Oct 30 (ST) Moved by the plight of the animals at the Yala National Park a family from Nawala, Rajagiriya has donated a brand new water bowser to the park. Elephants, deer and monkeys were badly affected by the nine-month drought prevalent in the Hambantota District. Many died of thirst and their carcasses were found in different parts of the park. In a bid to assist these animals the Sithulpawwa Rock Temple Chief Incumbent Ven. Mataramba Hemarathana Thera more..

Oct 30 (CT) TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran compared the newly implemented travel restrictions in the North to the era when the LTTE held sway in the province. The recently imposed travel restriction to the North can be compared to those that were in place during the war, when the LTTE held military control over the north of the county, Sumanthiran said. Speaking at Tuesday's budget debate, Sumanthiran said that during the war, more..

Oct 30 (FT) Govt was seeking the support of Buddhist monks for the forthcoming Presidential Elections by offering them foreign tours to be had in the coming weeks, the JVP alleged. JVP WPC member K.D. Lal Kantha said, they had learned that the govt had planned to send the chief incumbents of about 100 temples on tours to Asian Buddhist countries. It was an attempt to secure the monks' assistance at the coming election, because many Buddhist monks were disappointed with more..

Oct 30 (ST) A probe into last week’s ambulance accident in which a doctor and another hospital employee were killed in Puttalam after a collision with a truck has taken a twist with strong protests by health sector workers that police had failed to carry out a proper investigation. Police initially blamed the ambulance driver for the accident, in which three persons were injured, saying the driver had fallen asleep. They have now said it was the fault of the truck driver whose more..

Oct 30 (Xinhua) The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that heavy rains have caused landslides in Badulla in central Sri Lanka, and the UN humanitarian agencies are on standby to help Sri Lanka after the disaster, a UN spokesman said. "The National Disaster Management Center reports that at least six people have died, 300 people are missing and 150 houses are destroyed," more..

Oct 30 (ST) It’s been over a decade since government undertook to transform Kalpitiya into a tourist destination. Kalpitiya Integrated Tourism Resort Project is easily one of the biggest tourism projects undertaken by any govt to promote Sri Lanka as a tourist destination. Under the project industries are to be established in 14 fishing islands in Kalpitiya. The ownership of the islands have been vested in the state. This tourist destination was to include several areas of more..

Oct 30 (CT) "Is the govt going to provide hostel facilities to 25,000 undergraduates at Temple Trees?" IUSF Convenor Najith Indika asked, at a press conference. He was responding to President's budget proposal to provide hostel facilities to 25,000 undergraduates by next year. IUSF asked the people to not be fooled by the 2015 Budget as there was no programme in place to implement any of the proposals put forward by it, especially with regard to higher education. more..

Oct 30 (Island) Ongoing high profile talks between the SLFP and the JHU to resolve a simmering dispute over the latter’s constitutional and political reform proposals primarily meant to dilute presidential powers have failed to produce the desired results. Proposals dealt with far reaching political reforms and a range of other contentious issues, including police and land powers contained in the 13th Amendment. more..

Oct 30 (FT) The total expenditure budgeted for 2014 was Rs. 2,084 billion. Adjusted for inflation it would be Rs.2, 196 billion. The Budget allocation for 2015 was Rs.2, 210 billion therefore the actual increase is Rs. 14 billion. The shortfall from the actual allocation and the required allocation amounts to Rs.169,741 m. There were many promises that were made in Budget 2015. The costed initiatives would require an allocation of Rs. 182 billion. However, the real increase in allocations in more..

Oct 30 (PTI) India today offered assistance to Sri Lanka to help hundreds of people affected by the landslide in Uva province of that country. Indian High Commissioner Y K Sinha spoke to Minister G L Peiris and offered the assistance to deal with the landslide disaster which took place this morning. Around six line houses of plantation workers collapsed in the disaster and Sri Lankan Army was already undertaking disaster relief. As per reports, over 200 persons have gone missing. more..

Oct 30 (Island) More than 250 persons laid buried under tonnes of earth while a dozen bodies had been recovered by last night after a landslide flattened a village at Meeriyabeddawatta in Koslanda in the Badulla District yesterday morning in the worst natural disaster since the boxing day tsunami in 2004. A joint rescue operation was underway with the army, police, air force and the district administration participating with more..

Oct 30 (DM) About Rs.1.5 million from public funds is spent for a day when the devalued, undermined and often bypassed Parliament meets for debates. This devaluation, which seriously affected the sovereignty of the people began with the enforcement of executive presidential system in 1978. Today, after Rajapaksa Govt patched up a 2/3 majority by offering privileges to other parties and specially after enforcement of 18th Amendment, Parliament is like a rubber stamp. more..

Oct 30 (DM) Anyone visiting India at any time of the year could be forgiven for believing that we Indians hardly work. There is rarely a month without a single day or several when banks are shut, consumers crowd malls, gridlock chokes the streets and overall productivity takes a back seat. The worst thing is that one can’t even drown one’s sorrows on such days; the majority of public holidays are ‘dry days’ with liquor shops downing their shutters and restaurants closing their bars. more..

