Sept 13 (Island) Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni addressing a media briefing ahead of the World T-20 at Taj Samudra yesterday said that conditions in Sri Lanka have changed drastically over the years. India have been regular visitors to the island and Dhoni felt a big change in conditions since he first played here. "I feel the conditions in Sri Lanka have changed a lot in the past years. When we came here in 2005, the wickets were different and more..

Sept 13 (FT) The Central Bank yesterday said earnings from tourism and workers� remittances continued to hold up, cushioning the current account of the Balance of Payments (BOP). It said earnings from tourism in July 2012 grew by 23.6%, year-on-year, to $ 100 million, while during the first seven months of 2012, earnings from tourism have grown at a rate of 24.2%, year-on-year, to $ 560 million. The number of tourists visiting Sri Lanka totalled 90,338 in July 2012, an increase of 7.8%, more..

Sept 13 (DN) Arrangements have been made to aerial spray Cuban BTI bacteria in Colombo city limits in the last week of October (next month) as a pilot project. Cuban BTI bacteria will be sprayed from the air in Colombo using Air Force aircraft. Dengue is rapidly increasing with the ongoing rains. Minister Maithripala Sirisena held discussions yesterday with the Cuban ambassador Nizrin Castro to obtain the BTI bacteria from Cuba as soon as possible. more..

Sept 13 (DN) The third phase of the tree planting in the Deyata Sevana Biodiversity Park established on the roadside of Japan Friendship Road near the Parliamentary Complex commenced on Monday. The Indian Oil Company (IOC) funded Rs 1 million for the project. It was established under the National Tree Planting Campaign on November 15 last year with the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The third phase of the park commenced Monday with the participation of more..

Sept 13 (Island) People prospecting for gold at Pugoda and Bollatawa have been severely inconvenienced with the water level of the Kelani river rising. Prospectors who have obtained the licence to mine gold are not able to continue with their work. "The licence issued for mining gold, in the Kelani river, is valid for only six months. At first there were days when we made about two or three thousand rupees a day. Now we cannot get into the river as there is too much water. more..

Sept 13 (Island) Minister Champika Ranawaka yesterday lashed out at the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) saying it had no right to criticise the Lak Wijaya coal fired power plant in Puttalam. Addressing the media at the Power and Energy Ministry Auditorium he said that the JVP had also supported the Cabinet decision on the coal power plant in Norochcholai when the then President, Chandrika Bandaranike, had proposed it to the parliament. more..

Sept 13 (FT) Laxapana Batteries Plc will lay off 52 workers as part of the move to scale down the �D� size battery manufacturing operations. The headcount will be cut via a Voluntary Retirement Scheme at a cost of Rs. 29.8 million. Given the nature of the industry in which it operates, Laxapana has been reducing its work force. In the financial year ended 31 March 2012, the number was 74, down from 95 in the previous year. The likelihood of a more..

Sept 13 (CT) A tense situation erupted in Hikkaduwa when the Coast Conservation Department (CCD) demolished several illegal constructions along the beach today. Hikkaduwa Police said the additional police personnel and riot squads had been deployed along the beach, to provide protection for the CCD officials involved in removing the constructions. �Several owners of the structures had begun to pelt stones and had attempted to create an unpleasant atmosphere in more..

Sept 13 (CT) The FUTA is due to launch a huge protest campaign in front of the Fort Railway Station today. Lecturers engaged in strike action and those who are supportive of their trade union action will participate in the protest, which is part of the academics� public awareness campaign to highlight the issues faced by the academic community. �Lecturers were prohibited from entering the Open University premises last Wednesday, more..

Sept 13 (TOI) This one could make a perfect KBC question: Where does the Australian cricket team rank in Twenty20 cricket? One... two... three...? Wrong all three times. Any more guesses? Here's the answer: As per current ICC rankings, the three-time world champions in ODIs are placed a distant 10th in instant cricket. Shocked? Here's some more trivia. A 10th spot means, right now they are ranked below Ireland! Surely, every Aussie cricket fan must be hurting by the way more..

