Apr 25 (LBO) Sri Lanka's stocks end 0.17% lower with tobacco and diversified stocks losing ground amid thin foreign activity. All Share Price Index closed 10.32 points lower at 6,167.81 down 0.17%. The S&P SL20 closed 6.59 points lower at 3,387.97, down 0.19%. Turnover was 906.28 million rupees, down from 1.13 billion rupees a day earlier with 94 stocks close positive against 85 negative. Sunshine Holdings closed 1.80 rupees higher at 30.90 rupees with two off market transactions more..

Apr 25 (Island) Colombo Municipal Council Public Health Department warned that city schools would be given till next Thursday to clean up their premises after Entomological Assistants identified 16 potential mosquito breeding places in a leading boys school. Chief of the Public Health Department Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam warned that legal action would be taken after next week against principals who failed to have their school premises free from mosquito breeding places. more..

Apr 25 (IL) President Rajapaksa emphasised, it is the responsibility of the state banks to safeguard the small entrepreneur. He reiterated that state banks also should provide loans to minor entrepreneurs in villages and upgrade them without restricting in granting loans only to entrepreneurs in Colombo. He made these remarks this morning (24) at the ceremony which was organised to handing over of letters of appointment to Banking more..

Apr 25 (CP) When human beings refuse to be malignant, cunning, ulterior, reprehensible, sinister, vicious and felonious we can achieve great things together. We fought for years to find those assumptions on the ground. We articulated ideology to adopt and changed the attitudes that we have been living with for years. The concepts are the result of the origins of imagination and experience. That is how the normative and universal struggle began. To some extent we won the battle, more..

Apr 25 (Reuters) Sri Lankan rupee ended a tad firmer on Friday as exporter dollar sales outpaced light importer demand for the greenback, while dealers expected the currency to remain stable in the near-term in the absence of a pick-up in private sector credit. The spot rupee ended at 130.58/61 per dollar, firmer from Thursday's close of 130.61/63. "There was some bank dollar selling. It is from the exporter dollar conversions and there was not much of import demand," said a currency dealer. more..

Apr 25 (CG) China has assured Sri Lanka its continued support at the UN following talks between President Rajapaksa and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin. “We will continue to support Sri Lanka in the UNHRC and the UNSC,” Mr. Liu said. “Sri Lanka will always find a friend in China.” President Rajapaksa thanked China for its support to Sri Lanka at the UNHRC this year. China voted against the resolution on Sri Lanka more..

Apr 25 (CG) A man who threw his two children into the Nilwala river yesterday, was found dead in the river today, the police media unit said. The police said that the body of the man had been identified as the father of the two children who were thrown into the river before they were rescued by soldiers. After throwing his two children into the river from a bridge in front of the public the man had fled. A group of soldiers who were in the area at the time rescued the two children. more..

Apr 25 (Island) The Anti-Malaria Campaign yesterday urged those developing intermittent fever, headache and abdominal pain, to get timely medical attention as it could be malaria. Anti-Malaria campaign Director Dr. R. Premachandra pointed out that though Sri Lanka was free from Malaria there was an onslaught at the moment and it was beginning to raise its ugly head once again. Even some doctors were misdiagnosing patients who had developed fever due to Malaria, more..

Apr 25 (IL) President Rajapaksa has emphatically mentioned that there is no room for the introduction of casinos. The President highlighted that although permission has been granted for the construction of luxury hotels, the establishment of casinos had not approved. Opportunities have been afforded for foreign entrepreneurs to invest in Sri Lanka. Accordingly a star hotel will be coming up along more..

Apr 25 (DN) Following the recommendations proposed by the LLRC, the Attorney General’s Department has taken measures to accommodate a system of provincial supervision with effect from the 20th of this month. “Set up units of the Attorney General’s Department in the provinces to guide and advise the police regarding criminal investigations, prosecutions and other matters touching upon the criminal justice system…” the statement by the LLRC reads. more..

