The Palestinian Religious Affairs Minister Dr. Mahmoud Al-Habbash and a delegation called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday. The other members of the delegation included Director General of the Minister of Religious Affairs Taisir Rajabi and Director General of International Relations at the Ministry of Religious Affairs Motasem Daqa. Palestinian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Dr. Anwar Al-Agha also participated in the discussion. President Rajapaksa and Dr Al-Habbash discussed the importance of religious tolerance, Palestinian politics and the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Dr. Al-Habbash also thanked the President for Sri Lanka’s support of Palestine in obtaining “non-member observer state” status at the UN General Assembly last year. Picture by Sudath Silva

Meethotamulla garbage dump:

THE STINK IS THE CMC’S

The waste management of the Meethotamulla garbage dump is a strict responsibility of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), Colombo Mayor M. M. Muzammil said yesterday. Muzammil said the Meethotamulla garbage dump is not the responsibility of the UDA. This was contrary to TV news reports that suggested the UDA was to blame.

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Humanitarian Operation conducted strictly in accordance with ‘Zero Civilian Casualty’ policy

The Court of Inquiry that investigated into the observations made by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) in its report Part I yesterday upheld that the Humanitarian Operation was conducted strictly in accordance with the policy of ‘Zero Civilian Casualties’.

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President Rajapaksa praises Thatcher’s commitment to fighting terrorism

President Mahinda Rajapaksa sent a message of condolence on the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in which he commended the Prime Minister for her commitment to fighting terrorism.

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India responsible for Lanka’s 30-year war - Defence Secretary

Had the then Indian government acted with responsibility, Sri Lanka wouldn’t have experienced a 30-year war, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said on Tuesday. People of all communities would have been still suffering the horrors of war, if not for the eradication of terrorism in May 2009, following a three-year combined security forces campaign, the Defence Secretary said, noting that India could never absolve itself of the responsibility for creating terrorism here, though some of those directly involved in subverting Sri Lanka were blaming the Rajapaksa administration for the plight of Tamil speaking people here.

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No takers for Year One in 2,000 odd schools – Bandula

There are 2,123 schools which had less than 10 students admitted to grade one classes last year, Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena said in Parliament yesterday.Responding to a question by UNP MP Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, the minister said there had been 275 schools to which no student had been admitted to grade one last year.

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