May 12 (DN) It is amazing how what happens around us is woven like a web. Everything connects with the other, like a functional ecosystem. It�s a social web, much like the web of life that defines the interactions of humans with nature and its related dynamics. Here everyone has a role to play. Everyone�s bit counts. This is true, regardless of it being for the good of the society and communities around, more..

May 12 (LNP) The Health Ministry is, as it were, on a heart and lung machine and its condition is fast deteriorating. It cannot even be drip-fed for want of saline! The Sri Lanka Air Force has been tasked with fetching vital medical supplies from India urgently. It looks as if the tri forces, the police, the STF and the Civil Defence Force had to be deployed to rescue the Health Ministry. What the government should do immediately is to replenish medical supplies in more..

May 12 (UNP) In the face of the country�s unprecedented economic crisis (for which the Govt. itself is blamed), the Govt. which has been tiding over it by stop gap measures without presenting a budget to the people is now forced to come to grips with the actual situation and make it known to the people. While a number of selected media Institutions have been instructed by a Govt. Bigwig to expose the grave national economic crisis which more..

May 12 (PTI) England's new-found consistency will be pitted against Sri Lanka's characteristic flair when the two teams clash in the first semifinal of the Twenty20 World Cup on Thursday. England's display in the tournament has been a revelation of sorts with Paul Collingwood and his men winning all three Super Eight stage matches with consummate ease. With their maverick top order batsman Kevin Pietersen returning to more..

May 12 (DN) The Kokilai sanctuary has been cleared by using backhoes, harming the ecosystem of the whole area. About 40 hectares from the lagoon boundary into the forest have already been cleared. The cleared land is in Kuchchaweli in the Thenamaranwadiya Divisional Secretariat in the Trincomalee district. Two people involved in this activity have been arrested by Trincomalee wildlife officers Sunday. more..

May 12 (DN) Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella visited Lake House yesterday morning. He was received at the entrance by Chairman Lake House veteran journalist Bandula Padmakumara. Associated with the Minister were Media and Information Ministry Secretary W B Ganegala, Public Trustee Sarath Seneviratne and Information Director General Prof. Ariyaratne Athugala. The Minister was also present when the Chairman assumed duties amidst pirith chanting by Buddhist monks. more..

May 12 (DM) The Health Ministry is to introduce legal provisions to make it compulsory for each and every couple that intends to marry to undergo blood tests to identify thalassaemia carriers as the government incurs a massive Rs. 2 billion a year expenditure to keep 2,000 thalassaemia victims alive, a medical expert said. �Thalassaemia is a dreaded but preventable disease and it is on the rise in several parts of the country. more..

May 12 (Island) The Supreme Court yesterday refused leave to proceed and dismissed the two fundamental rights violation applications filed by Nihal Sri Amerasekera, requesting the Court to declare null and void, the Hedging agreement entered into between the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and some Private Commercial Banks. The petitions were dismissed on the grounds that the petitions were time barred, from the date the Supreme Court terminated the two cases on more..

May 12 (Island) HSBC economists estimate Sri Lanka�s economy to grow by seven percent this year and 7.2 percent in 2011, generous estimates compared to those of the Central Bank and IMF, while inflation is expected to peak at 7.5 percent this year while the rupee is expected to weaken against the dollar, and not strengthen as the Treasury is expecting it to. The Central Bank estimates the economy to grow by 6.5 percent this year and more..

May 12 (DM) The two-and-a-half year old child who was lost at the Kelaniya temple on Sunday was found in Marawila yesterday. IGP Mahinda Balasuriya said that it was suspected that the 70 year old woman who took away the child intended to sell her. IGP Balasuriya, speaking at a special media briefing that was attended by the child, her parents and her sister, said that without the publicity that was given by more..

May 12 (MoD) A period of one week since 11th May 2010 has been declared to commemorate the war heroes who made the supreme sacrifice to protect the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the motherland. The Heroes Week was launched yesterday morning at a ceremony held at "Temple Trees" when the first flag was pinned on His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa. more..

May 12 (DM) Controversial British Foreign Secretary David Miliband who was unpopular in Sri Lanka over his anti government remarks has been ousted following the labour government�s loss at the British elections and has been replaced by William Hague. Miliband drew the ire of the Sri Lankan government and also was reported to have had a verbal spat with Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse over more..

