Nov 2 (Island) The blame-game is secondary; important but less important; the living take precedence over the dead. The real issue is what to do next; the blame-game is disputation about who did wrong in the last century or in previous decades. I can drive home the point with a Lankan analogy. Whether war crimes were committed and who is to blame should be followed up; but it is secondary to current Tamil demands for genuine devolution, anticipated possibility of regime change, etc. more..

Nov 2 (Island) I have discussed elsewhere a few a days ago the contention that President Rajapaksa is not qualified to fight an election for a third term by virtue of the operation of Article 31(2) of the Constitution. Repeal of that article by the Eighteenth Amendment does not remove the past operation of anything suffered under the repealed law. Since ex-CJ Sarath Silva first raised this issue, lawyers and non-lawyers have tried to make the case that Sarath Silva is wrong and that President Rajapaksa more..

Nov 2 (CG) Minister Susil Premajayanth says the date for the Presidential elections has not yet been decided on. He also said that abolishing the Executive Presidency is not something the President can do alone and that only Parliament can do it. He was responding to views by some political parties calling for constitutional changes before Presidential election and also to abolish Executive Presidency soon after election. more..

Nov 2 (SL) Department of Elections has hit out at allegations raised by Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma that Department is not fully independent. Deputy Election Commissioner R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that the Office of the Election Commissioner is not influenced by anybody. He insisted that Department of Elections conducts its duties without any influences that may affect their performances or duty. �We do our duty & commission is not influenced by anybody,� more..

Nov 2 (CT) In the wake of the US and Indian Governments offering emergency humanitarian assistance for the victims of the Koslanda landslide tragedy, President Rajapaksa, at Friday's Cabinet meeting, had declared that Sri Lanka will not accept foreign relief assistance for the Koslanda victims' families. The President has said, "We will reject assistance from any foreign country, as this is the 'chance' for some NGO's to creep in to gain popularity and we detest that." more..

Nov 2 (IL) Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha, has said Sri Lanka which took over the chair of the Colombo Process (CP) one year ago was of the view that if it were to make a difference and ensure that some real benefits would accrue to the people of the member countries, it was important that they address the tough issues, including 'Ethical Labour Recruitment Practices'. more..

Nov 2 (Island) The All Ceylon Hindu Congress (ACHC) has offered assistance to the govt to ensure the wellbeing of 75 students of Haldumulla School displaced due to last week�s landslide at Koslanda. In a letter to President Rajapaksa, ACHC President, Kandiah Neelakandan, has appreciated the prompt action taken by the govt to grant relief and assistance to the victims of this disaster. "We understand that about 75 students of Haldumulla School, all of whom are Hindus, more..

Nov 2 (AM) The JVP has decided to hold discussions with opposition political parties over the current constitutional debate relating to the presidential election. JVP MP Vijitha Herath has told local media that it expects to hold talks with the main opposition UNP and the TNA, as well as other parties. Meanwhile, it also plans to hold discussions with small constituent parties in the UPFA which have been raising concerns, such as the JHU and the left parties in the govt. more..

Nov 2 (Island) With torrential rains experienced in most parts of Island within the past 72 hours, reservoirs storage level had grown remarkably, Systems Control Division of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) said yesterday. These improvement in the catchments and the high coal intake by the CEB, had pushed the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) to release some fuel varieties at concession rates to independent power producers (IPPs). more..

Nov 2 (SL) Govt says it has not received anything formal from the TNA as new conditions to resume talks on the National issue. Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that the TNA needs to formally inform their conditions to Govt in order to be even considered. He also said that the TNA does not need preconditions or specifications to join the Parliamentary Select Committee to discuss the National issue. If the TNA desires to have talks with the Govt, they can come through the PSC. more..

Nov 2 (NS) Education Minister Bandula Gunewardena stated that the new circular allowing students who failed in GCE O/L mathematics subject to study for GCE A/L was implemented to give students with different intelligences to pursue their studies. He made this remark speaking at the recent event to submit the report of the Special Advisory Committee to Increase the Achievement Level of Mathematics Results at GCE O/L Exam. Gunewardena stated that making more..

Nov 2 (NS) As search operations continue to find those missing due to the landslide that buried an entire village at Meeriyabedda in Koslanda, authorities and the estate company have started trading accusations regarding responsibility for the disaster. While teams continued to comb through the rubble for a fourth day yesterday, a police investigation had already begun on whether previous warnings of an impending disaster more..

Nov 2 (SL) The TNA alleged that some officials of the local govt authorities in Jaffna have been involved in a huge amount of fraud in relation to the North East Local Services Improvement Project (NELSIP) funded by the World Bank. �Rs. 3500 million was allocated for this project from 2010 to 2014 to strengthen the local govts in the North and East,� TNA MP Suresh Premachandran said. According to him, these officials had recruited a team of engineers and one engineer had more..

Nov 2 (Island) Korean Embassy in Sri Lanka extended its deepest condolences to the Govt and people of Sri Lanka and the bereaved families affected by the landslide in Koslanda. "The Embassy wishes that the efficient and speedy measures taken by the Govt of Sri Lanka and its armed forces to rescue the distressed, treat the injured and mitigate further damage would help the people overcome this difficult time and establish normalcy in the affected areas", it said in a statement. more..

