Oct 12 (AHRC) There was an attempted abduction of the Secretary to the Judicial Service Commission on October 7, near the St. Thomas College gymnasium. Had the attempted abduction of Manjula Tilakaratne succeeded, what might have happened is hard to guess. However, judging from previous abductions it is quite possible that he may have ended up in one of the following ways: It could have been like that of Kumar Gunaratna and Dimuthu Artigala, who were rescued more..

Oct 12 (MR) World Duty Free Group has teamed up with Brown-Forman to launch a promotion, ‘Cricket Fever 2012’, at Bandaranaike International Airport. The campaign was organised to coincide with the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, which was held in Sri Lanka this September and October (and won by the West Indies last weekend). The eight-week long campaign runs until November and was unveiled by Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Limited Chairman Prasanna Wickramasuriya. more..

Oct 12 (MoD) Sri Lanka yesterday celebrated the first-ever International Day of the Girl Child since its declaration last year with a ceremony attended by a group of rehabilitated former female combatants of LTTE. The United Nations General Assembly last year adopted a resolution to designate October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child to recognize girls' rights and the unique challenges girls face more..

Oct 12 (LT) Gampaha District Parliamentarian Upeksha Swarnamali (Pabha) has been warranted. Nugegoda Additional District Judge Ajith S. Masinghe made the order yesterday. When the case filed by Ms. Swarnamali accusing her husband of assaulting her was called yesterday both Ms. Swarnamali and her husband Mahesh Chaminda were not present in Court. The lawyers of the two parties were to inform court yesterday whether they would come to a settlement or proceed with the case. more..

Oct 12 (Csi) Friends of Cuba in the Asia Pacific region will meet in Sri Lanka on October 20-21 in what will be a new expression of support for the Caribbean nation battles in a very significant year. Some 227 delegates from 22 regional countries will attend the forum in Colombo, Alicia Corredera, vice president of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), told Prensa Latina passing through New Delhi to the Sri Lankan capital. The 6th Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting of Solidarity more..

Oct 12 (PTI) India and Sri Lanka today held the first round of talks on comprehensive civil nuclear cooperation here even as New Delhi tried to address Colombo's concerns on the safety measures instituted at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu. "Discussions were held in a warm, friendly and cordial manner. Both sides exchanged views on all aspects of civil nuclear cooperation and reaffirmed their more..

Oct 13 (SO) What is good about the current state of democratic dissent in Sri Lanka is the fact that there is a method in the organised dissent that is quite different from the madness without method that was the signature strategy of mischief makers sometime back, say, late last year for instance. At the moment anarchists and other desperados seem to have gone into the realisation that grease yaka antics, spreading stories about crime waves and generally creating mayhem is more..

Oct 13 (DBS) Merely a year after being formed, the Institute of Hairdressers and Beauticians (IHB) has secured a steady footing in the Hair and Beauty sector of the country with their constant and unparalleled contribution in streamlining the standard of hairdressing and beauty therapy in Sri Lanka. IHB is accredited to the World Federation of Hairdressers (OMC) and functions as an independent and professional institution that more..

Oct 13 (SO) Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage, an exemplary Naval officer who assumed duties as the 18th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy believes in the expansion of the Navy to create the first line of defence around the country, enabling it to go beyond the 2,000 nautical mile range to patrol the territorial waters of the country with the change of its role in the post-conflict scenario. “We really want to approach the blue water capabilities more and more”, more..

Oct 13 (CT) Sri Lanka is known for the export of cheap labour. While it is the intension of govt to turn it into a knowledge hub, the road to make Sri Lanka known as a exporter of knowledge requires a meaningful commitment of resources by govt and all other stake holders. More than one million Sri Lankan workers remit 5–6 billion US Dollars annually to the country. The trade deficit of nearly US $ 10 billion is largely funded by these worker remittances which annually grow by 15–20%. more..

Oct 13 (CT) The last few months have seen a rapid increase in anti-Muslim sentiment amongst sections of the political class in Sri Lankan society. The situation has yet to deteriorate to the extent that the default image of a Sri Lankan Muslim is one represented by an anti-Sri Lankan or anti-Buddhist element. But the trend that is developing is truly alarming and surely points towards such an inaccurate mental image. The rise of extremist Buddhists in Sri Lanka is truly disturbing more..

Oct 13 (SL) Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal says that maintaining low inflation levels is a war that will never be over. He explained that the government managed to maintain single digit inflation amidst many challenges. Referring to the increase in the cost of living and expenditure, the Governor noted that there have been substantial increases in the income levels of the people over the past five to six years. “That is why however hard certain political parties have tried to rake up more..

Oct 13 (Island) The govt and the Opposition have, in a rare moment of unity, sunk their differences to ratify the amendments to the Local Govt election laws unanimously. The Proportional Representation (PR) system has its weaknesses as is common knowledge. It favours moneybags as candidates need a great deal of resources to travel the length and breadth of their electoral districts for electioneering purposes, and leaves some electorates without representatives to look more..

