Nov 11 (AM) JHU expressed its displeasure over the attempts to use Minister Champika Ranawaka’s name to support a pro-govt rally which is scheduled to take place in Colombo tomorrow. Pro-govt rally is scheduled to take place at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium with the participation of leaders of the constituent parties of the govt namely Wimal Weerawansa and Dinesh Gunawardena. more..

Nov 11 (DM) The Colombo Magistrate’s Court today rejected a fresh plea for bail by Minister Mervyn Silva’s son Malaka, who was remanded on charges of assaulting a foreign couple. Counsel Hemanatha Warnakulasuriya submitted the bail plea on behalf of Malaka. A JMO report on the Malaka Silva assault case was filed in Court today. Malaka was arrested on November 1 on charges of having assaulted a British couple at a night club on Duplication Road in Bambalapitiya. more..

Nov 11 (DM) MP Upeksha Swarnamali was appointed Monitoring Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare by President Rajapaksa. she said that she requested the President for this appointment becasuse she wanted to work for the ministry. “Following my request the President appointed me as monitoring MP my duties include the overseeing the work of the ministry which comes under the purview of Minister Dilan Dilan Perera,” she said. more..

Nov 11 (SLN) Two Korean Naval ships, Choi Young & Cheonji, arrived at the Port of Colombo on goodwill visit on 11th Nov 2014 and were ceremonially welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with naval traditions on arrival. The ships belongs to the South Korean Navy’s Cruise Training Task Group (CTTG) commanded by Rear Admiral Chun Jungsoo. Commander of CTTG accompanied by Ships’ Commanding Officers more..

Nov 11 (NS) The International Federation of Airline Pilots' Associations (IFALPA),in collaboration with the Airline Pilots’ Guild of Sri Lanka (ALPGSL),will host its Asia/Pacific Regional conference for 2014 at the Kingsbury Hotel from 13- 15 November 2014. This is the first time that Sri Lanka is hosting this prestigious annual event which brings together pilots and aviation officials from across the entire region. The global voice of pilots – IFALPA was created to provide a formal platform for airline pilots more..

Nov 11 (CFM) Kenya 7s have lost their influential star Oscar Ouma to lure of financial gain in Asia after he completed the switch to Sri Lanka to play in the country’s lucrative Super League. Kandy Sports Club’s third import was expected to touch down Tuesday with the March 3, 1989 back-row forward having played for Kenya Cup champions Top Fry Nakuru Rugby Football Club. He is better known by his nickname “Big Wheels” and his exploits on the HSBC World Sevens Series. more..

Nov 11 (CI) Trevor Penney has been appointed Sri Lanka's fielding coach until the end of the 2015 World Cup, SLC has confirmed. Sports psychologist and former England offspinner Jeremy Snape has also been contracted for 17 days during England's upcoming ODI tour of Sri Lanka. Penney, who had been Sri Lanka's assistant coach from 2005 to 2007 was "conversant with the SL Team environment and culture", more..

Nov 11 (AFP) Sri Lanka beat hosts Pakistan 2-1 as the third South Asian women's football championship kicked off in Islamabad on Tuesday. The SAFF women's cup, which runs until November 20, features eight teams including Pakistan's arch-rivals India and neighbour Afghanistan. The tournament is the first high-profile regional women's sports event in deeply-conservative Pakistan. A young home-side were contained in their own half for most of the match by more..

Nov 11 (PTI) Hosts India might have outplayed them in the first three ODIs but Sri Lankan team management is keen to include the experienced spinner in the playing XI for the fourth ODI scheduled on Thursday. Ajantha Mendis, incidentally was a part of Kolkata Knight Riders during IPL 1 and had experience of playing at the Eden Gardens. "I had a good opportunity while playing for KKR at this ground. The pitch offered turn and we would also get a bit of bounce. more..

Nov 11 (DM) Democratic Party (DP) said today it would take legal action against the three Provincial Councillors who joined the govt and alleged that they crossed over for personal gains. DP Western Provincial Councillor Aruna Deepal said the Provincial Councillors crossed over to the govt after the govt promised to offer them Rs. 50 million and a vehicle permit. “It is regrettable that these Councillors who were elected by anti-govt more..

