Mar 3 (AFP) China has emerged as Sri Lanka's biggest single lender in 2009, overtaking the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, the treasury said Wednesday. China lent 1.2 billion dollars to build roads, a coal power project and a port in the island's south last year, more than half the total of 2.2 billion dollars in foreign aid in 2009. Project loans accounted for 1.9 billion dollars of the total, more..

Mar 4 (Reuters) Sri Lankan shares fell 1.22 percent to a more-than-one-week low on Wednesday due to negative investor sentiment after the government said it had overshot its 2009 budget deficit target and would miss this year's too. The All-Share Price Index .CSE of the Colombo Stock Exchange fell 46.63 points to 3774.03, its lowest close since Feb. 23. It hit a record high of 3847.18 points on Tuesday. more..

Mar 4 (DW) "Everyone has a story"� is a weekly segment in the Arizona Daily Wildcat that aims to tell the story of an interesting person on the UA campus.This week, we�ve interviewed Jude Fernando, a mechanical engineering senior with Sri Lankan roots. His father was born and raised in Sri Lanka, about 20 miles off the southern coast of India. Jude Fernando was raised familiar with Sri Lankan culture. more..

Mar 4 (FG) The China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) has ordered nine MA60 transports on behalf of two Asian customers. Sri Lanka will be buying six of the turboprop-powered aircraft from CATIC, while the remaining three will go to Myanmar, says the official. The countries are acquiring the aircraft with the help of a Chinese government preferred loan scheme, more..

Mar 4 (BBC) Maritime officials say Somali pirates have seized a Saudi tanker in the Gulf of Aden. The Al Nisr Al Saudi had fourteen crew on board, but was not carrying any oil. Its captain is Greek and the rest of the crew are reported to be Sri Lankan. Sri Lanka's high commissioner in Kenya Jayantha Dissanayaka said that he has received reports that the ship is anchored at Garacad, a pirate strong hold in north eastern Somalia. more..

Mar 4 (LBO) Sri Lanka will host the 46th conference of governors of South East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN) and 30th meeting of the SEACEN Board of Governors in February 2011, the Central bank said. It said in a statement that at the last meeting held in February 2010 in Cambodia, governors discussed the importance of policy coordination in unwinding economic stimulus measures. more..

Mar 4 (SMH) Test cricket's most prolific wicket-taker, Muttiah Muralitharan, plans to retire from the five-day game at the end of the year and from all forms of international cricket after the World Cup next March. The 37-year-old, who has taken a world-record 792 wickets in 132 Tests, will finally call time on an 18-year career after the West Indies' two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in October. more..

Mar 4 (PTI) A 66-year-old deranged man was kept in chains and confined to his house for year and a half by his son in north western Sri Lanka. The shocking incident came to light when police raided the house and arrested the old man's son. Police found that the son kept his father chained in a makeshift shed of coconut thatching and polythene as he attended his normal routine. more..

Mar 4 (CL) A Brisbane Church agency is calling for the Australian Government to take a stronger stance on human rights violations in Sri Lanka. Brisbane archdiocese's Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC) made the call in the wake of a warning that Sri Lanka may lose preferential trade benefits unless human rights concerns are addressed. This follows the European Union's (EU) announcement that Sri Lanka's $3.47 billion textile and more..

Mar 4 (National) With the result of next month's parliamentary election almost a certainty, the focus has shifted to the floods of candidates overwhelming voters at the ballot box. President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling party is expected to romp to victory in the poll, which will see a total of 7,520 contestants vying for just 225 seats - the highest number in the country's history. more..

Mar 4 (GV) A perceptive and sensitive Sri Lankan has noted; It is reported that the people of the North, especially in the Jaffna district, have developed a feeling of dissatisfaction, disaffection and contempt towards the people of the South, who post the end of the war are now engaging in pilgrimage and sightseeing related visits to the North in large numbers, and in the process totally disregarding the need for privacy, more..

Mar 4 (TN) "Sri Lanka government is actively engaged in colonizing the Vanni districts of Mannaar, Mullaiththeevu and Kilinochchi with the families of armed force personnel and Sinhalese people,” Suresh Premachandran, former TNA MP and one of the TNA candidates contesting Jaffna electoral district, said. He also said that Sri Lanka Navy had invaded many acres in Mannaar where a big SLN base is being built. more..

