Jan 10 (CT) An unidentified group has attempted to set fire to UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya's office in Gampaha, sources close to the Minister said. A staff member of his office told Ceylon Today that about four or five unidentified people with petrol cans have entered the office premises forcibly breaking down the gate between 12.00 and 1.00 .a.m. He also said the security guard had interfered and inhibited the individuals from progressing further towards office premises. more..

Jan 10 (CT) The Canada Postal Corporation has told the Sri Lankan High Commission in Canada that it has not printed stamps promoting the LTTE�s separatist agenda. According to the external Affairs Ministry, following reports in the LTTE affiliated websites and media on the alleged issue of a personalised stamp by Canada Post Corporation promoting the LTTE�s separatist agenda which also includes a reference to �genocide�, the High Commission of more..

Jan 10 (LBO) Sri Lanka's telecommunications regulator has drawn up a new policy that will regulate construction and use of transmission towers by mobile phone companies and radio and television stations. The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission is seeking approval of the Cabinet of ministers for the 'National Tower Policy', TRC director general Anusha Pelpita said. The new policy will regulate construction and locations of telecom towers as well as their use more..

Jan 10 (BN) Lanka Orix Leasing Co. (LOLC), backed by Japan�s Orix (8591) Corp., is seeking 4 billion rupees to refurbish a coastal resort complex that will become Sri Lanka�s biggest, said CEO Kapila Jayawardena. The 350-room resort that comprises three of Lanka Orix�s hotels on the island�s southern coast will open by mid-2013, said Jayawardena. The Colombo-based company is seeking �long- term project� funding from both domestic and foreign banks, more..

Jan 10 (CI) At the end of a series in which they won a Test in South Africa for the first time but were dominated in the other two matches, Sri Lanka will be confident of a better display in the ODIs. They have a strong recent record in the format and have matched South Africa in head-to-head contests. South Africa will be looking to continue their proud home record in ODIs, which has seen them lose only two of their last 17 bilateral home series. more..

Jan 10 (SM) The communication unit of the UNP launched a new website this morning (Jan. 10). The launch of www.srilankaxnews.com by party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe took place at the JSS headquarters. The website will also have an online radio named X Radio. Chief coordinator of the website Sudath Chandrasekara said the website would initially be in the Sinhala language only. Later, it will have English and Tamil versions as well, he told �Srilankamirror.� more..

Jan 10 (GDI) The Intelligence Units have found that those held various posts in the Free Media Movement and those who have fled the country are working from foreign soils to misinform about the country and defame the image of the country, particularly among the western nations. It has been found that these anti-national elements sustaining on foreign funds have sent about 700 petitions calling for the suspension of GSP+ facility to Sri Lanka. more..

Jan 10 (AD) Judges should not give personal judgments in the hopes of gaining financial benefits, High Court judge W.M.P.D. Waraweva, who gave the dissenting judgment in the Sarath Fonseka court case, stated in open court today. He stated this after giving the verdict in a murder case. He stated that judges should not give judgments and verdicts in the hopes of gaining personal benefits or in fear of losing their luxuries while judgments more..

Jan 10 (RO) Mihin Lanka is to make some amendments to its schedule from February 1, 2012, boosting capacity to some markets, relaunching a couple of seasonal services into India and cancelling its daily link between Colombo and Male in the Maldives. The low-cost venture, formed in April 2007, is controlled by the Sri Lankan Government and specialises in serving cities in the Indian subcontinent, the Gulf States and Southeast Asia using a fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 equipment. more..

Jan 10 (AD) The Govt Medical Officers Association (GMOA) has decided to withdraw from all transfer boards of doctors from today due to irregular transfers by the Health Ministry, the GMOA stated. The GMOA Executive Committee which met today decided to withdraw from the transfer activities, �until the implementation of transparent transfer policy without any bias,� it said. �GMOA made several representations to the Director General and to the Secretary of Health, more..

Jan 10 (IPS) Every weekend it has been the same ritual for so many months. Buying the newspaper, going through the classified and the employment sections inch by column inch, marking job offers that could offer a chance, even remotely. Next comes the posting of applications, then the wait for interviews. That is as far as Harshini Hathurusinghe has gone. Her friend Anupama Ganegoda has seen life on the other side of the dreaded interview, twice. more..

Jan 10 (CI) From World Cup finalists to stumbling through three consecutive ODI series defeats, Sri Lanka's one-day fortunes have taken a sharp dip in the last 10 months. Every time they have shown signs of bouncing back, they have been struck back down. On their tour of England, they led the five-match series 2-1 before England came back. Against Australia at home, Sri Lanka were down 0-2, lifted themselves to win the third match, only to capitulate to Brett Lee and more..

Jan 10 (HN) President Mahinda Rajapakse states that an employee should not only think on what he should receive but also what the country should receive from him. The President expressed these views at a discussion which was held at Temple Trees with regard to strengthening and re-organising the trade unions affiliated to the SLFP. President Mahinda Rajapakse stated that an attitude change should take place within the members of the trade unions. more..

