Feb 14 (CI) Shashikala Siriwardene will lead Sri Lanka in the ICC Women's World Twenty20 in Bangladesh in March. SLC named a 14-member squad for the tournament that kicks off on March 23. The squad also includes four players that have been put on stand by. Sri Lanka, who are placed in Group B, play their first match on March 24, against India, with whom they recently drew a Twenty20 series. Sri Lanka squad: Shashikala Siriwardene (capt), Chamari Atapattu (vc), Ishani Lokusuriya, more..

Feb 14 (Island) 9 undergraduates of the Rajarata University, were arrested by the Mihintale police yesterday for continuing of a Sathyagraha disregarding a court order. The police said that the female undergraduate was released later after questioning, but others including the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Students’ Council, were under police custody. A tense situation arose between undergraduates and the police when police officers asked to stop their Sathyagraha. more..

Feb 14 (Island) The govt is still struggling to address land issues four years after the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009. In accordance with the post-war recovery process, the govt is in the process of addressing the contentious issue in accordance with the recommendations made by the LLRC. Resolving land issues remained a priority in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga said more..

Feb 14 (Island) The Court of Appeal yesterday gave former UNP PC members, Shiral Lakthilake and Maithri Gunarathne, time till April 12, 2014 to file counter objections. These petitioners had complained that they were unreasonably suspended from the UNP consequent to the attack at the party headquarters Sirikotha at Kotte on December 19, 2011. On that day, the party had held a meeting to select the leader, the deputy leader and the national organiser of the party. more..

Feb 14 (Island) An online chat and webinar giving students from around the world an opportunity to connect virtually with representatives from colleges and universities in the United States of America, with a section on how to prepare for the IELTS examination has been scheduled for 19 Feb, announced a press release sent out by the British Council this week. IELTS is sponsoring the International Students Day at US College Week Live, which gives international students, more..

Feb 14 (Hindu) Tamil Nadu mechanised boat fishermen, who were fishing in the Palk Bay, have decided to stay away from the sea for a month from Thursday, as decided at the bilateral talks held between representatives of State fishermen with their Sri Lankan counterparts on January 27 in Chennai. As per the decision taken at the meeting and to take the talks to the next level to find an amicable solution to their issue, more..

Feb 14 (PHC) The Sri Lanka Pakistan Friendship Association (SLPAFA) in collaboration with the High Commission of Pakistan in Sri Lanka organized a fun-filled Fund Raising Friendship Evening recently at the Grand Oriental Hotel, Fort. The Chief Guest on the occasion was the High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Qasim Qureshi. The event was also attended by a large number of distinguished personalities including Former Mayor of Colombo Omar Kamil, more..

Feb 14 (AT) 66th Independence Day of Sri Lanka was celebrated at the Representative Office of Sri Lanka in the State of Palestine on 4th Feb, with the participation of Sri Lankan community and the well wishers in the State of Palestine. The auspicious ceremony started with the hoisting of the National Flag by Mr. Siraj Ahamed, Attaché, amidst the playing of Magul Bera, followed by the singing of the National Anthems of Sri Lanka and Palestine, lighting of the traditional Oil Lamp more..

Feb 14 (Island) President Rajapaksa had ordered the Higher Education Ministry to withdraw a special gazette notification it issued on Jan 31, the GMOA said. It thanked Sri Lanka Medical Council President Prof. Carlo Fonseka for the latter’s intervention to have the problem sorted out. GMOA General Committee member Dr. Navin de Soyza faulted the Secretary Higher Education Ministry Sunil Navaratne for having issued more..

Feb 14 (AT) Embassy of Sri Lanka in Kathmandu celebrated 66th Anniversary of the National Day on 4th February 2014. The Embassy held two functions to celebrate the event. The morning celebrations was held at the Embassy premises with the hoisting of the National flag by Mr. W.M. Senevirathna, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Nepal and singing the National Anthem, followed by the traditional lighting of oil lamp. Sri Lankan community in Nepal participated at the event. more..

Feb 14 (CI) Bangladesh pushed Sri Lanka till the last ball before Anamul Haque hit a full toss straight up into the murky Sagarika sky and was caught, three runs short of victory. It was an apt end to a contest that had theatre from the first over. Superb catches by Nasir Hossain, Anamul and Angelo Mathews, the flashy 64 by Kusal Perera (and his equally flashy press conference) and some late drama enthralled a 15,000-strong crowd at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. more..

Feb 14 (CG) Indian Govt says it is awaiting the final text of the resolution to be tabled on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC in order to decide its stand if a vote is taken. Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh told a group of visiting Sri Lankan journalists in New Delhi today that the Indian Govt has not taken a decision on the resolution as the final text of the document has not yet been made available. “In Geneva we are in touch with more..

Feb 14 (IANS) Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka held on to his overnight two-shot lead after returning a clinical six-under-66 in round two of the PGTI Eagleburg Open at the Eagleton Golf Resort here Thursday. Perera's total score thus moved to 13-under-131 while Bangalore's Anirban Lahiri shot the day's best score of seven-under-65 to be in second place at 11-under-133. The cut fell at one-over-145 and 51 professionals made the cut. Perera followed up his first round 65 with a superb 66 more..

