Aug 16 (SL) Korean jobs are no longer given on merit but on political connections alleged a group of youth. Although the govt insists that those who pass the Korean language exam conducted by the SLFEB gets the opportunity to secure a lucrative job in Korea, it has now become questionable as it is alleged that more opportunities are given to the �rightly connected� than those who have fared well in Korean language exam. more..

Aug 16 (ST) A support group to improve health services in Sri Lanka has launched a project to build a modern Emergency and Accident Trauma Centre at the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. The project titled Batticaloa Emergency and Accident Project (BEAP), is due to be completed by August 2016, by the Foundation Supporting a National Trauma Service in Sri Lanka. Former Sri Lanka�s national Cricket coach more..

Aug 16 (Island) SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena yesterday said that the UPFA constituents could express their opinion freely on any issue including the executive presidency, though there was no change in the SLFP�s position on that institution. Minister Sirisena was responding to a query by The Island at a UPFA media briefing held at SLFP headquarters at T. B. Jayah Mawatha, Maradana. more..

Aug 16 (DM) Sri Lanka Bar Association (BASL) President Upul Jayasuriya said yesterday he was puzzled and surprised on the decision taken by the Police Department with regard to his protection and said he was not given adequate security as requested by the BASL. The BASL Executive Committee had earlier filed a petition seeking police protection for Mr. Jayasuriya after he complained of death threats. more..

Aug 16 (Island) GMOA President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya said that a new legislation imposing five years imprisonment on anyone practising medicine illegally would come into effect shortly. The current punishment for medical quacks was only a 500-rupee fine and the same quack would pay the fine and return to the illegal practice once again. GMOA had met Minister Maithripala Sirisena, who agreed to introduce new legislation more..

Aug 16 (AD) The UNP says it is a sad state of affairs that millions of tax rupees are spent by the Rajapaksa administration on extravagant events while over a million people are fighting a battle to obtain their daily drinking water. �In the 21st Century, it is not apt perhaps to blame the current political rulers for the failure of the rains in 14 districts of the island.� �But this much is a fact. Over a million Sri Lankans are suffering, more..

Aug 16 (Island) The govt is sharply divided over a UNP MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe�s proposal to amend the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Act No 27 of 2006 to prevent the leading manufacturer of tobacco products in Sri Lanka, Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) from moving the court against the govt efforts to discourage smoking. MP Rajapakshe says the amendment will enable the govt to have more..

Aug 16 (CT) The conflict with the Muslims throughout Western democratic countries including some Asian countries has taken a new dimension due to the impact of Wahabbism with the creation of �no-go zones�. While the short-sighted policies of the Sri Lankan politicians laid the foundation for Sri Lanka to march towards a religious-centred State, the rise of Muslim fundamentalism made it a complex issue after experiencing the intolerance of Tamil militants. more..

Aug 16 (Island) The Colombo MC Deputy Commissioner (Health), Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said that there should be environmental management and chemical spraying to enable the city to control a dengue outbreak with the intermittent showers being experienced during the last few days. Dr. Kariyawasam said that spraying chemicals inside houses as was being done to control the mosquitoes would not be able to prevent a dengue outbreak. more..

Aug 16 (CT) The value of the assets and the estate of the late Dr Gamani Corea, internationally reputed economist and one time Secretary- General of the UNCTAD now stands at Rs. 1.6 billion. It makes one of the best cash rich Foundations of Sri Lanka. In the testamentary case on Dr Corea's last will, the total value of his assets, both movable and immovable had been estimated at approximately Rs 1.6 billion. His immovable assets are more..

Aug 16 (CT) Any suggestion that the investigation into the Vijaya Kumaratunge (VK) murder was �lacklustre� (KPJ, see Sect.19.8.1) during the Jayewardene presidency is probably unfair. Until about the end of 1988, as the Commission has also recorded, the CID and CDB had regular conferences in which the progress on the VK investigation was among the subjects discussed. According to a senior official, these conferences may have lapsed for a number of reasons. They were waiting to see more..

Aug 16 (CT) Media reports of a tragic suicide of a young would-be father, who had allegedly taken his own life after his pregnant wife was found to be carrying twins, are shocking, to say the least. The post- mortem of the 28-year-old Perumal Sarakbahu of Kandapola was told that the debt-ridden street vendor committed suicide to escape the bleak prospects of raising two kids on the pittance he earns. The latest tragedy is among a series of recent events which highlighted the grim plight of more..

Aug 16 (CI) Twice, in this match, Pakistan's perseverance had meant Sri Lanka were not allowed to run away too far ahead. The home side, sitting on a 1-0 lead, won the toss on a batting-friendly pitch, but were restricted to a slightly below-par 320 by Pakistan's seamers. Rangana Herath then quaked the Pakistan batting line-up with a career-best nine-wicket haul - the best by a left-arm bowler, but the visitors, led by a more..

