Oct 1 (CT) I am neither a military analyst nor a military historian. I have read but little on military matters, and what follows are very much the thoughts of a layman. As a student of Literature, my concern has been with the victims, and not with the so-called makers of History. My sympathy has been with the Trojans and not with the victorious Greeks; with devastated Carthage and not with proud, imperial, Rome; with the Native Americans, and not with the Europeans who dispossessed and more..

Oct 1 (CT) We do not know what really transpired between President Sirisena and the powerful GMOA in the meeting today (30). But the doctors seem to have come out of it in a mood of satisfaction. Sirisena would have, presumably, managed the irksome gang with more soft talk; leaving an escape gate for the GMOA which had got tragically locked over the issue of demanding good schools, for their kids. Had they met the PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, they would have got a mouthful. more..

Oct 1 (DN) As the World celebrates the Right to Information Day today (28), Director General of Govt Information Dr. Ranga Kalansooriya, spoke of the importance of the Right to Information Act in strengthening democracy in Sri Lanka. As a new entrant into Right to Information, the govt would commemorate the occasion with a two-day international conference on the Right to Information Act and media freedom. more..

Oct 1 (Island) Norway this month (Sept) decided to destroy 70% of its wild wolf population, shocking conservationists and animal rights campaigners around the world. But there is some tragi-comic irony in the sharp numerical disparity between the potential victims and the prospective killers: The actual number of wolves affected is miserably small, that is, about 47 will be culled out of a total population of some 65 or so animals. These include wolves living in designated wolf zones. more..

Oct 1 (SL) It is strange but true that not one politician who has held political office has ever been prosecuted in our courts for being involved in corruption during the 68-year post Independence period. It is hard to believe that all of our political tribe of four to five generations was squeaky clean but there has been no governmental action ever taken to besmirch their pure white national dress. Rumours have been abound of cabinet ministers� photographs hanging in lobbies of Swiss more..

Oct 1 (SO) Lankan diaspora is a strategically important human resource that is useful in developing and promoting democratic systems of governance in Sri Lanka. Yet, how can they contribute? Mobilising the Lankan diaspora in the endeavour of developing viable mechanisms to sustain democratic practices and good governance does not appear to have been so successful. Also, the constructive role diasporic communities more..

Oct 1 (NS) Much has been said in the electronic media in particular over the past few days concerning the slandering, criticizing and threatening of judges in the online media on judgments delivered by them. Among them was the allegation that telephone lines of a judge who had given a dissenting judgment in a politically-sensitive case had been tapped and his email hacked. Even the Bar Association of SL had taken the matter up with due seriousness and had even indicated more..

Oct 1 (NS) Northern Province Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran is a man in a hurry. He has to be, because he will be 77 years of age next month and if he is to carve a niche for himself as a hero in the Sri Lankan Tamil political arena, he has to do something noteworthy and do it soon. Therefore, he organises Eluga Thamil (Rise, Tamils), a protest campaign in Jaffna. The protest saw all shops closed and public transport came to a near standstill as private bus operators joined in. more..

Oct 1 (DN) The govt is moving aggressively to get Sri Lanka�s Light Rail Transit (LRT) system proposed in the megalopolis development implemented to deliver an efficient and lasting mass transit solution for the city, Urban Development Policy Advisor Nayana Mawilmada said. Both govts have already started the detailed technical feasibility backed by Japan�s funding to initiate the physical implementation of the LRT as soon as possible. Construction work will be implemented once more..

Oct 1 (Island) Humanity is dual in nature as one sees in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Jekyll maintains that man is not truly one but two and human soul is a battleground for an angel and a fiend, engaged in a fierce contest to assert dominance over each other. This kind of duality is present in govts as well. Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration did a Dr. Jekyll immediately after capturing state power last year; it provided much-needed economic relief to the public and took some progressive steps to more..

Oct 1 (NS) Northern Province CM CV Wigneswaran shared his thoughts and views on the Ezhuga Thamizh (Tamils arise) event which evoked mixed to negative responses from the South. Q: What is the reason behind organizing such an event at this juncture? A: The majority of the Tamils believe that our rights are going to be sacrificed at the altar of convenience soon. Till today nothing concrete regarding what rights the Tamils are more..

Oct 1 (NS) The word extraordinary isn�t the best word to describe former rugby star Hisham Abdeen. The ideal word for that is legend. Even now Abdeen commands the respect of both players and rugby administrators. At present, he is a member of the national rugby selection committee and is actively involved in making contributions to the game which made him a household name in the sports scene. He speaks fondly of the times when the game was possibly the most popular discipline more..

Oct 1 (DN) Former SL cricket captain Tillakaratne Dilshan was seen playing a different role to what the public have got accustomed to. The 39-year-old superstar who retired from international cricket last month has come forward to provide shelter to a poor family of three (mother and two daughters aged 11 and 6) in a remote place in Matale. �I saw the news on Swarnavahini where this family was appealing to the public to help save their land which was mortgaged to the bank. more..

