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The Bandarawela Magistrate ordered 22 suspects, who handed themselves over to the police in connection to the murder of two people in the Thotalagala area in Haputale, to be remanded until September 8. The suspects along with a stock of weapons surrendered to the police in the presence of a lawyer while the other five suspects who were arrested in connection with the murder will also be in remand until September 8. Two salesmen were assaulted and killed by a group of labourers after they were considered to be suspicious on August 11.

The backup vehicle of Deputy Minister  Vinayagamoorthy  Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman has met with an accident at Manampitiya, Achchibokkuwa area at 4.40am today. Two STF personnel have been admitted to the Polonnaruwa hospital following the accident. The vehicle had veered off the road causing the accident.

The coastal railway line from Aluthgama to Galle will be closed from midnight today for six months. Addressing the media earlier this month, the Minister of Transport Kumara Welgama said the rail track will be closed for upgrading under the second phase of the high-speed southern railway project. The entire project of the high-speed southern railway line from Matara to Colombo will end by May 2012. The reconstructed Galle-Matara segment was opened last February for high-speed passenger train transport. Trains currently ply at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour on the newly laid Galle-Matara railway track, the Minister stated earlier.

“Eid-ul- Fitr” marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan will be tomorrow (August 31), the Colombo Grand Mosque announced. Muslims in Sri Lanka will be celebrating Eid-Ul Fitr tomorrow as the new moon has been sighted at Thoppur, Trincomalee, Mr. N. Hasan General Secretary of the Mosque told

Committee appointed to investigate the substandard petrol issue has found that proper procurement procedures were not followed and has recommended compensating vehicle owners whose vehicles were damaged due to the substandard petrol. The 20,000 metric tons of petrol were imported without following proper procurement procedures while 513 metric tons out of that was released directly to the market, the committee appointed to probe the import of the controversial petrol confirms. The committee comprising M.M.C. Ferdinando (Chairman) , E.M. Piyasena, S.M.C.P. Samaracoon had handed over their final report on the investigation to Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premajayantha today (August 29) morning.  The committee also recommends that the either the supplying company should be charged to cover the financial losses suffered by the CPC or gauge the responsibility of the officials to cover the mishap and to cover the loss by fining them. 

The total number of IDPs has declined to 7,422 as of today (August 29). This number includes 3, 319 IDPs in Kadirakamar Zone-0 and 4,103 IDPs in Anandakumaraswami Zone-1 in Menik Farm Relief Village. The Government has resettled and released 273,088 IDPs so far under its programme for speedy resettlement. Accordingly, 235,517 IDPs from Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee and other districts have been resettled in their places of origin. The Government released 27,720 IDPs for humanitarian reasons. They include the elderly, university students, infants with family members, pregnant women and foreign passport holders. 9,851 IDPs in the Jaffna District were also resettled in their places of origin, including Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya and Trincomalee, Policy Research & Information Unit of the Presidential Secretariat reports.

Hurricane Irene battered New York with heavy winds and driving rain on Sunday, knocking out power and flooding some of Lower Manhattan's deserted streets even as it lost some of its power. Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm on Sunday morning but was still sending waves crashing onto shorelines and flooding coastal suburbs. There was about a foot of water in the streets at the South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan and the tide seemed to be rising, although there was less damage than many had feared. "It's not bad as we they said it would be. The streets are flooded but not as bad as I thought," said John Harris, 37, who defied an evacuation order and stayed home overnight in the Rockaways. "But I'm going to keep my eye on it. I know how to get out of here if I have to." Heavy rains and wind forced the closure of three bridges leading to the Rockaways peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean, and further east on Long Island sand berms built

