The new Security Forces Headquarters in Kilinochchi was declared open by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse today(21). It is comprised of an air-conditioned conference hall plus a separate auditorium, administrative offices, computer and signal room as well as a mess hall. The new premises which faces the Iranamadu reservoir, has been built at a cost of about Rs 40.6 million, the Army Headquarters said.
Addressing the gathering Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the Military Intelligence Corps have been increased to 6 battalions from 2 battalions. He stated the measure has been taken considering the attempts made by fractions of tiger terrorists who are in foreign countries, to destabilize Sri Lanka.
(JNW)
October 21, 2011 at 3:00 pm
Twelve hours of monkish accumulation in the Abu Dhabi heat earned Taufeeq Umar only the seventh double-century by a Pakistan opener, and the first since 1992. It also left a tired Sri Lanka waiting for a declaration as Pakistan’s batsmen, barring Misbah-ul-Haq, favoured accumulation over urgency. Misbah finally relented about an hour before close of play, after the lead was 314, leaving the Sri Lanka openers a testing period to survive.
Sri Lanka’s day got worse when umpire Tony Hill, who is having a rough game, harshly adjudged Tharanga Paranavitana leg-before first ball. Several close shaves against the new ball followed, which was the last thing Sri Lanka needed after Taufeeq had ground them out of the match.
Sri Lanka 47 for 1 and 197 trail Pakistan 511 for 6 dec (Taufeeq 236, Hafeez 75, Azhar 70) by 267 runs
October 20, 2011 at 7:30 pm
The body of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is being taken to a location which is being kept secret for security reasons, a National Transitional Council official said Thursday. Gaddafi died of wounds suffered Thursday as fighters battling to complete an eight-month-old uprising against his rule overran his hometown Sirte, Libya’s interim rulers said.
“Gaddafi’s body is with our unit in a car and we are taking the body to a secret place for security reasons,” Mohamed Abdel Kafi, an NTC official in the city of Misrata told Reuters.
(Reuters)
October 20, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has died of wounds suffered in his capture near his hometown of Sirte on Thursday, a senior NTC military official said. National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters earlier that Gaddafi was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked.
“He was also hit in his head,” the official said. “There was a lot of firing against his group and he died.”
(Reuters)
October 20, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Commanders for Libya’s transitional authorities say they have captured ousted leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. The reports came after transitional forces claimed control of Sirte, Col Gaddafi’s birthplace, following weeks of fierce fighting. Some unconfirmed reports say Col Gaddafi has been wounded, others that he has been killed.
The colonel was toppled in August after 42 years in power. The International Criminal Court is seeking his arrest.
“He’s captured. He’s wounded in both legs,” National Transitional Council (NTC) official Abdel Majid told Reuters news agency.
“He’s been taken away by ambulance.”
AFP news agency quoted another NTC official, Mohamed Leith, as saying that Col Gaddafi had been captured in Sirte and was “seriously wounded” but still breathing.
(BBC)
October 20, 2011 at 5:10 pm
A teacher from Kekirawa has been arrested with cigarettes worth Rs.630,000 at the Katunayake Airport by the Customs officials.
(JNW)
October 20, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Prices of Gold Leaf, Benson & Hedges and Pall Mall cigarettes have been increased by Rs.2/- with effect from yesterday(19), Ceylon Tobacco Corporation said. In addition price of Dunhill cigaratte has been increased by Rs.3/-, it added.
(JNW)
October 20, 2011 at 12:35 pm
A dedicated Industrial Zone for manufacturing of pharmaceutical products is to be established in Kurunegala. It will be set up at a 48 acre block of land identified in order to promote the local pharmaceutical industry, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. The cabinet has approved a proposal presented by the Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishard Bathiudeen in this regard.
The worth of annual consumption of Pharmaceutical Products in the country is Rs 40 billion and the government is the biggest consumer representing well over 35% of the domestic consumption. It is around Rs.15 billion.
At the moment over 10 reputed pharmaceutical manufacturers’ have expressed their willingness to invest in this industry.
(JNW)
October 20, 2011 at 12:15 pm
210 Permanent Steel Bridges are to be constructed covering the entire island. The cabinet has approved a proposal made by President, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Planning to enter into loan agreements with HSBC Bank of UK and with the Peoples’ Bank for a sum of Sterling Pounds 35 million. Construction of these bridges connecting the number of villages will greatly facilitate poor communities residing in remote areas to enhance their living standards, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said.
