Oct 14 (Island) For most observers, West Indies were the favourites to win this year’s World T-20 and they were proved right at the end of the competition. Despite their bowling deficiencies, what made many to back the Windies was their batting firepower - the ability to hit sixes. True to form the West Indies ability to hitting sixes proved to be decisive in the competition. Throughout the competition they hit 49 sixes compared to losing finalist Sri Lanka’s paltry 19. Losing semi-finalists Australia hit 37 sixes more..

Oct 14 (SL) Last week’s attack on the Secretary of the JSC, Manjula Tillekaratne has brought to a head the cold war that was brewing between the Executive and the Judiciary. The power struggle between two key pillars of the govt – the Executive and the Judiciary – would have an adverse impact on the country and the govt, especially when Sri Lanka is gearing to face the UPR on Nov 1st at the UNHRC in Geneva. more..

Oct 14 (SL) Former British Defence Minister Liam Fox has said that he is worried about the state of affairs in Sri Lanka. He has said this during an event organized by the British Tamil Conservatives (BTC) in London, BTC said in an email to The Sunday Leader. Fox has said that if the Govt of Sri Lanka was not prepared to at least make the little changes already in the Constitution the situation would worsen. Fox has often been seen as a good friend of Sri Lanka and had made several visits to more..

Oct 14 (Island) In 2010 and 2011 we had high growth rates of 8% or so. But this year the govt was forced to orchestrate a lower growth rate because of the crisis in the balance of payments last year due to a huge trade deficit leading to loss of Foreign Reserves under a regime of fixed exchange rates. In February 2012 the Central Bank allowed the rupee to float and the rupee promptly fell by almost 18-20%. The Govt panicked and the authorities tried to talk the rupee up to Rs 125 to the dollar. more..

Oct 14 (ST) Diverse views, interestingly, emerged in the BT-RCB joint email-cum-street poll on education issues conducted this week, just as the struggle by university teachers over wages appeared to be resolved. While 93% of those polled by email by the BT said there was a major crisis in education, just 58% of those asked in the street poll by RCB were on the opinion that a crisis prevails. more..

Oct 14 (Island) The Finco Group of Companies have invested over Rs. 2.5 billion in three boutique hotels targeting up-market travelers, with the newest, Uga Bay, at Passikudah on which Rs. 850 million has been invested due to be opened at the end of this month by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Priyanjith Weerasooria, Managing Director of Finco Holdings which is looking at further investments in leisure said last week that they began their thrust with an investment of over a billion rupees at more..

Oct 14 (SL) The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) yesterday issued a one month deadline to the govt to arrest those responsible over the assault on the Secretary of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) Manjula Tillakaratne. BASL President Wijeydasa Rajapaksa, speaking to reporters following a special meeting of the BASL, said that if the authorities fail to arrest the suspects then the BASL will meet again and take appropriate action. Rajapaksa also said that the BASL had passed a resolution more..

Oct 14 (ST) The 100-day long trade union action by university academics fizzled out on Friday amidst protests of section of the academics, but eventually bringing relief to students and parents. There was disappointment among sections of the academics as they failed to gain clear commitments on the demands of the FUTA. University of Moratuwa FUTA branch President Dr. Rangika Halwathura said that even though an more..

Oct 14 (AD) The Central Cultural Fund (CCF) says measures are already underway to remove the fungus which has appeared in certain walls of the Sigiriya rock. It is said that the fungus is currently visible in both the front and back of the ‘Ketapath Paura’ (the Mirror Wall). A special team was dispatched to the historic location to conduct tests as soon as reports surfaced of the fungus, the Director General of the CCF said. Sigiriya Project Manager K.D. Chandana Weerasena said more..

Oct 14 (Island) Well know Sinhala travelogue writer Saman Athaudahetti’s second book titled, "Wandering with Pleasure along the Silk Route" which brings historical and cultural episodes from China to the Sri Lankan reader will be launched at the Committee Room A of the BMICH on Oct 18. This travelogue is his second, the first being "Wandering with Pleasure along the Hanamichi" that brought to the Sri Lankan reader a more..

Oct 14 (Island) TNA leader Rajavarothiam Sampanthan declared here today that Sri Lanka’s Tamils are prepared for a give-and-take with the Sinhalese to evolve a pragmatic solution to the festering ethnic problem. Sampanthan made it clear that his party is committed to finding "a reasonable, workable and durable solution within the framework of a united Sri Lanka." more..

Oct 14 (NS) The Health Ministry yesterday warned the public not to purchase drugs, especially syrups from pharmacies which are not air conditioned as medicines stored in such pharmacies lose potency before long. Health ministry officials said that a 25 degrees Celsius temperature was a mandatory requirement to preserve potency of drugs and syrups. The ministry imposed a ban on the sale of Corex syrup following reported cases of Corex overdoses around the country. more..

Oct 14 (Island) About 70 eminent scientists from 34 Academies of Science in 30 countries will meet in Colombo from October 16-19 to hold the Inaugural General Assembly of the Association of Academies and Societies of Science in Asia (AASSA). The event will be hosted by the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka (NASSL). The two major apex bodies of scientists in Asia and Australasia, the Federation of Asian Scientific Academies (FASAS, established in 1984) with 16 member more..