May 12 (LP) The Committee appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to study and report on the US Department of State's 'Report to Congress on Incidents during the Recent Conflict in Sri Lanka' has been given an extension of time till end July to complete its work. It was earlier expected to complete the report by April 30. Secretary of the Committee, S.M. Samarakoon stated that it held several sittings and more..

May 12 (DM) Srilanka's leader of opposition Ranil Wickramasinghe met External Affairs Minister S M Krishna in New Delhi today. The two leaders discussed several bilateral issues, including the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils. Wickramasinghe, who is the leader of the UNP, arrived in India on Monday on a four-day visit to India. India had earlier offered Sri Lanka 100 million dollars to help more..

May 12 (AFP) Sri Lanka's ex-army chief and defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka was for the first time hauled before a civilian court Wednesday and accused of inciting violence. Fonseka, who is in military custody and faces separate court martial charges of dabbling in politics while in uniform and corrupt procurements, was brought before a magistrate over his reported comments against the president's brother. more..

May 12 (CI) Kumar Sangakkara must be a relieved man. Despite their high net run-rate going into the game, Sri Lanka had some running to do to ensure their semi-final spot. And unlike West Indies and Australia, they had to contend with the Indian batting line-up on a wicket that favoured their style of play. As if on cue, India's top order led by Suresh Raina forgot their travails against the short ball on the slow and low St Lucia pitch, more..

May 12 (Island) Government sources say laxity on the part of the Attorney General�s Department has caused a long delay in prosecuting terrorists in custody in connection with high profile attacks. Sources say a section of the officials are turning a blind eye to Defence Ministry efforts to fast track the process. The Defence Ministry and the AG�s Department are on a collision course with President Mahinda Rajapaksa bringing the department under his purview more..

May 12 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's committee probing war crimes said on Wednesday it does not have the legal power to investigate alleged rights abuses during the final stages of the South Asian nation's 25-year separatist conflict. The committee of local experts, appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said it has had trouble finding public officials identified in a U.S. State Department report which blamed both sides in the war for committing rights abuses. more..

May 13 (NF) The chief minister of the Southern Province, Shan Wijeyalal de Silva has taken steps to temporarily suspend the post of the mayor of Matara and the Mayor, Upul Nishantha says that that he would take legal action against the move claiming it to be politically motivated. According to Mayor Nishantha, the move to remove him from the post of mayor had been taken through an extraordinary gazette notification. more..

May 13 (TN) Jaffna Municipal council (JMC) Commissioner, M. S. Saravnabavan pleaded that he has no involvement in the advertisement made in the name of JMC in the local dailies Tuesday which contained sentences amounting to contempt of court, sources in Jaffna said. On directives from the Chief Justice and Justice Service Commissioner, Jaffna magistrate had ordered Tuesday to arrest the JMC Commissioner and produce him in the court more..

May 13 (GDI) The Ministry of Co-operatives and Internal Trade said that a credit card will be issued to public servants to purchase goods from CWE outlets. The CWE will not levy a commission from them. Deputy Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade Neomal Perera said the credit card will be issued on a concessionary basis. The Government expects to issue a credit card where deductions would be made from the salaries. more..

May 13 (AD) The UNP national as well as the village level leadership has to bear the responsibility for the recent string of defeats the party had to face during elections, Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku told Adaderana today. The former UNP Education Minister, who represented the Kaduwela electorate for a long period, said that the UNP had to accept that it was defeated at metropolitan, urban as well as village level. more..

May 13 (GV) On April 12, 2010 the majority of citizens of the island�s two main linguistic communities celebrated the �Sinhala and Tamil New Year� and the categorical end of war and terrorism with considerable optimism, despite lack of a clear political solution to the �ethnic conflict�. The New Year celebrations, the first since the end of the State�s 30 year war with the LTTE, were in the wake of recently concluded parliamentary elections more..

May 13 (TN) Unidentified men arriving in a van forcibly took away a family woman Tuesday morning as she was returning along Karaveddi Sampanthar shop area after having taken her son to school, sources in Vadamaraadchi said. The abductors had attacked the woman with the intention of killing her and dumped her among the shrubs in a deserted area in Valvai where Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are on patrol. more..

