Computer virus case involving the Managing Director

A rare computer virus case involving the Managing Director and an employee of Trans World Movers, a freight moving company, will procede for trial after a Colombo Magistrate upheld an objection by the complainant over the Attorney General intervening in the case.

The Attorney General had sought to discharge the accused without trial by terminating the proceedings. Counsel for complainant, Global Trans World Relocation had challenged the AG’s orders. Colombo Magistrate Manjula Thilakaratne issued this order considering an application made by Counsel Jeevantha Jayathilake and assisted by his junior Thilanka Polgampola who watched the interest of the aggrieved party.

The suspects Suresh Marcellus, Managing Director and Rohitha Silva, an employee of Trans who are on bail, had allegedly ‘transmitted’ a virus to the computer of Global Trans World Relocation of Modera by an email with the intention of destroying the system and decoding the computer. The Modera Police and the IT division of Police headquarters conducted investigations. Read more

U.K. denies request for information on detainees

The British government has denied a formal request for information on the whereabouts and status of a group of Afghan youths who were detained at RAF Lakenheath earlier this year.

Stars and Stripes filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the British Home Office on Nov. 1 following several failed attempts to obtain information about the eight Afghan youths.

The Home Office, which handles duties roughly equivalent to those of the departments of State and Homeland Security, said releasing information on the Afghans would violate the country’s data protection statutes.

“It is the general policy of the Border and Immigration Agency not to disclose, to a third party, personal information about another person. This is because the Border and Immigration Agency has obligations under the Data Protection Act and in law generally to protect this information,” states a letter from Border and Immigration FOI officer Patricia Glasby. Read more

Health and beauty entrepreneurs

What led you to founding the business?
I began researching skincare formulations in the 1980s, after rekindling a lifelong passion for natural medicine by studying aromatherapy and herbal medicine. Motivated by the lack of products suitable for my own and family and friends’ sensitive and eczema-prone skin, I set about creating formulations based only on organic herbs, plant oils and other phytobotanicals that are skin-friendly and offer excellent results. In 2003, with the help and encouragement of daughter Abi and husband Colin, Essential Care was born.

How do you source your ingredients?
With my complementary therapy background, I focus primarily on the therapeutic qualities of the herbs and plant oils. Wherever available – which thankfully is much easier these days – the ingredients have to be certified organic and I also source locally wherever possible. Around half to three-quarters of the herbs we use are UK grown. Read more