Mar 28 (FMT) Putrajaya has defended the decision to abstain from voting in a United Nations resolution urging Sri Lanka to �credibly investigate� allegations of war crimes during the final months of its civil war there. Amongst the reasons, according to Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Richard Riot, was that Sri Lanka�s problems were too complex to solve in a short time. He said that the country, which had fought a civil war between 1972 to 2009, tabled a report more..

Mar 28 (CI) Graeme Swann believes England are "just favourites" to pull off their highest ever run chase and secure a come-from-behind victory against Sri Lanka in Galle after battling through the final session of the third day with eight wickets intact. Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss had been dismissed with 48 on the board, both to Rangana Herath who took his match haul to eight with the potential to add plenty more but Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen survived a few scares more..

Mar 28 (CI) Monty Panesar took wickets for fun on his return to the Test side in the UAE but found life harder in Galle. In fact, he was probably getting quite fed up with the venue. In the 2007 Test he went wicketless as Sri Lanka piled up nearly 500. Finally, though, he opened his account in the 60th over he had bowled at the ground when Dinesh Chandimal played his second poor shot of the match and lofted a catch to mid-off. The lead was already 293 - very healthy but still below more..

Mar 28 (SL) The Jaffna Municipal Council (MC) has adopted a resolution calling for the implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC, a Jaffna based newspaper reported today. According to the Uthayan newspaper, the Jaffna MC adopted the resolution by a majority of two votes with 10 members voting for and eight against it. The resolution says the govt must implement the recommendations of the LLRC without leaving room for outside intervention. more..

Mar 28 (E24|7) UAE businessmen rush to Sri Lanka as the country opened up its doors for competitive trade. More than 50 business personnel from Dubai and other emirates are camping in Sri Lankan to explore business opportunities. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa inaugurated Expo 2012, being held for the first time in 12 years. More than 370 exporters are showcasing a wide array of goods and services at the expo. �The expo was very impressive. I am having meetings more..

Mar 28 (AN) "Abortions are increasing in Sri Lanka. To protect children and their place in the world, we need to help mothers in every way possible", said Card. Malcolm Ranjith, Archbishop of Colombo, announcing the decision to allocate the collections of Lent for a fund dedicated to the unborn child. Launched last March 25, the fifth Sunday of Lent, the initiative is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Colombo and Caritas. The project is entitled "Protection of life, to more..

Mar 28 (CT) The Working Committee of the UNP yesterday adopted a resolution to push the govt for the full implementation of LLRC recommendations. The resolution, which was presented to the UNP Working Committee, was drafted by Lakshman Kiriella, Joseph Michael Perera and Mangala Samaraweera. It states the UNP will support the govt in its endeavours to implement the recommendations made in the LLRC report. At the same time, it says the more..

Mar 28 (PTI) The cricket World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka last April was not a sold out match as at least 405 tickets remained unsold, it has been reported. According to a reporte, 405 tickets remained unsold and these include 96 tickets in the Sunil Gavaskar stand (lower) at a cost of Rs 1,500 each. The total value of the unsold tickets was Rs 73.4 lakhs, though it was claimed that it was a sold out match. When contacted, an MCA official said, "May be more..

Mar 28 (CG) Mr. Boombastic, Shaggy, will be performing in Colombo next month, his second tour to the country. Presented by the popular online store Anything.lk, Shaggy will perform with Ravon at the CR & FC Grounds on April 28 and judging by his last gig in Colombo in 2001 even this one is bound to be a sellout performance, Bathiya & Santhush, Natasha Rathnayake and Azlan & The Sherifs will open for the Shaggy concert next month, the event organizers said. more..

Mar 28 (LBO) Sri Lankan employers are seeking the extension of a trial run allowing a five-day work week as part of moves to reform archaic labour laws and improve efficiency. Ravi Peiris, director general of the Employer's Federation of Ceylon (EFC), said they have been lobbying with the govt to spread over hours of work on five days of the week instead of an extra half-day on Saturday. "We have made submissions on the granting of an option to more..

