Price of a litre of a petrol has been increased by Rs. 12/- while price of a litre of a diesel has gone up by Rs.8/-, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation announced. In addition price of a liter of kerosene has also been increased by Rs.10/-, it added. All the price hikes will be in effect from midnight tonight(29).
(JNW)
October 29, 2011 at 9:44 pm
Pakistan were so clinical in finishing Sri Lanka off on the fourth day that you wondered if this was the same group of players that is known for losing its way in the final furlong. They remained patient and persistent even when fortune didn’t favour them or even when a late partnership held them up. The pitch with variable bounce and turn did the rest for them. Pakistan began the day 76 ahead with nine wickets to take, their bowlers shared the early spoils, and then Saeed Ajmal ran through the tail – no mean feat considering their recent travails with lower orders – to register his third five-for in Tests. The fielders turned up too, diving in desperation for every ball remotely within reach and not missing a single catch, and the batsmen made short work of the 94-run target.
Pakistan attacks are reputed to be mercurial and extravagantly talented, but it is an underrated virtue that stood out today – patience. The biggest test of their patience came last afternoon when Kumar Sangakkara and Tharanga Paranavitana enjoyed good fortune with edges not going to hand, and the good deliveries turning out to be too good to take the edges. The bowlers, though, kept it tight and did not go looking for magic balls. The rewards duly came.
They were helped by Sri Lanka’s failure to attempt to disrupt their rhythm by hitting out. Some help also came their way from the umpires. Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan fell lbw to decisions you couldn’t be sure of, but the balance was restored a bit – so to speak – when Angelo Mathews survived a pretty adjacent call. Mathews went on to delay Pakistan with yet another impersonation of the boy on the burning deck but, as with Paranavitana’s fifty, there was no sting in the innings to hurt Pakistan.
Pakistan 403 (Azhar 100, Shafiq 59, Younis 55, Dilshan 3-57) and 94 for 1 (Hafeez 59*) beat Sri Lanka 239 (Sangakkara 78, Ajmal 3-45, Gul 3-78) and 257 (Paranavitana 72, Mathews 52*, Ajmal 5-68) by nine wickets
October 29, 2011 at 7:10 pm
A wild elephant has damaged 6 vehicles at Thibbotuwawa in Dambulla-Kekirawa road this morning(29). The police together with Wild Life officers have chased the away the elephant, Police Spokesman SP Ajith Rohana said.
(JNW)
October 29, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Saif al-Islam – the son of slain ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi – says he is innocent of crimes against humanity, an international prosecutor has said. The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said talks with Saif al-Islam had been held through intermediaries.
The ICC says Gaddafi’s son, accused of crimes during the recent conflict in Libya, would get a fair trial.
Saif al-Islam, aged 39, has been in hiding for months.
Recent reports claimed the man, who had once been the presumed successor to his father, was in a convoy heading toward Libya’s desert border with Niger, where other Gaddafi allies have fled.
But those reports have not been confirmed, and the ICC says it does not know where he is.
(BBC)
October 29, 2011 at 10:00 am
On a pitch that seemed to have roughed up and become vicious, Sri Lanka came out of a testing session-and-a-half with the loss of just one wicket after they had fallen behind by 164 in the first innings. The 45 overs of Sri Lanka’s innings was edgy stuff with almost every ball from the spinners misbehaving. It was one of those spells of play where it was just a matter of time before the one with your name showed up. Tharanga Paranavitana and Kumar Sangakkara, left-hand batsmen both, kept trying their best to negate the rough outside their off stumps, and were yet to meet the one with their name on it.
In comparison the first half of the day, important in its own right, seemed to be on sedatives. The ball hardly did anything for Sri Lanka except for some manageable reverse swing for Dhammika Prasad, and despite the early loss of Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq and Adnan Akmal built towards a crucial lead. Shafiq showed he had learned his lesson from the first-Test go-slow, and batted purposefully along with Akmal.
Before Shafiq and Akmal, the day’s play was definitely a morning walk. Misbah’s early dismissal and the presence of a nightwatchman left Pakistan crawling as 11 runs came in the first half hour, including four byes, and 18 in the next half. Around this time Angelo Mathews at gully accepted a second offering from Ajmal, after which Shafiq and Akmal got busy.
Even as Chanaka Welegedara strung together a tight spell, Shafiq welcomed Suranga Lakmal with a pull and Rangana Herath with a six over long-on. At the opposite end, Akmal drove Welegedara for back-to-back boundaries either side of cover. The shots were played slightly away from the body and on the up. If you had just tuned in, you could tell his last name just from those two drives. Shafiq joined in the fun with a fore-handed four through covers to make it 14 off that over. Welegedara had bowled his previous eight for 15.