Nov 2 (CG) The Missing Persons Commission chaired by retired judge Maxwell Paranagama, began another round of sittings in the Mullaitivu District today. Several people came forward to lodge complaints and have their statements recorded before the Commission when it held public sittings at the Maritimepattu Divisional Secretariat. Commission will hold public sittings in Mullaitivu District from today till Wednesday more..

Nov 2 (CG) A youth was arrested by officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in India for hiding gold bars smuggled from Sri Lanka at his house in Anna Nagar. The youth was remanded in judicial custody by the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court. Officials from DRI, Tuticorin, on receiving information that J. Jannathul Firdouse (22) was having gold bars smuggled from Sri Lanka, conducted a raid at his house in Anna Nagar yesterday. more..

Nov 2 (AM) The Chilaw Urban Council Chairman Hilary Prasanna Fernando has left the council meeting abruptly on Wednesday after a heated argument with the Deputy Chairman Susantha Sanjaya and several other members. This has occurred following the submission of a petition by a UPFA Council Member Jeevanee Kariyawasam in which she accused that the Chairman was complicit in an underhand dealing. The said deal concerns a waste water pumping station in Lansiyawatta more..

Nov 2 (Island) Minister S.B. Dissanayake said that no hostel facilities would be provided to second and third year undergraduates in universities. "The second and third year undergraduates were never provided with hostels in the past, they are not given hostels today and would not be given the facility in the future. We provide hostel facilities only to first and last year undergraduates," he said. more..

Nov 2 (MNA) Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has sympathized with Sri Lankans over disastrous landslide in the country. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham expressed sympathy with the Sri Lankan govt and nation over deaths caused by landslide disaster. She voiced the regret and sadness of the Iranian nation and govt over the deaths caused by the disaster. Landslide claimed scores of lives and left many homeless or disappearing. more..

Nov 2 (DM) Police would implement uni-flow traffic between Wellawatta to Bambalapitiya along the Marine Drive in the morning and evening during weekdays starting tomorrow due to ongoing road repairs along the road. Accordingly, road between Ramakrishna Road (Wellawatta) and Kinross Avenue (Bambalapitiya) on the Marine Drive will be allowed for motorists travelling towards Colombo between 7 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. In the evening, between 4 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. the same road segment more..

Nov 2 (NS) Sri Lankans who were internally displaced due to actions of terrorist or other militant groups in the recent past will have an opportunity to apply to be included in the supplementary register of electors for the Northern and Eastern provinces for the year 2014 from Nov 1 to 7, the Commissioner of Elections Mahinda Deshapriya announced. According to Section 2 of Registration of Electors (Special Provisions) more..

Nov 2 (NS) Sri Lanka Law College, which functions under the Council of Legal Education faced a stumbling block last week, while conducting the Intermediate Examination for its second year students. The students, who sat for the Property Law paper-I last week, noted that the structure of the paper had been completely changed. The students, who wanted to remain anonymous, revealed that Property Law-I is made with property-related acts and ordinances and its second paper more..

Nov 2 (SL) The Principals and Teachers Trade Union Collective have temporarily abandoned trade union action which was scheduled to be held last week. The General Secretary of Lanka Teacher Services Union Mahinda Jayasinghe said that they decided to temporary put on hold trade union action till December 31 and would resume actions if the Govt fails to address their concerns as promised. He added that Govt issued the Service Minute on October 23 in a gazette to address more..

Nov 2 (CI) Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan delivered a staggering mid-innings explosion that yielded 96 runs in eight overs, and for the rest of the match, Sri Lanka were left chasing a runaway engine. India continued to hurtle ahead, hitting 363 for 5 after Rahane and Dhawan had hit hundreds, before Sri Lanka's chase began to run out of steam inside the first 20 overs. Ishant Sharma's 4 for 34 hastened the end, more..

Nov 3 (Island) One of the observations that with climate change comes an increase in peak weather events became a horrible reality to us last week. Our mountains, bearing soil on a rocky base, was once stabilized by the unbroken blanket of forests that covered it have become destabilized. The tragedy of the loss of life at Miriyabedde is a warning, we have to change the way in which we treat our soils and landscapes. The erosion of our soils and the loss of both soil nutrients and biodiversity have more..

Nov 3 (NS) With presidential elections looming, the election machinery of the ruling UPFA has swung into top gear, despite the hiccups it is having with its partners. The same, however, cannot be said about the UNP. UNP this week held a meeting for its activists in Colombo. There, the message was that its presidential candidate would be Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, but there was no formal announcement to that effect. Meanwhile, other factions of party have different views. more..

Nov 3 (SO) It is not to say, before last Wednesday, their lives were a fairytale. For them, every aspect of life was a bitter struggle. Born to the poorest of the poor in the estate sector, these villagers embraced sorrow and learned to smile through hardship. The beautiful surroundings and the wonderful climate in the hilly area, did little to lift the spirits of these weather- worn estate workers. Yet, they had one solace in their meager lives more..

