Feb 28 (Island) Medical undergraduates of the country have renewed the battle against Malabe Private Medical College (PMC) to force President Maithripala Sirisena to abolish it or take it over to the govt. Convener of the Medical Faculty Students� Action Committee (MFSAC) Rayan Jayalath said they already requested a joint discussion with Health Ministry and Higher Education Ministry officials, but had not more..

Feb 28 (Haveeru) Maldivian Opposition leader Qasim Ibrahim has on Saturday called on President Maithiripala Sirisena. Former Police Commissioner Ali Riyaz and its spokesperson Ali Solih had participated in the meeting. Ibrahim had shared his view on the current political situation in the Maldives with President Sirisena. This meeting is part of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and JP�s joint opposition effort �to defend and uphold the Maldivian constitution�. more..

Feb 28 (EN) Investors should look at Sri Lanka from long term perspective and take into account that fundamental institutional reforms are underway which will improve investor protection and rule of law, Deputy Minister Eran Wickramaratne said. Sri Lanka was now working on constitutional changes that will rebalance the powers to the executive and the parliament. Other changes will also see the public service being made independent and judicial independence strengthened. more..

Feb 28 (AD) Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala De Silva says that it is not important who will be appointed as the Prime Minister and that what is important is that SLFP govt is formed. �Neither I nor anyone else has so far made a request that I be made the Prime Minister,� the former Minister said while emphasizing that he is working tirelessly only for the benefit of the party and not expecting any posts. more..

Feb 28 (AD) SSP B.R.S.R. Nagahamulla has been appointed as the new Director of the CID. SSP Nagahamulla, who was the Director of the Police Buildings Division, is replacing SSP D.R.L. Ranaweera who has been appointed as the Police Planning Director. Meanwhile Police Supplies Director SSP L.S. Pathirana has been appointed as the new Director of the Building Division while SSP W.L.A.S. Priyantha Weerasooriya has been transferred from Police Headquarters to more..

Feb 28 (CG) Police CID questioned former navy spokesman D K P Dassanayake today over allegations that some officers in the navy were involved in the disappearance of several people. SSP Ajith Rohana said that in 2010 the CID had launched investigations into complaints received over the disappearance of some youth and their parents between 2007 and 2009 in Colombo and other areas. He said that based on statements received as part of the investigations, more..

Feb 28 (PTI) Sri Lanka on Saturday began a three-day hearing on missing persons cases amid protests by Tamil groups who are demanding a credible investigation into such issues. Presidential commission investigating cases of missing persons in Sri Lanka has started its hearing in the country's eastern Trincomalee province. "The relatives of those who have forcibly disappeared are tired of going before various mechanisms more..

Feb 28 (Island) Reported cases of violence against women and children had increased by 20% in post-war Sri Lanka, Minister Rosy Senanayake said. Addressing the child affairs officials recently, she stressed that only 713 accused had been punished out of the recorded 70,000 cases of violence against children and women last year. Majority of the accused had been released due to political influence and they were now moving freely in the society, Senanayake said. more..

Feb 28 (Island) The govt said that vacancies created by resignations of State Aviation Minister Faizer Mutapha and State Higher Education Minister Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha would not be filled. Govt spokesman Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said that there was no need to fill those vacancies as there were Cabinet Ministers in charge of those subjects. At present, Kabir Hashim functions as the Cabinet Minister of Highways, Investment Promotions and Higher Education, while more..

Feb 28 (Reuters) Sri Lanka is concerned with the roughly US$5 billion in Chinese loans it has and will send its finance minister to Beijing to discuss the issue, the foreign minister said on Saturday, as he also ruled out future Chinese submarine visits to the country. New SL President Maithripala Sirisena has unnerved China with his re-examination of certain projects that China has invested in, including a US$1.5 billion more..