Oct 21 (SO) This is the story of what happened to 70-year-old Kusumawathi from Galnewa, Anuradhapura. She was a mother of four children. She came from a poor family and had to work hard to keep the home fires burning. However, she was never discouraged in the face of hardships. Her husband Mudiyanse was a farmer and Kusumawathi helped him in his work in addition to her daily household chore which included the taking care of four boys. Kusumawathi always dreamed of more..

Oct 21 (ST) Sri Lanka�s Central Bank and other central banks in the region, heavily exposed to US treasury bonds, heaved a sigh of relief on Friday after an 18-day partial US govt shutdown ended. �We were all nerves,� noted a worried Central Bank official, saying the CB and other central banks have massive investments in US treasury bonds. �Anything could have happened (in terms of the value of the bonds) if the more..

Oct 21 (Island) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials have had a detrimental impact on Test cricket due to the manner in which they have set about their task cancelling several high profile Test series. A case in point is the canceling of the three match Test series against world�s number one ranked Test team South Africa. Some reports suggest that SLC had put off as many as ten Test Matches in a period of 12 months. I recall the last time the Proteas were here in 2006. more..

Oct 21 (Island) The fourth largest global destination for Lankan exports, is equally bullish on biz-partnerships with the country. "I thank you for making this event a real success. Your investment interest on Sri Lanka's new growth is now very clear and I invite you to November's 'Reflection of Sri Lanka' event in Colombo for a first- hand look on what we offer to the world" said an upbeat Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce of Sri Lanka in Brussels. more..

Oct 21 (FT) A group of Buddhist monks affiliated with the UNP has called on its Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to act honestly to seek a solution to the current crisis facing the party. �We urge you kindly to act with honest intentions, hold discussions and reach a decision,� the United Bhikku Front told Wickremesinghe earlier this week. In a letter dated 15 Oct, Anunayake of the Ramayana Monastic Order, Girambe Ananda more..

Oct 21 (ST) Combining 44 years of experience with latest and modern technology, a Sri Lankan boat builder, one of the biggest players in South Asia is making boats for Britain to penetrate the Asian and European markets in a big way, officials of the company said. Neil Fernando and Co. (Pvt) Ltd (Neil Marine) founded by Neil Fernando in 1969 has partnered with a British company to manufacture boats expanding horizons in the East and West, they revealed. more..

Oct 21 (CT) A special team of Air Force personnel were called in to put off a fire at the Thirappanthurai garbage dump in Batticaloa. The fire raged on for nine days, causing much inconvenience to the residents in the area. After being informed of the situation, Govt Agent of Batticaloa, T.S.M. Charles, sought assistance of the SLAF Unit in Batticaloa, to extinguish the fire. Several people from the area where the fire broke out had to be admitted to the Batticaloa Hospital, more..

Oct 21 (NS) According to the Sri Lanka Police, each letter in the word �POLICE� comprises different interpretations: P-Politeness; O-Obedience; L-Loyalty; I-Intelligence; C-Courtesy; E-Efficiency. This is how the Police Department defines itself on its website. However, for many members of the public, the letter �C� in �POLICE� may well stand for �Corruption� as for years, the Sri Lanka Police has grappled with the problem of more..

Oct 21 (Island) Ja-Ela and Kandana will soon be served by the second largest Odel department store in Sri Lanka. SL's premier fashion and lifestyle retailer has announced it will open in Kapuwatte, Ja-Ela on the evening of 25th Oct, for the benefit of residents of Ja-Ela, Kandana, Negombo and other towns north of Colombo. Comprising of 12,000 square feet of open, new-look retail space at the 'K Zone' complex between Kandana and Ja-Ela on the Colombo-Negombo Road, more..

Oct 21 (TS) IT seemed like any other normal day, what with the revelry winding down a day after Christmas, but Dec 26, 2004, was destined to be devastatingly different � a Boxing Day that witnessed one of the greatest natural disasters in history. It was 9am and fishermen by the coastline of Galle in Sri Lanka were engaged in the daily routine of fishing and mending their nets. But the seafront looked disturbingly different. Where the ocean waves usually lapped the sandy beaches, more..