Aug 16 (Island) Sri Lanka was eyeing one billion US dollars from Information Technology (IT) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry services by 2016 through the establishment of IT parks and developing an ICT zone at Hambanthota as the emerging ICT hub of South Asia, Deputy Minister Faizer Mustapha said on Thursday. Addressing the opening ceremony of ISM APAC- IT park in Orion City in Colombo, he said that the country�s IT sector should focus on the more..

Aug 16 (PTI) Volunteers of a Hindu outfit, who tried to leave for Katchatheevu by flying the National Flag on their boats, were arrested today, police said. About 35 members of the Bharath Makkal Katchi, including the party's state General Secretary Annadurai, were arrested when they left the town and were on way to the Jetty to board the boat kept ready for their journey. They were demanding retrieval of the islet from the Sri Lankan govt. As the Centre failed to take any step in this regard, more..

Aug 16 (DM) Sri Lanka won the Gold for the best performance among teams in its category at the Chess Olympiad which ended on Thursday in Tromso, Norway. This was the first time that a Sri Lankan team returns with a Gold from an Olympiad in over 30 years. The team, comprising Prasanna Kurukulasuriya, G.C. Anuruddha, Chamika Perera, Isuru Alahakoon (Captain) and Rajeendra Kalugampitiya, won 6 out of 11 matches, more..

Aug 16 (CG) Two Sri Lankans have drowned while swimming at sea in the Italian town of Capaci, the Italian media reported today. According to the media reports, a group of Sri Lankans on holiday in Lido Poseidon, had gone for a swim when high winds and strong currents had pulled them down. Two men aged 44 and 38, both said to be brothers had drowned while another man was rescued by the authorities in the area. The Italian media said that the body of man was recovered while more..

Aug 16 (AD) Police Department has commenced a special investigation under orders from the IGP to identify those who pose as close associates of President Rajapaksa or his family members, in a bid to defraud the general public in various ways. A special police inquiry unit who specifically investigate with respect to this matter has thus far received 368 complaints. The majority of the cases were related to where the public mislead by these offenders after promising jobs in overseas. more..

Aug 16 (AM) Just days after opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe launched his official Twitter account, a fake profile has also been created by some group under the same name with the objective of 'trolling' Wickremesinghe's Twitter posts. The fake profile posts very un-Ranil-Wickremesinghe-like Twitter updates, sometimes mocking the political activities of the opposition leader. more..

Aug 16 (PTI) Sri Lankan navy today handed over 94 TN fishermen to the Indian Coast Guard at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), police said. The fishermen, belonging to Ramanathapuram, Nagapattinam and Pudukottai districts, were taken into custody by the Sri Lankan navy last month on charges of violating the IMBL, Police Inspector Kennady said. President Rajapaksa had on August 13 ordered their release as a goodwill gesture ahead of India's Independence Day. more..

Aug 16 (GDI) The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) and the Maldivian Civil Aviation Authority (MCAA) inked an MOU on Thursday (14) for the MCAA to obtain licensing examination services of the CAASL to enable Maldivian students to sit PPL, CPL, ATPL examinations in Maldives. The exams will be conducted by the CAASL, initially in GAN Island. Seen here in the photo are Hussain Jaleel, CEO of MCAA and HMC Nimalsiri, Director General of Civil Aviation more..

Aug 16 (AM) Minister of Power and Energy Pavithra Wanniarachchi has been admitted to the Bandarawela hospital a few minutes ago. She has been rushed to the Bandarawela Hospital while she was on her way to a workshop conducted by the UPFA Women�s Association, in Wiyaluwa. She is presently receiving treatment at the OPD of Bandarawela Hospital. A hospital spokesman said her condition was not critical. more..

Aug 16 (FT) On 11 August, the final day of the Randoli Perahera, President Rajapaksa launched the official mobile application of Sri Dalada Maligawa. The mobile app shows the direction of the Maligawa, its history, the places inside the Maligawa, photo gallery and information about the Dalada Perahera. The idea behind the mobile app is to provide important information about the most sacred place for Buddhists to the rest of the world. Mobile app was launched with the blessings more..

Aug 16 (Island) Waste Management Authority (WMA) was aiming to produce energy by recycling over 500 MT of garbage collected by the local authorities in the Western Province per day under the second phase of Karadiyana Compost Plant project, WMA, Deputy Director Nalin Mannapperuma said. He said that as the first step of the project the Karadiyana Mihisaru Compost Production Yard plant constructed by Western Provincial Council (WPC) at a cost of Rs. 160 million would commence its more..

Aug 16 (FT) A newspaper report recorded that the indigenous community at Dambana celebrated World Indigenous Peoples Day without inviting any politicians. This was as a mark of protest against the Govt not keeping to promises made to them, the Veddah Chief, Uruvarige Wanniya, had said. A picture showed him, along with other seniors paying respect to his father Uruvarige Tissahamy, leader of the Veddah more..

Aug 16 (PTI) Alastair Cook has succeeded in pulling England out of Ashes defeat depression with two massive victories over India but the England captain was mulling putting in his papers during the Sri Lanka series, it has been revealed. England team�s managing director Paul Downton says Cook was contemplating resigning from his post last month during the second Test against Sri Lanka when his tactical decisions backfired and hurt the side badly. The incident relates to fourth day of more..

