Lions Starts with a powerful victory - Full Match World Cup HighLights

For the many who slammed the ICC's decision to expel Associates from the next World Cup, this was a bad day. After Kenya were embarrassed by a modest New Zealand team, Canada desperately needed to showcase why minnow teams belong on the global stage. Instead they were overwhelmed by 210 runs against Sri Lanka, who opened their World Cup campaign as emphatically as their co-hosts India did on Saturday.


Mahela Jayawardene stroked his way to the fastest World Cup hundred by a Sri Lankan, sharing a 176-run stand with his captain Kumar Sangakkara, before the home side's pace bowlers rushed through a hapless Canadian line-up to deliver a crushing victory.


After India's fervoured opening in Mirpur, proceedings at Hambantota felt much more leisurely, and with a combination of sight screen problems and a few injuries, it took the visitors four hours to get through their fielding effort. For the first 20 overs of Sri Lanka's innings the scoring rate was almost as sluggish - despite a 59-ball half-century for Tillakaratne Dilshan - as Canada demonstrated the ideal model for Associate cricket. Disciplined dobbers combined with swift fielding and a slowish track to keep Sri Lanka in check.


It was only when Jayawardene arrived that Sri Lanka's campaign really kicked into gear. He was in total control, threading the spinners through the finest gaps and caressing boundaries at will. Sangakkara was not quite as fluent, needing 47 deliveries to find his first boundary. He survived two moments of alarm, when he was dropped on 12 by by 16-year-old Nitish Kumar, on as a substitute, and again on 48 by the rotund legspinner Balaji Rao.


Jayawardene barely mistimed a ball but twice survived reviews from Canada captain Ashish Bagai, who was convinced he was out caught behind. On both occasions the appeal was spontaneous and exuberant but the UDRS - without Snicko and HotSpot - revealed nothing. With those behind him, Jayawardene's glances, chips, pick-up-sweeps and even a reverse-thwack toyed with an attack that faded under pressure.


There was no route back for Canada as the pair cashed in against a tiring attack. It's becoming one of cricket's more quirky stats that Sangakkara can't seem to reach three figures in ODI cricket anymore. His last century was in June 2008 and he has now gone 60 matches without a hundred, despite scoring heavily over the period.


He had the ideal opportunity today, but inexplicably popped a gentle return catch to John Davison when eight runs short. By this stage the only trouble for Jayawardene was the heat and he looked exhausted as he crawled the single to bring up his record-breaking century.


While victory was always going to be beyond them, a competitive showing with the bat would have lifted the spirits of a dank World Cup day but Canada's top order folded against a sparky new-ball pairing. The hulking Thislan Perera proved too quick for John Davison and Zubin Sukari before returning later to snare Bagai. The looming threat of rain forced Sangakkara to swap seam for spin to rush to 20 overs - the minimum needed to constitute a match - but once that threat cleared Sri Lanka's job was as good as done.


At 40, Davison has had plenty of experience but appears to be trading off the World Cup century he made eight years ago. In the build-up Canada were keen to point to the clutch of youngsters who had come through their Under-19s side but come the day Kumar and Hiral Patel - their two bright batting talents - were left out. After today's showing both can expect to make their senior World Cup debuts soon.


Rizwan Cheema offered a glimpse of the big-hitting that gave England a fright but by that stage that game was meandering towards the inevitable. After two matches and two crushing defeats, the Associates are doing the ICC's case no harm at all.


Written by Sahil Dutta - crickinfo

Doctors remove knife from man's head after 4 years ! - BEIJING

Surgeons in southern China successfully removed a rusty, 4-inch (10-centimeter) knife from the skull of a man who said it had been stuck in there for 4 years according to the reports from the hospital on friday.


Li Fuyan (30) had told that he had been suffering from severe headaches, bad breath and breathing difficulties but never knew the cause of his discomfort, said the senior official at the Yuxi City People's Hospital in Yunnan Province.