(JNW)
October 20, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Diplomatic ties with Mali are to be initiated, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. Out of 54 countries, Sri Lanka has ties with 32 nations, he disclosed addressing the weekly cabinet briefing held in Colombo today(20).
(JNW)
October 20, 2011 at 11:06 am
The model A320 house, built by Sri Lankan Airlines will be declared open by President Mahinda Rajapakse today(20). The center situated in the Sri Lankan Airlines premises at Katunayake has been constructed with the objective of catering the increasing demand for pilots in the region. Minister of Civil Aviation Priyankara Jayaratne will also grace the occasion.
(JNW)
October 20, 2011 at 8:04 am
Milinda Moragoda has sworn in as the Opposition Leader of Colombo Municipal Council before the President this evening(19). He obtained 32,103 preferential votes at the recent local government polls.
(JNW)
October 19, 2011 at 8:47 pm
The painstaking efforts of Pakistan’s top order put their side in control against a helpless Sri Lankan attack which was remorselessly taken apart on an unresponsive surface, first by the positivity of Mohammad Hafeez and then by the self-denial and accumulation of Taufeeq Umar and Azhar Ali.
After Hafeez had batted with purpose in a productive morning session, Taufeeq and Azhar stonewalled at under two runs an over till tea before displaying some urgency in the final session to leave Sri Lanka deflated in the Abu Dhabi heat. Taufeeq played second fiddle to Hafeez, blocked half-volleys after lunch along with Azhar Ali and displayed refreshing freedom after tea to reach his second century in three Tests. Azhar, mostly bordering on the over-cautious, continued to display the solidity that has marked his short career with another half-century in a partnership which grew to 141 by the end of the day.
Pakistan 259 for 1 (Taufeeq 109*, Hafeez 75, Azhar 60*) lead Sri Lanka 197 by 62 runs
(ESPN)
October 19, 2011 at 7:03 pm
Pakistan’s openers survived a testing spell from Sri Lanka’s spinners, who managed to restrict the scoring rate but could not strike after the fast bowlers struggled to make an impact in the morning. Sri Lanka would have wanted more from their seamers after the batsmen failed yesterday, but an in-form Mohammad Hafeez proved hard to crack on the flat surface.
The heat also restricted the length and effectiveness of the seamers’ spells; only Rangana Herath, the left-arm spinner, consistently troubled the batsmen and tied them down with clever use of flight and variations.
Herath and Tillakaratne Dilshan bowled a spell of nine overs for only 11 runs after the Pakistan openers had taken Chanaka Welegedara and debutant Nuwan Pradeep for 37 in the first eight overs of the day. Herath beat Hafeez with flight and turn off his third delivery and almost sneaked a carrom ball through him but for a late inside edge.
The Pakistan openers’ response, as with their Sri Lankan counterparts had done yesterday, was to withdraw from scoring almost totally. Four consecutive maidens from Herath and Dilshan followed and suddenly there were plays-and-misses, caught-behind appeals, edges past slip and general tentativeness among the batsmen.
Lunch Pakistan 115 for 0 (Hafeez 73*, Taufeeq 35*) trail Sri Lanka 197 by 82 runs
(ESPN)
October 19, 2011 at 2:00 pm
United States delegation including 03 Congressmen accompanied by Sri Lankan Ambassador to U.S and Mexico Jaliya Wickramasuriya met Secretary Defence Gotabaya Rajapksa yesterday(18). The delegation led by Congressman Hon. Albert Benjamin Chandler, III, is currently on a three day visit to the island under the Sri Lanka- U.S Parliamentary Exchange Programme, Ministry of Defence said.
The delegates were given the opportunity to witness the ‘Lies Agreed Upon’ documentary exposing the false propaganda attempts made against Sri Lankan security forces. Subsequently a cordial discussion was held between the delegates and Secretary Defence.
Hon.Jack Heddents Kingston, Hon.Joseph Heath Shuler, Ira Hayden Alexander Rogers, Worku Gachou, Ambassdor Jaliya Wickramasuriya, Sainna Brielle Girgenti, Anurag Varma, Vinoda Basnayake, David Wijewickrama were also present at the occasion.
(JNW)
October 19, 2011 at 1:05 pm
General Secretary of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Tilvin Silva says, internal issues of the party are over. He also disclosed a protest will be held on Monday (24) demanding budget concessions.