May 13 (IANS) The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) will hold a charity match between Indian celebrities and Sri Lankan cricketers here in June to help rehabilitate former Tamil Tiger child soldiers. The event will be held in conjunction with the Sri Lankan cricket board, NGO Habitat for Humanity and UNICEF. Bollywood star Salman Khan will be the brand ambassador for the initiative. more..

May 13 (CI) Sri Lanka's entry in the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20 further underlines their consistency in major tournaments over the last few years. They've made the final of the last 50-over World Cup and the 20-over version, and a win on Thursday will give them the chance to do what they couldn't on both those occasions - win the trophy. England, though, have been so consistent in all aspects throughout this tournament more..

May 13 (LG) A whole series of elections that took centre stage in the socio-political life of the Island in the past 2 years are over � at least momentarily. Sri Lanka, noted for creating world records - mostly for the wrong reasons - may have created one more of a virtual non-stop caravan of elections. The 20 million population of 2 major races (and - now one more that insists on being identified by religion) � were subject to a whole series of elections. more..

May 13 (EB) The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) led by the Norway-based Nediyavan is the real reincarnation of the LTTE, and not the US-based outfit led by Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, which is trying to establish a Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), says Prof.Rohan Gunaratna, the Singapore-based expert on terrorism. Gunaratna, who heads the International Centre for Political Violence and more..

May 13 (CI) Whew. The World Twenty20 takes a day off today, and boy, do we need to draw breath. True, close finishes, the lifeblood of the 45rpm form, have been about as frequent as grins at 10 Downing Street in recent days. Few matches have even proffered suspense - of the first 21 completed contests, only three came down to the final over with the result in any serious doubt, while just five were won by the side batting second more..

May 13 (AN) Concern for the resettlement and living standards of the victims of civil war and economic development of Sri Lanka. Ashok K. Kantha, High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka, spoke of the plight of the country, during his visit on May 7, with Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith in Colombo. He augured that the mutual trust between the two states will result in greater collaboration. more..

May 13 (LP) Piyumi Boteju is a beautiful actress of Sri Lanka. She took the hands of a young man recently and she made a topic for us not because of her wedding but because of the venue it was held. The wedding took place in Gangaramaya Buddhist temple in Colombo. Buddhism deals mostly with the spiritual side of the life and the Buddhist temple normally is not a place where weddings take place. more..

May 13 (RW) The Liberal Party of Sri Lanka extends its warmest congratulations to Benigno Aquino Junior and the Liberal Party of the Philippines on their tremendous victory in the Philippine Presidential election. The Liberal Party of the Philippines has always been in the forefront of the struggle for freedom and social justice, and this enormous vote of confidence makes clear the appreciation of the Philippine people more..

May 13 (NM) President Mahinda Rajapaksa has with immediate effect handed over the coordinating work of the IIFA (Indian International Film Academy) awards scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka with the participation of thousands of Indian film stars to First Son and UPFA parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa. Therefore, Namal would be coordinating the work with the suppliers, sponsors, Indian counterparts, organizers and government entities such as Tourist board, Sri Lankan airlines. more..

May 13 (CI) Sri Lanka left it late to secure a place in the World Twenty20 semi-finals but now they are in the knockout stage their varied bowling attack could hold the key to success. Although without the services of Muttiah Muralitharan they can still throw the ball to Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis, who was left out of the final Super Eight match, and youngster Suraj Randiv. more..

May 13 (LBO) Sri Lanka's state investment promotion agency is processing almost 500 million dollars of new deals mainly into leisure and is planning two investments zones in the former war-torn north of the island, officials said. "We are targeting about a billion US dollars in foreign direct investments this year," newly appointed BOI chief Jayampathi Bandaranayake told reporters. more..

May 13 (PTI) A group of Sri Lankan nationals picked up last week from a lodge here for staying in the country without valid travel documents, are being taken to a refugee camp in Tamil Nadu after completion of detailed questioning, police said today. Police and Intelligence Bureau officials, who questioned them since Friday last, did not find them having any terrorist links, they said. more..

