Oct 24 (DM) The govt will introduce anti-corruption laws to prevent match fixing in cricket, Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said. A committee had been appointed for the purpose. He made these remarks during a debate in the House on the challenges confronting international cricket. Referring to suspicions in various quarters that the T-20 final between Sri Lanka and the West Indies had been fixed, he said that investigations had indicated that such suspicions were groundless. more..

Oct 24 (Island) Parliament yesterday approved regulations under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance to impose strict guidelines for those engaged in operating whale and dolphin watching expeditions in the country. Deputy Minister of Wild Life and Agrarian Services S. M. Chandrasena, who introduced the regulations, said that the rapid increase in tourist arrivals had necessitated guidelines to be followed by tour operators so that the fauna and fora would not be harmed. more..

Oct 24 (DN) Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka PLC (MBSL), in its series of seminars to boost the business sector is organizing a seminar on "Three perspectives of managing business". It is to be held at Earls Court, Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo on November 6 2012 from 4.00 pm to 6.30 pm. Restructuring is a corporate term used to include re-organising the legal, ownership, operational or other strategies/ processes of the organization for the purpose of profitability or to more..

Oct 24 (CT) “Lasantha Wickrematunge of the Sunday Leader, an independent English-language paper, explained that the Rajapaksa brothers are personally involved in intimidation attempts. He likened their involvement to a “good cop, bad cop” routine where the Defense Secretary will personally call an editor and threaten arrest or even assassination. The President will then follow up by saying not to worry; he will look into the more..

Oct 24 (LBO) Sri Lanka stocks closed down 0.24% Wednesday losing gains made earlier in the day. The Colombo All Share Index closed at 5,543.25 down 13.52 points and the S & P SL 20 Index closed 5.17 points lower at 3,008.40 down 0.17%. Turnover was 291 million rupees. Commercial Bank (X) led the day’s turnover with 62 million rupees, JKH with 47 million rupees and Chevron with 29 million rupees. Aitken Spence PLC gained 4.00 rupees to close at 127.20 rupees up 3.25%. more..

Oct 24 (Island) Those who defied a UNP Working Committee decision to attend last week’s Hyde Park rally to re-launch the political career of former army commander Sarath Fonseka, are to be given an opportunity to explain their conduct. Disciplinary inquiries against UNP MPs Palitha Range Bandara, Ashoka Abeysinghe and Palitha Thewarapperuma and Provincial Councillors Maithree Gunaratne and Shiral Lakthilaka would be conducted according to established practice. more..

Oct 24 (PTI) A group of 28 Sri Lankans, most of them Tamils, have been deported back to the country after failing in their bid to seek asylum in Britain. The failed asylum seekers included 14 Tamils, 9 Sinhalese and 5 Muslims. A special charter flight landed at the Colombo international airport this morning accompanied by UK Border Agency officials, airport officials said. A similar group of 23 deportees had arrived more..

Oct 24 (Island) Commissioner of Elections Mahinda Deshapriya yesterday said that only five working days were left for people to insert or delete names from the Electoral Register for 2012. The deadline would be Oct. 31. People could visit the website – www selections.gov.lk and inform the Commissioner of any alterations. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Elections M. M. Mohammed said all those who were over the age of 18 and more..

Oct 24 (CG) Minister Basil Rajapaksa says the govt will not hesitate to introduce a 19th Amendment to the constitution if it feels the 13th Amendment has some shortcomings. Speaking to heads from the Tamil media, the Minister said that the laws should be made to fulfill the expectations of the public and if those laws have shortcomings then they need to be amended. He noted that the 13th Amendment to the constitution was introduced to resolve issues faced by Tamils in the north of the country. more..

Oct 24 (DM) All-rounder, Angelo Mathews was appointed as captain of Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 team for one year. Mathews will lead Sri Lanka from the upcoming New Zealand tour, Chairman of Selectors Asantha de Mel said, on Wednesday. According few other reliable sources, rising star Dinesh Chandimal has been appointed as Mathew's deputy but his appointment was not confirmed yet. The team selected for one off T20 against New Zealand, has been sent to the minister more..

