World economic growth may slow to 1-1.5% in 2009: UNCTAD

World economic growth may slow to 1-1.5% in 2009: UNCTAD

GENEVA, (AFP) -

World economic growth could slow to 1-1.5 percent in 2009, about half of the projected 2.9 percent growth for 2008, the UN trade and development body's chief economist said on Thursday.

In its latest annual report, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) assessed that in mid-2008, the global economy was already “teetering on the brink of recession”, impacted by financial markets turmoil, commodity price hikes and huge exchange-rate swings.

dreaded Rat fever races on--117 deaths up to August

dreaded Rat fever races on--117 deaths up to August

Leptospirosis, widely known as rat fever, is raising its vicious head again with 117 deaths being reported up to August this year while only 34 deaths from the entire country were reported last year, Health Ministry Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Prabha Palihawadana said.

She said some 3,700 Leptospirosis infected patients were reported up to August this year while only 2,600 patients were reported last year it.

Dr. Palihawadana said the Unit would take immediate measures to prevent the spread of this deadly disease, and that the Prophylaxis antibiotic tablets were dispatched to health officers and hospitals in the affected areas.

She said most of the cases had been reported from paddy farming districts but there appears to be a significant number of new cases being reported from Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara in the Western Province, Matale and Kandy in the Central Province, Matara in the Southern Province and Kegalle in the Sabaragamuwa Province. “The danger is that the cause of the disease is not only water contaminated by rat urine but also from water contaminated by the urine of infected cattle, goats, dogs and cats,” Dr.Palihawadana stressed.

Heavy rain in Sri lanka

Heavy rain in Sri lanka
A depression in the lower atmosphere over Sri Lanka is the cause for the heavy rain being experienced in several parts of the country. More rain expected.

Weather Forecast
Department of Meteorology - Sri Lanka

Weather Forecast for 5th September 2008

Issued at 5.30AM on 5th Sep2008

There will be showers at several places in the Western And Central provinces and in the Gall and Matara districts.

Thundershowers will develop at a several places in the Uva,Eastern and North-central provinces during the afternoon or night.
The nearest towns of Sri lanka over,which the sun is overhead today(5th) are Wadduwa, Balangoda and Okanda about 12.09.

Weather Forecast for sea area around the island during the next 24hours (Issued at 5.30am 5th Sep.2008)

There will be showers or thundershow at several places sea areas around the island.Winds will be 20-30Km/h(moderate) and South-westerly direction. The speed may increase up to 40Km/h in the South-eastern and Gulf of Mannar sea areas.
South-eastern and Gulf of Mannar sea areas will be slightly rough and elsewhere sea areas around the island will not be rough.

Civilians should be allowed to move freely to liberated areas" - UN

Civilians should be allowed to move freely to liberated areas" - UN

With the announcement of the Ministry of Defence that a "humanitarian corridor" has been established to assist the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the non-liberated areas in the North to move to liberated safe areas, the United Nation's Resident Representative in Sri Lanka states that such people in need should be allowed to move without any hinderance.

Issuing a public statement, the UN Representative, Neil Buhne said that any displaced person is entitled to freedom of movement according to international principles; they can move where and when they want, in search of safety and assistance.

The LTTE has been continuously accused of using civilians as a human shield in the areas where the security forces are confronting the terrorist. Despite all the factual evidence of LTTE using civilians to prevent military attacks the terrorists have continued to coerce people living in areas under their control to prevent them from fleeing to liberated areas.

Pakistan PM's motorcade attacked

Pakistan PM's motorcade attacked

Shots have been fired at the motorcade of Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, although it is not clear if he was in the convoy at the time.

Interior ministry officials said the car was on its way to collect Mr Gilani from Islamabad's airport.

Earlier, his press secretary told the BBC that unidentified gunman fired on Mr Gilani's car as he was travelling from the airport into the city.

It is not clear who carried out the attack, which is being investigated.