Mar 28 (DM) The official re-opening of the Sri Lankan embassy in Iraq is scheduled to be held next month with the participation of the Sri Lankan Ministers. The Iraqi Ambassador in Sri Lanka Kahtan Thaha Khalaf said that the Sri Lankan Mission had already started to function at the Sheraton Hotel premises in Baghdad. �I had a meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on January 31 2012. After the discussion he immediately asked his officials to re-open the embassy in Iraq� more..

Mar 28 (LBO) Japan has given Sri Lanka a loan of 42 billion Yen (about 66 billion rupees) with the bulk of it meant for expanding the island's sole international airport, a Japanese embassy statement said. "The loans under this scheme are offered on highly concessionary terms and conditions and are administered by Japan�s International Cooperation Agency," it said. About 45 billion rupees will be loaned for the second phase of the BIA Development Project to more..

Mar 28 (AS) Heritance Ahungalla, one of Sri Lanka�s Aitken Spence Group�s premier hotels, has unveiled a $35 million sapphire studded cake, which the hotel hopes will be a serious contender for the �World�s most expensive cake� title this year. Created by their celebrity Chef Dimuthu Kumarasinghe, the ten-layered �Pirate�s Fantasy� comes studded with jewels and different flavours that will symbolise the hotel�s beach front property on more..

Mar 28 (PTI) She's done four films in Bollywood, most of which are duds. But that hasn't stopped Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez from bagging a Hollywood project. The scuttlebutt has it that the model-turned-actress is all set to make her presence felt in a Canadian-British project. The 26-year-old has been reportedly approached for Definition of Fear, a project that marks the directorial debut of Hollywood producer James Simpson. more..

Mar 28 (IT) The euphoria was short-lived. The hopes generated after India's vote at Geneva for holding Colombo accountable for war crimes, have now evaporated. With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh bending over backwards to placate our tiny southern neighbour, there is nothing much to cheer about. But the Lankan Tamil issue has returned to the centrestage with all parties in the state speaking in one voice. Even the normally reticent Tamil Nadu Congress Committee hasn't more..

Mar 28 (DM) Three members of a notorious street gang jailed for the shooting of a five-year-old-girl could have been behind bars on the night of the attack, it has emerged. Thusha Kamaleswaran was left paralysed by a bullet fired by 21-year-old Nathaniel Grant as she danced in a grocery store aisle in front of her parents. Grant and his accomplices Anthony McCalla, 20, and Kazeem Kolawole, 19, last night faced long jail sentences after a jury at more..

Mar 29 (NS) The moves currently being made by the Parliamentary Committee on Propriety, Discipline and Security (CPDS) to rein in delinquent parliamentarians are timely. Chairman of the CPDS and Senior Minister D.E.W. Gunasekara, referring to these moves, has said the CPDS would recommend punitive action like the withdrawal of privileges and perks provided by the government, foreign trips for official engagements, state security and official vehicles, if found guilty of more..

Mar 29 (NS) NGOs play a vital role in Sri Lanka today. Without those engaged in human rights advocacy � that the Govt loves to hate - there would be no one to blame for the debacles of foreign policy, international relations and non-implementation of even the LLRC�s output. An article I penned online last week explored how from the get-go, the LLRC�s hearings, interim report, final report, submissions both oral and written, key debates around reconciliation and more..

Mar 29 (SO) �A road is a route or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance ...� Salute the roads. They take us to the destinations we intend to reach. They bear the burden of our vehicles. They patiently accept the heavy weights and rapid speeds we impose upon them. Enduring untold � unspoken pains and pangs, roads witness the ups and downs of human history. Roads do not weep or wail. more..

Mar 29 (TC) I cherish my childhood memories of listening to the �kristhava keethangal� (Christian songs) segment, broadcast on Sunday mornings in the nineteen sixties and seventies. The melodious lyrics reached Jaffna via the medium radio waves of �Thamil Sevai 1� of Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation, later known as SLBC. During this phase the average �Jaffna-ite� was relying on the radio waves for classical music, cinema songs and news. This was the era when few people more..

