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Friday, November 29, 2013

R.I.T. Alles passes away


R.I.T. Alles, one of the best educationists Sri Lanka has produced, passed away today, aged 81 years.

The father of MP Tiran Alles, Harsha Alles and the late Malik Alles, he was the founding principle of D.S. Senanayake Vidyalaya in Colombo.

He also founded Gateway International School.

Ralf Ignatius Thomas Alles was state secretary of education from 1989 to 1993.

Educated at St. Aloysius College, Galle and St. Anthony’s College, Kandy, he started as a teacher and served as the deputy principal of Royal College, Colombo.

His wife, Rohini Alles, too, is a teacher of Royal College, Colombo.

Funeral arrangements will be notified later

Dilshan to migrate to Australia?



Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Tillakaratne Dilshan is to migrate to Australia, rumours say.
It is said that he would leave for Australia after the 2015 World Cup.

Dilshan is to go to Australia this year as well, for the Big Bash League, which will kick off from Dec. 20.

Dilshan, who recently signed in with the Sydney Thunders, has said ''I'm really keen to play in the Big Bash. It's such a wonderful, competitive tournament,''

However, he is to miss the first two games due to the ODI series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan spin king Muttiah Muralitharan will be playing for the Melbourne Renegades this year.

This is the second year he will play for the team.

Speaking to us, Murali said that he will leave for Australia on the first week of December.

Hotel worker sexually abuses Russian woman

 
A Russian woman has been sexually abused by a hotel worker at Yaddehimulla in Habaraduwa.

The woman had been staying on vacation at a tourist hotel in the area along with her husband.

The husband has lodged a complaint with police that his wife had been sexually abused by the hotel worker, aged 19 years, while he had been away.

Habaraduwa police are investigating the complaint.

Sheshadri Priyasad with Boy Friend

Sheshadri Priyasad is young talented upcoming Sinhala film actress in Sri Lankan film industry and she is acting the film call “Challengers” which is suppose to preview this year. However she is a very beautiful romantic actress who is perfectly matched for the love films in Sinhala. I think this film is directed by famous love film director in Sri Lanka Udayakantha Warnakulasooriya.

Her father is  Dinesh Priyasad who is a movie director. Dinakshi Priyasad who is presenting the ‘C View’ musical programme which is on Channel C at the Dialog TV is her sister.

It is reported she is getting ready for her marriage next January. According to the reports her fiance is Sampath De Silva. He is the son of Teledrama director Ranjan De Silva.











 

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Lord Buddha's Birthplace Discovered



Archaeologists digging at Buddha's birthplace have uncovered remains of the earliest ever "Buddhist shrine".

They unearthed a 6th Century BC timber structure buried within the Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini in Nepal.

The shrine appears to have housed a tree. This links to the Buddha nativity story - his mother gave birth to him while holding on to a tree branch.

Its discovery may settle the dispute over the birth date of the Buddha, the team reports in the journal Antiquity.

Every year thousands of Buddhists make a holy pilgrimage to Lumbini - long identified as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha.

Yet despite the many texts chronicling his life and teachings, it is still uncertain when he lived.
Estimates for his birth stretch as far back as 623 BC, but many scholars believed 390-340 BC a more realistic timeframe.

Until now, the earliest evidence of Buddhist structures at Lumbini dated no earlier than the 3rd Century BC, in the era of the emperor Ashoka.

To investigate, archaeologists began excavating at the heart of the temple - alongside meditating monks, nuns and pilgrims.

They unearthed a wooden structure with a central void which had no roof. Brick temples built later above the timber were also arranged around this central space.

To date the buildings, fragments of charcoal and grains of sand were tested using a combination of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence techniques.

"Now, for the first time, we have an archaeological sequence at Lumbini that shows a building there as early as the 6th century BC," said archaeologist Prof Robin Coningham of Durham University, who co-led the international team, supported by the National Geographic Society.