After that over it was down to accumulating almost in ODI-style, the absence of which they were criticised for in the first Test. The lunch break broke the flow a bit a bit, and when Shafiq tried to use Prasad’s pace, he ended up steering straight to gully. After that the innings lost direction. The wickets kept falling, and Akmal didn’t try a single big shot. When Tillakaratne Dilshan took the last wicket, he ended a period of nine runs in 11 overs.
Dilshan chose to play no further part in the day’s play barring a top-order collapse. The beleaguered regulation openers came out to face the music. The first ball from Umar Gul shaped to swing into the left-hand Paranavitana, and then seamed away, just missing the edge. That set the template for the rest of Paranivatana’s effort. He kept playing and missing, but he didn’t play a release shot. If he got beaten in the flight, he somehow managed to avoid the edge; the bat-pads didn’t make it to the fielders; and even when he ran poorly he somehow survived.
When Misbah introduced Mohammad Hafeez as early as the sixth over, it seemed inexplicable. The fast bowlers had given him good starts almost every time, they were causing trouble now too, and Junaid Khan wasn’t injured either. Soon, though, the ball started turning and kicking. Abdur Rehman joined him from the other end. They kept firing the ball in the rough, the orthodox flighted delivery became a change-up. Hafeez soon bowled one with Lahiru Thirimanne’s name on it: a flat offbreak that pitched middle and took off, past a forward-defensive from the batsman.
For 31.5 following overs, Sangakkara and Paranavitana had to face a similar test of variable turn and bounce. As the turn kept missing the edge, or the odd big explosion beat the keeper too with the batsman stranded, you could see Pakistan begin to feel edgy too. They have to bat last on this pitch, although it can be argued the Sri Lanka bowlers don’t boast similar pedigree.
Sri Lanka 239 and 88 for 1 (Paranavitana 42*, Hafeez 1-24) trail Pakistan 403 (Azhar 100, Shafiq 59, Younis 55, Dilshan 3-57) by 76 runs
(ESPN)
October 28, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Ministry of Health has urged the public to not to use sexual enhancement drugs which are not approved by the Ministry as well. It points out, such drugs could lead to heart and brain infections.
(JNW)
October 28, 2011 at 1:00 pm
The 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting has begun at conference and exhibition centre in Perth, Australia under the theme of ‘Building National and Global Resilience’, the President’s Media Unit said. Queen Elisabeth the 2nd was the chief guest of the inaugural ceremony. President Mahinda Rajapaksa participated in the inaugural session representing Sri Lanka.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was appointed as the chairperson of the Commonwealth organisation at the meeting. She will hold the position till the next commonwealth summit which is to be held in Sri Lanka in 2013, the President’s Media Unit stated.
Addressing the opening session the Queen said the results of the meeting would have a global impact” and that they would be “positive and enduring.
The opening event was also addressed by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma and outgoing chair and Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the world had changed and the Commonwealth needed to change too.
“So as the Commonwealth journeys towards its centenary, it is time for renewal,” she told her fellow leaders and the gathered crowd.
CHOGM 2011 brings together more than 54 world leaders representing approximately one-quarter of the world’s countries and one-third of the world’s population.
The three-day meeting of Commonwealth leaders will be from October 28-30.
(JNW)
October 28, 2011 at 11:15 am
Ministry of Defence has presented a 12 minute news clip about LTTE network based in Australia a short while ago, Ministry official said. It also includes information on the LTTE operatives who are acting against Sri Lanka and how they carry out their activities in Australia. The video could also be viewed on the Defence Ministry’s website www.defence.lk.
(JNW)
October 28, 2011 at 8:20 am
(JNW)
October 28, 2011 at 6:45 am
October 27, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Azhar Ali joined Chetan Chauhan, Ken “Slasher” Mackay and Mike Brearley among others as specialist batsmen with 1000 Test runs and no centuries, but spent only 37.1 overs in their company, reaching a maiden hundred in his 11th foray past 50. In the process he helped Pakistan recover from the early loss of their openers, and with support from Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq set up the platform for a substantial first-innings lead.
The Sri Lanka bowlers toiled honestly for the best part of the day, but all they could manage was to slow down Pakistan’s march towards the lead, especially after they had raced away to 42 in the nine overs bowled on the first day. Pakistan’s run-rate might have been similar to their attempt in the first Test, which played a role in the eventual draw, but this was completely different from that go-slow. For starters the intent was obvious last evening. Then Suranga Lakmal’s outswing early and the quick loss of the openers to Dhammika Prasad made them put their heads down.
Crucially both the big partnerships featured acceleration. In the first 13.1 overs of their stand leading up to lunch, Azhar and Younis had added just 31. By the time they had batted 27 overs together, the partnership read 75. When the two were separated three minutes before tea, they had put together 117 in 39.5 overs. Azhar and Misbah added only 18 in the first 10 overs together, in the next 10 they scored 45.
