Sept 4 (Island) The Deputy Maha Nayaka of Sri Lanka Ramagnna Nikaya, Ven Napane Premasiri Thera, the Adhikarana Sangha Nayaka, was appointed the acting Maha Nayaka of the Nikaya yesterday. His name was proposed by Ven. Madithiyawala Medankara thera and seconded by Ven. Girambe Anandabhidana thera. The appointment was made at the Supreme Sangha Sabha meeting of the Sri Lanka Ramagnna Nikaya held at the Meerigama Divisional Secretariat. The new Mahanayaka was born on Jan 20, 1923 more..

Sept 4 (Island) A 20-year-old soldier killed his 17-year-old school going ex-girlfriend by stabbing her to death yesterday morning, when the victim and her mother arrived at his house at Thibbatuwewa, Kekirawa. The suspect’s mother and the girl’s mother, too, were injured in the incident. Subsequently, the suspect attempted to commit suicide by swallowing poison. According to sources, the girl and her mother had left home saying they wanted to lodge a complaint at more..

Sept 4 (DN) President Mahinda Rajapksa said the govt always looks after and protects all communities, since it is the prime duty of his people friendly govt. He was addressing an election rally in support of candidates for the Eastern Provincial Council election in Batticaloa. The President emphasized that his govt stands as a friendly govt of all communities and ethnicities. Similarly, the people in the country more..

Sept 4 (CT) There is a shortage of police officers to protect the law and order situation in the Eastern province, the SLMC claims. General Secretary of the SLMC, Hassan Ali, said there have been several incidents reported from the Eastern Province where police officers, once informed, have delayed in arriving at the location. “Once, when we complained to the police regarding an incident where one of our party candidates’ houses being attacked, they took several hours to respond to the complaint. more..

Sept 4 (Hindu) Nothing could be more myopic than Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s outburst against the visit of a Sri Lankan school football team to Tamil Nadu and her decision to suspend an official for allowing a match to be played in the government-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. Her action has harmed the image of the State and tarnished the reputation of India as an open and tolerant society. The reason for the official’s suspension is that he allowed a team from more..

Sept 4 (Island) The Supreme Court yesterday directed the UGC to apply the recently formulated Method III and admit an increased number of 4,928 students to the state-run universities in addition to the normal 21,500 for the current academic year 2011/12. The Supreme Court was of the view that the UGC should discuss with the Vice Chancellors and Deans of State-run universities and decide on how to admit at least 4,928 more..

Sept 4 (DN) The use of Arabian Light crude oil has not reduced the production capacity of petrol, kerosene, aviation fuel and other fuel products by 50 percent as alleged by certain quarters, the CEYPETCO Refinery Division said. The release signed by refinery manager Neil Jayasekera said the CPC had sufficient stocks of petrol, diesel, kerosene, aviation fuel and other fuel at hand despite the temporary closure of the Sapugaskanda Refinery for maintenance work. more..

Sept 4 (SMH) The number of Sri Lankan asylum seekers has risen tenfold this year as a row erupts over a Coalition plan to automatically reject people arriving from the island nation. So far in 2012, 2992 Sri Lankans have arrived by boat on Australian shores, compared with 211 in 2011. Another boat arrived at Cocos Islands yesterday carrying 56 asylum seekers, believed to be from Sri Lanka. Even in 2009 — during the final months of the country’s civil war — only 736 people more..

Sept 4 (Hindu) A day after two batches of Sri Lankan students who were here on invitation to play football matches left India in three different flights on Sunday, tension prevailed in Thanjavur district where 200 Sri Lankans arrived to participate in a religious event. Members of the Naam Tamizhar Iyakkam raised slogans protesting the visit of the Sri Lankan nationals and demanded that they be sent back immediately, more..

Sept 4 (Island) The Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) signed an agreement for a mixed development Tower Complex project with Krrish Group of New Delhi, India which will bring in an investment of US$ 450 million. Krrish Group is a diversified company whose activities span a wide range of sectors. One of their best known products is cobra Beer, which is one of the fastest selling brands in the UK. They are also leading real estate developers in more..

Sept 4 (Island) Abuse of State property including vehicles by govt backed UPFA candidates campaigning for the Sept 8 Provincial Council Elections was continuing despite Polls Chief Mahinda Deshapriya issuing several directives, the UNP charged yesterday. The UPFA candidates were flagrantly violating the laws by using vehicles belonging to various ministries and govt institutions and state premises, more..

Sept 4 (LB) Finally Minister S.B. Dissanayake prepared an eight-points Cabinet paper last week to end the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) strike. The university lecturers who have been on strike for more than two months were hopeful of a Cabinet paper being presented last week which would have met with their expectations and demands. This was largely due to the undertaking and an assurance given by the govt that more..

Sept 4 (ST) Loans totaling Rs. 10,000 million, obtained from State banks and institutions by farmers, are to be deferred to provide relief to those affected by the drought, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. At Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting presided over by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, it was decided to suspend the recovery of cultivation loans and loans obtained by pawning of jewellery or property by farmers for cultivation in the more..