Oct 13 (Island) The headline on the sports page of The Island last Monday - described well the humiliating defeat Sri Lanka suffered the previous night in the final of the World 20Twenty. "Malinga horror brings misery to hosts" encapsulated the reality of what took place, and set the West Indies dancing for hours to come,- and possibly still reveling back home - and made Sri Lankan cricket fans to hang down their heads in shameful disbelief at the defeat that was thrown more..

Oct 13 (Island) Every form of dissent, be it religious, political or otherwise, was considered traitorous during the dark ages and dissenters were punished with death. Their punishment was the most cruel and gruesome that the human mind could invent. Cruelty, as opposed to love, was the order of the day. Those unimaginable cruel punishments were carried out in front of cheering crowds, who had come to witness the more..

Oct 13 (DBS) Last week, Sri Lanka experienced an outrage unprecedented in its annals. A group of uniform-wearing students, led, aided and abetted by a mob of parents, launched a violent attack on the incoming principal in a Galle school. Even police protection was of no avail; in the end the principal had to flee, to save himself. The sin attributed by the attackers to the principal, to justify their criminal conduct, is not clear. But even if the attackers thought the principal was guilty of more..

Oct 13 (Island) Monks when they deliver a sermon at funerals quote this stanza to enable all those present to reflect on the impermanence of life. But, our political leaders and others in positions of authority seem to have no time for such reflections. They obviously think they have a permanent divine right to rule and nobody should have the audacity to challenge their actions. Woe betide the person – journalist, cartoonist, trade unionist, rights activist, legislator, judicial officer or more..

Oct 13 (DBS) Selvarasah Pathmanathan alias “KP” who is under the protective custody of the Govt has been relocated from Colombo to Kilinochchi last week by the authorities. The former chief of the LTTE who was detained in suburban Colombo earlier will now reside within Kilinochchi urban limits. KP will be housed in premises that would also be the head office of the organization founded by him namely the NERDO. more..

Oct 13 (Island) Parallel to the Commonwealth Heads of Govt Meeting which will be held in Sri Lanka next year the country will also be hosting the Commonwealth Business Forum 2013 to strengthen foreign direct investments to the country. The Commonwealth Business Forum was yesterday ceremonially launched by President Rajapakse in the presence of several ministers and top businessmen. The govt expects the event to increase foreign direct investment to assist more..

Oct 13 (Island) To cash in on the international mineral sands and rare metals boom, Sri Lanka has imposed cesses on its granite and sandstone. Sri Lanka is also bringing in cesses on fruits and vegetable imports to curb substandard imports and to support domestic producers. More importantly, to position for market driven exports based manufacturing, Sri Lanka is also mulling on integrating with Regional Production Network (RPN), the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said yesterday. more..

Oct 13 (DN) The 10th Korean language proficiency test conducted by the Korean Human Resources Department and the Sri Lanka Examinations Department will be held on October 13 and 14 at nine examination centres in Colombo, Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) sources said. A total of 34,261 candidates are eligible to sit this year's exam. Candidates should only bring a black pen, examination admission card and the passport to the examination hall. They should not bring more..

Oct 13 (DN) The evaluation process of Advanced Level answer scripts will be completed by November 21. Examination Commissioner General W M N J Pushpakumara said 13 schools will be closed for the evaluation of Advanced Level papers Phase II from October 24 to November 6 while 17 other schools are to be closed step by step during the evaluation process. He said the evaluation of Advanced Level papers Phase I began on October 8 and will be completed by October 18. more..

Oct 13 (FT) Updated regulations were introduced recently at Parliament, enabling the Civil Aviation Authority to conduct investigations into any accidents or incidents during air navigation. The regulations would cover events that could take place within the territory of Sri Lanka, in respect of any aircraft registered in Sri Lanka, but investigation is not conducted by any other more..

Oct 13 (PTI) Colonial era words like ‘His Excellency’ used for addressing state dignitaries will soon be passe! President Pranab Mukherjee has approved a new set of protocol to be used in greetings and meetings dignitaries inside and outside the country. Besides, Mr. Mukherjee has also directed authorities to organise government functions for him within the Rashtrapati Bhavan premises in order to reduce the burden on police and the inconvenience caused to people. “Use of the words His Excellency more..

Oct 13 (CT) The Deputy Mayor of the Dambulla Municipal Council, who was arrested recently for accepting a bribe worth Rs 100,000, was remanded by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court, yesterday. Deputy Mayor, Ranmunige Kusumsiri Ariyarathna, was ordered to be remanded till 25 October after he was produced before Colombo Chief Magistrate, Rashmi Singappuli, by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. The Bribery Commission informed the Court that more..

Oct 13 (DN) President Rajapaksa said everyone is duty bound to protect their professional dignity and act within their official capacity and limits. The President said so participating in an event at Temple Trees to mark International Coconut Day yesterday. The event was jointly organised by the Coconut Development Ministry and Janatha Estates Development Board. The President said when professional integrity is not protected, more..

