Oct 3 (FT) Total auction average for Sept 2013 totalled 475.83, showing a gain of Rs. 56.05 vis-�-vis 419.78 of 2012, Forbes and Walker Tea Brokers said. �It is also noteworthy that this is the highest monthly auction average recorded, surpassing the previous best of Rs. 444.07 achieved in Aug 2013,� the broking firm added. Even in USD terms a growth is evident YOY. The Sept 2013 average of US$ 3.60 show a growth of US$ 0.40 vis-�-vis US$ 3.20 of 2012,� Forbes added. more..

Oct 3 (Island) While many fear that a clash between Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), and IPL bound national cricketers is looming large ahead of next year�s tour of England, a prominent Sri Lankan cricketer believes that SLC will not dare to take on the might of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Sri Lanka leave for England next year on the 10th of May, and although the IPL dates for the next season have not been released yet, more..

Oct 3 (CT) The Principal of Kumbukkana Subagya Special School, who was wanted by the police in connection with charges of molesting under-aged students, subjecting them to cruelty, committing sexual abuse on teachers and soliciting sexual favours from them, was arrested by the police recently. ASP Anura Pushpakumara of the Moneragala Division said, based on the complaints received by the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) and the DIG of the Uva Province, more..

Oct 3 (DN) The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) has purchased 90,000 metric tones of paddy from farmers islandwide spending Rs. 2,908 million during the Yala season this year, Minister Johnston Fernando said. The highest paddy harvest of 27,747 metric tonnes has been purchased from the Ampara district for the Yala season. The quantity of paddy purchased from the Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura districts was 16,117 metric tonnes and 10,258 metric tons respectively. more..

Oct 3 (KSA) Sajinda Ravinchandran, 18, a Tamil youth from Sri Lanka's war ravaged north, has found new hope for the future. Although he was unable to complete school, he has secured a job at a new garment factory inaugurated August 5th in Vavuniya. Omega Line, owned by Italy's Calzedonia Group, has opened its seventh factory in Sri Lanka in the northern town, aiming to provide employment to 3,000 war-affected youth. more..

Oct 3 (CI) When Sri Lanka arrived in Australia in 2012, they approached the first Test in Hobart with a peculiar but telling wish. "If the wicket has a bit in it, our fast bowlers have a chance against the Australian batsmen," Kumar Sangakkara said. "Pitches like that make fast bowlers really enthusiastic to play, and elevate guys who don't have much pace." Five years earlier, when Muttiah Muralitharan was Sri Lanka's top gun on tour, Sangakkara might not have dreamt more..

Oct 3 (Island) Sanath Manatunge, the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) of Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC has been honoured with the prestigious �Chief Information Security Officer of the Year� Award at the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) Global CISO Forum in Atlanta, USA. The Global CISO Award honours the true visionaries of information security from around the world. It recognizes an individual�s outstanding work in the field of more..

Oct 3 (LR) With exactly 500 days to go before the first ball is bowled in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 on 14 February, batting wizard Sachin Tendulkar has predicted that the trophy will remain in the subcontinent with India favourite to retain the title. Tendulkar, who along with Pakistan�s Javed Miandad is the only player in the history of the game to play in six World Cups, hoped that if Dhoni�s side successfully defended the title, more..

Oct 3 (GDI) 15th Annual Symposium of the Department of Agriculture (ASDA) scheduled to be held on 7th � 8th Oct at the Plant Genetic Resource Centre, Gannoruwa, Peradeniya. Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena will be the chief guest at inaugural session and Dr. William Dar, Director General of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will deliver the keynote address as the guest of honour at the ceremonial opening session on 7th Oct. more..

Oct 3 (CT) Celebrations to mark International Children's Day on 1 October in the North Western Province proved a failure in view of the Grade 5 Scholarship examination results being released, sources said. Arrangements had been made in many schools to mark World Children's Day, and until 10:30 a.m., students, teachers and parents had been seen enjoying the events held to mark the Day, which had included singing and dancing, as well as the refreshments that were served. more..