Sept 4 (DM) The UNP accused the govt of contracting money mania by abusing the EPF and now trying to exploit the Samurdhi funds meant for the poor people by way of the Divi Naguma Bill. “This govt has contracted a serious disease. The govt does not spare money, lands, treasures and artefacts. We have lost great amount of valuable treasures and artefacts in the past. We did not experience this sort of destruction even during the tenure of the King Kalinga Maga,” more..

Sept 4 (Island) After running down reserves to the tune of more than US$ 4 billion since June 2011 to prop up the exchange rate, the Central Bank for the first time became a net purchaser of dollars amounting to US$ 286.62 million in June 2012, data released by the Central Bank last Thursday showed. The trade deficit ballooned 99.6% from a year earlier by the end of 2011 to US$ 9,743.2 billion while private sector credit growth at 36.6%, was higher than what more..

Sept 4 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka hopes to have two hangmen ready to carry out the death penalty if it is implemented. Commissioner General of Prisons P.W.Kodippili said that the interview process to recruit the hangmen was complete and the two hangmen will be selected within the next few days. "Of the several applications we received we conducted interviews and selected 10 out of the final lot. From that we hope to select two people to appoint them as hangmen," Kodippili said. more..

Sept 4 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka's rubber industry is wary over the possibility of increased prices as the world's top producers gather to stabilize global prices this week, an official said. The Three-Nation Rubber Products International Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, will see Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia attempt to stabilize the market price for rubber. Economic giants India and China are also expected to more..

Sept 4 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa appears dead set on taking on the ordinary Sinhalese for her inability to influence the Indian government to pursue a Sri Lanka policy of her choice. It is plain ridiculous to suspend an officer of Chennai's Jawaharlal Nehru indoor stadium for allowing the use of the ground for a football match between a Sri Lankan team and a local team. The game, we are told, had hurt the "sentiments" of Indians Tamils, more..

Sept 4 (SL) The govt says that tax and related reforms proposed by the 2009 Presidential Tax Commission have been implemented over the past several years. However, the Finance Ministry says the outcomes of such reforms will span over the short, medium and long term from several perspectives such as the increase in govt revenue, economic growth, greater investments, etc. Deputy Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle responding to an e-mail query on more..

Sept 4 (Island) Almost all the 352 complaints received by the Complaints Centre of the Elections Commissioner’s Department up to yesterday are against UPFA candidates or supporters. Among the complaints are 287 cases of election law violations and 53 incidents of violence. 100 complaints of polls law violations have been reported from the Anuradhapura District, while the others were reported from Ampara (72) Kegalle (45), Batticaloa (40), Ratnapura (38), more..

Sept 4 (PTI) A batch of 178 Sri Lankans on a pilgrimage in Tamil Nadu faced protests for the second day on Tuesday with a pro-Tamil outfit trying to block their vehicles when they were returning after offering worship at the Velankanni Christain shrine. Police, however, intervened and arrested nine activists of the Naam Tamizhar Iyakkam with pro-LTTE leanings, who tried to block the seven buses carrying the pilgrims. more..

Sept 4 (DM) The continuing controversy over the animal sacrifices at the Munneswaran Temple has created religious tension though the temple priests at the request of the President have decided to put off the animal sacrifices because the hallowed Kapilavasthu Relics are in Sri Lanka. Most people including the Hindu Congress itself said they opposed or were appalled by the sacrifice of hundreds of goats and fowls to a deity. Their views are understandable, but more..

Sept 4 (DM) A firsthand account of the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden contradicts previous official accounts and raises questions as to whether the terror mastermind presented a clear threat when SEALs first fired upon him. The news organisations that had the privilege of obtaining copies of the book written by a US Navy SEAL who participated in the raid give the firsthand account how bin Laden died in the hands of the US Navy SEALs. more..

Sept 4 (CT) “Menon proposed that the U.S.and India work with the UN, EU,Japan and others interested in the situation in Sri Lanka to address the humanitarian effort on an urgent basis and, further, that the U.S. and India coordinate closely to press the SL govt to move on a generous political engagement with northern Tamils. The international community should now provide the SL govt with a set of benchmarks which would more..

Sept 4 (GDI) Minister G.L. Peiris has approved the appointment by the Sri Lankan High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa of Vali Momade Hassam as Sri Lanka’s first Honorary Consul in Mozambique. Hassam is a Chairman of a diversified family owned business situated in Maputo involved in tourism, property development and trading. Hassam has also been a long standing member of the FRELIMO Ruling Party which at its inception played a crucial role in the revolutionary struggle against more..

Sept 4 (GDI) A seminar and an agitation organized by the ‘North-Central Province People’s Collective for Sustainable Agriculture’ was held at Hingurakgoda town on the 2nd. More than 300 farmers who had gathered demanded the government to pay attention to several crises farmers in the country are confronted at present and to find solutions for them immediately. The convener of the North-Central People’s Collective and the President of Progressive Farmers’ Federation more..

Sept 4 (Island) SEC Chairman Dr. Nalaka Godahewa will be intensely watched and the outcomes of the 17 investigations into market offences will be monitored closely as well, member of the COPE, opposition MP Ravi Karunanayake said yesterday. "We will not allow Dr. Godahewa to gloss over the ongoing investigations and we will try to summon him before the COPE along with former Chairpersons Ms. Indrani Sugathadasa and Thilak Karunaratne. more..

