Rivira CEO removed

Wednesday, 15 May 2013

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rivira Media Corporation, Gairuka Perusinghe has been asked by the company directors to leave his post in the company with immediate effect, it is learnt. Head of the Airport and Aviation Services Company, Col. Prasanna Wickremasuriya and Nilanka Rajapaksa who is in London are also members of the board of directors of Rivira Media. Sources from Rivira say that the decision to remove the CEO had been made following the instigation of the Editor in Chief of Rivira, Sisira Paranathanthri and Managing Director Mahinda Wijesundera.

Employees at the company had not been paid their salaries on time and after Perusinghe assumed office, the entire staff had been paid their monthly salaries on time and he had introduced various welfare measures to the employees as well. Employees believe that the strategies adopted by Perusinghe had helped increase the circulation of the Sunday Rivira newspaper to the level of the Sunday Lankadeepa. Therefore sources say that Perusinghe’s removal has caused some unrest among the employees.

Meanwhile, UPFA MP Thilanga Sumathipala’s Lakbima newspaper is facing a massive financial crisis resulting in clashes among senior officials of the newspaper company.

Thilanga Sumathipala has decided to remove Sundhara Nihathamani de Mel from the post of editor of the Sunday Lakbima newspaper with immediate effect and the editor of the daily Lakbima newspaper, Jatila Wellabada is to also be removed from his post in the next few days.

Although Jatila Wellabada was to take over the post of editorial director of the Irudina newspaper owned Asanga Seneviratne’s Leader newspaper company, Seneviratne had changed his mind following pressure from the Presidential media unit.

US spy caught in Russia & expelled

WEDNESDAY, 15 MAY 2013

Russian authorities expelled yesterday (14th) an American they accused of being a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer operating under diplomatic cover.

According to Russia's spy service, the Federal Security Service, authorities detained American Ryan C. Fogle near a Moscow park late Monday. Russian spu service said the American was wearing a dirty-blond wig and carrying special technical equipment as well as several pairs of glasses and a large sum of money.

Mr. Fogle had been trying to recruit a Russian intelligence services officer responsible for fighting Islamist terrorists in Russia's Caucasus region Russian authorities said.

They also alleged the American had been carrying a Russian-language recruitment note explaining how to set up a secure Gmail account and promising up to $1 million a year with the promise of additional bonuses for information.

Meanwhile, US State Department has confirmed that a U.S. diplomat had been detained and released by Russian authorities but declined to say for which agency Mr. Fogle worked. U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said only that he was "an American staff member of the embassy."