Sri Lanka Records 8 wicket victory against Zimbabwe

Harare: A change of format could not bring a change in fortunes for Zimbabwe, as Sri Lanka thrashed them by eight wickets in the first match of a one-day international triangular series at Harare Sports Club on Monday.

Four days after Sri Lanka sealed a 2-0 Test series sweep, the tourists bowled Zimbabwe out for 154 before chasing their target inside 25 overs to claim a bonus-point victory.

As with the Test matches, Zimbabwe suffered from the fragility of their top order, falling to 14 for three in the first five overs.

However, this time around they could at least point to some challenging conditions - Harare experienced heavy rain over the weekend, and cloudy skies on Monday morning gave Sri Lanka’s seamers plenty to work with.

“In losing the toss we knew it was going to be tough, but there were too many soft wickets,” said Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer. “This was not a 150 type of wicket.”

The collapse began in just the fourth over, when Suranga Lakmal had both Brian Chari and Craig Ervine caught at second slip in the space of three deliveries, and in the next over Sikandar Raza Butt’s careless legside flick off Nuwan Kulasekara found midwicket.

Sean Williams was then bamboozled by Sachith Pathirana’s left-arm spin and was stumped by Niroshen Dickwella, before Nuwan Pradeep dismissed Chamu Chibhabha and Elton Chigumbura in successive overs to leave Zimbabwe 50 for six in the 18th over.

As in the Test series, it was left to Zimbabwe’s lower order to repair the damage.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Peter Moor struck a polished 47 and added 55 for the seventh wicket with Graeme Cremer, and once Moor was trapped lbw by Nuwan Kulasekara, Cremer marshalled the tail to good effect. The Zimbabwe captain put on 31 for the eighth wicket with Donald Tiripano, who made 19, and was left stranded on 31 not out when No. 11 Tinashe Panyangara attempted one big shot too many.Panyangara sliced a delivery off Asela Gunaratne to cover to give the allrounder figures of 3 for 21 in 6.3 overs, while Kulasekara, Lakmal and Pradeep finished with two wickets apiece as Zimbabwe were bowled out in 41.3 overs.

“Everyone did really well,” said Sri Lanka captain Upul Tharanga. “The bowlers stuck to the plan and bowled in the right areas. They knew the wicket would do something.”

With Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Perera putting on 56 for the first wicket, the result was never in doubt.

Although Perera was well caught at deep square leg by Sikandar Raza for 21 and Niroshan Dickwella fell for 41 with the target in sight, De Silva finished unbeaten on 78 as Sri Lanka romped home in 24.3 overs.

The triangular series also includes the West Indies, who will take on Sri Lanka at the same venue on Wednesday. AFP

Bus strike suspended: LPBOA

The strike scheduled for tomorrow (15) by the Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) has been called off, Chairman Gemunu Wijeyratne said.

The decision came after talks with the Finance Minister this evening (14).

Following the discussion Wijeyratne told the media that the Finance Minister had told him that his remark about the minimum fine had been misrepresented.

He said the Minister had promised to look into the matter.

Private bus-owners on Friday (11) threatened action if the government didn’t revise a proposed increased fine for traffic offenses.

At a press conference this morning (14), the The Private Bus Owners' Association said  they would go ahead with the planned strike tomorrow, if the government did not respond to their demands to withdraw the proposed minimum traffic fine of Rs.2,500.

Addressing the media at the press-conference in Colombo this morning he expressed disappointment at the Budget 2017, for not paying significant attention on public transportation.

"We are less worried about the minimum fine. What we are really worried about is the lack of facilities given to the private buses, that contribute a 60% to the public transportation in Sri Lanka," he said.

"We are hoping the Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake will have a positive response to our demands, if so we can discontinue the bus strike,' he told reporters.

He added that the proposed bus strike would be supported by the Three Wheel Drivers' Association and the All Island School Children's Transport Association.

He also criticized the conduct of certain police officers handling traffic offenses, saying: "The minimum fine will only help certain corrupt traffic police officers."

SL Ranked sixth in World with Graphic Health Warnings

Sri Lanka is ranked sixth in the world, with graphic health warnings covering 80 percent of tobacco packages. The report and ranking come just days after President Maithripala Sirisena addressed representatives of some 180 countries at the Seventh Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in India.

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids of the US president Matthew L. Myers, states that a remarkable progress had been made around the world to ensure that the public knows the deadly truth about tobacco use, the world’s leading cause of preventable death.

“More than half of the world’s population now sees warnings on tobacco products that accurately portray the deadly consequences of tobacco use. Glossy images and appealing designs are being replaced by pictures of diseased lungs or even plain, drab packaging in more and more countries,” he said.

On November 10, 2016, the Canadian Cancer Society, released a status report which finds that more than 100 countries have required graphic warning labels on tobacco products - a lifesaving measure that now impacts more than half the world’s population. The number of countries requiring graphic warning labels had steadily increased over the past two years.

The report, which ranks 205 countries and territories based on the size of warning labels required, demonstrates the tremendous progress that is being made in addressing the world’s leading cause of preventable death.

