Aug 22 (DM) The UNP�s National Youth Front Chairman and Leadership Council member Ruwan Wijewardene has said emphasis should be given towards forming a common opposition to topple the corrupt government. In an interview, Mr. Wijewardene who is the UNP�s Gampaha District Parliamentarian said after the strategy for common opposition was worked out these parties could focus on a common candidate for the next Presidential Election. Excerpts from the interview. more..

Aug 22 (DM) There are many versions of the events that took place at the meeting held for families of the disappeared. As someone who was at the event, tell us what really happened that day? The event was held for the families of the disappeared to voice their grievances and share their experiences. We selected 20 families from the Northern Province to participate in the meeting. Although we wished to include a bigger more..

Aug 22 (Island) All Ceylon Health Services Union (ACHSU) President D. Jayalal accused the Joint Trade Union Federation of having betrayed the minor employees to please the govt. Jayalal said there had been no response from the govt to the demands of the strikers and therefore the ACHSU would continue the indefinite strike. Some pro-SLFP unions had called off the strike and their members resumed work, but the demands more..

Aug 22 (SL) A UN-designated terrorist entity, the Canadian Tamil Congress has extended its �fullest support and cooperation� to the UN International Investigation Team set up to conduct a comprehensive investigation of alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka. The team, which was initiated by the controversial UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, was approached by a number of other terrorist fronts to influence more..

Aug 22 (ST) Visitors to the National Zoological Gardens in Dehiwela will be able to handle selected reptiles and take photographs with them following the success of a pilot project aimed at educating people to conquer their fear and disgust of the creatures. �I thought the snake would get me but he did nothing,� said Senuka, a four-year-old boy who petted an anaconda. �He is a good snake. I�m not scared of them any more.� more..

Aug 22 (PTI) The civil society organisations in Sri Lanka on Friday condemned the deportation of over 100 Pakistani asylum seekers, mostly minority Ahmadiyyas, in breach of the international law. According to the UN refugee agency, Sri Lankan govt had deported some 108 of the total 157 asylum seekers by August 14, ignoring risks that they face in their homelands. The deported include at least 11 women & 8 children, more..

Aug 22 (FT) Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd. � the agribusiness arm of the Hayleys Group � commenced operations of its dry seaweed project in the Mannar Sea Basin recently. This project, implemented in the North Western coastal area of Sri Lanka, assists local fishing families to naturally cultivate a specific type of seaweed that has a growing global demand, especially in the food industry. more..

Aug 22 (Scoop) The New Zealand Bar Association joins the International Bar Association (IBA) and other Law Societies and Bar Associations worldwide over the reported surveillance of Mr Upul Jayasuriya, President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka. The New Zealand Bar Association is a member of the IBA and supports the global legal community�s efforts to promote and protect human rights and the independence more..

Aug 22 (NIE) In a paper published in the latest issue of the US Defence Department�s journal Prism, Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has reiterated his belief that Islamic terrorism poses a threat to Sri Lanka. Since the LTTE�s defeat, some of the Muslim groups in Lanka have begun to engage in activities that go �far beyond self-protection�, he said in the journal by Center for Complex Operations (COO). more..

Aug 22 (DM) Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe questioned the admission of a student to Ruhunu University on the recommendation UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa. Minister S.B. Dissanayake in his response told Parliament that the UGC had entertained the appeal by this student only because her Z-score was well within the cutoff mark. Mr. Wickremesinghe said this incident had breached the trust placed by more..

Aug 22 (Island) The Management undergraduates of the Peradeniya University launched a continuous sathyagraha yesterday demanding the establishment of a Management Faculty as promised six years back. President of the Students� Council Lasantha Arunashantha said that their Department of Management Studies still functioned under the Arts Faculty and they were given arts degrees. He said that three batches had more..

Aug 22 (CT) Weeks, or months before the current, devastating drought, spread its tentacles virtually all over the country, affecting hundreds of thousands of its citizens, IMF's Mission Head to Sri Lanka, Todd Schneider speaking to reporters in Colombo in May, almost prophetically said that among the several challenges that economies such as Sri Lanka will have to face in the future is climate change. The unfolding events in the country have proved him to be right. more..

Aug 22 (CT) Sri Lanka�s incapacity as a nation state (or which has so far failed to become so) to give protection to many of its citizens, mostly during the war and its aftermath, has resulted in the current crisis of the country facing international probes. The world has come to know about the realities facing the average person in Sri Lanka after the end of the war in May 2009. And, today, the international community has begun to force open the eyes of the ruling regime to such realities. more..

Aug 22 (Island) The Deans of the Eastern University has sent the following clarification apropos our news item, Eastern Uni undergrads take woes of the Rector to UGC, on August 19: "We the Deans of Faculties at Eastern University, Sri Lanka would like to express our displeasure and anguish over the article captioned Eastern Uni undergrads take woes of the Rector to UGC in The Island, with a blatantly false allegation by students tarnishing the good image and name of the VC and University. more..