By then, though, the new ball had been taken, we were in the final hour of the day, and Azhar was 14 short of his century. He went from 86 to 90 with a thick edge over the slips. Over the next 30 balls he faced he sucked you into the drama of a man trying to reach that elusive century. He hit short-and-wide deliveries and half-volleys straight to the fielders, he jumped out to spin to recover just in time, he ran anxiously, he smiled, he agonised. Misbah kept telling him, in Punjabi, to do it in singles.
Azhar finally played a paddle sweep on 98, the ball hit the keeper’s pad, deflected towards third man, and Azhar started to celebrate as he turned for the second run, giving the umpire Tony Hill no chance to even consider the possibility of byes. The replays of course were inconclusive, but it was just as well because he would soon be given lbw off an inside edge, with his score still 100.
Azhar could be forgiven for taking the focus off the rest of the game for the last 10.1 overs, during which only 26 runs came. If not for a full year of solidity he has brought to the middle order, for today’s work alone. When he and Younis came together on this new-ball pitch, the ball was still seaming around a bit, and two wickets had fallen in 2.2 overs. Sri Lanka, though, couldn’t have been entirely happy at that time. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene had dropped both the openers off successive deliveries from Lakmal, costing the side 11 runs and more importantly six valuable overs with the new ball.
The wickets had come nonetheless, and both the dismissed batsmen had been troubled consistently by the movement. Mohammad Hafeez, though, was unlucky, falling lbw to a ball headed down leg. The man responsible for both the dodgy lbws in the day was Hill, but the rest of his day was a big improvement on a horror first Test. He was alert enough to warn Prasad twice for running onto the danger area, and rightly rule against a caught-behind appeal off the bowling of Dilshan. Azhar’s bat had hit the ground creating the sound, but in live time he looked in real trouble.
Azhar was 32 off 82 then, and had been through a nervous moment or three. Twice he had tried to hit spin over the infield but found mid-off and mid-on on the bounce. Lakmal’s mix of yorkers and short bowling asked questions too in the post-lunch session. On one occasion Azhar fended with his eyes off the ball. In comparison Younis remained almost inconspicuous, falling seamlessly into his defend-nudge-sweep routine against the spinners, striking at around 50 per 100 balls without seeming to make an effort. He played both the regulation and paddle sweep well, not letting Rangana Herath and Dilshan bowl where they would have wanted to.
Turn, though, wasn’t Pakistan’s main concern. It was the nibble in the morning and the slight reverse in the afternoon that asked questions. For strange reasons, though, Dishan tried his best to get the reversing ball changed. Equally strangely, Rangana Herath prematurely moved over the wicket, which allowed Azhar to open up by helping himself to free runs on the on side.
From the time Azhar paddled Herath’s over-the-stumps line for four, he scored 62 off 111 before reaching his 90s, a big improvement on his strike-rate otherwise. The fast bowlers were now tired, the ball was old, and the sense of adventure got the better of Younis, who reached his fifty with a six before playing Dilshan on in the penultimate over before tea.
Misbah started cautiously, broke free with a six over midwicket, and then found the accumulation mode. He was the calming voice during Azhar’s nervous 90s, and now holds the responsibility of batting Sri Lanka out of the game, at a pace that allows Pakistan enough time to win the match.
Pakistan 281 for 4 (Azhar 100, Younis 55, Misbah 40*, Dilshan 2-48) lead Sri Lanka 239 by 42 runs
(ESPN)
October 27, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Deadline for obtaining National Identity Cards for the students who are sitting for this year’s G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination will end by November 30, Commissioner General of Registration of Persons Department Jagath Wijeweera said. The examination is scheduled to be held from December 12 to 21.
(JNW)
October 27, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Results of the Korean language test have been issued. They could be viewed at www.slbfe.lk and www.epf.gov.kr websites, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment said.
(JNW)
October 27, 2011 at 4:55 pm
First draft of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’s final report has been completed, its spokesman Lakshman Wickramasinghe said. Editing of the draft is now being carried out, he added. The final report of the LLRC is scheduled to be handed over to the President in the second week of November.
Over 1000 verbal evidence and 6000 written evidence were submitted to the Commission. Wickramasinghe said the final report of the LLRC will be based on them and the observations as well as the recommendations made by the Commission itself.
(JNW)
October 27, 2011 at 11:50 am
On the 59th anniversary of their first Test win, Pakistan’s fast bowlers moved on sensationally from the demoralising fielding debacle in Abu Dhabi, but the spinners didn’t enjoy such good fortune. Even though Misbah-ul-Haq took three slip catches off the quicks, Taufeeq Umar dropped Kumar Sangakkara on 27 and Younis Khan reprieved Rangana Herath off the first ball he faced. Consequently 73 for 5 became 154 for 6, and 154 for 8 turned into 239 all out. However, the early damage was so severe that the day still belonged to Pakistan, especially because the openers brought the deficit under 200 in the nine testing overs bowled at them.