Sept 13 (Island) Environmentalists are up in arms over the decision of the authorities to remove an extent of 1,000 acres of forest, from the Lunugamvehera National Park, to pave the way for a 12-kilometre electric fence from Wilabawewa to Sellakatharagama. Director of Environment Conservation Trust Sajeewa Chamikara said that the foundation stone for the construction of the electric fence had been laid by Leader of the House of the Uva Provincial Council Wimal more..

Sept 13 (DC) Minister Douglas Devananda was involved in a murder case and hence has to face trial, the state govt informed a sessions court on Wednesday. The state, represented by the IGP, Choolaimedu police station, filed a counter to the petition by Devananda, which sought to recall the NBW issued against him and permit him to attend proceedings through video conferencing. �Douglas is required to surrender before the court for recall of the warrant. more..

Sept 13 (Hindu) Sri Lankan artiste Ashanti has a string of sobriquets attached to her name. She is affectionately called the �Darling of Sri Lankan Music�; sometimes more formally �The Queen of Sri Lankan Hip Hop�. But none impress as much as her distinction of being the youngest and only female artiste from the island to have been signed by an international record label: Universal Music. Immensely popular in Sri Lanka, her last three albums have topped charts back home. more..

Sept 13 (Island) President�s Counsel Faiz Mustapha yesterday gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court that his client, Professor Gamini Samaranayake, Chairman of the University Grants Committee, would shortly file, in Court, all documents pertaining to the minutes of the University Admissions Committee, which met on August 22, 2012. Counsel also told the Court that his client would file an affidavit, explaining the inaccuracies he had referred to pertaining to more..

Sept 13 (CT) Selected school principals are being offered the �Colonel� rank, following a one-week training programme which commenced this week as part of militarizing Sri Lanka�s education system, teachers� unions charged. The Ceylon Teachers� Service Union (CTSU) said 23 principals from Colombo schools had been called for interviews in Rantambe, and are currently undergoing a one-week training programme after which they will be more..

Sept 13 (FT) The main Opposition UNP yesterday warned that worsening exports among other issues would result in the Govt resorting to higher taxation. �As Sri Lanka�s exports continue to decline, the Government would have no choice but to increase taxes,� UNP MP Dr. Harsha de Silva told a press conference yesterday. �The Central Bank has attempted to explain the decline by reasoning that lower global demand is responsible. But the Govt is not assisting entrepreneurs,� more..

Sept 13 (Island) A third of the food outlets in the country sell unhygienic hoppers, cutlets and wadai, a survey, conducted by the Food Control Unit of the Health Ministry, has revealed. The survey conducted by the FCU took samples from 150,000 food outlets all around the country, FCU head Dr Sepali Wickremathilaka said. She said that the three food items, hoppers, cutlets and wadai, sold at almost all roadside outlets, were not fit for human consumption. more..

Sept 13 (Island) ITAK MP M. A. Sumanthiran yesterday urged the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to go ahead with the appointment of a Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights. He said that as a representative of a group of oppressed people he backed the CPA initiative. Sumanthiran was speaking after UK Labour Party MP Hugh Bayley emphasized the urgent need for new appointment at a discussion held at more..

Sept 13 (DN) The country�s unemployment rate dropped to below six percent due to President Mahinda Rajapaksa�s efforts to enhance the scope of vocational and technical education, Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said. He said the unemployment figure was the lowest so far recorded. He said his ministry commenced a programme to train all those who qualify to enter stateuniversities but is unable to do so due to practical reasons. more..

Sept 13 (DN) The entire authority of the university system should be vested in the intellectuals, academic heads and lecturers so that there will be no room for unnecessary political nominations, said Minister S.B. Dissanayake. He was addressing the launch of the new tabloid , Nawasara issued along with the Dinamina newspaper. The ceremony was held at the Board Room of Lake House yesterday. �The issue concerning university academics is being successfully sorted out at present. more..