Aug 22 (GDI) The BOI signed an agreement with Aussee Oat Milling Pvt Ltd, to manufacture oats based products such as rolled/flaked oats, flavored oats, oats muesli, oats flour, oats bars and oats cookies for export. The company plans to invest US$ 10.5 million to set up a manufacturing plant in the Export Processing Zone in Mirigama. Aussee Oat Milling Pvt Ltd is a Joint Venture between Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd and SVA India Ltd, both public listed entities in India. more..

Aug 22 (CT) Over 100 artists, intellectuals and social activists have made a public appeal calling upon the govt as well as opposition political parties to make a change in the prevalent governance system. Among those who have signed the appeal includes Dr. Dharmasena Pathiraja, Dharmasiri Bandaranayake, Professor Kumar David, Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri, Gamini Viyangoda and Prasanna Vithanage. more..

Aug 22 (Reuters) Sri Lankan rupee rose against the dollar on Friday due to exporter dollar sales and the absence of buying from importers, and dealers expect the currency to be stable throughout the year after the central bank chief's comments. Rupee was traded at 130.16/19 per dollar at 0553 GMT, slightly stronger than Thursday's close of 130.19/22. There was not much demand from importers and the rupee's appreciating trend was intact, a currency dealer said on condition of anonymity. more..

Aug 22 (Island) CID on Wednesday arrested a Malaysian couple who used forged credit cards to buy five bottles of premium brandy worth over Rs. 4.86 million. SSP Ajith Rohana said that the couple, Nee (30) and Fui (23) who had purchased five bottles of finest 100-year-old cognac from the Remy Martin range (Louis xiii) from five five-star hotels in Colombo after arriving in the country on Tuesday using counterfeit credit cards. "One bottle of cognac is worth Rs. 972,000. more..

Aug 22 (ANI) Five years after the end of the 1983-2009 civil war in Sri Lanka, thousands of Sri Lankans remain refugees despite satellite-image analysis showing new housing-like structures and development in a military zone in the northern part of the country. The analysis, completed by the nonprofit, nonpartisan American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), also shows no significant increase in civic facilities despite more..

Aug 22 (Island) A textbook developed by Korean language lecturers at the University of Kelaniya, under the auspice of the Korean Embassy in Colombo and the National Institute of Education(NIE), is to be taught at national schools from next year. This was revealed during a ceremony to award the Higher Diploma in the Korean language to the first batch of 24 Sri Lankan teachers who had successfully completed the course at the NIE in Maharagama last week. more..

Aug 22 (Island) Minister Faiser Mustapha lashed out at UNP for criticising President Rajapaksa�s decision to donate one million US dollars as financial assistance to the war victims in Palestine. He said that the UNP, General Secretary Tissa Attanayake�s statement had clearly displayed their position on the Palestinian issue. Minister said that the UNP publicly criticised the donation to Palestine where Muslims were the majority instead of welcoming the decision at a time when Palestinians faced more..

Aug 22 (CG) Minister S B Dissanayake says he is unaware of CCTV cameras being installed at some universities to monitor the movements of students. He was questioned on the issue in Parliament today by opposition UNP MP Sajith Premadasa. Premadasa said if the Minister is looking at winning the confidence of the students then he should take measures to remove the CCTV cameras installed at govt universities. more..

Aug 22 (LBO) Sri Lanka's stocks closed in a positive territory Friday with index heavy stocks gaining amid strong foreign selling. All Share Price Index closed 3.27 points higher at 7,008.02, up 0.05%. The S&P SL20 closed 0.97 points higher at 3,863.88, up 0.03%. Turnover was 2.70 billion rupees, up from 1.47 billion rupees a day earlier with 103 stocks closed positive against 105 negative. John Keells Holdings closed 3.70 rupees lower at 245 rupees with eight off-market transactions more..

Aug 22 (CG) It is with a deep sense of shock and sadness that the people of Sri Lanka learnt of the devastating landslide that had struck Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan resulting in a number of deaths and massive destruction of property, the External Affairs Ministry said. Govt and people of Sri Lanka extend their deepest condolences to members of the bereaved families. �Their thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan during this difficult time, particularly all those whose lives more..

Aug 22 (CI) Sri Lanka have 10 ODIs at home and seven matches in New Zealand before they play the World Cup curtain raiser on Feb 14. Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka's captain, has expressed his desire to build a team and hone a World Cup strategy starting from the ODI series against Pakistan. The tournament is now only six months away, but several spots in the Sri Lanka XI are still far from settled. more..

Aug 22 (DN) Sri Lanka is likely to face challenges and malign influences due to its strategic location in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Zone. But China would always extend support for Sri Lanka to surmount all these challenges. The assurance was given by the Chinese representative attending the Defence Seminar in Colombo on Wednesday. Yesterday was the final day of the Defence Seminar organized in Colombo under the theme "Sri Lanka: Challenges to a Rising Nation." more..