The people of post-war Colombo, the capital of the ‘Miracle of Asia,’ are facing tremendous challenges. In what is actually a blatant land grab, deemed the beautification of our city, poor people are being evicted from their homes without compensation nor prior notice, says A.J.M. Muzammil. The United National Party (UNP) Mayoral candidate for the Colombo Municipal Council in a media release today (August 28) claims that economic development has taken on a whole new dimension with some of the most valuable properties in Colombo being transferred to foreign nationals – “more often than not, under the cover of darkness”. Colombo most certainly needs and deserves to be environmentally uplifted and beautified, but not at the expense of the poorest of the poor, he stressed. “A city lives and breathes because of its people; you cannot ruthlessly deprive them of their homes for the cause of beautification.” “We, in the UNP, cannot condone beautification at the cost of people’s misery. How

Authorities in UK have agreed to provide other colleges to the Sri Lankan students who are stranded in London due to the sudden closure of several colleges. The agreement was reached during discussion between representatives of the Sri Lanka High Commission in UK and officials of the University Grants Committee in the United Kingdom, the External Affairs Ministry stated. Nearly 80 Sri Lankan students who were studying in UK were left stranded after three (3) universities in the country abruptly shut down, due to various irregularities. The Sri Lanka High Commission intervened in the issue, subsequent to being informed regarding the matter by several of the effected students, and special discussion were held with the University Grants Committee in UK. Afterwards they had agreed to provide the students in question with other colleges to in order to continue their higher educational, the Ministry said adding that attention had been extensively towards the students’ course fees and visa

The Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Ministry has decided to reintegrate into society another batch of 500 rehabilitated former Tamil Tiger rebels on September 18. The former LTTE members will also be provided with an opportunity to tour the South before they are released, A. Dissanayake Secretary of the Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Ministry noted. He further added that measures are being taken to release and reintegrate into society all LTTE cadres currently under the custody of the Ministry before the end of September. 

The Government Medical Officers’ Association today (August 27) condemned the protests being carried out against doctors based on certain incidents. GMOA Secretary Dr. Upul Gunasekara stated that such a protest had been launched recently against doctors of the Balapitiya Hospital over an incident of a patient’s death. The public taking the law into their own hands in such a manner against doctors that treat patients is highly unacceptable, he emphasized. Speaking regarding the incident which occurred at the Balapitiya Hospital, Dr. Gunasekara claimed that the patient in question, who was hospitalized following a road accident, had died due to internal bleeding. If any fault had occurred by the hospital staff, there is a method to act in that regard, he added criticizing any actions contradicting those methods.

In a special statement made today (August 27) UNP Parliamentarian Mohan Lal Grero said he is prepared to make more sacrifices if UNP leadership fails to honor his request by Tuesday. “I am prepared to make more sacrifices if my request to keep the mayoral candidate open for Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council is not honored by the leadership by Tuesday” the educationist had said.

Former Sri Lankan Cricket Captain, Kumar Sangakkara was named the captain of the ICC Test Team of the Year which was announced today (August 26). Sangakkara appears in the team of the year for the second time running. The Test Team of the Year, was chosen by a specially appointed selection panel chaired by West Indian batting legend Clive Lloyd.    The announcement was made at the media conference to announce the short-lists for the LG ICC Awards 2011 which are due to be held in London on September 12. Presented in association with FICA, the LG ICC Awards recognise the best international players of the past 12 months.   The ICC Test Team of the Year is (in batting order): Alastair Cook (Eng) Hashim Amla (SA) Jonathan Trott (Eng) Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) Kumar Sangakkara (SL – wicketkeeper/captain) AB de Villiers (SA) Jacques Kallis (SA) Stuart Broad (Eng) Graeme Swann (Eng) Dale Steyn (SA) James Anderson (Eng) Zaheer Khan (Ind) (12th man) Four c

Even though the deterioration of the education sector, due to the government’s short-sighted and inefficient measures, is continuously pointed out the government has managed to mess up the scholarship and A/L examinations this year as well, UNP MP Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said. He stressed that information on corruption, malpractices and irregularities within the education sector have been exposed by media, however no actions have been taken in this regard and against those responsible for them. Even state owned newspapers had reported that investigations, on irregularities during the recent Grade 5 scholarship exam, had commenced and that those without applications were also provided the opportunity to sit for the examination, the Parliamentarian stated. How is it that those without applications were able to sit for the exam? How was a national level exam such as this held according to the liking of certain individuals at various times? Kariyawasam inquired during a me