Oct 30 (DM) Govt’ s preparations for a snap presidential election are gathering momentum at the moment with the opening of election co-ordinating offices at each electorate and engaging its political allies to mobilise their fullest possible support. A number of the organisers of the UPFA have already opened offices in their respective electorates for the co-ordination activities of the election campaign once it is declared shortly more..

Oct 30 (CG) Parliament today condoled over the deaths following the massive landslide at Koslanda in the Badulla district yesterday. Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that all the relevant ministries have been instructed to take appropriate measures to assist in the rescue operations and help those affected. UNP MP John Amaratunga also expressed deep sorrow over the deaths saying it was the worst natural more..

Oct 30 (SL) Veerasingham Anandasangaree, Secretary General of the TULF, has written to Indian PM Narendra Modi and SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa, to say that they should talk to the TULF rather than the TNA, because the latter is nothing but a vestige of the separatist LTTE. He has pointed out that since the LTTE’s military decimation in May 2009, the TNA has been acting at the behest of dominant pro-LTTE more..

Oct 30 (ST) New thermal cameras are to be installed on trains to detect elephants 1km away and prevent collisions, and the Railways Department is taking cognisance of driver suggestions during a pilot project to have an effective system running next year. The resumption of train services to the north has increased the risks of collision with elephants, said Locomotive Engineers’ Union General Secretary more..

Oct 30 (Island) The Chief Minister (CM) of the Northern Province (NP) requested the EPDP Opposition Leader of the NPC S. Thavaraja to resubmit his resolution urging the Council to take steps to protect and preserve the land of last King of Jaffna Sangiliyan at the next sessions of the NPC on Wednesday. S. Thavaraja said that he had submitted the above resolution when the NPC met for the 18th time on Tuesday. more..

Oct 30 (SLA) A contingent of more than 500 soldiers of the Army serving 11 Division of the Security Force Headquarters - Central (SFHQ-C), have been currently conducting rescue operations of the landslide-affected Koslandawatta-Meeriyabedda estate areas of Haldummulla Divisional Secretariat since Wednesday morning. SFHQ-C, on being informed of the catastrophic situation by nearby Army detachments under more..

Oct 30 (ANI) The United States has said that the Govt of Sri Lanka has not made any specific requests for assistance in search and rescue operations in the aftermath of Wednesday's landslide, which is believed to have buried about 300 people. Responding to a media query whether the U.S. Embassy in Colombo been in touch with the local authorities, Jen Psaki, Spokesperson of the State Department, said. more..

Oct 30 (AM) UNP General Secretary Tissa Aththanayake has said that the UNP will do justice to former Army Commander and DP Leader Sarath Fonseka within 72 hours when a UNP president ascends to power. UNP General Secretary has made these remarks in a context where an understanding is building between the two parties where the next presidential election is concerned. "UNP will remove all legal bartiers more..

Oct 30 (CT) The IUSF and MFSAC charged that the politicized Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), was going back on its former stance regarding the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), was now planning to legitimize it. Convenor of the IUSF Najith Indika and Convenor of the MFSAC Ryan Jayalath said, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, of the Kelaniya University Prof. Nilanthi Silva, more..

Oct 30 (AM) Official death toll of the massive landslide in Koslanda and Haldummulla has risen to 192. Badulla District Secretary Rohana Dissanayake has made an announcement disclosing a name-list of 192 people who died in the landslide incident which occurred early yesterday. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, accompanied by MP Namal Rajapaksa, has arrived at Koslanda a short while ago, President’s media unit said. more..

Oct 30 (CT) The Rajapaksa-verdict has arrived. No one assaulted Chris Nonis. He drank too much and fell off a stool. Twenty eight fellow-guests have given written evidence to that effect. Perhaps Chris Nonis, physician, diplomat, businessman, now has an inkling of what it feels like to be Mohammad Irshad. Mohammad Irshad was the Samurdhi official who was tied to a tree by Mervyn Silva. That outrage was committed in public, in the presence of many witnesses including uniformed police officers. more..

Oct 30 (Island) There are 28 liquor shops within 500 metre radius of the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, according to a document tabled in Parliament. The document tabled by Chief Govt Whip in response to a question raised by JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the licences for all those liquor outlets had been issued prior to December 31, 2005. The primary purpose of 24 of those outlets was not selling liquor but they operated as sports clubs, restaurants and hotels. more..

Oct 30 (LBO) Stocks closed 0.39% higher with index heavy John Keells Holdings gaining amid continued foreign buying. All Share Price Index closed 28.51 points higher at 7,294.41, up 0.39%. The S&P SL20 closed 21.99 points higher at 4,051.42, up 0.55%. Turnover was 2.20 billion rupees with 95 stocks closed positive against 103 negative. People’s Leasing and Finance closed 40 cents higher at 21.70 rupees with four off market transactions of 376.25 million rupees changing hands more..

