturday’s Cricket World Cup final between Sri Lanka and India, the government quietly slipped in the shattering news that the prices of petrol, diesel and LP gas were being increased from midnight Friday. Earlier reports indicated the government would wait till the National New Year to raise fuel prices as world prices keep on soaring because of the continuing turmoil in the oil-rich Middle East. more..

Apr 6 (NS) Q: Can you outline for us the salient features of the proposed new legislation to rein in errant NGOs? A: There is no new legislation being brought in. The legislation that had been in existence had not been enforced and as a result some of them had taken undue advantage. I must reiterate that only some have done this. So we have now regularized the enforcement. There was also a parliamentary select committee that looked into more..

Apr 6 (DM) The Japanese government has taken all possible measures to ensure that no radiation contaminated farm products will be sold either in Japan or exported abroad, Japan’s Deputy Ambassador K. Shimazaki said yesterday. “Japanese products including food items which have been exported will not pose any danger to humans,” Mr. Shimazaki said. Meanwhile an increasing number of countries are screening imports from Japan. The Japan’s Foreign Ministry has asked more..

Apr 6 (NS) The confusion over the debts to be paid by the Kerawalapitiya Yugadhanavi power plant to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation came to an end with the former agreeing to pay its dues to the CPC. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) too had come forward to assist the plant in paying up its dues to the CPC. The CPC stopped supplying fuel to the Kerawalapitiya Yugadhanavi power plant on March 25 as it owed Rs. 2,800 million to the Corporation. more..

Apr 6 (BBC) External Affairs Minister GL Peiris says a delegation from his ministry had met the members of the UN Secretary General's (UNSG) Advisory panel on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. The meeting in New York was not announced to the media by either the UNSG or the Sri Lankan government. "The panel members took part in a discussion along with an officer named Lynn Pascoe, where Attorney General and the secretary to the ministry of External Affairs represented Sri Lanka" more..

Apr 6 (Island) The 25th ICASL Students’ National Conference will see an impressive participation of nearly 700 students today, at the gala silver jubilee event which will be held at the Hotel Galadari. Some 700 students studying chartered accountancy from a diverse section of society hailing from various parts of the country will take part in the conference, which will also see a regional level student representation from neighbouring countries India, Pakistan and Nepal. more..

Apr 6 (DM) A tour guide accompanying a British tourist had allegedly obtained money from him under the pretext of helping tsunami victims housed in a Kalutara Hindu Kovil which the tourist visited. Kalutara police said they were probing the matter and had obtained a statement from the Kurukkal of the Kovil. They said several incidents of tour guides leading unsuspecting tourists to places of religious worship and later swindling them had been reported and this had become a menace now. more..

Apr 6 (LB) The latest chapter of the Lanka E-News story unravelled on March 31. This was on the eve of the April Fools day when the News Editor of Lanka E-News, Bennet Rupasingha, was arrested and subsequently remanded. According to the Police, the charge directed at Rupasingha has been a death threat he has allegedly issued to Sugath Jayalath, the elder brother of Buthaya, the alleged attacker of the Lanka E-News office. more..

Apr 6 (BL) Dumping of uncontrolled waste hazard is an ever climbing mountainous problem where one sees waste dumped in public places at will. In this regard the Waste Management Authority needed to play a more meaningful role to check this, according to Manilal Fernando, Chairman of Holcim Lanka Ltd. “Waste control is getting out of hand. So much so that it is huge. I feel that the Waste Control Authority is not enforcing the law to tackle this hazardous problem,” said Fernando. more..

Apr 6 (FT) Establishment of a regional institution called ‘SAARCPOL’ was among the prime matters discussed at the two-day ninth conference of police chiefs of South Asia, which concluded yesterday in Colombo. The conference of police chiefs of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was held on 4 and 5 April, at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo. According to Sri Lankan Police IG (Dr.) Mahinda Balasooriya, the conference reviewed progress implementation of more..

Apr 6 (Island) Defending the government’s decision to increase domestic fuel prices as global oil prices mount, IMF’s Resident Representative to Sri Lanka Dr. Koshy Mathai says fuel subsidies mostly covered the affluent and urged the government to better target the poor for welfare. "The direct affect of fuel price increases on prices of other goods in the inflation basket is not large and the indirect affect is not known, but more..

