Dec 17 (DN) The interim report of the WHO investigation into the use of expired plasma kits says that although it cannot approve the use of expired plasma kits no harm had been caused to the health of blood donors due to their use, Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said. He said that only one person is still undergoing medical investigations and according to the findings he does not have any major health problem. more..

Dec 17 (Island) The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation yesterday assured the public that there was no shortage of petrol or petroleum products in the country and there was no need to panic over rumours. CPC Bulk Supply and Bulk Movement Manager R. Marasinghe told The Island that CPC has sufficient stocks of petrol in the stores enough for another month. He said that apart from the remaining large stock, a ship was on the way carrying another 15,000 tons of petroleum products. more..

Dec 17 (Island) The economic recession, being experienced worldwide, had not been identified in depth by the government when presenting the Budget 2009, but the export sector and Sri Lankans working abroad were beginning to feel its impact. If the problem was not addressed immediately, economic and political instability will follow in due course, JVP trade union leader and parliamentarian K. D. Lalkantha told The Island yesterday. more..

Dec 17 (DM) Sri Lanka�s Lion Imperial beer won a Gold medal at the World Beer Championships hosted by the Beer Testing Institute (BTI) in Chicago in recently. The brand also emerged the winner in the Pale Lager category at the championships. Lion Imperial is a premium brand of the Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC portfolio, and as of now is produced exclusively for export markets. more..

Dec 17 (DM) The need for recognizing the rights and privileges of the minorities and the importance for religious leaders to be actively involved in fostering inter-community relationships was stressed at a seminar on the theme �Moving beyond conflict�. The seminar which began yesterday was organized by the Mahabodhi Society, Council of Hindu Priests, Sri Lanka Methodist Church, Congress of Religions and Muslim Aid Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 17 (LBO) Sri Lankan apparel exporters say a temporary extension of a scheme giving duty free access to European markets provides time to recover lost orders, cut costs and ensure compliance with its eligibility criteria. Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association chairman Kumar Mirchandani said industry and government should use the respite given by last week's extension of the GSP Plus trade scheme to work on getting it extended for a full three years. more..

Dec 17 (IANS) Two leading Hindu groups in India have declared their support to 'Hindu Tamils' in Sri Lanka after a Tamil MP from there alleged attacks by security forces on temples in the island. The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) told M.K. Shivaji Lingam of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) separately that they opposed assaults on Hindu shrines and culture in Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 17 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's military on Wednesday said it was assaulting the edge of Kilinochchi, which the separatist LTTE claim as capital of the nation they want to create for Sri Lankan Tamils. The military has made the most battlefield progress since the war began in 1983. That has analysts asking if the ground war could soon be over. Here are some scenarios of what could happen next: more..

Dec 17 (Reuters) Governments in the Middle East should act quickly in 2009 to fulfill promises to protect the rights of migrant women, a U.S.-based rights group said on Wednesday. Millions of women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia and the Philippines work as maids in Arab states, many of which exclude domestic workers from protection in their labor laws. Several countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar are more..

Dec 17 (UPI) More than a year and a half after the Sri Lankan government retook all inhabited territory in the east and dismantled the administrative apparatus of the LTTE there, periodic reports of violence and killings continue in that former war zone. There is an informal travel advisory against foreigners travelling to the east on account of the absence of security guarantees, and government members do not travel there without special security. more..

Dec 17 (Reuters) Sri Lankan troops assaulted the outskirts of the separatist Tamil Tigers' self-proclaimed capital on Wednesday, the military said, a day after both sides said they killed more than 100 in a series of confrontations. For a second day, troops launched coordinated assaults on the lines of trenches and earthen "bunds", or bunkers, that the Tigers have built encircling their headquarters town of Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka, more..

Dec 17 (LBO) Supreme court ordered the government to reduce the price of petrol to 100 rupees a litre from midnight Wednesday and consider reducing the price of diesel as well. The order was given in response to a public interest petition filed by an opposition lawmaker. Petrol is now priced at 122 rupees and 135 rupees for the two types sold. Court also ordered the government to narrow the existing margin in the prices of 90 and 95 octane petrol. more..

Dec 17 (AP) Sri Lankan fighter jets and attack helicopters pummeled rebel fortifications across the north Wednesday, the government said, a day after a series of raging battles killed scores of fighters. The burst of violence came as Sri Lankan forces pushed ahead with their offensive against the Tamil Tigers' northern stronghold in the face of punishing seasonal rains and stiff rebel resistance. more..

