Oct 17 (DN) Since tenders will be called for the sale of the paddy stock stored at the Mattala - Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) next week, the warehouse can be emptied and returned to MRIA. Cabinet approval was obtained to sell paddy stocks stored at all granaries owned by the PMB and other state institutions. Govt has already purchased a record paddy harvest of 172,00 metric tonnes for the current Maha season more..

Oct 17 (CI) Rangana Herath picked up his fifth 10-wicket match haul in Tests as Sri Lanka wrapped up victory by an innings and six runs inside the second session of day four. West Indies, who began the day two down for 67, lost eight wickets on the fourth day for the addition of 160 runs, and as in the first innings, a number of their batsmen failed to capitalise on starts. Their only consolation came from Jermaine Blackwood, more..

Oct 17 (Island) JVP asked the US to lift all sanctions against Cuba and its people and affirm their right to exist as an independent state. JVP MPs Sunil Handunetti, Dr Nalinda Jayatissa and PC Member Wasantha Samarasinghe visited the US Embassy in Colombo and handed over a petition to be sent to the US President. Petition said: The process of imposing economic sanctions against Socialist Cuba by the USA continued for several decades and is being implemented currently in a new phase. more..

Oct 17 (CT) In a bizarre turn of events, a middle aged woman was abducted by two unidentified individuals in Kambermalai, Jaffna when she was returning home following a Court case at the Point Pedro Magistrate's Court. Most noticeable aspect of this report is the fact that the woman was abducted in a white van in broad daylight, regardless of the many eye witnesses who had later given statements to Velvettithurai Police who are currently conducting investigations to find the missing woman. more..

Oct 17 (CT) Cutting through mountainous areas, private land and Nature in general, the Southern Expressway brought more than a faster route to travel. It also brought a danger to land and the risk of Landslides. The area from Imaduwa to Kokmaduwa, just passing Galle, housing over 20 families, had never been a region prone to landslides or earth slips. That is, until the Southern Expressway was constructed. more..

Oct 17 (CT) On the deck of an Indian Naval ship, a Tamil political prisoner presented a tiny model of a helicopter made out of steel wire by him to the Captain of the vessel, when he was brought to the Kankesanthurai (KKS) Naval harbour along with nearly a hundred other Tamil prisoners who were released from the prisons in the South following the general amnesty granted to them after the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord in 1987. Skipper of the Indian Naval vessel who brought the Tamil prisoners more..

Oct 17 (CT) Sirisena-Wickremesinghe regime�s policy of helping friends and family appears to have spread to the Foreign Ministry with career diplomats being overlooked in favour of loyalists and their kin. Last week Lal Wickrematunge, brother of Lasantha Wickrematunge, the slain Editor of the Sunday Leader, was made Consul General in Sydney. Also, Manoj Warnapala, the son-in-law of Austin Fernando, advisor and confidante of President Sirisena and Governor of Eastern Province, more..

Oct 17 (ST) They are made to work under trying conditions, often inside tiny cubicles in the corner of a temple building or a state building or even inside a makeshift hut with drooping cobwebs, no fans, no file cabinets to keep important documents and, in some cases, no toilet. Grama Niladharis across the country have one problem in common � they lack basic facilities. Grama Niladhari or village officer is a public official more..

Oct 17 (Island) President of the Court of Appeal Justice Vijith K. Malalgoda yesterday directed IGP N.K. Illangakoon, who was present in court that whenever the court issued notice on him or any other police officers on no account should it go unanswered and the police had to consult the Attorney General. Justice Malalgoda made the aforesaid observation in respect of a Writ Application filed by a police officer who had filed a petition against a disciplinary inquiry against him. more..

Oct 17 (CT) This correspondent entertained no illusions when voting for the Swan � symbol of the common opposition candidate on 8th January 2015. It was a vote for what the swan stood for. The candidate was incidental. On 31st December 2014 exactly a week before the epochal change of the Presidency, I wrote in the print media: �The current political discourse is not about choosing a captain to lead our nation state. It is about electing a president for our Republic. more..

