Feb 19 (Island) A 29-year-old female from Hong Kong was arrested by the Kandy police on Monday with four ganja cigars in a cigarette pack that was in her possession, when she came to lodge a complaint claiming that her Sri Lankan husband and a servant had been abducted by unidentified persons. Kandy Chief Inspector, Senarath Egodawela, who felt suspicious about her movement and how she came to the police station, had inquired as to how her husband and servant working more..

Feb 19 (Island) Despite certain sections of the engineers at the CEB warning of plans to hand over the first coal fired power plant to its builder, China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), CEB Engineers Union President Janaka Aluthge yesterday expressed confidence that the govt would not resort to such a move. He however, said that in case the govt decided on such a move the Union would definitely go for trade union action. more..

Feb 19 (CG) The UNP today called for consensus to create good governance in the country. UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Govt is not following the law and that needs to change. He said that the Govt has also failed to submit reports to Parliament on some projects despite repeated requests put forward by the opposition. �We cannot create good governance alone. We need to get together as political parties, civil society and others to create this,� he said. more..

Feb 19 (CI) Sachithra Senanayake's two wickets in the first ODI against Bangladesh broke a run of five wicketless matches for him, all played against Pakistan in the UAE two months ago. But Sri Lanka are aware of his value as a spinner and a lower-order batsman, and have persisted with him despite other options. Senanayake was picked as the specialist spinner ahead of Ajantha Mendis, and proved his worth with the wickets of Nasir Hossain and Mahmudullah in the same over as more..

Feb 19 (NST) Police raided a condominium unit at the Axiss Soho, Taman Cempaka in Ampang at 8pm last night and detained two Sri Lankan nationals. They also seized 2270 fake international ATM cards. Selangor Commercial Crimes chief ACP Chong Mun Phing said during the 8pm raid, police seized 2,217 ATM cards, 58 safety boxes, a printer, a card reader, two hand phones and a laptop computer. more..

Feb 19 (Island) Fifteen bone fragments found in Trincomalee on Monday while a playground was being excavated for redevelopment had been sent to Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) of Colombo yesterday to obtain an expert report, SSP Ajith Rohana said yesterday. He said that the Trincomalee JMO and the Magistrate had visited the place and collected 15 bone fragments and the Magistrate had ordered the finds to be sent to the Colombo JMO to determine whether they were human remains. more..

Feb 19 (Island) UNP reformist and former Southern Provincial Councillor Maithri Gunaratne, who was denied nomination to contest March 29 poll said that MP Sajith Permadasa was having plenty of support in the Southern Province. He said that the campaign in the Hambantota District was very good, but Premadasa was handicapped by the fear the UNP supporters had that if they cast their vote for the party, National Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe would claim credit and remain more..

Feb 19 (PTI) Concerned over the arrest and harassment of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan navy, govt on Wednesday said it would continue to engage with the island nation to get them released from Sri Lankan prisons. �We share the concerns of the members over the situation faced by the fishermen. A large number of fishermen have already been released (by Sri Lanka). We will continue to engage with Sri Lanka to ensure more..

Feb 19 (SM) Deputy leader of the Democratic Party�s group of candidates contesting at the Southern Provincial Council polls, Piyasena Gamage, has been released by the Morawaka magistrate�s court on two cash bails of Rs. 10,000 each and two sureties of Rs. 100,000 each. The 62-year-old resident of Kolawenigama was arrested on a complaint that he had defrauded money by giving two cheques for Rs. 250,000 and Rs. 10,000 that had returned. He had allegedly given more..

Feb 19 (SM) Minister Mervyn Silva has stated that he has already saved money to build his tombstone following his death and that the foundation for the proposed tombstone will be laid in near future. He also stated that his tombstone will be located next to the grave of the deceased popular singer Jothipala. �A tower will be built and opened in March without mentioning the date of birth and death. I am not afraid to die. I know that I will die," said Minister addressing a political rally at Kelaniya. more..