Apr 6 (TN) 28 Tamils, most of them family men with many children, have been reported disappeared since 2008 in Batticaloa's border villages with the Sinhala districts, human rights activists in Batticaloa say. Tamil women who have lost their husbands are subjected to sexual harassments under the highly militarised condition prevailing in these villages. I'rakkaka'di villagers in Ea'raavoor-pattu in Chengkaladi division have refused to resettle without more..

Apr 6 (TN) Two unidentified men attacked Eezham Tamil nationalist R. Soosaipillai, known as Thanam, in front of his house in London Monday night. Mr. Thanam, a veteran activist, was one of the key persons who supported the successful re-mandate of Vaddukkoaddai Resolution in UK that democratically reaffirmed the Eezham Tamil aspiration for an independent and sovereign Tamil Eelam in January 2010. He served as a mobilisation coordinator in the British Tamil Forum (BTF) during the crucial time 2008 – 2010. more..

Apr 6 (MM) Three days after the World Cup final, foreign officials from Sri Lanka are not happy with the level of courtesy extended to their President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his trip to Mumbai to watch the final. Though no official complaint has been lodged with the Indian government, they have informally conveyed their displeasure at limited tickets made available to Rajapaksa’s entourage, and at the refusal let him meet the teams before the start of the match. more..

Apr 6 (Hindu) Foreign Minister, G.L. Peiris, on Tuesday called for his government to be given `space’ to deal with the legacy of three decades of ethnic conflict and rejected allegations of `triumphalism’ saying that Colombo was engaged in a process of rehabilitation and reconciliation. Denying criticism that the Government had been too slow to deal with the humanitarian crisis, Professor Peiris said that `significant’ progress had been made in areas of more..

Apr 6 (LB) To add to our disinterest in discussing about domestic violence, we also have several primitive ideas regarding the issue. For instance, we blame extreme anger in individuals as the cause of domestic violence. If anger is the cause, how is it that the angry husband isn’t physically violent towards his boss, his colleagues, or any random individual on the street? Why is his anger only targeted at the wife? Another one our favourite ‘culprits’ is alcohol. more..

Apr 6 (DN) President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday called on the Ranbima land deeds recipients to make maximum use of the available land in their properties by cultivating food crops. He said that by doing so they would become key partners in the national initiative Divi Neguma which aims to set up one million domestic economic units to develop a self-dependent household and enhance their economic prospects. more..

Apr 6 (DM) The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) will not to call for particulars of previous earnings or means of income when opening tax files for new income tax payers. IRD Commissioner General K.M.S. Kandegedara said the department would not even check their previous statements of accounts. Addressing a seminar for the tax payers, he said the business community must use the concessions and incentives provided by the government and fulfil their obligations by paying their taxes. more..

Apr 6 (ST) The Lakshman Kadirgamar Computer Training Centre, an initiative of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Foundation in collaboration with the National Vocational Training Authority was opened in Kilinochchi on March 21. Addressing the gathering at the opening ceremony, Dr. Hiranthi Wijemanne, Sri Lanka’s candidate to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said the children who would benefit from this centre were from poor and disadvantaged families, more..

Apr 6 (CI) Kumar Sangakkara has sought to allay fears that there will be a vacuum left in the leadership of the Sri Lankan team after his resignation from captaincy by saying that there was no dearth of men who could take up the role. "I think we have Tillakaratne Dilshan and Angelo Mathews. We have Lasith Malinga and Upul Tharanga for the shorter versions," Sangakkara said. "We have enough candidates to pick from." more..

Apr 6 (Hindu) Top police officers from the SAARC countries discussed terrorism and drug traffic-related problems in the region, among other policing issues, at a two-day conference here. Working well within the limitations of what could be achieved in a grouping that includes India and Pakistan, the meeting talked about best practices in drug abuse prevention being followed in each country. It also highlighted drug demand and supply patterns. more..

Apr 6 (TS) Sri Lanka’s legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan (pic) is struggling to qualify to play English county cricket this year – because he is scared of computers and examinations. A recent change in Britain’s work visa rules means the world record holder must prove his English language skills at an examination to secure a permit to play for Gloucestershire in June. “I have a visitor’s visa (for Britain) till 2013, but I have to sit for an exam now to work there,” more..

Apr 6 (AFP) The United States said Tuesday that future cooperation with Sri Lanka depended on improvements in its human rights record and an accounting of the bloodshed at the end of the island's civil war. With its strategic location and contributions to global peacekeeping, Sri Lanka "is poised to be a capable and willing partner to effectively combat violent extremism, trafficking and piracy," said Robert Blake, more..