Mar 4 (DNA) Death, in strife-torn Pakistan, can come in countless forms. Even in a cricketing cavalcade. That a cricketer can also be a target of terror attacks came to light a year back. Dateline Lahore & March 3, 2009. "We started from Pearl Continental at 8.30 in the morning. Just as we were reaching the Liberty Junction, about 10 gunmen attacked us. I just kept going. more..

Mar 4 (LG) The former commander of the Sri Lankan army, retired general Sarath Fonseka is today under military detention in much the same way that tens of thousands of Sri Lankans from the south, north and east in detention facilities in the recent decades. More than ever, the inability of the courts to intervene effectively to protect the citizens from arbitrary detention is a common phenomenon in Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 4 (LG) The Omadiyamadu Community of about 200 families live in destitute and devastated circumstances, They have good agricultural lands given to them under the Mahaweli Scheme but have not been issued any official titles yet; neither do they have the means and facilities to develop them appropriately. They need infrastructures and starter packets and also need to be organized as a development community with a credit union of their own and more..

Mar 4 (PTI) Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene does not even want to talk about the March 3 attack on his team in Lahore last year while Meher Khalil, who drove the Lankans to safety under a hail of bullets and grenades, still shivers with horror whenever he recalls the episode. Jayawardene was the Sri Lankan captain and Khalil was driving the team bus when the militants launched a brazen attack at the Liberty Chowk roundabout, more..

Mar 4 (LNW) The UNP Secretary General has informed the Elections Commissioner in writing about the alteration of the UNP nominations list for the Moneragala District without his knowledge. The letter titled “The fraudulent alteration of a name in the nominations list,” has requested the Elections Commissioner to hold a further inquiry in to the matter and include the name of Tissa Kuttiarachchi in more..

Mar 4 (PTI) India has stressed to the Sri Lankan government "the necessity" of reaching a political settlement acceptable to all the communities there, including the Tamils. "The government is of the view that the conclusion of the military operations in Sri Lanka provides an opportunity to make a new beginning and pursue a lasting political settlement in Sri Lanka," more..

Mar 4 (SLW) It is about bloody time we started talking about sex. Honestly, the way people approach the subject of sex in Sri Lanka, even on the blogosphere which we can safely assume to be a more educated liberated sample, is laden with coyness and guilt. It is no secret that to outsiders, especially Westerners, Sri Lankans appear sexually repressed. We do not talk about it openly without guilt or shame, and the resulting shyness and misplaced humour that it more..

Mar 4 (SLW) According to reports reaching us, Dan TV transmissions are disturbing NTV and Vasantham TV on UHF. Several viewers are complaining of the disturbance and have informed the TRC too which is as usual not willing to take any action. The disturbance of E FM transmission outside colombo was highlighted on this blog several months ago and a few days later TRC frequency monitoring vehicles were seen heading towards Negombo but no action has been taken to rectify the matter. more..

Mar 4 (LG) Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) a German philosopher is considered as one of the significant free thinkers in the history. Nietzsche was a "naturalist who believed that nothing more than nature exists. Naturalism has invaded every area of human culture. Naturalists do not believe in the supernatural. Therefore divinity is not a viable option for the naturalists. more..

Mar 4 (MoD) Colombo Fort Magistrate and Additional District Judge Lanka Jayaratne yesterday refused an application for bail of HICORP (Pvt) Limited Director Wellington Dehoedt, who had been remanded in connection with an alleged arms deal and remanded till March 17. The Judge in a lengthy order remanding the suspect said the CID had produced the suspect under the Public Property Act and the court has no power to grant bail. more..

Mar 4 (MoD) The newly constructed Mannar bridge and renovated causeway are ready to be opened after 97 percent of the construction work is complete. The bridge and causeway construction project commenced in 2007 aiming to be completed this year. JICA and the Sri Lankan Government have jointly allocated Rs. 2,460 million for the project. However due to LTTE terrorist activities, the construction process couldn't commence in 2007 and more..