Oct 21 (Island) The FUTA has appointed a three-member committee, under its Ex-Co, to review the progress of the agreement entered into with the govt when they stopped their 100-day-long strike last year. FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said that except for two demands the govt had failed to honour the promises given by Minister Basil Rajapaksa in Oct, 2012, to redress their grievances. more..

Oct 21 (FT) Citizens Development Business Finance PLC (CDB) in a breakthrough transaction for itself has acquired the first foreign funding line worth $ 6 million (Rs. 780 million) from a multilateral agency. CDB said it obtained the funding line from Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries based in Brussels, Belgium. The funding line comes with tenure of four years and has been fully hedged against any exchange rate fluctuations on a fixed interest rate. more..

Oct 21 (HRW) The Malaysian authorities should immediately drop charges against a rights activist accused of showing a film about Sri Lanka�s civil war without Censorship Board approval, Human Rights Watch said today. Lena Hendry, of the human rights group Pusat KOMAS, was charged under the Film Censorship Act for organizing a screening of �No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka� on July 3, 2013, in Kuala Lumpur. Hendry, whose trial starts on Oct 21, faces up to three years in prison more..

Oct 21 (CT) The TNA distanced itself from a controversial resolution passed by the TNA-controlled Chavakachcheri PS last week, which called for the restoration of cemeteries of slain LTTE cadres in the Northern Province. The controversial resolution presented to the PS by Sri Skandaraja Sri Ranjan of the TNA and seconded by Deputy Chairman, T. Yogarasa, also called for the commemoration of the slain Tiger fighters more..

Oct 21 (CT) A group of former UNP MPs, who have branded themselves as the Association of former UNP MPs, have sent a communiqu� to the Party�s Working Committee (WC), demanding to know the sensibility of Ranil Wickremesinghe continuing to remain as the Leader of the Party. The members of the Association include, President Chandra Gankande, Secretary Mahen Gunasekera, Assistant Secretary Upali Piyasoma, Treasurer Anura Bastian, Vice Presidents Gemunu Abeysundera, more..

Oct 21 (TOI) A team of differently abled volleyball players from Sri Lankan arrived in Bodh Gaya on Saturday as part of the mission to remove the scar left behind by the July 7, 2013, serial blasts and send the 'all is well' message to peace lovers across the world and also reassure prospective pilgrims and tourists that the blast was a bad dream and there is nothing to worry about as far as safety is concerned. The serial blasts that rocked the shrine symbolizing Buddha's enlightenment and its vicinity more..

Oct 21 (CT) The Ministry of Health will sign a MoU with 10 local drug manufacturers, to procure 49 varieties of essential drugs for a period of five years. Accordingly, Minister Maithripala Sirisena, is to submit a Cabinet Paper in this regard either this week or next week, to get the Cabinet approval, and the official also said the agreements between the ministry and the manufacturers will be signed next month. more..

Oct 21 (DN) Sivudigin Harasara, a vehicle parade organised by Rupavahini Corporation under its public awareness program Podu Rada Madulu Harasara to mark the hosting of the CHOGM will commence today in Jaffna and Tissamaharama. It is expected that one million people from among the public will endorse the hosting of CHOGM during this parade. The vehicle parade starting from Jaffna will reach Galle Face on Oct 30 passing Chavakachcheri, Pudukuduirippu, more..

Oct 21 (CT) Kesbewa Magistrate and District Judge, Chamath Madanayake, directed the Kahatuduwa Police to seek the Attorney General�s advice to indict a youth, who had allegedly superimposed the faces of a Polgasowita school principal and two female teachers to naked pictures of other persons and posted them on the social networking site, Facebook. The suspect, who is an old boy of the same school, had been nursing a grudge against the principal and the two lady teachers as more..