Dec 18 (MN) "I was very scared. But then I thought: this did not happen because of something I had done wrong. I wanted to tell but I just did not have the courage. My father would have been very sad. He only has three girls and he loves me very much. I did not have the courage to tell him because he might get sad. I would have my period every month but I didn't have my period in April. That's how I found out. I was sad I could not tell anyone about it. more..

Dec 18 (AHRC) The purported aim of the committee and its report is to prevent the abuse of funds by NGOs, a very laudable aim. If this be the actual aim there is a very easy and simple solution which is to improve the law, and the implementation of the law, relating to bribery and corruption in Sri Lanka. If there is such a huge hole in the net for catching anyone engaged in the abuse of funds that should reach the public, it is not possible to catch anyone with such a net. more..

Dec 18 (SN) The invitation was personally delivered by Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Seychelles Anura Rajakaruna, visiting from his South African office. Mr Rajakaruna said a number of agreements would be concluded during the visit and he hoped President Michel would take with him a delegation of representatives from the business sector for them to explore mutual opportunities with their Sri Lankan counterparts. more..

Dec 18 (TC) The Sri Lankan forces have suffered major losses at the hands of the LTTE on a single day of fighting in the North. Tuesday December 16th turned out to be a �Black Tuesday� for the armed forces as they incurred around 650 casualties in fighting against the LTTE in both the Northern mainland of Wanni as well as the Jaffna peninsula. Tuesday is the day of Mars regarded as the God of war in Greek mythology. more..

Dec 18 (TC) "This article provides an overview of the crisis in Sri Lanka and states why an armed conflict has developed in the northern and eastern parts (north-east) of the country. The Tamils' accusations�of discrimination, denial of the right to self-determination, abrogated agreements and violations of international human rights and humanitarian law amounting to genocide by successive Sri Lankan governments�are supported by more..

Dec 18 (LBO) Sri Lankan tea growers said their harvests had halved with the collapse in prices at the Colombo auctions, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of small farmers and the local economy. Chandrasena Wijesinghe, convenor of the Joint Federation of Tea Small Holders, said they plan to organise protests in all tea growing areas from this week to highlight their plight and the inadequacy of government support. more..

Dec 18 (GDI) A spokesperson for the Metereological Department told www.news.lk that there was no threat of cyclonic conditions developing off the coast of Moratuwa. The spokesperson further said that the unusually strong winds that have been reported in the area are the results of a condition sometimes produced by large cloud formations. Apparently such conditions typically last for a period between 15 and 25 minutes. more..

Dec 18 (LD) Ranil Abeynaike, the manager of the Sri Lanka team to the Hong Kong Sixes cricket tournament, had pocketed a share of the players' fees as well, reports say. As Sri Lanka was eliminated in the first round, a player has received a fee of around Rs. 65,000 from organizers. Sri Lanka Cricket normally pays 50 US dollars a day per player for a tour, and an official gets paid a higher fee. more..

Dec 18 (IE) Jacqueline Fernandes, Miss Sri Lanka 2006, is all set to enter Hindi film industry. With her stunning looks and shapely body, Jacqueline is a perfect candidate to be a heroine in Bollywood. Her debut being Aladdin in which she plays the character of Jasmine. And another surprise is Amitabh Bachchan is the genie of this fantasy film. He sung the title song of this film - Aladdin. more..

Dec 18 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's rupee edged up on Wednesday from a 14-month low over worries about future dollar liquidity, prompted by a pending court ruling involving five banks, dealers said. Shares marginally recovered from a four-year closing low led by telecom shares in thin trade. The rupee ended at 111.80/85 per dollar, slightly firmer than Tuesday's close of 111.85/95. It touched 112.00 on Tuesday, when more..

Dec 18 (LG) Many learned men and women have expressed their views on Science and History in the pages of "The Island" and I was thinking of responding to them at sometime. In fact, on the second of July this year I had intended to commence a series of articles on History, which unfortunately did not go beyond the first instalment. I am now of the opinion that instead of responding to various scholars who contributed to these "debates", more..

Dec 18 (LG) The latest LTTE cadre to narrate openly about the terrible ordeal she had been through was the 26 year old, Nadarasha Rajeshwari alias Sekkuil in the terror outfit who was conscripted to the LTTE when she was barely 16 years of age. The woman Tiger who took to LTTE arms in 1998 after the teenager was forced to do so received gunshot injuries in Kumulamunal, Welioaya when trying to lay an LTTE ambush against advancing troops. more..