Mar 4 (LP) Examination phobia of some sections of the students training to be qualified as the teachers have caused a massive damage to the public coffers of Sri Lanka. Examination Commissioner of Sri Lanka Anura Edirisinghe says that additional Rs. 12 million was needed to hold the postponed examinations of the Colleges of Educations. Around 3000 would be teachers studying in 17 Colleges of Education are to sit for more..

Mar 4 (wsws) The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Students for Social Equality (ISSE) will hold a public meeting in Colombo on March 5 to open the party�s campaign for the April 8 parliamentary election. The SEP is standing a total of 58 candidates on slates in four districts�Colombo, Galle, Nuwara Eliya and Jaffna. The SEP is warning that whichever parties win the election, the next government will launch a far-reaching offensive on the democratic rights and more..

Mar 4 (TN) While Colombo plans allotting lands for �retired� Sinhala army personnel in the so-called 'resettlement' schemes of Tamil North and East of the island of Sri Lanka, China and India compete in proving who is the best facilitator of Colombo in its demographic onslaught, Eezham Tamils circles said. China has emerged as Sri Lanka�s biggest single lender in 2009, revealed Colombo sources more..

Mar 4 (GDI) The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau took their worldwide �eDestination Sri Lanka�f and �eVisit Sri Lanka 2011�� campaigns to the �gNew York Times 2010 Travel Show�h It was held last at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre. Sri Lanka�fs Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr. Palitha Kohona inaugurated the event. more..

Mar 4 (GDI) Government has expressed its disgust over the contradictory comments made by the former Chief Justice. The Former Chief Justice at a function at the Democratic National Alliance in Colombo had said that Fundamental Rights petitions should be heard and concluded within two months. However, he reminisced that there were instances when he too were unable to do that during his time. more..

Mar 4 (LG) Lasantha Wicramatunge campaigned for a just Sri Lanka. He exposed many illegal activities that took place from top to bottom of Rajapakse regime. In a exclusive article, Lasantha's Sunday Leader exposed the contribution of Col. Gotabhaya Rajapakse to create a fake passport to Eastern LTTE Col. Karuna Amman. Creating forge passport under Sri Lanka Immigration law is a crime punishable by jail term and heavy penalties. more..

Mar 4 (DN) Who in this world does not have a story? Who in this world has no cause for complaint? Who in this world is not plagued by the worst crisis that humankind has ever experienced? There was a time when I had to read about the horrors of the world. Now I get it all in my inbox. From multiple sources. People write to me, urging me to take on this or that cause, promising me a lot of merit. �Pin sidda wei� they predict. more..

Mar 4 (LP) The first Tele village in Sri Lanka which is constructed in Ranminithenna will be declared open by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the 30th of March. The Tele village, put up in an area of 235 acres, is established in order to fulfill a long felt need of the film and tele drama industry. Minister Laxman Yapa Abeywardena said that he Government spent Rs 450 million for the first phase of the project. more..

Mar 4 (LP) Statements from 31 persons have already been taken in relation to the investigation regarding the allegations related to Retired General Sarath Fonseka. The statements were recorded from Military persons and civilians said Military Spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasingha. The spokesman also said that a summary of evidence is now being prepared and it will be handed over to the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army within the next few days. more..

Mar 4 (DN) A tea industry specialist with nearly half a century in the industry, says Sri Lanka's formal plantation sector has come a long way from the original British legacy. Reggie Rajiah, a Fellow of Institute of Plantation Management (FIPM), entered Sri Lanka's plantation sector in 1962. He has 45 years of experience in all aspects of the tea industry, as a planter, broker, director and buyer in Sri Lanka and overseas. more..

Mar 4 (MoD) The Information Technology Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) program organised by the ICTA created huge interest among the student population of the North. This was shown by more than 4000 students who participated in the three-day IT-BPO career guidance program ICTA held at the Jaffna Vembady Girls' High School the last three days of last month. more..

Mar 4 (MoD) Around 300 farmers in Vavuniya have been beneficiaries of a bountiful harvest received from a pilot corn cultivation project initiated by Plenty Foods a subsidiary of Ceylon Biscuits Limited. The corn crop has been purchased at a premium price for production of Samaposha. A disbursement of almost Rs 10 million has been made by the company to the farmers on the purchases. The project was commenced in September last year as more..