Nov 11 (NS) President Rajapaksa emphasized that the Govt is dedicated to develop the agricultural industry which is our heritage. He assured that the Agricultural Policy will not at all be altered. The President recalled the era in which previous Govts geared to import all goods, without placing trust in the country’s agricultural industry. Further expressing his views, the President mentioned that the present Govt is the only administration that displayed a keen enthusiasm on more..

Nov 11 (CG) A university student has sustained injuries during the mandatory leadership training and is receiving treatment at the Anuradhapura General hospital, IUSF said in a statement. IUSF said that the student, identified as V.K.D.R Kaushalya, received injuries while attempting to scale a wall during the training exercise at a military camp on Saturday. Kaushalya fell from a seven foot wall and damaged her shoulder and is believed to have suffered internal injuries. more..

Nov 11 (CG) The Supreme Court (SC) has determined that President Rajapaksa can contest for a third term in office, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva informed Parliament today. He said that according to the determination of the court, which had been communicated to the President, there is no legal barrier preventing the President from holding an election after 4 years in office or seeking a third term. more..

Nov 12 (CT) Both the Executive President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Mohan Pieris appointed to the office of the Chief Justice have taken oath as required by article 32 and 107 and Fourth Schedule of the Constitution, to perform the duties and discharge the functions of their respective Offices and to uphold and defend the Constitution of Sri Lanka to the best of their ability. The whole nation is fully aware that Mohan Pieris was appointed to the Office of the Chief Justice by President Rajapaksa, more..

Nov 12 (CT) Two years ago everyone who visited Temple Trees or the President's House and came out used to say, 'Mahinda is confident' and was focusing on the immediate challenges before him. However, within the past years those who go there to meet Mahinda say, 'Mahinda is confused'. Mahinda who thought that Ranil would contest him at a future Presidential Election, started a campaign against Ranil, labelling the latter as a 'Tiger' though such an election is yet to be announced. more..

Nov 12 (SO) Coconut Development Authority (CDA) has launched a project to produce activated carbon using burnt coconut shell. Nearly 50% coconut shell is used in the production process and Rs. 9.5 billion foreign exchange was earned by exporting activated carbon, CDA Chairman Aruna Gunawardane said. He said the sad part was that a similar percentage was going waste every year. When the entire collection is used in more..

Nov 12 (CT) UPFA's strategy for the Presidential Election is very clear. It has planned to secure victory by highlighting weaknesses of its opponent, Ranil Wickremesinghe. Their campaign is based on policies and actions of Ranil during his 29-month-tenure as the Prime Minister. Strengthening Tamil separatism, surrendering sovereignty to Western powers and weakening Sri Lankan State in the socio-economic sphere are among them. Pruning public sector employment, privatization of more..

Nov 12 (CT) Is the Law supreme and the Ruler subject to the Law, or is the Ruler supreme? From ancient times, China has been ruled by law. The Emperor’s edicts were enforced very strictly, to the very letter of the law, literarily and in spirit, in word and deed, by an efficient Confucian bureaucracy, with scant regards for fundamental human rights. The more accountable and transparent Rule of Law was not heard of. However, since the late 1970s, China’s ruling Communist Party has more..

Nov 12 (CT) Minister Lakshman Yapa says that he did not bring illegal items in a container and he only brought 157 bicycles. "Some people are trying to sling mud at me making a big issue out of this", he said. Q: Are you subjected to many injustices in the govt? A: No. Q: Is it since Mangala Samaraweera is trying to come back to Matara from UPFA? A: I was elected while he was in Matara. Q: Do you need two containers to transport more..

Nov 12 (GV) As a Sri Lankan Australian and academic I have been collecting and analysing the material on the last phase of the war in Sri Lanka for six years now. I come across new evidence regularly in the midst of misinformation and dis-information that is a facet of the propaganda war that has been sharpening since the LTTE began to retreat in 2008. Since the volume of data is huge, a thorough investigation calls for assiduous work by a team which includes those who are culturally more..