"This is the earliest evidence of a Buddhist shrine anywhere in the world.

"It sheds light on a very long debate, which has led to differences in teachings and traditions of Buddhism.

"The narrative of Lumbini's establishment as a pilgrimage site under Ashokan patronage must be modified since it is clear that the site had already undergone embellishment for centuries."
The dig also detected signs of ancient tree roots in the wooden building's central void - suggesting it was a tree shrine.

Tradition records that Queen Maya Devi gave birth to the Buddha while grasping the branch of a tree within the Lumbini Garden.

The discovery could aid conservation efforts at the holy site - which has been neglected despite its Unesco World Heritage status.

"These discoveries are very important to better understand the birthplace of the Buddha," said Ram Kumar Shrestha, Nepal's minister of culture, tourism and civil aviation.

"The government of Nepal will spare no effort to preserve this significant site."

Hashini Gonagala Dancing photos

Hashini Gonagala was born on January 20, 1992.She is a Sri Lankan Actress and a model who is known as Sirasa Dancing Star.Hashini studied at Stafford International School, Colombo, Sri Lanka.Her first film was “Uththara” and she plays the main role with talented actor Suraj Mapa.














Tuesday, November 26, 2013

No more Traveller’s cheques



The Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (SLBA) yesterday said the issuance of traveler cheques has been stopped with immediate effect.

The Sri Lanka Banks’ Association Secretary General said that at a discussion held with the Central Bank all banks agreed to discontinue the issuance of traveler cheques.

“At a discussion held about a month back at the Central Bank, all banks came to an agreement not to issue traveller’s cheques with immediate effect,” he said.

The Secretary General pointed out the reason behind the decision is the usage of traveller’s cheques being unpopular. According to him, most of the travelers prefer to carry credit or debit cards or cash itself.

“Since people have the facility to carry credit or debit cards and also cash up to US $ 5000, there is hardly any need to use traveler cheques. Even in the world now the trend has changed and people have got away with the paper use,” he said.

De Silva stated that the SLBA has not taken any special measures to inform the public with regard to non-issuance as the Central Bank has undertaken the communication part.

“Banks will inform their customers if someone requests for traveler cheques. But in a very rare occasion a customer would request so,” he said.

Principal arrested over sexual abuse of 14 students



The Principal of a Tamil School in Haputale has been arrested over alleged sexual harassment involving 14 students, Haputale police said.

They said Grade seven and eight students have been harassed and the Child Protection Authority has taken steps to produce these students at the Diyatalawa Base hospital today for a judicial medical examination.

Nearly 7,500 children abused in 2012



Around 7,418 children have been abused in 2012 alone, Child Development and Women's Affairs Minister Tissa Karaliyadda stated in Parliament yesterday (Nov. 25).

The majority of cases have been reported from Colombo, with the figure standing as 1,174.

Out of the entire figure, 3,800 cases are punishable under the penal code, the Minister stated.

The number of child workers discovered were 313, the 1054 required custody and protection while 944 did not receive a compulsory education, he added.

Noting that 1,307 children were victims of domestic violence last year, the minister added that the number of juvenile delinquency cases reported in the year is 196.

Noting that the total number of child abuse cases reported between 2009 - 2012 is a staggering 18,777, the minister said that according to figures from last year, the mothers of 322 such boys were found to be employed overseas. He added that the fathers of 35 such boys too, are employed overseas.

In the same year, mothers of 269 such girls were found to be employed overseas. He added that the fathers of 28 such girls too, are employed overseas.

The minister has said that the government was attempting to curb this situation by taking measures to prohibit Sri Lankans with underage children from travelling overseas for employment.

The Minister was responding to a question posed by UNP MP Rosy Senanayake who requested oral answers from the Government regarding the high incidence of child abuse in the island.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Angela talks about Gamini's marriage



The rumor that Gamini Fonseka's marriage shattered because of me is a falsehood, says actress Angela Seneviratne.