Oct 14 (LBO) Sri Lanka's consumer affairs authority, which has imposed price controls on chicken and cement, has raised the prices of the items media reports said. The price of a 50 kilogram of cement will go up between 68 to 85 rupees from midnight Saturday. The price of cement made by Holcim, which runs a fully integrated domestic factory, remain unchanged, the report said. A kilogram of chicken will go up by 30 rupees. more..

Oct 14 (SL) The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) is to acquire several private roads in Colombo in order to ease traffic congestion in the city. Deputy Colombo Mayor Titus Perera said that between 50-60 private roads had been identified to be acquired by the CMC. He said that most of those roads connect to or are linked to main roads in the City and so they need to be free to be used by vehicles on the streets. Perera said that the CMC budget for 2013 would allocate funds to pay more..

Oct 14 (LB) The Ragama police have been able to solve the mystery surrounding the charred remains of a body,which was found at the Zoysa Housing Scheme junction at Tewatta Road, Ragama, recently. The police had located the body following a tip off given by a woman on the emergency number 119. They had initially found it difficult to ascertain the gender of the burnt corpse as the body had been set on fire after it had been severed into seven parts. A special team led by the more..

Oct 14 (Island) Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday called for the abolition of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution without further delay. The ongoing efforts by a political grouping led by one-time LTTE mouthpiece, TNA to hinder the passage of the Divineguma Bill in parliament meant that in spite of Sri Lanka’s battlefield victory over terrorism separatist sentiments were strong, Rajapaksa said more..

Oct 14 (CT) The UNP has become a one-man show, similar to the executive presidency, and UNP’s current dictatorial regime has led to the destruction of the party, UNP’s dissident Buddhist clergy wing, the United Bikkhu Front (UBF) charged yesterday. “Through media reports we were informed that the Working Committee of the UNP had on 12 October banned its members from participating in the protest rally, calling for the abolishing of the executive presidency scheduled for 18th,” more..

Oct 14 (ST) Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, the President’s special envoy on human rights issues, will lead Sri Lanka’s delegation to next month’s sessions of the UNHRC in Geneva. At these sessions, Sri Lanka’s human rights record will come up for scrutiny under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) – a mechanism where every UN member country’s performance is reviewed. The case of Sri Lanka will come up between 2.30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on November 1. more..

Oct 14 (ST) To follow a person from inside a High Security Zone (HSZ), wait for him to park his car and assault him mercilessly requires close surveillance for some time. Those words came from former Commander of the Army and onetime General Sarath Fonseka, credited with leading ground troops for the military defeat of Tiger guerrillas more than three years ago. Then, he won plaudits from UPFA leaders as the more..

Oct 14 (NS) Rank and file of the UNP yesterday asked whether party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was opposed to the Sinhala Buddhist culture. The UNP Working Committee has barred members of the party from attending a rally organized by the United Bikkhu Front (UBF) on October 18, at which Sarath Fonseka is expected to appear. UNP rebel MP, Palitha Range Bandara claimed that the Buddhist rally was organized by the UBF and not by DNA Leader, Sarath Fonseka. more..

Oct 14 (NS) The Standard Chartered according to banking sources has decided to sell its historic former Sri Lanka head office building at Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo Fort. The bank through a leading international constancy firm has already called for expressions of interest from prospective buyers for this valuable property.With the on-going development in Colombo Fort and its adjacent area the building is believed to be of very high value and suitable for any kind of commercial operation including hospitality industry. more..

Oct 14 (ST) The towering sixes and wickets flying above the ground were not the only thrills and spills for cricket lovers during last week’s ICC 20-20 cricket series. There were other events too. As revealed exclusively on the front-page of the Sunday Times last week, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in the Ministerial Security Division (MSD) is at the centre of a top level investigation. This is for being involved in the arrest of three British university girls who were in more..

Oct 14 (Island) The ruling SLFP-led UPFA has heaved a sigh of relief as an ambitious project to launch a people’s movement calling for the abolition of the executive presidency and the 18th Amendment to the Constitution collapsed due to the UNP refusing to support the campaign. Political sources told The Sunday Island that their belief that ongoing protests against the recent attack on Judicial Services Commission (JSC) Secretary, more..

Oct 14 (SL) The govt has launched a campaign through the Sri Lankan Embassy in the United States to lobby against a resolution presented by a US Congressman on Sri Lanka. External Affairs Ministry sources said that the Sri Lankan Embassy had already managed to have the resolution withdrawn from the calendar for this year. However there are fears the document, House Resolution 177, may be re-submitted and passed in more..

Oct 14 (NS) Environmentalists threw an open challenge on Saturday at Deputy Minister of Agrarian Services and Wildlife S.M. Chandrasena to come for an open debate regarding his denial that ‘eco tourism’ operators had been allowed to operate at will inside several of the country’s national parks. Deputy Minister last week denied charges by environmentalists that private companies were given a free hand to operate inside more..

