Apr 5 (AD) The Appeals Court today dismissed a petition filed by MP Thilanga Sumathipala against the Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) seeking to suspend the SLC election. Sumathipala filed a writ application with the Court of Appeal against the rejection of his nomination to contest for the presidency of SLC on April 2. The petition was filed seeking a writ order against the Sports more..

Apr 5 (Island) All 595 employees, of the Pulmoddai Mineral Sands Corporation, had been paid a profit bonus of Rs. 116,000 each, following the payment of Rs. 2.2 Billion to the Treasury from its profits last year, Managing Director (MD) of the Corporation Dishan Gunasekera said yesterday. He said that ilmanite, rutile and zircon mined there had been exported mainly to China and India for the manufacture of ceramicware, paints, rubber products and motor spare parts. more..

Apr 5 (CG) Two people were killed and one person was injured following an accident at Kilinochchi this morning, the police said. A three-wheeler heading to Kilinochchi from Nedunkerni collided with a private bus heading towards Vavuniya from Vishwamadu near the 155th mile post at Kilinochchi. A husband and wife who were in the three-wheeler were killed in the accident. The bodies of the two victims were taken to the Kilinochchi hospital. The victims were identified as 66 year old Vishwalingham more..

Apr 5 (CG) The Management of Fashion Bug says the company withdrew the case against the 17 suspects arrested, including 3 Buddhist monks, in connection to the attack on it’s warehouse in Pepiliyana recently as it was the right course of action as a responsible corporate citizen to mitigate any issue in the future and promote unity in the country. When the case was taken up in court the company informed that it was not necessary to detain the suspects, more..

Apr 5 (LT) A large number of farmers in Pollonnaruwa District who sold their paddy harvest to Multi Purpose Cooperative Societies (MPCS) and Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) have not received their monies yet. Some farmers have handed over their paddy several days ago but have not received money from these institutions. It is revealed that the amount that has to be paid for the farmers in Polonnaruwa District for paddy bought by 9 MPCSs and the PMB is about Rs.150 million. more..

Apr 5 (LBO) The calculation of subsidies to customer categories by Sri Lanka's power regulator was flawed, as the cost of supply to bulk users was lower than retail and domestic customers who were at the tail end of the grid, a top energy expert has said. "I submit to the commission that the calculation of subsidies in your paper is incorrect," Tilak Siyambalapitiya, a top energy expert, told a public hearing in Colombo referring to a consultation paper prepared by the regulator on a proposed more..

Apr 5 (IT) For the first time, the Indian Navy has strong indications that a fleet of Chinese nuclear submarines is making frequent forays into the Indian Ocean. 22 such Chinese operations have been recorded, one as recently as February, 2013. One submarine was spotted near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Headlines Today has exclusive access to a report from the Indian Navy to the Defence Ministry that says 22 more..

Apr 5 (DM) Dasun Oshada Jayasinghe of Royal College, Colombo and Madushani Kulathunga of Sangamiththa Balika Vidyalaya, Galle topped the island rankings in the GCE O/L exam held in 2012. Following are the rankings of the top 10 students. Gayathri de Alwis (Sangamiththa Balika Galle) Amaa Ranawaka (Vishaka Vidyalaya) Sahal Lakshitha (St. Aloysius Maha Vidyalaya Ratnapura) Thepuli Karunawallabha (Rathnawalee Balika) Sandani Dikpitiya (Devi Balika) more..

Apr 5 (N360) United States has provided a grant of US$ 1.4 million to Sri Lanka to improve labor case management in the country, announced the US embassy. The grant will help establish an Integrated Labor Administration System, which will automate and improve labor case management by linking the Department of Labor and Labor Commissioner’s office to the regional labor inspectors. “The U.S. govt supports these efforts because it is clear that respecting the rights of more..

Apr 5 (Island) The Supreme Court directed the Central Bank to expeditiously realise the personal assets, including shares belonging to the Key Director of the Golden Key Credit Card Company, since they had violated the bail conditions, as per Supreme Court and High Court orders, relevant to them, whereby they agreed to contribute their personal assets towards the settlement of the security deposit balances. more..

