Apr 7 (AFP) Sri Lanka was preparing to throw its biggest party since the end of the country's ethnic war Monday after beating India in the final of cricket's World T20 tournament. Govt officials said that arrangements were being made to fly the team home early from Bangladesh to attend a ticker-tape parade in Colombo after an outpouring of jubilation in a country that has been at war for much of its post-independence history. more..

Apr 7 (DBS) Among the 422 individuals designated by the Sri Lankan Govt through a gazette Extraordinary issued on March 21st 2014 is included the name of a person who died two years ago. The 86th name in the relevant Gazette notification is that of Karunanithi Thurairatnam a.k.a Thurai. The notification also states that Thurairatnam was born on March 15th 1969 and that he is living in France. more..

Apr 7 (CT) The govt warned that legal action would be taken against those who testify before UN Human Rights High Commissioner Navaneetham Pillay's Commission, if it is established that their testimony is infringing the Constitution of Sri Lanka. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that legal action 'would only be taken' against such individuals if they are found to have infringed the country's Constitution. more..

Apr 7 (CT) On a daily basis we hear of raids being conducted either by the officials of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) or the CMC on business places to unearth either date expired items or rotting fruits unsuitable for human consumption being kept for sale to the public. The officials of the CAA had recently uncovered another racket where rotting fruits bought from super markets were being resold to pavement hawkers who in turn sell them to the unsuspecting public. more..

Apr 7 (LBO) Shares end in the red Monday with finance and insurance sector losing ground. All Share Price Index closed 6.17 points lower at 6,048.38 down 0.10%. The S&P SL20 closed 1.67 points lower at 3,321.43, down 0.05%. Turnover was 537.61 million rupees, down from 5.04 billion rupees last Friday with 75 stocks close positive against 77 negative. Commercial Bank closed flat at 125.00 rupees with market transactions of 152.22 million rupees contributing to 28% of the turnover more..

Apr 7 (CT) �Following on Assistant Secretary Blake�s January 29 meeting with the Sri Lankan charge d�affaires in Washington (reftel), Ambassador Butenis requested and held a meeting on Jan 31 with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogollagama to raise U.S. concerns regarding Govt of Sri Lanka harassment of presidential candidate Fonseka, raids and threats against independent media, and an article published on the MOD more..

Apr 7 (CT) Beware of the dangerous and genocidal Dayange Chinthanaya. Dayan Jayatilleka would sweet talk us into believing we are something whilst reducing us to nothing. He is relegating us to mere second class �national minorities�, because of his benevolent nature??? Let me shut him up with one example, that is the UK � the Northern Irish, the Welsh or the Scots are not called minorities even as, out of the 650 constituencies in the UK, 533 are in England, 59 in Scotland, 40 in Wales and more..

Apr 7 (Reuters) The Sri Lankan rupee ended weaker on Monday due to dollar demand for stock-related outflows, but remittances from migrant workers and exporter dollar sales ahead of the festive season held the fall, dealers said. The spot rupee ended at 130.68/70 per dollar, compared with Friday's close of 130.60/65. It had strengthened to 130.40/50 per dollar in early trade on Friday. "There were stock-related outflows, which brought the rupee down," said one currency dealer. more..

Apr 7 (UNIDO) LI Yong, Director General of UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and Minister Dullas Alahapperuma, said that youth employment was an urgent matter that should be adequately reflected in the post-2015 development agenda process. Speaking at the G77 Plenary Discussion on mainstreaming youth in the post-2015 development agenda and promoting youth entrepreneurship for industrial more..

Apr 7 (Island) There had been 2250 fatal accidents which killed 2300 persons last year, SSP Ajith Rohana said. He said a total of 37,500 traffic accidents had been reported to the police last year. Among the main causes for these accidents were reckless and drunk driving. SSP Rohana said that police would conduct a special traffic operation from April 10 to April 25 to nab drunk drivers and additional policemen had already been detailed for this operation during the festive season.

