Nov 29 (Island) The UNP accused the govt of reneging on its promise not to privatise state enterprises. UNP MP Kabir Hashim, participating in the Second Reading stage debate on Budget 2014, said that President Rajapaksa had entered into an agreement with the people of the country through his Mahinda Chintana manifesto and been voted into office. But the govt was now violating the manifesto, he added. more..

Nov 29 (SBS) A Tamil Australian community group says it is somewhat sceptical about a Sri Lankan govt survey into the death toll from a decades-long civil war in the country. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse says a six month census will see some 16,000 officials travel across the island to conduct a survey in more than 14,000 villages. However, despite the resources being poured into the survey, more..

Nov 29 (LBO) Members of Sri Lanka's Employers Federation of Ceylon, an association of large businesses has expanded a welcome to disabled in the island's former war zones. EFP and member firms had held workshops in Sri Lanka's north and east to increase awareness that people with disabilities can engage in gainful work and that they should apply for jobs. EFC's 'Disability Network' which more..

Nov 29 (DM) Our ‘enemies’ the Diaspora who, yearning to avenge 1956, 1972 and 1983 suffered a huge defeat when we wiped out the LTTE which they had supported with arms and money; after the war ended they are using their money and the electoral influence bought with their money to haul us over the coals alleging gross violations of human rights, that campaign against us would of course continue though they lost more..

Nov 29 (DM) The 2014 Budget of President Rajapaksa is an opening for a class war. Though it addresses many subjects such as infrastructure, health, education, business, banking, agriculture, fisheries, housing, pensions and anything and everything, it cannot conceal the essential class nature. It is for this reason that it is confusing and difficult for some people to criticise it. What is the economic policy vision and strategy and what are the priorities in the Budget? more..

Nov 29 (DM) All three suspects in connection with the killing of a police constable and his wife in Matara have died within a week or so. One suspect was shot dead by the police when he allegedly tried to shoot at them while the other two had drowned in their attempt to escape. Incidents of this nature are common in Sri Lanka and people are so used to them that they do not see the flip side of it anymore. In fact, the police said that they were in handcuffs when they jumped into more..

Nov 29 (Island) EPDP leader Douglas Devananda wants the Northern Province Chief Minister, C.V. Wigneswaran, to co-chair District Development Councils (DDCs) in the Northern Province, in accordance with the govt’s wish to work closely with the recently elected NPC administration. Before the first NPC polls, Minister Devananda shared the responsibility with Northern Province Governor, Maj. Gen. (redt) G.A. Chandrasiri, more..

Nov 29 (CT) The All Ceylon Health Service Union (ACHSU), at a media conference held yesterday, stated the govt had resorted to suppressing trade unions and trade union activities instead of solving issues plaguing the health sector, in response to the Court order issued by the Colombo District Judge, Pradeep Hettiarachchi, restraining 16 trade unions from engaging in a strike seeking certain demands. The Court order, consequent to a petition filed by patient at the Colombo National Hospital, more..

Nov 29 (CT) Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) said they are in the process of exposing big time heroin dealers, and that they would expose the names of the main heroin dealers in Parliament. Commenting on the issue, Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, said that the BBS had passed on information of heroin dealers to the relevant authorities, recently. He said, he is also privy to the names and the whereabouts of all those who transport heroin to Colombo and he keeps track of them. more..

Nov 29 (Island) Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa alleged that the TNA was making a deliberate attempt to sabotage the post-war reconciliation process. He said that the TNA’s tribute to the dead LTTE leader Velupillai on his birth anniversary was meant to provoke the govt as well as the armed forces. The TNA consists of the ITAK, TELO, PLOTE, EPRLF and TULF. TNA parliamentary group comprises 13 MPs, more..

Nov 29 (Stuff) A Queenstown couple need a helping hand to raise money for an 1500-kilometre charity biking venture circumnavigating Sri Lanka. Pete Oswald and Sophie Stevens plan to bike around the island to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and raise money for a preschool. They start their epic cycle trip exactly a decade after the tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people in 14 countries. The time frame is 24 days to circle the island and visit more..

Nov 29 (DN) President Rajapaksa met all stakeholders in the country including farmers, fishermen and three wheeler drivers prior to the preparation of the budget, Dr. P.B Jayasundera, Finance and Planning Ministry Secretary said in an interview. "We met farmers in all parts of the country and their inputs were used for preparation. The government's aim is to create an indigenous economy based on a 10-year plan implemented by the govt by 2016. more..

Nov 29 (DM) ‘The Last Phase’, a documentary film depicting the life story of a former female LTTE cadre during the final stages of the humanitarian operation in Sri Lanka was screened on Thursday at the European Union (EU) Parliament in Brussels for the first time. The event was hosted by the Chair of the Friends of Sri Lanka Group in the EU Parliament Geoffrey Van Orden, Member of the European Parliament representing more..