Oct 13 (CT) Minister of Transport, Kumara Welgama, said no decision has been taken to increase rail fares. Addressing a function to inaugurate the newly constructed platform at the Veyangoda Railway Station, he said some private bus owners, had suggested that he increase the rail fares. However, he said, he will not take steps to increase rail fares. “At present most people prefer train travel as the charges are low. As a result, the revenue of private buses is going down. Some bus owners wanted me to increase rail fares, but more..

Oct 13 (Island) The Govt will present the Right to Information Act in Parliament after the November budget for 2013. "We cannot do anything in this regard right now as we are busy with the budget 2013, which will be presented in Parliament next month, but we will definitely be bringing this," Media Minister and Govt spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told The Island last night. "We have had a series of discussions in this regard and it will be a reality soon," he said. more..

Oct 13 (Island) The UNP Working Committee yesterday vetoed public announcements, by some of its members, that they would attend a rally, intended to form an alliance headed by former Army Commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka, scheduled for Oct 18. The WC had resolved that in the absence of a collective decision, UNP members should not independently participate in the activities of other political parties and especially at a more..

Oct 13 (Island) Over ninety percent of the schoolchildren would be vulnerable to non-communicable diseases owing to lack of exercise and bad food habits, the spokesman for the Health Ministry warned yesterday. Only 11% of students had regular physical exercises, he said. The spokesman said that the remaining 89% lacked any form of exercise. School children should have at least one hour of physical exertion daily. Schools, too, had left physical exercises to children, more..

Oct 13 (DN) The India - Sri Lanka Foundation is supporting the cultural festival Char Adhyaya by Santiniketan Friends from October 15 to 18 at several venues in Colombo. An art and sculpture exhibition will be held at the National Art Gallery from October 15 to 17. Around 40 paintings by artists from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Milan will be exhibited. The dance and musical show, Char Adhyaya will be held at John de Silva Theatre on October 16 at 7pm. more..

Oct 13 (Island) Another man who has gone through the miseries of losing World Cup finals is Chairman of Selectors Ashantha de Mel, and he has suggested that administrators should look at employing the services of a psychologist for the national cricket team, after Sri Lanka suffered their fourth straight loss in an ICC event last Sunday. The hosts had cruised into the final of the more..

Oct 13 (EAR) Last month, the 67th session of the UN General Assembly – UNGA commenced under the Presidency of Mr. Vuk Jeremic, (ex- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia), the youngest ever UNGA president – 37 years old. Any Presidency of UN bodies rotates annually among the five regional groups – Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin American and Caribbean and Western Europe and other States. On that basis, the 67th session was Eastern Europe’s turn. more..

Oct 13 (ICP) The UN's acts and omissions during the killing of 40,000 civilians in Sri Lanka in 2009 has given rise to criticism, to which Secretary General Ban Ki-moon responded in September 2011 by saying UN official Thoraya Obaid would investigate and issue a report in four months time. Nine months later, no report was issued and Inner City Press asked why not. Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky said for the first time that Obaid had not been able to do the report, but that Charles more..

Oct 13 (DN) The committee headed by Secretary to the President, Lalith Weeratunga to oversee the implementation of recommendations made by the LLRC, has given specific time frames during which the implementing agencies of LLRC recommendations are required to complete their assigned tasks. Member of the committee and former Attorney General Mohan Peiris on Thursday said all govt departments have been given more..

Oct 13 (Island) Four suspects were arrested by the Kadawatha police in the early hours of yesterday for killing a 30-year-old friend of theirs around midnight on October 8. Police spokesman SSP Prishantha Jayakody said that the suspects had accompanied the victim, Mudiyanselage Janaka Manjula, of Ihala Biyanwila, Kadawatha, for the T20 World Cup final on October 7. It has been revealed that all of them got drunk in a room of a three-storey building at Kadawatha, where more..

Oct 13 (Island) The Writ application pertaining to the powers of the Provincial Governor referred to the Supreme Court for interpretation and determination by the Court of Appeal will be mentioned before the Supreme Court on Monday. In this writ application, the petitioner, Mavai Senadhirajah, has complained to the Court of Appeal that the governor of the North Central Province could not express views in place of the members of the Provincial Council, while the council stands dissolved. more..

Oct 13 (Island) The FUTA yesterday said that it had suspended its three-month-long strike, believing that Minister Basil Rajapaksa would keep his word. FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said that Minister S.B. Dissanayake should learn from Minister Rajapaksa’s positive intervention. "Minister Rajapaksa asked me to trust his word and I said we could trust him," more..

Oct 13 (DM) Army Intelligence officer, Major Chandana Pradeep, who was found guilty by the Army’s Court of Inquiry, was transferred from the Military Intelligence Corps yesterday, informed sources said. “He was transferred to a shadow unit with effect from yesterday,” a senior military official said. The decision has been taken after the investigation report of the Army’s Court of Inquiry, appointed to probe the alleged brawl between the Army Major and a govt Minister’s son at a more..