Aug 25 (ST) The CID yesterday recorded another statement from the wife of ex- DIG Vaas Gunawardena after she was questioned for six hours, detectives said. They said Sharmalee Perera Gunawardena was questioned on a SIM card that was in her possession but had been registered under the name of a person from Galle. She was also questioned on the calls she had made to certain numbers after May 19, the day on which the businessman Shiyam was murdered. more..

Aug 25 (ST) The Govt, faced with a worsening budget deficit crisis, is to go in for deeper austerity measures and for the first time consider resorting to twin measures of cutting subsidies and increasing taxes to rein in rising costs. The all-round austerity measures also include further curbing public expenditure while increasing taxes and reducing subsidies or doing both. This came as debt servicing costs rose by 3% more than state revenue, a senior govt official said. more..

Aug 25 (AD) The JVP today charged that the only reasons Sri Lanka�s Police is unable to solve crimes carried out against journalists or media organizations is due to the govt �direct� involvement in them. JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that the country�s police department is capable of solving any murder or incident which has caused controversy. However, their inability to apprehend any suspect more..

Aug 25 (SL) The government is to seek US$ 60 million from a foreign bank to purchase an airborne survey plane to look for minerals under the earth. Approximately US$ 20 million (Rs. 2,500 million) will be required for the plane and other equipment, sources at the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau said. However the Central Bank has proposed that US$ 60 million (Rs. 7,500 million) be sought from a foreign bank for the plane and a dredger for the Ports Authority. more..

Aug 25 (Telegraph) Weird, isn�t it, when people you�d assumed long dead suddenly step out of the forest? It happened to me the other day, in Sri Lanka. I�d read a bit about the Veddas, the island�s original inhabitants. They were first described in English by a merchant of Wimbledon, Robert Knox, in 1681 (�wild men�, ferocious archers). I�d imagined they�d vanished years ago. But now here they were, just as he�d described them: half-naked, beards down to their chests, and more..

Aug 25 (IL) President Rajapaksa on his way to Belarus this morning inspected the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway which is due to open before the CHOGM in November. The construction of the highway is nearing completion and the President had talks with the Project Director and officers involved with the road construction. The Project Director informed the President that 95% of work has already been completed while the more..

Aug 25 (NS) The CEO of Etisalat Sri Lanka, Dumindra Ratnayake, said he was still in the dark over the takeover talks circulating in the media. India�s Bharthi Airtel, world�s fourth biggest telecom operator in terms of subscribers, is currently in discussions with Abu Dhabi�s Etisalat to sell off its Sri Lankan operations to the latter, the ET reported on Friday. �I am completely unaware of this development and you will have to contact whoever who reported this,� said Ratnayaka. more..

Aug 25 (PTI) DMK President M Karunanidhi stressed that setting up of an Indian naval base in Dhanushkodi or Mandapam near Rameswaram will bring a "lasting solution" to the issue of alleged attacks on fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. He said both the Centre and the Kerala Govt were firm on taking legal action against two Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen from that state. Karunanidhi said that many problems would have been averted if the Centre and TN govt more..

Aug 25 (Island) Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has made no firm commitment that he will attend the CHOGM Sri Lanka is hosting in Colombo in November. This was disclosed by a top source who was involved in the meeting Dr Singh had with Minister G.L. Peiris here on Aug 19. Prof Peiris called on Dr Singh and handed over to him a letter from President Rajapaksa, inviting him to attend the CHOGM, due in Colombo during more..

Aug 26 (SL) Provincial Councils have served no useful purpose for the good of the country and has been a �white elephant�. The cost of up-keeping the provincial councils and their members has been very high and is unbearable to a poor country like ours. On the other hand, provincial councils have produced corrupt politicians. Hence, the country will be better off without provincial councils. On the other hand, if land and police powers are devolved on provincial councils, they more..

Aug 26 (SL) IT is popularly acknowledged that Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne represent the future of Sri Lanka cricket. The young trio, since debuting in international cricket three to five years ago, has enjoyed permanent status in the national side across all formats of the game and hence, have become the face of our future. As well, the permanency of Mathews and Chandimal is endowed with gilt-edged guarantee: Mathews is Test and ODI captain; Chandimal more..

Aug 26 (SO) Increasing incidents of poaching by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters have become a volatile issue with tensions running high among local fisher-folk who were recently given fishing rights in the Northern waters. This issue has become a contentious issue for South Indian politicians. In this backdrop, last week over 100 Indian fishermen were indicted by Courts in Jaffna and Trincomalee in the N&E provinces. more..

Aug 26 (NS) Navanethem �Navi� Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, is due in Sri Lanka today. Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe expects Pillay to come with an open mind. Pillay, for her part, said on Friday that she has an open mind and will not be pre-judging anything ahead of her visit. Well, words are words, can be used to communicate, can be used to miscommunicate, to lie and distort, play down or exaggerate. Pillay knows words. Pillay employs them. more..