Apr 7 (LT) There is a shortage of nurses in government hospitals, this is due to the dearth in the number of people coming into the sector despite vacancies are filled with new recruits says the Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena adding that more and more nurses prefer to work overseas. The Ministry of Health states about 52 nurses go for foreign employment every week and the number of nurses that go on retirement too has gone up at present. more..

Apr 7 (AFP) A Sri Lankan fruit seller suffered a massive heart attack and died after he lost a $300 bet that India would win the cricket World T20 tournament, police said Monday. S.P. Kumara placed the 40,000-rupee bet on the eve of Sunday's final, wrongly predicting that Sri Lanka would repeat its "choking" performance at three previous international tournaments and lose to India. "He had gone to a bookmaker at Gampaha more..

Apr 7 (LT) The country is ruled today by traitors like Don Juan Dharmapala says the Member of the Central Committee of the JVP and former MP Samantha Vidyaratna. Addressing the 43rd Commemoration of �April Heroes� held by the JVP in Badulla on the 5th Mr. Vidyaratna said, �The foreigners who ruled the country left the country leaving the locals to rule the country. These locals have been ruling the country according to the wishes of imperialists since 1948.� more..

Apr 7 (Island) Rajarata University Medical Faculty Senior lecturer Dr. Channa Jayasumana who was also a member of the Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Kidney Diseases and the indiscriminate use of agro-chemicals said that the Cabinet had decided to appoint a Presidential Task Force to identify the priority areas contained in the Action Plan prepared for the purpose. He pointed out that it would take into consideration the observations made by Minister of more..

Apr 7 (Xinhua) Abu Dhabi-based airline Rotana Jet will start flights to Sri Lanka's Colombo and Mattala airports from Wednesday. As a part of the airline's expansion, Rotana Jet has added Sri Lanka as its newest destination. The airline will operate three flights per week from Al Bateen Airport in Abu Dhabi to Sri Lanka's main international airport in the outskirts of Colombo and to the second Chinese-built international airport in South, more..

Apr 7 (RT) India has managed to negotiate a dangerous curve in its relations with Sri Lanka, a crucial Indian backyard where China and Pakistan have steadily enlarged their strategic footprints in recent years. As the closest neighbor, with thousands of years of relations with Sri Lanka, India cannot remain untouched by developments in that country. India abstained from voting at the UNHRC on a resolution to promote reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 7 (Island) America with commitment assists Sri Lanka in programmes for building communal harmony which is a dire need for the development of the country, said US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Michele J. Sison attending the six-a-side cricket match between Kandy and Jaffna US Information centres on Sat 5. The match played at Getambe municipal playground ended in victory to Jaffna team, by 08 runs. Speaking to the media after distribution of awards at the Kandy more..

Apr 7 (DM) Democratic Party (DP) Leader Sarath Fonseka today said he had to face criticism from various sources during recent times because he took stern action against those who used his party�s name for their personal benefits and to commit frauds. Mr. Fonseka made this point at the swearing in ceremony of DP members who were elected to the Western and Southern PCs. �Some say I am arrogant and do know how to talk decently. more..

Apr 7 (GN) It was a dramatic finish to the international T20 careers of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium at the final of the International Cricket Council World Twenty20 Cup. Sangakkara, who hit an unbeaten 52 to sign off from the format with the Player of the Final award, turned emotional when Gulf News asked him about his feelings. In a voice choked with emotion, he said: �It�s amazing. I can�t explain it. more..

Apr 7 (PTI) 32 Sri Lankans currently residing in India are among 422 individuals named by the SL govt as members of the banned LTTE offshoots. Sri Lanka last week banned LTTE and 15 other Tamil diaspora groups for their alleged terror links and prohibited its nationals from making any contacts with them. Some 422 individuals, including 32 people presently residing in India, were named in the SL govt gazette dated March 21. However, Indian addresses have been cited in only six of the 32 cases more..

