மிரட்டலுக்குப் பணிந்தார் பொப் பாடகி மடோனா

பிரபல பொப் பாடகி மடோனா இசை நிகழ்ச்சியின் போது, பிரான்ஸ் அரசியல் கட்சித் தலைவரான மரினா லீ பென்னின் நெற்றியில் நாஜிக்களின் சின்னத்தை காட்டியது பெரும் பரபரப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியது.

கடந்த மே மாதம் 31ஆம் திகதி இஸ்ரேலின் தலைநகரான டெல் அவிவில் நடந்த இசை நிகழ்ச்சியில் மேடைத் திரையொன்றில் லீ பென்னின் நெற்றியில் ஸ்வஸ்திகா சின்னம் தெரியும் படி மடோனா ஒரு காட்சியைக் காட்டினார்.

அடுத்ததாக ஜீலை மாதம் 14ஆம் திகதி பிரான்ஸ் நாட்டுத் தலைநகரமான பாரிசில் நடந்த நிகழ்ச்சியிலும் இதே போன்றதொரு திரைக்காட்சி தோன்றியது. உடனே தேசிய முன்னணிக் கட்சி மடோனா மீது மானநஷ்ட வழக்குத் தொடர்ந்தது.

இதனையடுத்து ரைஸ் நகரில் நடக்கவிருந்த இசை நிகழ்ச்சியில் இவ்வாறு காட்டப்படவில்லை. மேலும் இனிமேல் இவ்வாறு காட்டப்படமாட்டாது என்று மடோனா தரப்பிலிருந்து அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

ஆல்ப்ஸ் - மேரிடைம்ஸ் நிர்வாகப் பகுதியின் தேசிய முன்னணிக் கட்சித் தலைவரான லிடியா ஸ்கினார்டி என்பவர், மடோனாவின் முடிவை அறிவுப்பூர்வமானது என்று பாராட்டியுள்ளார்.

SOS ரேசிஸ்ம் என்ற இனவாத எதிர்ப்பு அமைப்பு மடோனாவின் இந்த மாற்றம் தனக்கு ஏமாற்றம் அளிப்பதாக கருத்து தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

ஒரு கலைஞருக்கு அரசியல் கருத்தைச் சொல்லும் சுதந்திரம் இருப்பதாகவும், அதன்படியே மடோனா செயல்பட்டதாகவும் செய்தித் தொடர்பாளி ஆலின் லெ பெய்ல் - கிரெமர் கூறியுள்ளார்.

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Sri Lanka, Pakistan to significantly enhance bilateral trade

Sri Lanka and Pakistan have recognized that the bilateral trade between the two countries has potential to increase significantly.

Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf Thursday has said that the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has the potential to increase much more than the current volume of US$ 400 million.

During a meeting with Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in Islamabad, Air Chief Marshal (Retd) Jayalath Weerakkody, at the Prime Minister's House, Pakistani PM has pointed out the need to significantly enhance the trade between the two countries.

Sri Lanka is the first country with which Pakistan entered into a Free Trade Agreement for trade of goods in 2005. While Pakistan has listed 206 products as immediate zero duty concession products, Sri Lanka has listed 102 products.

Prime Minister Ashraf has also emphasized the need for people-to-people, institution-to-institution and government-to-government exchanges between the two countries.

The Prime Minister has said that Sri Lanka is a true friend and the personal efforts of the High Commissioner had further cemented the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Ashraf has assured the Sri Lankan envoy of Pakistan's continuous support to Sri Lanka in its development pursuits. He termed the relations between the two countries as 'historic' which had been strengthening during the diplomatic history of the two countries.

The High Commissioner has said that Sri Lanka was looking forward to the upcoming visit of Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar, in the first week of August, 2012.

The Prime Minister hoped that with the visit of Pakistan's Foreign Minister, the bilateral relations would get a new boost.

The Sri Lankan High Commissioner has extended the Pakistan Prime Minister an invitation to visit Sri Lanka and the PM has said that he would take up on the invitation at an early date.

The Prime Minister has asked the High Commissioner to convey the assurance of his highest considerations to the leadership of Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan High commissioner has expressed his appreciation to the government of Pakistan for its support on the UN resolution on Human Rights adopted by the UNHCR in Geneva in March and the fight against the LTTE terrorism.

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North and East Development

Batticaloa
The century old Kalladi Bridge also known as Lady Manning Bridge was built during the British times with iron frames. With the end of war the former theatre of conflict is witnessing an unprecedented influx of vehicular traffic and the old Kalladi bridge is too narrow to accommodate dual way traffic. As a result there is always heavy traffic congestions throughout the day.Under the government's initiative to develop the north and east the construction of a new bridge is underway in the eastern town of Batticaloa. The new bridge being built next to the existing Kalladi Bridge will be 326 meters long and consist of two traffic lanes.