Apr 6 (GV) In the few days following the UNHRC meetings in Geneva, we have witnessed several act of blatant criminality by mobs on people and property- in greater Colombo, Killinochchi and elsewhere. A common factor has been the passivity of the Police. They have looked the other way (reminiscent of July ’83) and suppressed video evidence of the culprits responsible for such violence. We have also witnessed, in a single day, the Attorney General interfering in court more..

Apr 6 (ST) Sunil has been recruited by Mrs. Aandupaksa for one of the most serious undertakings of his life. He has been asked to assist a committee that will draft a new law to prohibit distortion of religious teachings in the country. This follows a decision by the Ministry of Religious Affairs to introduce a draft bill on the distortion of religious teachings. Presumably this is with a view to redeeming the nation from the morass of sin and corruption that it has sunk into. more..

Apr 6 (CT) It is with sadness that every musician received the news of the demise of one of the most genial of personalities in the showbiz world, Patrick Denipitiya. Having been associated with stage, radio and television for the past 49 years, my memories of Patrick are warm and nostalgic. He was warm-hearted and caring, not given to gossip, but to music with the kind of wholeheartedness that was unique. Even though he had the talent to play more..

Apr 6 (CT) With 4.5 million copies sold worldwide and translated into more than a dozen languages, Stéphane Hessel’s 32 page pamphlet Indignez-vous! (translated as Time for Outrage!) remains a source of inspiration to youth around the world. Named one of the world’s top thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine in 2011, Hessel died in February at age 95, leaving behind him a lesson, which is to never accept any kind of injustice. French resistance fighter, concentration camp survivor, more..

Apr 6 (CT) I think every generation faces its own particular challenges; but the greatest and most defining ones are those of morality and courage. That moment, if missed, condemns that generation — and often many that follow — to a world far more unpleasant and evil than we would wish it to be. For many in the free world of the late 1930s, that moment came with the invasion of Poland and the bombing of Pearl Harbour. It was a moment when my grandfather’s generation more..

Apr 6 (ST) On the way home in the tuk-tuk from “Kaduwa”, the ColomboScope seminar on Sri Lankan English learning, while chatting with the driver in an amalgam of our native tongue and fragments of vocabulary stolen from the Sceptred Isle, I ruminated on the substance of the symposium. I had enjoyed myself. The speakers – Dr. Sumathy Sivamohan of Peradeniya University, Dr. Shermal Wijewardene of Colombo more..

Apr 6 (Island) Sri Lankans are very liberal with numbers. In a country which is home to about twenty million humans, they claim, there are three hundred and thirty three million deities—this thun kotiyak devivaru. Hyperbole seems to be a genetic factor in them and hence their adeptness at plucking figures out of the air, especially in the aftermath of disasters, natural or man-made. In none is this trait more manifest than in politicians whose forte is to blow things out of proportion to suit their more..

Apr 6 (Island) The termites are at it with a vengeance. At what? At everything – they are on the attack all over. Just this week they were at the courts. What courts? There were no courts that came crashing or crumbling down. One only heard the minister of justice talk of his political problems. That is another termite at work – the political termite. It is very active these days. It won’t be long before the dreams of many politicians are shattered. Alright, we will have to wait for that, more..

Apr 6 (CT) So, day two of Colombo Fashion Week kicked off with ease and also a bit of a delay but who’s checking right? The previous night’s line-up of designers gave quite a good start to the show and there was plenty of buzz around the venue with the hopes of the second show being just as good. It didn’t really live up to the expectations but on the whole was an ‘alright’ line-up of designers. The first two designers’ more..

Apr 6 (CT) In the few days following the UNHRC meetings in Geneva, we have witnessed several acts of blatant criminality by mobs on people and property - in Colombo, Killinochchi and elsewhere. A common factor has been the passivity of the police. They have looked the other way (reminiscent of July '83) and suppressed video evidence of the culprits responsible for such violence. We have also witnessed, in a single day, the Attorney General interfering in court cases involving more..

