Sep 24 (DM) Northern Province Chief Minister elect C.V. Wigneswaran was left stranded for around three hours on Monday night at a Vavuniya fuel station where diesel had been pumped to his vehicle instead of petrol while he was returning to Colombo after a meeting in Jaffna, sources said. They said the vehicle carrying Mr. Wigneswaran along with MP A. Sumanthiran and Saravana Bhavan and arrived at the more..

Sep 24 (TOO) Sri Lanka is slowly emerging as a perfect destination for Omani families to spend their holidays as 47% of the country is still green of which 27% is forest, a senior official from SriLankan Airlines said at a presentation held in Colombo recently. Lal Perera, who heads the worldwide sales department at the SriLankan Airlines, made the statement while addressing a large number of travel agents and travel writers from Oman and international delegates at the more..

Sep 24 (CI) Wicketkeeper batsman Kaushal Silva strengthened his case for a Test recall on day one of the second unofficial Test against New Zealand A, hitting an unbeaten 150 in Dambulla. Kaushal had already made a ton in the previous match, in addition to having been the highest run-scorer in Sri Lanka's first-class competition earlier in the year. He last played for Sri Lanka in December 2011, but after this ton - his 26th in first-class matches - Sri Lanka's selectors will be forced to more..

Sep 24 (Island) Senior DIG, for the Eastern Province, Pujith Jayasundara has been transferred to Police Headquarters in Colombo. The transfer has been effected on a temporary basis due to service exigencies. Uva Senior DIG Nandana Munasinghe has been appointed acting Senior DIG of the EP till an inquiry against Jayasundara, for allegedly forcing policemen, at the Kattankudy police station, to kneel, is completed. more..

Sep 24 (FT) Nimali Gunawardana from the Hambantota District, who scooped the Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 prize at the UK’s Young Business International Global Awards ceremony in London recently, is seen with Prince Charles at the reception to honour global winners. Prince Charles is President and Founder of the Youth Business International charity. The 25-year-old Nimali via her enterprise ‘Nimali Chip and Fibre Mill’ within a year created an more..

Sep 24 (PTI) The United States has urged the Rajapaksa govt to extend full support to the new civilian govt in the Tamil-dominated northern region. "Now that the people of Sri Lanka have chosen provincial councils to represent their interests, it is incumbent upon the Govt of Sri Lanka to support the new civilian leadership of the provinces," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said. "In particular, we urge the Govt of Sri Lanka to take advantage of this opportunity to more..

Sep 24 (CG) Commonwealth election monitors headed by former Vice President of Kenya Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, said that the media environment in Sri Lanka appeared constricted. In a statement on its preliminary findings on Saturday’s NPC elections, monitors said that it was reported to them that several media outlets were self-censoring when it came to in-depth or sensitive reporting on the elections. more..

Sep 24 (Hindu) Sri Lanka has crossed an important milestone toward national reconciliation with the holding of elections to its NPC. Held more than four years after the war against the LTTE ended, and for the first time since the 1988 election for the short-lived North-Eastern PC, the Sept 21 vote gives the war-ravaged North its first-ever democratic political set up that will share governance with the centre. For the Tamil-majority province that was first under the thumb of the LTTE, then the military, more..

Sep 24 (Hindu) 35 Pamban fishermen set free by the Puttalam district Magistrate court in western Sri Lanka on Monday after 29 days of their incarceration are likely to be repatriated later this week without their boats, according to reports received here. After District Magistrate Barati Vijayaratna ordered their release, the fishermen were released from the Negombo jail on Monday evening but taken to the Mirihana camp, where immigration law violators were detained, according to more..

Sep 24 (FT) Outgoing SAARC observers of the NPC elections expressed dismay at the role of the armed forces in polls related violence and called for greater investment of powers in the Elections Commissioner to ensure a free and fair poll. Concluding their mission to Sri Lanka’s formerly embattled Northern Province that elected its first provincial council in last Saturday’s election, the SAARC observer mission lauded the more..