The government has allocated Rs. 1,700 million for the project and the new bridge is expected to be commissioned next year in parallel to the Deyata Kirula Exhibition 2013.

Jaffna

Reconstruction work on the old Dutch Fort in Jaffna, which was badly damaged by the LTTE during the war is nearing completion. Under the Jaffna Fort Restoration Project the government has taken initiative to restore this bastion of colonial era Sri Lanka to its former glory.

According to Economic Development Ministry sources the government has spent Rs 104.5 million and the Netherlands has granted Rs 55 million for this project.

The Dutch Fort was once a major tourist attraction. The X-shaped Dutch Church, which was destroyed by the LTTE during the war and the Presidential House within the fort is also under renovation. Already work on the four sides of the five sided fort have been completed.

The Sri Lanka Army assisted in the clearing of the moat surrounding the four acre fort. The LTTE had dumped caches of ammunitions and mortars in the moat surrounding the fort.

The Fort was first built as a small garrison in Jaffna by the Portuguese in 1618. The Dutch captured it in 1658 and expanded it further and finally it came under the British in 1795.

When completed the Fort will surely be a must see spot in every visitor's itinerary to the north.

In addition to the Fort the old park in Jaffna has also been given a facelift. The park which was in a state of neglect due to terrorist related activities has been renovated with added facilities. Much care was taken during renovation to preserve its archeological value and beauty. The public can now enjoy a peaceful stroll in the park thanks to the efforts of the government.

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President inspects progress on Housing Scheme renovations

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday inspected renovation activities of the Maligawatte Housing Scheme and had mutual discussions with the residents.  This is the first time that the housing scheme is being renovated after a lapse of 39 years under the Janasevana and Nagamu Puravara programme of the Mahinda Chinthana policy framework to ensure better living standards of the people. This project includes renovation of housing units and sewerage system,carpeting road networks in the housing scheme and reconstruction of drainage system. The housing scheme will also get a children’s park and herbal garden under this project.

The National Housing Development Authority has allocated Rs. 280 million for the project and the construction is being carried out by the Engineering Corporation under the supervision of NHDA.

Over ten thousand people are living in the housing scheme which consists of 86 buildings and 1520 housing units.

The housing schemes in Colombo city constructed by the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) are being repaired after 40 years at a cost of 339 million rupees.

Construction, Engineering Services, and Common Amenities Minister Wimal Weerawansa , Deputy Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Ministry Secretary P.H.L.W Perera and Colombo Mayor Mohammed Muzammil were also present.

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Cairn to begin second phase of oil exploration next year

Upon the successful completion of the first phase Cairn India, has announced that it prepares to enter the second phase of oil exploration in Sri Lanka next year.

In its "First Quarter Financial Results for the period ended 30 June, 2012" statement, Cairn India said the exploration drilling is planned for mid-2013, and tendering for the drilling rig and the associated services is in progress.

Having completed the first phase of the exploration campaign, the company has just completed acquisition of 600 sq km of 3D seismic data under Phase II exploration and data processing is currently underway.

The first phase of the exploration programme involved the acquisition, processing and interpretation of 1,753 sq km of 3D seismic data and the drilling of three well deep water wells.

In Phase One Cairn successfully discovered two successive gas and condensate deposits in the wells CLPLDorado-91H/1z well and, the CLPL-Barracuda-1G/1 well in the offshore Block SL 2007-01-001 in the Mannar Basin of Sri Lanka.

The potential commercial interest notification has been submitted for the two Discoveries i.e. the Dorado and Barracuda wells, as per the terms of the Petroleum Resource Agreement (PRA), Cairn India said in its release.

The SL 2007-01-001, located in the Gulf of Mannar with water depths ranging from 400 to 1,900m, was awarded to Cairn Lanka in the bid round held in 2008. The Company holds a 100% participating interest in the block.

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Minister Basil Rajapaksadeclares open Pakistani built Pasyala school building.

Minister of Economic Development Mr. Basil Rajapaksa, and the High Commissioner of Pakistan Ms. Seema Ilahi Baloch declared open a state-of-the-art school constructed with the Pakistani assistance in Pasyala, Gampaha yesterday.  

The Government of Pakistan has funded the construction of the three-storied building of Babussalam Maha Vidyalaya in Gampaha district to support education sector development drive of the Sri Lankan government.  Foundation stones for the construction of this school building were laid by Minister Rajapaksa and Pakistani High Commissioner on 9th February 2011.The newly constructed school will be catering to the local population of Pasyala area. Presently, the school has an enrollment of over 500 students with 19 teachers.  The new building has modern facilities including a library, a fully equipped home science laboratory, computer laboratory and class rooms.

Speaking at the function Minister Rajapaksa said that Pakistan has proved to be a true friend of Sri Lanka throughout the history, and thanked the government and people of Pakistan for extending their support for the construction of school.  The Pakistani High Commissioner also announced donation of computers for the newly built school.  