Apr 25 (Island) Western Provincial Councillor Dr. Kavinda Jayawardana said that for any project there had to be a feasibility study/report and if there were such reports on the MRIA and Magampura Harbour, the govt should publish them for the information of the people. He said that he doubted whether there was a feasibility report on these two "White Elephants" and also the proposed phase 2 at the Magampura Harbour which was to have an artificial island with hotels, shopping arcades etc, more..

Apr 25 (DM) JHU said it had decided to vote against the three gazette notifications permitting the setting up of a mixed development project and flash a red light at the Govt which was veering off from its stated principles of creating a national economy. JHU MP Athuraliye Rathana Thera said the party was not attempting to topple the Govt but was showing it where it was going wrong. “We supported the president to take office more..

Apr 25 (CG) The police have arrested a man they claim had links with former LTTE member Gobi, who was killed during a confrontation with the army recently. SSP Ajith Rohana said that the man was arrested in Jaffna last evening and investigations are now underway into his links with Gobi. Ajith Rohana said that initial investigations had revealed that the suspect had been in touch with Gobi before he was killed and investigators are trying to determine if he was an LTTE member. more..

Apr 25 (AD) The United National Party (UNP) has instructed all members of the party to boycott a function organised by the Sri Lankan government, as the Chair in Office of the Commonwealth, to mark the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The invitation has been extended by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to all members of Parliament for a function to “celebrate the cultural diversity of the Commonwealth to mark the Sinhala and Tamil New year” on April 26, 2014 at Temple Trees. more..

Apr 25 (MH) A British nurse has been offered a holiday in Sri Lanka by way of an apology, after she was arrested in the country because of a Buddha tattoo on her arm. Naomi Coleman, 37, landed at BIA on April 21 but was quickly detained by police, who claimed her tattoo hurt the religious feelings of others. The mental health nurse from Coventry practises Buddhism and had attended a number of meditation retreats and workshops more..

Apr 25 (AD) UNP MPs Ajith Mannapperuma and Nalin Bandara today raised a parliamentary privileges issue over the attack incident which had taken place in Hambantota last week. Mannapperuma and Bandara, who attended today’s parliament session wearing black scarves in protest over the incident, charged that police officers took no action while a group of thugs behaved in an inhuman manner towards them. The MPs requested Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa to take more..

Apr 25 (GDN) A Sri Lankan business delegation will be visiting Bahrain next week, Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) announced. It is part of an official delegation accompanying Sri Lankan President Rajapakse, who is visiting Bahrain for the first time. The high-level delegation aims to explore business opportunities and increase private sector co-operation between the two countries. BCCI will be holding a B2B session at its premises to enable the Bahraini business community to more..

Apr 25 (DM) A 55-year-old university lecture was today arrested by the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) on charges of luring an underage child via the Facebook. Spokesman said that an official pretending to be a fifteen-year-old had created a Facebook account and chatted with the lecturer for over a month. During the several chats the suspect was alleged to have discussed sexual matters with the decoy. more..

Apr 25 (NS) People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) today requested information regarding the progress of the investigations on complaints made by organization to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. The letter which has been addressed to Commission Chairman Jagath Balapatabendi requested a progress report as well as action taken by the commission with regard to two major incidents during recent PC Elections. more..

Apr 25 (SLN) Two Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) ships, Samidare DD-106 and Sazanami DD-113 arrived at the Port of Colombo for a goodwill and supply visit today. The ships are en route for Counter Piracy Operations off the Coast of Somaliya and in the Gulf of Aden. They were welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with naval traditions on arrival. Head of the mission, Commander Escort Division iv, Captain Hiroaki Tajiri and Ships’ Commanding Officers, more..

Apr 25 (DN) Master Chef Dr. Publis Silva presented his book titled “Raja Bojana of Sri Lanka” to the President at Temple Trees yesterday evening. The book, a first of its kind, is a minature recipe book about 1 cm by 1 cm in diamension and weights only 5 miligrams. It however contains 40 recipies of Sri Lankan cuisines. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Chairman of Mount Lavinia Hotel Sanath Ukwatte and Dr. Publis Silva’s wife more..

