Oct 13 (SCMP) If a picture is worth a thousand words, this one was particularly eloquent. Adding a fresh twist to what would otherwise be a plain vanilla diplomatic visit by the Chinese special envoy to Sri Lanka last week, former China-friendly president Rajapaksa tweeted a picture of himself posing with the Chinese special envoy. An endorsement of sorts of an old friend in trouble, picture signalled Beijing's willingness to keep more..

Oct 13 (CT) Credit card usage both in volumes and value terms fell in July 2015, a possible reason of which may be due to pressure on interest rates to rise. Credit card volumes July over June 2015 declined by 37,947 nos. or by 3.5% to 1,046,030; while in value terms the decrease in credit card outstanding was 3.39% or by Rs 1,944 million to Rs 55,452 million, latest data showed. Meanwhile, the benchmark one year Treasury bill yield during the review period saw its weighted average more..

Oct 13 (LBO) Senior Supreme Court Judge, Justice Eva Wanasundera has taken oaths as the acting Chief Justice before President Sirisena. Justice Wanasundera will act as CJ during the absence of CJ K Sripavan who is currently abroad. Prior to her appointment as Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court, in 2012, she served as Solicitor General and Attorney General. She made history when she became first woman Senior State Counsel, first woman Deputy Solicitor General, more..

Oct 13 (EN) Indian mega star Sachin Tendulkar is pushing a major sanitation drive in Sri Lanka encouraging children to wash their hands, something local politicians have already turned into a fine art. According to the UNICEF, a considerable number of Sri Lankans have joined the potty ranks of open defecators while 610 million in South Asia do not have toilets. A staggering 1,600 children reportedly die each day from more..

Oct 13 (CT) Minister of Education, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, said that President Sirisena had agreed to provide necessary assistance to the Education Ministry to take over Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium, where one of the two synthetic tracks has been laid. "Lack of a proper stadium under the Education Ministry was one of the drawbacks we had in developing school sports, and President has agreed to provide us this (Diyagama) ground which will be a big boost to school sports" more..

Oct 13 (DN) Tourism and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunge has dissolved the four director boards related to tourism of the Ministry with immediate effect. The boards were appointed in January by the then Minister Naveen Dissanayake. Minister Amaratunge said he will forward the names to be appointed to the four bodies today for the approval of President Sirisena and PM Wickremesinghe. Asked if there were new names included in this list, he said there were. more..

Oct 13 (DM) The hearing of the case over the Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra killing today began before a trial– at- bar comprising Colombo High Court Judges Shiran Guneratne (President), Padmini Gunethillake, and M.C.B.S. Morais. After Senior State Counsel Thusith Mudalige addressed the judges describing the incident precisely, the leading of evidence against the accused Anura De Mel, Chandana Jagath Kumara, more..

Oct 13 (DN) The new traffic plan introduced to lessen congestion during morning rush hours in the Colombo city was called into question by the public yesterday due to difficulties faced by them. Heavy traffic was reported at the Rajagiriya junction, Maharagama junction and several roads leading to Colombo. The new traffic plan was implemented yesterday between 7.30 a.m. and 8.45 a.m. to ease congestion in Colombo. All vehicles plying from Battaramulla to Colombo were diverted to more..

Oct 13 (CT) The Ministry of Defence has appointed a special three-member committee to conduct further investigations in to the floating armoury belonging to the Avant Guarde Company seized by the Navy in the Indian Ocean near the Galle Port. The committee has been appointed based on advice by Hettiarachchi. He denied that any high official of the Ministry including an additional secretary had ordered the release of the ship by stating that there were no weapons on the vessel. more..

Oct 13 (DN) D.M.S. Dissanayake, Senior Assistant Secretary in the Defence Ministry and the officer-in-charge of Civil Security, has come under investigation over the controversy surrounding the Avant Garde Maritime Services Limited. Dissanayake was the official who wrote a letter to the Navy Commander to release the vessel containing a consignment of arms for Avant Garde Maritime Services Limited. more..

Oct 13 (DM) Many, including the ministers of the former regime who were staunch supporters of former president Rajapaksa, are commending the govt for its handling of foreign affairs, especially the issues pertaining to the UNHRC. True, compared to what this year’s UNHRC resolution and other actions in respect of SL would have been, had the then president Rajapaksa still been in power, the stance taken by the world human rights body and the Western powers towards the country more..

Oct 13 (DM) Health scientists, policy makers and many others have focused attention on the rising epidemic of non-communicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and cancers. While many communicable diseases have been drastically reduced due to improving living conditions and spread of education, worsening environmental conditions have become a major source of illness as the persisting threat of dengue epidemic shows. more..

Oct 13 (CI) A habit West Indies have developed, after terminally descending into decline starting in 1995, is sparking controversy. From Nelson Mandela's intervention before the 1998-99 tour of South Africa to the latest saga with head coach Phil Simmons before the current Sri Lanka tour, the cricket world has collectively groaned at every fresh West Indies crisis as it has come to light. more..

