Oct 1 (IBN) The Sri Lankan navy allegedly damaged fishing nets of several Indian fishermen in mid-sea and two of them returned ashore on Saturday. After a 14-day boycott, 687 mechanised boats had ventured into the sea for fishing on Saturday. But the Lankan navy surrounded some of the boats and cut off the fishing nets of 18 boats in the high seas. They reportedly warned the Indian fishermen not to enter Lankan waters again. more..

Oct 1 (DM) Minister Mervyn Silva’s son Malaka and Ambassador Bharathi Wijerathne’s son Rehan have been bailed out. The turn of events in the assault on the Army Major allegedly by these two individuals was certainly interesting. The Army Major’s recant might not only cost him his credibility as an intelligence officer but many parties are now questioning the competence of such intelligence officers who are bemused and shocked more..

Oct 1 (ST) The Supreme Court listed to be heard on October 4, the fundamental rights petition filed by a Haj travel operator challenging the irregular selection list of pilgrims to participate in the Haj festival for 2012, as both parties had not arrived at an amicable settlement. The petitioner Travel Data Tours and Travels (Pvt) Ltd., and its General Manger M.J. Quafdeen cited Minister A.H.M. Fawzie, Deputy Minister A.R.M. Abdul Cader, more..

Oct 1 (Island) In a bid to prevent the oral and lung cancers and the considerable increase in vascular disease, a special gazette notification will come into effect shortly to make it mandatory for cigarette manufacturers to carry clear warnings about the dangers of smoking. Under the provisions of the notification all cigarette companies will be subject to print pictorial warnings on the cigarette packets. more..

Oct 1 (Island) In the wake of easing of international sanctions targeting Myanmar, Sri Lanka’s solitary exporter of maize is exploring the possibility of finding a permanent market in that country. With plans afoot to set up a major maize producing village at Mailagaswewa, Galenbindunawewa this week, the Wayamba Traders Company is keen to reach an understanding with Myanmar as regards maize exports. more..

Oct 1 (DM) The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), in its report, which is to be taken into consideration during Sri Lanka's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the UNHRC, has recommended that the country should abolish the death penalty, officials said yesterday. The HRCSL encouraged the govt to enact the Right to Information Bill with necessary changes. The HRCSL and the External Affairs Ministry more..

Oct 1 (Island) Having rejected the previously prepared Draft Bill on the National Drug Policy, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena has appointed two more members to the Draft Bill Review Committee to expedite the implementation. Although the Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said a few month ago that it would be ready within two weeks, it was not ready at the expected time. Secretary to the Health Ministry Dr. Nihal Jayathilaka said yesterday that more..

Oct 1 (Island) The UNP slammed the govt for getting its priorities wrong where the allocation for the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development was increased by Rs. 60 billion while the entire allocation for Education and Higher Education was only Rs. 60 billion. This was indeed ridiculous where the allocation for the Defence and Urban Development Ministry was increased from Rs. 230 billion to Rs 290 billion at a time when more..

Oct 1 (CG) A Sri Lankan woman in Dubai has told a local court that she was kidnapped by a man she met at a bus stop before being locked up in a brothel and forced to prostitute herself for Dh15 per customer. The National newspaper said that the woman identified only as SM, a 27-year-old Sri Lankan maid, told prosecutors that she arrived in Abu Dhabi in March 2011 but absconded from her sponsor’s house about a year later and went to meet her sisters in Sharjah. more..

Oct 1 (Island) Two hundred and ten traders who had been selling cement and infant milk powder over controlled prices have been apprehended by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) in the last few days. A spokesman for the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade said that 60 traders selling cement above the controlled price and 150 errant milk food traders had been apprehended and they would be prosecuted. Minister Johnston Fernando has directed the CAA to conduct raids on more..

Oct 1 (Guardian) Q: Good afternoon Murali. How are you? A: I'm good thanks. Q: More importantly, where are you? A: In Colombo, at my home. Q: Ooh, what's the weather like there, hot I presume? A: It's not that hot. Quite cool actually. But yes, it's OK. Q: What time is it there? A: It's 5.30 in the evening. Q: You must be enjoying the world Twenty20, especially with it being in your home country? A: Yeah, I am enjoying it. Unfortunately I have not been able to get to any live matches yet, more..

Oct 1 (GMA) A UAE court sentenced a 33-year-old Sri Lankan electrician to three months in jail for threatening via social networking site Facebook that he would kill a Filipina co-worker if she did not marry him. The Court of First Instance also ordered the Sri Lankan deported once he has served his sentence. However, the report said the verdict is subject to appeal within 15 days. Jebel Ali police arrested the defendant more..

Oct 1 (DM) Minister Mervyn Silva’s son Malaka Silva said he is very frustrated and mentally depressed due to the behaviour of the media in the country. “I am in a very frustrated and mentally depressed state. Rural youths have chances to go to conciliation board and settle matters relating to minor disputes. But we are always being attacked by all. I have also been subjected to physical and mental pain,” he said in an interview. more..

