Mar 6 (ST) The existing laws which enable State vehicles including security forces’ vehicles to run without insurance may deprive the family who lost its breadwinner in last Sunday’s accident at Lellopitiya, Kahawatte, involving a vehicle providing back-up to the IGP’s wife’s car, of adequate compensation. 27-old C. Priyadharshana, a garment factory employee, was hit by a speeding Police Defender vehicle at Kahawatte as he was returning home after servicing his motorcycle. more..

Mar 6 (ST) "Ohwa ganang ganna epa. Weday keregana yanna. Mata oya yakada godeking vedak nehe. Mata Kanagatuwa jeevithayak nethivuneka genai" (Meaning: Don't take it too seriously. I am not interested in a heap of metal. I am sad that a life was lost), President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the newly appointed Air Force Commander, Air Marshal Harsha Abeywickrema. Those words of consolation came when Mr. Rajapaksa declared open the more..

Mar 6 (NS) The Kuwait government has decided to send back home Sri Lankans charged with offences under the Kuwait law. An estimated 10,000 illegal Sri Lankans domiciled in Kuwait have been forced to find their way back home during a four month amnesty period offered by the Kuwait authorities. The Kuwait regime decided to declare an amnesty to a massive number of Sri Lankans who had been identified as illegal immigrants more..

Mar 6 (Island) The SLMC is in a collision course with a section of influential Muslim politicians backing President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the March 17 LG polls. SLMC sources allege some Muslim politicians are on the rampage in some parts of the East due the UPFA’s failure to discipline unruly elements in the ruling coalition. Tension is running high following Friday’s incidents involving supporters of SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem and more..

Mar 6 (ST) CT Holding PLC, which controls retail giant Cargills, is raising a total of Rs 2.6 billion through a private placement and a rights issue with part of these funds going into a mega development in the Cargills property in Fort which would include an exclusive, upmarket hotel, market sources said. Cargills officials including its Deputy Chairman Ranjit Page were not immediately available for comment but the sources said the funds from more..

Mar 6 (Island) Ceres Connection, a programme of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory, is to name a ‘Minor Planet’ in honour of young Ganidu Nanayakkara, the winner of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) Grand Award in Computer Engineering, in San Jose USA, last year. more..

Mar 6 (SL) The government is to convert part of the Bogambara Prison in Kandy into a prison museum after the inmates are relocated at the Pallekele facility that is being completed this year. The remaining land is being considered for conversion into a luxury hotel with a unique theme by the government. The relocation of the Bogambara Prison, which is situated on a 13 acre piece of land in Kandy, more..

Mar 6 (IANS) India will provide assistance to Sri Lanka's footwear industry while talks are on to conclude a far-reaching economic pact, Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen has said. Sri Lanka's footwear industry, which imports the bulk of its raw material from Chennai, is expected to see a healthy growth after the government granted vital tax concessions in the last budget, the ministry told an industry meet here over the weekend. more..

Mar 6 (SL) Twenty new train engines will be released for service on the newly opened Galle-Matara railway line on March 10. The new engines cost 3.5 million dollars each and were covered by the Indian loan facility granted towards the development of the Colombo-Matara rail lines. “Out of the total loan facility, 89.4 million dollars was allocated to purchase engines and for maintenance,” he said. more..

Mar 6 (NS) A statement made by a UPFA MP that Muslims who supported Pakistan during the cricket match that was played between Sri Lanka and Pakistan must leave the country, has stirred a hornets’ nest. The MP in question had apparently visited Muslim areas in Colombo and had demanded that they go to Pakistan for supporting Pakistan during the match. The MP had also told them that housing in Colombo for the Muslims will not be considered by the govt in the future. more..

Mar 6 (ST) A Cabinet re-shuffle is on the cards immediately after the local government polls on March 17. UPFA sources said yesterday that a main highlight of the proposed changes would be the re-allocation of subjects currently with other Cabinet Ministers to the seven who were only designated as Senior Ministers. The seven are former Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake (Good Governance and Infrastructure Facilities), D.E.W. Gunasekera (Human Resources), more..

Mar 7 (CI) What a World Cup England are producing. From a thrilling tie against India to the shock of losing to Ireland they have now produced a stunning fightback to beat South Africa by six runs in a gripping contest on a tough pitch in Chennai. They took all ten wickets for 102 through a combination of spin, reverse swing, perseverance and the never-say-die-attitude which is such a trait of this team, with Stuart Broad sealing the victory with two wickets in more..

Mar 7 (BBC) We lost a great opportunity to come back after Sri Lanka's loss to Pakistan last week, because of the downpour at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday. I think all Sri Lankan fans as well as the team are disappointed that we could not complete the match. If we played the full match, I think we had a great chance to beat Australia and get two points. Anyway, we have one point, we can't control the rain and we are happy that we are still second in Group A. more..

Mar 7 (AD) Plans have already been submitted in order to set up five international universities in Sri Lanka, says the Ministry of Higher Education. The Ministry states that approval to establish these universities will be granted once the new Act is approved in Parliament. Qualifications framework, standards protection and such have to be approved of in order to establish an international university in the country, Dr. Sunil Navaratne, Secretary to the Ministry pointed out. more..