Nov 12 (GV) We did enjoy full adult voting rights in our island for 18 years after the far reaching Donoughmore reforms of 1931 (reaching further than many of our leaders, Sinhalese Tamil and Muslim asked for or even wanted). But two Acts of 1949, among the earliest post-independence legislation, took away citizenship and voting rights of about a tenth of the population classified as Indian Tamil. It was mostly the left parties and a minor faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress more..

Nov 12 (CT) The Inter Company Employees' Union (ICEU) represents both directly and indirectly nearly 5 million private sector employees. President of ICEU Wasantha Samarasinghe spoke about the 2015 budget's fund allocations and provisions to the private sector. Q: How has the 2015 budget affected the private sector employees? Has the issues of private sector employees been addressed through the 2015 budget? more..

Nov 12 (Island) Every passing day in this ‘democratic, socialist republic’ reminds us of George Orwell’s dystopian novel, Animal Farm. It may be a scathing attack on Stalin’s Russia but it is of some relevance to ours as well in that it is about how pigs become more equal than other animals through political manoeuvring. Politicians never miss an opportunity to pontificate to us about the virtues of social equality and make themselves out to be servants of the people as the late more..

Nov 12 (Island) A response to the article by Mr. Mahinda Pathirana that appeared on 5th Nov 2014 has to be postponed as politics takes precedence over philosophy. It is clear that Mr. Pathirana understands the word, ‘after’, with respect to time and not with respect to any other variable. The word after can be used even with respect to space and in fact it can be engaged with respect to elements in a set, which have a property that can be mapped on to the real line (numbers). more..

Nov 12 (CT) Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC) said it contributed to Rs 54 billion to govt revenue during the first nine months of 2014, up 12% from a year earlier. "This was achieved despite a 10% volume drop in the domestic sales, driven pre-dominantly by challenging market conditions," the company said in a statement. "Sri Lanka Customs statistics indicate that Beedi volumes have grown by almost 200% over the past six years. more..

Nov 12 (CT) Aitken Spence PLC announced a pre-tax profit of Rs 2.29 billion for the six months ended 30 September 2014, an increase of 13% from the corresponding period last year.The blue chip's half-year revenue soared by 23.7% to Rs 19.7 billion, results released to the Colombo Stock Exchange revealed. Profit attributable to equity holders rose by 8.1% to Rs 1.3 billion while earnings per share improved by 8.1% to Rs 3.27, over the corresponding period. more..

Nov 12 (Island) Gotabaya Rajapaksa should remain the Defense Secretary without taking to politics and continue to render yeoman service to community, said Namal Uyana Convener, Ven. Wanawasi Rahula Thera Addressing a gathering on Monday at the Defence Ministry to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Namal Uyana. Ven Thera, while thanking the Defence Secretary for permitting him the opportunity to hold the event at the Defence Ministry premises added that more..

Nov 12 (Island) About 100 companies in the corporate sector joined the Employers Federation of Ceylon (EFC) and reportedly took positive steps to remove the stigma of AIDS among those affected within their work forces. An encouraging trend. ‘AIDS prevalence was far from being on the decline in Sri Lanka. Some of the areas affected came within the Western province. Particularly, Colombo, Gampaha. more..

Nov 12 (Island) This is in response to two of the comments reported to have been made by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, during the course of a press release on Nov. 7, 2014. 1. The High Commissioner accused the Government of Sri Lanka of a "… continuing campaign of distortion and disinformation about the investigation, as well as the insidious attempts to prevent possible bona fide witnesses from submitting information to the investigating team, is an affront to more..

Nov 12 (GDI) This Pottery Village Programme provided support to 13 villages in 10 Districts covering Anuradhapura, Puttlam, Kurunegala, Gampaha, Colombo, Nuwara-Eliya, Matara, Batticaloa, Matale, Hambantota and Jaffna. Based on the Budget Speech 2013 of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development formulated a project for the development of Pottery Villages to support pottery industry to gain access to more..