Oct 1 (Island) Sri Lanka will brief the international human rights community on the developments in Sri Lanka’s human rights situation when the delegates dealing in Human Rights meet at the Asia- Pacific Region Human Rights parley in Bangkok on Oct 9 and 10. "We will also be enlightening them on the action plan Sri Lanka hopes to adopt in accordance with the recommendations of the Lessons Leant and Reconciliation Commission at this international confab, Chairman of the HRC" more..

Oct 1 (Reuters) Stocks ended slightly weaker on profit taking on Monday after hitting a 10-month high in early trading, while the rupee firmed to a more than four-month high as banks sold dollars. The Colombo Stock Exchange's main index or All Share Price Index rose 0.95% in early trading to surpass the psychological barrier of 6,000 points. It retreated, however, to end at 5,964.29 - 0.13%, or 7.70 points weaker that last Friday's close, its highest since Jan. 4. more..

Oct 1 (CG) Sri Lanka has been ranked 62 out of 105 countries in the 2012 Global Food Security Index. The number one country is the United States of America while the worst country at 105 is Congo. The Global Food Security Index considers the core issues of affordability, availability, and quality across a set of 105 countries. The index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative scoring model, constructed from 25 unique indicators, more..

Oct 1 (IDSA) The recent developments in Tamil Nadu on Sri Lanka augur misfortune for centre-state ties, which have flared up a bit owing to certain events apart from posting New Delhi a message to no longer ‘neglect’ their views. Sri Lankan military personnel who were undergoing training at Wellington in Tamil Nadu were asked to immediately pack up. The junior Sri Lankan football team that was in Chennai to play friendly matches against the Chennai Customs football team more..

Oct 1 (DM) Several UNP MPs, former army commander Sarath Fonseka and the prominent Buddhist Prelate the Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera will launch a common forum to push for the abolition of the Executive Presidency and the repeal of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekera, who was involved in the formation of the forum said that UNP MPs. Palitha Range Bandara, Palitha more..

Oct 1 (TW) Rajan (name changed), 43, sailed from Sri Lanka to Velankanni in Tamil Nadu, and into a tragic twist in his life. Leaving his parents, wife and children behind in the strife-torn island, he was hoping to reconstruct his life on friendly Indian soil. Three years later, his dreams are in tatters, his life a sad tale. The moment Rajan reached Velankanni, he was arrested for entering without proper documents. Later, he was accused of peddling drugs for the Tamil Tigers and detained at the more..

Oct 1 (CG) The police are to arrest the students and parents who attacked the new principal of the Galle Vidyaloka Vidyalaya today. According to the education Ministry, the school has been closed till Monday as a result of the tense situation which arose this morning. The new principal sustained minor injuries while his car was completely damaged after students and parents agitated over his appointment. Riot police had been deployed to the school after the students pelted stones at more..

Oct 1 (IRIN) Finding paid work - especially for youths - is still difficult in former conflict zone even after three years of peace and massive infrastructure projects, experts say, pointing to the region’s anaemic private sector as a main cause. Although official employment data for the region is unavailable, experts in the area estimate that up to 30% of the north’s population is unemployed, as opposed to a national rate of 4%. more..

Oct 1 (CI) New Zealand had their hearts broken in the most cruel of manners after they lost a second Super Over in the Super Eights, bowing out with zero points after providing the most entertainment in the second round of the tournament. They had kept West Indies down to 139, but their batsmen bottled under inexplicable Twenty20 pressure. Ross Taylor braved it all, scoring his highest Twenty20 score as captain to first tie the game and then score more..

Oct 1 (LBO) Bhashwara Gunarathna, who was a member of the board of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority since 2010 has been appointed its chairman the agency said. He is also the chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB). The Tourism Development Authority is a policy making and infrastructure development agency. SLTDA said in a statement that Gunarathna is director general of the Development Forum Office of Sri Lanka's more..

Oct 1 (CI) For the second time in this tournament an England match was delayed by a Super Over, and West Indies' victory against New Zealand means Stuart Broad's team must now win their final Super Eights game to keep their title defence alive because West Indies' net run-rate is better. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have the advantage of a good net run-rate although a heavy defeat will leave them in trouble. England have made more..

Oct 1 (TA) THE return of 46 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers to their homeland, many with Australian-funded "reintegration" payments of up to $3000 in their pockets, is a sign that offshore detention is working as a deterrent for those who believe that life at home is not impossible, after all. The fact that the men opted to return rather than languish on Nauru raises questions about whether they were genuine or economic refugees to start with. It's an important point because more than 3500 Sri Lankans more..

Oct 1 (NIE) After the Sri Lankan president, a delegation of TNA will be arriving in India in the next two weeks as India hopes to get both sides to initiate meaningful talks through a Parliamentary Select Committee process. According to sources, a TNA delegation led by veteran R Sampanthan will be visiting India in the first half of October, though the exact dates have not yet been confirmed. Earlier this year, a TNA delegation had met the all party parliamentary delegation, as well as the External Affair Minister S M Krishna in Colombo. more..

