Feb 20 (Reuters) Sri Lankan rupee fell to its lowest in more than two months on Thursday on importer dollar demand, dealers said, breaching a key barrier that the central bank had been defending since early December. The market expects a slight depreciation in the local currency in the near future due to rising seasonal importer demand for dollars. The spot rupee traded at 130.90/131.00 per dollar, its lowest since Dec. 13, Reuters data showed, from Wednesday's close of 130.85/90. more..

Feb 20 (Island) Former Southern Provincial Councillor Maithri Gunaratne described the appointment of Wijedasa Rajapakshe to the Leadership Council (LC) by the Working committee (WC) on Monday as a case of adding insult to injury. He said that there were various allegations against Rajapakshe, Ravi Karunanayake and Mangala Samaraweera, three members of the LC, while Tissa Attanayake the General Secretary was an absolute failure and disgrace to the party. more..

Feb 20 (CG) The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, John Rankin was briefed on challenges faced in Jaffna, including sexual violence, during his two day visit to the area, the British High Commission in Colombo said today. The British envoy said he also discussed land issues in the North, including the High Security Zones (HSZs) and the role and level of military presence. “We noted the continuing challenges – including more..

Feb 20 (Island) Northern and Eastern people would feel Sri Lanka as their own country only after the full implementation of the 13th amendment to the constitution, social activist, Dr. Kumar Rupasinghe said. The convention on National Unity in Diversity organised by the National Languages and Social Integration Ministry in collaboration with several social organisations will be held on April 7 at the BMICH. The Convention is organised to build consensus on a Charter to preserve more..

Feb 20 (GDI) The 32nd Annual Sessions of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA) - ‘Architect 2014’ was inaugurated by President Rajapaksa on Wednesday at the BMICH. The inauguration ceremony of the 5-day session was graced by several eminent Ministers and Architects including Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Deputy Minister Nandimithra Ekanayake, President of the SLIA Prof. Chitra Wedikkara. It is a five day session with multi faceted events including the National more..

Feb 20 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka's govt has responded to a report by UN Human Rights Commissioner, rejecting the call for an international inquiry into the allegations of war crimes as Sri Lanka readies to face a third resolution at the UNHRC. UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay has sent a copy of her report based on her fact-finding mission in SL last year, to the govt ahead of the U.S. sponsored resolution being presented before UNHRC. more..

Feb 20 (CI) Sam Robson's path towards England recognition has been affected by the law of unintended consequences, making him a subject Robert K. Merton would have craved when he brought the theory into the public domain in the 1930s. Coincidentally, when Merton's paper was published in 1936, another Australia-born player was a huge part of English cricket. It remains to be seen whether Robson can create a legacy to sit alongside Gubby Allen but a fateful decision in 2008 more..

Feb 20 (LBO) Japan will fund a 343mn US dollar bridge connecting Colombo with an expressway network, minister Keheliya Rambukwelle said. Bridge over the Kelani River, north of the capital is designed to cater to traffic volumes from 2020 to 2035, he said. Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) will provide a 40-year loan with a 10-year grace period as a 'special terms for economic partnerships' loan. Loan will have an interest rate of 0.1% a year and a 0.2% front-end fee. more..

Feb 20 (DM) UNP MP Harsha de Silva today accused the govt of having sold a sea area of 576 acres near the Colombo Port to Chinese Company, which was debarred by the World Bank for corrupt practices. “Govt has sold 576 acres to a corrupt Chinese company -- China Communication Construction Company, which the World Bank has debarred for corrupt practices. According to the Cabinet Paper, this project is estimated to more..

Feb 20 (DM) Sinhala Ravaya last night called off its anti-cattle slaughter campaign held outside the Fort Railway station after President Rajapaksa assured he would take necessary action on this matter. Three Buddhist Monks who were fasting unto death left the site last night after receiving the President’s assurance. Officials from the Presidential Secretariat visited the campaign site and offered water to the three monks, who were later admitted to Colombo National Hospital in a critical condition. more..

