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Oman willing to sell crude oil to Sri Lanka

Written by Admin

Saturday, 28 January 2012

Oman is willing to sell crude oil to Sri Lanka, which is scrambling to find an alternative to its threatened primary supply from Iran, Oman’s oil minister said on Friday.

“We have an international trading company and they are willing to look into crude trading with the government or with the petroleum agencies here in Sri Lanka,” Omani Oil Minister Mohammad bin Hamad al-Rumhy told reporters in Colombo.

He declined to say what quantity of crude sales had been agreed, adding Oman was looking at investment opportunities including upgrading its sole refinery.

“We will study the refinery expansion project and see how best we can handle it,” he said.

Sri Lanka for several years has been looking to upgrade its aging 50,000 barrel-per-day Sapugaskanda refinery after a $2 billion upgrade plan with Iran, its main crude supplier, fell through last year.

A petroleum ministry official on condition of anonymity told Reuters that Oman is looking to make an investment of about $500 million investment, including the refinery upgrade and tourism and agriculture. - Reuters

Dharmadasa defends Marsh sacking

Written by Admin
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Sri Lanka Cricket president Upali Dharmadasa on Friday defended the sacking of Australian coach Geoff Marsh and the selection of a new team captain, saying the changes would help usher in a new era of “cricketing excellence”. “Many seem to criticize Sri Lanka Cricket for the Changes we implemented by appointing a New Captain, Coach, Team Manager and the Selection Committee. We would like to assure the Cricket loving public here in Sri Lanka and to our numerous fans that support Sri Lanka Cricket globally that we will reap the benefits of these changes in the fullness of time,” he said in a statement. The sacking of Marsh on Wednesday - just three months into a two-year contract - was widely criticised, with former team skipper Arjuna Ranatunga calling the move “disgraceful” and “unprofessional”. Marsh was replaced by South African Graham Ford, who becomes Sri Lanka’s fourth coach since Australian Trevor Bayliss stepped aside after the World Cup final in April 2011. While voicing gratitude for Marsh’s efforts, Dharmadasa said it was time for Sri Lankan cricket to “move on”. The appointment of Ford was “based on the fact that he can cope with the demands a 21st Century coach has to cope with in the international arena”, the statement said. The change in coaches came two days after Tillakaratne Dilshan quit as team captain, to be replaced by former skipper Mahela Jayawardene. “This change will also help Dilshan to concentrate more on his game,” Dharmadasa said. “We strongly believe Dilshan’s contribution will be much more if he is relived of additional responsibility. This will help the teams overhaul performance.” Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage last week named a four-member selection panel and gave them one year to put the team in order after the side lost Test and one-day series to England, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa. “We are grateful to the government and the Honorable Minister of sports for helping Sri Lanka Cricket through stormy waters. We assure you the current crisis as defined by some, is only temporary, financially we will be stable shortly,” the country’s cricket chief added.

Drug used by heart patients taken off Lankan shelves

Written by Admin
Saturday, 28 January 2012
The use and sale of the isosorbide mononitrate 20mg drug manufactured in Pakistan and used by heart patients is temporarily suspended in Sri Lanka, the Health Ministry stated.

Romanians involved in credit card fraud to be deported

Written by Admin
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Two Romanian nationals who pleaded guilty after they were arrested for withdrawing a large sum of cash from a Bank in Colombo using fake credit cards, were ordered deported by the Colombo High Court today (Jan 27). The suspects, who had been arrested in February, 2011 and pleaded guilty before the court today, were fined Rs. 80,000 each and handed one-year sentence suspended for five years. High Court Judge Kumuduni Wickramasinghe also ordered the duo to pay the Rs. 165,000 they had defrauded from the bank and ordered the Controller of Immigration and Emigration to blacklist them.

Plastic crates rule was not revenge: Agri Minister

Written by Admin
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Transportation of vegetables and fruits in plastic crates was not made mandatory to extract revenge on anyone, says Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. He stated that the purpose of the rule was to protect both the farmer and the consumer. Speaking during a function at Hadabima Authority in Peradeniya today (Jan 27) the Minister stated that the move was introduced by the government due to consumers receiving “wasted” vegetables and fruits after the intermediary in the trade obtains a high profit.

