Mar 4 (CT) Ada Derana of Feb 27th reports a speech made by former President Rajapaksa where he stated that, �not only politicians but their wives and children have to be safeguarded from the govt now, as they are being harassed one by one by one.� Rajapakse was referring to the recent arrest of former Minister Wimal Weerawansa�s wife, Shashi Weerawansa, on charges of falsifying documents to obtain a Diplomatic Passport. He was speaking at the Colombo National Hospital after more..

Mar 4 (AD) The former Chairman of the national line Ceylon Shipping Corporation (CSCL), Kanchana Ratwatte, and three other state officials have been arrested for criminal breach of trust with regard to coal shipments worth Rs 528 million. Kanchana Ratwatta, M.C. Delgoda (Power and Energy Ministry), R.M.K. Ranatunga (Treasury) and R.S. Jayawickrama (Ports Authority) were arrested by a special investigative unit of more..

Mar 4 (CI) David Warner had passed hundred in the 25th over. He breezed past 150 in the 30th. It appeared like he was on cruise control. He might have looked his usual belligerent self when compared with Steven Smith's 98-ball 95, but looked downright tame when Glenn Maxwell came out with reverse sweeps, scoops, flicks blazing. The foundation, though, is what captains and coaches talk about most and Warner built Australia one that was immensely sturdy. more..

Mar 4 (CI) Pakistan primed their fans for either startling exhilaration or further frustration by first clobbering 339 in mostly efficient style, before damning the UAE chase by the end of their mandatory Powerplay. Hopes that this Pakistan team is capable of as dramatic and irrepressible a surge as that which won the 1992 World Cup will be momentarily boosted by the 129-run victory, but a truer test awaits them at Eden Park on Saturday. Another single-figure failure from Nasir more..

Mar 4 (DM) JVP MP Sunil Handunettisaid more than 20 files on large scale corruption were today handed over to the special CID unit set up to investigate matters of large scale financial fraud. He said the JVP had received sufficient information through its affiliated body Voice Against Corruption (VAC) and that all the information had beensubmitted to the appropriate body. �Enough time has been taken to probing these more..

Mar 4 (AM) A mother of two children and her 15 year old son who drowned in the Royal College swimming pool, filed two civil litigations against principal of Royal College, Colombo 7, and seven others, demanding Rs. 260 million as damages, alleging that there had been a lack of due care on the part of the school authorities. The first plaintiff Sasanka Alwis, a 15 year old student, and the second plaintiff Geetha Chandani, the mother of the victim, filed the cases at more..

Mar 4 (Island) Previous govt had spent Rs. 130 million to establish a vocational training institute at Gaza Strip in Palestine, P m Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament. He said that the institute had been named Mahinda Rajapaksa Vocational Training Institute and it was a fruitless spending of public funds. PM was responding to a question raised by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. PM: "Construction work of this institute has not commenced yet fully, but more..

Mar 4 (Island) The govt yesterday cleared the names of Rakna Arakshaka Lanka and Avant Garde Maritime Services. Parliament was told that the setting up of the companies concerned, recruitment of personnel and the payment of taxes and other dues had been done properly. Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella, reading out responses to a series of questions raised by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Rakna Arakshaka more..

Mar 4 (AM) SSP Ajith Rohana said that they were currently conducting investigations on the tense situation that occurred near Magul Maduwa at Sri Dalada Maligawa yesterday. "Kandy police has received a complaint about the incident from Dalada Maligawa authorities" he added. The disturbance was created when a group including members of Sinhale National Front (SNF) and Swarna Hansa Foundation (SHF), tried to lower the National Flag and hoist a flag called Sinhale Flag near more..

Mar 4 (Island) More than 4,000 customers were in a state of uncertainty and a critical situation had arisen owing to the shutting down of CIFL which operated as a financial company registered under the Central Bank, JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament. He said that the CIFL had been a licensed finance company operating under the provisions of Finance Companies Act No 78 of 1978, Companies Act No 07 of 2007 and Financial Businesses Act No 42 of 2011. more..