Mar 29 (DBS) I have been concerned by the claims of some politicians, journalists, NGOs and INGOs about post-war developments of an adverse nature relating to purported settlement of Sinhalese in the Northern Province, contrary to what I could see and gather from the people living within the province. The special survey of the Northern Province conducted by the Dept of Census and Statistics in the Northern Province in 2011 and the results of previous census carried out since 1881, more..

Mar 29 (ST) The pretty little Nil Manel is in the eye of the storm once again. A controversy is swirling around both the Nil Manel which is the declared National Flower and an imposter hybrid cousin due to both flowers being mentioned in the book �Flowering Plants commonly encountered in Sri Lankan habitats� by Dr. Sriyanie Miththapala, Dr. Siril Wijesundara and Dr. Janaki Galappatti to be launched this week. Earlier, the Nil Manel hit the headlines in Nov 2010 more..

Mar 29 (DBS) I must begin by thanking the Secretariat of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats for putting together an excellent concept paper, which presents us with a very balanced view of the topic of our general assembly this year. It is all too easy to think of populism in negative terms, and indeed the list of what are seen as populist leaders of recent times with which the paper begins is one that many liberals would abhor. But the fact remains that the more..

Mar 29 (Island) The US backed resolution on "Promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka" was passed in Geneva with Indian support as a result of Tamil Nadu compulsions. To save face for this reversal from its original principled stand not to support the resolution, India threw a lifeline to Sri Lanka by modifying the last paragraph in the resolution to include "in consultation with and with the concurrence of the govt of Sri Lanka". This demonstrated with more..

Mar 29 (DM) The Rajapaksa govt has been defeated at the vote held at the UNHRC. However much has been attempted internationally and locally to project this as a defeat of the country it is really a defeat for the govt; more correctly a defeat of the foreign policy of the Rajapaksa govt. The defeat in Geneva could be defined as the manifestation of the failure of policies of the Rajapaksa govt. more..

Mar 29 (SL) Now is the time to come to the aid of the country is the rallying call today in this internationally besieged island. We too are all for it but being cynics we do so with reservations. Our inspiration is that arch rationalist and cynic, Bertrand Russell who had reservations on unlimited patriotism. �I will not die for my country because my country may be wrong,� he declared. Such thoughts resulted in this British aristocrat, philosopher and mathematician being jailed twice during World War 1 for more..

Mar 29 (SL) The approval of the American-European sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka in Geneva last week is likely to have a fallout on the geopolitics of the region if not sooner, later. The United States, India and China have all been involved in the debate of the resolution in Geneva but an immediate impact could result only if Sri Lanka acts in a pique. The big powers are unlikely to be involved in a major confrontation on so small an issue� Sri Lanka being more..

Mar 29 (SL) The Geneva Resolution was not inimical to Sri Lanka or Sri Lankans. Its adoption is not a defeat for Sri Lanka or Sri Lankans. But for the Rajapaksas, the Geneva vote is a defeat; a defeat as needless as the battle itself. The US stands accused of innumerable crimes and misdeeds, past and present, including conspiracies against sovereign govts, such as that other 9/11, the overthrow of the elected Popular Unity more..

Mar 29 (Island) President Mahinda Rajapaksa does not seem to have benefited from hindsight. He is still critical of terrorism. He who appointed a 'lessons learnt' commission has let many a lesson go unlearnt. Yesterday, at the inauguration of Sri Lanka Expo 2012, he said he would never allow terrorism to raise its ugly head again in this country. Some people may not agree with him on the adjective, ugly. Ugliness lies in the eyes of the beholder. Ask Hillary, Blake, Miliband, Kouchner, Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi, Vaiko and Solheim; more..

Mar 29 (Island) The Friday Forum is an informal gathering of public spirited persons wishing to contribute to the future development of Sri Lanka within a framework of democracy, social justice and pluralism. It is in that spirit that we wish to share some of our concerns with the wider public. The Friday Forum welcomed the setting up of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and co-operated constructively by making representations before it. more..

