Aug 30 (DM) FUTA will not end its trade union struggle based on the Cabinet paper released today, as it is only a policy level document that contains no concrete solutions to demands, Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA) spokesman Dr. Mahim Mendis said today. He told Daily Mirror that FUTA received the cabinet paper containing the eight decisions reached on the academics’ demands, but said the academics were disappointed with the outcome. more..

Aug 30 (TW) An Australian surfer has told of his unexpected encounter with an ill-equipped boatload of asylum seekers on their way to Christmas Island yesterday. Tim Everingham was on a boat near Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands when he spotted the rusty boat carrying about 50 asylum seekers about 7am. “At first we thought it was just a fishing boat but when we got closer we realised they were holding up signs saying ‘Help, we are Sri Lankan refugees’,” said Mr Everingham, who more..

Aug 30 (DM) Local footwear manufacturers are calling for an import duty increase through the next budget, to safeguard the domestic industry. “The duty for imported footwear was reduced from the Budget 2011. This will definitely have an adverse impact on the local shoe industry especially for companies producing high quality, up market footwear. There is a high expectation amongst the manufacturers that the govt will intervene to protect local manufacturers and prevent more..

Aug 30 (DM) Sri Lanka has undertaken an order from Dubai to export 100,000 metric tonnes of rice to that country and the export order would be organized after the ‘Maha’ harvest, Minister Johnston Fernando said. He told the media yesterday that not only had Sri Lanka achieved self-sufficiency in rice production but we now had the opportunity to become a rice exporting country, thanks to the successful policies of the govt.” more..

Aug 30 (CT) The Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) which raised concerns over groups extorting money from private buses has said they are compelled to increase the bus fare if the government doesn’t take steps to address the issue. Addressing a media briefing yesterday LPBOA Chairman Gamunu Wijerathne said they pay Rs.125 millions in extortion fees a month to certain groups which act with impunity which has resulted in the bus owners incurring drastic losses. more..

Aug 30 (AD) The University Grants Commission (UGC) has agreed to submit the final and rectified Z score report to the Supreme Court on September 3. The UGC earlier informed the Supreme Court that university admissions will not be finalized until the solution to the A/L examination z-score issue is provided. A Fundamental Rights petition filed by a group of 33 students was taken up before a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake. more..

Aug 30 (GDI) The proposal made by minister G.L. Pieris, to expand Sri Lanka's Diplomatic and Consular Representations in India, through expansion of the existing Missions in India to suit the present day needs. was approved by the Cabinet. Accordingly approval was granted for the following measures: With respect to the office of the Deputy High Commission of Sri Lanka in Chennai, to appoint two Tamil speaking officers from more..

Aug 31 (DBS) The revelation that most, if not all, of the SMS rumours that caused panic among North-East Indians studying or working in south Indian cities and towns originated in Pakistan should be cause for concern in more ways than one. It throws up possibilities of ‘cyber crime’ that had not been considered seriously by law-enforcement agencies across the world thus far, with the result, no ready solution can be thought of. more..

Aug 31 (NS) Emerging global food situation could threaten food security in the country. Global reductions in food production, increasing oil prices, weaknesses in the trade balance, drought conditions in the country, decreasing real incomes and increasing poverty are threats to households’ food security. In particular, emerging global food situation is a serious concern. If increase of international food prices and decline of food production in the country more..

Aug 31 (GV) A speech made today at a Vigil to Remember the Disappeared in Sri Lanka on The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, held in Melbourne, Australia. I am honoured to have been asked to speak at this Vigil, to Remember the Disappeared in Sri Lanka on this important occasion, of The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. more..

Aug 31 (NS) The creation and preservation of a ‘Just and Free Society” “Dharmista Nivahal Samajayak” is the primary goal of the 1978 constitution. To this end Sri Lanka was constituted into a Democratic Socialist Republic preserving the principles of representative democracy by way of a new Constitution. Freedom, Equality, Justice, Fundamental Human Rights and the Independence of the Judiciary will be ensured with it. These are the inherent elements of an more..