Sep 24 (DM) Further to what we said about the first would be Chief Minister of the NPC, needless to say that an optimist would see the results of the NPC election as a golden opportunity for the govt and the TNA to work together towards national reconciliation, while a pessimist would predict otherwise. It is so because both parties now have to act on the same issues and problems as they are now stakeholders of an administrative set-up, and neither party can distance itself more..

Sep 24 (DM) Prof. Chula Goonasekera’s thoughtful piece titled “Bad Side of Free Education” published recently in a weekend newspaper invites wider attention from policy makers and other stakeholders in the education sector. No doubt, it is a timely intervention to deal with a major issue facing this country today. Still some of the issues that the writer has raised in the article may not look that fresh, for the FUTA and its critics have dealt extensively on them, but require several careful re-readings; more..

Sep 24 (ST) Contradictory statements by the Higher Education Ministry and Sabaragamuwa University authorities over alleged ragging incidents at the university have once again brought up the issue that plagues our university system. The Higher Education Ministry had requested the Sabaragamuwa Uni’s VC to conduct an inquiry following complaints to the Ministry both by new entrants to the university and their parents. more..

Sep 24 (CI) 1992. SSC, Colombo. The final day of the first Test of Australia's tour of Sri Lanka. The hosts were set a target of 181 in 58 overs. At 127 for 2, they were on the cusp of their first Test win against Australia. Allan Border, Australia's captain, had won only one Test in the subcontinent in his career. He threw the ball to rookie Shane Warne, playing his third Test - a match that proceeded to turn so comprehensively, Border called it more..

Sep 24 (DM) Following a press briefing by the Minister of Wildlife Conservation Vijith Vijayamuni Zoysa, environmentalists expressed their concern and disbelief over the recent decisions taken by the Minister. They claimed that the decisions made by him regarding illegally abducted elephants, illegal turtle hatcheries and raiding illegally captured ring necked parakeets have jeopardised the very subject the Minister more..

Sep 24 (SL) Elections for the North, North Western and Central Provinces were held between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. yesterday (21). Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya told The Sunday Leader that the Northern, Central and North Western Provincial Council Elections were held peacefully. “There were no reports of serious violence reported throughout yesterday and as a whole voting took place very peacefully,” he said. more..

Sep 24 (LR) Foreign Ministers of Canada and India say no decision has been made about their countries’ participation CHOGM to be held in Colombo. The final decision will be made by the two Prime Ministers stated the ministers at a press conference in Toronto yesterday. India’s external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said Saturday’s NPC elections concluded satisfactory and hoped enhanced dialogue would more..

Sep 24 (Island) The CEB has, over the past two years, lost nearly 100MW from unconventional renewable energy sources, while paying nearly Rs. 200 million to cover up that loss with costly thermal power. Since 2012 none of the parties had signed agreements for renewable projects after the Power and Energy Ministry blocked the Public Utilities Commission’s (PUCSL) recommendation of a better price for them. more..

Sep 24 (MM) More than a month after a London-bound flyer mysteriously disappeared from the Mumbai International Airport minutes before boarding the flight, police say the passenger could have been a Sri Lankan national residing in the UK on asylum. The security agencies, including the Customs and the Immigration, panicked when it emerged that the flyer, Christephen Vinod Raj, who was booked on a British Airways flight more..

Sep 24 (LBO) Sri Lanka's exports rose 8% to 794.4 million US dollars and imports rose 20.8% to 1,601.1 million US dollar in July indicating a recovery in external trade, official data showed. Agricultural exports rose 21% to 233.9 million US dollars with tea up 20% to 135.6 million US dollars. Textiles and garments exports rose 13.5% to 372.5 million US dollars. But rubber products fell 1.7% to 67.9 million US dollars. more..

