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Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem said today he would consider appealing to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to pardon former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka if such a request was made by Mr. Fonseka’s family members. Mr. Hakeem told parliament a procedure had to be followed in securing a pardon for Mr. Fonseka. “For me to act in this regard, a request should be made by his family members Read the rest of this entry »

TEHRAN (FNA)- Sri Lanka’s Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella met with Iranian Ambassador to the South Asian nation Mohammad Nabi Hasaki to discuss cooperation between the two countries in the field of media. Following the meeting, Rambukwella told reporters that the Iranian and Sri Lankan governments have agreed to exchange knowledge and technology in the fields of media and filming industry. Read the rest of this entry »

Pakistan has sought stronger economic ties with Sri Lanka so as to enhance trade between the two countries. President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan values its ties with Sri Lanka which are based on mutual trust and shared interests in maintaining regional peace, security and stability, reported Associated Press of Pakistan. Read the rest of this entry »

Sri Lankan Government has given permission to set up 35 five star hotels across the country, said a media report. According to the report, the Government has approved setting up of eleven five star hotels in Colombo and another 24 in outstation areas. Minister Basil Rajapaksa has said, out of the 24 five star hotels that will come up in outstation areas, 14 will be built in Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts.“Each will get seven hotels” Read the rest of this entry »

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz says the country will not allow Israel to export natural gas to Europe through Turkish territory. “We can’t ignore the fact that Israel has killed nine Turkish nationals… oil and natural gas are not everything,” Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper quoted the energy minister as saying on Friday.

Yildiz added that Europe is the best market for the energy resources Israel has found under the seabed, but noted that Israel would need Turkey to export the natural gas. Read the rest of this entry »

It could have been Sri Lanka’s shameful episode of Ayodya (Babri Masjid), unleashed in the sacred Buddhist land of Anuradhapura. (In 1992, in India, over 2,000 people died in ensuing religious violence after an ancient mosque built in a disputed site in Ayodya was destroyed by Hindu mobs)

Early this month, a rampaging mob led by a Buddhist monk demolished a Muslim shrine in Anuradhapura. The attackers Read the rest of this entry »

Iranian leader accuses US and others of racism, colonialism, war-mongering and blames them for financial crisis: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s president, has accused the United States of using the September 11, 2001, attacks as a pretext to launch wars on Iraq and Afghanistan.

He also attacked the US for its history of slavery, causing two world wars, using a nuclear bomb against “defenceless people,” and imposing and supporting military dictatorships and totalitarian regimes on Asian, African and Latin American nations. Read the rest of this entry »

Western Province Governor and Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) veteran Alavi Moulana warned today that  Minister Mervin Silva would face major problems if he tried to stop the animal sacrifices that will be performed by the Muslim community on the eve of the Haj festival.

“If Minister Mervin Silva who prevented the ritualistic animal sacrifice at a temple in Chilaw tries his antics on the Muslims who will sacrifice animals for Kurban, they will take to the streets in protest,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »

By Charles Haviland BBC News, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has ordered the reconstruction of a Muslim shrine recently destroyed by Buddhist monks.

Mr Rajapaksa told a delegation of prominent Muslims the shrine will be rebuilt after Buddhist monks led a crowd in tearing it down nine days ago. The monk who led the demolition said the shrine was built on land given to Buddhists 2,000 years ago. Read the rest of this entry »

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has expressed its dissatisfaction over the failure of US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake to meet with any Muslim political leaders during his official visit to the country.

The SLMC has said that Blake should have met the Muslim political representatives if the US was keen on discussing a solution to Sri Lanka’s ethnic issue. Read the rest of this entry »

Reports reveal that Minister Dilan Perera is making arrangements to constitute a government delegation to seek pardon for the condemned Sri Lankan house maid Rizana Nafeek, who is languishing in the death row at the Dawadami prisons since July 2007.

Dilan Perera, Minister for Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare speaking to Asian Tribune said that he will speak with anybody to seek pardon to the Sri Lankan housemaid Rizana Nafeek. Read the rest of this entry »

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday said that the government had no intention of evicting tenement dwellers from Colombo city but was focused on providing them with better living conditions.

