No issues with regard to extension of CB Governor’s term - Kiriella

Higher Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella yesterday said that there will be no issues with regard to the extension of Arjun Mahendra’s term as Central Bank Governor.

Addressing the media yesterday at the “Maga Neguma Medura”, Battaramulla, Minister Kiriella said that though there are certain elements in our society, attempting to level various allegations against him,none of them have been proved as yet. He also added that even the Supreme Court had dismissed the Fundamental Rights application filed by good governance activists Dr. G. Usvattearachchi, Dr. A.C. Visvalingam and Chandra Jayaratne against the Treasury Bond issue seeking an independent inquiry into the Central Bank Treasury Bond issue and the Bank’s Governor Arjuna Mahendran.

The Supreme Court, by dismissing the FR application, said there was no legal basis to issue notice. This move has cleared both Governor Arjuna Mahendran and primary dealer Perpetual Treasuries and others sighted as respondents.

Kiriella further added that a parliamentary investigation into the allegations against Arjun Mahendran is proceeding.

Nurse ‘breaks’ arm of mother of three

A mother of three from Anuradhapura has ended up with a broken arm after a nurse at a hospital allegedly tried to straighten her arthritic deformed hand, despite pleas not to do so.

The woman who was suffering from fever is said to have come to Nelubewa Hospital seeking treatment. A nurse who was entrusted with obtaining a blood sample for testing is said to have tried to straighten the woman’s arthritis afflicted bent arm.

Following the incident, the woman was admitted to Anuradhapura hospital.

The woman complained that the nurse had tried to straighten the arm in a forceful manner disregarding her complaints that it was deformed due to arthritis.

The woman said she was suffering from a severe arthritic condition for nearly 15 years.

The relatives of the injured woman are planning to lodge a complaint with the district health authorities.

Incorrect No-Ball Decision in Lord's Test

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford called for all no-ball decisions to be taken by the third umpire as his side reacted to an incorrect call in the third Test against England with an extraordinary flag protest at Lord´s on Sunday.

At stumps, Sri Lanka were 32 without loss in their second innings, needing a further 330 runs on Monday´s fifth and final day to reach an imposing victory target of 362.

More realistically, their goal was to prevent England, already 2-0 up in the three-match series, taking the 10 wickets they needed to complete a whitewash.

But England captain Alastair Cook, 49 not out batting down the order after a knee injury suffered while fielding, may not have been able to declare his side´s second innings on 233 for seven had a few close calls Sunday gone Sri Lanka´s way instead.

Significantly, Sri Lanka thought they had Alex Hales -- who went on to make 94 -- out for 58 when he was bowled by Nuwan Pradeep. But Australian umpire Rod Tucker had already called a no-ball. Replays suggested Pradeep´s front foot may have been behind the crease but fielding teams are unable to challenge a no-ball call by an umpire and Hales survived.

In February, a similar incident saw Australia´s Adam Voges make 239 in a Test against New Zealand in Wellington after being reprieved on seven following an incorrectly called no-ball by English umpire Richard Illingworth.

Under International Cricket Council regulations, the third umpire is powerless to intervene in such situations.

There are proposals on the table to prevent a repeat of these types of incidents and Ford said: "The ICC have to look at it.

"It seems strange with the technology available that you can still get a line call wrong," the South African added.

"The best solution is for the umpires to worry about what´s happening down the other end and let technology look after the line call. "The game has a funny way of kicking you when you are down. That was a kick we didn´t need."

The Sri Lanka management reacted to Hales´s reprieve by draping the national over the tourists´ dressing-room balcony for some 45 minutes.

Ford said this wasn´t so much a protest as a gesture of solidarity with the players out on the middle.

"At that stage we felt the boys were fighting hard and we wanted to show our support from the dressing room to boost their morale --only for us to find out that´s not the done thing and we had to take it down," said Ford.

He added that Tucker had apologised to Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews for his mistake.

"He got the news from the third umpire and he apologised to Angelo. It was very good of him to have done that and we move on."

Hales, for all his good fortune Sunday, was still left waiting for a maiden Test hundred.