Mar 4 (AFP) A former Tamil rebel was arrested at Sri Lanka's main international airport as she was returning to her home in France, along with her eight-year-old daughter who is a French national, police said Wednesday Murugesu Jayaganesh Pakeerathy, 41, was arrested on Monday before a magistrate ordered her detained for 72 hours pending investigations by an anti-terrorism unit, said SSP Ajith Rohana. more..

Mar 4 (AD) Police have launched an investigation following the death of a 17-year-old girl after falling off the 6th floor at the Muwadora Uyana housing complex in Grandpass. The victim, Subramaniam Suguniya, reportedly fell off a balcony in the 6th floor of the 11-story building at around 11.30pm last night. Police are still uncertain as to whether the teenage girl had accidentally fallen or whether she was pushed off the edge. The body of the girl has been kept at the location until the magistrate�s more..

Mar 4 (Reuters) The IMF urged Sri Lanka on Wednesday to limit its intervention in foreign exchange markets to curbing excessive short-term volatility, while emphasising the need for exchange rate flexibility. The IMF, which ended a $2.6 billion loan programme to Sri Lanka in 2012, estimated the island's economy grew by 7.4% in 2014 and said momentum could pick up to 6-7% in 2015. "We highlighted the need for a cushion of foreign exchange reserves and in this context more..

Mar 4 (DM) UPFA wants the Govt to enact legislation to prune powers of the executive presidency and introduce electoral reforms simultaneously because piecemeal amendments would be counterproductive, the UPFA said. UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha said the UPFA would fully support the envisaged Constitutional Amendments and wouldn�t mind even if it took more than 100 days to do so. more..

Mar 4 (DM) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament he would submit a report to the House on the alleged fraudulent matters pertaining to the assistance given by the Sri Lankan Govt to the Maldives to construct a road in that country. Mr. Wickremesinghe who responded to an oral question raised by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake in the House said a sum of Rs 1.07 Billion was the cost for the construction of the road while the contractor had been selected following the direct contact more..

Mar 4 (DM) The Palestine Embassy today said the Rs. 130 million donated to Palestine by the previous govt was an urgent humanitarian contribution to the people of Palestine after the Israel attack on Gaza. The statement issued by the Embassy thanked the govt and the people of Sri Lanka for its humanitarian gesture. The embassy released the statement after several newspapers reported quoting PM Ranil Wickremesinghe that the donation was for the construction of a vocational training Institute more..

Mar 4 (DM) Minister Kabir Hashim today said the final report of the committee headed by Prime Minister on Colombo Port City Project will be released in a few weeks and said that the project was �unlikely� to proceed. He said the construction of the port city had been stopped for the time being and added the project would be scrapped if the committee report suggests the project was harmful to the country. more..

Mar 4 (Island) All Ceylon Medical Officers' Association (ACMOA) General Secretary Dr. Jayantha Bandara warned of a serious shortage of medical personnel as a large number of doctors were beginning to migrate to other countries due to plethora of work-related problems. Dr.Bandara said that for the last 10 years, around 30,000 doctors had been appointed to hospitals, but about 15,000 doctors had left for greener pastures. At the current rate of doctors leaving the country more..

Mar 4 (Island) Only 52 days had elapsed since its formation but the govt was smelling like an old one, NFF Leader Wimal Weerawansa said yesterday. He said: "It may take couple of years for a new govt to lose popularity. But the incumbent one which has been in power only for 52 days has already lost its lustre. For, the people have now realised that they were duped. Those who voted to get Rs 10,000 salary increment are frustrated as they got only a 5,000-rupee allowance. more..

Mar 4 (CG) Govt is to launch an investigation into claims that the former Govt had collected funds through institutions based in the United States to bribe some US Congressmen to back Sri Lanka on the human rights issue. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake questioned the Govt in Parliament today over the claims. Responding to this, Deputy Foreign Minister Ajith Perera said that, according to the documents more..

