President leaves for Iran tonight

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will take wing to Tehran late tonight, for a high-level four-day state visit during which he will hold talks with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, defying what diplomatic sources say were heavy ‘representations’ from the US to defer the visit.

The relatively miniature Presidential delegation, which will include Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila and Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona, leaves the Ugandan Capital of Kampala at midnight tonight, where Rajapaksa was attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Four media personnel are also scheduled to leave for Tehran with President Rajapaksa’s delegation.

The US Government recently imposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran after it refused to suspend its controversial nuclear programme and is reported to have brought heavy pressure on Colombo about cancelling the visit. However, the US denies the claim, while authoritative diplomatic sources told The Nation that the Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Ministry had managed to allay US fears ahead of the President’s visit.

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http://www.nation.lk/2007/11/25/news17.htm

Wimal Weerawansa's special statement in parliment regarding UNICEF - 12/11/2007

Pakistan lauds Sri Lanka's opposition to Commonwealth suspension

Pakistan Friday welcomed Sri Lanka's stand which opposed Islamabad's suspension from the Commonwealth.

Sri Lanka and Malaysia objected to the Commonwealth's decision to suspend emergency-ruled Pakistan, according to reports.

"The government of Pakistan appreciates the decision of the government of Sri Lanka to disassociate itself from the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG)'s decision to suspend Pakistan from the councils of the Commonwealth," the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Sri Lanka is a member of CMAG and its foreign minister, who represented his country at the CMAG meeting, urged the Commonwealth to send a delegation to Pakistan to assess the ground situation rather than taking the hasty decision of suspending Pakistan's membership. Pakistan itself had proposed such a visit to CMAG member countries," it said.

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/24/content_7135501.htm

Sri Lanka seeks expulsion of UNICEF staff: officials

The Sri Lankan government on Friday called for the expulsion of staff of the United Nations children's fund, accusing them of overstepping their legitimate functions, the foreign ministry said.

UNICEF country chief Phillipe Duamelle was called to the foreign ministry on Thursday, where officials "expressed serious concern" over the agency's participation at a public protest in June, the ministry said in a statement.

"The Country Representative was requested to take appropriate action against the staff members who participated in the demonstration including the withdrawal of the concerned international staff," the foreign ministry said.

The government also asked UNICEF to dismiss its local UNICEF staff who joined the demonstration outside the main railway station in Colombo, the ministry said.

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http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hLRHj_zJp1DeZ8_4AHK9UZIPosmg
Image,
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/images/unicef_logo.gif

Sri Lanka Navy kills Seventeen LTTE Cadres and foils their Attack on Pesalai Police

In a bid of abortive attempt to attack the police, a cluster of few LTTE boats mingling with fishing boats, approached by sea towards the Pesalai Police in Mannar in the morning today (November 23rd) around 8.30.

On detection of the approaching LTTE craft, naval craft rushed to the location and chased away those boats with the augmented fire support extended by the ground troops.

One LTTE craft sustained damages in the brief confrontation that took place and it was towed by the fleeing LTTE boats towards the un-liberated area in Vedithaltievu.

Monitoring of LTTE radio communication transmissions later revealed that the seventeen (17) LTTE cadres have been killed in the confrontation.

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http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=552

Sri Lanka bans TRO

The Government has decided to proscribe the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) whose bank accounts were frozen by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka last year (2006).

This decision was taken by the Cabinet of Ministers following the findings of TRO links with the LTTE terrorist group.

The United States last week froze TRO assets accusing the organization which has raised funds on behalf of the LTTE through a network of individual representatives. "According to sources within the organization, the TRO is the preferred conduit of funds from the United States to the LTTE in Sri Lanka." U.S. Department of the Treasury announced.

The TRO under guise of a charity organization collected and directed funds to the LTTE for procurement operations. Those operations included the purchase of ammunitions, equipment, communication devices, and other technology for the LTTE.

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http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071122_05

Miss Srilanka to act with Big B

Legendary actor Amitabh Bhachan will be acting with Miss Srilanka in the film “Alladin”. Miss Srilanka Jacqueline Fernandez would play the character of Jasmine the Princess in the film “Alladin”. And Amitabh will be the Jeannie in this film.

Jacqueline is said to be a big fan of Hindi cinema. She is known to watch all the hit film in Hindi which release in Srilanka . She is also well preparing to brush up her Hindi language and also is said to learn some words with their expression. She is very much interested in learning Hindi grammar, as she does not like her dialogues to be dubbed for the film.

Jacqueline is working for a newspaper as a columnist and is also known to host a business programme in Srilanka.

This film also stars Ritesh Deshmukh in the title role and also stars Sanjay Dutt in a prominent role. Vishal and Shekhar are composing the music for this film.

The animation series of “Alladin” was a hit in the past. Now let us see how the audience will receive this film.