That the successful completion of regulation catches came as a huge relief in the morning tells the story. Three days after they had been ground into the Abu Dhabi dust thanks largely to their own fielders, Umar Gul and Junaid Khan somehow found the heart to create opportunity after opportunity once again. It was a new-ball pitch, and the two hit the seam with regularity to take five wickets in the first session.
Both teams misread the track to an extent. Pakistan dropped the big-hearted Aizaz Cheema in favour of left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman. Expecting a flat track, Sri Lanka chose to bat first. As it turned out, with the ball seaming around in the first session, Gul and Junaid had to make up for the absence of the third seamer with 10-over spells before lunch, including a wicket in the last over of the session.
Pakistan 42 for 0 trail Sri Lanka 239 (Sangakkara 78, Welegedara 48, Ajmal 3-45, Gul 3-78) by 197 runs
(ESPN)
October 26, 2011 at 8:01 pm
President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is in Australia to attend the 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting met Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard today(26) at hotel Pan Pacific in Perth. At the meeting President Rajapakse enlightened the Australian Premier on the resettlement of displaced persons and the activities of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, the President’s Media Unit said. The President also informed her, that the final report of the LLRC will be released shortly and would be presented to the Parliament as well.
President Rajapakse further emphasised that he himself and the Sri Lankan government is prepared to meet anyone to educate them on the true situation of Sri Lanka.
(JNW)
October 26, 2011 at 4:05 pm
On the 59th anniversary of their first Test win, Pakistan fast bowlers moved on sensationally from the demoralising fielding debacle in Abu Dhabi to take five wickets in the first session. More crucially, Misbah-ul-Haq replaced Mohammad Hafeez at first slip, accepting all three edges that came his way at catchable height. Saeed Ajmal’s spin, though, could do with some luck: even before he had conceded a run Taufeeq Umar reprieved off his bowling the man whose sight Pakistan ought to be sick of by now, Kumar Sangakkara.
Umar Gul began the demolition, taking out the openers and Mahela Jayawardene inside his first five overs. Junaid Khan joined him soon with Tillakaratne Dilshan’s wicket before ending a rebuilding attempt by Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews. Even though Pakistan missed the third seamer during that 28-run fifth-wicket stand, the two quicks bowled extended spells to make sure they didn’t repent too much.
Sri Lanka misread the track too. Missing one of their first-Test heroes Prasanna Jayawardene, they chose to bat first on what looked like a flat grass-less pitch. The track, however, offered the new ball some seam movement and inconsistent bounce. Pakistan exploited every bit of life on offer. Gul got the ball to swing into the left-hand top three, and on odd occasion got the ball to seam away after shaping up to swing in. The variable bounce was obvious from how two early edges didn’t carry to the cordon, and how on two occasions Gul missed out on lbws because of extra bounce.
Both Lahiru Thirimanne and Tharanga Paranavitana did the instinctive correction of planting the front foot across to cover the movement. Thirimanne survived one such shout because of the height, but was trapped dead plumb immediately after. Paranavitana found himself a shell before finally playing a reckless cut. At first slip Misbah held the ball close to his chest. Finally a non-wicketkeeper had held a catch in more than 176 overs of bowling.
Gul would go on to create more chances for Misbah. Mahela Jayawardene soon got the classical delivery that angled in, pitched short of a length, drew him into the shot, then held its line, and took a healthy edge. Misbah was there to accept the low catch again. Tillakaratne Dilshan, who many believe should be opening the innings in order to the upset the rhythm of the opening bowlers, then played a loose punch outside off to give Misbah his third. Junaid’s contribution to the dismissal cannot be overstated, though. In his sixth over now, he went round the stumps, angled the ball in, making Dilshan play, and the open face did the rest.
At 45 for 4, after six overs each for the new-ball bowlers, Pakistan would have bitten his hand off if Aizaz Cheema had offered to bowl first change. However, they had left out the big-hearted performer from the first Test in favour of left-arm seamer Abdur Rehman. Consequently Gul had to bowl a 10-over spell, and Junaid had to make a quick comeback from the same end. The ball still kept seaming, though. Even as Mathews walked down the track to counter movement, both his edges kept getting beaten. Twice he survived lbw shouts because he was hit on the thigh, twice his outside edge was beaten, one of his edges fell short. Finally, in what turned out to be the last over before lunch, Junaid produced the edge that went to hand. Again it happened from round the stumps, with the ball holding its line against the angle. For good measure this kicked off too.
(ESPN)
October 26, 2011 at 2:06 pm
