UNP Colombo District Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake addresses a press conference at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition yesterday on the policy shift of the UNP on the ethnic issue.
(Photo-Chandrasiri Weerasinghe)

• Baiz goes one better than Mervin
  Hot on the heels of National List MP Dr. Mervin Silva threatening to use his government issued pistol, another MP has openly threatened to use his gun. Although he never displayed his weapon, Silva had warned he would unhesitatingly use force to remove, what he called, any obstacle in his path. Ironically, the threat had been made outside the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court where his son, Malaka had been charged with assaulting an accountant.
  
  
• SLFP awaits complaint to act against Dr. Mervin
  The SLFP is unable to take action against non-Cabinet Minister Mervin Silva as nobody has made a written complaint against him, General Secretary of the SLFP and Minister Maithripala Sirisena said.
  "We also know what he is up to, but let somebody make a written complaint to us for follow up action," he said.
   
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• The Controversy concerning the Unitary State
  The insistent demand by certain "activists, academics, writers and clergy" that there should be no reference to or description of the Constitution as being unitary, appears to me, to arise from a mistaken understanding as to its meaning and significance, having regard to constitutional developments over the years, especially in regard to the concept of sovereignty. The typology unitary/federal is no longer considered helpful having regard to intermediate degrees of centralization and decentralization which are considered a necessity in contemporary systems of government and administration.
   
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• Rumours fuel interest in Confifi hotel counters
  Bourse edges down despite heavy trades in JKH
  The Colombo bourse, despite heavy trading in JKH, was yesterday unable to sustain Monday’s gains, with both indices down, albeit marginally – the All share by 4.83 points (0.19%) and the Milanka 13.69 points (0.39%) on a turnover of Rs.491.2 million, down from the previous day’s Rs.3.1 billion.
   

• Pathum Vimana Awards More Prizes
  Pathum Vimana, Sri Lanka’s favourite deposit draw is back stronger than ever offering the most spectacular prizes and amazing opportunities that is guaranteed to change your life. This years Pathum Vimana scheme amounts to Rs.100 million and is structured to offer regular prizes to customers which increases their chances of winning.

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• Can Jaffna produce cricket’s next Sanath or Malinga?
  Cricket had been the last resort even to tranquilize the spirits of war-tired battalions in the hearts of bloody Basra. What the war veterans resorted to with the introduction of Basra-Ashes was brining together England and Australian soldiers in a desert cricket match. The concept is tried here too with juvenile cricketers. But the attempt is not to toughen them for battle fronts, but to reawaken a friendship lost and to build a bridge between two regions that has been separated by a thick river of blood, shed for over decades.

  Walter Iruthaga, Kulendran Shelton, Shivasubramanium Vinoth, Kurapalasingha Nishaharan, Jeykanth Senthooran, Vidyalingam Puwaneesan and Masilamany Harapraveen are seen posing for ‘The Island’ camera at a hotel at Wellawatta on Monday. (Pic by Nishan S Priyantha)
   

• India celebrates Twenty20 win
  NEW DELHI (AFP) — Cricket-crazy India erupted with joy as Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s young team snatched the inaugural Twenty20 world title, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs in a nail-biting final.Fans, who were glued to their television sets throughout the 3.5-hour game Monday, set off firecrackers, danced and hugged each other as Shanthakumaran Sreesanth took a catch at fine leg to account for the last Pakistani wicket.

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