Oct 17 (GDI) Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake has been appointed as the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Group of 24 countries on International Monetary Affairs, which is scheduled to take place in Bali Nusa Dua, Indonesia, in Oct 2018. Governing body of the G24 � Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four countries on International Monetary Affairs and Development � meets twice a year, preceding the spring more..

Oct 17 (CT) The Lawyers' Collective welcomed the assistance of experts, lawyers, judges, defenders, authorized prosecutors and investigators from the Commonwealth and other countries to help in the process of conducting an internal investigation into the violation of human rights, international humanitarian law and customary human right laws. The UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka adopted without a division at the 30th session was a positive step and commitment in the resolution to more..

Oct 17 (Stuff) Jeet Raval helped ensure there was no respite for Sri Lanka A's cricketers despite a switch to the four-day format as New Zealand A took early control of the penultimate tour match in Christchurch on Saturday. Raval produced the bulk of the A team's 336 for five at Hagley Oval with a superb 152 from 235 balls. The Auckland left hander posted his 11th first class hundred from 160 deliveries after sharing a substantial opening stand with Dean Brownlie. more..

Oct 17 (DN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe met Singapore�s PM Lee Hsien Loong yesterday and discussed further means of promoting bilateral cooperation between the two countries. PM also met with several key Ministers, including Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy PM and Co-ordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, K. Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Law, Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for more..

Oct 17 (DM) Some prisoners held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) are likely to be released soon in the wake of President Sirisena directing that this matter be expedited, Opposition Leader R. Sampathan said. He said the President had directed Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe to release some of the prisoners when this matter was referred to him. Mr. Sampathan said the minister had referred this matter with the President after a discussing with a TNA delegation. more..

Oct 17 (GDI) More than 2,200 people have died in road accidents in the first nine months of this year which is an increase of 349 deaths over the same period of last year. In 2014, 36,050 road accidents were reported with 2,440 deaths. It is reported that 2,260 people died in road accidents while another 6,847 people were critically injured following accidents last year. "There is an alarming increase in the number of injuries and deaths from road accidents. more..

Oct 17 (CG) European Union (EU) today called for new election laws in Sri Lanka which will include the right of domestic and international observers to observe all stages of the electoral process. During the presentation of the final report on the 17 Aug Parliamentary Elections, among other recommendations, Chief Observer Cristian Preda highlighted that �the electoral law could be reviewed to allow direct campaigning; to develop more..

Oct 17 (DM) Wildlife officers have arrested six treasure hunters who were excavating the area close to the Sigiriya Rock Fortress in search of King Kashyappa's golden sword said to be buried inside the forest reserve. The officers had taken into custody crow bars, Mamoties and other equipment used by the suspects for digging. The wildlife range officers raided the area on being tipped off that some treasure hunters were digging inside the Sigiriya forest reserve at Alankalawewa more..

Oct 17 (Island) Court of Appeal yesterday gave the IGP, the Director CID and other connected respondents, time till Nov. 19, to file objections to the Habeas Corpus application filed by the wives of four army officers who are detained over the disappearance of cartoonist Pradeep Ekneligoda. Among the respondents are IGP N.K. Illangakoon, Director CID, ASP of CID Shani Abeysekera and a few others. The petitioners have complained to the Court of Appeal that their spouses are more..

Oct 17 (DM) The hunger strike launched by suspected ex-LTTE detainees has been called off after the assurance given by the President to set up a mechanism to look into their issues. Prisons Commissioner General Rohana Pushpakumara said he and opposition leader R. Sampanthan, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran visited the prisoners at the Magazine Prison in Colombo this morning and informed them that President more..