Sept 4 (LBO) Brandix apparel group said it had set a target to cut its environmental impact by 20 percent in the next eight year after reaching an earlier milestone ahead of schedule. The company had switched from using furnace oil to biomass in boilers at its factories with carbon footprint reducing from 95,000 in 2008 metric tonnes to 67,000 this year or a reduction of over 30 percent. "Over this period production and revenue has increased so the effective reduction is over 60%," more..

Sept 4 (NF) The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation announced that it will be unable to unload crude oil for a few days until a broken oil pipeline at the Colombo port is repaired. Meanwhile the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery had to cease operations Tuesday due to its crude oil tanks running dry. According to the CPC, operations at the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery have been ceased until the pipeline which is used to unload crude oil at the Colombo port is repaired and crude oil is unloaded. more..

Sept 4 (DM) At the inquiry into the killing of former presidential advisor Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, Court observed that issuing an arrest warrant on MP Duminda Silva would be pointless unless the police asked for it, because it was they who had to convey it to the Interpol. Colombo Additional Magistrate Prasanna De Alwis made this observation after considering the submissions made by Counsel more..

Sept 4 (DM) The Shareholders of Shaw Wallace PLC have given their consent for the sale of 'Colpetty Mills' extending 264.65 perches for Rs.1.85 billion in an Extraordinary General Meeting held on Sept 3, 2012. The firm in a stock exchange filing said the execution of the sale agreement entered with the Avic International Hotels Lanka Limited was ratified and that any two directors of SHAW or one director and the Company Secretary can execute the transaction at an appropriate time. more..

Sept 4 (National) A mother who was arrested shortly after giving birth and charged with having sex outside of wedlock has been married to the baby's father for the past five years, the Misdemeanour Court heard. SF, an unemployed 35-year-old from Sri Lanka, told prosecutors that after she gave birth at Latifa Hospital on July 9 her husband SJ, a 29-year-old blacksmith, presented a copy of their marriage contract, but was told this was more..

Sept 4 (LBO) Sri Lanka expects to connect a 24MegaWatt heavy fuel oil fired power plant to boost supply to the northern Jaffna peninsula by January 2013. The 4.0 billion rupees plant is designed and built for the CEB by Lakdhanavi, an affiliated firm. Three 8.6MW generators was imported to Trincomalee port on Saturday and taken by barge to Jaffna, the power ministry said. The plant will allow uninterrupted power to the Jaffna peninsula which is now 72 percent electrified. more..

Sept 4 (PTI) Expressing concern over “hostility” against Sri Lankan visitors in Tamil Nadu, the CPI (M) on Tuesday said nothing should be done to disturb people-to-people relations whatever be the Lankan government’s approach towards the Tamil issue. “Whatever the differences and opposition that exists regarding the Sri Lankan government’s approach to the Tamil question in Sri Lanka, nothing should be done to disturb people-to-people relations,” the CPI (M) Polit Bureau said more..

Sept 4 (IE) Three buses carrying Sri Lankan pilgrims were attacked with stones and sticks today allegedly by Tamil activists at nearby Kattur, injuring three passengers in the melee. The 178 Sri Lankan pilgrims were travelling in seven buses on their way to Tiruchirapalli airport to fly back to their country when one of the tyres of a bus got punctured and had to stop, bringing the convoy behind to a halt, police said. more..

Sept 4 (E24|7) Indians visiting Sri Lanka will be treated with respect and there would be no intimidation of the visitors during the upcoming T20 Cricket World Cup, said a senior diplomat in the UAE. “The T20 Cricket World Cup is scheduled in Sri Lanka and we are expecting a lot of Indians to come and watch the matches there. We welcome tourists and visitors from India as well as Tamil Nadu and provide all hospitality. There should not be any concern among them,” more..

Sept 4 (Hindu) Striking a different note from Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on sporting ties with Sri Lanka, DMK president M Karunanidhi on Tuesday said though his party was strongly opposed to India’s training of defence personnel from the island nation it was not averse to players’ visits. Ms Jayalalithaa had on Sunday ordered sending back two different teams of Sri Lankan footballers. One team had flown down to Chennai and played a friendly with Customs Department. more..

Sept 4 (Hindu) Sri Lanka, which was censured over its human rights record in March, is set to welcome a team of technical experts led by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay to check on the country’s resettlement programmes. The team is to arrive on September 14 to offer advice and technical assistance to the Sri Lankan govt, months after the adoption of the US-sponsored resolution at the UNHRC sessions held late March. more..

Sept 4 (NIE) Even as Sri Lankan school children were being prevented from participating in cultural and sporting events in Tamil Nadu, a delegation of youth from Indian army families was on a goodwill tour of Sri Lanka at the invitation of the Viru Daru Society, an organisation of children of Sri Lankan army personnel. The 25-member Indian team had arrived here on August 31 for a five-day tour of the island. They were welcomed by Deshani Jayasuriya, chairperson of the Viru Daru Society, an organisation of children of Sri Lankan more..