Apr 6 (DBS) Last week, the Cimmerian darkness enveloping Sri Lanka was breached by a spark of resistance. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) decided to invite the lawful Chief Justice of the country, rather than the usurper, to grace its annual convocation. In a country becoming habituated into fear and submission, the principled decision by the BASL – and its new president – was both rare and laudable. It demonstrated that courage is not dead in Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 6 (CT) The Super cops, or the elite anti-riot squad, currently being trained at the Special Task Force (STF) training facility in Katukurunda, are viewed with suspicion by the public, weary of excesses by the police. Protests and demonstrations in the past have seen highly violent ends, with a few deaths reported over the last couple of years as a direct result of police excess. One which sparked much anger from the public was the death of more..

Apr 6 (Platts) Sri Lanka's state-owned CPC, the country's sole importer of fuel oil, has made a rare export offer of the product due to falling demand from power stations as well as higher domestic output. "We have had a lot of rainfall over the last few months and power stations have now switched to hydropower instead of burning fuel oil," said Ceypetco commercial manager C.P. Samaraweera. Demand from CEB, the sole buyer of fuel oil for supply to the country's utilities, more..

Apr 6 (ST) The Japanese government has teamed up with Sri Lankan authorities to establish a BRT (Bus Rapid Transport) service and ease congestion in Colombo. Authorities are currently working with the Japanese government which has agreed to assist in the establishment of a mass transport system and have even offered funding for the project, Moratuwa University Engineering Faculty Transport and Logistics Management Department Prof. Amal Kumarage said during more..

Apr 6 (DN) Ending the prevailing ambulance shortage in state hospitals, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena will distribute 224 new ambulances worth Rs. 2125 million during a ceremony at the BMICH, Colombo today. “This is the largest ever shipment of ambulances to be distributed at one event,” a Health Ministry spokesman said. A total of 374 new ambulances have been imported to Sri Lanka from more..

Apr 6 (Island) The Central Provincial Council was making the best use of the material and human resources available in its modern building complex, to uplift the economy of the people and raise them to the status of higher middle class, observed Central Province Governor Tikiri Kobbekaduwa, inaugurating meetings of the CPC in its new building complex at Pallekele yesterday. The first meeting of the 58-member CPC was held in the grand assembly hall presided over by Council more..

Apr 6 (DBS) Weligama in Matara District of the Southern Province has become the latest venue of anti–Muslim activity in Sri Lanka. Weligama meaning “Sandy Village”in Sinhala is situated 144 Km from and is a well-known tourist destination in the Island. Although Sinhalese are the preponderant majority in the area the population of Weligama is diverse with Muslims, Tamils, Burghers and Malays living in amity there. The controversial Bodhu Bala Sena (BBS) organization that has been more..

Apr 6 (PTI) Sri Lanka's cricket board today said it has addressed the concerns raised by the island's powerful Buddhist clergies on the participation of its cricketers in the ongoing sixth edition of the Indian Premier League. Upali Dharmadasa, chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, said he had written to the monks groups responding to concerns expressed by them. The contents of the letter, however, were not released to the more..

Apr 6 (CT) Although the government has fixed a guaranteed price to purchase paddy from the farmers, it is not being implemented systematically. The middlemen are exploiting the farmers. The farmers will have to 'swallow air', instead of eating kiri bath, for the New Year,' said, Leader of the Opposition of the Dambulla Pradeshiya Sabha, Saman Bandara Morewewa, at the monthly meeting of the PS, held, recently. He further said, the govt paddy purchasing centres are not more..

Apr 6 (TD) On March 26, BBC World Service Director Peter Horrocks announced the suspension of BBC broadcasts on the state-owned Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) after “continued interruption and interference” of its Tamil-language broadcasts. Incidentally, the disruptions began on March 16, a day after the UN Human Rights Council began its examination of war crimes in the final stages of a bloody civil war in Sri Lanka, which ended in 2009 with the defeat of the LTTE. more..