Sep 24 (Island) TNA leader R. Sampanthan once again called for adequate self-rule within the framework of a united and undivided country. Following is the statement: The TNA/ITAK––has achieved a resounding victory at the NPC election, winning nearly 80% of the seats in the Northern Province and nearly 90% of the seats in the Jaffna District. Such a verdict is unprecedented in the country’s political history. more..

Sep 24 (CG) Britain has hailed the largely peaceful conduct of the provincial council elections saying the high turnout across all three provinces demonstrates the desire of the Sri Lankan people to engage in this democratic process which ensures all provinces now have a council for the first time since the end of the military conflict. Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said that the polls have been described as largely peaceful by more..

Sep 24 (CT) The slogan that is the title of this column is one that was very popular many years ago at the time of the first awakening of North Americans to the need for attention to the environment, global warming and acid rain. It comes to mind in a Sri Lankan context for two very different reasons, the first of which is the predilection of those supporting the most violent and corrupt government in Sri Lanka’s history for trotting out the “They did it first!” rebuttal every time some international more..

Sep 24 (CT) Elections have consequences. If any business venture, whether public or private, fails to achieve its goals and targets set at the beginning of a campaign, the first head to roll would be that of its CEO. It should be so for political parties too. However, the time tested principle of answerability seems to have eluded the Sri Lankan context. Adherence to an answerability doctrine by political parties may well have seen a different score card in Saturday's polls, instead of the landslides more..

Sep 24 (TWO) An unholy partnership between peace advocating Buddhism and nationalism has been taking place in Sri Lanka and Myanmar. This new phenomenon of Buddhist extremism is sweeping through Asia, shattering all stereotypes about the religion. Buddhism is typically perceived as a peace loving religion where monks in saffron coloured robes with shaved heads, spend most of their time meditating. more..

Sep 24 (Island) The Trincomalee Magistrate yesterday ordered that 12 STF personnel arrested in connection with the 2006 killing of five students be further remanded till Oct. 7. The 12 suspects, an ASP and 11 constables, were arrested by the CID on July 04 and produced before the Trincomalee Chief Magistrate U.L.M. Azhar, who ordered that they be held in remand at the Anuradhapura Prison. The suspect ASP was at the time of the killings an Inspector serving in Tricomalee. more..

Sep 24 (CT) The TNA that won a historic mandate in provincial poll is mulling granting its two bonus seats on the Council to one of its unsuccessful Muslim candidates from Mannar and a female nominee, bypassing TULF Leader Anandasangaree, Colombo Telegraph learns. It is reported that V. Anandasangaree who had unsuccessfully contested the elections from Kilinochchi where he was once MP, has sent feelers to the TNA about the option of entering the council on a bonus seat. more..

Sep 24 (Island) Former UNP MP and one of the UPFA Chief Ministerial hopefuls for the NWPC, Dayasiri Jayasekera has created history by securing the highest number of preferential votes, ever obtained by a candidate at a PC election, at Saturday’s poll. Jayasekera obtained 336,327 preferential votes from the Kurunegala District and it amounted to 62.22% of the 540,513 votes polled by the UPFA in that District. more..

Sep 24 (CI) A whopping 419 runs were scored in 88 overs on day two of the second unofficial Test in Dambulla, where Sri Lanka A emerged with a slight edge over New Zealand A. Kithuruwan Vithanage's sixth first-class hundred propelled the hosts towards their eventual 555 for 6 declared, before New Zealand responded with 224 for 4 at stumps. Captain Tom Latham's 77 not out and Luke Ronchi's unbeaten 60 from 67, saw the visitors recover from 140 for 4, but they remained 331 runs adrift. more..

Sep 24 (LBO) Sri Lanka stocks closed 0.2% higher on Tuesday in a broad rally helped by foreign buying while the rupee lost ground, dealers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed 11.62 points higher on Tuesday to 5,794.47, up 0.2%, after peaking at an intraday high of 5,805.22 points. The S&P SL20 Index closed 8.07 points higher at 3,214.30, up 0.25 percent. Turnover increased to 816.9 million rupees, up from Monday’s 485.8 million rupees. more..