The Wild Life Department is to release the report on the Elephant Survey by end of next week. The Digital and Computer Science Department of the Peradeniya University has commenced sorting the data on the elephant survey. The Survey was carried out from the 11th to 13th of this month covering all wild life zones in the country. All data has been computerized now, and the data include the number of elephants in each herd, their sizes, assumed ages, their sex and other physical features. If records of a herd were duplicated the programme automatically nullify the duplication. The data is being sorted under the supervision of the Director General of Wild Life H.D Rathnayaka and the Dean of the Science Faculty of the Peradeniya University, Prof. Parakrama Karunarathna. 40 university students are also assisting in this process. In order to minimize numerical mistakes scientific methods are being given priority. The Wildlife Department informs that this survey will help to find out

Libyan rebels battled on Tuesday around Muammar Gaddafi's headquarters, where a son of the veteran leader had emerged overnight to confound reports of his capture and to rally cheering loyalists for a rearguard fightback. NATO jets flew in support of the rebels, who said they were trying to break into Gaddafi's fortified Bab al-Aziziya compound. His son and presumed heir Saif al-Islam had earlier told a crowd that his father was well and still in Tripoli. Heavy smoke drifted across the city center and a Reuters correspondent at a government-controlled hotel near the sprawling compound heard heavy gunfire and explosions. NATO declined comment on whether it had struck Bab al-Aziziya. "The revolutionaries are trying to get in through the Old Gate on the western side," rebel fighter Muftah Ahmad Othman told Al-Arabiya television from Tripoli. "If they're successful, the fighting will move inside the compound." Al Jazeera

Stern action will be taken against anyone who takes the law into their own hands while Security Forces are not involved in the Grease Devil rumours, Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa stated.

Dialog Axiata PLC in Sri Lanka and Multinet Pakistan (Private) Limited have entered into partnership to serve the global connectivity requirements of Sri Lankan and Pakistani companies. The goal is to leverage the strengths of both networks and deliver customized solutions to corporate customers doing business bilaterally. Both companies are dedicated towards creating seamless solutions at cost effective rates and deployed on an accelerated timeline. The combined network has been created via a ring architecture that is fully redundant in order to deliver optimal operational results to customers. This collaboration will provide both Sri Lankan and Pakistani corporate customers access to a wide portfolio of international data, voice and video applications, in addition to value-added and managed services. This seamless and secure connectivity is ideal for companies that wish to minimize travel and do conferencing on-demand whilst simultaneously running other voice and data services

Lasith Malinga picked up his third career One Day International hat-trick against Australia a short while ago in the fifth ODI being played at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Mitchell Johnson, John Hastings and Xavier Doherty fell victim to Malinga in the 46th over.

The government of Sri Lanka has granted a $10m (£6.1m) import credit to the Republic of Maldives. Analysts say the agreement signed in Colombo on Thursday during a visit to the island by President of Maldives, Mohammed Nasheed, is mutually beneficial to both countries. The Maldives archipelago which mainly relies on the tourism industry is currently facing a foreign exchange crisis, according to Amal Jayasinghe, the AFP bureau chief in Colombo. “Maldives is among few countries in the world that does not collect any income tax,” he told BBC Sinhala service. “It is therefore struggling to balance the government spending sheets.” Sri Lankan fruit The credit facility, which will be administered through state-run Bank of Ceylon, will help Sri Lanka to increase its export earnings, the Sri Lankan government said in a statement. “The credit facility is expected to encourage the Maldives to import food supplies, especially fruits and vegetables from Sri Lanka to the hotels in the atolls,” i

The Epidemiological Unit of the Ministry of Health informs that the vaccination (immunization) procedure will be subject to change starting from October 01. Accordingly steps have been taken to provide one vaccination for three viruses, namely measles, rubella and mumps, says Dr. Paba Palihawadana, Director Epidemiology Unit. The vaccine MMR will be injected to children from October 01 for all three diseases instead of using three vaccines. According to Dr. Palihawadana children will be provided the vaccine MMR at the age of one (1) and again at the age of three (3). Previously the MR vaccine was provided for the treatment of only measles and rubella.