She has revealed this in an interview to Silumina supplement Rasaduna.

Angela has stated that her relationship with Gamini started when he was living alone in Kadugannawa.

She has got the opportunity of maintaining a close relationship with him as he selected her for a character in the film ' Koti Waligaya' directed by Gamini.

Angela has revealed that he proposed to her after learning all about her. Since her marriage was also a failure she has agreed and they have enjoyed 8 years of marriage bliss.

She has further stated Sumithra (Teena , Gamini's first wife) always loved me. She was involved in the marriages of Kaushalya and Purnima, who are children my and Gamini’s children , as if she is their own mother. She was there to fill the space left empty by Gamini's absence. Those days many attempted to break us up, but Teena akka (sister) is a person who had a very good understanding of me. When she passed away it was as if I lost my own sister, she added.

Angela who was living abroad has arrived in Sri Lanka and  joined acting again on November 02 in the film 'Mother' produced by Prasanna Withanage.

The film ' Mother', aimed at several international film festivals, is the first direction of Rohan Mudannayake.

'Mother' based on a story written by English author Ashok Ferry casts the veteran actress Kaushalya Fernando and Jehan Mendis, Bimsara Ratnayake, Ruwin de Silva also contributes to  this special cinematic venture.

Coca Cola sales suspended



The Kebetigollawa Magistrate issued an order suspending the production and sale of the fizzy drink, Coca Cola in Sri Lanka, for a period of three months, to Pure Beverages (Pvt) Ltd., Biyagama, after the company was found guilty of distributing for sale, a bottle of Coca Cola, which does not mention the date of production or expiry, or the batch number.

Under the Court ruling, the license of the company to engage in production, storing, distributing and sale of the beverage in the country, has been suspended for three months. 

The Kebetigollawa Magistrate and District Judge, Gayan Meegahage, also ordered the company to pay a fine of Rs 15,000, at Rs 5,000 for each of the three charges levelled against the company.

The three-month suspension was issued by the Magistrate in accordance with Article 18 (2) of the Food Act No. 26 of 1980. The Magistrate also ordered that the suspension issued against the company be published in a national newspaper, the cost of which should be borne by the defendant company, as a fine.

The Magistrate also ordered the Court Registrar that the Court ruling in this regard should be intimated to the relevant authorities that issue the licence to produce beverages.

The Magistrate issued the ruling, taking into account a previous offence to which the company was held responsible by the Public Health Inspector for Anuradhapura, Prageeth Jaliya Jayatilake, and two counts of previous offences filed against the company by the Public Health Inspector for Katiyawa, W.P.S.N. Vasala.

Counsel Mahesh Katuwella who appeared for the company informed Court that an appeal would be filed in the High Court against the order made by the Kebetigollawa Magistrate.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

President Mahinda Rajapaksha celebrates 68th birthday





President Mahinda Rajapaksa celebrates his 68th birthday yesterday (Nov. 18).

it was also marks the third year he swore in as President for his second term in office.

The day dawns as the President is also appointed the chairman of the Commonwealth.
He is the 6th President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.
Following the death of his father in 1967, Rajapaksa took over as the SLFP candidate for Beliatta constituency and was elected to Parliament in 1970 as the youngest Member of Parliament at just 24
A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as Prime Minister from 6 April 2004 until his victory in the 2005 Presidential election.
He was sworn in for a six-year term as president on 19 November 2005. He was re-elected for a second term in office on 27 January 2010.

Earlier, while her was in the opposition while the UNP regime was in power, he came into prominence as a leader and as a staunch defender of Human Rights, together with Manorani Saravanamuttu and Mangala Samaraweera of the Mothers Front, which organised the mothers of the "disappeared" in the white terror of 1988–90.

In 1994, following the election victory of the People's Alliance a political front led by Sri Lanka Freedom Party and headed by Chandrika Kumaratunga, Rajapaksa was appointed Minister of Labour.
He held this post until 1997 when, following a cabinet reshuffle, his portfolio was changed to Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

When the UNP defeated the People's Alliance in the 2001 elections, Rajapaksa lost his position in the Government. He was however appointed as Leader of the Opposition in March 2002.