Ranatunga slams Sri Lanka sacking of Marsh

Written by Admin
Friday, 27 January 2012
Legendary Sri Lankan cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga on Thursday slammed his country’s sacking of Australian coach Geoff Marsh as “disgraceful” and “unprofessional”. Marsh was this week replaced by South African Graham Ford. The move followed Tillakaratne Dilshan quitting the captaincy on Monday, with former skipper Mahela Jayawardene brought in to lead the team to Australia for the upcoming triangular one-day series involving India. “It is disgraceful the way Sri Lanka Cricket handled it by removing a professional like Marsh,” the former Sri Lankan captain Ranatunga, 48, told AFP a day after the governing body sacked him. Marsh had begun a two-year contract in September 2011 when he was abruptly shown the door. He has not commented on his dismissal and Sri Lanka Cricket has not given any reasons for the sudden move. Removing Marsh also sends a negative signal to professional staff who work with Sri Lanka or plan to work with the national cricket team in the future, Ranatunga said. “Top coaches, physios will think twice before they accept a job from Sri Lanka in the future. Sri Lanka Cricket has set a very bad precedent,” said Ranatunga, who led Sri Lanka to their only World Cup triumph in 1996. Ford, 51, is the fourth to coach Sri Lanka since Australian Trevor Bayliss stepped aside after the World Cup final in April 2011. Bayliss’s assistant Stuart Law took over for the England series and quit to coach Bangladesh. Sri Lankan pace bowler Rumesh Ratnayake took over for the home series against Australia and was replaced by Marsh. Ranatunga, a former captain and opposition lawmaker, also blamed administrators for the country’s poor run of form after losses to England, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa. “People who run cricket in this country, have no clue about the game. Do you think they love the game? No. Sri Lanka Cricket is in a major mess,” he said. He said re-appointing Jayawardene, who led the side to the 2007 World Cup final, was not the right way to fix the losing streak. “It is like changing the pillow to fix a headache. Mahela is not getting younger. I am surprised he accepted it again. We have to groom young people for the captaincy,” he said. He accused the government of meddling in the sport that has led to its financial ruin, poor governance and lack of foresight to pick players. A former cricket board chief, Ranatunga scored 5,105 runs in 93 Tests and 7,456 runs in 269 one-dayers before quitting international cricket in 2000, AFP reports.

Electrical leak in temporary petrol tank reason behind van fire

Written by Admin

Friday, 27 January 2012

The fire that broke out in a van on the Kalutara-Horana main road early this morning (January 26) which claimed the lives of four people including two children was caused by an electrical leak in the van’s unprotected petrol tank.

The van driver stated that a temporary container was being used as a makeshift petrol tank which was place directly under the passenger seats at the back of the van.

Four people including two children and two women died in the accident while seven others were hospitalised in the incident.

Indian fishermen released by Lankan court

Written by Admin
Friday, 27 January 2012
The 43 Indian fishermen, who were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy were produced before a magistrate in Trincomalee and released on Thursday. They are now in a residence provided by the Indian High Commission in the port-town. The High Commission had rushed its officials to Trincomalee, and has made provisions for food, clothing and residence. “Our people are looking after the fishermen. They will head to Tamil Nadu on Friday,” a High Commission official said. Earlier, the Sri Lankan Navy had apprehended them on Wednesday night off near Pulmodai, handed them over to the local police in Trincomalee, for further action. The police produced the fishermen before a magistrate on Thursday. Their six boats are at the Trincomalee port. *(TheHindu)*

Sri Lanka-India trade volumes reach all time high - Kantha

Written by Admin

Friday, 27 January 2012

Bilateral trade between India and Sri Lanka had surged by over 70 per cent while touching an all time high of $ 5 billion, the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo said on Thursday. Indian companies have invested over $ 100 million in the island.

Ashok K Kantha, the Indian envoy, was addressing the 63rd Indian Republic Day celebrations held in the High Commission.

Kantha said the year 2011 had witnessed impressive progress in all areas, including political, security, trade, investment, tourism, education, culture, and development cooperation.

India was the largest trading partner of Sri Lanka, a leading investor and also the source of the largest number of tourists, Kantha noted.

He also highlighted the vast expansion in India’s development assistance and the growing recognition that Indian projects were being completed in a timely and efficient manner.

Referring to the MoU signed for construction and repair of 49,000 houses under a grant assistance of $ 260 million, he pointed that this was perhaps one of the largest projects of its kind undertaken by India in a foreign country.

On cultural cooperation and people-to-people links, India had just announced a three-fold increase in scholarship schemes for Sri Lanka, involving a grant of Rs 2.5 billion.

Indian Railways would be launching a special train named ‘Damba Diwa Vandana’, to take Sri Lankan Buddhist pilgrims from Chennai to all the major Buddhist sites in India, IBN Live reports.

Forty-two given jail sentences for attempting to enter Aussie illegallyForty-two given jail sentence

Written by Admin

Friday, 27 January 2012

Forty-two persons who were charged with attempting to illegally enter into Australia by way of a multi-day fishing vessel were handed suspended jail sentences and fines by the Colombo Magistrate today.

The defendants were handed over two years rigorous imprisonment suspended for five years and an additional fine of Rs. 5000.

The accused were arrested between January-March 2011 from Colombo and Negombo by the CID. The suspects had all pleaded guilty to the charge of plotting to enter Australia illegally by boat.

NOTE:- Due to legal contstraints, the Ada Derana Editorial team has taken a decision to disable comments on all articles concerning ongoing court procedures.

Van catches fire, four dead

Written by Admin
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Four dead and seven injured after a van caught fire at Elamodara on the Kalutara-Horana main road early morning today.Four dead and seven injured after a van caught fire at Elamodara on the Kalutara-Horana main road early morning today.