Nov 29 (CT) The third term Mathematics paper for Grades 9 and 10 had been leaked to the tuition classes prior to the exams in the Southern Province, the Ceylon Teachers' Service Union (CTSU), said yesterday. The Math paper, prepared by the Southern Province Education Ministry, was conducted on 26 November. However, an identical question paper had been given to students attending private revision classes three days prior to the exam, on Saturday, 23 November. more..

Nov 29 (Island) Minister Felix Perera told Parliament that the govt spent around Rs. 2,800 million annually on a monthly allowance of Rs. 1,000 for each low income senior citizen aged 70 or above. Responding to a question by UNP MP Sajith Premadasa, he said plans were afoot to introduce a special health insurance scheme for the benefit of those recipients. "Steps have been taken to pay a monthly allowance of Rs. 1,000 to senior citizens over 70 years from 2012, in line with the last budget proposals. more..

Nov 29 (Hindu) China has underlined its strong backing to Sri Lanka by calling on the international community “to respect the right of the Sri Lankan govt and people to choose their own path of promoting human rights”, amid recent criticism of the country’s human rights record. With the issue coming under renewed attention following the recent CHOGM in Colombo, the Chinese Embassy, in a statement issued on Thursday, more..

Nov 29 (DM) While claiming that TNA MP S.Sridharan should be arrested over the speech he made in the Parliament glorifying the LTTE leader, BBS accused the MPs who were present in the house during the speech for not immediately reacting to the speech. “We all know that Parliament is not a place with much discipline. MPs in there are always creating chaos. The most unfortunate thing we witnessed with the speech of MP S.Sridharan was that no one stood up or objected to it. more..

Nov 29 (Island) Rat fever is fast spreading among paddy cultivators in the Serupita and Dodamgoda areas as the Public Health Inspector has been neglecting his duties. Today it has reached alarming proportions, residents said. Last Friday five farmers suffering from rat fever were detected in Serupita while another 23 were detected from the area coming under the jurisdiction of the National Institute of Health Sciences, the residents said. The Agrarian Research Assistants said more..

Nov 29 (CT) A special team of CID officers have been dispatched to the North to investigate the murder of 47-year-old Daniel Rexian, Chairman of the Delft local body, who was shot dead, Tuesday. EPDP Leader, Douglas Devananda, said the team had been dispatched on the advice of the President. This is the first political murder since the war in the North came to an end. The EPDP Spokesman revealed that during the more..

Nov 29 (FT) Colombo City Tourist Hotels Association President M. Shanthi kumar stated the publicity awareness received from CHOGM will certainly boost the image of country in a massive way. “Most importantly, the arrival of Prince Charles resulted in great publicity to Sri Lanka. His arrival was broadcast via worldwide media, which I would say is priceless,” he said. Shanthi kumar said the successful Business Forum certainly would be a great strength in promoting Sri Lanka more..

Nov 29 (FT) A 100-member investor delegation from Sichuan and Guang Provinces in China will be in Sri Lanka at the invitation of Sri Lanka China Trade and Investment Promotion Chamber from today to 1 December. The chamber has organised a business forum and B2B business meetings with Sri Lankan business organisations in association with the Provincial Government of the North Western Province at the Galadari Hotel Colombo on Sunday, 1 December, commencing at 8.30 a.m. more..

Nov 29 (Island) The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) and Dialog entered into an agreement, enabling consumers to use their Dialog phone number to make payments online for Govt e-services. Govt e-service recipients can soon make payments for any Govt e-service through their Dialog mobile phones. Up to now, online payment could be made only through debit/credit cards. more..

Nov 29 (Island) The 2014 budget presented by  President Rajapaksa has addressed many  issues relating to the unfair trade practices prevailing in the shipping industry for many years.  The Sri Lanka Shippers’ Council, the apex body which represents the interest of the shippers, welcomes the timely reforms presented in the budget. Reforms that will become law effective from January 2014 has been highlighted since the late 1990’s by the Shippers’ Council together with more..

Nov 29 (CT) President Rajapaksa's 2014 budget did not spell out the real economic policies of the govt and he has brought into effect all the taxes, through annexure, DNA MP, Jayantha Ketagoda claimed, in Parliament. All members of the govt had fallen for his ruse which was why they are saying that this was the best budget of the govt, he continued. Ketagoda also stated that even mothers will be unable to breastfeed their babies and will be forced to feed them coriander water instead. more..

