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| Academics welcome reduction of university admission age |
| 2013-01-30 |
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Several academics yesterday welcomed Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake’s recent proposal to reduce the age of admissions to universities to 16.
President of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri told The Island that it was very important to reduce it to at least 17 years.
However, Dr. Dewasiri said it was not the FUTA’s view, but his personal opinion.
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| Reconstituted Bench to hear Bathiudeen appeal |
| 2013-01-30 |
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The Supreme Court yesterday re-fixed the date of hearing the appeal filed by Minister Rishad Bathiudeen for March 18, 2013. The minister had appealed to the Supreme Court against an Appeal Court order, which had ordered him to appear before it and face an inquiry pertaining to contempt of Court charges.
The Supreme Court Bench comprised Chief Justice Mohan Pieris, Justice P. A. Ratnayake and Justice Sathya Hettige. The Chief Justice declined to hear the case. Hence, it was re-fixed to be heard before another bench.
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| Court orders notice on Vaiko’s plea on LTTE ban |
| 2013-01-30 |
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The Madras High Court on Monday ordered notice on a writ petition by MDMK general secretary Vaiko, challenging an order of the Tribunal under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act confirming the Centre’s notification declaring the LTTE as an unlawful association.
He also challenged the publication of the tribunal’s decision in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette dated January 4, 2013.
The First Bench of Acting Chief Justice Elipe Dharma Rao and Justice Aruna Jagadeesan posted the matter for further hearin
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| Another useless ministry – CTU |
| 2013-01-30 |
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The establishment of the new 'Educational Services' Ministry in the education sector will mean nothing more than valuable funds that should be channelled towards free education being instead diverted towards quelling political hysteria in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka, the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) stated yesterday.
CTU General Secretary, Joseph Stalin told Ceylon Today, "Nothing good will come out of this new ministry. Another minister will now be maintained on the money that should be spe
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| Case against Malaka, six others referred to AG |
| 2013-01-30 |
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The case against Minister Mervyn Silva’s son Malaka and six others who are alleged to have assaulted an Army Major has been referred to the Attorney General for his advice, the Kompanna Veediya police informed Court today.
Kompanna Veediya OIC told court that extracts of the investigation report had been referred to the Attorney General on the instruction of Western Province Senior DIG Anura Senanayake.
The seven suspects -- Malaka Silva, the late Minister Mano Wijertane’s son Rehan, Nalinda Janaka, Nilu
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| U.S. to criticize Sri Lanka at U.N. rights council |
| 2013-01-30 |
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The United States will deliver a sharp public rebuke to Sri Lanka at the U.N. Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March for failing to pursue those responsible for abuses as government forces were crushing Tamil rebels in 2009, officials said on Monday.
A three-member U.S. delegation is in Colombo on a five-day visit to discuss issues including progress in implementing the recommendations of Sri Lanka's own official investigation into the war, which called for the prosecution of soldiers suspected of killing civilians.
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| Surviving an unsurpassable tragedy |
| 2013-01-30 |
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“When am I going to return home mother? When will I be able to sit with my family for a meal once more? . . .” a quivering voice at the other end of the phone line had inquired Rafeena on December 12 last year. Although her daughter’s questions caused grief and helplessness, they had been overshadowed by the joy of hearing from her daughter after several months of silence from Saudi Arabia. Little then, did Rafeena knew that it would also be the last conversation she would have with her daughter Rizana before she was cr
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| “Hela Sihila Hiru” Stages Provocative Anti-Muslim Demonstration with Placards and Effigy of “Allah” |
| 2013-01-30 |
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The recurring phenomenon of orchestrated demonstrations against “Halal”labelled foods, Muslim owned businesses and Muslim places of worship by organized groups of Buddhist Clergy and Laity took a different turn in Sri Lankas Northwestern Province of Wayamba on Thursday January 24th.
A protest demonstration was staged by a group of around 150 persons at Kuliyapitiya, a multi-ethnic,multi-religious town situated from Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo in broad daylight.It is home to the Wayamba Univer
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| The Gang Rape Near Colombo, Peoples’ Sovereignty And The Absence Of Protest |
| 2013-01-30 |
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A 45 year-old woman was gang raped in the early hours of January 23 in Nugegoda (some reports give her age as 47). This gruesome incident only received a few lines in some of the newspapers and in the media. Yet a similar incident that occurred in New Delhi, India, when a medical student was gang raped on a bus, provoked a nation-wide protest for several days and, in fact, the protests continue internationally even up to now. This protest caused the Indian Prime Minister to intervene and take action, not only to ensure medical trea
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| Black January: Ceaseless media suppression in Sri Lanka, with total impunity |
| 2013-01-30 |
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The month of January is coming to an end and yet again it has been filled with a number of major attacks on media freedom in Sri Lanka. For this reason the month is often referred to as the ‘Black January’ of media suppression. This year too, journalists’ and organisations in the country are commemorating Black January as an event to mark continued suppression of independent media and journalists in Sri Lanka.
The war against the LTTE was accompanied by another war, the war against independent media in Sri La
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