Oct 3 (Island) Teachers who suspended the GCE A/L answer script evaluation duties, at Nalanda College Centre in Colombo, on Tuesday in protest against the non-disbursement of advance payments, returned to work after the Examinations Department had made necessary arrangement to solve the problem. Examinations Chief W.M.N.J. Pushpakumara said that there had been some delay in payments for teachers more..

Oct 3 (DM) Police are on the lookout for a large number of Africans alleged to be overstaying in Sri Lanka, following arrests made in the Katunayake, Negombo and Seeduwa areas recently. Many Malians, Cameroonians and Nigerians are believed to be overstaying with invalid, outdated visas. Police noted that these operations were vital to minimise the rising number of crimes committed by Africans as reported in recent times. Some had been arrested for allegedly cheating more..

Oct 3 (DN) There is a significant drop in the number of dengue cases this year compared to Sept 2012. There was a drop of around 10,000 dengue cases last month relative to Sept 2012. The number of dengue cases reported last month was 24,384 while 35,000 dengue cases were reported in Sept last year. There is a decrease in dengue deaths too. A total of 80 dengue deaths were reported from January to September last year, but this year only 64 deaths had been reported more..

Oct 3 (FT) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its latest update on the region�s outlook has said that SL appears to be broadly on track to meet forecasted growth. The Asian Development Outlook (ADO) of ADB released yesterday said it retains the April projection for GDP growth in 2013 at 6.8% and in 2014 at 7.2%. Retention of forecast of Sri Lanka is despite ADO downgrading the overall prospects for South Asia. more..

Oct 3 (DM) The Colombo Fort Magistrate while questioning the CID as to why a suspect alleged to have defrauded his son and stormed a newspaper office was not arrested yet, ordered the immediate arrest of the suspect. Counsel Mahesh Katulanda appearing for the aggrieved party, the son, told court that apart from the alleged defrauding 150 million rupees from the son, the suspect had stormed a media institution and threatened the journalist who had reported the court case. more..

Oct 3 (MW) Mineral sands producer Iluka (ILU) has acquired of all the issued shares in Sri Lankan explorer PKD Resources. Iluka, which is the world�s largest producer of zircon, agreed to the acquisition in August, as well as being granted four exploration tenements within Sri Lanka. A large mineral sand resource sits in the tenements captured by the acquisition and the grants made in August. The addition of the tenements represents a 46% increase to Iluka�s total resource more..

Oct 3 (Island) Calling former President Chandrika Kumaratunga a political novice at the time she was fielded as the PA�s Western Province Chief Ministerial candidate in 1993, UNP MP Sajith Premadasa said that he wouldn�t want to ruin his political career by following in her footsteps. An irate MP Premadasa said that he wouldn�t want to be the laughingstock by adopting the CBK model at a time the party was struggling more..

Oct 3 (DM) The Education Minister of the Southern Provincial Council on Wednesday promised that the student who had obtained the highest marks in the island at the grade 5 scholarship examination would be sent on a trip to Disneyland in the United States. Minister Chandima Rasaputhra, speaking at Mahinda College, Galle (the school attended by Sandalu Bandara who obtained 198 out of 200 marks at the exam) said that the student would be sent on a 14 day trip to Disneyland. more..

Oct 3 (CT) The Chief Minister (CM) designate of the Northern Province, C.V. Wigneswaran, said though he had accepted the letter of appointment of the CM from the Governor of the Northern Province, G.A. Chandrasiri, his party, the TNA has not yet decided before whom he would be formally sworn in. Wigneswaran also said they have yet to decide who would be appointed as Ministers of the Provincial Council. He said the TNA would soon decide on the four Councillors who would be appointed as more..