Aug 31 (DBS) A historic battle took place in the Kande Uda Rata Rajadhaniya, in the course of one of the many invasions by the Western colonial powers who once occupied what was known as the Maritime Provinces of Lanka, at the site of the ford at Wagolla village, a crossing point of the Mahaweli river on one of the routes from Senkadagala Kande Mahanuwara to Hanguranketha and Hewaheta. The Mahanuwara, the capital city of the kingdom, was protected by the Mahaweli River on three sides, more..

Aug 31 (CT) The rise of Basil Rajapaksa has been rapid to say the least. Having spent years out of the country pursuing other interests, his return to support his brother’s presidential campaign was unexpected. Even more surprising was the popular backing he managed to acquire within a very short period in an unfamiliar district – he recorded the highest number of preferences in Gampaha in the 2010 election, about as many as the next three candidates combined. more..

Aug 31 (CT) We chose our name ‘Voices for Reconciliation’ after much deliberation, because we felt it went to the heart of our aims: the creation of a safe space for the sharing of different viewpoints, to encourage constructive and collaborative dialogue through which people could understand each other better. However, we soon began to realise that our view of what constitutes ‘reconciliation’ was just one in a host of interpretations being voiced in the discourse on post-war Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 31 (GV) Dear Mark, I am intensely troubled by the tenor of your report on Sri Lankan Tamil refugees on today’s Dateline. The picture you painted of the country doesn’t accord with any of the accounts I’ve heard, nor with well documented reports by international and local sources (eg. the Commission for Justice and Peace of the Diocese of Jaffna, Sri Lanka report). The govt’s refusal to implement the findings of its own LLRC and the reception of the subsequent U.N Resolution more..

Aug 31 (DN) The year 2012 month of August is blessed with two Full Moon Poya Days. This occurs once in four years. Therefore it is called Adhi (Extra) and very special. What is the significance of Adhi Binara Full Moon Poya Day? Buddha was a Philosophic Genius, rolled into single vigorous and radiant personality. He was a lover of men, women children, animals and environment. He never cared for caste, colour or creed. more..

Aug 31 (Island) The JVP has a peculiar attitude towards higher education. When universities are open, it wants them closed and when they are closed, it wants them reopened! In the late 1980s, during its second uprising, the JVP coined a catchy slogan, 'Motherland first, Degree second––palamuwa maubima, devanuwa upadiya––to justify its efforts to disrupt universities and involve undergrads in protests against the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord and terrorist activities. more..

Aug 31 (DBS) As the election period has dawned again in Sri Lanka, the above quotation reminds us what our responsibility should be in the context of post-conflict nation building and reconciliation. The Provincial Council election campaign has now shifted to top gear in all three provinces but it is the Eastern province which has become the cynosure of all for several reasons. Firstly, the government having carried out development projects investing billions of Rupees and more..

Aug 31 (Island) Defending champions Sri Lanka survived some anxious moments before booking their final berth against Singapore, as they beat a fighting Malaysian outfit 67-58, in the semi-finals at the 8th Asian Netball Championship, played yesterday. Despite having the height advantage and the backing of some 400 spectators, the hosts had to work hard for their victory as the Malaysian lasses nearly matched them in more..

Aug 31 (DN) The Sacred Kapilavastu Relics will arrive in Wariyapola this morning. The Sacred Relics will be taken from the Naranvita Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Temple in Gampola at 8.30 am today. The Sacred Relics will be placed at Sri Sumangala Pirivena - Wariyapola at around 9.30 am. Devotees will be allowed to worship the Sacred Relics today and tomorrow. “A massive crowd paid homage to the Sacred Kapilavastu Relics at more..

Aug 31 (Island) Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) President Gemunu Wijeratne yesterday warned private bus crew to refrain from smoking cannabis, consuming liquor and using drugs such as heroin and LSD at bus terminals. He said he had brought the situation to the notice of the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who had in turn asked IGP N. K. Illangakoon to take action. Substance abuse by private bus crew had led to many road traffic accidents, Wijeratne said. more..