Apr 7 (AD) UNP MP Gayantha Karunathilaka slammed the govt for terming those who voted for the ruling party as �patriots� and questioned whether the 76% majority voters who did not cast their ballot for the UPFA were �traitors�. The people of the country have shown their clear opposition to the govt�s �election gamble� of holding intermittent polls, he told reporters in Colombo. stated that even though politicians of the more..

Apr 7 (CG) Minister S B Dissanayake today slammed the Frontline Socialists Party, a dissident group of the JVP, saying they are involved in the worst form of ragging in universities. Speaking at an event in Kandy today, the Minister said that while ragging was seen in local universities over a period of time, the form of ragging has now worsened. He said that Frontline Socialists Party members and supporters in universities are often appointed as student union leaders. more..

Apr 7 (Island) Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena lamented the health sector brain drain with 50 to 60 doctors and nurses leaving the country for greener pastures each week. As a consequence of this more then 10,000 nursing vacancies could not be filled. Even the National Hospital was faced with a chronic shortage of 600 nurses. He pointed out that though the Health Ministry had been calling for applications to enroll trainee nurses, the response had been negative. more..

Apr 7 (DM) Former president Chandrika Kumaratunge said that if the Opposition did not act properly and unseat this govt democratically, the people would revolt as has happened in some Mrs. Kumaratunge made this observation on Saturday at a function held in honour of the political leaders and all who helped to initiate the Udawalawe and Chandrika Wewa schemes, after opening stage 2 of the Halmillaara scheme. more..

Apr 7 (Reuters) Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka gained 17.5% year-on-year in March, with the number of foreign visitors rising for the 59th straight month since the near-three-decade civil war ended in May 2009. Total arrivals hit record highs in 2013, while revenue from the island nation's leisure sector also hit a record. Tourism is one of the main foreign exchange earners for Sri Lanka's $67 billion economy, with the garment and tea industries, and remittances from expatriate workers more..

Apr 7 (AD) Sri Lankan cricket team beat India at the 2014 Twenty20 World Cup and emerged the champions much to the delight of Sri Lanka cricket fans. The prize money for the winning team is USD 1.1 million according to the ICC World Cup official website. This prize money is for the Sri Lankan team. India which ended as the runner-up will receive USD 550,000. Apart from these, the teams which had reached the semi final and were defeated would receive 275,000 each. more..

Apr 7 (AP) Sri Lanka's foreign minister says that his country will not cooperate with the UN human rights chief when she begins an investigation into alleged war crimes from the island nation's civil war. G.L. Peiris said that Sri Lanka does not accept the authority of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay to conduct an investigation. He says such an investigation will not be fair and objective more..

Apr 8 (NS) Actually it was Lakshman Kiriella who started it. He said that if GL�s Formula is valid, then it can be argued that the UPFA lost the last general election. It�s a simple matter of counting un-cast votes as votes against the Govt. Except of course that such elections are not about choosing a position (as in a Resolution). But Kabir Hasheem, latched on to the GL Formula after the UNP came second best in yet another election. He said that if you counted in those who didn�t vote, more..

Apr 8 (NS) The results of the Provincial Council elections held last Saturday in the Western and Southern provinces held no great surprises with the ruling UPFA emerging winners. Yet, they contained some significant messages for all leading political parties. That the UPFA would win the polls was a foregone conclusion. However, those in the highest levels in govt would have taken serious note of the fact that its share of the vote shows a marked decline in both provinces. more..

Apr 8 (SO) "The candidates are compelled to breach the elections law since it is outdated and impractical," heads of two election monitoring bodies warned highlighting the urgency to amend the 1988 Provincial Councils Act to avoid violent polls in the future. The Sunday Observer met polls monitors after the Western and Southern PC Elections to do a postmortem on the conduct of the recently concluded poll. more..