Feb 20 (DM) The best way to take revenge from the killing of the former Presidential adviser Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra is to place Hirunika Premachandra among the top in the upcoming Provincial Council Elections, the Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana said. “As the Buddha Sasana Deputy Minister I cannot approve or say that someone should be killed in order to take revenge. But the revenge of the killing of Late Premachandra could be achieved by voting for his daughter more..

Feb 20 (CI) Kumar Sangakkara's 17th ODI hundred was everything Sri Lanka needed to win the ODI series with a game in hand. But since their opponents were always going to pose a threat to their 289-run total, they also needed Bangladesh's batsmen to come up with a string of needless dismissals to ensure the 2-0 win. Having gone down by 61 runs in Mirpur, Bangladesh lost their first home ODI series since 2011. more..

Feb 20 (PTI) Stating that any move to release former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s killers would be “illegal”, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Thursday said that President’s rule should be imposed in Tamil Nadu if Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa did not “desist” from proceeding with the decision. “I demand that the Centre issue a direction under Article 256 of the Constitution to the TN CM to desist from pursuing (the) illegal resolution on Rajiv’s killers,” Mr Swamy said. more..

Feb 20 (Island) Currency notes to the tune of billions of rupees, most of which were soiled as a result of being tied to the bodies of Northern Tamils who were forced to move about with the LTTE during the last stages of the war, had been deposited with state banks during May 2009, the Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal revealed yesterday. Addressing the Foreign Correspondents Association, after its members had visited the Bank’s Currency Museum, Cabraal said that two days after the conflict more..

Feb 20 (DM) Sri Lanka today said it respects the Indian Supreme Court's ruling that barred Tamil Nadu from freeing seven persons, including two Sri Lankan nationals, convicted for the 1991 assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. "Whatever our private views may be we have to respect the judicial process. Each country's judicial systems are unique and we need to respect the judiciary," Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. more..

Feb 21 (NS) It’s that time again. Life is not easy as it is, what with tuition masters, karate masters, concert organizers, companies having sales, rent-a-protest NGOs and others fighting one another in a mad defacing competition all year round. Elections, however, make things even more miserable. As far as us walls go, there is nothing major or minor about elections. Whether it is to elect one person (President), a dozen (Parliament) or several dozen (PCs), it makes no difference. more..

Feb 21 (NS) Water is vital for all known forms of life and is considered a basic need for us humans. Ironically though, while over 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, only 2.53% of the Earth’s water is fresh water and two thirds of the fresh water is locked in glaciers and permanent snow making only 0.01% of the Earth’s water readily available for human use. In Sri Lanka water has become a major issue at present due to over use, poisoning, misuse and mismanagement of more..

Feb 21 (SO) Heroin is a destructive and dangerous drug which is highly addictive. Millions are using this worldwide where thousands die annually and has been classified as a class one narcotic prohibited in almost everywhere. Due to the high availability and the cheap selling rates it has become a popular and a common narcotic in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Until a few years back Sri Lanka was getting its quota of Heroin through more..

Feb 21 (CT) Ever since the cessation of the armed conflict between Sri Lankan security forces and the Tamil militants led by LTTE, Tamil constituency in the North and East has been able to project a very cohesive and united political front. In all the elections that followed the end of hostilities, Tamils, especially the Northern segment, cast their votes as one single person voting, displaying a remarkable unity of expression and cogency of assuredness that usually accompanies self-trust. more..

Feb 21 (GV) It was 2007, at the height of the war, when one hundred youth (Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala) from every part of the country except the north gathered in Thanamalvila in the south of Sri Lanka for a leadership retreat sponsored by Sarvodaya and the British Council. At the end of the second day the two facilitators, Mihirini de Zoysa and Robert Vanderwall divided them into 5 teams of twenty and asked “How can we bring peace to our country?”. They were given time to discuss more..