Nov 12 (FT) Opposition lawmaker Ravi Karunanayake yesterday requested the Government to give priority to Sri Lankans when releasing lands that belong to the Sri Lanka Railways Department for commercial development initiatives initiated by the private sector. Highlighting that Chinese ventures were being given priority in the granting of State lands, Karunanayake demand that a transparent system be established. more..

Nov 12 (CT) A protest demanding compensation for sexually abused women, was staged in Jaffna, at the Vembedi School Junction, on Monday. The protest was launched in support of an 18-year-old girl who was abducted and raped in the Ariyalai-Mulli area in Jaffna recently. Civil societies from the North and East collectively staged the protest to highlight the plight of the women who were sexually abused. The financial compensation was needed to help the female victims to fight their cases. more..

Nov 12 (CT) The National Movement for a Just Society (NMJS) will sign a number of MoUs with Opposition Parties and civil society on 14 November regarding selecting a common Opposition candidate, NMSJ Media Spokesman Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said. The parties who sign the MoU will agree to select a common candidate for the Presidential Election and to abolish the Executive Presidency within six months after the election, in case the common opposition candidate wins. more..

Nov 12 (FT) A Singapore-based expert and a top Sri Lankan panel will engage in a stimulating discussion on Thursday evening with industry leaders on how and where the tourism and hospitality sector should move in the future. Organised by the Daily FT in partnership with Viluxur Holidays, the evening forum at Hilton Colombo Residences will see Singapore-based renowned tourism practitioner, lecturer, qualified trainer and corporate leader more..

Nov 12 (DN) Bharti Airtel, opened its new flagship store – the Jaffna Brand Shop of Airtel Lanka to all its customers in Jaffna and the Northern region. Airtel Lanka’s latest Brand Shop is located in a spacious central location at No. 180, Stanley Road, Jaffna. The latest flagship store was opened by Romesh De Mel – Chief Customer Service Officer of Airtel Lanka. Speaking at the inauguration De Mel stated, “The northern region has been our preferred market and Airtel has always been more..

Nov 12 (Hindu) Over one lakh Sri Lankan Tamil refugees are still in Tamil Nadu and many more are believed to be residing in the State without registering themselves with the police. Govt of India has so far spent about Rs. 667 crore for the relief of the refugees and the expenses continue in the form of cash dole, subsidised ration, clothing, utensils, medical care and educational assistance. More than 3 lakh refugees entered India in different phases between 1983 & 2012 due to ethnic conflict. more..

Nov 12 (Island) Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa has called for a clarification from Secretary Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as regards a statement attributed to Indian Defence Minister regarding India acquiring weapons from Sri Lanka. The statement has been made in the Lok Sabha. Speaker was responding to a query raised by UNP MP Thalatha Atukorale and listed on the Order Paper for the fourth time more..

Nov 12 (Hindu) President Rajapaksa is ready to pardon the five Indian fishermen sentenced to death in Sri Lanka if the Indian High Commission in Colombo does not proceed with an appeal against the sentence, Sri Lankan Minister Prabha Ganesan said. “The President said he could pardon and release the fishermen in two or three days, but a court appeal would drag the case up to six months,” Mr. Ganesan, who met the President to pledge support in the upcoming elections, said. more..

Nov 12 (CT) The motorcade carrying the casket containing the tooth relic to be deposited inside Sandahiru Seya in Anuradhapura is expected to start its journey from Temple Trees this morning. About 600,000 devotees are expected to participate in the ceremonies that will start on Sunday, 23 November. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is also expected to take part in the events. The authorities have made preparations to provide facilities needed in this connection. more..

Nov 12 (CI) The Sri Lanka team likes to please its supporters. For months, younger batsmen have tripped and fallen cheaply at the top of the innings, and a public grumble has been growing: Shouldn't Mahela Jayawardene be facing the new ball? It would seem the fans have been heard. In all three matches against India so far, Jayawardene has been in the middle within the first 15 overs. In the last match, he and Dilshan more..