Photo and News Extracted from,
http://bollywoodpoint.com/Bollywood/Bollywood-News/

‘LTTE responsible for 30,000 Tamil deaths’

V Anandasangaree, President of the moderate Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) and one of the most senior Tamil leaders of Sri Lanka, has appealed to the political parties in Tamil Nadu to stop supporting the LTTE and protesting against the killing of the group's political commissar, SP Tamilselvan.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the veteran politician said that the people and the political parties in Tamil Nadu were not aware that the LTTE's unrealistic bid to secure an independent "Tamil Eelam" had already resulted in the sacrifice of 30,000 Tamil boys and girls generally hailing from poor families.

Overall, more than 70, 000 Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims had died and more than 30,000 widowed and orphaned, he noted. Muslims who were driven out from the North by the LTTE and robbed of all their belongings, were languishing in about 160 refugee camps for the past 17 years, seeing no light at the end of the tunnel, Anandasangaree pointed out.

Pointing an accusing finger at the LTTE's Supremo, Velupillai Prabhakaran, the moderate leader said: "I believe he has already sacrificed more than 20 thousand Tamil boys and girls, most of whom had been recruited forcibly against the protests of the parents. Every day, a good number of boys and girls are sent to the battlefront not to return alive. Apart from this, more than 10 thousand Tamils of other Tamil groups also had been killed by them (the LTTE)."

Read full article here,
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=

Opposition press set on fire in Sri Lanka

Unidentified gunmen stormed a pro-opposition newspaper office in Sri Lanka on Wednesday and set fire to the printing presses, police said.

More than a dozen armed men started the blaze after breaking into the Sunday Leader newspaper building -- which is within a high-security air force complex on the edge of the capital Colombo -- and forced the staff out, police said.

The paper's chief editor, Lasantha Wickrematunga, accused the government of carrying out the attack. His newspaper has been highly critical of the administration of President Mahinda Rajapakse.

"It is a cowardly attack within a high-security zone by a regime that is acting like a terrorist organisation," Wickrematunga said. "What can you expect from a regime that is involved in human smuggling? We will prevail."

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http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hcW58Rz9MKu7gEmsyy4NYrYVq4sg

Sri Lanka opposition targets to defeat the budget at third reading

Sri Lanka major opposition United National Party (UNP) sources say that the party will attempt to defeat the budget at the vote of the third reading which is scheduled to be held on December 14.

UNP MP Lakshman Kiriella issuing a statement accused the government of spending a massive amount of money and threatening some MPs to win the budget at the second reading.

The government won the budget with a majority of 16 votes yesterday. All the government coalition parties voted in support of the budget while UNP, People’s Liberation Front (JVP), Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Western People’s Front (WPF) voted against it. MPs Wijedasa Rajapakse, Nandana Gunathilaka and two TNA MPs abstained from voting.

Extracted from,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/November20114525SL.html

TNCC demands stern action against LTTE supporters

Taking a cue from the critical remarks by the AICC over a poem by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi eulogising slain senior LTTE leader S P Tamil Selvan, the TNCC on Monday demanded stern action by the state government against the supporters of the banned outfit.

TNCC president M Krishnaswamy, attending office for the first time after he was attacked by unidentified persons near Mathukalathur in Ramanathapuram district on October 29, told reporters today that the activities of LTTE supporters should not be tolerated.

He said the "elements", praising the slain LTTE political wing secretary Tamilselvan, should be dealt with firmly.

The AICC in a resolution had said that sentiments were bound to get hurt by such eulogies.

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http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200711191542.htm

Presidential Commission to probe Athukorale's death

Chief Government whip Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle told Parliament yesterday that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to appoint a special Presidential Commission to investigate the sudden death of former UNP General Secretary and Ratnapura District MP Gamini Athukorale.

President Rajapaksa has made this decision paying special attention towards the statement made by Ratnapura District UNP MP Thalatha Athukorale regarding the pledges made on Presidential Commission to probe the sudden death of Gamini Athukorale.

Minister Fernandopulle told Parliament that President has conveyed his decision to the Government Parliament Group Meeting.

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http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/11/20/pol04.asp

Lankan banks to track pornography payments

Worried over the spread of Internet child pornography through paid websites, leading banks in Sri Lanka have decided to track down payments made for viewing such sites.

The programme, launched today to coincide with Universal Children's Day is aimed at eradicating the menace of child pornography, an official said.

Speaking at the gathering, the central bank governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal expressed concern over the menace.

"The Internet has done a lot of good things for the banking sector and it will continue to provide us with greater opportunities in the future but, we also find that the Internet provides us with bad features as well," the Daily Mirror reported quoting Cabraal.

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http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp

Atapattu announces his retirement

Marvan Atapattu, one of Sri Lanka's finest batsmen, has finished his eventful tour of Australia by ending his international career. Atapattu announced his retirement in a letter to Duleep Mendis, the Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive, before lunch on the final day of the second Test in Hobart.

He was due to face a hearing on his return to Sri Lanka for his outburst during the opening match in Brisbane when he said the Sri Lankan selectors were "muppets headed by a joker". Despite the complaints about the administration, he retained the support of his team-mates and signed off with a satisfying 80 as he gave Sri Lanka a chance of saving the second Test.

The decision is not a surprise as there have been reports he will lead Delhi Jets in the Indian Cricket League and he is also considering playing for the St George club in Sydney grade cricket.

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http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ausvsl/content/current/story/321194.html