After the Parliamentary Elections of 2004, in which the United People's Freedom Alliance gained a slim majority in Parliament, Rajapaksa was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s 13th Prime Minister on 6 April 2004.
He saved the country and ended 30 years of war with LTTE terrorists. 

While Rajapaksa was the Prime Minister, he also held the Ministry of Highways.

We OUR LANKA team wish him all the best and hope that he will make policies and points of Commonwealth charter a reality in Sri Lanka as Chairman of the collective.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa cut his Birthday Cake during the CHOGM final Executive Session held yesterday (18).

Salaka Casino Raided again



The 'Salaka Club' racino located at a building in Union Place, Colombo has been raided last night (Nov. 19).

Ten persons who were gambling while the raid took place were arrested and released on police bail last night, reports add.

Sources from Police headquarters say that they were ordered to appear before Fort magistrate on Nov. 25.

A racino is a combined race track and casino and the  'Salaka Club' was initially raided by the organized crime investigation unit of the police on Nov. 04.

After being closed for several days, it was re-opened recently.

At the present, 23 organized crime investigation unit of the police officers involved in the initial raid have received immediate transfers.

Yesterday's raid by the Slave Island police has taken place after police received a tipoff on this. 
Nine staff members including the manager of the place was arrested and a sum of around Rs. 100,000 used for gambling was seized by police.

According to reports, the place is being conducted by a businesswoman named 'Vajira' who has political might and backing of a Defence Ministry bigwig.

However, speaking to media over the weekend the Director General of Media Centre for National Security - Lakshman Hulugalla said that neither him nor Sudharma Neththikumara were connected to this issue.

Related :::


Brothel Raided in Nugegoda



A brothel run by a politically connected millionaire at Pagoda Road, Nugegoda was raided yesterday (November 17) by Panadura Central Vice Squad.

The manager of the brothel and two prostitutes were also arrested. The police is conducting further investigations to arrest the owner as well.

The millionaire owns five hotels in Nugegoda, two hotels in Aturugiriya, a night club and a bar.

The establishment the brothel operated , which consists of 13 rooms,had been bought by him for Rs 35 million last April.

The police has revealed that the cost to spend an hour with a prostitute is Rs 6000 and each extra hour adds an amount of Rs 2000.

The detained manager is a resident of Bulathsinhala and the two prostitutes, aged 21 and 23, are from Passara and Sapugaskanda.

Akalanka Ganegama with his new girl friend

Akalanka Ganegama is a Sri Lankan cricketer. He participate sirasa dancing start competition as well as he did a song with iraj called " harima haday ". There was a rumour that he has been a relationship with Upeksha Swarnamali ( Paba ).

But now he has seen with another girl. 







Akalanka Ganegama with his  EX Girl friend Photos

Monday, November 18, 2013

Paba ( Upeksha ) fall in Love again ?



Actress, dancer and MP Upeksha Swarnamali (Paba) has got hitched with a businessman, report say.
The affair is just days old, but she has already admitted about it.

These days, it is very difficult to contact Upeksha over her phone, as the line is always busy due to her love talk with her lover.

Previously, she was married to Mahesh Chaminda of no: 24/31, Uspelenawatte, Suwarapola, Piliyandala.

Upeksha got divorced from Mahesh after he badly beat her up.

Being admitted by her bodyguards to Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital, she had to undergo plastic surgery.

At the last parliamentary election, she contested for Gampaha district on the UNP ticket, but later crossed over to the government.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Tatiyana Lee Photos

Rohitha Rajapaksa, the youngest son of the President Mahinda rajapaksa... a Rugby legend of the country... another Thomian Hero...

Rohitha is in a relationship with Tatiyana. Tatiyana lee became famous in Sunlight Advertisement.