Dec 18 (TC) The civilian casualty toll mounted in the north as two were killed and thirteen injured during aerial bombardment undertaken by the Sri Lankan Airforce. Airforce spokesman said that the Airforce Sri Lankan Airforce conducted seven airstrikes in the suburban areas west and north of Kilinochchi town and in Iranaimadhu. Nanayakkara said that the strikes were in support of the 57 and 58 divisions fighting in the area and that the first airstrike occurred at 11. 30 am on Tuesday December 16th. more..

Dec 18 (TC) Fierce fighting continued for the second successive day in areas south- west and north � west of Kilinochchi and west of Paranthan on Wednesday December 17th. Soldiers of the 57 and 58 divisions sustained casualty rates numbering nearly 250 but managed to both retain and expand their hold on the earthbund constructed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)as a defensive measure. more..

Dec 18 (AT) Recently at an interview Mangala Samaraweera tried to under- value the need to defeat the LTTE by going to great lengths in explaining that the terrorism can exist even without a claim for a land. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to know that there are groups with different objectives who depend on armed violence. But, Sri Lanka is mainly concerned about the LTTE terrorism and whose main objective is to carve out a separate country of their own. more..

Dec 18 (AT) The world is in unison that the scrooge of terror must end. Whether these attacks are aimed at innocent people, VIPs, world leaders or economic infrastructure becomes immaterial and we must unite to condemn these attacks. The more we wonder how the menace of terror has become invisible we need to factually take into account the sources and links that have directly or indirectly pumped life into these monsters and their terror cells and establishments. more..

Dec 18 (AT) Sheikh Jamal Ali Saleh Suleiman (Sammarah), Head of the Daawa & Tableegh Center of Beit � Or Tehta in Ramallah, Palestine has made an appeal to all followers of Islam in Sri Lanka to extend their undivided support to President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his struggle to unite the country and make Sri Lanka a prosperous nation. Sheikh Jamal, representing this influential Islamic body in Palestine made this call in a signed statement dated 03rd December 2008, more..

Dec 18 (LG) Squint-eyed people have been cruelly described by some humourists (in colloquial English) as: �Colombo looking Matara going people.� Critics of the Rajapakse government�s military strategy in the north may well call it a �Killinochchi looking everywhere going� strategy. The focus of the military strategy for the past six months has been on the capture of Killinochchi town. more..

Dec 18 (LG) Sri Lankan former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera visited to Norway official said. Samaraweera's visit comes days after the Colombo exposed battle front in Ki'linochchi. The first high level discussion between President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government former top official and Norway since the unilateral abrogation of the Oslo-arranged CFA by Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 18 (PISL) Amongst the saddest stories connected with the welfare centres for internally displaced persons set up in Mannar are those of the University students who wish to resume their studies. A couple of these were sent on to Jaffna, but eight � and since then some more � have been held back. This seemed strange but, when the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights looked into the matter, more..

Dec 18 (LG) A crisis has blown up over the 2008 GCE O/L mathematics Paper. Mathematics is a compulsory subject and the candidates who sat the examination under the New Syllabus were the unfortunate victims. The Department of Education introduced the New Syllabus in mathematics from the year 2008 so that students would develop a liking for mathematics. It was hoped that this would bring down the percentage of students who fail in this subject. more..

Dec 18 (LT) An agitation had been carried out by five trade unions of the Rupavahini Corporation against the non availability of a bonus of Rs.30000/- promised by the authorities yesterday. As five of the employees who took part in the agitation have been dismissed there was a tense situation in the SLRC. General Secretary of Rupavahini Employees Trade Union P. Nandipala said the authorities pledged to make available a bonus of Rs.30000/- instead of the Rs.40000 demanded by the unions. more..

Dec 18 (LT) More than 3 million people depend on the tea industry for their living and due to the crisis it is confronted with the 3 million people have lost their income but the government is maintaining a silent attitude towards this crisis says Convener of the Tea Small Holders United Federation Chandrasena Wijesinghe. He said, �All this time we, as the Tea Small Holders United Federation, have taken various measures to demand that the government should mediate in this crisis. more..

Dec 18 (GDI) President of "Sadaham Sisila" programme, Ven. Attaragama Pannaloka of Fort Sri Bodhiraja Viharaya handed over more than 30 lakhs worth of consumable materials to the Head of the Army Regiment Major General Nissanka Wijesinghe to be distributed among the troops engaged in fighting in the North. The simple ceremony was held under the patronage of Minister of Mass Media and Inforamtiaon Hon. Anura Priyadarshana Yapa at his Ministry today (18). more..