Feb 19 (DM) The JVP yesterday urged the govt to reveal details of the Super Luxury Tourist Resort Facilities and Related Services mentioned in the gazette presented to parliament on Tuesday regarding the mix development projects. It asked how these facilities were different from gambling and casino centres. �The previous gazette issued in August mentioned a mix development project - a resort with a casino more..

Feb 19 (CI) There have been several criticisms made of England's dealing with fast bowlers: they clone them, they burn them out, they turn them into machines and they ruin them. The performances of the trio of Lions seamers that operated on the opening day in Dambulla, however, suggest such opinions may need to be reconsidered. On the flattest pitch of the tour, with England Lions picking three spinners, Graham Onions, Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett produced a display of more..

Feb 19 (AD) The JHU will not take legal action against PM D.M. Jayaratne, Minister Champika Ranawaka stated. He stated that despite continuous claims by the JHU that legal action will be taken against the Prime Minister, after comments by Jayaratne had been considered offensive towards the JHU Leader Omalpe Sobitha Thero, the decision was overturned. He further claimed that the decision was reconsidered after the JHU leader had been advised by the Maha Nayaka more..

Feb 19 (DM) Democratic Party Leader Sarath Fonseka today complained to the Elections Commissioner that his party had been deprived of the right to engage in election campaigning by not being allowed to obtain venues for election rallies and by security personnel obstructing them. �We are faced with a serious issue with our candidates having lost the opportunity to conduct their election campaign. more..

Feb 19 (Island) A longstanding request of rail commuters for the restoration of canteens at main railway stations and buffet cars on long distance trains had been fulfilled yesterday, Deputy Commercial Superintendent of Sri Lanka Railways, V. S. Pollwattege said. Pollwattege admitted that there had been a delay due to evaluation of tenders, but finally the contract had been awarded to M. K. Foods, which started running the canteen at the Fort Railway station. more..

Feb 19 (CI) Bangladesh have their two-year home record to defend as they look to level the ODI series against Sri Lanka. But having conceded three matches in a row from good positions, they first have to convince themselves that they can win the crucial moments. Bangladesh haven't lost an ODI series at home since 2011 when Pakistan beat them 3-0. Since then they have won 3-2 against West Indies in 2012 and recently crushed NZ 3-0. But out of their 15 ODI series wins till date, more..

Feb 19 (Reuters) Sri Lanka is hoping to buy back more than 10 tonnes of coins that its pilgrims have donated at temples and churches in India to cut down on the cost of minting new rupees, the central bank said on Wednesday. Sri Lanka has used nickel and brass to its mint coins in the past - sometimes for sums higher than their face value - and is looking to cut costs, including by using stainless steel. Tens of thousands of Sri Lankan Buddhists more..

Feb 19 (GDI) The Presidential Commission to investigate cases of alleged disappearances of persons in the Northern and Eastern Provinces during the period 1990�2009 concluded its public sittings in Jaffna on February 17. According to the Commission, 984 people made submissions from Feb. 14�17, 2014, in the towns of Chavakachcheri, Kopay and Jaffna. The Chairman of the Commission Mr. Maxwell Parakrama Paranagama said the Commission was well received in Jaffna. more..

Feb 19 (CT) Kegalle Magistrate has released the principal of John Kotelawala Maha Vidyalaya, who was arrested last night, on two personal bails and a monetary bail worth Rs 25,000. Magistrate has warned the principal not to intimidate the complainants. Venusha Imendi, a student of Kotelawala Maha Vidyalaya, committed suicide recently, allegedly due to being embarrassed by the principal. Under the Penal Code, subjecting children to cruelty and pain of mind are punishable more..

Feb 19 (Independent) India is set to support an international investigation into alleged war crimes by the Sri Lankan army in the final stages of its long civil war, govt sources said on Wednesday. Its decision to add its weight to a campaign led by Britain and the United States will be a serious blow to Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan president, whose govt has traditionally had strong ties with India. more..