Feb 21 (CT) When Ceylon Today queried from Indian Minister of External Affairs, Salman Khurshid, in New Delhi as to why Sri Lanka has been excluded from the on-arrival-visa facility, he said there were no preconceived ideas in not having Sri Lanka in the list, but these matters will be considered in future. Excerpts of the interview given by Minister Khurshid to a delegation of Sri Lankan media personnel in New Delhi. more..

Feb 21 (CT) None of the Muslim leaders of yore like T.B. Jayah or Badi-ud-Din Mahmud or Dr. Khaleel would have ever imagined that there would ever be a situation where there would be no Muslim representation from the UNP in parliament from the Colombo district. But that’s exactly what has happened. They had cultivated their political philosophy and fined tuned it as time went by or when new situations demanded course corrections hoping the coming generations would follow more..

Feb 21 (CT) Last week, in India, this correspondent, along with a group of Sri Lankan journalists, travelled across its cities of teeming millions. We travelled to Bihar, which V.S. Naipaul described as 'the place where the civilization ends'; Delhi, India's capital and Bangalore, its equivalent to the Silicon Valley. Each was a contrasting experience and even with a certain sub-continental flavour, the differences and disparity among the states were ubiquitous. In Bihar, home to sacred Buddhist site of more..

Feb 21 (CT) Foreign Secreatary, Sujatha Singh, also answered several questions asked by the visiting media team from Sri Lanka: Q: You said that India is committed to the security and the sovereignty of Sri Lanka and at the same time India also calls for the full implementation of the 13 A. India is emphasizing on 13 plus and beyond. Don't you think it can become a barrier when talking about peace and reconciliation? more..

Feb 21 (Island) MPs who usually put on various acts to dupe the public have acted in the national interest for once. On Wednesday, all of them got together, in a rare moment of unity, to pass regulations pertaining to pictorial health warnings on packets of cigarettes. The govt deserves praise for having plucked up the courage, albeit with delay, to take on the powerful tobacco Mafia and the Opposition needs to be commended for ensuring the passage of anti-tobacco regulations unanimously. more..

Feb 21 (CT) Politicization of administration is a universal social process bringing a political character or flavor to administration. It may yield positive (e.g. pressure to motivate officials) and negative (e.g. discrimination of political opponents through officers) results. The faint murmur by Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) and others officers may be to minimize it. Concurrently, politicians vociferously demand it as a functional necessity. Those who honor Max Weber Principles more..

Feb 21 (CT) P.B. Anurasiri, the father of Venusha Imendi – the student who committed suicide after being severely reprimanded over a photo uploaded on to the Facebook – says Principal of John Kotelawala Maha Vidyalaya in Kurunegala, Saman Indraratne, is a cruel man and that he is not aware of the proper use of words when addressing children. "He had called my daughter a whore. He had called the child on to more..

Feb 21 (CI) For the cricket connoisseur, the nuances of the game matter more. Kumar Sangakkara's 128 was well-paced but he had another standout moment with a catch to dismiss Mominul Haque off Sachithra Senanayake. The ball offered a hint of away turn, even as it came into the batsman, and Mominul got a thick edge trying to work the ball through mid-on. Sangakkara grabbed it nicely, not standing up too much and not staying too low for the stumping. more..

Feb 21 (CI) Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim is unsure whether his team is willing to listen and learn. He cut a frustrated figure while attending the post-match presentations and the press conference and later as he walked back to the dressing-room. The home team conceded the ODI series to Sri Lanka with the last match still left to play. The fielding once again let them down. Nasir Hossain dropped Ashan Priyanjan when his partnership with Kumar Sangakkara had just started, more..

Feb 21 (CI) Captain Angelo Mathews praised Kumar Sangakkara for his century on Thursday, which helped the side beat Bangladesh by 61 runs and claim the series 2-0. Sangakkara made 128 at No 3, his 17th ODI century, at a time when the team was in some trouble. "It was very important," Mathews said. "If we wanted to take the series, this was the game. He [Kumar Sangakkara] always comes to the party when more..