Apr 26 (GV) I’ve heard of home invasions but this is the first time I’ve watched a Ministry invasion. The country watched while the BBS swarmed into Rishad Bathiudeen’s Ministry in search of missing monk, to wit, Ven Watarekke Vijitha thero. Was the latter a suspect in a case of murder, rape, child molestation or even theft? Nope. His alleged crime was not a crime according to any law. It was an offense in the eyes of the BBS though, because he is said to have taken the side of the Muslims more..

Apr 26 (CT) Premadasa’s death was greeted with silence rather than grief. There were reports of UNP agents trying to foment communal violence. This was communicated to the foreign embassies and soon afterwards the new president, D.B. Wijetunge, sent individual letters to UNP organisers telling them that he expects them to ensure that nothing untoward happens in their area. The main virtue of the new president was that having played his role as Premadasa’s passive prime minister, more..

Apr 26 (ST) As many as 135,000 Colombo families, or 500,000 persons, could be forcibly evicted by Sri Lankan authorities, prompted by the country’s UDA, according to a recent report by the CPA, which cited official estimates as its source for these numbers. Further, a media statement released by the CPA in tandem with the report, titled “Forced Evictions in Colombo – The Ugly Price of Beautification”, also signalled; more..

Apr 26 (CT) While the Rajapaksa Regime’s response to the attempt at wholesale intimidation of the group of UNP MPs who visited one or the other (or both?) of the Ultra-Pale Ruhunu Magampura Pachyderms recently was typical of the behaviour of the most corrupt and violent of SL govts in its modern (or ancient) history, there was little cause for any great surprise. This mode of behaviour has been a feature of this govt’s conduct, steadily accelerating as days and weeks speed by. more..

Apr 26 (Island) According to the widely prevalent conventional wisdom of some time ago the Bodu Bala Sena was expected to fade away because of the internal dynamics of all such extremist organizations, and their lack of widespread appeal at the people’s level. Such, according to some reports, was the view of the President himself: don’t give it prominence, ignore it as much as possible, and it will vaporize after some time. That was the conventional wisdom even though it was known that more..

Apr 26 (GV) For a very long time now I have watched little children performing at children’s reality shows in Sri Lanka, which are marketed as children’s ‘talent shows’ in our country. Little children come on stage wearing costumes and makeup in the manner of adults and perform to the best of their abilities. Their little voices sing adult songs and dance like grownups to be on the spotlight. Unfortunately there is nothing childish about more..

Apr 26 (Island) Govt has secured the passage of controversial orders under controversial Strategic Development Projects Act. Foreign business tycoons including James Packer must be grinning from ear to ear. Opposition succeeded in having the so-called casino orders shelved when they were presented to Parliament previously. Their vehement protests yielded the desired results. Its failure this week to amend or defeat the same orders craftily presented again with some cosmetic changes more..

Apr 26 (Island) There is interesting news that "Toys ‘R" Us", the giant toys and juvenile products retailer in the US, is making arrangements to open a major outlet in Sri Lanka very soon. The talks with local partners have got a boost with the news of the toy pistol wielding Mayor of Hambantota, getting top exposure in the toy market publications and websites the world over; creating a very good image of Sri Lanka as a major destination for the toy industry, with emphasis on toy weapons. more..

Apr 26 (CT) Last week, women’s rights groups were once again up in arms against Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs, Tissa Karaliyadda, who wants to introduce a ridiculous new law, forcing rapists to marry their victims supposedly to combat the increasing numbers of rape in the country. Women’s rights activists in the country went berserk upon hearing Karaliyadda’s proposals with many more..