Oct 3 (CT) The Department of Excise has expressed disappointment over the manner the Sri Lanka Customs has been dragging its feet with regard to the investigations into the discovery of the ethanol that had been surreptitiously imported into the country in two containers, as far as six months ago. Senior officers of the Excise Department are wondering if the officers of the Customs Department are under political pressure to desist from more..

Oct 3 (CT) The Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) is constantly 'visited' by many reptiles, with the latest visitors being a mapila (cat snake) and a python. Two days ago, the staff had captured a python at the terminal, and handed it over to the Department of Wildlife Conservation. The mapila had been spotted in the VIP lounge. Airport staff revealed that reptiles crawl into the terminal, especially during heavy showers. When Ceylon Today contacted Airport Manager, more..

Oct 3 (BBC) A statue of Queen Victoria in Sri Lanka's main city, Colombo, has been taken off its plinth for renovation ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Govt Meeting (CHOGM) to be held there next month. The statue was moved from its original location seven years ago and placed in an inconspicuous position. But the authorities say it will now be given more prominence. The statue of Britain's longest-reigning monarch dates from 1897, the year of her Diamond Jubilee. more..

Oct 3 (DM) In a new development with regard to the future of the UNP its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the members of the United Bikkhu Front that he was ready to take any step for the betterment of the party. Mr. Wickremesinghe said in a statement that he had already informed the Bikkhus including Venerable Girambe Ananda Thera that he was ready to meet them for a discussion within the next few days. more..

Oct 3 (DM) In this era where we see a criminalisation of politics and the politicisation of crime with thuggary and hooliganism including widespread sexual abuse of children being rampant Sri Lanka desperately and urgently needs a statesman for our times�someone of the calibre of Mahatma Gandhi whose 144th birth anniversary was celebrated yesterday. As a pioneer of Satyagraha, or resistance through mass non-violent civil disobedience, he became one of the major more..

Oct 3 (DM) A Commission of Enquiry that was appointed by the then govt headed by the late President Premadasa in 1990, following the second JVP-led youth uprising came to the conclusion that among other things, the allocation of govt jobs on the basis of political patronage led to a deep sense of injustice among youth looking for secure government jobs. Given the fact that the vast majority of youth continued to aspire for govt jobs, a return to such a practice could only lead more..

Oct 3 (Island) Private Bus Owners� Association (LPBOA) wants all buses, private and state-owned, to be brought under one minister. LPBOA president Gemunu Wijeratne said his association would officially request President Rajapaksa to bring the Private Bus Industry and the Sri Lanka Transport Board under one Ministry as the present Private Transport Ministry had done more harm than good to their industry. more..

Oct 3 (SL) The Chairman Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) is accused of attempting to reverse the Mahinda Chinthana concept of encouraging local entrepreneurs. Although it is the duty of the BOI to attract foreign investors to the country, the Chairman�s duty is to first safeguard local entrepreneurs as stated in the Mahinda Chinthana. Page 97 of the Mahinda Chinthana clearly states, �It is only by safeguarding and encouraging more..

Oct 3 (ST) A lady residing at Wellawatte was devastated after she realised that her phone she left on a table while her car was being washed, was missing. After lodging a complaint at the police station she was told to rush to the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) office and make a complaint giving the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number of her phone assuring that it will be possible to track more..

Oct 3 (CT) The UNP backed trade unions claiming the 14 decisions taken through the leadership of Ranil Wickremesinghe, had led to the ruination of the Party, said they will hand over a petition to the Executive Committee of the UNP, stating their concerns, to be tabled at the meeting scheduled to be held today. The trade unions of the UNP, in one voice, stated UNP Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, had chosen to ignore more..

Oct 3 (DM) The TNA leaders, who were in Jaffna, hurriedly made their way to Colombo for a meeting yesterday. The TNA, which achieved a resounding victory at the Sept 21 election, is now engaged in preparing the groundwork for the country�s first NPC. However, it appears that the party is engulfed in a dilemma over the oath-taking of the new Chief Minister and other members. Inside sources of the TNA said that there were more..