Sri Lanka Cricket has accused a group of former national players of trying to undermine the second phase of the Sri Lanka vs Australia series. In an unprecedented special communiqué, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) chairman Upali Dharmadasa said the group seems to be working on “hidden agendas”. “It is with agony that I state that a few individuals in Colombo think that they are indispensable,” the chairman was quoted in the communiqué. Mr Dharmadasa told BBC Sandeshaya that the refusal by the group to help organise the matches at R Premadasa stadium is completely different to help received from Kandy and Hambantota. The group has told the SLC at a meeting on Thursday that they would not be able to make themselves available as volunteers to help organise the matches to be played on Saturday and Monday. Pallekele and Hambantota The former national players, currently working as cricket coaches have argued that volunteering would undermine their status as former national players. “Even cri

A group of residents in the Kalpitiya area have attacked and wounded a police constable, mistaking him for a “grease devil”. The policeman, attached to the Kalpitiya Police and assigned to duty at an examination center in the area, had reportedly been attacked when he had visited a store to purchase mosquito coils last night. The constable had been assaulted by the overcautious residents when he had knocked on the door of the store, which was closed at the time. The wounded police constable has been admitted to the Puttalam Hospital while the Kalpitiya Police is conducting further investigation regarding the incident.

Five Chinese national have been given the death sentence  by the Colombo High Court today for killing another Chinese national. Police had arrested two Chinese men while they were attempting to dump a body down a slope in Kandy in 2003. Upon investigations three more Chinese nationals were arrested in connection with the murder. The Court also directed police to produce another suspect who was absconding.

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) recorded its highest number of transaction per day at 49,921 transactions today (August 18), the CSE announced.

Sri Lankan women in the Kingdom who want to go home for their Eid holidays are panicking over recent incidents in the country caused by night prowlers dubbed “grease devils.” A grease devil is a thief who wears only underwear and covers his body in grease to make himself hard to grab if pursued. Panic over midnight assaults by the alleged grease devils is rising across rural Sri Lanka, leading to the deaths of at least three people last week. This has prompted women to stay indoors and men to arm themselves, police and local media said. At least seven were wounded fighting with police outside the navy base in Kinniya after hundreds of mainly Muslim residents in the eastern coastal area demanded soldiers hand over two men who tried to abduct a 28-year-old Muslim woman the night before. The incidents are happening mainly in areas where there is a concentration of minority communities such as Muslims and Tamils. According to police, incidents relating to grease devi

The JVP decided that its nomination list for the upcoming election for 23 local government bodies will be handed over on August 24 and 25, the party stated. The lead candidate for the Colombo Municipal Council has been named as former Provincial Council member Sunil Watagala, the JVP stated while the Nomination Board included Vijitha Herath, K.D. Lal Kantha, Former MPs Bimal Rathnayaka and Samantha Vidyaratna.

Police have used teargas to disperse crowds after a tense situation erupted in Urani area in Batticaloa. Mobs had set fire to tires after a ‘Grease Devil’ attacked a girl who was at her house alone, the Ada Derana Correspondent stated.   Police and Army have been deployed to control the situation.

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) revealed that legal action will be taken against 910 cement traders found to have committed various offenses following the recent raids conducted by the CAA. Some of the offences included selling cement at a higher price than the stipulated maximum retail price, hiding stocks and selling cement under conditions. The CAA stated that the maximum retail price for a 50kg bag of cement is currently Rs.750 while further raids will be conducted to apprehend traders who are selling cement at higher prices and are engaging in illegal stockpiling.

The Directorate of Enforcement is investigating the country's top mobile phone carrierBharti Airtel for suspected violations of foreign exchange rules, a junior finance minister said on Tuesday. Namo Narain Meena also told lawmakers in a statement the country's capital markets regulator had received complaints alleging that a shareholding increase by the founders of the mobile carrier had violated rules. The minister also said the country's tax office had received allegations of "improper accounting treatment" of licence and spectrum fee by the company.