Oct 1 (CT) Tharika Fernando and Anitha Jegatheswaran stole the show with new SL records in the Shot Put and Pole Vault at 42nd National Sports Festival yesterday at Duraiappah Stadium Jaffna. Tharika of Western Province officially became the first Sri Lankan athlete to go over the 15 metre mark in the Shot Put getting a distance of 15.25m shattering the 8 year old record of 14.88m set by Nadeeka Muthunayake at Beliatta. more..

Oct 1 (IDN) Sri Lanka's relations with the US go back a long way and have encompassed many different facets. These many facets have mostly enriched the relationship. In recent times, the relationship has undergone considerable stress. As to whether Sri Lanka occupied the attention of US foreign policy makers to any significant degree in the past, or even at present, can be the subject of a useful discussion, perhaps after a few glasses of good Californian wine. more..

Oct 1 (CT) In an incident taking a bizarre turn, the former national women's Kabaddi captain and bronze medal winning team member of this year's Asian Beach Games, Madushani Chaturika hadn't been given entry into the National Sports Festival taking place in Jaffna due to an official mishap. Chaturika was the captain of the western province Kabaddi team and the team finally decided to compete without their captain, appealing many times to officials including director general. more..

Oct 1 (FT) Post-Budget the local business community should, unzip their wallets for investment and, loosen their animal spirits to drive forward growth, said CB Governor Dr. Coomaraswamy, acknowledging SL would have to depend strongly on private sector investment in the next two years for growth. Delivering a lecture titled Development Challenges in Sri Lanka Dr. Coomaraswamy earmarked populist policies linked to an entitlement culture, more..

Oct 1 (NS) Eshan Denipitiya hails from a family of musicians. His grandfather was the late Patrick Denipitiya, who was a pioneer musician back in the good old days. In addition to being a well-known music director at the time, he also introduced the Hawaiian guitar to Sri Lanka. Eshans� father is music director Mahesh Denipitiya. Following the family tradition, Eshan Denipitiya is searching for his own voice in the industry, to take Sri Lankan music forward. more..

Oct 1 (SL) Chief Minister North Western Provincial Council�s questionable failure to heed the directives of Environment Minister President Sirisena to remove Saman Senanayake from the post of Director North Western Province Environment Authority immediately has raised eye brows amongst the Environmentalists and Central Environmental Authority (CEA) officials. At a discussion with the higher officials at the Environment Ministry, on September 1, more..

Oct 1 (CT) Himasha Eashan, Vinoj de Silva, Shehan Ambepitiya, Rumeshika Rathnayake, Vidusha Lakshani, Nadeeka Lakmali, Chandrika Subashini and N.C.D. Priyadarshani are a few big names who will be missing out in action at the 42nd National Sports Festival where the competition begins today at the Alfred Duraiappah Stadium Jaffna. Apart from that the Olympian high jumper and SL record holder, Manjula more..

Oct 1 (Island) Residential sites, high rise apartments, sprawling beach fronts and picturesque yet tranquil settings accompanied the rising demand for comfortable living within and outside Colombo. Lamudi, a global property portal focusing exclusively on emerging markets offers an easy to use, market oriented presence on line. Established in 2013 in Berlin, Germany, and spreading a current wide appeal in Mexico Columbia, and Peru, besides in Asian capitals in the Philippines, more..

Oct 1 (DN) The govt plans to set up 670 new national schools in the country to reduce competition for the 376 most popular schools in the country, Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara said. He was speaking at an event organised to celebrate the grant of Rs 500 million for the development of secondary schools in Siyambalanduwa. In addition to Siyambalamduwa Secondary school in Siyambalanduwa DS Division, Vivela Sripali School will also be developed to the same standard. more..

Oct 1 (FT) Staging a rally in Vavuniya yesterday, radical Sinhala nationalist groups led by BBS called on the Govt to dissolve the NPC and place Tamil-dominated Province under Governor�s rule. March led by BBS, which began at Mamaduwa Junction in Vavuniya, drew crowds of about 300 people to oppose the racist positions adopted by Northern Province CM C. V. Wigneswaran at his Eluga Tamil (Rise Tamil!) rally last Saturday. more..

Oct 1 (NS) A Canadian venture NXT Energy Solutions recently announced that a formal proposal has been submitted to the Petroleum Resource Development Secretariat (PRDS) of Sri Lanka by its representative Shine Quests FZC. The proposal means Sri Lanka will have a multi-client survey data of the Mannar basin. In a communication issued on Sept 15, the company said that a key part of Project SHINE will be the use of the Stress Field Detection (SFD) technology from NXT Energy Solutions more..

Oct 1 (NS) Consumer rights groups pointed out that over 1.5 million citizens are adversely impacted three months per year due to the brackish waters of the Indian Ocean seeping into the Kalu Ganga as a result of the erosion caused by illegal sand mining in the estuary. Generally, the water level of the Kalu Ganga is higher than the sea level, yet during the months of drought the sea level rises above the level of the river. National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection (NMCRP) observed that more..

Oct 1 (DM) Former President Rajapaksa said that his phone was tapped and that was not a problem for him as his approach was straightforward even during telephone conservations. This was transpired by him when he spoke to the media after attending the Avant Garde Maritime Services case which was taken up for hearing at Colombo Chief Magistrate�s Court, where 7 suspects, including his brother Gotabhaya more..