Mar 5 (CT) Please permit me to use your valuable space to highlight a serious local problem affecting thousands of people in Kandy. Although this is not a national issue, people in Kandy are continuously harassed by this road closure without a valid reason. The road in front of Dalada maligawa has been used for at least for over 100 years as a public highway to Mahiyangana serving a large number of densely populated areas such as Kundasale, Digana, Haragama and Teldeniya. more..

Mar 5 (GV) Sri Lanka�s Free Education Scheme aims to provide each child an equal opportunity at educational success, but there is debate over to what extent it succeeds in this endeavor. Notably, some critics are concerned that private spending on education (for private and international schools, universities, and tuition) may be diluting the Free Education Scheme�s ability to provide equal opportunities to all. My doctoral dissertation is composed of studies exploring these issues. more..

Mar 5 (SO) As the UN�s World wildlife Day falls on March 3, Sri Lankan Wildlife officials are on alert on our country becoming a transit point for the world�s fifth most profitable illegal trade, wildlife. It only falls behind of counterfeiting, drugs, guns and human trafficking. The illegal wildlife trade is one of the biggest threats to the survival of some of the world�s most threatened species. In fact it�s second only to habitat destruction in more..

Mar 5 (CT) There is an ecological disaster of serious proportions taking shape over the last few years with the effects already showing in the Vallikamam area of Northern Sri Lanka. It is being realized by the more than quarter million people living in Vallikamam that their ground water is polluted by oil waste. According to samples of well water from a 1.5 km diameter area surrounding the Chunnakam power station taken during 2013 � 2014, the great majority of wells (73%) were contaminated more..

Mar 5 (NS) The voice of people is the voice of god, so declared the famous saying in the Western political thoughts, probably harking back to the days of French Revolution. The people assembled at Nugegoda rally, strange enough appeared, to express the similar sentiments, a cry for a just cause: bring back our Mahinda to us. It was certainly not for a bloody revolution, though a news-paper referred to it as �a revolt� .But really, it was for a democratic process. more..

Mar 5 (CT) Ganesh Velautham, a Sri Lankan from the hill country, is a self-employed businessman with a successful real estate business in Britain. He has formed a new labour union to serve the estate sector. The trade union known as the Shivan New Labour Union (SNLU), has commenced activities in the plantation sector and is providing assistance to the needy people over there. Velautham said the special feature of his more..

Mar 5 (CT) Speech delivered by Asanga Abeyagoonasekera former Executive Director of Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute(LKIIRSS) at the Consortium of South Asian Think Tanks(COSATT) Regional Conference on 'Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity in the South Asian Region' organized by Centre for South Asian Studies (CSAS) in cooperation with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung(KAS) in Katmandu, Nepal on the 27 Feb. Distinguished scholars, ladies & gentleman, more..

Mar 5 (GV) The legality of Mr. Sirisena�s decision to reinstate Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake through executive order was questionable, though not strictly illegal. This is largely because it stemmed from a unique situation. This involved the initial removal of Dr. Bandaranayake � tainted by doubtful legality and an unfair process � followed by an invalid appointment, and no obvious route to review that appointment. A simple �legal or not� based on the law proper would not do justice to these facts. more..

Mar 5 (CT) Deputy Minister of Housing and Samurdhi, Amir Ali, though a novice in central govt, is an experienced politician in regional politics. He emphasized, the issue of resettling Muslim IDPs, who were displaced from the North, 30 years ago, revolved around regional politics rather than the national. At a time when resettlement and land has become a contentious issue of human rights for Tamil community more..

Mar 5 (Island) Some UPFA parliamentarians have recently called upon the govt not to present the proposed constitutional amendments as an urgent Bill to Parliament because such action will preclude public discussion thereon. They can rest assured that they have all right thinking people on their side. These UPFA big guns, however, did not make a whimper when urgent Bills were presented to Parliament under the previous govt of which they were powerful ministers. more..