Mar 7 (NN) A UNP candidate and 3 others have been remanded over an alleged assault on a UPFA pregnant female candidate in Mahara last night. The UPFA candidate, Sujeewa Chandani, was assaulted allegedly by UNP supporters and she was later admitted to the Ragama hospital. Following a police complaint lodged over the incident UNP candidate Indika Bandara was arrested today and produced in Court. He has been remanded till Thursday. more..

Mar 7 (Island) A high level Pakistan Army delegation is visiting Sri Lanka from March 6-11. It is headed by Lieutenant General Muzammil Hussain, Inspector General Training & Evaluation, Pakistan Army. The Pakistan Army delegation comprises of senior officers from operation, training and other important fields, who will interact with their counterparts in Sri Lankan Army to share each other’s professional experience. more..

Mar 7 (NN) The issuing of temporary Identification Cards (ID) which was to end yesterday has been extended till Thursday 10 March, Elections official said today. Registered voters who do not have National ID cards can obtain temporary cards by filling the relevant forms at the respective Grama Niladari office. Meanwhile the Elections Department has also decided to station a returning officer at selected police and State Transport Board offices during the more..

Mar 7 (ET) US prosecutors plan to play recorded phone calls between billionaire Raj Rajaratnam and several Galleon Group employees in the case related to the hedge fund manager orchestrating an insider trading scam. Galleon Group founder Rajaratnam is facing multiple charges of conspiracy and security fraud and is accused of making illegal profits worth millions of dollars. US prosecutors plan to play recorded phone calls between Rajaratnam and several Galleon employees to more..

Mar 7 (NN) A pilot project has been launched by the government using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to monitor private passenger buses, the National Transport Commission (NTC) said. NTC Chairman Shashi Welgama said that the system, if successful, will be used to nab errant private bus drivers. He said that the monitoring of private buses will be carried out from the National Transport Commission in Colombo and if a driver is seen violating more..

Mar 7 (LG) Perhaps the greatest tragedy that has befallen Sri Lanka in the post-war phrase is the tying up of the question of justice solely to the alleged abuses inflicted on civilians during the last stages of the conflict in the North in May 2009 at the hands of the then administration and the LTTE. This linkage has been convenient both for the government and for the extremist segments of the diaspora which are virulently Sinhala ultra-nationalist or more..

Mar 7 (LG) While his country remains all but physically divided, Libyan strongman has the gall to say “nobody is against me; my people love me; they will die for me” He looks at the ABC, BBC and Al Jazeera cameras, while the world is watching, in swearing thus. He puts the entire blame of the Civil War on the Al-Qaeda (“Guida” he repeats many a times) and wants the world to believe those on the streets of Tripoli , Bengazi, Al Zavaiya are under the influence of drugs and liquor. more..

Mar 7 (Cimic) Hundreds of girls and boys of Vasavilan Central College, Jaffna, on Saturday participated in their annual sports meet held in grand scale at the college ground with participation of teachers, parents and invitees. The event started in the morning saw a great enthusiasm in students and teachers in organizing the meet and participating in it. It was the first time that Vasavilan College had a sports meet in the same premises after twenty years. more..

Mar 7 (LG) Cricket was a gentleman’s game in the past. Cricket is a businessman’s game in the present. Cricket could be politics of the fundamentalists in the future. Cricket is what’s spooned now into such racist campaigns here in Sri Lanka, with the 2011 Cricket World Cup just getting its pads on, for big time matches to come. Government MP Sumathipala is on record, hitting out at those who may have cheered Pakistan at the first game which Sri Lanka lost by 11 runs. more..

Mar 7 (TC) Way back in the early 1950s, Prof.Kailasapathy, former Prof. of Tamil in the University of Jaffna was two years my junior at the University of Ceylon. Perhaps, he may have been a first year student there when I attended lectures in the Tamil Department there on Sangam literature as suggested by my Professor, Hemachandra C. Ray. My attendance was facilitated by my kinsman, Dr M.H. Peter Silva who was a lecturer in Tamil in the Department. more..

Mar 7 (SO) Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said that the lackeys of rump LTTE working under the aegis of the so called human rights groups were again at the UN human rights council sessions to paint a tarnished image of Sri Lanka and rob the confidence and backing of the international community for its post conflict development effort. He expressed confidence that their undertaking to destabilise the country will be thwarted by the Sri Lankan team. more..

Mar 7 (LB) Wikileaks exposures, carefully screened by oversight outfits such as the New York Times and ‘managed’ in the matter of dissemination through highlight and comment by the largely pro-Washington and pro-Israel media moguls of the world, didn’t tell the discerning anything radically new and especially not those who diligently add to the mainstream media the salt of alternative sources of information. Apart from people like Patricia Butenis being shown up more..

Mar 7 (LG) Theories of equality are ill-suited to deal with real-world issues of human difference and diversity. I have chosen globalization as one of the burning issues in which distributive notions of equality favour a dominant group or groups because of lack of recognition of differences among sentient beings. There is no doubt that globalization is the exhortation of the decade. Writers are using the word to signify that something profound is happening, that the world is changing, more..

