Quick Look

Emergency passed with majority

The state of emergency was extended by one more month in Parliament yesterday.

The motion moved by the Government received 145 votes in favour and 15 votes against. The TNA, DNA and UNP voted against the motion.

House approves Defence Ministry heads

The vote on the Defence Ministry heads at the third reading stage of the budget was passed with a majority of 132 votes in Parliament yesterday. The vote received 144 votes in favour and 12 votes against.

The TNA voted against while the UNP abstained from voting. Accordingly, Rs 216 billion allocation for the Defence Ministry was passed.

Foreigner nabbed with heroin

Bakthi DHARMAPRIYA MENDIS

Excise officers arrested a foreigner with 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2 million at a hotel in Bambalapitiya yesterday.

Excise Superintendent Prabath Jayawickrama said the Bangladeshi man had confessed to bringing heroin to Sri Lanka on two separate occasions earlier.

Industrial park in Nikaweratiya

Ariyapala WANSATHILAKE, Kurunegala Central Spl Corr

An industrial park will be constructed at Nikaweratiya before the end of 2011, Cooperatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando said.

A land has been identified to set up the industrial park, he told journalists.

Ganja cultivator held

A man was arrested while cultivating cannabis (ganja) at Pulana area, Lunugamvehera wild reserve. The Katharagama Police raided the one acre cannabis chena on a tip-off on December 7 and arrested the man aged 24, a resident of Kataragama with 63kg of cannabis.

He was due to be produced in Tissamaharama Magistrates Court yesterday. Kataragama Police are investigating.

Water savings week walk

Kithsiri WANASINGHE and Sampath SANJEEWA

National Water Supply and Drainage Board Anuradhapura Engineer’s Office has organized a walk under the theme Nirogimath Sri Lankawak Udesa Surakshitha Paniya Jalaya to mark the national water savings week due from December 6 to 10. The walk starting on December 08 from Anuradhapura Harishchandra Mawatha will proceed up to the Dahaiyagama Junction. The walk will be held under the patronage of North Central Province Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake.

No collections in the name of war heroes

It is totally prohibited to collect money from the public ‘in aid of the war heroes’ without the permission of the Defence Ministry, said a press release issued by Media Centre for National Security Director General Lakshman Hulugalle. This is in view of information received by it that certain people are collecting money from the public in the guise of spending them for the welfare of the members of the Security Forces and the Police.

Mission told to furnish report

Chaminda PERERA

The Foreign Ministry yesterday sought a comprehensive report from Sri Lankan Mission in Bangkok regarding the arrest of illegal migrants from Sri Lanka by the Thailand Police.

The Ministry expressed special concern over the reports that suspected LTTE members are among the arrested and called the details of each and every illegal immigrant. According to a Foreign Ministry spokesman, the Mission was also directed to provide details with regard to the investigations conducted by the Thailand authorities.

Appointed Media Secretary

Veteran actor Shirantha Premaratna has been appointed as the Media Secretary of Cultural and Arts Minister T B Ekanayake.

He was earlier Media Secretary to former Road Development, Minister T B Ekanayake.

He is an old boy of Colombo Cary College and Kelaniya Gurukula Vidyalaya.

Graduation ceremony

Graduation ceremony of officers belonging to Course No. 04 of the Defence Services Command and Staff College will be held on December 13. Seventy five officers including five from Bangladesh, India, the Maldives and Pakistan will graduate at the function to be held, said a press release issued by the Media Centre for National Security.

Sambuddhathva Jayanthi Lecture

The special lecture of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka will be held on December 13, 2010 at 5 pm at the Gamini Dissanayake Auditorium of the Mahaweli Centre, No 96, Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 07.

The title of the lecture is ‘Compiling an Illustrated Glossary of Pali Terms’ presented by Bhikkhu (Dr) Varado.

The lecture is open to the public.

AGM

The Annual General Meeting and Social of St Sylvester’s College Old Boys’ Association, Colombo branch will be held at the Hilton Colombo Residencies 200, Union Place, Colombo 2 on December 12 at 10.30 am. The AGM will be followed by lunch and social.

The OBA Colombo branch invites all the Old Sylvestrians to rally round the OBA and be present at the AGM to support this project.

Contact Mahesh Rajaratne 077 3236235, Namal Kanchana 071 6839580.

poster exhibition

The Lions club of Colombo Maitland will host the Lions International Peace poster exhibition on December 13, 2010 from 9 am to 3 pm at the Art Gallery, Colombo 7.

Students will be honoured for their participation on December 13, 2010 at the Art Gallery.