Li told doctors he had been stabbed in the lower right jaw by a robber four years ago and the blade broke off inside his head without anyone realizing it, said the director of the hospital's Communist Party committee's office who would only give his surname, He.


Surgeons worked cautiously to remove the badly-corroded blade without shattering it, He said. The hospital's website also reported the successful surgery.

Court Orders to Postphone Akmeena, Akuressa & Monaragala Pradeshiya Saba Elections !

The court had ordered the relevant authorities to posphone Akmeemana, Akuressa and Monaragala Elections untill the petitions are heard and the verdicts are delivered.


The Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka ordered the postphoning regarding the petitions filed by the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) on the rejection of party nominations to Monaragala and Akmeemana Pradeshiya Sabhas as well Independent Group's nomination paper rejection for Akuressa Pradeshiya Sabhas for the local government election.


General Secretary Susil Premajayantha had filed the petitions in the court for UPFA  .


All above three nominations were reportedly rejected due to the documents pertaining to the birth of candidates of the lists being incomplete.


but legal experts says that this is illegal. Mainly what they say is, if all parties & Independent groups who's nomination papers that were being rejected, goes to court what will happen ? Are they going to postphone all those provincial council elections ? if so, why didn't the Colombo Municipal Council Election was not postponed when UNP nomination papers got canceled having a similar issue like above last time?


The local government elections are scheduled to be held on March 17.

Bahrain mourners call for toppling of monarchy !

MANAMA, Bahrain – Thousands of mourners called for the downfall of Bahrain's ruling monarchy as burials began Friday after a deadly assault on pro-reform protesters that has brought army tanks into the streets of one of the most strategic Western allies in the Gulf.

The cries against Bahrain's king and his inner circle reflect an escalation of the demands from a political uprising that began just with calls to weaken the Sunni monarchy's hold on top government posts and address claims of discrimination against the Shiite majority in the tiny island nation.

Rajapakse asks Mervyn to do a pooja to nullify the effects of Anoma Fonseka's plea for divine intervention at Kebiliththe

The President who is disturbed by the divine intervention sought by Anoma Fonseka at the historical Kebiliththe devala located in the Yala sanctuary has asked Minister Mervyn Silva to do a pooja to nullify the possible ill effects that could affect him.

Devotees of Lord Kataragama believe that the god existed in real life form at the Kebiliththe devala. Anoma and a group of people had sought divine intervention against the President at the devala last September. The Rajapaksas believe that the President has faced many issues since then.
 
Western Provincial Councilor Hashan Thilekaratne and his wife Apsari Thilekaratne have also joined Anoma in the arduous trip to the great Kebiliththe devala that is situated in a difficult area in the Yala national park.
Hashan Thilekaratne and Mervyn Silva are also patrons of the historical devala.

Although a special pooja was organized at the devala on February 5 for the President, it had to be postponed due to the heavy rains experienced in the area that day.

Sources from Temple Trees say that the President who is under great mental stress these days has placed much faith in poojas and seeking divine intervention and has asked Mervyn Silva to do the needful.

Source; lankanewsweb.com

Sajin Vass asks IGP not to take upeksha's husband into custody

The parliamentarian supervising the work at the External Affairs Ministry, Sajin Vass Gunawardena has asked the IGP not to arrest parliamentarian Upeksha Swarnamali also known as Pabha's husband after he had allegedly assaulted her in an inhuman manner.

Upeksha Swarnamali's husband Mahesh Chaminda Walawegama is one of Sajin's friends. Sajin used Swarnamali's husband to force her to defect from the UNP and join the government when the vote on the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was taken in parliament last year.

On a request made by Sajin, the President asked well known casino businessman Ravi Wjieratne to pay a sum of Rs. 50 million in US dollars to Swarnamali's husband Mahesh Chaminda Walawegama at Wijeratne's residence at Gregory's Road for the transaction.