Oct 1 (CT) Athletics Association Sri Lanka (AASL) decided to accept the leap of 8.15m in the men's long Jump by Amila Jayasiri as the new Sri Lanka record, which he performed during last Defence Services Athletics Championship on 15th of last month at Diyagama. Jayasiri's jump of 8.15m wasn't recognized by AASL straightaway due to the lacking of wind gauges at the event but, the Chairman of Selectors and records of AASL, Saman Kumara said, they decided to recognize it considering more..

Oct 1 (Island) Army Commander Lt. General Crishanthe De Silva sprinkling flowers on army flags at the Jayasri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura yesterday during the annual flag blessing ceremony held on account of the forthcoming 67th Anniversary of the Army. Department of Wildlife Conservation had introduced a special water supply programme to provide drinking water to the animals in all national parks in the country which are seriously affected by the prevailing drought, more..

Oct 1 (NS) Presidential Task Force on Drug Prevention last week said that a massive covert operation which involves a month of surveillance for purposes of gathering information and intelligence regarding illegal drug users, dealers and families affected, was presently underway in several parts of Colombo, subsequent to which addicts and dealers would be arrested. Authorities involved in the pilot project include more..

Oct 1 (CT) Foreign competitors have grown to 250 from 42 countries with over 7500 local runners that will be participate in 16th edition of LSR Colombo Marathon which has been scheduled to be flagged off tomorrow at the Sports Ministry vicinity at 6am. Colombo Marathon identified and recognized by AIMS/IAAF, controlling body for Long Distance Races and Marathons. SL is amongst its 54 voting members and out of the 110 races all around the world Colombo Marathon is one of them. more..

Oct 1 (CT) Three institutions which were formally under Minister of Agriculture, Duminda Dissanayake, have been handed over to State Minister of Agriculture, Wasantha Aluwihare, with effect from Monday. Respective institutions are listed as Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute, Council For Agricultural Research Policy, and Institute of Post Harvest Technology. Extraordinary Gazette notification on transfer of institutions had been issued under 1986/6. more..

Oct 1 (Scoop) PM John Key has today announced New Zealand will establish a diplomatic post in Sri Lanka, and welcomed news that Sri Lanka will establish a post in New Zealand. Mr Key met with Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe in Auckland this morning. �PM Wickremsinghe�s visit to NZ follows my visit to SL in February and shows the commitment of both our govts to strengthen the relationship between our two countries. more..

Oct 1 (DM) Minister Sarath Fonseka said the actions of Northern Province CM C.V. Wigneswaran would not yield any benefit to the Tamil people but would cause them more problems. He pointed out that Mr. Wigneswaran was attempting to take political advantage by inciting racism and said his actions would boomerang on him just like what happened to former Tamil leader Appapillai Amirthalingam. �Wigneswaran cannot understand nor is he trying to understand politics. more..

Oct 1 (Hindu) Blaming India for derailing SAARC Summit, Pakistan on Friday announced that the summit scheduled for Nov 9 and 10 in Islamabad will now be held on an alternate date, even as Sri Lanka joined others in opposing the summit under the prevailing environment. Nepal subsequently issued a statement seeking an indefinite postponement of the summit. �A new set of dates for holding of 19th SAARC Summit at Islamabad will be announced soon, through the Chair of SAARC (Nepal). more..

Oct 1 (Island) Most Venerable Mahanayake Thera of Malwatte Tibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala told Chairman of Committee recording proposals from the public with regard to drafting new Constitution that the place enjoyed in the existing Constitution by National Flag, Buddhism & National Anthem must remain unchanged. "Moves to amend such constitutional provisions are bound run into stiff resistance," more..

Oct 1 (DM) Famous authors have given us gems about the greatness of children. For instance best selling American author Denis Waitley has said the greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence. American cultural anthropologist and writer Margaret Mead has said children must be taught how to think, not what to think, while Russian philosopher Fyodor Dostoyevsky goes deeper by saying the soul is healed by being with children. more..

Oct 1 (DM) Naturally everyone born in this world has to pass through a number of stages such as infancy, childhood, youth, middle age and old age provided of course one remains alive without facing death prematurely. During infancy and feeble old age one has to depend on others for survival. Life cycle is such that in the human world and the world of animals the babies depend on their parents for their survival. Old and feeble grandfathers and grandmothers depend on their sons more..

Oct 1 (Hindu) The last time Mary Sabamalai saw her son Mayuran was in 2008, when he came home for his 21st birthday. This was about a year after she surrendered him to the LTTE, during the final stages of their battle against the Sri Lankan armed forces. Mayuran went missing in 2009. Since then, Mary has been to different government offices in Mullaitivu and outside, carrying his photograph. Tall & lean, he is dressed in white formals, more..

Oct 1 (SL) The military has refused to release parts of land in Palaly which is being used for security purposes, despite a demand by some Tamil political parties in the North. Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Mahesh Senanayake said that 4419 acres of land which belongs to the Jaffna Security Forces Headquarters, the Palaly airfield and the Military Cantonment will not be released for civilian use. more..