Jan 10 (DM) Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage referred to the newly elected Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president Upali Dharmadasa with obvious contempt and said Dharmadasa has to leave SLC if he can't "play ball" but paid glowing tributes to SLC'S secretary Nishantha Ranatunga saying that Ranatunga and himself are similar because they "both have brains". Answering a question by a journalist about the SLC financial situation and more..

Jan 11 (DM) The term Human Capital Formation refers to the �Process of acquiring and increasing the number of persons who have the skills, education and experience which are critical for the economic and political development of the country. Human Capital Formation is thus associated with investment in man and his development as a creative and productive resource. According to Schultz there are five ways of developing human resources. (a) Health facilities and services more..

Jan 11 (NS) Parents send their children to school for education. In this country, education is highly valued and often considered by many as the only way to progress. Therefore, those who design and deliver education in school and beyond bear a great national responsibility. Quality of education in our national and other institutions has been a recurrent topic of public concern in recent times. Since more recently, the processes of education, especially the conduct of examinations and more..

Jan 11 (TC) The unprecedented victory over the LTTE is being followed by equally unprecedented, albeit less felicitous, events. Abuse of power is hardly a novelty in Lankan politics. But the current crime wave generated by political acolytes of the Ruling Family is unprecedented in the annals of modern Lanka. Lawlessness is far from uncommon in times of war and conflict, but the crime wave we are experiencing is happening in peacetime. more..

Jan 11 (NS) I�m happy to see development in Colombo and Sri Lanka as a whole. However, even I feel a bit left out sometimes as, I think, do a lot of Sri Lankans. The average things a person needs - health, education, work - are not improving at the same pace as cosmetic Colombo. That needs to change. My old car cannot handle the Expressway, and I can�t afford much at the Dutch Hospital. They�re talking about building casinos (where I wouldn�t go) or building five star hotels more..

Jan 11 (SL) This column dedicated to the notion of making Sri Lanka the Wonder of Asia turns its spotlight today on the protection of elders in Sri Lanka as our society aspires that our elders should be respected and protected from ingratitude.When parents shower their love upon their children and give them everything they possess on earth they little realize that some children are indeed ungrateful and do not think twice of the misery they bring upon their parents when more..

Jan 11 (MoD) The 04th Golf Course in Sri Lanka �Eagles� Golf Links� declared open today (7) by Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and UDA Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa at Sri Lanka Air Force Academy Chinabay. The Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Roshan Gunethileke, Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama, Chief of Staff Air Vice Marshal Kolitha Gunatilleke, and other distinguished guest were present at the Occasion. more..

Jan 11 (SL) It is that time of year when one is permitted to take a trip down memory lane to 2011. Just a few days ago, a friend sat me down and insisted that I had been remiss in not exploring and analyzing the fact that our govt, which never tires of telling us poor plebes how absolutely brilliant it is, has displayed singular and monumental failure in every enterprise save those over which it had complete and untrammeled control. In fact, what he was suggesting was that more..

Jan 11 (Island) There was a news item recently attributed to the Ministry of State Enterprises that Lanka Phosphate Limited plans to produce triple superphosphate fertiliser instead of the currently produced single superphosphate and double the current production. This is a factually false piece of news which can mislead the public. It is important for the general public of this country to know the true facts and the failure of Lanka Phosphate limited so far to produce more..

Jan 11 (TC) Speech made by Mano Ganesan leader of the Democratic People Front, at the NSSP annual convention. �It is Answering Time for the southern Sinhala establishment. Tamils in particular and the Sri Lanka onlooker world community in large are the petitioners. Does Sinhala establishment consider the military defeat of LTTE as the defeat of the Tamil people? What is the way forward? What is the road map? more..

Jan 11 (Island) The govt is making a desperate attempt to reconcile the warring Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha members and their erstwhile boss, Minister Mervyn Silva and dupe the public into believing that their clash is purely an internal affair of the SLFP. Chief Minister of the WP Prasanna Ranatunga has told the Divaina that he is sanguine about the dispute being settled shortly. The SLFP has appointed a committee purportedly to probe allegations against Minister Silva, but more..

Jan 11 (NS) It is apparent that in spite of the elimination of the LTTE that the sole obstacle to reconciliation remains the inability to differentiate between what the Tamils have or do not have and what the Eelaamists desire and aspire but will not be given. Therefore, it is important that those proclaiming to forward proposals for future peace must first determine if Tamils have been marginalised throughout Sri Lanka and how far the aspirations of the Eelaamists have more..

Jan 11 (NS) Issues related to the bungled release of the GCE A/L Exam is still a main topic of conversation and debate. A five-member special committee appointed by President to look into the fiasco is currently in the process of conducting its investigations, and is expected to submit its report to the President by next week. Meanwhile, an unprecedented number of candidates have applied for re-corrections of their results, fuelling the argument that more..