Aug 26 (NS) A man who had exposed himself to a woman in Mt. Lavinia was recently sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment (suspended for 5 years) and ordered to pay the woman Rs. 5,000 by way of compensation. Now, our politicians expose themselves (indecently) to the general public all the time. Never mind the suspected sentences, but if they all had to pay just Rs. 10 to each and every unhappy person forced to cast eyes on their indecency, the entire population would more..

Aug 26 (CT) It was supposed to be winding down time, 2 a.m. on Friday night. But Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema had a reason to feel uneasy. Just the day before, a dead cat had been placed on the front porch of her residence, where she lives with her parents, husband and the only daughter. But by the time the gang entered, the family was sound asleep. Uneasy since then, Mandana and her husband Romesh more..

Aug 26 (DBS) With the elections have also come the TNA�s charges of misuse of official machinery by the government parties and their Ministers. The Northern Provincial Council polls are for real now. Tamil leaders of all political hues not wanting to resign their seats in parliament to contest the Chief Minister�s post may be ruing their hesitation. They used to say that the govt would get the process stayed one way or the other. The promise of an election was only to convince more..

Aug 26 (SL) As the Commonwealth Summit draws closer, the world is going to turn its attention to the situation in Sri Lanka. It is a major international event, and people will want to know what is happening in the host country. When Mahinda Rajapaksa stands up to welcome his fellow heads of govt, talking about their shared values and vision, he will give them the perfect opportunity to ask questions � principally, do we really have anything in common with this administration? more..

Aug 26 (IL) President Rajapaksa declared open new Administration Office of the Sri Lanka Board of Investments (BOI) at the Mirijjawila Export Processing Zone in Hambantota. The new admin office will control all administrative and processing activities for exporting goods of the Mirijawila Export Processing Zone. It is located in close proximity to the Hambantota seaport, Mattala Airport, international conference hall, more..

Aug 26 (ST) Last week we pointed out that the fiscal imbalance required a two-pronged strategy of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. The foremost challenge in this strategy is to restrain aggregate demand of both govt and private sector spending. However, in the current situation, the containment of govt expenditure is the principal priority. The curtailment of recurrent expenditure and restraints on capital expenditure are needed to reduce the deficit to an acceptable level. more..

Aug 26 (SO) Lokumenike was the youngest in her family. She was a calm and quiet person who kept to herself. She had a sister and two brothers. Her parents were poor and struggled to ensure their children's well-being. They lived in Pulasthipura, a backward area in the Polonnaruwa district. However, Lokumenike's parents kept the home fires burning and ensured the children were kept under one roof. They also ensured the four of them had a reasonably good education. more..

Aug 26 (BBC) The UN's human rights commissioner has arrived in Sri Lanka on a fact-finding mission after the govt said she could visit former conflict zones. Navi Pillay is due to spend a week in former war zones in the north and east of the country. She is also expected to hold talks with President Rajapaksa. The UN said at least 40,000 civilians, mainly Tamils, died in the final months of the conflict between the govt and more..

Aug 26 (NS) With a view to providing necessary data for the policy makers to develop the three main sectors of the economy, agriculture, industry and trade and services, the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) is looking at releasing analytical results of the country�s first and ongoing economic census by mid if not late 2015, the Director General at DCS, D.C.A Gunawardena, indicated last week. The aforesaid census, which is conducted in four steps, has been launched in July this year. more..

Aug 26 (ST) The first 100 per cent electric Nissan Leaf will hit Sri Lankan roads promoting the green concept and ensuring significant fuel savings. EV Lanka (Pvt) Ltd is the direct importer of these vehicles to Sri Lanka and it has already brought down five Nissan Leaf cars as an initial step towards popularising the electric models in the country, director of the company B. Premanand said. He noted that the electricity in houses could be used to charge the car battery and it will more..

Aug 26 (ST) Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Asia�s super luxury hotel project in Colombo is at a standstill owing to some unexpected obstacles. Construction work on the 497-room Shangri-La Hotel Colombo located between the Galle Face green promenade and Beira Lake, has been suspended as the govt is demanding the company to make the US$ 200 million investment promised by them. The Shangri-La had brought in only $2 million instead of $200 million more..

Aug 26 (NS) The management of Access Engineering PLC (AEL), one of Sri Lanka�s leading construction companies says they are keen on expanding operations beyond the shores of Sri Lanka though Sri Lanka will remain its nucleus. �The steppingstone in this expansion strategy was laid when we secured our first overseas project in Papua New Guinea for Environment Monitoring in the Port Lae Development Project. At present, the Company is also seeking business opportunities more..

Aug 26 (ST) The Prisons Department has accelerated its work release programme which sees prisoners all over the country perform labour for Govt departments. There are 55 prisoners working in Colombo alone, said Gamini Kulatunga, Prison Spokesman. 25 of them are �contracted� to the CMC. They can be seen laying paving stones on Horton Place as part of a project funded by the Council. �We are getting prisoners booked on minor offences to perform these jobs,� more..