Mr Gilani's government is grappling with a growing threat from Islamist militants.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7595572.stm

LTTE Asian propaganda channel terminated

In response to the continuous requests made by Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Hong Kong based management office of Asia- Sat Telecommunication Company explicating that the Tamil Cultural Programmme is a pro-LTTE channel, the officials of the said company have terminated the transmission of Tamil Cultural Programme TV Channel through their Asia SAT 3S Satellite.

The decision was officially informed to the Sri Lanka embassy in Beijing by the officials of Asia-Sat Telecommunication.

Air Force hits LTTE fighter boats

Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets pounded two LTTE fighter boats, defence sources said.

The boats were anchored close to the Alampil Beach near Nayaru Lagoon at the time of the air attack carried out this morning.

According to confirmed reports from the Air Force one boat was completely destroyed while the other suffered heavy damage.

Political parties propose constitutional amendments

Political parties propose constitutional amendments
In a new initiative to expedite the establishment of Independent Commissions and introducing new provisions to the 17th Amendment a group of legislators representing all political parties in the government and the opposition have proposed a set of new amendments to the Constitution.

Import duty concessions for five commodities for migrant workers waived

Import duty concessions for five commodities for migrant workers waived

Concessions for Sri Lankan migrant workers returning on import duty pertaining for purchasing five commodities at the airport have been waived since Sep 1st 2008.

Initially, the tax concessions were waived for seven commodities but later the washing machines and four burner cookers were removed from the list. These items can be purchased with duty concessions further.

Duty concessions have been waived for all kinds of air conditioners, deep freezers, CRV televisions with screens wider than 29 inches and LCD TVs with screens wider than 32 inches under the new custom regulations.

Mallavi Liberated -Troops reaching another victory; t

Troops reaching another victory; three-fourth of Mallavi captured

Reaching to another decisive milestone, troops of the 57 Division, engaged in a noble mission to liberate the Wanni civilians from LTTE clutches have brought control over more than three-fourth of the LTTE's nerve center, Mallavi, about 3.5 km East of Tunukkai by last evening, 1 September.

The Mallavi town, said to be the native place of the terror leader Prabhakaran's wife, Madivadini, has about a 1 km long main street with boutiques and shops on both sides of the town center, Army sources said. A few more adjoining vulnerable areas located in the Mallavi town are yet to be cleared, the sources added.

The area had been a strategically important location of the LTTE terrorists. Mallavi is also the nearest route to enter Kilinochchi for the Security Forces from Wanni.

Mangala for democratic leadership in SLFP

Mangala for democratic leadership in SLFP

“Fifty seven years ago, the SLFP helped catalyse a new change and a shift in Sri Lankan politics. Fifty seven years after, the SLFP needs a change today, to save itself for the future,” says MP Mangala Samaraweera, leader of the SLFP Mahajana Wing issuing a statement on the 57th Anniversary of the SLFP.

While accepting the SLFP did change course in Sri Lankan socio-economic life, when it was launched by the late S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike in 1951 and also placed Sri Lanka as an independent nation in foreign policy working as a non-aligned country, Mr. Samaraweera says the SLFP now needs a change in its leadership to take Sri Lanka to the future as a knowledge based, democratic society.

12 Lankans arrested in Papua New Guinea

Twele Sri Lankans arrested in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea intelligence officials have arrested twelve Sri Lankan men, alleged to be planning to go to Australia using falsified documents. They say the men are members of the LTTE and were on the run from Sri Lanka.

ARMY TROOPS ENTERED MALLAVI AREA IN MULATIV

ARMY TROOPS ENTERED MALLAVI AREA IN MULATIV

According to military, troops have gained control over key LTTE outposts in the mALLAVI area and positioned tactically in the probable fall of the garrison township, despite heavy resistance from LTTE.

MORE:http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080831_08

China earthquake-32 death

The death toll in an earthquake in south-west China is now at least 32, with 467 injuries, state media says.