Oct 21 (CG) Canada should not boycott the upcoming Commonwealth meetings in Sri Lanka, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney said. �If you were going to boycott the Commonwealth because of illustrations of improper govt or abusive treatment of people within some of the member countries, some days you wouldn�t have too many people around that Commonwealth table for tea,� Mulroney said during an appearance on more..

Oct 21 (Island) A scrap metal shop at Suduwella, Madampe was reduced to rubble in an explosion that occurred inside it yesterday morning. Although the 10x12 foot shop was destroyed in the blast, only one worker sustained serious injuries. He was admitted to the Chilaw Hospital. Madampe police recovered 15 mortar pieces from the scrap metal yard soon after the explosion. They had been lying there with other scrap metal for about one and a half years. Yesterday around 10:00 a.m. a worker more..

Oct 21 (CT) Kanthaswamy Kamlendran of the EPDP, a coalition partner in the UPFA, was sworn-in as the Opposition Leader of the NPC before President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees last week. Kamalendran polled the highest number of votes among the UPFA candidates at the NPC election last month. Attending the oath taking ceremony of the new NPC Opposition Leader were the Governor of the Northern Province, G.A. Chandrasiri, EPDP Leader, more..

Oct 21 (DN) Govt assured that it will not grant any new licences to open gambling centres but will regulate the ones that are already in existence. Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said all existing gambling centres maintained improperly in the Colombo city will be relocated in a demarcated enclave. He said anyone contravening licencing regulations and establishing casinos will be dealt with and their casinos closed down. more..

Oct 21 (Island) The two thirds majority which helped amend the Constitution was the worst curse Sri Lanka had ever faced. That mandate had paved the way for the Constitution to be changed according to one�s whims and fancies and the minority communities were at the receiving end, SLMC leader and Minister Rauf Hakeem said. He added that the SLMC as a coalition partner of the present govt had been doing everything possible to ensure that this mandate was not used against more..

Oct 21 (FT) The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in a statement has hailed the conduct of the NPC election as well as several follow up developments as welcoming whilst renewing private sector support for the country�s peace and prosperity. Following is the full statement: The end of the 30-year conflict, in May 2009, ushered in a new dawn for the country. In recent weeks, there have been important developments that give cause for optimism regarding the creation of the conditions for more..

Oct 21 (FT) Crown Ltd. yesterday released draft images, project details and a website for its proposed 5-star luxury integrated resort in Colombo. It is intended that the integrated resort, to be branded �Crown Sri Lanka,� will be a �must-see� landmark tourist resort located on the Beira Lake in the heart of the Colombo resort district. Crown Sri Lanka is intended to be contemporary and iconic in design and will provide a luxury resort more..

Oct 21 (DM) Leaders of all religions have appealed to the Govt, ministers and MPs to vote against legislation to be presented in Parliament this week to approve the setting up of two huge casinos, which they say will seriously damage the spiritual and moral values, culture and civilisation of this country. The JHU�s two MPs have already announced they would vote against the legislation to approve the setting up of these two casinos, and we urge the govt to allow other MPs to vote according to more..

Oct 21 (DM) Upon reading the article on �What is wrong with our universities� in the Daily Mirror, I was for a moment bemused. It took me for a while to understand what it really means. I am sure of one thing about the article: it does two things at the same time; while blaming the govt, it is balming the govt too. I see how the writer carefully touches and avoids certain areas of greater sensitivity. At a glance, I was looking for politicization of the university administration among the more..

Oct 21 (Island) Education Ministry plans to set up a farm in every school under the 1,000 secondary schools development programme. Addressing a meeting held to distribute traditional seed paddy free of charge, in association with the Thunhela Jathika Vyaparaya and the Agriculture Ministry, Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena said yesterday that some schools had 20-25 acre land areas. There were some unutilised lands, more..

Oct 21 (SL) The CEB is incurring a loss of around Rs. 72 million daily due to the closure of the Norochcholai Coal power station, which was originally scheduled to be closed for routine maintenance for just 21 days, but was later extended to 40 days on the advice of the Chinese engineers. The 300 MW first phase of the Norochcholai Power plant which commenced operations in 2011 was shut down on the 25th of August. more..