He emphasised that the government was intent on providing a more livable environment for the permanent city residents within their communities in the form of residential units Read the rest of this entry »

The late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini declared the last Friday of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan as “al-Quds Day,” a day of protest to show the importance of Jerusalem to Muslims. Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam after the Saudi Arabian cities of Mecca and Medina  in pictures

The Government will lift the ongoing state of emergency, in force for the past six years, from September 8. Some provisions relating to curbing terrorism and related matters now in force and needed to be retained, the Sunday Times learns, will be enforced through new legislation that is expected to include amendments to the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The government plans to introduce such legislation within the two weeks following September 8 Read the rest of this entry »

The Ministry of Higher Education has designed many new degree and diploma courses to suit the demands of the current job market. The Ministry said that new degree courses in hotel management are to be introduced to all 15 Universities in the country to meet the demands of the tourist industry. Read the rest of this entry »

The Ministry of Co-operatives and Internal Trade says nineteen (19) supermarkets that were found to have breached the Consumer Protection Act were trapped during raids conducted in Colombo and a few surrounding towns. The Ministry said that these supermarkets have breached many consumer protection laws Read the rest of this entry »

The National Languages and Social Integration Ministry has received 400 complaints to date on violations of the official languages policy. Complaints have also been received that state banks have their forms in Sinhala and English only.

Government servants have complained that circulars pertaining to the government service are in Sinhala and English only. Read the rest of this entry »

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Education has received 62,500 applications for admission to the National Colleges of Education. The Ministry of Education ays however, only 3,300 could be admitted to the teacher training diploma course conducted by the 18 colleges of education. The Ministry said interviews for the selection of suitable candidates from the applicants will be commenced Read the rest of this entry »

Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa has called on the UAE public and private sectors to invest in joint tourism ventures with Sri Lanka.

He told Emirates News Agency (WAM) in an interview that his countries is open for Emirati investors who seek to invest in the areas of hotels, resorts and other entertainment facilities in the best of interest of the two friendly peoples. Read the rest of this entry »

A Sri Lankan woman accused of murdering death to a sponsor’s wife by repeatedly hitting her head and face with an ornamental pot has been pardoned five years after the a Sharia Court issued Capital punishment on her.

The Sri Lankan Embassy of UAE said Mrs. Abdul Careem Kanzul Maharifa who was given Capital punishment had been released following appeals made on behalf of her. Read the rest of this entry »

Mohammed Naalir : The Sri Lankan Office of Muslim Aid plans to conduct various social service programs including awareness campaigns for people living below the poverty line, A.C. Faizer Khan, Country Director, Muslim Aid said.

He said that they will be motivated towards self-employment including home gardening. The ifthar (breaking fast) program will be used to meet the people and learn of their livelihood problems. Addressing the media at Muslim Aid’s office in Colombo, Khan said since inception, Read the rest of this entry »

Iran Government agrees to help Sri Lanka in rural electricity projects, rural water supply projects and road and railway development projects.

An Iranian Government top minister who met Sri Lanka’s Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said that Iran will extend its fullest cooperation to improve the living conditions of the poor people and increase its funds to rural electrification projects and water supply projects. Read the rest of this entry »

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s Amana Bank on Friday said it will next week start the operations of the island nation’s first sharia-compliant commercial bank with the opening of 14 branches across the country.

The bank in a statement said it from Monday will offer a range of products including trade and treasury services.Over the last 10 years, Amana developed its insurance and investment divisions as it prepared to become a bank. Read the rest of this entry »

The Local Government Ministry has said that the newly election members for the local government bodies are to receive training. The local government members are to be trained in law and procedure of the local government system.

They would also be educated on the tender procedures and carrying out development programmes. Read the rest of this entry »

Message from His Excellency Mr. Fawzi Mohammed El Said Gohar, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Republic of Maldives. On the occasion of the 59th Anniversary of the peaceful revolution of the Arab Republic of Egypt, I extend my greetings and best wishes to my fellow citizens of Egypt and to the friendly people, the President and Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

Today Egypt celebrates the 59th Anniversary of the peaceful revolution of the July 23rd 1952. The revolution that led the struggle of the people to cope with their interests and aspirations. Read the rest of this entry »