Even though the ex Chief of Defence Staff and ex Commander of the Army, General Sarath Fonseka is refusing to go before two court martials scheduled for this week, the army would go ahead with legal action and the verdict of the court martial would be legally binding, military sources said.
Sources who requested anonymity due to the contentious nature of the issue said that the retired General had received a charge sheet and therefore he is required by military law to attend the trial. More >>

There will be no Common Humanitarian Action Plan for 2010, said Prof Rajiva Wijesinghe last week. The CHAP had fallen within his purview while he was secretary to the ministry of disaster management and human rights.“The government’s position is that we don’t need a CHAP and we’re not going to have a CHAP,” he told LAKBIMAnEWS. “It is a coordinating mechanism introduced at a time when it was felt the government wasn’t coordinating as the LTTE controlled certain areas., More >>

UNP Western Provincial Council (WPC) member Ruwan Wijewardene says that people are rallying behind the UNP-led United National Front (UNF) in their numbers to oust the UPFA government at the forthcoming Parliamentary polls.
In an interview with LAKBIMAnEWS, Wijewardene - a scion of two political dynasties here (Senanayake, Jayawardene/Wickremasinghe) maintained that people have begun to really suspect and doubt the outcome of the January 26 presidential elections this-year.. More >>

UPFA Central Provincial Council (CPC) member Dilum Amunugama says that the government is 80 to 90 percent confident of obtaining a two-thirds majority at the upcoming general election on April 8.
In an interview with Jatila Karawita, Amunugama who is set to contest the legislative poll for the first-time, next month on the UPFA ticket from the Kandy distinct, maintained that the people have already made up their mind to elect another SLFP-led administration and the question remaining to be answered is whether they could receive a two-thirds majority or not.. More >>

South Asia’s fastest man Shehan Ambepitiya suggests that only a rewarding system could bring back the golden era of athletics which helped Sri Lanka reach new heights in the late 90’s as most of the young athletes are a demoralized lot at present.
While attending a pre-season training session along with some 20 athletes, Ambepitiya said that if Sri Lanka is to be the driving force in track in field in the region, the country should reintroduce the rewarding system that was there in the 90’s, where the athletes are rewarded based on their performances.More >>

The genuine fast bowler is to cricket, as mortar fire is to an invading army. The fast bowler is the thug and tyrant, be it Test, ODI, T20, club or school cricket. As boxing fans joy at ferocity, brutality and blood-spilling, cricket fans delight at batsmen-intimidation, flying bails and cart-wheeling wickets.
Richie Benaud: A title-holder tennis player has a lightening serve; champion boxer, a killer-punch, good soccer team, a sharp shooting centre forward; good cricket team, a genuine fast bowler. Brian Close: If a man says he was not afraid of a real fast, he is a liar. When Gary Sobers, said so, fans believed Gary.. More >>

I know, I know...I’m an all-sorts maverick who refuses to leave well enough alone. Part of my “badness” of course, that concerned people, who insist they are my friends, say is an icky-sticky “madness!” So now, having been nursed in sundry hospitals and told that there’s going to be one hell of a war in 2012, I turned my attention to this tourist game. What DO we know about so many foreign visitors who come to us? The Tourist Board will tell you of this thing that is warmly called “Statistics.”.More >>

According to the government news media, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has informed the United Nations Secretary General Ban K- moon, the move to appoint an expert panel to advise him on Sri Lanka was ‘totally uncalled for and unwarranted.’ He has emphasized that in the backdrop where there is no such action against countries with continuing armed conflicts, involving major humanitarian catastrophes and mass scale civilian deaths, the UNSG’s action was unprecedented. More >>

Iraq’s major coalitions were locked in a surprisingly close race on Thursday, in initial results from elections that deepened divisions across a fractured landscape. Candidates were quick to charge fraud, heightening concerns whether Iraq’s fledgling institutions were strong enough to support a peaceful transfer of power. More >>

George W Bush’s top political advisor has said he was ‘proud’ of controversial techniques such as waterboarding, which he claimed broke the will of terrorist. Karl Rove - known as the former president’s ‘brain’ - said he did not believe that the interrogation method amounted to torture.More >>

The Kingdom of Raigam has come forward to explore the Sri Lankan salt industry (run as an oligopoly), announcing an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of 80mn ordinary voting shares worth Rs 200mn at Rs 2.50 per share through its subsidiary company Raigam Wayamba Salterns Ltd, beginning March 23. The company intends to raise funds through this offering, to finance capital expenditure requirements for the development of Salterns and upgrading of salt refineries at a cost of Rs 200mn. .More >>

Hayley’s, the diversified conglomerate, paid Rs 1.9 billion at the rate of Rs 21.00 per share for 89.8 million shares of Hotel Services. Hotel Services owns and operates the Ceylon Continental Hotel in the prime business district of Colombo Fort. The hotel operates 250 rooms and has star class facilities. Previously owned by the Asian Hotels group, the hotel has changed hands a couple of times and was finally owned by business tycoon Nahil Wijesuriya and related parties.More >>

Here is an account of some the most famous French people who have made a mark not only in their own country but in the world as well. Like most countries in the world, France has scores of famous people, many of whom have become historical figures. These famous French people represent the country’s ethos and values. They define their nation’s culture and display to the world the best qualities of their country. Ranging from artists to authors to fashion designers to political philosophers to architects to musicians to scientists... here is an account of some of the most famous French people who made a mark both in their own country as well as the world... More >>

Nellie Bly was once the most daring and celebrated newspaper reporter in the United States. She helped pioneer a sensational eyewitness reporting style that broke new ground for women and journalism. Bly acquired international fame by travelling around the world in record time - 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes. Her trip, completed in 1890, sought to outdo the factious record of Phileas Fogg, the hero of Jules Verne’s popular novel, Around the World in Eighty Days.
Nellie Bly was born Elizabeth Cochran on May 5, 1864, in Cochran’s Mills, More >>