Aug 16 (WI) Till their last group game, against Jamaica Tallawahs, Barbados Tridents were hardly the favourites to clinch the table-top position and, therefore gain a direct entry into the final of the 2014 Caribbean Premier League. They won though, by a mammoth 88 runs, with Kieron Pollard, the captain, leading the way with the bat and Jason Holder, Ravi Rampaul and Jeevan Mendis doing the needful with the ball. And while Rampaul is right on top of the wicket-takers� list for the tournament more..

Aug 16 (CG) Over one million eight hundred thousand people have been affected by the drought which is being experienced in several parts of the country, Disaster Management Center (DMC) said today based on the latest data. According to DMC, 1,836,430 people have been affected by the drought with the highest number reported from the North Western Province. Batticaloa in the East and Monaragala in the Uva province are also more..

Aug 16 (SM) It has been learnt that the majority of persons reported as missing from the North-East regions have secretly fled to European countries, the state owned 'Silumina' says. A large number of such persons wanted by security forces for being linked to 'terror activities' in the North has thus fled to Europe, backed by the TNA, it adds. The Presidential commission appointed to probe into the missing persons in the regions have now finished obtaining testimonies in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar more..

Aug 16 (FT) Hot on the heels of the release of latest report by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), public interest litigant Nihal Sri Ameresekere has written to its Chairman D.E.W. Gunasekera on the inaction with regard to the contentious oil hedging deal by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. Following is the full text of his letter, which has copied to Attorney General Palitha Fernando PC as well as the media. Hon. COPE Chairman and Hon. Attorney General, more..

Aug 17 (SO) LTTE terrorism held sway in Sri Lanka for almost three decades, inflicting untold misery on people of all communities and faiths. Massive bomb explosions in public places were the order of the day and people lived in abject fear. The Tigers not only destroyed places of national importance and cities but also crippled the economy. Apart from the bomb explosions which killed and maimed tens of thousands of civilians and disrupted day-to-day life, the Tigers also attacked key economic more..

Aug 17 (CT) Poverty in Sri Lanka is not an 'in your face affair'. We don't see emaciated figures huddled in street corners, we don't see people digging through dustbins for scraps of food... heck we don't even see that many beggars these days. All this may give some kind of credence to statistics that claim poverty is on the decline every year and Sri Lanka is well on its way to grand economic growth. But then, we read the tragic tale of a street vendor from Kandapola who chose to end his life more..

Aug 17 (SO) Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said it was obvious that those clamouring to abolish the Executive Presidency were not doing it with an honest motive. The slogan to abolish the Executive Presidency is used by anti-Mahinda Rajapaksa segments as a platform to rally round. He said that �Our dialogue should not only be centred on the Executive Presidency, attention should also be focused on the preferential more..

Aug 17 (NS) It has been an incredible run. The word can be used considering how quickly Sri Lanka became a force to be reckoned with after achieving Test status. The word �incredible� is apt for many other reasons. Just check the records chalked up by Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans over the past few years. Sri Lanka is not one of the so-called �Big Three�, but there�s only so much bigness and clout in the cricketing market can purchase. Sri Lanka is not the No 1 test-playing nation, but more..

Aug 17 (SL) The most deplorable aspect of the polarized Sri Lankan political debate is the interjection: What did you do in your time? Debating on the Uva PC is now in full flow and that is the defence being deployed by all sides when cornered. It is a permissible defensive tactic deployed beyond our shores too, but this amounts to plainly dodging the question: What are your strategies for the future? The Uva province is one of the most devastated provinces by Western colonialists more..

Aug 17 (SL) As India celebrated its independence anniversary last week, Indian High Commissioner Y.K. Sinha noted that India remains committed to assist Sri Lanka in its endeavours of rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation. Sinha said that the need for national reconciliation through a political settlement has been reiterated by India at the highest levels and India�s consistent position is in favour of a more..

Aug 17 (CT) The leader of Vedda community, Vanniyala Aththo made a thought provoking request at a ceremony held to mark international indigenous people's day. He has demanded the govt to mention in the identity cards of the Vedda community that they are adivasi meaning, indigenous people. This is in fact an announcement of the triumph of a conspiracy initiated by NGOs that had been active for the last 10 years. Mass media also played a crucial role in this conspiracy without more..

Aug 17 (SL) The manner in which the two �missing persons� probes are being conducted, in and on Sri Lanka, seems inevitable that they will produce separate reports with exactly opposite findings. The question is, if together and unintended, they would render the entire scheme farcical after a point � even though the �international community� (read West) could still use the UNHRC probe to teach �Sri Lanka a lesson� that other Third World nations would (have to) remember. more..

Aug 17 (SL) Mannar Bishop, Rayappu Joseph, recently submitting a letter to the Presidential Commission for Missing Persons, said that he was growing weary of the domestic mechanism in resolving the injustices faced by the Tamils. According to him, the domestic processes have not made any progress towards true reconciliation. It is important to accept diversity and create unity by accommodating all the voices of people. more..