May 13 (LBO) Sri Lanka will play host to more than 50 firms in power generation, transmission, and renewable energy at an exhibition in June targeted at foreign and local business visitors, organizers said. The '02nd Power Sri Lanka 2010 International Expo,' on June 03 and 05 is organized by the Indian unit of Conference & Exhibition Management Services (CEMS) a US-based firm. more..

May 13 (LBO) A new harbour in southern India built by DP World to open in August plans to lure ships away from Sri Lanka's Colombo port, the present south Asian container transshipment hub, an official said. The new deep-water terminal in Kochi, south India, will be able to handle the 13,000-container capacity ships commonly used on Asia-to-Europe routes, Bloomberg newswire reported. more..

May 13 (DM) The voter who cast his vote in recent times believes that in the future his life would be a quality life with a sustainable livelihood and an affordable cost of living Then wins the political party he has deified and voted into power and their notions .appear somewhat different. And certainly at this moment the marginalized urban and rural population are wondering what their future would be. more..

May 13 (National) An unusual request was made in Sri Lanka some weeks back: a call for 80 stretch limousines to transport some of Bollywood�s biggest stars while they are in Colombo. �We don�t have limousines of this magnitude, so the organisers made a request to the Sri Lankan public to provide BMWs, Mercedes Benz and other luxury cars,� said Srilal Miththapala, more..

May 13 (DM) Sri Lankan authorities have commenced a new �operation� to counter international LTTE propaganda and other related activities with Tiger proxies now aiming on forming a transnational government for Tamil Eelam, the military said. Military Spokesperson Major General Prasad Samarasingha said that while the war in Sri Lanka has been won, Tiger operations still continue internationally and more..

May 13 (LBO) An Indian business process outsourcing firm that is setting up a unit to start off-site engineering services says Sri Lanka's evolving tertiary education system is providing it with a talent pool and costs are manageable. India's MphasiS is planning to invest 3.5 million dollars in a Sri Lankan operation and is looking to recruit 500 people in the first year going up to 2,000 graduates over three years. more..

May 13 (LG) I wish the journalist who interviewed Mr.Sambanthan had asked him what the short, �medium and long term needs of the peoples in the north and east are. Mr.Sambanthan �has very happily played the old gramophone record in answer to the rather irrelevant (at this juncture) �political questions.� I wish Mr.Sambanthan and the TNA will propose solutions to resolve the immediate �problems of the war affected people, especially the widows, orphans and the maimed.� more..

May 13 (ET) With the election process ending in Sri Lanka and the Rajapaksa government settling into its second term, India is trying to revive the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) with Sri Lanka. The two countries already have a working free-trade agreement (FTA) and had negotiated a Cepa that was ready to be signed in 2008. But the agreement got entangled in Lankan politics and ultimately forgotten in the run up to the defeat of the LTTE. more..

May 13 (wsws) Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse�s self-proclaimed �economic war� to �build the nation� took on a new meaning last weekend when the Urban Development Authority (UDA) utilised soldiers and police to crack down on street hawkers, evict families from shanties in the Slave Island area of central Colombo and demolish 45 �illegal structures.� Significantly, the operation took place under the defence ministry, which more..

May 13 (GDI) The 32nd Annual Asia Pacific Dental Congress (APDC) is held in Colombo from May 12 - 16. Sri Lanka is a member country of the Asia Pacific Dental Federation. This is the second time for Sri Lanka Dental Association to play host to APDC. Dr. Jeffrey Tsang, the President of APDF/APRO says "I was present in the previous Congress and I must admit that I enjoyed it very satisfactorily. more..

May 13 (LP) The inclusion of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) and Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Agency (SLFEA) into the responsibilities of the Ministry of External Affairs has opened a vista of opportunities to utilize the reservoir of skills which are available in Sri Lanka, stated the Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G. L. Peiris. more..

May 13 (GDI) In a move that would enhance Sri Lanka's image in the Internet governance arena, a Sri Lanka based Attorney, Jayantha Fernando, has been unanimously elected to as Vice Chairman of the ICANN Government Advisory Committee (GAC). The other two elected Vice Chairs are Diagne Maimouna Diop of Senegal and Heather Dryden of Canada. The election became effective at the recently concluded Nairobi meeting, more..