Oct 24 (MoD) After completing their rehabilitation period another batch of former combatants have joined the society recently. Thus 28 rehabilitation beneficiaries were unified with their families at a function held at the Maradamadu Rehabilitation Center in Vavuniya. Out of the 12000 former combatants included in the rehabilitation programme more than 11000 beneficiaries have returned to the mainstream society after completing their rehabilitation period. more..

Oct 24 (LT) The protest march organized by teachers’ and principals’ trade unions demanding solutions for six demands that affect the education sector commenced from Rajagiriya Roundabout and marched through Battaramulla to Isurupaya. A large number of people representing teachers’ and principals’ trade unions participated in the march. Among the participants were Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri President of FUTA and its Vice- President Ven. Ddhambara Amila Thera more..

Oct 24 (DM) LSSP Leader and Senior Minister Tissa Vitharana said yesterday the demand by certain govt members to abrogate the 13th Amendment could be an international conspiracy to embarrass Sri Lanka at the November UNHRC sessions in Geneva. “Those who are campaigning against the 13th Amendment were supplying ammunition to our detractors who are hell bent on destabilizing Sri Lanka. The suggestions to more..

Oct 24 (DN) National School of Business Management (NSBM), has invested Rs. 7.2 billion for the first ‘Green University Town’ in Sri Lanka. “The National Institute of Business Management (NIBM), which became a self-financing Organization in 1991, will be raising funds for this ground breaking venture through debt and equity via China Development Bank. This incidentally is the first time that China Development Bank is financing a local educational body in Sri Lanka and will be providing an 85% loan under the authorization of the more..

Oct 24 (Age) Immigration authorities have issued marching orders from Australia to a failed Tamil asylum seeker - only the second to be forcibly deported as boats continue to leave from Sri Lanka. The decision comes as Britain's High Court has ordered a stop to the deportation of Tamils from the UK amid fears they could be tortured at home. The Tamil man, held in Melbourne, has been told he will be sent back to Sri Lanka on October 31. The deportation notice also states he will be liable for the cost of removal, with an invoice to be more..

Oct 24 (LBO) Sri Lanka's MAS group, which claims to be South Asia's largest lingerie maker with 800 million US dollars of annual revenues has launched its amanté brand in the island after being first released in India in 2007. "We focused greatly on the preference of Sri Lankan women, and manufactured products in accordance with their requirements in mind," Ajay Amalean, director of MAS Holdings and amanté said more..

Oct 25 (NS) Leadership in a county like Sri Lanka is not just about managing crises, but also using, them to generate constructive destruction of the status quo and introduce reforms for a creative paradigm shift. The recent strikes by university students and their teachers, agitations for change by other trade unions and parliamentarians from both sides of the aisle have raised a number of important issues regarding education. Funding for the sector, raising standards and more..

Oct 25 (NS) Exactly 110 years ago Muhandiram Dionysius Sepala Panditha Dahanayake of Galle was attending a religious ceremony at his parish temple when he received the good tidings that his wife had gifted him with twin sons. The day was October 22, 1902. He named them Wijayanada and Kalyanapriya after his two favorite temples in which he served as a ‘dayakya’ – a prominent lay official. No one would have predicted then that the squealing elder twin would storm the more..

Oct 25 (SO) In 1934 quintuplets were a sensation. Born on May 28 that year the Dionne quintuplets, the five sisters born in Corbeil, Ontario were known as the first to survive infancy and each child had weighed less than two pounds. The five sisters, Annette, Cecile, Yvonne, Marie and Emilie miraculously survived not only their infancy but a chaotic childhood too. Growing up in a separate hospital building specially built for them which more..

Oct 25 (DBS) I am a lover of the arts, especially a fan of cinema, who is totally saddened by the state of our dead cinema industry. Due to socioeconomic and political turbulence the country travelled through, the cinema industry took a severe beating and has not recovered and has no signs of recovery either unless a paradigm shift takes place in all quarters that impacts the industry. I am writing this article with some hope of igniting a dialogue more..