Feb 14 (DM) A Russian couple was arrested by the Southern Expressway traffic police for travelling on a motor bike towards Colombo on the expressway near the 82nd mile post, police said. The couple had entered the expressway from an area where it was not open for the public and had travelled through the Pinnaduwa entrance by removing road barriers. Police said the couple had been handed over to the Akmeemana police. They were later released on bail after being produced before more..

Feb 14 (DM) The Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC), C.V. Wigneswaran, said he would settle for the best possible solution to the ethnic issue, with a win-win situation for all, rather than expecting the government to grant them all the powers. He was speaking at the National Conference on 'Post-war Socio-economic Development of the Northern and Eastern Provinces' organized by the UGC held yesterday. more..

Feb 14 (CG) SL’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Major General Shavendra Silva says many groups are trying to paint a false picture about Sri Lanka in the West. He says those groups are conducting a deceitful campaign for their own survival and economic gain but is confident those attempts will fail. “A mere 4 years after overcoming the LTTE terror that devastated our country, we are well on our way towards achieving rapid development and reconciliation. more..

Feb 14 (DM) The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) yesterday asked Sri Lanka to set up a mechanism in the country to prosecute those caught trafficking drugs in the high seas, it is learnt. UNODC officials said though ships with narcotics were captured in the high seas, the offenders could not be punished as there was no Jurisdiction vested in any country to try them. They said, the captured narcotics were dumped in the sea and the offenders set free. more..

Feb 14 (DM) Amidst proposed moves by the US Congress and the US govt to bring in a resolution against Sri Lanka at the upcoming UNHRC sessions, Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga said ‘the most significant factor when it comes to the power of lobbying, solely depends on the choice of lobbying groups one has access to in the US’. He said the US had more than 800 key lobbying groups of which the LTTE-sympathising fronts more..

Feb 14 (DM) The hydra-headed monster or monstrosity of economic neo-colonialism by the rich world and its business partner the transnational corporations (TNCs) are attacking Third World Countries including Sri Lanka in vital areas. Unfortunately, most Sri Lankans including top politicians and officials are either not fully aware of it or in different ways are colluding with it like the fifth columns of military colonialism. Since 1505, Sri Lanka has undergone much damage and more..

Feb 14 (DM) The Navam Perahera which is also known as Kolamba Perahera is conducted annually during the month of Navam at the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Viharaya and perahera arrangements are made by the Gangaramaya temple. The entire organisation is handled by the young people associated with the temple under the capable direction of the Chief Incumbent Venerable Galboda Gnanissara Thera. Originally the Kolamba Perahera was conducted in August immediately after more..

Feb 14 (DM) A presidential election may not be on the political calendar of the country just yet as the govt is preoccupied with the PC elections as well as the upcoming sessions of the UNHRC. Last week however, prominent Buddhist monk Maduluwave Sobhitha Thera raised many eyebrows by stating that he was willing to become a candidate at the next presidential election on a platform of abolishing Executive Presidency more..

Feb 14 (CT) With nearly 91% of the country electrified (Central Bank 2012 Annual Report), Sri Lanka definitely has one of the most reliable power supplies and is definitely steps ahead of its South Asian neighbours. Predictions state that the whole country is to be electrified by the end of this year. However, Energy Forum Director, who is Adviser to the Ministry of Technology and Research, and Climate Action Network South Asia more..

Feb 14 (ST) The Chinese company that built the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant has hit back at claims that it had sold Sri Lanka a dud generating station, the Sunday Times has exclusively found. Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), rejects allegations that high commissions had been factored into the contract price. He also insists that the negotiations and signing of the agreement were done “strictly as per the official procedures”. more..

Feb 14 (Xinhua) 43 Sri Lankan fishermen and 10 trawlers were released by the Indian coast guard and handed over to local authorities, media reported here on Friday, as both countries continue to grapple with the issue of poaching. The release came after Sri Lanka's navy detained 29 Indian fishermen on Thursday as tension continues to brew between the two countries over poaching. The 29 fishermen and seven boats were more..

Feb 14 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka's govt has given the nod to gain 310 million U.S. dollars in financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, an official said here on Friday. The ADB project will be for a skills enhancement program that aims to establish labor supply locally and internationally by 2020. The program will develop skills, abilities, and competencies of youth to meet the demand of the global economy more..

Feb 14 (CT) With the time for the UNHRC, sessions in Geneva getting closer, the US and UK, are once again pressurizing Sri Lanka through yet another resolution citing alleged human rights issues. UK MP David Cameron, during his visit to Sri Lanka to participate in CHOGM, reiterated that the UK will highlight war crimes allegedly committed by the Sri Lankan Army during the latter part of the conflict. more..

Feb 14 (Island) UPFA Colombo Central Co-Organiser and Colombo District candidate for the WPC elections Hirunika Premachandra (26) said that 30% of the votes will be decided on the final day and that although numerous people were around her in the campaign trail she does not know whether they were genuine or not. Hirunika said that her popularity depended on the work she does for the people of Colombo Central Electorate more..