Oct 13 (CG) The British Govt has affirmed the need for foreign judges in Sri Lanka’s domestic accountability process to ensure its credibility. UK Minister Hugo Swire, in a letter to a group of British MPs, said that the resolution adopted recently at the UNHRC notes the importance of the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign judges and defence lawyers in Sri Lanka’s judicial accountability process. more..

Oct 13 (FT) State Enterprises Development Deputy Minister Eran Wickramaratne yesterday said that Sri Lanka needs a vision for innovation and added that is it vital to create a partnership between industry and academia. Noting that the operating environment highlights the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship he said: “Innovation is vital to fast-track the financial success of a country. more..

Oct 13 (ST) Sri Lanka Customs has initiated a messy valuation system which has perturbed motor traders and confused prospective buyers on the eve of the 2016 budget, motor traders and customers complained. According to a gazette notification, customs authorities have been empowered to make the valuation of the imported vehicle without considering the declared imported value and it creates serious problems, more..

Oct 13 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena has given his consent to appoint a national level Trade Union Advisory Committee under his supervision. The Committee will be headed by the Secretary to the President and the relevant Ministers. The President gave his consent in this regard at a meeting with the representatives of Trade Union Federation for a Just Society, at the President’s Official Residence yesterday (12). more..

Oct 13 (SL) Following the expose on the two plots of lands granted for the Don Alwin Rajapaksa (D. A. Rajapaksa) Memorial Foundation by the UDA has been misused for personal purposes by Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa, his siblings and off spring, questions have been raised as to the action taken by the UDA against this foundation for violating the lease agreements. Director Lands, UDA, H.A. Dayananda more..

Oct 13 (Island) JVP demanded that the govt hold the local govt elections without any further delay. JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the govt postponing LG polls citing various reasons could not be accepted because deferring elections would amount to depriving the people of their right to franchise. "The govt’s objective is self-serving. It is wrong to continue the local govt bodies under commissioners. more..

Oct 13 (Island) Attorney-at-law J.C. Weliamuna confirmed that there would be international participation in the proposed domestic court to inquire into accountability issues in Sri Lanka. He said that Parliament would have to make the required amendments to pave the way for international participation in the process. A hybrid court would have been much better where the addressing of the issues was concerned, but more..

Oct 13 (BBC) Tamil prisoners in SL, some held without charge since the 1990s, have gone on hunger strike to press for their release. Some 223 inmates have joined the fast in jails in Colombo, Anuradhapura, Jaffna and Kandy. Most have been imprisoned on suspicion of links with the defeated Tamil Tiger rebel group. Tamil politicians are calling on the authorities to either release them, grant them bail or put them on trial. more..

Oct 13 (AD) Fort Magistrate’s Court today recalled the warrant issued on General Secretary of BBS Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero. The warrant was recalled after the General Secretary and two other monks surrendered before the Fort Magistrate. Earlier, warrants were issued as the BBS General Secretary and the monks did not appear in the Court in connection with two cases filed against them. more..

Oct 13 (Island) There has been a call for banning private tuition on Sundays so that students can attend Dhamma schools, as we reported yesterday. Such calls are made from time to time by religious dignitaries and prominent laypersons as a solution to the problem of growing indiscipline in society. Their contention is premised on the assumption that students attend private tuition classes against their will and they will make a beeline for Sunday schools if the aforesaid ban is imposed. more..

Oct 13 (CI) day after he was included in the Test squad for the tour of Australia as a replacement for the injured Corey Anderson, allrounder Mitchell Santner blitzed an unbeaten 70 off 43 balls to set up a match-winning total for New Zealand A against Sri Lanka A at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval. After Santner led his team to 299, the New Zealand A attack routed the visitors in 25.4 overs to sweep the series 4-0 with a 172-run victory. New Zealand A made a rapid start after choosing to bat, more..

Oct 13 (wsws) Filmmaker Prasanna Vithange recently spoke with the WSWS about With You, Without You (Oba Nethuwa Oba Ekka). 90-minute feature is the final instalment of his war trilogy, which deals with the human cost of SL govt’s 30-year civil war against the separatist LTTE. Death on a Full Moon Day (Purahanda Kaluwara [1997]) and August Sun (Ira Mediyama [2003]) were the first two films in the series. more..

Oct 13 (Reuters) Sri Lankan shares closed at their lowest level in two weeks on Tuesday as investors waited for clues from govt budget and September-quarter corporate results, brokers said. The main stock index ended 0.3%, or 21.55 points, weaker at 7,078.45, its lowest closing since Sept. 30. "Selling of large-cap shares was absorbed with the anticipation of the market reviving after the budget," said Danushka Samarasinghe, research head at Softlogic stockbrokers. more..

Oct 13 (Island) The co-sponsoring of the Geneva resolution by the govt as well as the support given to it by the TNA is a positive indication of the evolution of a spirit of partnership and joint problem-solving at the highest levels of national and international decision making that is necessary for promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in SL. However, this goodwill needs to be seen in practical terms at the ground level too in which people become the direct and immediate more..