Oct 17 (CI) 0: Number of times before this West Indies had lost a Test to Sri Lanka by an innings. They have lost seven Tests to Sri Lanka, six of which have come from ten away Tests. This was also West Indies' first loss in four away-Tests to Sri Lanka. They had drawn all the three Tests on their last tour here in 2010. 2001: The last time a team had won by an innings in a Test in Galle before Sri Lanka in this match. The hosts had beaten England by an innings and 28 runs. more..

Oct 17 (CI) Jason Holder leads a young team. His top order has limited experience of playing spin in Asia. His own spinner is capable enough, but is not of Rangana Herath's calibre yet. And his pace attack was neutered by a dry Galle track. Perhaps the only department in which West Indies might have surpassed the hosts is in the field. But apart from several sloppy misfields, and two missed run-out attempts, West Indies also shelled five catches - a sixth catchable ball was not attempted. more..

Oct 17 (CI) Tharindu Kaushal's indifferent outing at Galle raised concerns over whether he could become Rangana Herath's spin-bowling successor, but Herath himself could still play for some time yet, Angelo Mathews said. Herath played a leading role in a second successive Galle victory for SL, this time claiming match figures of 10 for 147. Herath is now 37 (five years older than Dhammika Prasad, who was SL's second more..

Oct 17 (EN) Lowest bids by construction firms to improve rural roads in central Sri Lanka were up to 70% higher than govt�s own engineers� estimates but prices have been negotiated down by only 5%. The nine civil works contract packages in the Central Province were approved by the ADB which is funding the Integrated Road Investment Programme, according to Highways Ministry. �The lowest bid prices for each package are much higher than the corresponding engineer�s estimates,� more..

Oct 17 (AD) A team of officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today boarded the vessel MT Avant Garde which is currently anchored at the Galle Harbour. It has been reported that the investigative team boarded the vessel after obtaining a court order from the Galle Magistrate�s Court. Investigations into the vessel, which is under the custody of the Sri Lanka Navy, have been hand over to the CID after the navy lodged a complaint with the Galle Harbour Police. more..

Oct 17 (ENS) 30-year war in Northern Province has had a severe psychological effect on the children there, says Dr. Daya Somasundaram, Professor of Psychiatry at Uni of Jaffna. In his Anandarajan Memorial Oration delivered at Jaffna recently, Somasundaram quotes a 2009 study to say that 57% of North�s children had a functioning disorder and 29% were full cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). more..

Oct 17 (PTI) DMK treasurer MK Stalin on Saturday said his party would press the Union Govt to take steps for the immediate release of all fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan navy. Stalin, as part of his pre-election Namukke Naame (We for Ourselves) tour to woo electors ahead of 2016 Assembly polls, visited Akkaraipettai and Keechankuppam fishing hamlets and interacted with the fishermen. Referring to the recent arrests of 31 Nagapattinam fishermen by the Lankan navy, more..

Oct 17 (CT) The Court of Appeal after considering a Writ Petition filed by the All Island Three-Wheeler Drivers' Union and its President Lalith Dharmasekera Vithanage urging the authorities to draft new laws and regulations for the betterment and the interest of the general public of Sri Lanka using three-wheelers as their means of transport, issued notice on the respondents. Bench comprises President of the Court of Appeal Vijith Malalgoda and Justice H.C.J. Madawala. more..

Oct 17 (CI) SLC's search for a permanent head coach has attracted five aspirants who have applied for the post, according to CEO Ashley de Silva. De Silva confirmed that all five applicants who had sent their CVs by the Oct 6 deadline were from overseas, but did not disclose their names as the applications had been sent on the trust of anonymity. "These applications will be processed and evaluated at the next interim committee more..

Oct 18 (SO) Even as you open the newspapers on Sunday morning, please pause to reflect whether what you will read is reliable, informative and enriching. Why? Two prominent politicians last week publicly questioned the progress of media freedom in the country. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka charged in a public speech that certain business interests were bribing media houses to suppress reportage of his recent speech in Parliament on issues of massive corruption, more..