Feb 14 (Island) The Government Nursing Officers’ Association (GNOA) accused the Health Ministry of continuing to pilfer funds from cancer control drugs. GNOA President, Saman Ratnapriya alleged that the latest involved an annual fraud of Rs. 300 million on the purchasing of ‘Paclitaxel 100 mg injection used on patients with ovarian, breast and lung cancers. He said the injection was being purchased at a cost of more..

Feb 14 (Island) The private schools and other educational institutions in Sri Lanka were not following the orders issued by the Education Ministry. One reason was the Education Ministry had not been vested with adequate power. The second reason was that the Ministry did not have a clear educational policy, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said. He said the educational sphere in Sri Lanka was under severe pressure at the moment. more..

Feb 14 (Xinhua) A two-day old railway strike continued in Sri Lanka creating much inconvenience to passengers, an official said here on Friday. Railway drivers and technical worker unions began the strike on Thursday in protest of the removal of Railway Drivers Union president from the post as supervisor at the Transport Ministry. The standoff between the Transport Ministry and unions has left thousands of commuters stranded more..

Feb 14 (CT) Today is Valentine's Day, a grotesque farce as any, mercilessly commercialized and animatedly promoted by a segment of society looking to cash in on one of the most powerful human emotions – love. The modern day profligacy, which sees everything from chocolates to lingerie, jewellery and dinner for two packages even in ordinary restaurants taking on a pricy Valentine tinge, is quite alien to the notion of heartfelt or unconditional love, and far removed from more..

Feb 14 (CT) Millions of words have now been written about the numbers of Tamil civilians killed during Sri Lanka’s victory over the Tamil Tigers in May 2009; probably more words than the millions of bullets fired during the war. But something didn’t ring true. Missing from this civilian casualty toll inflation is any mention of an immutable fact of warfare: the ratio of dead to wounded. This was first analysed in a ground-breaking study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 1999, more..

Feb 14 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka's powerful Cabinet of Ministers have signed off on a landmark migrant worker agreement with Saudi Arabia that could result in better working conditions for thousands of Sri Lankans, an official said on Friday. The proposed agreement on domestic worker recruitment between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia aims to improve and safeguard the rights to migrant domestic workers. more..

Feb 14 (CT) Today, almost five years after the end of the war, the wounds of the Muslim community await due recognition and redress, says the SLMC. Issuing a statement, its Secretary-General M.T. Hasen Ali MP said today; “Justice has eluded the victims of massacres, thousands of Muslim families remain in IDP camps and many are unable to reclaim their lost assets, including ancestral lands and places of worship. Since the war, in my electorate alone, thousands of acres of land more..

Feb 14 (Island) Supreme Court recently ordered a co-respondent in a divorce action to pay compensation Rs. 15 million to the husband, whose matrimonial consortium with his wife had been shattered by infidelity activities of his wife with the co-respondent. The co-respondent is a flight engineer and a native of Panadura. Husband had been informed by reliable parties of his wife’s matrimonial misconduct and she had been caught red-handed in a hotel at Narahenpita. more..

Feb 14 (FT) The UNP yesterday issued the following statement: Sri Lanka is at a precipice and the Rajapaksa administration bears full responsibility for our country’s current plight. After years of insisting that the Sri Lankan Govt carryout a credible internal investigation into the alleged human rights violations, especially in the final phase of the war, the international community seems poised to demand an international investigation. more..

Feb 14 (Island) For the first time in its history, Sri Lanka was ready to count the fish population in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 51,700 sq. km, which is over seven times larger than the geological extent of the country, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said. The Minister said that Sri Lanka couldn’t manage its marine resources properly as it was not aware of the number of fish in the ocean around the country. more..

Feb 14 (SM) The director of 'Sankara' Prasanna Vithanage's latest cinematic venture, 28, is facing an obstacle in showing it in Sri Lanka. According to Prasanna until the Sri Lankan theaters adopt digital technology 28 cannot be showed. He said that the entire film is created in Sri Lanka using the highest technology. Therefore positives of the film have not been printed. All viewers can comprehend the content of the film as it address a social issues in a different dimension, more..

Feb 14 (BBC) Sri Lanka's govt has apologised for errors in translating official notices and documents into the language of the minority Tamil community. A number of mistakes have been highlighted recently in local media. One was of a sign that read "Reserved for pregnant mothers" in Sinhala and English. A mistake changed that to "Reserved for pregnant dogs" in Tamil. Officials stress that sloppiness was to blame and more..

Feb 14 (MoD) The Sri Lanka Army and the Seva Vanitha Unit spend Rs. 30 million to deposit Rs. 5,000 in a bank account of War Heroes' children, Army Commander Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake said. He said around 6,000 War Heroes' children are admitted annually and the Army takes steps to open a bank account for all children of War Heroes. The Army Commander said this is among the many steps taken by the Army to uplift the education standards of War Heroes' children. more..