Mar 29 (Island) The District Judge of Colombo yesterday issued an enjoining order, restraining the Mayor of Kotte Janaka Ranawake from displaying or distributing a false video tape, which is alleged to show the Deputy Mayor Madura Vithanage, in a compromising position with a nude female. The plaint said the video was falsely composed, untrue and a malicious composition. The plaintiff, the Deputy Mayor, Vithanage, said the video was false and had been made to bring him into disrepute. more..

Mar 29 (FT) Executive Vice President of Nestl� Worldwide (Nestl� S.A.) Nandu Nandkishore arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday. As one of the highest-ranking members of Nestl�s Global Executive Board, his first-ever visit to the country in an official capacity is intended to reconfirm Nestl�s commitment to the development of Sri Lanka and to acknowledge the progressive development of the country thus far. As an Executive Board Member of Nestl� S.A., Nandkishore is the new Head more..

Mar 29 (DM) A Colombo Court today severely warned a disabled Sri Lankan Army Captain not to make any statements to newspapers in respect of the popular X-files actress Gillian Anderson. In this case Army Captain Anura Weeraratne Bandara had been charged with the misappropriation of Rs.17.8 million from the Sri Lankan property owned by Ms. Anderson. When the case was taken up by Magistrate Kanishka Wijeratne, Counsel Anuja Premaratne appearing more..

Mar 29 (DN) The Anuradhapura Oyamaduwa paddy storage complex was commissioned by Minister Basil Rajapaksa yesterday. The new complex linking three buildings came up during the Deyata Kirula - 2012 exhibition at Oyamaduwa. The complex consists of 125,000 square feet and becomes the largest paddy storage complex in the country. Minister purchased a consignment of 20,000 kgs of paddy at a guaranteed price brought by farmers from Nochchiyagama and Rajangane. more..

Mar 29 (DN) Some NGOs have taken the responsibility to promote wheat flour consumption in Sri Lanka, said Minister Wimal Weerawansa. �Farmers in the Polonnaruwa district recently conducted a protest forcing the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) to purchase their paddy at Rs 40 per a kilo. Slogans for this protest were provided by an NGO. If the PMB gave in to the demand, the final cost of a kilo of rice will be Rs 100. The final outcome of this process will be the growth of wheat flour consumption,� more..

Mar 29 (BBC) Sri Lanka could learn from Myanmar which has radically changed bringing democratic reforms in the country says Sri Lanka Ambassador to France, Dr.Dayan Jathilleka. He said that in 2009, Myanmar came under vigorous international pressure over its human rights record and Myanmar was defeated in a vote brought in the UNHRC. �A few weeks after Sri Lanka won our battle in Geneva in May 2009, Myanmar lost in the same forum. more..

Mar 29 (CI) Many things can lead to frustration in the sort of heat that Galle has produced during this Test match. High on that list is taking wickets with no-balls and not being able to remove lower-order batsmen as a result. For the second time in the game, England exerted unexpected energy trying to wrap up Sri Lanka's innings. Both times a Jayawardene has been in the way. In the first innings it was an epic performance from Mahela and second time around a gusty innings from more..

Mar 29 (Island) The Federation of University Teachers� Association�s Peradeniya Branch totally rejected and condemned a statement purported to have been made by Minister S.B. Dissanayake recently that the security personnel of the Peradeniya University were supplying ganja (cannabis) to university students. A statement released by the FUTA Peradeniya Branch yesterday said that Minister Dissanayake had made an unreasonable and undue accusation. more..

Mar 29 (Island) Udeshika Hettiarachchi of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo was placed first in the all island GCE O/L results while Anusha Perera of Science College Matale was placed second. The third place was a tie between two colleges, Bharatha Madushanka of Dharmaraja College Kandy and Dilmi Samadika of the Pinnawala Central College. Deminna Karunaratne of the Kuliyapitiya Central College and Hiruni Udara of Matara Sujatha Balika Vidyalaya shared more..