Aug 22 (LT) Lanka Teacher Services Union (LTSU) has challenged the Minister Bandula Gunawardene that they are prepared to prove that questions in papers i and ii of the Economic question paper for GCE A/L exam have blunders and would be prepared to have a debate on this on any TV channel the Minister names. This was stated by the General Secretary of LTSU Mahinda Jayasinghe. In a programme telecast by a TV channel Minister had stated there were no mistakes in the more..

Aug 22 (Island) Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne yesterday said that the UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe�s recent invitation to its former members who left the party to re-join it was not for those who had already obtained a membership of another party. He said that the UNP leader had not invited him to re-join the party. Dr. Senaratne mentioned that the invitation was for the UNP members who had just left the party. more..

Aug 22 (TRF) When Sri Lankan govt officials and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) put together a $260 million rural water project in 2010 in the North Central and Eastern Provinces, they made sure women would have a major role in managing the scheme. In Talpotha, a village in the rural Polonnaruwa District, women formed the core management group for the ADB-funded water project. They listed over 200 households connected to water pipes and regularly visit each more..

Aug 22 (CG) The UNP says transfers and promotions in the police force have been politicized. UNP MP Range Bandara said that the transfers and promotions in the police are not based on merit or accusations but on the recommendations of politicians. Speaking to reporters today the UNP MP also hit out at police officers making political comments as making such comments is illegal. He recalled that one top police officer had made a comment recently claiming he could win more..

Aug 22 (PTI) A delegation of TNA, on Friday called on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and said India can play a major role in resolving the ethnic Tamil problem in the island nation. �India�s involvement in the resolution of the Sri Lankan Tamil issue is vital,� TNA leader R Sampanthan said after meeting Ms. Swaraj here. �They (people in SL) have their roots in India. Their culture is Indian and everything is Indian. more..

Aug 22 (CI) Pakistan will be without Saeed Ajmal for the first ODI and possibly the second ODI as well, since he is flying to Brisbane to have his bowling action tested. Misbah-ul-Haq termed Ajmal's absence a "big miss." "It will be a big miss. His exclusion is crucial but at the same time it will be a chance for others to stand up and fulfill what normally Ajmal provides us," Misbah said, on the eve of the first ODI in Hambantota. "Everyone is capable and they have to more..

Aug 22 (Hindu) B. Ashok, a 25-year-old fisherman of Jagadapattinam, was injured after the Sri Lankan Navy allegedly pelted him with stones in the mid-sea on Wednesday night. He was admitted to the Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Memorial Govt Headquarters Hospital here on Thursday. Ashok and three others put out to sea on Wednesday afternoon. The Navy intercepted their boat and asked them to surrender their catch. Finding that the fishermen had no catch, personnel allegedly pelted Ashok with stones. more..

Aug 22 (AM) The LTTE are running �Madrassa type� indoctrination schools in European Union countries in which there is a substantial population of Tamils from Sri Lanka, a top Lankan diplomat has revealed. Sri Lanka�s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ravinatha Aryasinha, said that the LTTE has established �Madrassa-type� schools called �Tamil Cholai� to �ferment the radicalization of Tamil youth, more..

Aug 22 (DM) Promptly accepting fellow Councillor Malsha Kumaratunga�s challenge, UPFA provincial councillor Hirunika Premachandra has participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge and posted a video online. Hirunika is shown standing outdoors in the rain and getting drenched by a basin of ice water. She then makes a brief impromptu speech listing out her three nominees, which includes UNP Uva PC candidate Harin Fernando, JVP member Lal Kantha & WP UPFA Councilor Senal Welgama. more..

Aug 22 (Island) Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody in Parliament suggested that the UNP MPs conduct inspection tours of massage parlours in the country to get first hand understanding of what went on there. He made this suggestion when Kurunegala District MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha asked Minister of Indigenous Medicine Salinda Dissanayake what action had been taken to prevent nefarious activities alleged to be taking place in Ayurvedic massage parlours countrywide. more..

Aug 22 (DM) The Sri Lankan Missions in the US and Britain have made payments amounting to millions of US dollars to cover the expenses of govt MPs and ministers visiting these countries, though there was no special allocation made for the purpose, Parliament were informed today. UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake questioned whether there was any budgetary provision to make such payments on behalf of politicians and govt officials more..

Aug 23 (Island) We certainly share President Obama�s deep sorrow and that of the American people at the brutal killing by ISIS � or the Islamic State � of the well known, and much respected American journalist, James Foley, who was kidnapped in Syria two years ago, and beheaded as a lesson to Obama and the USA two days ago. Obama expressed his feelings about this and all the unimaginable violence and brutality of ISIS with a reference to the divinity that he, more..

Aug 23 (NS) Sri Lanka continues to grapple with dengue as the disease keeps claiming more lives every month, especially during the rainy season. In the first half of 2014 alone, this �deadly disease of the tropics� infected 20,610 people, in comparison to 32,063 in 2013. According to the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health, 60 percent of dengue cases in the country are from the Western Province, home to some of the main commercial hubs in Sri Lanka. Despite there appearing to more..