Nov 3 (CT) The English take the Mickey out of the Scottish claiming that the Scottish are more of brawn than of brain. At times that brawn comes handy. Wherever they are, the Scottish do not take crap from people like Malaka Silva. The story could be that the diminutive but lecherous Malaka cold have poured saliva over the pretty girlfriend of the Scotsman. He must have approached the girl in that indecent, depraved, uncultured manner of the youth of Sri Lanka today. more..

Nov 3 (ST) The long simmering disquiet over the 1978 constitution and the need to abolish the executive presidency by amending the constitution and introducing a more democratic form of govt more in accord with the aspirations of the Lankan people, have now risen to the boil. The nation�s gong has been rung, the trumpet has been blown and the conch shells have been sounded to rally all forces to give effect to the national mood and temper to correct a 36-year constitutional folly more..

Nov 3 (SL) Despite the ultimatum issued to the Govt recently by JHU Parliamentarian Athureliye Rathana Thero, the Govt claims that all their current allies have pledged to support the President in the upcoming Presidential Election. Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa assured that there are no cracks or political issues in the govt coalition as they are united to ensure the victory of the President in upcoming election. more..

Nov 3 (Island) This is the passionate call a senior Sri Lankan scientist makes in an article we publish today. He has stressed the pressing need for us to conserve our soil if we are to avert disaster like last Wednesday�s landslide which buried an entire village in Koslanda. Pointing out that we, blissfully ignorant of the consequences of our blunders, continue to invite disaster by ruining our soil Dr. Ranil Senanayake sheds light on irreparable damage we have inflicted on our land more..

Nov 3 (NS) The first day of the debate on the Second Reading of Budget 2015 began with barely a whimper on Saturday (25) with just over two dozen MPs in parliament. Not 24-hours before, President Rajapaksa, in his capacity as Minister of Finance, presented the govt�s budget proposals to this same parliament with much pomp and pageantry. The legislature was filled to capacity, as it always is on Budget Day. However, all the interest and enthusiasm among our illustrious people�s more..

Nov 3 (CT) Dr. Sarath Gunapala was the recipient of the most prestigious award from NASA - Outstanding Leadership medal. Ceylon Today interviewed Dr. Gunapala to know more about this prestigious award that he had won. Dr. Gunapala gladly explained all about this prestigious award. Q: What is your involvement with the new NASA projects? A: NASA has been involved in a project called Mars 2020. more..

Nov 3 (CT) The tsunami came sans warning. The very word was alien to most of us. Towering tidal waves were things which happened to other, less fortunate, countries � or so we thought, until that Boxing Day almost a decade ago. This week�s landslides are another story. The first warnings about the precarious conditions in the Meeriyabedda division of the Koslanda Estate appeared in May 2005; the NBRO issued a second warning in November 2011. more..

Nov 3 (ST) For decades, advocates working on SL�s deficit of justice had to cope with manifest reluctance on the part of many well intentioned minds to question and critique the national legal process. This reluctance was perhaps understandable. Complex questions of law were at issue. Then again, conventional wisdom assumed that SL�s legal institution, with all its cosmetic trappings of a functional adversary system worked, if not all the time, then at least some of the time. more..

Nov 3 (ST) The half-full food cabinets of the small restaurant near the Pettah Railway Station are open and flies fly in and out to visit the exposed food. Right under the water boiler, massive tea strainer, stained black after repeated use and a pile of teacups is the uncovered rubbish bin. The diner is free to pick any of the sticky, dirt-stained six tables cramped in the six-by-six-metre shop space. With no ventilation or natural light coming in, more..

Nov 3 (NS) Sri Lanka has the highest unit production cost for tea which could be reduced by seven percent by increasing the daily plucking average by a mere two kilograms, the Planters� Association of Ceylon has said. According to the association, the unit cost of production for tea in Sri Lanka is Rs.460 per kilogram. The Planters� Association estimates that a 2kg increase in the daily plucking average of tea of each worker can bring down unit cost of production by Rs.30 or 6.5%. more..

Nov 3 (CT) The govt's decision to introduce a special pension scheme and incentives for migrant workers would benefit the economy as well as the people according to a senior minister, who claimed that Sri Lankan salary structures would improve. Minister of Investment Promotion Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena told journalists in Colombo that the govt's intensions were to reward high earning foreign workers for their immense contribution for the development of the economy. more..

Nov 3 (ST) Is it a cultural difference or is it a matter of utter callousness. In England, a bowler being called for chucking even at county level is a rarity. In Australia since the conundrum involving Ian Meckiff, the left arm seamer who represented the country from 1957 to 1963, no other bowler has come to limelight with a suspect action at first class level. Yet, in Sri Lanka, more than 100 bowlers have been reported for having this syndrome. more..

Nov 3 (CT) A senior minister highlighting the recent land law said that despite several concerns, opinions and views of Cabinet ministers and foreign investors, President Mahinda Rajapaksa's decision to implement the restriction was based on popular demand. Many investors both local and foreign had shown their disgust to the Ministry of Investment Promotion and several other ministries on the decision to restrict foreign ownership of land, he said. more..