Dec 18 (GDI) The Elections Commission expects to issue identification papers to persons without National Identity Cards, to enable them to vote at the forthcoming Central and North Western Provincial Council elections. Accordingly, measures have been taken to issue temporary identity cards to public with the assistance Grama Niladaris and superintendents of estates. more..

Dec 18 (GDI) The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Singapore strongly advises all Sri Lankans wishing to secure domestic employment in Singapore to ensure that they register themselves with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) and also follow the mandatory training programme conducted by the Bureau prior to their departure. This comes in the wake of a number of complaints from Sri Lankan housemaids employed in Singapore more..

Dec 18 (GDI) As a solution for the energy crisis the Government has taken steps to introduce "PROJECT SOLEN 10000" to the Monaragala district, the Minister of Child Development and Women's Affairs Mrs. Sumedha Jayasena said at a media conference held at the Information Department today (18). A total of 400 homes and 60 schools in the Monaragala district will benefit from this project. more..

Dec 18 (AT) There is no doubt that the BBC is a focal point of many controversial discussions on ethics of media. There is a general psychology that one does not oblige to smooth functioning of things all the time as it could be boring to others. It is not uncommon to the BBC to violate ethical codes in media and to provoke the listeners in order to draw the attention of the masses. more..

Dec 18 (GDI) Defence Advisors/Attaches representing seven nations were offered a battle-field view of the ongoing military operations against the LTTE, described by the Fedaral Bureau of Investigations, USA as the "most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world". Defence Attaches representing the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Maldives visited Security Forces Headquarters in the Wanni, Army 57 Division and 59 Division to obseve the on-the-ground military operations in the island. more..

Dec 18 (CI) Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka's upcoming allrounder, scored a career-best 168 off 259 balls to help Colts Cricket Club crush Colombo Cricket Club by an innings at Maitland Crescent and move to the top of the Premier League Tournament Tier A table. Mathews eclipsed the season's previous highest score - 165 by Ragama's Ian Daniel against Tamil Union Cricket. Colts' total of 379 did not appear to be challenging enough for hosts Colombo, more..

Dec 18 (AT) In Mumbai the terrorists struck again and more than 175 innocent civilians and members of the security forces were killed. Unfortunately innocent civilians of not only in Sri Lanka, but also in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Afghanistan are victims of terrorists� attacks at regular intervals. This issue has not been addressed in the proper way to end this continued attacks by the home grown terrorists, more..

Dec 18 (PISL) Bruce Fein has it seems used his contacts on TamilNet to challenge me for a debate over what he terms his model genocide indictment. A couple of days ago this indictment had been announced on TamilNet in an interview with Mr Fein, which prompted a response from me that drew attention to Mr Fein�s moral confusion. I have now been sent yet another article from TamilNet which suggests that Mr Fein�s confusion was deliberate. more..

Dec 18 (LP) The 56th National Badminton Championships will commence at the Royal College Sports Complex today. The Championship is conducted by the Sri Lanka Badminton Association and the events included in the Championships are men and women singles and doubles, mixed doubles, men�s veterans singles and doubles, masters singles and masters doubles. The important men�s singles event has attracted over 90 competitors and more..

Dec 18 (TN) Responding to an article that appeared in TamilNet on U.S. enthusiasm in 'developing East' to link it with markets in Western province, ignoring the Tamil perspectives on development, the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake, in an article that appeared in U.S. Embassy's blog has defended that the U.S. development program has a goal of "fostering economic development, good governance and stability while preserving the existing ethnic balance in the east." more..

Dec 18 (LNP) Shiral Laktilleke, an ideologue of the UNP at a recent seminar berated Victor Ivan with extensive data on why the war could not be won. We assumed then that his party opposed the war. But those of us who were watching the debate on the Defence Ministry Budget were taken by surprise when the UNP announced that it would vote for the Defence Ministry Budget to protect the unitary status and the sovereignty of the country. more..

Dec 18 (LD) A tense situation has arisen at Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation after its staff staged a protest, demanding the resignation of Chairman Dr. Ariyaratne Athugala. The protestors also want the payment of a Rs. 30,000 year-end bonus, as promised by the chairman to trade unions. However, the senior management that met on Dec. 16th has decided to reduce the bonus to Rs. 15,000 due to the financial crisis facing the institution. more..

Dec 18 (SAMN) Deputy Minister Mervyn Silva agreed to pay Rs. 750,000 to the petitioner company as ex-gratia payment for the damage caused to the TV video camera, when the rights violation petition filed by MTV Channel and its journalists against him came up before the Supreme Court yesterday, The Minister told court that his intention had never been to cause harm to any journalist and more..