Oct 25 (LB) Our capacity to produce goods and services is determined by how much labour we have, how many hours workers work, the workers’ skills and intensity of work, the amount of capital workers have with which to work, and technology. Over time, due to changes in all of these, our real GDP has increased. We have a large population with a large percentage of the labour force at work. But increases in our labour force is now very low - a mere 0.1% in 2011 from 48.1% in 2010. more..

Oct 25 (NS) The changing landscape of Colombo Fort would surely baffle anyone visiting the metropolis after several years. I who happened to take a stroll in Fort recently after many years was no exception.The first thing that caught my eyes was the now renovated old Dutch Hospital building which till recently housed the Fort Police Station. The heritage building has been restored to its former glory giving the area an aura of grandiosity, more..

Oct 25 (CT) The inaugural public rally organized by the Eksath Bhikkshu Peramuna (UBF) on October 18 revealed the fissures within the ranks of the opposition. The event was publicised as being the public coming together of a coalition of forces to abolish the institution of the Executive Presidency. The organizers of the event claimed that it was being held to mobilize public support for their cause and not to promote any one political leader. more..

Oct 25 (CT) The 1st session of the UNHRC was held in June 2006. Its 21st session took place last month. Even with its horrendous human rights record, Sri Lanka managed to be a member of the HRC for the first two years but when it stood for re-election in 2008, it was not elected by the UN General Assembly. This year the HRC completed its sixth year and has seen at least five Sri Lankan Ambassadors / Permanent Representatives. more..

Oct 25 (DM) It is often said that children are the soul of a nation. Each child is unique in nature, has an individual personality and character, but all children need help to mature and develop to become complete persons from the perspectives of physical, emotional and social maturity. From an unarticulated sense of injustice in childhood, to the drafting of complex laws more..

Oct 25 (Island) It was with shock and dismay that we watched students of two leading schools, Royal and Thurstan, clash on Tuesday in Colombo. Teenagers are aggressive by nature and their tempers flare at times. But, Tuesday's battle was different. It was the culmination of a series of organised attacks both sides had carried out on each other for quite some time. Teachers were aware of tension finding expression in sporadic flare-ups here and there. So were the parents. But, precious little was more..

Oct 25 (ST) The downturn in apparel exports in the past six months is attributed to the impact of the loss of GSP plus concessions effective since 2010, a European Union Trade and Economics Attach Roshan Lyman said. Addressing the Sri Lanka – France Business Council discussion on “EU Trade Policy 2012” this week, he pointed out that being the number one trading partner of 80 countries, 60% of EU imports is from developing countries. In this respect, Sri Lankan businesses more..

Oct 25 (Island) Gold Medallist at the 2012 London Olympics Mahé Drysdale says, "Sri Lanka has been steadily developing the sport of rowing over the years and there’s great potential in the young talent in the country." The five-time World Rowing Champion in single sculls made these comments at a media briefing in Colombo yesterday. Drysdale is visiting Sri Lanka on the invitation of the fast rising tea brand - t-sips, produced by more..

Oct 25 (FT) The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) this week began celebrating its Silver jubilee with a series of multi-religious ceremonies. Capital markets regular was established by the Securities Council Act No. 36 of 1987 for the “creation and maintenance of a market in which securities can be issued and traded in an orderly and fair manner and to protect the interest of investors”. The SEC has lined up several activities on account of its 25th anniversary more..

Oct 25 (DN) The Health Ministry spent Rs 1,750 million to purchase special drugs and medicine for cancer patients during the last 10 months, a Health Ministry spokesman said. The ministry spends around Rs 3,500 million to provide treatment and tests for cancer patients islandwide. The ministry also spends a colossal sum to provide special medicine for cancer patients, he said. Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena receives at least 50 files a week requesting special drugs and more..