The Nottinghamshire opener, out for 86 and 83 in the first two Tests, got closer still on Sunday before he was lbw to medium-pacer Mathews.

Somewhat ironically, in view of Sri Lanka´s earlier protest, Hales sought a review of the decision only for DRS to find in the tourists´ favour on this occasion.

"It´s disappointing again to come so close," said Hales, whose 126-ball innings included 10 fours and a six.

"But it was pretty decent delivery and I had my fair share of luck -- bowled off a no-ball, umpires calls and edges -- I guess the luck ran out."

The International News

Child assaulted with broomstick dies

A two-year-old boy was assaulted with a broom stick and killed. Mahiyangana police have arrested a 29-year-old man in connection to the incident.

The arrest comes following the initial arrest of the child’s mother.

The 26-year-old woman was having an extramarital affair with the arrested man, after she fled from her house with her son following a brawl with her husband.

The suspect has thus assaulted the deceased boy after he was unintentionally scratched by him.

The mother giving a statement to the police has said..

“I worked at a garment shop in Nawagamuwa. I worked there from 2015 December to 2016 March 16th. Since I was not paid well I left it. I did not work afterwards. I lived in a rented room near Godagama junction with my two-year-old son.

“The boarding house has two stories and I lived in the top floor. I spent on my son and me using the money I was able to save when I was working. During this time I started a love affair with a man in Meegoda area.

“One day (05.07.2016) at around 11.00pm he came to my boarding room. At around 7.00am, the next morning, he said that the collar of his T-shirt was torn and to mend it. I left him and my son in the room and went to Godagama Junction. All the tailor shops were closed at that time. So I came back to the boarding house.

“He and my son were sleeping on the floor at this time. I made tea and called them. It was around 8.00am. After drinking tea my son played in the room. He wound his toy plane and sent it forward. He (the man) took the plane and handed it to my son. Then his hand was scratched by a nail from my son’s hand.

“Then he hit my son with his hand five-six times. I went to my son and asked him (the man) to stop hitting. He pushed me aside and hit my son with a broom stick he took from under the bed. He hit him on the stomach and back. My son fell onto the floor. I took my son, kept him on the bed and tried to help him breathe by giving mouth to mouth resuscitation.

“It was no use. He had swelling marks on his stomach and face area. Then I saw blood oozing out of his mouth. I screamed loudly. When I was screaming he (the man) threatened to kill me. Then I said that I’m going to leave and got ready. It was around 9.30 – 10.00 am. At that time he left the house.

“I did not take my son to the hospital fearing that he would hit and kill me. When I was staying in the boarding room with my son, he returned at around 11.30-12.30pm. He threatened me saying, ‘do not tell this to anyone. If you do I will go to the jail with everyone in the family. If I do go I will come back in five years and kill you all’.

“We stayed in the boarding room with my son till night. Then we wrapped my son in a cloth and got into a three-wheeler from Godagama junction. We went near Vimukthi’s house and sent the three-wheeler back.

“We went near an abandoned house there. There were two coconut trees near the parapet wall of that house. He brought a hoe and dug a hole between the trees. He took my son from my hand and buried him there. I brought the cloth we wrapped the son in back home. It is in the Kottawa boarding house now. We came back to the boarding at around 8.00- 9.00pm.

“We stayed in the boarding that night. With my clothes I left the next morning. He went to his house. He asked me not to go home and found me a boarding room in Kottawa area. I stayed in this house and went to work at a tailor shop. He came once in every two-three days to see if I was home. We did not stay together in that boarding house. I did not tell that my son was murdered to my husband, family or relatives.

“My husband called me on the phone and started to ask about our son. I lied saying that he was asleep. Then on 08.06.2016 I sent a missed call to my husband. He called me back. I told him that our son has died. I told him that he fell off the staircase and died. I lied saying that I threw the body into the Kelani River because I was scared. Then my husband came to Colombo in search of me.

“I told him about what happened to the son. He said that we should go to the Mirihana Police. He lodged a complaint there. Then I said we should go to Mahiyangana. We got into a Colombo- Bibile bus and came home. When I was home Mahiyangana police came and took me. They questioned me. Then I told the real story to the police officials.”