Jan 11 (Island) The Commission Members of the country�s capital markets watchdog, the Securities and Exchange Commission, are expected to meet today to deliberate on the price bands and credit restrictions plaguing the exchange and also to appoint the next Director General, with three names being shortlisted for the post. The three-pronged race is between the SEC�s incumbent Director Training, Dr. D.B.P.H. Dissa Bandara, Attorney General�s Department�s more..

Jan 11 (Island) More than 8,000 visitors are expected at the Divineguma exhibition to be held in Mannar. The show will focus on reviving industries, specially cottage, in the region. "Many families in the area will be given the opportunity to become self-sufficient and event become suppliers of farm and livestock produce at micro level by this exhibition," said minister Rishad Bathiudeen. He was addressing the seventh high level planning session held at more..

Jan 11 (Island) In an obvious reference to Sajith Premadasa�s independent political activities, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday that members should work as a team and have the blessings of the party�s decision making body or face the prospect of being expelled. Speaking at a ceremony held at the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya headquarters at Pitakotte, to launch the website www.srilankaxnews.com he said that in terms of more..

Jan 11 (ST) Fishermen of the Moratuwa area claim that the Moratu-Modera fishery harbour facilities and buildings provide little benefits to the fishing community. "The fuel tanks installed for the purpose of storing fuel for fishing boats have been empty for months and fishermen have to travel to town to purchase fuel" said Moratu-Modera South Fishing Co-op chairman S.Ujitha. According to him, the deep freezer meant to store large quantities of ice contains low-quality ice, more..

Jan 11 (Island) There have been complaints from many local and foreign tourists about whale-watching tour operators competing to provide more thrills to customers, becoming a danger to the mammals. Witnesses say boats leaving the southern coastal towns like Galle and Mirissa, especially small motor-boats, are the main offenders. They venture past the recommended 100 metre radius from the whales, some closing in to almost 20 metres. Often there are at least seven or more..

Jan 11 (DN) The 59th birth anniversary of the late Jeyaraj Fernandopulle fell yesterday. He was killed in an LTTE suicide attack on April 6, 2008 at Weliveriya near the Kanthi Sports ground. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle was born on January 11, 1953 in Negombo. He was the third child in an eight member family. K C Fernandopulle and Alice Mary Fernandopulle were his parents. He was educated at Negombo Ave Maria and Negombo Maris Stella Colleges. Fernandopulle worked as an more..

Jan 11 (CT) A senior official of the parliamentary staff who went abroad several times to take part in the sessions of the Inter Parliamentary Union has not disclosed the details of his expenses to the Auditor General, highly placed Parliament official said. It is reliably learnt that he had obtained funds from the Sri Lankan branch of the IPU to cover his expenses. "The Sri Lankan branches of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Inter Parliamentary Union are more..

Jan 11 (DM) Sri Lanka will officially turn down India�s proposal to share their territorial waters by fishermen so as to avoid clashes in the fishing industry, Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne said yesterday. India�s Naval and Coast Guard Department representatives are expected to hold talks with the Fisheries Ministry on Friday in Colombo to discuss how to resolve the problems faced by the fisheries sectors of the two countries. more..

Jan 11 (DN) On the advice of LTTE supporters, a JVP faction led by Kumar Gunaratnam is engaged in hampering the university system, Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navarathna said. He said that the new JVP faction is behind the recent incidents in universities including student demonstrations at the Sri Jayewardhanapura University. This JVP faction is staging various well-planned actions in universities under the guise of protecting free education and more..

Jan 11 (Island) South Africa�s Media Manager Lerato Malekutu prior to yesterday�s media briefing with A.B. de Villiers had a question for a touring Sri Lankan journalist. �Is Thilan Samaraweera part of the ODI squad?� Don�t be surprised if that exactly was the question on most of the South Africans� mind, leading up to the ODI leg of the cricket series between the two countries. Samaraweera�s has been some sort of a Cinderella Story. Despite being the best player in the side of spin bowling, more..

Jan 11 (DM) The Ministry of Defence is to publish a comprehensive report regarding the civilian casualties that occurred during the last stages of the humanitarian operation. Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said that allegations of unaccountability of civilian casualties during the war were unfounded and absurd. �In any civil conflict there will be civilian casualties and that has to be accepted, however, the govt was very clear in its more..

Jan 11 (ICP) As the UN praises its own response to the earthquake in Haiti two years ago and even the cholera epidemic the UN alleged brought after that, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky on Tuesday could not say if even one of the 114 Sri Lanka soldiers repatriated for pedophilia had been disciplined. As stated in a report prepared for the UN Human Rights Council, 111 soldiers and 3 officers from MINUSTAH�s Sri Lankan battalion were repatriated due to more..

Jan 11 (Island) Reacting to the criticism posed by the opposition MPs regarding the failure to submit the audited accounts of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for 2010 to parliament, Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and Labour Relations, Upali Wijeweera said that the ministry would take necessary steps to present the report to the house within the course of this month. The ministry had not presented the report at the lapse of one year. "By January 5th this year the ministry had more..