Mar 5 (Island) It was very interesting to hear from one of the Opposition big guns, Anura Kumara Dissanayake that Mahinda Rajapaksa could not live in this country as a defeated candidate as he had committed so many crimes including corruption in the awarding of contracts without following any tender procedures, to his cronies, local and foreign, who were prepared to pay him in certain cases as much as 8,000% of the total award, as commission. Therefore, he would never give up his power more..

Mar 5 (DN) It was on this Medin Full Moon Day, King Suddhodana, father of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, sent his Minister Kaludayi to conduct his illustrious son, the Gautama Buddha, to his city of Kapilavastu, the birthplace of the Shakyamuni located in Southern Nepal. A Rock Edict erected by King Ashoka discovered here, identify the area as the place of Shakyamuni Buddha's birthplace. Kaludayi met Buddha, more..

Mar 5 (CI) Without hesitation, the highlight of this global event so far has been the performance and spirit of the champion minnows, those fighting for their lives, for their existence in future World Cups. All this talk about ten teams for future World Cups is absolute bonkers. If we all, just for a minute, stopped and thought about what the cricket world really needs we would soon realise that by cutting back we are only going to further feather the bulging nest of the Big Three. more..

Mar 5 (CT) Aswin De Silva, a Senior Finance Professional assumed duties as the Chairman of the National Savings Bank (NSB) yesterday. De Silva's diverse banking experience expanding well over a decade includes several senior managerial positions at American Express. These include areas of Finance, Credit and Corporate Banking. He also worked as the Country Manager at Amex Travel related services, in Sri Lanka and Maldives. De Silva is also the recipient of the Prestigious more..

Mar 5 (FT) Trekurious, Sri Lanka�s premium lifestyle and travel brand, offers a unique and exclusive opportunity to meet incredible personalities and listen to inspiring conversations with their newest experience, Trek Caf�. A monthly experience, Trek Caf� will feature accomplished individuals as they talk about their personal and professional lives, their inspirations, and their passions. �We have been fortunate enough to more..

Mar 5 (NS) It was the first week of August in 2013. An unexpected news item was received by media that one time Police Spokesperson SSP Prishantha Jayakody�s service has been suspended. SSP Jayakody who had gone on a foreign tour had not returned as due and the Police Department had to suspend his services. However, media found out that he had received asylum in Australia. Everyone noted his being transferred to several places with different responsibilities, but none had more..

Mar 5 (CT) Jaffna Nurses Training School (NTS) students handed over a petition to President Maithripala Sirisena, during his visit to the peninsula on Tuesday. The Jaffna NTS students went to the Jaffna District Secretariat to hand over the petition. Students have complained in their petition, that they are requested by the authorities to obtain a distinction pass in English language before completing the final year exams at the training college. more..

Mar 5 (CT) Rangana Herath who injured his thumb when playing in the game against England, and therefore, out of practice these days, will have to take treatment for another week or more, after which the sutures on his injured finger is expected to be removed. Hence, another spin bowler, Seekuge Prasanna, has been sent as replacement and arrived yesterday to join the team, but has not been included in the 15-member more..

Mar 5 (Island) Lankem Paints Ltd recently tied up with USA�s paints and coatings giant Sherwin-Williams to enhance its portfolio of automotive refinishes for the local market. Sherwin-Williams is the biggest aerospace, architectural, chemical, industrial and marine coatings manufacturer of the world and is one of the world�s top automotive paint companies. One of the leading giants in the USA, Sherwin-Williams was established in 1866 and is now present in more than over 100 countries more..

Mar 5 (FT) A sum of Rs. 253,178 was donated to two NGOs, namely Surangani Voluntary Service (SVS) and Only One World (OOW) at a donation presentation ceremony presided over by Minister/Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Japan, Asako Okai, at the Japanese Ambassador�s official residence on 2 March. The funds were raised by the Association of Spouses of the Japanese Embassy Staff (ASJES) through an international bazaar which drew participation from more..