Apr 6 (Island) The Govt has not as yet decided to probe the Matale mass graves and the matter had not been even taken up at Cabinet level, a frontline govt Minister said. This follows the discovery of 154 skeletal remains in the Matale hospital grounds by digging the ground to set up a bio-gas plant in November last year. Radio carbon dating had revealed that the mass grave belonged to the 1987-1990 era, which was during the more..

Apr 6 (CT) Customs officials have seized a consignment of crabs and fish at the BIA in Katunayake, when an attempt was made by a company to smuggle them out of the country. The detection of 82 Fire Rasboras (Halmal Dandiya) and 70 fresh water crabs was made by Customs officials at on 4 April, prior to them being sent to Qatar. Sri Lanka Customs (SLC) Director and Media Spokesperson, Leslie Gamini, said the consignment of fresh water crabs and fish were concealed more..

Apr 6 (NST) An event to commemorate the Valiant Malay War Heroes of the tri forces and police was held at the Sri Lanka Malay Club "Padang" on March 30, the Sri Lanka High Commission said in a statement here on Friday. According to the High Commission, the Sri Lankan Malay community has a long, binding history with the army, which goes back to colonial times. "Their loyal, discipline and bravery had earned them a special place within the ranks and also the rulers," more..

Apr 6 (Island) The Private Medical Institution Regulatory Act will be amended shortly to give more teeth to the Health Ministry to regulate private hospitals. A majority of the powers over the private Health sector had been vested in the Private Sector Regulatory Council (PSLC). A majority of members of the council were affiliated to the private hospitals and therefore the Health Ministry had its work cut out in regulating more..

Apr 6 (DN) The National Aluth Sahal Mangalyaya will be held at the Sacred Jayasiri Maha Bodhiya premises in Anuradhapura tomorrow with the participation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Farmers from all parts of the country will offer the first portion of their harvest to the Sacred Jayasiri Maha Bodhiya in an annual ritual which has been carried out in honour of Jayasiri Maha Bodhiya for centuries. Farmers carrying bowls of their harvest will come to the Sacred Bodhiya premises in more..

Apr 6 (Island) In a move to promote Sri Lanka as a research destination among the academics in South Asia, SriLankan Holidays, the leisure arm of SriLankan Airlines, welcomed a group of scholars from the Gandhi Institute of Technology & Management (GITAM) University in Visakapatnam led by Prof. D .Ravinath recently, states SriLankan Airlines. During their six-day tour, the academics visited the Colombo and Hambantota Magampura Harbours as part of their research, more..

Apr 6 (FT) The Govt had adopted a ‘slimy’ policy on the Indian Premier League issue, allowing the media to vilify the Sri Lankan cricketers for their decision to play when the cricket controversy was a clear cut signal of the regime’s failed diplomatic relations, the UNP charged. UNP Senior Vice President Lakshman Kiriella called on the media to cease its attacks on the cricketers, saying it was the Govt’s broken promises to the more..

Apr 6 (Island) The Colombo High Court yesterday ordered two sureties in Rs. 500,000 each for the former Chairman of the Akuressa Pradeshiya Sabha, Saruwe Liyanage Sunil. This was in addition to the cash bail of Rs. 75,000 ordered by the Matara High Court. Liyanage Sunil had been indicted, in the High Court of Matara, with molesting a 16-year-old school girl in Matara. The trial had been transferred to the Colombo High Court, at the request of the Attorney General. more..

Apr 6 (CT) Over 100 politicians representing the UPFA are in police custody at present, facing rape, robbery and murder charges, sources from the Police Headquarters said. About 50 politicians accused in several such cases are in remand custody at present and another 10 are serving prison sentences. Others are currently facing court trials. Most of those who are in custody at present have been arrested and charged with various crimes, notably within a period of one year. more..

Apr 6 (FT) A new business venture, Thatta Cement Company signed a business venture agreement with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority to construct a cement grinding and bagging plant at Hambantota Port. Thatta Cement Company is the local subsidiary company of Thatta Cement Company in Pakistan. The proposed plant will employ a closed circuit cement grinding mill, cement and packing plant for cement manufacture more..