Muslim congress may split due to cold war between party leader Hakeem and Chairman Segu Dawood
by D.B.S. JEYARAJ-17 August 2013,
Basheer Segu Dawood MP-pic courtesy of: Rupavahini.lk
Rauff Hakeem MP-pic courtesy of: ALJazeeraTV
With due respect, I think President Mahinda Rajapaksa needs a lesson on economics. By profession he is a lawyer and we do not expect him to know everything about economics, but since he being the Commander in Chief in regard to the nation’s economy holding the portfolio of the Minister of Finance, the nation expects him to know a little bit about economics when he interpret economic policy. This is a challenge for any president who is not an economist by profession. When the former U.S. president Richard Nixon who was a lawyer too by profession decided to abolish the Breton Woods Agreement unilaterally, he convened a summit of his economic advisers at Camp David. He carefully listened to opposing views, perhaps which is the easiest way that anybody could study a subject that he or she is not familiar with. That was a huge economic decision with global impact. Nixon learned much about economics and once he said that “We all are Keynesians now”, that was to interpret that his administration was to abandon the formally favored less-interventionist-policies.
The political arena has got agitated with the topic of government politicos’ relatives who have been given nomination for the Central and North – Western PC elections. We publish here a list of such relatives for the amusement of our viewers.

(Lanka-e-News-17.Aug.2013, 10.30PM) The largest State bank in Sri Lanka , the People’s Bank is to be purchased by the Rajapakses, and towards this all underhand activities are being resorted to. The President Mahinda Rajapakse who is also the Finance Minister presented a Cabinet paper to the Cabinet when it met on the 15 th forenoon to privatize the largest Sate Bank in Sri Lanka , which the Cabinet too had approved .
Water should never be made a weapon - Minister Basil
Minister Basil Rajapaksa Friday said that water should never be made a weapon and reminded that the British colonialists had destroyed the country's ancient tanks, irrigation systems, reservoirs and other water resources which were the main stay of the country's economy.
Minister Rajapaksa addressing the second international Conference on Community and Water Services at the North Central Provincial council's auditorium at Anuradhapura, Friday (16) said that their objective was to break the will of the nation and subjugate it by turning cultivated fertile agricultural land into waste lands," he said,
He added that once again the country was reaching self-sufficiency, thanks to the 'Mahinda Chinthana' Vision, although in the process of developing the country various problems are confronting the government, especially because of the activities of certain groups.
He stressed that Sri Lankan society should not to be racially and religiously divided. He also observed that water was strongly linked to the Sri Lankan way of life and culture.
The Anuradhapura civilization gave the highest priority to irrigation technology, according to Minister Rajapaksa who also pointed out that the mark of prosperity of the village in ancient times was the combination of the tank (wewa) and the dagaba.
While industrial development was vital today it was necessary to be fully aware of its harmful side effects - environmental pollution such as effluent and industrial waste seeping into the ground and flowing into water ways – and take preventive measures.
Nearly 500 local and foreign delegates attended the first day of the three-day seminar, titled 'Water Cooperation for Community Development' organised by the Water Supply and Drainage Ministry under the direction of Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
Ministers Dinesh Gunawardena and Felix Perera, Chief Minister Ranjit Samarakoon, Deputy Ministers H.N. Chandrasena and Tissa Karaliyedda, Weerakumara Dissanayaka, WB Ekanayaka were also present. (Info Dept)
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New law to prohibit publications defamatory of the major religions
The Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs Ministry is to introduce a new law seeking action against publications, either in print or online, that defames the original teachings and traditions of the major religions, officials said yesterday.
As a first step in this effort, the Ministry has drafted a bill that provides for the establishment of a Buddhist Publications Regulatory Board with authority to regulate any publication that is in violation of Buddhism, its philosophy or traditions. The Board, if established under the proposed bill, will have two ex-officio members -- the Ministry’s secretary and the Commissioner General of Buddha Sasana. Besides these, there will be other members: one member will be nominated by each of the Mahanayakes of the four chapters (Malwatta, Asgiri, Amarapura and Ramagna), each of the heads of the departments of Pali and Buddhist Studies of four major universities will also nominate one member, and the subject minister will nominate another two. Ministry secretary M.K.B. Dissanayake said that this bill was now with the Attorney General pending approval. “After approval by him it will be sent to the Cabinet of Ministers for approval,” he said. Mr. Dissanayake said the Board would have the authority to specify standards, norms and criteria that should be adhered to in written and oral Buddhist publications. It would also have the power to examine any Buddhist text to see whether it conforms to the Buddhist teachings and traditions practiced in Sri Lanka. Once the new bill is enacted to deal with publications regarding Buddhism, another law is to be introduced to deal with publications that are contrary to the original teachings of other religions. (Kelum Bandara) |

The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo says that 82 children - some as young as eight - have been rescued from an armed group.