Swarnamali's husband who is an alcoholic and engage in many vices is frequently seen at Wijeratne's Star Dust casino and in the company of girls at karaoke nightclubs.

Several attempts by Swarnamali to divorce her husband has been prevented by Sajin.

Source; lankanewsweb.com

Sri Lanka stops dual citizenship forthwith : Believed as revengeful action against bitter London tour of MR

The Sri Lankan immigration and Emigration Department has issued a special communique
barring forthwith the granting of dual citizenship until further notice. Accordingly, all applications forwarded for approval and processing have been immediately stopped. Based on unofficial information , this measure has been taken following Mahinda's recent unsuccessful London tour when that country allegedly allowed the Sri Lanka (SL) Tamil Diaspora demonstrations which were staged there during the President’s tour. It is learnt that the Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse had been most determined and responsible for the action in this direction.

A Sri Lankan who has citizenship of another country but has assets in this country could earlier apply for dual citizenship . The Immigration and emigration Dept. gave dual citizenship on the ground that by that there is an economic development for SL society . An individual who is a dual citizen had to pay Rs. two lakhs to the Govt. Those eligible to receive dual citizenship are citizens of Australia , New Zealand, Commonwealth, France , Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, America and Canada.

Visit www.lankaenews.com for further details

Film Actress Vinu Weththamuni Murdered !

Films Actress Vinu Wetthamuni (36) had being murdered at her house in Rathmalana on 15th. She had being with her child at home on that day & according to the neibours 3 people had come on that day at night and one was with her till the mornning.

When her room was being locked from inside and nothing was  heard from inside. Her mother had inform the police & when they broke in, they found her dead body.


We are wating for more details regarding this incident.......

Upeksha Swarnamali (PABA) HOSPITALIZED - ASSAULTED by Husband !

Upeksha Swarnamali, the UNP MP contested from Gampha & later joined with Mahinda Rajapakse Goverment after voting in favour of 18th ammendement few months back was being assaulted by her husband .She had being assaulted with a Knife on her face.She was being admitted to Sri Jayawardena Hospital by one of her personal security guards. She did sustained severe injuries to her eyes as a result of the attack.

This had taken place in their house in Thalapathpitiya at night time. When media contacted her husband, he denied the assult & her hospitalization and said that ‘Paba’ was on a photo-shoot at Gangarama at the moment.

But Director of the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital confirmed to media a short while ago that the Upeksha Swarnamali was admitted to the 18th ward in the hospital for a facial injury.

We came to know that this might have happened as a result of a divorce request by paba.

Death Sentence Mandatory on KP and Karuna: Any accord is illegal: President, Defense Secretary, AG punishable -legal experts

According to lankaenews , No matter what accord or settlement pact is entered into with K P alias Kumaran Pathmanathan the LTTE chief arms supplier and its leader after Prabhakaran’s death, and LTTE arms leader Karuna is unlawful under the Penal code of Sri Lanka, as pinpointed by legal experts of the country.


The five provisions on treason against the State of the criminal procedure code No.15 of 1979, make it very clear that KP and Karuna who had committed treason shall compulsorily be punished with death sentence, and no pact of settlement or accord can be entered into with them. 



Here under are the provisions..


114) 
Warring against or attempting to or aiding and abetting the crime of rebelling against a legally elected Govt. – no warrants necessary for arrests ; unbailable; no settlement pacts or accords allowable.


115 )
Conspiring against a legally elected Govt. – the suspect is liable to a punishment of 20 years in jail and a fine.


116) 
Building of arms against a legally elected Govt.- no warrant is necessary to arrest the suspect ; no bail can be granted ; no accord can be reached. He is liable to a 20 year jail sentence and confiscation of property.


117)
Obstructing the legally elected Govt. to fight a war or undermining its strategies by wrongful operations and engagements – a 10 year jail sentence and a fine can be imposed on such a suspect 


120)
Inciting hatred and rebellion or attempting to do so against a legally elected Govt.-


Visit  http://www.lankaenews.com  for more details