The 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck at 1630 local time (0730 GMT) on Saturday, close to Panzhihua town in Sichuan province, near the border with Yunnan. Xinhua news agency said rescue teams carrying stents, quilts and rice to the area were being hampered by heavy rain.

Xinhua reported that more than 250,000 houses had been damaged or destroyed by the latest quake and some people had been trapped in the ruins.

More than 150,000 people had fled their homes, and state broadcaster CCTV showed evacuees including children and elderly people lying on plastic sheets in a school field in Panzhihua.

"Locals in the county rushed out into the open. Cracks appeared on house walls and many windows were broken," said one local official.

Aftershocks continued in the day following the earthquake, with one later on Sunday measuring 5.6 magnitude, China's Earthquake Administration recorded.

Communications were reported to be disrupted, making it difficult for authorities to accurately assess the extent of the damage.

Major reconstruction efforts have been under way in Sichuan province since the 12 May earthquake, which left about five million people homeless.

The epicenter was at the juncture of Renhe District in Panzhihua and Huili County in Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Liangshan, Sichuan. It was at a depth of 10 km, the China Earthquake Administration said.

Both provinces were severely affected by a devastating earthquake in May which left almost 70,000 people dead.


for more http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/31/content_9745544.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7591152.stm

Another LTTE stronghold captured

Another LTTE stronghold captured
The military today captured the Palamoddai town, an LTTE stronghold in Vavuniya and a one kilometers beach stretch north of Kokkuthuduwai in Welioya after fierce battles.

Nepalis' messages to Prachanda-New Prime Minister collect civilian's ideas

Nepalis' messages to Prachanda

New prime Prime Minister Prachanda collect civilians ideas

Nepal's new government, led by former Maoist rebel leader Prachanda, has been in office for one week now. Despite the end of the civil war, the country is still faced with huge social and economic problems.

Here, people in Nepal compile their messages to Prachanda setting out their priorities for the nation.

Read civilians messages

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7483019.stm

Justice and Peace Commission writs to UN Secretary General

Justice and Peace Commission writs to UN Secretary General

The Justice and Peace Commission in the Wanni has written to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on the plight of internally displaced people in the area.

Its president Fr. James Pathinathan handed over the memorandum to the Resident Representative of the UNHCR in Wanni on August 26th.

The appeal notes that epidemics were threatening the people in the absence of sufficient medical facilities.

The JPC staged a protest march, joined by hundreds of people, including religious heads that began from Kilinochchi St. Theresa’s Church.

Hand greand explosion in Batticaloa prison-7 prisons injured.

Hand grenade explosion in Batticaloa prison-7 prisons injured.

The police sources says that the Hand grenade explosion in cell number 10 in
Batticaloa prison injuring 4 EPDP inmates on murder chargers . one serious.

But Batticaloa hospital conferms 7 prisons brought to the hospital for treatments in this morning(29th).

Mangala calls for a joint opposition alliance

Mangala calls for a joint opposition alliance

While warning that the victory in the provincial council election would lead to a government dictatorship, SLFP (M) Convenor Mangala Samaraweera called for the setting up of a joint opposition alliance a short while ago. He also added that he would initiate an alternative defence information centre to educate the masses on the real situation of the war.

After election CAFFE spokesman punished by his campus

After election CaFFE spokesman punished by his campus

The University of Kelaniya has given a punishment transfer to its employee Rajitha Keerthi Tennakoon, who is also spokesman for local election monitor Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE).

Secretary of CaFFE Senaka Wattegedara has informed the Free Media Movement that in addition to Mr. Tennakoon's transfer from the Faculty of Social Sciences, he is to face a disciplinary inquiry.

Five Media, including the FMM, said in a statement that this constituted an infringement of fundamental and freedom of expression rights.

Mr. Tennekoon acted as CaFFE spokesman during the recent polls for the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces.

Quoting from the establishment code of universities, the statement said campus staff has the right to express their political viewpoints.

Five Media said it considered the action as politically motivated, and urged university authorities to halt exacting revenge from Mr. Tennekoon.