Oct 25 (LBO) Taxes collected by internal revenue office rose 8% to 369 billion rupees up to Sept 2012, from a year earlier commissioner general Mallika Samarasekera said. The agency had been given a target of 512 billion rupees for 2012 and the by the end of the third quarter 72% of the target had been met by the end of the third quarter. The revenue office collects several domestic taxes, including income tax and value added tax more..

Oct 25 (DN) The closure of Menik Farm in September is a milestone in addressing the issue of displacement in Sri Lanka and is a significant step in the transition from conflict to sustainable peace and development, UN's Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka Dr. Subinay Nandy said yesterday. He said so addressing a gathering of political leaders, members of the Diplomatic Corps, UN staff and the academia at an event organized to mark the 67th UN Day at its office premises. more..

Oct 25 (GN) Two maids died while trying to rescue an Emirati child from drowning in a hotel swimming pool in Dibba, Fujairah. The women leapt into the water after three-year-old Salmeen Hadef Salem, who had wandered into the hotel’s adult pool. Police have since arrested the manager of the Holiday Beach Motel as the toddler, whose family are from Al Ain, fights for life in hospital. Salmeen’s mother told how she desperately gave her son CPR by the poolside, as his heart had stopped beating. more..

Oct 25 (IL) First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa said that women should take the lead in conserving energy for the future generation to make sustainable development a reality. “As women we should make a vital contribution to protect energy on behalf of the sustainable development for the posterity”. She made these remarks while addressing the World’s First Ladies Conference at the Dubai International Exhibition and more..

Oct 25 (CT) Minister Wimal Weerawansa, and UNP Deputy Leader, Sajith Premadasa, locked horns in Parliament when the former accused the latter of receiving funds from the Indian spy agency – Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) – and attempting to further the agenda of the Indian Govt. The argument broke out during the Oral Question session, when Premadasa accused the govt of not releasing the list of suitable candidates to occupy the 50,000 houses, to be built with funds from more..

Oct 25 (FT) Midst multiple cases against it and Supreme Court ruling pending, Minister Basil Rajapaksa said yesterday that the Mahanayake Theras have welcomed Divi Neguma program. "The Mahanayake Theras welcomed the success of the Divi Neguma program and expressed confidence that its success would prove a major boost to the national economy," Rajapaksa's Ministry said in a statement. Rajapaksa yesterday presented vessels containing vegetable seeds along with more..

Oct 25 (Hindu) Vaiko is spreading a “false propaganda” that Velupillai Prabakaran is alive, and other Tamil Nadu politicians talk about the rights of Sri Lankan Tamils “for their own politics,” says a former LTTE member who identified the body of his leader back in May 2009. Dayanidhi, better known as Daya Master, who surrendered to the security forces days before the Sri Lankan war ended in 2009, and has since been “rehabilitated" by more..

Oct 25 (AT) A Sri Lankan Parliamentary delegation comprising 7 members headed by Neomal Perera, Deputy Minister of External Affairs visited Finland from 12 to 17 October, 2012 on an invitation extended by the Finnish Parliament. The following members of Parliament representing number of Political Parties of ruling and opposition in the Parliament and the Secretary General of the Parliament included in this delegation. Neomal Perera, Deputy Minister of External Affairs more..

Oct 25 (Island) The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members are entitled to interest-free housing loans of upto 30 per cent of the funds in their accounts, EPF Commissioner K. Ratnayake Weerakoon said yesterday. He said that there were 2.1 million active members and 12 million inactive members registered with the EPF Department. Of the 2.1 million active members, around one million have been reregistered under their National Identity card (NIC) numbers and finger prints. more..

Oct 25 (DM) In a shocking revelation made in parliament, Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation is reported to have lost Rs.208 million by entering into a re-insurance agreement with a bogus company. This has been highlighted in the Auditor General’s report, which was examined by the COPE on Tuesday. UNP MP Lakshman Kiriella raised this matter in Parliament yesterday quoting the AG’s report. He said this re-insurance agreement had been entered into with this bogus company more..