Apr 26 (CT) A few days after Senior Minister, Prof. Tissa Vitarana, who chaired the APRC expressed his disappointment over the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) describing it as redundant, Northern Province CM, C.V. Wigneswaran, participated at the District Development Council (DDC) meetings in Jaffna and Kilinochchi, co-chairing them with Minister Douglas Devananda. Since his assumption of office as the Chief Minister, Wigneswaran was reluctant to attend more..

Apr 26 (Island) White taking my first drive over the new bridge at Battaramulle vivid memories of this area during the late 1970s entered my mind, when I as the DGM of the Reclamation Board (now SLLR&DC) boldly undertook the task of reclamation work for the New Parliament & Administration Complex at Kotte on behalf of the Board, when no other organization present at this famous meeting presided by HE-JRJ, was willing to undertake this massive task. more..

Apr 26 (ST) Her Dad follows her on a world map back home in Western Australia every day, while her Mom only wishes to know whether she is safe. It is not just wanderlust which has gripped 43-year-old Sandy Robson but a unique “dream”. Inseparable have been Sandy and her kayak, with her travels using this mode of transport beginning from Ulm in Germany, down the Danube, with the final destination being Australia. more..

Apr 26 (LBO) India was the source of 72% of vehicles and parts imported to Sri Lanka in 2013, with second coming second, with 20%. In terms of value India was 45% and Japan 38%. Total spending on import of vehicles and spares had fallen 17% in 2013 from a year earlier, the chamber said without giving actual values. Imports of diesel three wheelers, passenger vehicles, good vehicles, motor cycles, concrete mixer lorries had fallen in 2013 in both value and quantity terms. more..

Apr 26 (FT) With reference to yesterday’s Daily FT article titled ‘Not politics but poor demand led to cancellation of Harsha’s talk,’ UNP MP Dr. Harsha de Silva sent the following statement: It is with regret that I read a statement issued by one Daya Ratnayake of the Sri Lanka-Italy Business Council saying the event I was billed to speak at yesterday was cancelled due to poor demand. It is certainly a disgrace to the entire business community when not only such so-called businessmen are more..

Apr 26 (FT) Cairn India said discussions with the Sri Lankan Govt to commercialize gas deposits in Mannar Basin were ongoing. "In 2013, we concluded appraisal and commercial studies to determine the next steps for the gas discoveries made on the block (SL 2007-01-001). We continue discussions with the Sri Lankan Govt regarding commercial terms necessary to monetize the discovered gas resources on the block, more..

Apr 26 (FT) The World Peace Organisation recently held a recognition ceremony to grant a peace award to Sri Lanka. The organisation’s President is Abid Ali Abid from Denmark. Nelson Mandela Peace Awards were presented to Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapkasa and Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem. Two World Peace Ambassador posts were given to Eastern Provincial Council Member A.L. Jameel and Deputy Speaker and MP in Maldives Ahamed Nazeem. more..

Apr 26 (Island) Lankan nursing professionals have received wider global acceptance as far as the Eurozone. Work is currently underway to recruit the first batch of qualified and experienced Lankan nursing professionals for elder care homes of a reputed German healthcare firm. "The first Lankan batch to Germany will comprise 12 nurses," said an excited Sri Lanka Consul General in Frankfurt Pradeep Jayewardene on 09 April. Consul General Jayewardene, who is a grandson of more..

Apr 26 (ST) The govt’s policy of increasing taxes on the importation of vehicles from time to time has paid dividends last year as it brought revenue of Rs. 96.5 billion. This was an increase of 22.9% comparing to excise duty revenue from vehicle imports in 2012. But motor traders said that the surge in vehicle imports was due to the import of luxury cars using duty free/duty slashed vehicle permits issued to politicians and more..

Apr 26 (FT) The Sri Lankan Cultural and Education Centre under the patronage of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Dubai organised a Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebration in Dubai. A large gathering of Sri Lankan families and community members from Dubai and Northern Emirates participated at the celebration. The major objective of this year’s celebration was to promote Sri Lankan traditions and customs among the different foreign community members as well as to create a more..