Oct 1 (NIE) The TNA, which has been sweeping elections in the Tamil-speaking North and East of Sri Lanka, and had come within the ace of capturing the Eastern Provincial Council in the September 8 elections, may be heading for a split over the issue of registering as a single political party. The ITAK, which is the biggest of the five alliance partners, is dragging its feet over formal unification and registration. more..

Oct 1 (AA) Emerging markets-focused Actis has invested $32m in the Asiri Group, a 604-bed private hospital group in Sri Lanka. Asiri operates three sites in Colombo and two sites in the southern city of Matara. Healthcare is a key focus for Actis as emerging market consumers increasingly seek medical products and services, the firm said. Its South Asia team has gained experience in the sector with investments in the hospital chain in Gujarat, Sterling Add-Life, more..

Oct 1 (PTI) India might have bowled out Pakistan for a paltry 128 in the World Twenty20 here but Sri Lankan batting great Aravinda de Silva feels that the Mahindra Singh Dhoni-led side has a weak bowling attack, besides also lacking in variation. "Whatever I have seen so far in this tournament, the Indian bowling attack seems to be weak. And when I am saying weak, it means pretty weak," de Silva, whose century helped Sri Lanka win the 1996 more..

Oct 1 (CI) Defending champions England have been knocked out of the T20 World Cup at the Super Eight stage following a 19-run defeat to hosts Sri Lanka this evening. Stuart Broad's side were set a target of 169 runs to ensure that they progressed through to the semi-finals stage of the competition along with Sri Lanka and at the expense of fellow group members West Indies. more..

Oct 2 (DBS) The controversial Divineguma Bill appears to be yet another move by the Govt that points to a pattern of rushing legislation through without due regard for the need for, and the right to, debate and discussion on matters of public importance. It was not so long ago that the 18th Amendment was steamrollered through parliament, followed by the infamous Expropriation Bill. The labeling of these pieces of legislation as ‘urgent,’ thereby shortening more..

Oct 2 (DBS) It is well known that a man named Samuel Clemens wrote as Mark Twain, those wonderful adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn and many more, in the 19th century. In the 21st, we still refer to the author as Mark Twain. His assumed name was a term which he had borrowed from navigating on the Mississippi in his day which in no way reflected adversely on his writing. In the same we must not let the name Niromi de Soyza fool us that the book Tamil Tigress is not written by a more..

Oct 2 (SL) The govt last week announced moves to resettle the last batch of IDPs who were in the Kadiragamar and Ananda Kumaraswamy relief villages at Menik Farm for the past three years. However, many of the remaining IDPs hailing from Kepapilaw Grama Niladhari Division and Manduwil area who have been re-settled in their respective villages, are still in small tents at the Suriyapuram camp. Suriyapuram camp, situated in close proximity to more..

Oct 2 (CT) I do not think I have any real disagreement with Professor Kumar David on the idea of a single-issue election. For no fault of his own, but solely due to inadequacies in my expression, he seems to have construed my term “multi-issue” to mean the entire gamut of social, political and economic challenges that confront us, to be addressed in one stroke. When I wrote the brief comment I did, it was furthest from my intentions underestimate the primacy of the Executive Presidency (EP) more..

Oct 2 (CT) In 2011, there were 1441 employees in the Central Bank and they were paid Rs. 2, 250, 029,000 as shown in the published accounts of the Bank. Then on average an employee was paid Rs. 1,560,000 per year, an average monthly pay of Rs. 130,000. Of all employees 11% were Minor Employees: drivers, peons and others. Those not minor employees fell into two categories: Staff Class and Non-staff Class, roughly equivalent to professional and general service categories. more..

Oct 2 (SO) Have you heard the story of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II being gifted with a Sri Lankan manufactured pair of shoes by the then Prime Minister Sir John Kotalawala? The incident took place at a reception, held at Temple Trees, Colombo, the official residence of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister. It was in the year 1952, that the British Monarchy visited Sri Lanka for the first time with her husband Prince Philip. They came at the invitation of the Sri Lankan Premier more..

Oct 2 (LB) In the hierarchy of power, the political class does not come under the purview of the “general” law. Though in theory all individuals and groups are equal in the face of the Constitution, there are many exceptions and omissions made to the rule that, in practice, the social and political VIP is privileged at the expense of the commoner. We need not be alarmed at this for if one is not safeguarded and advantaged by it, then there is no reason whatsoever why more..

Oct 2 (LB) The 2012 General Assembly of the United Nations began on Sept 18 at the UN headquarters in New York. As outlined in the UN Charter, the function of the General Assembly is to discuss, debate, and make recommendations on a range of subjects pertaining to international peace and security. With each of the 193 member states entitled to one vote, the General Assembly is the only part of the UN system that operates according to democratic principles. more..