Mar 7 (TC) “As he launched a series of murderous attacks against the protesting Libyan people, in a desperate bid prolong his 42 year-rule, Libya’s self styled ‘Brother Leader of the Revolution’ Muammar Gaddafi had a telephone conversation with Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. According to Libya’s official Al-Jamahiriyah TV. Mr. Gaddafi informed Mr. Rajapaksa “about the extent of the conspiracy which targets the security, stability and more..

Mar 7 (CI) Yuvraj Singh saved the blushes for India, allowing them to hide the ordinary effort from other spinners, by picking his maiden five-for to restrict Ireland to 207 before he hit an unbeaten fifty to settle India's nerves in a hard-fought win in Bangalore. Ireland enhanced their reputation by defending the target with disciplined bowling and excellent fielding and made India huff and puff to the victory line. On a dry pitch, where the ball came on slowly, the Indian batsmen preferred to play within themselves more..

Mar 7 (NS) A 30-year-old man, who came to the house of a retired teacher at Batuwatta looking for work on Tuesday, later turned a thief and an assailant. According to Police, the suspect Jayalal Nishantha of Gampaha came to the house of K H Perera, a retired teacher who was alone at home and asked the latter to give him some work saying that he was making a living by doing odd jobs. The teacher Perera asked the suspect to pluck some king coconuts and more..

Mar 7 (NS) The Health Ministry is in the process of drawing up a plan to put up shelters in all parts of the country for stray dogs. The overpopulation of stray dogs and the danger of rabies spreading have prompted the Ministry to consider this programme. Speaking to The Nation Director Health, Public Health Veterinary Service, Ministry of Health Dr P A L Harischandra said a decision is yet to be taken with regard to putting up shelters. more..

Mar 7 (Island) Two suspects have been remanded for allegedly assaulting a pregnant UPFA candidate in the LG election fray. The police are to be commended for their prompt action. Perpetrators of such dastardly violence must be appropriately dealt with. Those who set upon pregnant women must be made to rue the day they were born! The police are also investigating a separate incident where a journalist attached to a State media outfit was attacked and his camera smashed. more..

Mar 7 (DM) Here we go again. When world cricket chiefs insist that they had ‘full confidence’ in their umpires Australian umpire Hair had again reiterated his doubts about Murali’s bowling. Former Test umpire Darrell Hair called Murali, the number one wicket-taker in tests and ODIs, for throwing since 1995. Since he first kicked up a row the controversy had gone through many phases-went to the edge of technology and had finally settled down with ICC accepting his bowling. more..

Mar 7 (NS) The JVP appears to be trapped in a time warp, possibly going back to as far as early 1970s when our country’s leaders thought we can be self sufficient in everything with our own resources. Speaking to their frontliner and international spokesman Vijitha Herath, this theme surfaced over and over. But what seems to worry them most is our big brother India and it sees the hand of New Delhi everywhere in Sri Lanka to the point of being paranoid. more..

Mar 7 (Island) Ayioo, Yahaluweni, being the recipient of an unexpected shower while watching a World Cup game is not something you would expect. Not in the confines of the brand new media centre at Khettarama with its space and comfort that goes to make it such an international class venue. So, when they held up umbrellas at the back of the Premadasa Stadium media centre, all that can be done is smile and shrug shoulders. It was all done in good fun, or as the locals say, "what to do". more..

Mar 7 (Island) A goon squad attacked a local election meeting addressed by Mr. Sajith Premadasa on Friday smashing vehicles and firing into the air, Premadasa said. "They hit the electricity transmission system and one of the attackers electrocuted himself," he said. "Two others had been hospitalized with injuries suffered by coming into contact with the fallen power cable." Premadasa said that the attackers had covered their faces above the nose. more..

Mar 7 (NS) The decision to review the practice of allowing dual citizenship would have been based on considerations of national interest that are broader than economic considerations. There is conceivably a political rationale and security considerations behind such a decision. The conditions on which dual citizenship is given may also have been reviewed in order that the economic advantage to the country is enhanced. more..

Mar 7 (DM) A devil has taken over and desecrated Kelaniya, a place where Buddha had trodden and the country's laws are not applicable there, JVP MP Vijitha Herath said. Speaking at a meeting at the Chilaw Rest House he said people cannot share the country's wealth alike and only a handful of people enjoy it while the majority suffers. "A politician had said that no political party associated with green and red colours can enter into Kelaniya as it is an area dedicated to God Vishnu. more..

Mar 7 (DN) Former Daily News Senior Deputy Editor and veteran journalist T Sabaratnam passed away after a brief illness. He was 79. Sabaratnam, after completing his secondary education proceeded to Christian College, Madras where he obtained his Degree. He joined the Thinakaran as a Trainee Journalist in 1957 and contributed feature articles. When R Sivagurunathan was Thinakaran's Chief Editor and P Balasingham was News Editor T Sabaratnam functioned as a Sub Editor. more..