The Chief Minister Western Province PrasannaRanatunga, several Parliamentarians of the Gampaha district, Pakistan High Commission officials and a large number of parents and students attended the function.

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World Bank and AUSAID assure further assistance for development projects.

Assistance for government strategies and government projects has been pledged by the Donor Agencies and Donor Countries. This has been stated by the World Bank residence representative Ms. Diarietou Gaye and Edward Archibald, counselor for Australian Government Overseas Aid Program (AUSAID) when they met Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa at the Parliament premises to discuss the progress of the Australian assisted development programmes.

World Bank residence representative Ms. Diarietou Gaye has said that donor
agencies and donor countries will always cooperate with overall development strategies of the government and extend their assistance in accordance with the requirements of the government. She has said that experience gained and lesson learned from the implementation of the projects can be used to design the next projects.

Counselor for AUSAID Mr. Edward Archibald has said that Australia was able to provide assistance for the Sri Lankan government and people as indicated by the government and Australia will extend its fullest cooperation for the development of Sri Lanka in future also. He
has expressed his satisfaction over the progress of the Australian aided development projects.

He stated AUSAID will provide financial assistance to complete the ongoing projects started with AUSAID. It will provide financial assistance amounting to 34 million dollars for the development projects within the next two years.

Secretary to the Ministry of Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development, W.A. Nihal Somaweera, Project Director of Gami Diriya Mr. S.K Liyanage,Director General of the Ministry of Economic Development Prof. Sunanda Madduma Bandara and the first Secretary of AUSAID  Mr. Steven Wawrzonek also participated in the discussions.

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Tiger Terrorist monuments have become tourist attractions

The Asia Edition of Economist has published that a war-scarred pocket of jungle in north-eastern Sri Lanka are the remains of the last strong hold of the rebel group, the Tamil Tigers, before they were wiped out by the armed forces in 2009.

It says that busloads of people now drive through a swelteringly hot landscape of bombed-out houses, emaciated cattle and mangled cars to get there and see the places dominated by the Tiger terrorists. It says that a photograph of 25metres long and seven metres deep swimming poolonce showed VelupillaiPrabhakaran, the pudgy leader of the Tigers, taking a dip and reclining on a lilo.  It says that the frogmen of the tiger terrorists’ naval wing, the Sea Tigers, trained in the pool learning to destroy ships by attaching magnetic mines to their hulls. It adds that the army found the pool in 2009, drained it, and then invited tourists in. Now number of visits has gone over thousands.

The article says the pool is one stop on a tour of former war zones in the district of Mullaitivu, one of the worst areas of fighting during the conflict. Another place crammed by the tourists, the article says, is Prabhakaran’s favourite underground bunker in the village of Visuvamadu. It says that when he was alive, the concrete structure, buried four stories underground, was air-conditioned.

The article also says that at nearby Vallipunam, tourists view the torture chambers with their smelly, open latrines, and walls on which inmates scratched poignant notes, many of them expressing faith in God. Inside another bunker sits the container that held the diabetic Prabhakaran’s insulin vials. Visitors also shuffle through a secret underground passage leading from the wardrobe of a Sea Tiger leader to his garden.

The article points out that for more than a year after the war, much of Mullaitivu was off-limits to civilians. But even now many Tamils still cannot return home because of the danger of landmines.

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President urges UPFA candidates to ensure holding of a free and fair election

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has emphasized that candidates of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and all affiliated parties of the United People’s Freedom Alliance contesting under the UPFA should ensure to hold a free and fair and peaceful election.

This was stated by cabinet spokesman, Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.  He said that the President made these comments at the cabinet meeting yesterday morning. The President has mentioned that it is necessary to hold a peaceful election enabling the people to exercise their free will.

The Minister said that the United People’s Freedom Alliance will handover all remaining nominations today and some of the nominations were handed over yesterday.   He said that the President and the government has acknowledged the right of the members of the Sri Lanka freedom party as well as other parties in the Alliance to join or leave the parties on their personnel will.

The General Secretary of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance Minister Susil Premajayantha said that the remaining nominations of the UPFA will be handed over to the relevant Returning Officers today, and some of the nominations have handed over yesterday. He said that 14 candidates from the Batticaloa district, 17 candidates from the Ampara district and 13 candidates from the Trincomalee district will contest for the Eastern Provincial Council. From the North-central province, 13 candidates from Polonnaruwa district and 24 candidates from the Anuradhapura district will be fielded. From the Sabaragamuwa province, 27 candidates from the Ratnapura district and 21 candidates from the Kegalle district will contest under the UPFA.

Meanwhile the United National Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna also handed over their nominations yesterday and they will be handing over their nominations for the remaining districts today.