Memorial Oration 2010

This year’s Professor Sirisena Tilakaratna Memorial Oration, the ninth in an unbroken series, will be delivered by Professor Upali Vidanapathirana, Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka. The subject he has chosen is: Creating Knowledge Communities through Open Distance Learning: Enhancing Access, Equity and Excellence in Higher Education.

The oration will be delivered at the Auditorium of The Center for Banking Studies of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Rajagiriya on Friday, December 10, 2010 at 4.30 pm.

Nepal student delegation visits Lanka

Wehelle PIYATHILAKE-Maharagama special corr

A delegation of five chairpersons of students organisations belonging to all political parties in Nepal visited Sri Lanka. The tour was organised with the coordination of the Youth Affairs Ministry and the National Youth Services Council. The delegation's main objective is to learn how youth organisations work in Sri Lanka.

The delegation visited the National Youth Services Council, Maharagama recently.

They were impressed by the Provisions envisaged in the Mahinda Chinthana manifesto for youth activities.

Drunken drivers pay price

Mahanama VITHANAGE- Malwana group correspondent

Five three-wheeler drivers and motorcycle riders who were driving under the influence of liquor were fined Rs 5,000 each totalling Rs 25,000 by Gampaha Additional Magistrate Indika Attanayake. The suspects were residents of the Weliveriya Police area.

Farmers benefit

Tennakoon KULASEKARA

The Government will provide Chemical and Carbonic fertilizer on concessionary rates for farmers who cultivate vegetables and subsidiary crops in paddy fields where paddy cannot be cultivated due to lack of water in the Yala season. The Government will provide this on the request made by Agrarian Services and Wildlife Minister S M Chandrasena.

The Minister said surveys conducted had revealed a higher income can be earned by growing subsidiary crops than cultivating paddy, Farmers cultivating paddy in the Maha Season can grow subsidiary crops in the Yala Season for better income.

Muslim Aid UK Chairman here

Chairman of Muslim Aid UK Sir Iqbal Sacranie OBE, will be visiting Sri Lanka today for a 5 day visit.

Muslim Aid (MA) is an international relief and development agency working in 70 of the world's poorest countries.

Aid is given to all in need regardless of their race, religion, gender, nationality or political opinions.

MA specializes in providing emergency relief, including food shelter and medical support, capacity building through water, sanitation and health programs, education and skills training; microfinancing and income generation and specialized programs such as orphan care.

The Sri Lanka field office of Muslim Aid (MASL) was set up in 2005 following the December 2004 tsunami which devastated the Island.

Anti rabies vaccination costs down

The government expenditure over ARV and ARS which is used against rabies as a vaccination had significantly dropped from Rs 413.17 million to Rs 125.55 million.

This means it is a Rs 287.61 million saving, said Dr Chamith Nanayakkara.

This is all due to the dog sterilization program that have been carried out since 2008. He further said that so far 450,000 dogs have been sterilized in 11 districts and it is their main target to carry this project to the whole country.

He was addressing the press conference on recent happenings in animal welfare yesterday by the Animal Welfare Trust (AWT) and the Sri Lanka Animal Protection Association (SLAPA). It was organized with a view to make the public aware on recent developments in dog relocation and sterilization and incidents related to cattle and elephants.

It was reported that over 900 elephants have been killed or died, of avoidable circumstances over the past year alone.

Over 55 cattle cases have been filed in Courts right around the country for illegal transportation of cattle. Out of which 15 have been won.

AWT and SLAPA Chairperson Irangani de Silva, Dr Chamith Nanayakkara, Gamini Wanigaratne, Somasiri Alakolange, Visaka Thilakarathna participated at the event.

IUSF stages protests

Dinesh De Alwis

A series of protests and Sathyagrahas organized by the Inter University Students Federation was held infront of Peradeniya, Sri Jayewardenepure University and Institute of Indigenous Medicine,Rajagiriya yesterday. Hundred of students displaying placards urged university officials to stop student suppression and lift the suspension of lectures. The university administration should think of students academics and welfare facilities rather than hunting students, IUSF acting convener Sanjeewa Bandara told the Daily News.

Hospital refurbished

Sanjaya ASELA MATHURATA

The Central Province Health and Indigenous Medicine Ministry have taken steps to refurbish the Dambulla Base Hospital out patients' section quickly at a cost of Rs Seven million.

The Central Province Health Services Director Dr Shanthi Samarasinghe said the patients visiting the Dambulla Base Hospital out patients' section will have to face some difficulties due to the renovations being carried out, but all steps have been taken to establish a fully equipped out patients' section by the last week of December.

AGM

The 18th Annual General Meeting of Crime Prevention Foundation of Sri Lanka will be held on Saturday December 11 at the Grand Oriental Hotel (GOH), Colombo at 6.30pm.