Feb 20 (NS) In 2006, Dr. Manmohan Singh described the Naxalites in his National Day speech as �the single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by our country�. At present it is still a compelling issue that needs to be dealt with by both the Central and Federal govts. Spanning a decade from 2001, 5,467 civilians have been killed and 281 schools destroyed as a result of Naxal violence. The number of casualties reveals the enormity of the threat of violence from the insurgents. more..

Feb 20 (NS) ��Do we want an independent Ceylon or two bleeding halves of Ceylon which can be gobbled up by every ravaging imperialist monster that may happen to range the Indian Ocean? These are issues that in fact we have been discussing under the form and appearance of the language issue�One language, two nations; Two languages, one Nation��- Dr Colvin R de Silva, MP-[Debate on Official Language (Sinhala only) Bill in 1956]. It is extremely difficult to discrete politics more..

Feb 20 (SO) It is a known fact that a University pass mark has been set for GCE A/L students. This is because the govt-funded University Education system could cope up with a limited number of vacancies that are available. The govt has been trying to bridge this gap by introducing more universities and increasing facilities to lower the pass mark and allow more students to gain university entrance. more..

Feb 20 (CT) At a time when our universities badly lack qualified staff and are trying to rebuild themzelves, a Selection Committee meeting on Jan. 30 2014 found Prof. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole unqualified for the post of Professor of Computer Science on all the measures specified by the UGC�s Circular 916. So says the report of the Selection Committee consisting of Prof. V. Arasaratnam (VC), Prof. S. Srisatkunarajah (Dean/Science), Dr. E.V.A. Charles (Head/CS), more..

Feb 20 (Island) The much anticipated, Eighth SLIM Nielsen People�s Awards is scheduled to be held on the February 26 at the Waters Edge, Battarmulla. The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) has just announced the final nominees for the award categories. The SLIM Nielsen People�s Awards is a hallmark marketing event showing the true reflection of the pulse of the people and is organized by SLIM, in association with Nielsen, Sri Lanka�s largest research agency. more..

Feb 20 (CT) Hot on the heels of the unprecedented success of the epoch-making film, Vijaya Kuveni, Producer Gayan Ranadheera and Director cum Scriptwriter, Sugath Samarakoon have now teamed up to embark on the next block buster � Ehelepola Kumarihamy, related to the last episodes and the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom in the 19th century. The film revolves round the scenes at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy where more..

Feb 20 (SL) If there is one thing that the average Sri Lankan, the Tamil in particular, will have to note about the US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell�s meeting with BJP�s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, ahead of the upcoming parliamentary polls in the country, it is this; for countries such as the US, or any other in its place, �supreme national self-interest� comes first. It should be so, as well, looked at from their individual national perspective, going beyond more..

Feb 20 (Island) All of us have heard of infant mortality and efforts being made the world over to reduce it to a bare minimum. But, how many of us are aware of infant morality�yes morality? It has been thought all these years that morality is something to be inculcated in children during their crucial formative years. Parents and teachers consider it their bounden duty to do so, don�t they? But, now, scientists tell us that humans are born knowing difference between good and evil! more..

Feb 20 (FT) In a strange irony, the first major controversy of this season�s provincial polls campaign erupted on the stage of the self-professed �Mr. Clean� contesting on the ruling party ticket. Since his days as Chairman of the Central Environmental Authority and throughout his career as a provincial councillor, the JHU�s Udaya Gammanpila has purported to champion good governance and transparency. more..

Feb 20 (CI) The first ODI debacle was an example of how fragile the confidence of Bangladesh's players can be, even in seemingly unassailable match situations. However, with so much cricket left in the 2013-14 season, expectations of this side, one that has made steady progress at home over the last few years, will continue to rise despite the myriad challenges facing each cricketer. The 13-run defeat to Sri Lanka was Bangladesh's third in six days, a drastic change in results after a draw in more..

