News

Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said yesterday there would be a clean sweep for the UPFA in the Moneragala district at the forthcoming general election as the UNP supporters had lost confidence in the party due to the blunder made by certain candidates to strike the name of another candidate off the nomination list.   

The Rs. 1 billion defamation case filed by the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa against the Sunday Leader newspaper and its Chief Editor was postponed until March 24 by the Mount Lavinia Additional District Judge Frank Gunawardana, while the contempt of court case against the Sunday Leader and its Chief Editor was fixed for May 20 and June 2.

Selvi Sinrasa Thanansika is like any teenager, but then again she isn’t. On March 2 last year in Pudukudirippu when there was intense shelling, she saved the lives of an injured 11-year-old stuck inside a bunker and a 54-year-old woman wounded and deserted in the battlefield. Both survived that dawn because Thanansika in a remarkably selfless response put aside her school books and went where others fear to tread.

An inquiry where two sons had filed action against their father for allegedly preparing forged life insurance policies valued at Rs.3.2 million in their names was taken up for hearing yesterday before the Colombo Fort Magistrate. The complainant two sons raised their objections to release the passport of their father alleging that he would  abscond court.

Trincomalee High Court Judge M. Ilanchelian sentenced a former police constable who was found guilty of killing a person by shooting was sentenced to 12-years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs.5,000 with the condition that the length of imprisonment would be extended by another six months if he failed to pay the fine.

Examinations Chief Anura Edirisinghe said yesterday the 2009 O/L examination results would be released sometime between April 9 and 12.

The Colombo High Court today rejected a plea by counsel for UNP parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake to stay the hearing of the case, until the Court of Appeal decision in which Mr. Karunanayake and two others were indicted for violating the Exchange Control Act .Counsel Wasantha Batagoda appearing for the third suspect Ravi Karunanayake submitted his client had sought an order from the Court of Appeal to declare the High Court did not have jurisdiction to hear the case under provisions of the law.

A witness who came to the Kandy Chief Magistrate's Court from Medirigiriya had his expensive cellular phone confiscated and fined for misusing the cellular phone within Court premises.

The Private Bus Operators  association (PBOA) president Gemunu Wijeratne speaking to the Daily mirror said yesterday the forcible pasting of election related posters and stickers on private buses of candidates contesting the April 8 general election is getting  worse. He said some provincial councilors were forcibly putting up election related posters and stickers on private busses.

 “There is a saying among deminers,’’ the Indian official said. “It takes $3 to plant a mine and $300 to clear it.’’

Money is just a part of it; deminers have to have more than their share of patience. The Indians working for ‘Sarvatra’, a New Delhi-based NGO has been carrying out demining projects in parts of Sri Lanka’s war-ravaged north, should know about it.

Attracting offshore outsource business or BPOs (Business Process outsourcing) will figure high on the government agenda to develop Sri Lanka as a knowledge hub as per Mahinda Chintana, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Patali Champika Ranawaka said yesterday.

Foreign law enforcement agencies have been contacted in an effort to track down the mastermind behind the smuggling into Sri Lanka of one of the biggest stocks of heroin which was detected in Kalpitiya last week, the police said yesterday.

In a follow up to India’s decision to open a Consulate in Jaffna the Indian High Commission hopes to open a visa office there next month.

The United National Party (UNP) charged yesterday the government had failed to fulfil its promises such as a salary increase of Rs.2,500 for public servants, made in the run up to the January 26 presidential election.

UNP front-liner Kabir Hashim said the government even pledged to give public sector employment to some 20,000 graduates, but this too remained another of the many broken promises.

UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake denied reports that the party leader had called for a report on the party’s meeting which was held in Moneragala where its district candidates Ranjith Maddumabandara and Ananda Kumarasiri who are alleged to have involved in the tampering of party’s nomination list in the district had been present without an invitation.

The Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter the Most Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha Thera said yesterday he would advise those engaged in acts of election-related violence to carry out their campaign in a peaceful manner.

The Jathika Nidahas Peramuna (JNP) yesterday said detained General (retired) Sarath Fonseka could have a discussion with the authorities on the issues regarding the facilities of the apartment where he was  kept.

India is to invest more money in Sri Lanka with plans in place to launch some housing projects, vocational training centres and an agricultural research centre in the war-ravaged north as grants to the country was set to reach the Rs 12.5 billion mark pledged last year.

Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) claimed that festival advances  had not been provided  to the teachers of National schools.

Protecting maritime domain from piracy, flow of narcotics, illegal fishing, human trafficking, maritime terrorism and other violations of law in the maritime would be the primary objectives of the newly established Coast Guard Department, Rear Admiral L.D Dharmapriya, Director General of the department said.