These are some photos of Tatiyana Lee.





More Photos of Tatiyana Lee and Rohitha Rajapaksha

Gayesha Perera to contest Western PC polls from UPFA


Popular actress Gayesha Perera is to contest the upcoming Western Province Provincial Council polls under the UPFA ticket, internal party sources say.

In an interview with Gayesha has revealed that she would enter the politics arena.

Noting that she does not intend to join 'fake politics' of the the present lady representation in politics, Gayesha said that she would join a strong leader and take up the voices of suffering women.

'I am a person who accepts this country's leader completely. I have even spoke on stage in support of Army housing programmes. I am that kind of courageous actress. I will come forward to speak on behalf of women who have faced injustice,' she has said.

"However, in politics, I will deem neither MPs nor Ministers as good. For me, only the public will be good. I will take a decision on this regard very soon," she has added.

Sri Lanka to sign US$ 2 billion worth Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) deals




Sri Lanka will sign US$ 2 billion worth Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) deals, including a US$1.3 billion deal with China Communications Construction Co Ltd.to build a port city, reports say.

These projects are to receive tax relief, the Minister added.

Along with the port city, Sri Lanka will sign two mixed development projects totaling $700 million on Thursday, Investment Promotion Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana has said.

As part of the latest deals, the US$ 1.3 billion project by China Communications Construction will build the port city on a 233 hectare site that will be reclaimed from the sea. The deal will be signed on Thursday, the Minister said.

Another $ 250 million mixed development project by Hong Kong-based Evic International Engineering Co and Nice View Investment Co will build a 528-unit apartment complex also in Colombo.

The site is next to Sri Lanka’s main port and Colombo’s historic Galle Face Green seafront. It is also close to where Shangri-La Hotels Lanka Ltd., a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Shangri-La Asia Ltd., is building a 500-room hotel.

According to the proposed deal, 108 hectares of land will be given to the Chinese firm after the port city development, while 63 hectares and 60 hectares of land will be given for public usage and the State-run Sri Lanka Ports Authority respectively.

The land will be given to the Chinese company on a 99-year lease.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Property Alliance Capital Co. will pump in $ 450 million in a mixed development project including commercial buildings, malls, service apartments and multi-level car parks in the heart of Colombo.

Also, a deal has been signed with the China Harbour Engineering Co. to build two hotels and a golf course in Hambantota and Katunayaka, in an investment of over US$ 500 million.

The golf course will be situated in Hambantota together with the 250 room hotel in Mattala, Airport and Aviation Services Ltd. (AASL) Executive Director Johann Jayaratne has told media.

In addition, a duty free shopping mall would be built here, he had added.

A 200 room hotel in Katunayake to be built under this deal would also include a a duty free shopping mall and a car park facilitating 1000 vehicles, reports say.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Salaka casino reopened



The ‘Salaka Regino’ casino that was raided by the organized crime investigation unit of the police on November 04 has been reopened, reports say.

It has been reopened on November 11 , closed on 12 and opened again yesterday (13).

Despite the said casino being raided often by police, reopening it each time has become a normal incident.

Responding to an inquiry made by ' Sri Lanka Mirror' regarding the ownership of the casino a senior police officer stated that it is owned by the wife of the famous businessman Lucky Neththikumara , Vajira Neththikumara.
(One of Vajira and Lucky's daughters is married to S.B Dissanayake's son and the other daughter is married to former Minister Festus Perera's son Niroshan Perera.)

He further revealed that the casino is reopened every time its raided as an individual related to national security is backing them.

He rejected the rumor that a wife of a minister owns the casino.

During the raid, 43 persons, including several top Army officials had been arrested.

However, even before 24 hours passed following the raid 23 police officers attached to organized crime investigation unit who were involved in the raid have been transferred with immediate effect as a government bigwig is involved in it, said the Chairman of the UNP leadership council, Karu Jayasuriya in a statement released.

source : SLM