The 29-year-old suspect was arrested in connection to the death.

Son who confessed to the Kotakethana murder released on bail

Kotakethana serial murders gripped the island by terror until the murderer behind the killings was caught. Police arrested a number of suspects but was forced to release them as there weren’t enough evidence.

The youth who was arrested over the murder of his mother in Kotakethana was released on bail. He was held in remand custody for over a year and was finally released, on Rs. 25,000 cash bail and Rs. 200,000 surety bail, by the Pelmadulla Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

His release comes as a fresh suspect was arrested over the brutal murder of a woman in the area.

this suspect escaped the grips of law as he sexually assaulted and murdered women, and left without leaving a shred of evidence.

However, now it was reported that he murdered the women after he sexually assaulted them. This was proved by the DNA evidences on the suspect.

In 2015 April 04, 47-year-old Chandrani Swarnalatha was found hacked to death in Kotakethana. Her son was arrested over the murder and remanded. It was revealed that the son was home during the murder of the mother.

Later he confessed to the killing stating that he was enraged as the mother refused to give money to buy his girlfriend a gift.

But the real murderer was Lakshman alias Mahatthaya, DNA evidences has shown. Later the son, a student, was granted bail.

50,000 soldiers deployed to Restore Normal civilian life

Twelve Service Centres will be set up to provide relief to people in 12 Grama Niladhari Divisions affected by the Salawa Armoury explosion and fire and 50,000 soldiers would be deployed if necessary to restore normal civilian life in the region, Army Commander Lt.Gen. 

Crishantha de Silvasaid. He was addressing a disaster relief meeting at the Seethawaka Divisional Secretariat presided by Science Technology and Research Minister Susil Premajayantha yesterday.

The Army Commander at the outset set he wished to apologise to the affected people on behalf of the Army for this unforeseen incident.

He said as much as civilians, Army personnel and troubled War Heroes too faced the disaster. People affected may be concerned about the restoration of their business and other vocations and the schooling of them children. They need not entertain any fears about these issues as the Army would step into assist them to restore their lives.

Fielding a question the Army Commander said they had no desire or need to hide the death toll. Only one soldier was killed and another soldier injured.

Minister Susil Premajayantha said they visited the scene on the day of the incident but had no occasion to meet the people. That was why they had visited the area yesterday.

He said all people affected by the incident would be provided with relief without any political or other bias. Those who lost moveable and immovable properties will be compensated but it would take sometimes. Those who lost their commercial establishments would be paid or monthly allowance of Rs 50,000 until their properties were restored valuation officers would visit the area from today.

He said interests of employees of business ventures who lost employment would also be looked into. He said 125 out of 750 places destroyed were business places. The needs of school children including books stationery and uniforms would also be provided.

The government would keep a close observation until civilian life was fully restored in the area.

U.S. President Obama Endorses Hillary Clinton

U.S. President Barack Obama formally endorsed fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton for president on Thursday and called for Democrats to unite behind her after a protracted battle with Bernie Sanders for the party nomination.

After an unexpectedly tough battle against Sanders’ challenge from the left, former first lady Clinton made history when she reached the number of delegates needed to win the party nomination this week. That made her the first woman to lead a major U.S. party as its White House candidate.

However the two were opponents in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary race, which Obama won, but they buried their rivalry and she served as his secretary of state for four years.

Clinton posted a video of the endorsement to her official campaign website, just an hour after Sen. Bernie Sanders left the White House after a private meeting with Obama in the Oval Office.

Obama said that he don’t think there’s ever been someone so qualified to hold president office and Clinton got the courage, the compassion and the heart to get the job done.

Obama thanks Sanders in the video for bringing the message of income inequality into the campaign, a message that he said Democrats will take with them from here on.

Basil - PB to appear before PRECIFAC

Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa and former Finance Ministry Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera have been summoned to appear before the Presidential Commission Investigating Fraud Corruption, Abuse of Power State Resources and Priviledges (PRECIFAC) today.

Initial evidence will be heard in connection with an investigation made by the Commission on the alleged misuse of SLAF aircraft and several other acts of alleged fraud and corruption.