Aug 31 (TA) In its 1970s heyday - before war and poverty made movie theatres a luxury northern Sri Lankans could ill afford - the Sridhar Cinema was Jaffna's "A Number One" film house. The smart new cinema, with its dress circle and regular Bollywood offerings, was hugely popular in the northern capital, as was its young owner Ratnasabapathy Mahendraraviraj, who built the theatre on family land just 1.5km from the more..

Aug 31 (DN) The cremation of Ramannaya Maha Nikaya Mahanayake the Most Ven Wewaldeniye Medhalankara Thera will take place with state honours at Mirigama National School Playground on Monday. The Thera passed away on August 29 evening at Mirigama Sasanawardana Pirivena. The thera passed away at the age of 103. The body was removed to Mirigama Sasanawardana Pirivena yesterday at 2pm. The day of the funeral was declared a day of national mourning more..

Aug 31 (Island) The JHU urged the govt to introduce laws, within one year, banning the ritual sacrifice of animals. Minister of the Western Provincial Council, Udaya Gammanpila thanked President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Buddhist organisations and animal rights groups for supporting their efforts to stop the ritual sacrifice of animals at the Munneswaram Sri Bhadra Kali Amman Kovil. He said the animal sacrifice was scheduled to take place on the day the Kapilawasthu Relics were more..

Aug 31 (CI) Before the tournament, few would have imagined either Nagenahira Nagas or Uva Next would reach the final, let alone both at once. On paper, Ruhuna Royals boasted bigger overseas stars, Basnahira Cricket Dundee the better local talent, and Wayamba United the X-factor players. Yet, the finalists have each performed at crucial moments to earn their passage. Both sides have ridden their fortune too. Nagenahira were lucky that a more..

Aug 31 (CI) Uva Next captain Thilina Kandamby has said his bowlers' return to fitness will give his side the edge in the SLPL final against Nagenahira Nagas. Uva have had to do without Dilhara Fernando since their third match, while Umar Gul, Andrew McDonald and Jacob Oram have also had injury concerns during the tournament. They are all expected to be refreshed and fit for the final however, and Kandamby said the team's gameplan will revolve around their bowling strength. more..

Aug 31 (DN) The latest beneficiaries of Commercial Bank's flagship CSR initiative to enhance IT education in Sri Lanka, are the inmates of the Welikada prison. The Bank donated computers, UPS units, speakers and computer tables and chairs to the prison on a request made by its Superintendent, Gamini Jayasinghe. Arrangements have been made for computer classes to be conducted between 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, six days a week, by a prison welfare officer who is more..

Aug 31 (FT) The safari savagery that erupted last week with mobile tented safari operators being attacked seems to have reached a ceasefire of sorts, following two meetings between stakeholders on Wednesday. Employees attached to Mahoora Safari Camps, Kulu Safaris and Leopard Safaris were assaulted by mobs affiliated to the Tissamaharama Jeep Association during the month, with Sri Lanka Tourism and the more..

Aug 31 (Island) The charred body of a man was found in a brick kiln at his residence on Tuesday by the Mahiyangana police. Police found the body on information provided by a neighbour. The victim, Obbe Herath Mudiyanselage Premaratne, was a resident of 8th Mile Post, Ridimaliyadda, Wadakaha Arawa. Police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana told The Island that the victim’s wife had been arrested on suspicion. When the police questioned the suspect, she had confessed that more..

Aug 31 (BS) State-run power producer NTPC Ltd’s overseas plans are likely to take a new turn this year. Work on its Sri Lanka project is likely to start by year- end, while an environmental impact study is going on for its Bangladesh project. Last year, both NTPC and the CEB had incorporated a joint venture, Trincomalee Power Co, to set up a 2x250 Mw coal-based power project at Sampur in the Trincomalee region. The overall investment of the project was expected to be Rs 3,000 crore. more..