Oct 14 (ST) A man taken in for questioning by the Police, in connection with the double murder of a mother and daughter in the Kahawatta area, committed suicide by drinking poison, because he felt ashamed by the wrongful arrest and alleged subsequent beating, his widow said at the inquest into his death. U. Seneviratne of Kotakethana, a father of two, had told from his deathbed, that he could no longer face more..

Oct 14 (LB) Medical practitioners say that the decision by the Health Ministry to ban Corex-D cough syrup is an imprudent decision as youth will find another alternative out of the innumerable cough syrups available in the market. They question if the ministry would then go on to ban all the cough syrups in the market if such a situation arises. The Ministry of Health decided to ban the sale of all cough syrups which fall under the brand more..

Oct 14 (Island) The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) yesterday said that it would continue to take on the Sri Lankan govt on multiple fronts. Sri Lanka’s second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UNHRC on Nov 1 would give the GTF an opportunity to confront the "dictatorial" GoSL, UK based GTF spokesman, Suren Surendiran said. The GTF recently made its own submission to the UPR process, the official said. more..

Oct 14 (CT) Air pollution levels, particularly in the cities such as Colombo and Kandy, along with several urban areas, have increased to an alarming level with nearly 200 people dying annually due to illnesses caused by respiratory problems, according to Senior Medical Officer attached to the CMC, Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni. The increase in the number of vehicles entering the cities as well as urban areas, and more..

Oct 14 (ST) The unavailability of rescue teams and delayed response from the authorities resulted in a group of foreigners and locals being stranded smack in the middle of the Minneriya National Park and eventually rescued towards midnight by area fishermen. The group consisting of four British nationals, four Germans, six Arabs including children of the ages of five and six, 16 locals including tour guides and two officers more..

Oct 14 (NS) Following Sri Lanka’s defeat in the World Twenty20 final against West Indies the national selection committee are planning to streamline the selection of teams and have a separate squad for Twenty20 cricket.The changes are most likely to come soon in the one-off T20 international against New Zealand scheduled to be played at Pallekele on October 30. With the resignation of Mahela Jayawardene from the T20 captaincy at the end of the World T20 final, his deputy Angelo more..

Oct 14 (LB) Managing director, Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC) Subodh Dakwale said if the prices of fuel continue to increase in the world market, LIOC will be forced to increase the price of petrol as well, he said. LIOC increased the price of a litre of diesel by Rs4 recently which they say was a ‘painful decision’ they had to take, he told LAKBIMAnEWS. He called for a pricing formula urgently for retail fuel and reducing the duty on fuel so as to mitigate further losses. more..

Oct 14 (LB) The Liberal Party is deeply concerned about the recent assault on Mr. Manjula Thilakarathna, Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission. The Liberal Party stated: While the background of the crude perpetrators of the incident at Mount Lavinia on October 7, is as yet unknown, the fact that it follows on what seems a confrontation between the executive and the judiciary makes it even more imperative for the govt to swiftly more..

Oct 14 (LB) Two deaths were the widely discussed last week – those of two youths who had been following the fortunes of the Sri Lanka cricket team during the final of the T20 World Cup tournament in Colombo, and who had died by committing suicide, post match. The two youths, being unable to come to terms with the loss that Sri Lanka had suffered at the hands of the West Indies, had apparently committed suicide. more..

Oct 14 (Island) Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps, MP attended a packed private Moonlight Reception hosted by Conservative Friends of Sri Lanka (CFSL) for Parliamentarians at the Conservative Party Conference last week. Invited guests included Lord and Lady Sheikh, Dr Chris Nonis, High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, Members of European Parliament (MEPs) and other eminent guests. Members of CFSL’s Executive more..

Oct 14 (Island) The GMOA branch at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL), during a meeting with a wide representation of consultants and medical officers last week unanimously resolved not to comply with the 2012 annual transfer appeal process, apart from releasing those who requested so. Members were of the view that the appeal procedure to implement 2012 transfer order will even complicate and delay the 2013 annual vacancy list further and it will lead to more..

Oct 14 (Island) The govt has been urged to enact tough legislation to arrest the dangerous trend of "mobile phone gambling" where millions of rupees are offered to users by certain service providers via SMS games and competitions, industry players said. Amidst a clamor to halt this blatant promotion of gambling, Anusha Palpita, Director-General, TRC of Sri Lanka said last week the growing threat is beyond the regulator in more..

Oct 14 (Island) Police attempted to prevent a Island staff journalist from taking photographs of the Jubilee Post claiming that "Prior permission had to be obtained from the police station, before any photographs of the post were taken". Boasting of a similar previous occasion of similar dissent the traffic Policeman who bore the number 71651 claimed that he had earlier insisted a group of university students obtain approval from the police station before more..

Oct 14 (SL) Sample water bottles were collected from Colombo last week following complaints about re-packaged bottles and unsanitary water, health officials said. Around 40 bottles were collected from Fort, Technical junction and Hospital Square, Lal Kumara, Food Safety Inspector for the Central Colombo area said. The bottles have been sent for testing at two laboratories, and will be tested for the presence of various bacteria and chemical compounds, he said. more..