Oct 30 (CT) In a few weeks, Sri Lanka will mark the 10th anniversary of the 2004 Tsunami, the most terrible disaster that ever hit this island. During this decade, the world has made vast strides in disaster preparedness and mitigation. An example can be found in neighbouring India, where cyclones would typically kill thousands. But, when Cyclone Hudhud hit Andhra Pradesh two weeks ago, Indian authorities were so well prepared that they evacuated half a million people from more..

Oct 30 (CT) The biggest question on everyone's minds is, can he or can't he? Can President Rajapaksa contest a third term? Though, for some, the question is a foregone conclusion, many yet would like it to be debatable: there are two sides to adebate. Queensland University's Chair of Public Law Prof. Suri Ratnapala was asked for his legal opinion by President of BASL, Upul Jayasuriya in order to resolve the issue. more..

Oct 30 (CG) The Colombo High Court today issued the death sentence on eight people, including five Indians after they were found guilty for heroin smuggling. The three Sri Lankans and five Indians had posed as fishermen when they were arrested in 2011 by the navy near the Delft islands. During investigations, the GPS technology had been used to verify if the convicts were actually fishermen. Investigations had revealed that the convicts had smuggled heroin between India & SL. more..

Oct 30 (Island) Military Spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said foreign passport holders would not be prevented from travelling to the North if they were able to meet the requirements specified by the Defence Ministry. "The govt has imposed no restrictions on foreigners travelling to the north and some have been stopped from going there as they could not give valid reasons for their travel, he said. "There are certain elements who want to travel to the north for sinister purposes more..

Oct 30 (CG) The TNA says it is ready for conditional talks with President Rajapksa to reach a political solution to the Tamil issue. TNA leader R. Sampanthan told Parliament today that his party is ready to negotiate with the President based on three statements the President had made following the end of the war. The three statements include one made following a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon when more..

Oct 30 (Reuters) Sri Lankan rupee traded a tad firmer on Thursday due to inflows from remittances and exporter dollar sales after the central bank prevented the local currency from falling below 131.00. The spot currency was quoted at 130.85/90 per dollar at 0828 GMT compared to Wednesday's close of 130.80/131.00. It was largely untraded last week on moral suasion by the central bank. Dealers said three-day forward or spot next was actively traded in the absence of spot trade. more..

Oct 30 (ANI) India on Thursday stated that it will contest a Sri Lankan court's decision pronouncing the death sentence on five fishermen from Tamil Nadu by appealing against the sentence in a higher court in that country. "This is a court case which has been delivered by a lower court against fishermen who were apprehended in 2011. Since then, the case has been going on through the Sri Lankan judicial process. Now that the lower court has given its judgement we intend, more..

Oct 30 (AM) Opposition Leader Ranil Wiremesinghe along with several other UNP MPs will visit landslide-affected Koslanda tomorrow morning. Opposition Leader of Uva PC Harin Fernando, UNP MP Ruwan Wijeyawardena and a few other MPs will form the UNP delegation. Opposition Leader will monitor the progress of the ongoing rescue operations and look into the condition of the displaced people who are presently in camp. more..

Oct 30 (Island) A burglar recently ran for his dear life when his fingers were bitten by a resident of Pamunuwa in Daulagala. The thief had entered the room of the owner of the house and touched the latter’s face accidentally while groping in the dark. The intruder’s hand got into the mouth of the house owner, a retired engineer, who bit it hard in his sleep, police said. The thief ran away screaming. Engineer later found that his gold ring worth Rs. 24,000 which had been on a table had more..

Oct 30 (CT) Two well-known water-bottling companies had faecal matter in their bottled water, tests carried out by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) revealed. One of the companies is part of a well known supermarket chain in the country. This was found during a routine check on the quality of water sold by these companies. The Maligakanda Magistrate's Court yesterday ordered that all bottled water sold by the two companies be withdrawn from the market. more..

Oct 30 (CG) The UNHRC, while taking note of some positive developments in Sri Lanka, also raised several concerns and proposed recommendations in its concluding observations made today on the fifth periodic report of Sri Lanka. The Committee considered the fifth periodic report submitted by Sri Lanka at its meetings held on 7 and 8 October and today made available its concluding observations. more..

Oct 30 (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his deep condolences on the loss of lives due to the landslide in Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Modi wished the injured a speedy recovery. The rescue work resumed earlier this morning at the landslide disaster site in Koslanda region of Badulla district in Sri Lanka. According to Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre, over one hundred persons are feared trapped under the rubble. The landslide had occurred yesterday morning more..

Oct 30 (CT) A 74 year old unmarried teacher of Kiribathkumbura, Pilapitiya, Peradeniya, was raped and killed by a 17 year old youth who had learnt the alphabet under her when he was a child. The tragedy took place when the deceased, Leelawthie Menike, questioned the youth over cash in the house that had gone missing, allegedly committed by a worker employed in the house for a long time, according to the police. The youth, who escaped after committing the crime on Monday, more..