Oct 13 (Island) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has assured Japan that all bottlenecks to doing business with Sri Lanka would be removed. He had given the assurance during talks with the Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, several Ministers and business leaders during his official visit to Japan last week. The two sides had agreed on holding an Economic Policy Dialogue at senior officials’ level in the first half of next year, to further enhance more..

Oct 13 (Island) Transport Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that a special licence issued by the Department of Motor Traffic to drivers of passenger transport vehicles would be made mandatory for them once the department completed the process of issuing them. He said the department had first implemented the project in the Western Province covering the Colombo, Kalutara and Gampaha Districts. Department of Motor Traffic had already conducted a two-day training course for more..

Oct 13 (DM) Prisons Department said 14 applicants for the two vacant posts of Hangmen were interviewed by a three-member panel comprising officials of the Public Administration & Home Affairs Ministry, Justice Ministry and Prisons Department at the Prisons Head Office. Two applicants would be selected after the interviews were completed. Those who had studied up to grade eight and aged between 19 and 40 and physically and mentally fit would be considered for post. more..

Oct 13 (CI) A move to No. 3 may help end Lahiru Thirimanne's lean trot, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews has said ahead of the first Test against West Indies in Galle. Thirimanne has been groomed for that role over the past two years and is now free to come in at first drop, following the axing of Upul Tharanga from the Test squad, as well as the retirements of high-profile batsmen. He has continued to be effective in the limited-overs more..

Oct 13 (CG) Pope Francis has appointed Monsignor Justin Bernard Gnanapragasam as the new bishop to the Diocese of Jaffna, Vatican Radio announced. Gnanapragasam, the Vicar General of the diocese is the new bishop of Jaffna. 67 year old priest takes over from Bishop Thomas Savundaranayagam, who has stepped down having reached the retirement ager of 75 two years ago. Bishop Savundaranayagam who had been Bishop of Mannar since 1981, was transferred to Jaffna more..

Oct 13 (Island) District Judge of Colombo, issued an enjoining order valid till Oct. 26, 2015, restraining the office bearers of the Democratic Party, from informing the Commissioner of Elections that plaintiff Rajitha Hapuarachchi, Member of the Western Provincial Council, has been expelled. The plaintiff said that a disciplinary inquiry had been held against him by the party officials over an allegation that he had supported the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the polls early this year. more..

Oct 13 (USE) US Navy recently concluded a two-week training session in Trincomalee to equip and support Sri Lanka’s underwater demining efforts. Working with scan sonars and robots donated by the US Navy, the SL Navy enhanced its ability to search, locate, and provide information on any unknown items underwater, including unexploded ordnance from the conflict in Trincomalee Harbor. more..

Oct 13 (CI) Their top orders are young, neither team has a bona fide head coach, and their boards are forever in some state of turmoil. A West Indies v Sri Lanka series pits against each other two sides that face somewhat uncertain futures. A series victory for Sri Lanka would help reassure the team's fans the future is not so dim. They have only lost all year. It has been 14 months since they won a trophy of any variety. A series victory for West Indies, meanwhile, would be cause for jubilation, more..

Oct 13 (AD) Court of Appeal on Tuesday further extended the stay order issued against the circular imposing a ban on full-face helmets. The stay order was extended until Nov 02 when the petition filed against the circular was taken up for hearing. A recent surge in crimes such as bank robberies and shootings committed by individuals wearing full-face helmets had led to the police department introducing the ban, which has been widely criticized by motorcyclists and politicians alike. more..

Oct 13 (DM) There are 78.4 square kilo metres of land in the Northern Peninsula which is yet to be cleared of landmines, the Japansese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Kenichi Suganuma, who was accompanied by mine clearing agent, HALO Trust Programme Manager, Damian Francis O' brien, said today. Duo came out with these details just after signing a grant contract under which Japan would provide a sum of US$ 801,311 more..

Oct 13 (Island) Hindu Federation of Sri Lanka (HINDFOS) yesterday alleged that Islamic extremism was growing rapidly in Sri Lanka and urged the govt to take immediate steps to neutralise it. Addressing a press conference in Colombo, HINDFOS, President N Arunkaanth said that a Hindu pooja had been banned in Kotahena recently by an extremist group. Arunkaanth said it was a violation of the people’s fundamental rights to impose such bans on religious ceremonies. more..

Oct 13 (AD) A 42-year-old daughter has been arrested for allegedly locking her 72-year-old father in a dog cage in Balagolla, the police say. The woman was arrested after an officer attached to a police patrolling team had spotted the man was being held inside the cage. The father was living in a cramped cage made of bricks and metal bars, according to the police. Victim has been admitted to the Menikhinna Base hospital. Suspected daughter will be produced before Kandy Magistrate, more..

Oct 13 (Island) TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran has given an interview to the Virakesari, Sunday edition (Oct 11) in which he explains that the UN resolution co-sponsored and endorsed by the government will establish a hybrid court and nothing less. MP Sumanthiran has said: "The passed resolution calls for investigation by a hybrid court. There are recommendations in OHCHR report. One of them says it has no faith in more..