Feb 20 (CI) Two days before the second ODI, Sri Lanka's new coach Paul Farbrace said Thisara Perera would not have to rescue the team again in the near future. In one short sentence, Farbrace backed his batting line-up, which had slipped to 67 for 8 in the first ODI. Bangladesh can be sure too that Sri Lanka will not give them two golden opportunities in the same game again. Once Mushfiqur Rahim did not prevent the visitors' recovery, Perera and Sachithra Senanayake more..

Feb 20 (DM) Consider this simple question: �Does the present govt have a strong commitment to high levels of capital expenditure?� Today in Sri Lanka most analysts tend to answer this question with a confident �yes�. That perception derives significantly from the official rhetoric. For instance, the present government�s development policy promises that �investment [will] be increased to 33-35% of gross domestic product (GDP) with sustained more..

Feb 20 (HP) Sri Lanka faces its third resolution in as many years at the UNHRC next month. As was the case with the previous two resolutions, the Sri Lankan govt has decided to go on the defensive rather than addressing the allegations before them. In fact countries supporting Sri Lanka have stepped forward with suggestions that a counter-resolution supporting the nation would be presented. While the Sri Lankan govt has once again decried the resolution as being "anti-Sri Lanka", more..

Feb 20 (SL) Two old boys of the Forward School for Backward Boys were meeting at their waterhole for the monthly resume on politics. Nodath a critic of the ruling party and Sududath, a staunch supporter of the party and the ruling clan sat down after ordering their usual refreshments and exchanged traditional greetings: Nodath: �So-so, how-how? Geneva is coming, elections are coming, so what�s happening? Sududath: What for the telling, laughing also coming, no? We are going to win more..

Feb 20 (FT) Opening up new options, the Govt will begin talks with Iraq to import Basra Light crude during a bilateral trade meeting next week. Prospective imports were suggested by Iraq Ambassador in Sri Lanka Kahtan Taha Khalaf when he met Minister Rishad Bathiudeen yesterday. The latter has agreed to consider the proposal and after further study in Sri Lanka the two parties are expected to broach official discussions more..

Feb 20 (CT) A dog shelter managed by the Anuradhapura Municipal Council in Nellikulama was handed over to several Animal Welfare Organizations (AWOs) recently, after it was found that all the dogs were badly neglected and were in need of food and medical care. The shelter presently has about 300 dogs out of which 110 were treated for mange, ticks, fleas and wounds on their bodies, by members of these AWOs. Two dogs were treated for TVTs, and another dog for a maggot more..

Feb 20 (Island) Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs) and staff of the Microbiology and City Analyst laboratory of the Colombo Municipal Council have complained to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka against the Municipal Commissioner and the Council Treasury for non- payment of their dues for private investigations carried out by them. A spokesman for the laboratory facility said payments for approximately one year were overdue. The lab staff was paid 30% of what was earned by more..

Feb 20 (Hindu) In 1991, the AIADMK won a massive mandate after the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, benefiting from the sympathy wave for the Congress with which it was in alliance. 23 years later, and ahead of yet another general election, party leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa appears to have stolen a march on her political rivals in the State, this time by taking a step toward releasing seven persons convicted of more..

Feb 20 (Island) With the collapse of Golden Key Credit Card Company Ltd in 2008 and its consequent impact on the Ceylinco Group, Ceylinco Shriram Co with a 12 year track record was unable to meet the Customer Liabilities in 2009 amounting to Rs.6,8 Billion representing 5,798 investors, mainly due to the following reasons. a) Loss of confidence among investors leading to inability to source new investments and run on the existing investments made in the Company more..

Feb 20 (Island) A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court will today deliver its judgment, in respect of the appeal of the Attorney General, against the ruling of the Court of Appeal that a Parliamentary Select Committee appointed under Standing Order 78A, is not empowered to hear and decide disciplinary allegation against a judge of the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court. The Attorney General wanted the judgment of the Court of Appeal set aside. more..