Feb 21 (ST) LPG giants have in one breath provided a subtle answer to the unspoken woes of the ordinary domestic consumer. To us housewives our gas cylinders are the indispensable elements of our lives standing tall in all types of contingencies whether day to day family needs or the occasional festivity and partying. But I cannot escape the sinking feeling that the stalwart cylinder of yesteryear is passing into redundancy in the same way modernity has replaced many things more..

Feb 21 (ST) Sri Lanka is introducing a new national water policy based on conservation of water resources and has sought public views for its preparation. In a full-page newspaper advertisement, the Ministry of Land and Land Development has sought public opinion to incorporate suggestions in the proposed policy which is to be prepared and drafted by a special committee. Asoka Peiris, Ministry Secretary, said previous attempts to formulate a national more..

Feb 21 (FT) Long awaited destination marketing strategy backed by the govt finally obtained Cabinet nod yesterday putting in place the foundation for a three year plan with a budget of US$ 15 million for the first 24 months. Recognizing the importance of maintaining competitiveness in the tourism market the Cabinet paper submitted by Minister Basil Rajapaksa acknowledged the need for a comprehensive more..

Feb 21 (Island) Prominent reformist and former UNP WPC member Shiral Lakthilaka, who has been campaigning for the UNP in the Hambantota District for the March 29 poll despite being denied nomination to contest from the Western Province said he was appalled by the lackadaisical attitude of the party towards its polls campaign. Lakthilaka said that out of the four electoral organisers for the Hambantota District, only two including District Leader Sajith Premadasa and more..

Feb 21 (Island) Investigations by the Kosgama police, following the arrest of a five-member gang, have revealed that they were responsible for a series of armed robberies and the value of articles robbed by them exceeded Rs. 50 million. The police said that the mastermind of the gang was a resident of Nivasipura, Raddolugama, Seeduwa. One of the gang members was an army major, the said. Acting on a tip-off that some members of the gang were hiding in a house at Ratamalana, more..

Feb 21 (CT) 23 countries will vote for the US resolution against Sri Lanka, at the upcoming UNHRC sessions in Geneva, Global Tamil Forum (GTF) predicted. GTF also claimed the US resolution will be based on the report of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, as a cover for their wording. India too would vote against Sri Lanka, the GTF predicted, claiming the prediction is based on the intense campaign results, historical more..

Feb 21 (Hindu) Mithun Perera produced an eight-under 62 on the second day of the third Louis Philippe Cup 2014, helping Navratna Ahmedabad vault to the first place in the nine-team pro golf league, totalling 15-under 265 (133, 132) after 36 holes. Day one leader AVT Kolkata also finished on 15-under 265 (129, 136) but was placed second on count back. Puravankara Bangalore (14-under 266) and Krrish Colombo (11-under 269) were placed third and fourth. These four qualified for more..

Feb 21 (Island) Are we sleep-deprived as a nation? This interesting possibility was discovered from global research conducted by AIA Group, Asia’s leading life insurer, in Sri Lanka and across 15 of its markets in the region. The research focusing on attitudes towards healthy living was a forerunner to creating awareness among Asians of the need to lead a lifestyle that improved fitness. The survey covered over 10,000 interviews in the region. They were face-to-face interviews capturing more..

Feb 21 (Island) UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament that two principals had resigned from the Sri Lanka Law College in a short period of time and demanded to know whether there had been any undue pressure on them to do so. Opposition Leader Wickremesinghe said that former Principal of the college, Dr. W.D. Rodrigo had resigned and thereafter his successor former SC judge P.A. Ratnayake, too, more..

Feb 21 (Island) Matara Magistrate yesterday enlarged the son of Minister Bandula Gunawardana, Pasan Chatura, arrested by Matara police for knocking down a pedestrian while the victim was crossing the road at Eliyakanda Junction and critically injuring him, on a surety of Rs. 200,000. The case was postponed to Feb 28. Accident occurred around 2.30 p.m. SSP Ajith Rohana said that minister’s son, Chatura (27), had driven a van at the time of the mishap on his way back home more..