Sept 13 (CT) The Supreme Court yesterday granted approval to a new criterion, to admit students to State universities for the 2011-2012 academic year. The Court ordered to take in 5,609 additional students for the current year, in addition to the regular intake of 21,500. Previously, the Supreme Court had recommended a solution proposed by the UGC, for the A/L Z-score issue, where 4,928 additional students were to be enrolled into the universities. more..

Sept 13 (DN) The govt is considering lifting its travel advisory on Tamil Nadu in about a couple of weeks after monitoring the situation in Tamil Nadu where Sri Lankan pilgrims came under attack, External Affairs Ministry Secretary Karunatilaka Amunugama said. He said they were monitoring the situation in Tamil Nadu. �There have been improvements. Our High Commission in Chennai is closely monitoring the situation,� he said. � It will take a few weeks to assess the situation. more..

Sept 13 (DN) Pakistan is concentrating as to how the Sri Lankan experience could be obtained to build a vibrant democracy and political stability in Pakistan, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Executive Committee Vice President and Pakistan National Assembly member Dr Nafisa Shah said. Dr Shah, a delegate at the the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, told the media that she discussed the matter with Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and Deputy Speaker Chandima Weerakkody. more..

Sept 13 (Island) Many an eyebrow has been raised in defence circles by the failure on the part of the police to arrest controversial Minister Mervyn Silva's son Malaka wanted for his alleged involvement in an incident where two army officers attached to military intelligence were severely assaulted and relieved of a service revolver and a mobile phone at Jaic Hilton in the wee hours of Sunday. The Major injured in the attack is more..

Sept 13 (DM) It is no exaggeration that the state of education continues to deteriorate despite the persistent loud cries of the students, parents and teachers who are stuck in a labyrinthine tunnel with no light. Even though the repercussions of the deterioration are often blamed on the education authorities and the two ministers who hold crucial portfolios, the beneficiaries of the free education are equally responsible for the apparent downfall. Free education implemented by more..

Sept 13 (DM) In keeping with Sri Lanka�s policy of continuous engagement with the UN System, I wish to provide you an update on the significant steps taken, since the Council last met in June 2012, to consolidate our hard-won peace following the defeat of terrorism, and to ensure rapid development and reconciliation amongst our people. Of the 295,873 IDPs in May 2009, the number that remains to be re-settled has reduced to 3,054. Of the 2061.53 sq.km. contaminated with landmines and UXOs, more..

Sept 13 (LB) The question to have or not to have the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India has once again become the talking point as the Indian media has revealed that Sri Lanka had �declined� to sign the agreement. The long awaited talks on CEPA emerged (so far 13 rounds of talks have taken place) after the recent visit of Indian Commerce minister Anand Sharma to Sri Lanka when the Sri Lankan govt is said to have �refused� to resume more..

Sept 13 (LBO) Sri Lanka is evaluating a proposal to build a floating liquefied natural gas terminal to supply over 1,000MegaWatts of combined cycle power plants that are running on furnace oil and a planned new one, minister Champika Ranawaka said. "We are now working to introduce LNG to the country," he said. "We think by 2014 we will be able to do it." He said the floating terminal to be located in Kerawalapitiya, more..

Sept 13 (SL) There is a facile truism about nations getting the politicians they deserve. We, in Sri Lanka certainly have the kind we deserve. Small-minded, cliquish, corrupt, self-serving, self-indulgent and deceitful. We should have booted them out a long time ago � but have not. As we watch the conclusion of yet another election what is evident is not that the ballot rules but that parliamentarians have shown once again that they will more..

Sept 13 (CI) A collective bowling performance from Sri Lanka and half-centuries by Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene made short work of West Indies on the first day of warm-up matches for the World Twenty20. Nuwan Kulasekara struck the early blows and West Indies could manage only 132, a target Sri Lanka achieved with 4.2 overs to spare. The West Indies batsmen attacked in spurts, but more..