Apr 8 (CT) Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen. Firstly my thanks to Prof. Savitri Kumar, President, and to her colleagues on the committee of the Alumni Association of the University of Peradeniya (AAUP) for inviting my wife Lilani and me to join you on the occasion of the 25th Annual General Meeting of the AAUP. Lilani and I consider our years spent in �Peradeniya� (I refer here to the institution as much as to its ambience) among the most enriching and enjoyable of our lives to-date. more..

Apr 8 (CT) It is essential that the picture that accompanies the text of this column is published and I expect It will. Otherwise, I�m sure the text will not see the light of day and legitimately so! For the uninitiated, the picture appearing here, not deliberately �gussied-up� by fallen yellow Tabebuia flowers by the way, is of what, appears to be the front leg of a bovine. Judging by the size of the limb, the animal had to have been a largish calf. That this was only recently severed from more..

Apr 8 (NS) During the last few months, especially after the Edward Snowden revelations, privacy has become a hot topic. Nation spoke to Minister Champika Ranawaka on this issue. He stressed the necessity of a Human Rights Convention on privacy and also mentioned the importance of a transparent mechanism of regulation of the internet. Q: What is the importance of this idea of a new Human Rights Convention? more..

Apr 8 (ST) One week after resolution A/HRC/25/L.1/Rev.1 was adopted in the UNHRC, it seems that the aftershock of the Indian abstention on the vote continues to be felt. Abroad, that is. Sri Lanka � the subject of the controversy � is preoccupied with its favourite pastime of holding elections and dissecting the results, while the key international players in this drama scramble to come to terms with the fallout of the action they initiated, which didn�t go exactly according to script. more..

Apr 8 (GV) There is a need to question the adequacy and suitability of current conceptions of both �human rights� and �secularism� to meet the challenges of unbridled majoritarianism, which seems perfectly at home within the institutions and procedures of the modern Sri Lankan state. In the first part of this article I propose an alternative vision of human rights. This leads us towards a comparative analysis of two historical periods. In the first period from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC more..

Apr 8 (CT) The Jaffna Library � Once hailed for its historical magnificence and store-house of knowledge is soon to be hopefully revived and restored to its pristine glory following the conclusion of the internecine war. Once the cynosure of all who visited the Jaffna city, the Jaffna Public library was incinerated in 1981 as relationships soured between the Sinhalese and Tamils prior to the inception of the ethnic conflict in SL. more..

Apr 8 (Island) Newly elected Chief Minister of the North Western Province (NWP), Dayasiri Jayasekera, is a popular politician as could be seen from the sheer number of preferential votes he polled at the last PC election against numerous odds. He has apparently sought to be more popular by acceding to a request from the religious leaders in his province. He has banned private tuition on Sundays to help temples and churches attract students to their Sunday schools. more..

Apr 8 (Island) I wrote in an earlier article that in my opinion the Provincial Councils Act no 42 of 1987 contravenes the 13th Amendment in the extensive powers it confers on the Governor of the Provincial Council since Art 154 C must be subject to Art 154 F. Article 154C says. "Executive power extending to the matters with respect to which a Provincial Council has power to make statutes shall be exercised by the Governor of the Province for which that Provincial Council is established, more..

Apr 8 (FT) As Sri Lanka aspires to reach greater socio-economic prosperity, Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera asserted that the contemporary thrust of the Govt�s development strategy is based on creating a climate that allows businesses of all scales to thrive. �I am sure that nobody will disagree with me if I say that no meaningful and balance development is possible in Sri Lanka until and unless rural population more..

Apr 8 (CI) Netherlands, Nepal, Ireland, Hong Kong. All delivered memorable performances in this expanded World T20, the opening round adding exotic new flavours to cricket's rather narrow palate. Hong Kong's defeat of the hosts provided the biggest early upset, while Netherlands' outrageous win over Ireland gave them a place in the record books. As the only Associate to progress, Netherlands further enhanced their status with a one-sided thumping of England. more..