The acceptance of nominations for the election of the three provincial councils will end at 12 noon today. The Commissioner of Elections MahindaDeshapriya said that the date of holding of the election will be declared by 12.30 this afternoon.

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Visa Fees for Foreign Scholarship Students waived

Cabinet approval has already been granted to implement the 100 scholarships scheme by the Ministry of Higher Education for foreign students in 48 identified countries, from the year 2012 onwards.

On a proposal made by Mr. S.B. Dissanayake, Minister of Higher Education, Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to waive the visa fees for scholarship recipients from the SAARC countries and to charge only 50 percent of the visa fees for scholarship recipients of other countries

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Feasibility study on the northern expressway to be launched

Cabinet of Ministers granted its approval for the proposal made by the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Ports and Highways to carry out Feasibility Studies, Environmental Impact  Assessment and Preparation of Documents to Invite Expression of Interest and Requests for Proposals for Phase 1 of the Proposed Northern Expressway

Accordingly, the contract for the consultancy services to carry out feasibility studies for the phase 1 of this project is to be awarded to SMEC International pty Ltd, Australia through direct contracting method.

This is one of the six expressways identified for implementation in the National Road Master Plan 2007-2017. The tentative corridor for phase 1 of the expressway has been identified and is proposed to be implemented in three stages as follows:

Stage I - total length of Stage I is 42.5 Km. and interchanges are proposed to be constructed at Enderamulla, Gampaha, Veyangoda and Mirigama.

Stage II - total length of Stage II is 35 Km. and interchanges are proposed to be constructed at Pothupitiya, Dampalassa and Pellandeniya.

Stage III - total length of Stage III is 44 km. and interchanges are proposed to be constructed at' Pothupitiya, Polgahawela, Rambukkana and Hedeniya.

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Sri Lanka series chance to assess team - Dhoni

India captain MS Dhoni has said that the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka will help his team assess where they stand at the moment.

"It's the start of the season for us," Dhoni said on Wednesday, shortly after India had arrived in Colombo for the five ODIs and one-off Twenty20 against Sri Lanka. "There are certain areas where we've wanted to improve, where we've had a discussion saying these are the areas where we need to improve upon to consistently do well … This is a nice occasion to test how much we have improved and how much further we can actually improve on the field."

India are coming off a month-and-a-half long break and looked keen to get back into action, heading for a practice session at the R Premadasa Stadium soon after checking in to their hotel. "Today we landed over here, and we were on the field close to 4.30 pm," Dhoni said. "The good thing is the energy level is up, which means we can put in a bit more effort in the physical department and do a bit more active sports work."

He said India will not be thinking too much about getting a feel of the conditions ahead the World Twenty20, which will be played in Sri Lanka in September, during this series. "What's important is to be in the present, which means take this series into account not to think too much ahead about the World Twenty20. A good thing is most of the players who are part of this side will also be part of the Twenty20 side. We don't really need to think ahead of time."

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, need to build on their one-day and Test triumphs against Pakistan, according to captain Mahela Jayawardene. "We have just finished a series against Pakistan successfully and what is important is to continue with the good work," Jayawardene said. "We have to work hard to reach the goals we want to attain.

"It's a good opportunity against India. We need to take the team forward. We have brought in a few new players for the one-day side, and we have to think about the World Twenty20 and which of these players will be suitable for that competition."

The series, which begins in Hambantota on Saturday, will not feature the Decision Review System (DRS). Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said this was since India, as has been their stance all through, did not want the system in place. "As per the ICC guidelines, both teams have got to agree in having the DRS," Ranatunga said. "As far as the Indian board is concerned they are not in favour of that. That was a decision taken at ICC level."

Both teams will leave for Hambantota on Thursday.

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Two TNA candidates withdraw due to threats

Two TNA candidates have withdrawn their candidacy due to threats by an unknown gang in the Batticaloa district, former MP M.K. Sivajilingam said.

Mr. Sivajilingam told Daily Mirror that the TNA was to file nominations for the district today, but the list had to be prepared again after the withdrawal of candidacy  by  two members. He said political groups having links with the UPFA had started threatening their political opponents.

“This is a serious trend at the very beginning,” he said.

He said the house of a leading TNA candidate for Batticaloa, K. Thurairajasingham had been padlocked from the outside by an unidentified gang so that nobody get out.

The main door of the house had been locked in this way when the occupants were asleep. Later, police assistance  was sought to break it open it.( Kelum Bandara and M. Sukri)

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Dog gnaws 34 in Vavuniya

A tense situation arose in the Vavuniya Township today subsequent to a rabid dog gnawing 34 victims within several hours.

Those who sustained injuries were immediately admitted to the Vavuniya General Hospital.

According to the spokesperson representing the Vavuniya Hospital the dog is suspected to have contracted rabies.

Those who were admitted to hospital are being treated for rabies.

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