The internal crisis of the JVP was talk of the town during the last couple of weeks. It was caused due to an ideological differences between two fractions of the party on its stance on certain topics including the ethnic issue and formation of political alliances. The sufracing of the group headed by Premakumar Gunaratnam, who was a hidden hand of the JVP’s past struggles, led to an internal crisis of the party.
(JNW)
October 19, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Sri Lanka squandered away what seemed to be an inviting proposition in the morning – being put in to bat on a flat wicket under the hot sun against inexperienced bowlers – by refusing to score, and ultimately succumbed against a relentless Pakistan attack. Angelo Mathews, however, batted intelligently with the lower order, as he had done during the recent series against Australia, to lift Sri Lanka from the lows of 114 for 7 before Junaid Khan’s maiden Test five-for kept them to a first-innings tally of 197.
Pakistan’s bowlers were nearly sold short at the toss by their captain who thought that any chance of taking wickets lay in utilising the scant moisture on a flat and deceptively green-tinged pitch. With a large heart and perseverance, though, they prised out six wickets in the second session after Lahiru Thirimanne’s guide to slip off Saeed Ajmal gave them an opening at the stroke of lunch.
Aizaz Cheema epitomised Pakistan’s hunger with a relentless spell, either side of the break, that claimed Kumar Sangakkara cheaply and troubled Mahela Jayawardene with consistent pace and zip off the placid surface. Jayawardene managed to survive Cheema’s spell but soon joined Tillakaratne Dilshan in the dressing room. Dilshan had earlier briefly breathed life into the doddering innings, before being wrongly adjudged caught-behind by umpire Tony Hill, as Sri Lanka slipped to 112 for 4.
Jayawardene went in the next over, prodding at Junaid outside off stump and edging to slip. Junaid capitalised on the panic in the line-up to claim Prasanna Jayawardene and Rangana Herath with searing full deliveries to reduce Sri Lanka to 114 for 4, but the fight had gone out of the Sri Lanka innings some time ago.
Cheema, 32, displayed the tireless zeal of a player made to wait almost ten years for his Test debut. He even hit Jayawardene on the helmet grill when the batsman failed to get out of the way of a short one. Cheema’s aggression was in contrast to the way Thirimanne and Tharanga Paranavitana added 26 runs in the first hour, treating the benign Sheikh Zayed Stadium surface with the extreme respect that an overcast Headingley morning would deserve.
Though the three Pakistan fast bowlers, Gul, Cheema and Junaid – chosen ahead of the quicker and more experienced Wahab Riaz – ran in with heart, they were rendered ineffective in the first session by the lifeless pitch.
The openers’ approach, however, bordered on the extreme of being over-cautious. The first boundary came in the 14th over from Paranavitana off the part-time offspin of Mohammad Hafeez. Having played sedately all morning, Thirimanne guided Ajmal straight to slip in the penultimate over before lunch. Sri Lanka had managed only 50 runs in the session.
Cheema struck with the first ball of the second over after lunch, getting Sangakkara to edge behind for Adnan Akmal to take a flying one-handed catch in front of first slip. Paranavitana contrived to survive longer with his defensive mindset but the manner of his dismissal – gloving an attempted pull to the wicketkeeper off a Gul short ball down the leg side – showed that patience without purpose inevitably comes unstuck against sustained pressure.
Just as Pakistan had used Sri Lanka’s diffidence to spark a collapse, Mathews took advantage of Misbah’s listless field-settings to add 54 – the highest partnership of the innings – with Suranga Lakmal. Mathews did everything that the earlier batsmen had not – he did not get tied down and attacked when allowed to, shielding Lakmal initially and taking advantage of the spread-out fields. Misbah helped Mathews by repeatedly keeping the field back even for the final two deliveries of the overs. On the rare occasions when he brought them in, Mathews went after the bowling, slicing and punching Cheema for consecutive boundaries off the final two balls of the 61st over.
Pakistan eventually got through the tail when Junaid cleaned up the last two wickets to end with 5 for 38, and set up the game for the Pakistan batsmen.
Pakistan 27 for 0 (Hafeez 17*, Taufeeq 8*) trail Sri Lanka 197 (Mathews 52*, Paranavitana 37, Junaid 5-38, Gul 2-37) by 170 runs
(ESPN)
October 18, 2011 at 7:24 pm