Sep 24 (CT) Over 1000 ballot papers were found in St Andrew's College, Puttalam which was one of the four counting centers in Puttalam. It is located near the Puttalam Police Station. The laborers of this school made this discovery today when they tried to clean the school after it was used for counting. They found piles of marked ballot papers which has been used for the Sept 21 PC Elections. They have informed the incident to more..

Sep 24 (CT) UNP MP Harin Fernando, commenting on PC elections, said, on scrutinizing the results of the Central and Wayamba Provincial elections, it had become evident the people of those Provinces do not have the spine to act responsibly or to carry out their civic duties effectively, so as to teach the govt a lesson. "It is not the UNP who lost at these elections, rather it was the people. They are of the view, 'We shall hold on to what is available and go ahead,' he opined. The people of the North, more..

Sep 24 (SM) Investigations regarding the armed gang of thugs who recently broke into the house of Sunday Leader Co-Editor Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema’s house in pursuit of certain documents, have currently come in a standstill, Police sources say. Ms. Abeywickrema had informed the Secretary of the Ministry of Law and Order retired Major General Nanda Mallawarachchi in writing, about the surprisingly slow pace of the police investigations regarding the matter. more..

Sep 24 (Island) Out of the 23 close relatives of senior politicians, who were in the fray at Saturday’s polls, 19 were elected. They contested on either UPFA or UNP tickets. Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon’s son Pramitha Tennakoon secured the highest number of votes from the Matale District while the Minister’s cousin, Thilina Tennakoon, was elected from the Kandy District. Deputy Minister Nandimitra Ekanayake’s more..

Sep 24 (Island) "I’m back to my political ancestral home after a journey and people of Kurunegala District would decide my fate," former UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekera told Parliament announcing his resignation to contest the NWPC election on the UPFA ticket. Now the people of Kurunegala District have given him 336,327 preferential votes. When Jayasekera secured a 62.22% votes, TNA CM candidate C. V. Vignesvaran obtained 61.83% from the Jaffna District. more..

Sep 24 (SM) A candidate who had contested the Central Provincial Council elections under the Democratic Party (DP) had engaged in a protest demonstration today in front of the party headquarters at Meti Ambalama, Ethul Kotte. The protesting candidate is Herath Bandara, who had contested for the CPC polls under the DP from Kundasale electorate. Herath Bandara accuses that his preferential votes have been stolen. He had contested under No.03 of the DP list. more..

Sep 24 (TS) 24 hours after Sri Lanka goes on the defensive at the United Nations in New York, the UN will go on the offensive against Sri Lanka in Geneva. In a coincidence of timing, President Rajapaksa will address the General Assembly on Tuesday — one day before UN human rights commissioner Navi Pillay is scheduled to deliver what’s expected to be a damning appraisal of the nation that calls more..

Sep 24 (GDI) President Rajapaksa will answer questions on a Twitter Q&A from New York following his address at the 68th session of the UN General Assembly. President is scheduled to deliver his address on the afternoon of Sept 24. The Twitter Q&A will take place on Sept 25, at 9 a.m. New York time (6:30 p.m. SLT). This Q&A session, which will take place for approximately a half hour, will focus specifically on the UN session and President Rajapaksa’s official activities in New York more..

Sep 24 (GDI) In continuation of “Mega Tourism Caravan” held in August in Belarus, ‘Tourism Promotional Campaign’ in CIS countries, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in the Russian Federation with the collaboration of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau will launch the fourth phase of the promotion campaign in Ukraine from 1 to 14 Oct. This time the campaign will commence from the city of Kharkov of the Ukraine and will take its journey through four other major cities of the Ukraine, more..

Sep 24 (DM) UPFA MP Duminda Silva has been appointed as a Non-Executive/Independent Director of Touchwood Investments, a company which is currently being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Lanka Kiwlegedara, the Chief Operations Director of Woolim Lanka and MD of Asian Investments and Mercantile Services has been appointed an Executive Director more..