Aug 31 (CT) The Ministry of External Affairs has come under heavy censure by environmental organizations for its possum like attitude in ignoring the serious threat posed by the Kundankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) in South India. The plant is tipped to be commissioned in a few weeks time. A combined association of several environment organizations accused the Ministry of continuing to ignore the issue more..

Aug 31 (DN) Minister Mervyn Silva yesterday thanked the Chief Priest and the administrators of the Sri Badrakali Devale in Munneswaram for agreeing to halt the planned animal sacrifice at the Devale precincts. He also showered blessings on President Rajapaksa for intervening to put a stop to the animal sacrifice. The minister said last year too he made a request to stop the animal sacrifice which was ignored prompting him to release all more..

Aug 31 (Island) A man serving a 10-year prison term for running a house of ill fame at Wellawatte holds his three-year-old daughter’s hands as the girl and her mother, also serving a jail term for the same offence, were about to be separated and taken to different sections at the Welikada Prison. The woman, a foreign national of East European origin, who arrived in Sri Lanka about five years ago, had established the brothel, where she met the youth and started an affair. more..

Aug 31 (Island) Prisons Commissioner P. W. Kodipilli yesterday said that his department could resume executions as early as next month. Responding to a query by The Island, Kodipilli said that the department was in the process of making arrangements for judicial executions, while awaiting govt approval. Asked whether he faced any difficulties in implementing the death penalty, Kodipilli said that the department would shortly select two hangmen. more..

Aug 31 (FT) The Perceived Economic Opportunity Index (PEOI) declined sharply in July to one of its lowest values in the last twelve months having plateaued after the rise following the previous drop precipitated by the Valentine season price increases. The Index compiler, the Foundation for Economic Freedom in Sri Lanka (FEFSL), said in the background of the PEOI yet to clear the bar from ‘relatively pessimistic’ to ‘relatively optimistic’ territory since more..

Aug 31 (Island) Schools will re-open for the third term on Sept. 03. However, 22 schools used for answer script evaluation of the Grade V scholarship exam will be on vacation. Ministry Spokesman Jayalath Rajapaksha told The Island that those 22 schools would re-open on Sept. 10. They are: Susamayawardana Vidyalaya Colombo 08, Yasodhara Balika Colombo 10, President’s College Maharagama, St. Mary’s College Avisssawella, Gothami KV Gampaha, Ferguson High School Ratnapura, more..

Aug 31 (Economist) The Buddhist monk, staring intently at the smoke rising from an incense stick, said the govt was destroying state-provided education because it was “easier to control uneducated fools”. Maduluwawe Sobitha is an influential figure among majority Sinhala population. He is also a loud critic of the govet of President Rajapaksa. The monk’s new National Movement Against Social Injustice is, with other groups and unions, backing more..

Aug 31 (Island) Two persons including the Karuwalagaswewa Pradeshiya Sabha chairman (UPFA) were arrested by the police on Wednesday evening following an alleged brawl. They had both complained to the police against each other. SSP Ajith Rohana said that the PS chairman had first lodged a complaint accusing the other person of assaulting him with a helmet. The politician had also alleged that his vehicle, too, had been damaged by the suspect. more..

Aug 31 (ABC) ELEANOR HALL: Almost three years on from the stand-off over the Oceanic Viking, a handful of asylum seekers who were on that vessel are still in detention. Now the lawyer for one of those asylum seekers is alleging that his client's ongoing imprisonment is payback for his role in the difficult negotiations. The World Today has discovered that earlier this year, that detainee wrote to the Australian Govt asking for a mercy killing if he couldn't be released. more..

Aug 31 (Island) President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing the 16th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran yesterday said it was unfortunate that the developing world continued to get policy prescriptions from the countries where economic and financial markets had been mismanaged. He said: "We are still burdened and seriously disadvantaged by the weight of the global crisis that originated in the financial hubs of the world. more..