Oct 18 (SL) Sociologists, psychiatrists, criminologists, journalists, amateurs and political quacks associated with these disciplines have been at pains to analyse a supposed change in the behaviour of Sri Lankans. Aggressive social behaviour, tending to extreme forms of violence reported in the media has been the cause of this interest. It has been generally assumed that SL of yore in all communities were calm and collected following the teachings of four main religions. more..

Oct 18 (SO) Minister Champika Ranawaka said the Tamils will continue to suffer, if Tamil politicians don�t abandon the Tamil Eelam concept. �They should first exercise the powers given to them in the local authorities and the Provincial Councils before demanding any other powers,� he said. Q: SL Govt through UNHRC Resolution has made a commitment to evolve a solution to North & East problem through more..

Oct 18 (Island) Mr. Ranjit Mulleriyawa�s byline would be familiar to readers of this newspaper and others because of his relentless campaign to persuade decision and policy makers to adopt the strategy of harvesting rainwater in dry zone areas where chronic kidney disease is endemic to ensure that farmers, already diseased or at risk of infection, are assured of safe water for drinking and cooking purposes. As this writer in an article we run in today�s issue rightly says, more..

Oct 18 (CT) The JVP has requested the govt to give them the Chairmanship of Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) that monitors State-owned enterprises (SOE). Since it was established by the J.R. Jayewardene Govt, COPE has no powers to punish the offenders and it could only make recommendations. Over four decades, COPE has made many recommendations, but nothing practical has happened. And, SOEs identified as being corrupt have only turned absolutely corrupt. more..

Oct 18 (SL) The govt is hopeful of receiving the support they need in parliament to adopt the UNHRC resolution cosponsored by the Sri Lankan govt. Ahead of the debate on the UNHRC resolution in parliament, a multitude of opinions have been expressed both pro and against the resolution. However, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Harsha De Silva expressed confidence that the govt will receive the support they need in more..

Oct 18 (ST) Soldiers brought before the proposed war crimes tribunal will be defended by the State and pardoned before a council of religious leaders, ST reported on its front page last week. Story created a buzz about how the Govt will handle the hot potato of accountability for the military campaign that liquidated the LTTE. No doubt, these policies are still to be firmed up. Govt is in consultation with stakeholders, especially on how to set up, then implement, a High Court for War Crimes. more..

Oct 18 (ST) My dear Mahinda maama, I thought I must write to you because it seems impossible to keep you out of the news these days even though you are out of office. Any publicity is not good publicity though because they seem to be accusing you of all kinds of misdeeds and hauling you and your friends before various Commissions. It is sad to see that happen to you, Mahinda maama, because we would have liked to remember you as the person who gave strong political leadership in our more..

Oct 18 (SL) MPs of the TNA are to meet on Oct 20, to determine their stance on the UNHRC resolution ahead of the parliamentary debate that is due on Oct 23. Despite initial disappointments shared by some of the TNA members, PLOTE leader and TNA MP Dharmalingam Siddharthan said that in general there is no one within the party who opposes the UN resolution. He added that the govt accepted the content of the resolution by more..

Oct 18 (CT) Some controversial issues surfaced at last Wednesday's Cabinet meeting. The two main issues were the secret bank accounts which had millions of US dollars in the names of sons of a former VVIP and the latest arrest of a ship in Galle belonging to the controversial Avant Garde arms deals Company set up during the previous regime. As the detection of the ship was made public, several ministers prepared themselves to raise it at the Cabinet as a southern minister was more..

Oct 18 (SO) Vessel and the consignment of arms are now detained by the Navy, which conducted a probe into the matter early last week. Avant Garde company is making headlines again with a controversial ship, carrying a consignment of arms for the company, arriving at the Galle Harbour last week, seemingly with permission from the Defence Ministry. Vessel and the consignment of arms are now detained by the Navy, which conducted a probe into the matter early last week. more..