Aug 26 (Island) Q: Can we begin with your take on the situation in the country today? A: Today people who ask for water receive bullets, there is poison in the milk and lawlessness reigns. There are more than 64 UPFA / SLFP Provincial council officials including chairmen, deputy chairmen and senior officials on bail � is this the govt people have asked for? On the one hand there is a want to attract 2.5 million tourist in one year and more..

Aug 26 (ST) The Govt wants to introduce a special loan scheme for members of the armed forces, employees of statutory boards, corporations and state banks to buy houses. Ministers have decided that an official committee will examine how this scheme should be worked out under the Govt�s �Nilsevana Housing Project.� The committee will comprise a representative of the Treasury Secretary (Chairman), an officer from the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs more..

Aug 26 (LB) The govt has taken an initiative to rehabilitate the drug addicts instead of imprisoning them and proposed establishing rehabilitation centers for the purpose. Recognizing that drug addiction has become a huge problem in the society wasting the energetic young generation, Minister of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Chandrasiri Gajadeera has proposed the establishment of rehabilitation centers under the Bureau of Commissioner General of Rehabilitation. more..

Aug 26 (Island) As the pioneer instate of International Studies in Sri Lanka, the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) is organizing a Panel Discussion on the topic "13th Amendment: Voice from the North and East" The objective of this discussion is to contribute to the on-going debate in the country on the 13th Amendment (13A) to the Constitution of Sri Lanka and its implications an to obtain views especially of the Tamil and Muslim communities of the North, East, more..

Aug 26 (Island) United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has come here, at long last, on a seven-day visit. She is on record as having said that she will proceed with her �fact finding mission� with an open mind. She will have to do so for her own sake rather than anyone else�s as, otherwise, she will lose her credibility as the head of a vital UN outfit, but it is doubtful whether she will be able to maintain objectivity, going by her previous statements more..

Aug 26 (Island) The Automobile Carrier MV "Istra Ace" owned by Mitsui OSK Line, made its maiden call at the Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port (MRMRP) in Hambantota recently pushing the Vessel Arrivals count at MRMRP up to one hundred within a period of a little over one year since the commencement of its operations. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Lanka acts as the local agent for Mitsui OSK Line. more..

Aug 26 (CT) Despite the many abortive attempts to increase bus fare, Lanka Private Bus Owners� Association (LPBOA) once again threatened to take trade union action, unless the govt provides them with a diesel subsidy. LPBOA President, Gemunu Wijeratne, said they will not be able to increase bus fare on 1 September as initially planned, due to the on-going review of bus fares by the government-appointed Cabinet Subcommittee. He said, the government needs to take steps to provide more..

Aug 26 (SO) Leftist leader and Senior Minister of Scientific Affairs Prof. Tissa Vitharana vehemently criticised the TNA�s confrontational role which is detrimental to the interests of the Tamils. As leader of the LSSP which had always stood for the genuine cause of the Tamils, the TNA has failed in its duty by the Tamils in not helping the Government to find a solution, but acting only in the interests of pro-LTTE sections of the diaspora groups, he told the Sunday Observer. more..

Aug 26 (CT) Achala Priyadarshani, the law student who tragically lost her arm due to alleged medical negligence is looking forward to a happy future following her return to Sri Lanka after further treatment in Germany, where she was fitted with an artificial arm. She was treated at Autobok Healthcare Medical Institution in Germany, where she was titled with a prosthetic arm. The law student who had just arrived at her house more..

Aug 26 (CT) In view of the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo, about 200 suspected beggars, who had been arrested and held in remand custody, were transferred to a facility maintained by the Department of Social Services in Ridigama, last week. The beggars were rounded up at various places in Colombo on Friday and were remanded at the Welikada Prison. The following day afternoon, they were taken to Ridigama, sources said. more..

Aug 26 (NS) Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) Dr. Nalaka Godahewa last week highlighted on the need for Sri Lanka to regain the lost �MSCI emerging market status� if the country is to attract large scale foreign funds. Outlining that increasing market liquidity would be a critical requirement to support growth, the Chairman noted that out of the 288 listed companies the island currently had, 140 or almost 50% did not have a more..

Aug 26 (Island) Election monitoring group, CaFFE, said that visiting UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay should meet all other political parties and independent groups contesting the NPC election, if she decides to meet the TNA candidates. CaFFE Executive Director Keerthi Tennakoon said that as a responsible human rights official she should look into the rights of all candidates who were in the fray. more..

Aug 26 (DN) The stage is set for the latest edition of FACETS Sri Lanka 2013, the international gem and jewellery exhibition organised by the Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Association (SLGJA) for the 23rd year. This year�s event will be held from August 29 to September 1 at the BMICH. The event will be attended by over 150 stall holders including individual exhibitor pavilions from Myanmar, The National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA) and an SME pavilion from the EDB. more..