Oct 21 (Island) The Veddhas have been playing cricket for a long time in their habitats and their teachers had coached them on the finer points of the game introduced by the country�s colonial masters, Veddha linguist Uruwarige Wimalaratne said. He was responding to a comment made by Cultural Affairs Minister T. B. Ekanayake to The Island last week that it was against the Veddah culture and traditions for them to play cricket. more..

Oct 21 (CG) The United National Party (UNP) fears there is an attempt to legalise prostitution by promoting Casinos in Sri Lanka. UNP MP Joseph Michael Perera said that while the Casino industry will bring money to the country it will also have a negative impact. He says there is a need for a strong campaign to be launched by women�s groups and religious leaders to oppose Casinos being promoted in Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 21 (Island) The Centre for Graduates (CFG) of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) alleged that the govt had planned to prune external degrees offered by universities countrywide by 80% to help foreign private universities scheduled to set up their branches here. Organising Secretary of the CFG Dhammika Munasinghe said that nearly 300,000 students sat the GCE A/L exam every year, but only 21,000 could be accommodated more..

Oct 21 (Island) Minister Dullas Alahapepruma yesterday alleged that Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai (16) wouldn�t have been the darling of Western media if she had not been shot and wounded by Pakistan Taliban. The Taliban targeted Yousafzai for campaigning for the right of girls to study in Pakistan. She survived an assassination attempt in Oct. last year. Alahapperuma said that the entire world more..

Oct 21 (ST) Fisheries authorities and the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) have stepped up action against illegal fishing methods used by local fishermen, officials said. The SLN arrested 89 fishermen off the east coast, for using �Hambili del� or �Purse Seine� nets meant for deep sea fishing. Navy spokesman said the arrests made by Eastern Naval Command�s SLN Dockyard on Oct 17, was off Chapel Island and Dutch Bay in Trincomalee. more..

Oct 21 (CT) The Ministry of Health is planning to conduct special raids to identify food and beverage centres that sell substandard food items during the Food Safety Week that starts from today. A Health Ministry spokesman said, Public Health Inspectors (PHIs), Medical Officers of Health (MoHs) and other health officials have been instructed to conduct special raids. The ministry is also planning on providing special guidelines for more..

Oct 21 (Age) James Packer�s Crown has signed up Australian Cricket captain, Michael Clarke, as part of its campaign to build a $400 million casino resort in cricket-mad Sri Lanka. Mr Clarke has agreed to work closely with Crown on the education and training aspects of the proposed project, if it is successful. Crown said, Mr Clarke will support its employment programs as a mentor and role model and make visits to the country more..

Oct 21 (Star) Kenya is quietly lobbying African countries to boycott the upcoming 23rd CHOGM in Sri Lanka from Nov 15 to Nov 17, 2013. Diplomatic sources told the Star that Kenya is pushing the move over the union's failure to take a decisive stance against the prosecution of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto at the ICC. Already, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia have been roped into the plan more..

Oct 21 (CT) The many protests by the clergy and the public notwithstanding, the govt is to proceed with the setting up of casinos in the city of Colombo, in the name of development and tourism promotion. A recent Bloomberg article said Sri Lanka is building high-end hotels and casinos to woo wealthier tourists from India and China, as it seeks to emulate the success of Singapore and Macau, and that it takes aim at the growing affluence of Asian travelers. more..

Oct 21 (Island) Korea International Cooperative Agency (KOICA) and its alumni association, Association of KOICA Fellows in Sri Lanka (AKOFE) jointly donated nine water filters to four schools namely Wijayapura Maha Vidyalaya, Kumudupura Vidyalaya, Thalakola Wewa Vidyalaya and Meegas Wewa Vidyalaya in Medirigiriya DS Division, Polonnaruwa District on October 11, a press release issued by the KOICA said. The donation was made in the presence of the Divisional more..