Nov 29 (FT) A week on since the unveiling of the 2014 Budget, overall investor sentiment doesn’t appear bullish as the Colombo stock market has lost over Rs. 20 billion in value. On the day of the 2104 Budget, market capitalisation was Rs. 2.413 trillion, whereas yesterday it was down to Rs. 2.393 trillion. The market saw a marginal rebound yesterday whilst on Wednesday its value was down to Rs. 2.30 trillion. more..

Nov 29 (Island) Asia’s first CFL recycling plant has got ISO certification! This standards certification is unique, since this is the first time it has been given to a company for the proper disposal of Mercury. Mercury in our domestic CFL bulbs is a great concern to environmentalists as it can cause irreparable damage to our ecosystem; however there does not seem to be much public knowledge on the issue. Careless disposal of used CFL bulbs, which contain mercury can more..

Nov 29 (CT) Discarded fast bowler Shaminda Eranga says he will exploit all the available opportunities to impress with the ball in order to make a comeback to the national side. Eranga, 27, was overlooked for the recent limited overs series against New Zealand. He has also failed to make the Sri Lanka squad for the limited overs leg of the Pakistan series to be played in the UAE in December. "I love to play for Sri Lanka. I love to play all three formats," the paceman declared. more..

Nov 29 (Island) The total profit of state-owned banks is expected to drop by the end of this year, a Treasury Report said. The three major state owned banks shows a downward trend, while other state banks would increase profits. Despite the deposit base of state banks during the nine months ended September increased to two trillion rupees the non performing loans (NPL) have increased 70% to Rs. 92 billion. more..

Nov 29 (Island) Issues raised in the C4 Documentary will not go away, as they are driven by political imperatives of Govts such as UK, Canada and India, and not by the truth. These imperatives are influenced by constituencies in countries where they have the potential to tip political fortunes of Govts one way or another. Britain’s PM David Cameron is reported to have stated: "I was very clear that we need a proper independent inquiry into what happened, more..

Nov 29 (Island) Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has, at a meeting with the UNP Leadership Council members, lambasted an alleged government move to set up a ‘casino city’ north of Colombo, while calling for the abolition of the executive presidency among other things. Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera, too, has flayed the government for trying to open up gambling dens. This kind of activism on the part of religious leaders is to be appreciated at a time when more..

Nov 29 (ST) On Nov 15, the Central Bank (CB) released a New 2013 Rs 2 coin minted at Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (Royal Dutch Mint) in Utrecht, Netherlands which was founded in 1567. It is a Stainless Steel Coin unlike the Nickel plated Steel Rs 2 coin issued from 2005 to 2011 and Cupro-Nickel coin minted before from 1984 to 2004,both at the British Royal Mint. AISI 430 is currently the most used ferritic stainless steel more..

Nov 29 (Island) Lional Samarajeewa’s stubborn sprint to oust national record holder Chaminda Wijekoon in the men’s 1,500 metres summed up the overall result of the Sri Lanka Army Athletics Championship as Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (SLEME) turned tables on many time champions Artillery Regiment to win the 50th edition of the meet concluded at a floodlit Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday. SLEME created history yesterday becoming more..

Nov 29 (ST) The two development banks in the country were unable to raise US$ 250 million, while the (inefficient) Bank of Ceylon (BOC) managed to raise US$ 500 million, Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera charged, delivering the keynote address at a seminar on the National Budget 2014 organised by Department of Inland Revenue a few hours after the budget on Thursday. “What kind of banks are these (DFCC and NDB)? NDB and DFCC too very sophisticated with eminent boards more..

Nov 29 (ST) People’s power has made a mighty Sri Lankan corporate entity come on their knees to plead with the people to reopen its factory that manufactures rubber gloves. At a media briefing held in Colombo this week, Dr Mahesha Ranasoma, Managing Director, Dipped Products, a part of Hayleys Group, manufacturers of rubber gloves, said that they are reaching out to the villagers of Rathupaswala (in Gampaha district) to plead more..

Nov 29 (CT) The reason for the devolution of power to provincial Councils under the 13th Amendment is to facilitate the performance of certain operating functions in the field which deal directly with the people who in the case of the Northern Provincial Council happen to belong to a different ethnic group from the majority in the nation. There is much to be said for it even in the Sinhalese dominated areas for real economic development can take place only when the people themselves more..

Nov 29 (CT) Even when far too much is not read into China’s statement following the 18th Congress of the Communist Party, it is gleaming in its significance. For the first time, China has been vocal in her exhortation to Sri Lanka. Qin Gang the Foreign Ministry spokesman conveyed tersely, that Sri Lanka has to “make efforts to protect and promote human rights”. Not stopping at that he continues, “other countries in the world should provide constructive assistance”. more..