Sept 13 (LT) Sri Lanka Police displayed a photograph of a person claiming that he was the thief who robbed artifacts from the National Museum but what has happened to this thief asks JVP MP Sunil Handunneththi from authorities. He said, �Several were arrested stating they had broken into the Museum. It was also revealed that a very small number of artifacts that were said to have been stolen were found. more..

Sept 13 (GDI) Sri Lanka has decided to declare October 11 of each year as the International Day of the Girl Child. The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal made in this regard by Tissa Katalliyadda, Minister of Child Development and Women's Affairs. The day is declared with a view to ensuring social security, parental care and also to provide suitable solutions to the impediments faced by the child in the day to more..

Sept 13 (AFP) Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma has urged Canada to drop its threat to boycott the group's summit in Sri Lanka next year over war crimes allegations. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has warned that he may refuse to attend the summit unless Sri Lanka addresses allegations of atrocities during the closing battles of the war against separatist Tamil rebels in 2009. more..

Sept 13 (Island) The Audit Committee Report published in the recent annual report of The Finance Company PLC (TFC) for the year ended March 31, 2012 highlights a series of lapses on the part of the loss making financial company, including the failure to comply with a plethora of laws and Central Bank directives, a fact the Central Bank failed to mention when it issued a statement earlier this year claiming that TFC was a sound financial institution more..

Sept 14 (NS) The 1978 constitution commits this country to the building of a �Dharmista�. Just society, though the 1972 constitution does not specifically mention �Dharmista� but calls upon the rulers to rule righteously -�Raja Bhavatu Dhammiko�. This concept as we know formed part of the Buddhist political thought prevalent during our kings� eras. Buddhist thought enriched the political culture at that time and the people believed if the rulers were righteous peace and happiness would more..

Sept 14 (NS) This is written as a partial response to Shenali Wadge�s article last week and the first point to be raised is that �mafia� is a loaded term. If Shenali Waduge is to call the on going trade union action of the FUTA as a Mafia movement, a close rescrutiny of her entry point and subject position needs to be made. Such strong allegations were last heard from ministerial quarters when, in the face of a string of recent student protets, the national universities were last heard from more..

Sept 14 (SO) It was in the news recently that the Govt is considering the re-implementation of capital punishment due to the alarming increase in incidents of grave crime. Previous govts in 1999 and 2001 also decided to re-implement execution by hanging for murder and drug trafficking, but for some reason or other, they failed to proceed. The last execution of a criminal in Sri Lanka was in June 1976. The contemporary debate more..

Sept 14 (LB) A figurative re-dressing of the recent crisis over the annual sacrifice at the Bhadrakaali Amman kovil in Chilaw � which after a presidential intervention was �postponed� till after the Buddhist-oriented exposition of the Kapilavastu Relics � can be symbolized as follows: There are two religious identity groups, �A� and �B.� These groupings, upon extension, are partially synonymous with the main ethno-religious identities of the country as well. Both groups have their own cult beliefs, more..

Sept 14 (LB) The progressive American author, Chris Floyd�s analysis of the corrupt, despised, and highly militarized George W. Bush regime in �Empire Burlesque: High Crimes and Low Comedy in the Bush Imperium� provides a clear picture of the workings of the US political system and govt. The model is common to all US (mal)administrations � Democratic and Republican. One of the key functions in the job description of the position of president, the main character more..

Sept 14 (CT) When the Minister of Public Relations and Public Affairs, Mervin Silva, set out to capture a public servant, he made it a photo opportunity. The media was invited. TV stations were �camera-ready�. The victim was tied to a tree. It was reported in the newspapers and the footage was shown on television. The police did nothing. The Attorney General did nothing. The entire justice system shamed itself that day. In March this year the same minister openly stated that he was more..