Asian handset makers using Google's Android operating system might turn to rival platforms such as Microsoft's Windows after Google upended the mobile landscape by buying Motorola Mobility Holdings for $12.5 billion. Taiwan's HTC and Korea's Samsung Electronics have sold millions of mobile devices running on the free Android device, catapulting Google to the top slot in the booming global mobile software market. But the acquisition of Motorola could turn Google from a partner to a competitor for more than 30 other Android-handset companies. "The deal will make most Android players realize how dependent they are on Google and how quickly Google's plans can change their businesses," said Francisco Jeronimo, an analyst at research firm IDC. Wall Street quickly anointed Microsoft a winner in the deal, with Windows potentially benefiting if the acquisition alienates the other phone makers that rely on Android. Android held a 43.4 percent share of

A protest was staged by several media organizations and members of Parliament in front of the Jaffna central bus stand today (August 16) against the attack on the Uthayan News Editor G. Kuganathan. Uthayan News Editor, G. Kuganathan, was assaulted by an unidentified group and hospitalized on July 29. He had been clubbed on the back of the head with a steel pole while returning home from work. The protestors demanded that attacks on the media should be stopped immediately and that the voice of the media should not be stifled in any way. Police arrested the main suspect in the assault yesterday (August 15).

The Securities and Exchanges Commission has permitted stock broking companies who have liquid assets to extend credit to retail investors with effect from today, SEC source

Laugfs Gas Ltd has sought the permission of the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade to increase the price of a domestic 12.5kg Laugfs gas cylinder by Rs.570. 

Police have discovered a body in a lagoon near the village of Kumaravelliyar, Chenkalady in Batticaloa. The body is yet to be identified while Eravur Police suspect that he had died at least two days ago.  The body of the deceased, an approximately 50-year-old, has been placed at the Batticaloa Hospital.

Mano Ganeshan-led Democratic People’s Front (DPF) has decided to contest for the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) in the forthcoming local government elections. Mano Ganeshan stated that he has been requested by heads of the party to contest as the mayoral candidate for the CMC. Sinour party members and leaders had come to an agreement on the matter at a meeting held yesterday (August 13), he said. Therefore the DPF is to contest the election under the “ladder” symbol while the final decision on that is to be announced on Tuesday. Mano Ganeshan further stated that the DPF has received the support of several other parties including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). 

A police officer was killed in an accident along the Colombo-Monaragala main road in the Thanamalwila area around midnight yesterday (August 13). Police said the officer was attached to the Thanamalwila Police. The driver of the vehicle drove off without stopping after hitting the policeman, Thanamalwila Police which is conducting investigations stated.

Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment says 50,930 applications for the proficiency test in Korean language have been issued, from August 8 to 11 at 28 centers island wide. While a majority of the applications (9617) were issued from the center at Police Park in Colombo, 3433 were  issued from Ratnapura, 2402 from Tangalle, 2455 from Kadawatha, 2246 from Kalutara, 3290 from Kandy and 3437 were issued from the center at Matara.

A Sri Lankan priest in US accused of three counts of misdemeanor sexual assault was arraigned Friday in Superior Court in Enfield and ordered back to court Aug. 26. According to the warrant for the arrest of the Rev. Edward Warnakulasuriya, he touched the pubic area of an 18-year-old man who had gone to the priest’s residence for confession. A prosecutor termed the allegations against Warnakulasuriya as “extremely serious.” Warnakulasuriya, who is from Sri Lanka, was also ordered to surrender his passport. On Thursday, Simsbury police charged Warnakulasuriya, who was the administrator at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Tariffville, with three counts of fouth-degree sexual assault, police said. Warnakulasuriya has not been at the church or conducting services for several weeks, a former parishioner said. The archdiocese of Hartford said Thursday Warnakulasuriya had been placed on administrative leave. “In light of the police investigation and charges, the Archdiocese of Hartford has