Around the world, tobacco companies depend on package design to build brand recognition and promote sales. Packaging establishes brand imagery that is often completely opposite to the realities and dangers associated with tobacco product use. But the new report shows that countries are largely acting to limit the tobacco industry’s use of packaging to lure in new users.

The report shows outstanding progress – and sends a strong message to countries around the world that the time to take strong action to reduce tobacco’s deadly toll is now, ” Myers said.

Source of information: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Police Probe girls’ Vaccination incident in Rajangana

Rajangana Police are conducting investigations into an incident where three school girls attached to Rajangana Sri Rahula Vidyalaya had fainted after a vaccine administered by an unidentified group who arrived at the school recently.

Two of the girls were admitted to the Rajangana Hospital and later transferred to the Tambuttegama Hospital by the parents.

Police said the persons who gave the vaccine was still unknown since no doctor, PHI or any other health officers had visited the school on that particular day.

They received information regarding the other girl who had also been given the vaccine the following day.

The girls in their statement to Police had said two women dressed in nurses uniform caught them in the school compound and administered them a vaccine and when they went home, they fainted and related the encounter they had in school to the parents who admitted them to hospital.

Police said the two girls were referred to the Anuradhpura Hospital JMO for examination and report.

The medical report is due tomorrow. The Rajangana JMO said there was no official vaccination programme undertaken in schools in the area.

Sinhala Edition Click Here (Lanka Hot News)

Cops told to go easy on minor traffic offences

Assistant Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Nihal Nanayakkara yesterday said minor traffic offences should be taken lightly and those responsible should be warned and discharged without being fined.

These instructions have gone out to cops after Thursday’s budget increased minimum fines for traffic offences from Rs. 500 to Rs. 2,500, a five hundred per cent increase. He said policemen had been instructed to invite such traffic offenders to attend weekly classes conducted at police stations.

US President Barack Obama was to visit Sri Lanka

US President Barack Obama was ready to visit Sri Lanka in May, but the visit was put off as it was Vesak, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera told The Hindu newspaper.

Samaraweera also said that Obama developed a very close relationship with President Maithripala Sirisena.He said that Sri Lanka has had very good, cordial relations with the US ever since Sri Lanka got Independence in 1948.

"Of course, there was, as you  know, a period of what I call self-imposed isolation by the Rajapaksa administration, not only from the US but with many other countries who were very close to us earlier. We again opened up to the world after 15 January, 2015 and I must say that within the last 20 months, Sri Lanka and the US have been able to take their relationship to new levels of excellence," he said.

"In fact, within this period itself, we had the Secretary of State John Kerry coming to Sri Lanka — the first to do so in nearly 40 odd years. We had Samantha Power, the UN Permanent Representative, who is a very, very strong friend of Sri Lanka in the international forum, we have had Nisha Biswal, Tom Malinowski and other senior officials of the State Department who have been in and out many times."

"Now I suppose it doesn't matter, I must reveal something which many people don't know so far. Last May [2016], even President Obama was ready to come to Sri Lanka which would have been the first ever official visit by an American President. But unfortunately, the dates suggested happened to be Vesak Day [Buddha Purnima day, when Sri Lanka observes grand celebrations for a week] and Vesak week. Such an important visit could not take place during that week, so we missed that amazing opportunity."

Samaraweera said he hopes Sri Lanka can build the relationship with the US even further under the Trump administration. (The Hindu)

Mother, two children hacked to death

A mother and two female children were found hacked to death in the Uppuveli area yesterday (13), Police said. 

Police told that the bodies of the mother and her two daughters had been discovered by the villagers of Uppuveli. With the assistance of the residents, the three were taken to hospital but were pronounced dead on arrival.

The 32-year-old mother and her two daughters, aged 10 and 08, had been attacked with a sharp object. Police had promptly arrested the woman's 34- year-old husband, a resident of Kinniya, on suspicion. Police are conducting further investigations.

Sinhala Edition Click Here (Lanka Hot News)

Impending Bus strike over traffic fines tomorrow

Private Bus services across the country are most likely to come to a standstill tomorrow due to the countrywide strike to be launched by private bus owners. Two major bus owners associations in the country, Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) and All Island Private Bus Owners.

Federation (AIPBOF) claimed that they will engage in countrywide strike opposing the government's proposal to increase the minimum fine for violating the motor traffic laws.

LPBOA President Gemunu Wijeratne told that it is unfair to increase the fine and it will affect the bus industry adversely. He added that Rs 2,500 it too much to bear for a bus operator and raising revenue through hurting the common man cannot be accepted.

"I have informed about the matter to the Prime Minister as well. If we do not receive a favourable reply we will go on a countrywide strike," added Wijeratne.

Meanwhile, AIPBOF General Secretary Anjana Indrajith said, it was difficult to stick to all traffic laws which were introduced decades back, with an infrastructure system that has not developed along with the increase of vehicles.

"If we are to pay Rs 2,500 as fines there would not be any operational profit for bus owners. This proposal would lead bus industry to its end," he added.

Delivering the Budget statement, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said, "road accidents claim more and more lives daily. Most of the accidents are due to the traffic violations. I propose to increase fines charged on traffic offences and to increase the minimum fine to Rs 2,500."