Mar 4 (LP) Sri Lanka�s first Maritime Artifacts Museum, located in the Old Dutch warehouse in the Galle Fort built in 1669, was declared open by President Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning. The Maritime Archaeology Museum comprising four large exhibition halls, an information centre, and a conference hall lays bare life style of the inhabitants in the coastal areas from the pre-historic age. This project costing Rs.177 million was funded by the government of Netherlands more..

Mar 4 (LP) Demining troops engaged in Mannar and Kilinochchi were able to recover more war items from the area yesterday. According to the Media Centre for National Security troops of the MAG De-mining team recovered 05Kg unexploded ordinance (UXO) during de-mining operations conducted Adampan area. The Horizon De-mining team recovered 32 x Anti-personnel mines during De-mining operations conducted in the Kattaiadampan. more..

Mar 4 (LT) Capt. Sanjeewa Kandanarachchi, a candidate of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) contesting the upcoming general election from Colombo District under the 'Trophy' symbol has been asked to be present at CID headquarters today at 10.00 a.m. stating it was necessary to question him. Capt. Kandanarachchi, who has retired from the SL Army, had been called for questioning by the CID on several previous occasions as a result of supporting more..

Mar 4 (LT) About 20 essential medicines for the cure and prevention of cancer are in short supply at the Cancer Hospital, Maharagama say hospital sources. Among the medicines in short supply are 11 types of medicines that are very essential for the treatment of cancer say these sources. The shortage of these medicines has existed in the hospital for two weeks and the patients had to buy them from outside. more..

Mar 4 (LT) The High Court and the Commercial High Court in Colombo inquiring into the petitions filed by the JVP requesting an enjoining order against "Naththa wenuwata Aththta" (Truth instead of untruth) written by NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa had issued an order banning printing, distribution and selling of the book. The JVP in its petitions stated that Weerawansa had written the book using material of minutes of its Central Committee meetings. more..

Mar 4 (LT) There is an attempt to buy two more aircrafts to 'Mihinair' which had been closed down after losing Rs. 3200 million in one year. Two Xian MA60 manufactured in China are to be bought for 'Mihinair' this year. Member of Southern PC Sajin Vas Gunawardene, a very close associate of the President was appointed the chief administrator of 'Mihinair' launched secretly by the President without even a cabinet paper. more..

Mar 4 (LT) The online petition launched to demand the release of Gen. Sarath Fonseka, who was arrested illegally by the Military Police and is being arbitrarily detained without any charges against him in a dark room without ventilation, has been re-launched after evading all obstructions brought to sabotage it states DNA. A spokesman for DNA stated that an organized group with ulterior interests had increased the number of accesses and more..

Mar 4 (UNP) The most Ven. Thibbotuwave Sumangala Thero, the chief incumbent of the Malwatte Chapter expressed grave concern over the prevailing lawless climate in the country citing the unchecked violations of the law in the country and the polls violence which are mounting fiercely with nobody including the Govt. and the Authorities paying heed, despite having knowledge of the disaster the country is fast heading on account of more..

Mar 4 (LP) Sri Lanka�s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr. Palitha Kohona was honoured with a Global Citizenship Award by the Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW). The ceremony was held at the Webster Hall in New York recently. The award recognizes individuals who best personify the global citizenship through their leadership in helping humanity, more..

Mar 4 (LP) There was a time when Sinhalese Tamil Muslim and other communities would have become aliens to the motherland and if we forget our history we would become so, stated President Mahinda Rajapaksa when addressing the gathering present on the historic opening of the now modernized Maritime archeological Museum in the heart of Galle today. more..

Mar 4 (DN) The former Chief Justice Sarath N Silva appearing on the platform of Sarath Fonseka has made a bizarre statement relating to the arrest of the former Army Commander/ Chief of Defence Staff. It appears that he has utilized the opportunity to stricture the present Supreme Court judges (Bandaranaike J, Siripavan J and Ekanayake J) for post postponing the case till April. more..

Mar 4 (DN) Sri Lanka authorities have renewed hopes of saving the life of Rizana Nafik now in death row in a Saudi Arabian jail after the translation of her confession was proved erroneous. Rizana was sentenced to death by a Saudi court for the alleged murder of an infant in her care in the home where she worked as a domestic. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said they were very hopeful of a favourable outcome in the Rizana matter. more..