Oct 3 (Island) Peradeniya University students marched to the Kandy town from the Galaha junction yesterday against the govt�s alleged attempt to privatise free education by establishing education zones and the proposed gazette notifications to set up private universities. However, Secretary to the Higher Education Ministry Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navaratne said the undergraduates� imagination was running riot. more..

Oct 3 (Kantipur) The Sri Lankan Government has pressurised the Nepali authorities to stop the screening of all three documentaries from Sri Lanka selected for the Film Southasia �13 festival of documentaries (FSA). Films including �Broken� and �The Story of One� (both by director Kannan Arunasalam), and �No Fire Zone� (director Callum Macrae) were pulled from screening, according to FSA. more..

Oct 3 (E24|7) Even as some of the world�s most troubled hotspots have countries maintain a year-round travel advisory for its citizens, several Dubai-based Asian expats claimed surprise that Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan made it to the list of the worst passports to travel with in a recent study. The Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index, which is a global ranking of countries based on the freedom of travel for their citizens, more..

Oct 3 (AD) Dayasiri Jayasekara and Sarath Ekanayake took oaths as Chief Ministers of North Western and Central provinces before the President a short while ago. Former UNP MP Jayasekara received the highest preference votes from the Kurunegala District with an unprecedented 336,327 votes at the Provincial Council election held on Sept 21. He resigned from Parliament to contest for the NWPC under the ruling party. more..

Oct 3 (AD) Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe has refused to accept UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake�s resignation letter from his post as the party�s Chief Organizer for Kundasale electorate. Attanayake handed in his resignation to UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe last evening, citing the UNP�s loss in the Kundasale electorate of the Kandy District at the recent polls as the reason for the decision. more..

Oct 3 (CT) Addressing a press conference in Nikaweratiya Minister Johnston Fernando, has said �Those individuals who cannot bear to see the massive development that is taking place in Nikaweratiya are creating conflicts with the politicians of the area and trying to make Johaan and Johnston blameworthy for that�. Some people are fools but not all. Johnston�s lies can still survive because of that percentage of fools. But others have wisely rejected his son Johann Fernando. more..

Oct 3 (Hindu) The Danushkodi police have arrested a Sri Lankan Tamil who clandestinely landed at Arichal Munai off Danushkodi on Wednesday. M. Selvakrishnan (37), who arrived by a fibreglass boat, was arrested after locals alerted the police. Selvakrishnan said he had paid Rs. 10,000 to the boat riders for the transit. He said he was targeted by some Sinhalese parties for having campaigned for the TNA in the NPC elections. A painter by profession, he had actively engaged in more..

Oct 3 (Island) The Supreme Court granted two weeks time to the President and the Secretary of the Tamil National Alliance to file objections to the petition filed by Dr. Gunadasa Amerasekera and four others, challenging the TNA manifesto at the Provincial Council Poll in the North, which the petitioners said was against the unitary status of Sri Lanka, as guaranteed in Sri Lanka�s Constitution. more..

Oct 3 (NIP) On Sept 21, elections were held in three provinces of Sri Lanka � the Sinhala majority North Western Province (NWP) and the Central Province (CP) and the Tamil-dominated Northern Province. While the UPFA returned to power in NWP and CP, with nearly 60% of votes, it suffered a humiliating defeat in the NP. The TNA secured a landslide victory, winning 30 of the 38 seats, polling 78% of the votes. C V Wigneswaran, the chief minister designate, topped the preference votes more..

Oct 3 (LBO) Stocks closed 0.16% higher with speculative interest continuing in troubled Touchwood and the rupee strengthened in intra-day trading. All Share Price Index closed 9.18 points higher at 5,814.80, up 0.16%, provisional data showed, after reaching an intraday high of 5,822.72. The S&PSL 20 closed 2.18 points lower at 3,220.71, down 0.07%. Turnover was 840.78 million rupees down from 1.31 billion rupees the previous day with shares of 120 firms gaining against 65 losers. more..