June 1 (GDI) The government has decided to establish district level committees which encompass all religions. Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne will initiate the programme and appoint committees in this regard. The inaugurating step of the programme was held at the Kanthale Akbo Pura Raja Maha Vihara in Trincomalee District on May 30. Buddhist monks, Hindu, Islam and Catholic priests of the district were present at the event. more..

June 1 (LBO) Consumer prices in Colombo rose 5.3 percent in May 2010 from a year earlier, down from 5.8 percent in April, the third straight monthly fall. But in the month of May the Colombo consumer price index rose 1.6 percent in absolute terms to 215.9 from 212.6 points a month earlier. In April the CCPI had fallen 1.0 percent. The slowing down of inflation came despite persistent concern about inflationary pressures rising given heavy government spending more..

June 1 (AFP) Bollywood's leading stars may skip their annual awards festival, which is being held in Sri Lanka this week, following protests from pro-Tamil rebel lobbies in India, officials said Monday. The brand ambassador of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, Amitabh Bachchan, his actor son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai -- Bollywood's leading couple -- have not yet confirmed their participation. more..

June 1 (Hindu) The DMK on Sunday urged the Centre to take �constructive measures� to find a solution to the sufferings of the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in camps in Tamil Nadu. Recalling the State government's request to the Centre to provide permanent resident status to over 73,000 Tamil refugees living in the State, a resolution adopted at the high-level implementation committee meeting said that more..

June 1 (DM) An angry UNP MP Range Bandara has written to UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayaka over the latter�s comments about Bandara�s mental state and allegations that he had �ulterior motives�. In a letter which was also sent to the Chairman of the UNP, Gamini Jayawickrama Perera and the Deputy leader of the party, Karu Jayasuriya, Bandara said that Attanayaka had no right to comment about his mental state as only a certified doctor could more..

June 1 (CI) This series was supposed to be an opportunity to showcase Zimbabwe cricket to the world. Is it in good health? Is the talent there? Is the desire there? The Twenty20 World Cup provided a few answers. Even though they didn't win a game in the tourney, they sparkled in the warm-ups by defeating Australia and Pakistan. This tri-series has hinted at more progress. They produced a clinical win against India in the first ODI in Bulawayo. more..

June 1 (IFRC) Volunteers and staff from The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society are working around the clock to help people affected by the worst floods in five decades. Rescue teams have been mobilized and deployed to Kalutara, Gampaha, Galle, Ratnapura and the capital Colombo to help distribute food, water and shelter. The severe floods are the result of torrential rains that have lasted for several days, killing more than 20 people and affecting over 500,000 people in more..

June 1 (BBC) Five bodies recovered from a toilet pit in Ganeshapuram, Kilinochchi has been sent to Vavunia for further identification. Tamil National Alliance, Jaffna District Member of Parliament S.Sridharan said that the gender of the five bodies were unidentifiable due to their state of decomposition. The post-mortem was carried out by the Judicial Medical Officer Balachandran Sridharan of Vavunia. more..

June 1 (ONN) Buddhist leaders in Sri Lanka may soon pass an anti-conversion law that would punish Christian missionaries working in the country. The proposed law calls for penalties, including fines and prison time for anyone who tries to convert a Sri Lankan citizen from one religion to another by using force, fraud or allurement. The measure was drafted by a political party whose leadership is comprised of Buddhist monks. more..

June 1 (LG) It was a formal interview in which Fauzia Ibrahim of the increasingly popular global TV Channel Al Jazeera (101 East) was conducting. In the process of the event President Mahinda Rajapakse, generally a smiling, courteous and collected man, lost his cool and demanded �You don�t ask that from the Americans. You don�t ask that from the British�Don�t treat Sri Lanka like that� that clearly shocked Ms Ibrahim. more..

June 1 (TC) In a new book entitled �Citizen Singapore: How To Build A Nation - Conversations with Lee Kwan Yew� by Prof Tom Plate, published by Marshall Cavendish, a subsidiary of Times Publishing Ltd, Singapore�s Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew has expressed his opinion on Sri Lanka after the war. Lee Kwan Yew is acknowledged as one of the architects of modern Asia and a pioneer of the Asian economic miracle, more..

June 1 (LP) In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa displayed how weary he is over the allegations against his government regarding the war crimes during the war against the LTTE. The President perturbed by the repeated questioning by Al Jazeera correspondent Fouziah Ibrahim, lost his temper and asked why Al Jazeera repeatedly harassed Sri Lanka with more..

June 1 (TC) The unprecedented � but perhaps not unpredictable � floods in Colombo and Gamapaha districts demonstrated both the danger and the unsustainability of the �Build Baby, Build� approach to development. Development is far too serious a business to be left to politicians and officials made short-sighted by ignorance and avarice. This month�s deluge indicated the necessity for ordinary people to take an interest in extraordinary �development projects� in their areas, because more..

June 1 (N360) The construction work of the Upper Kotmale Hydro power project, the last such mega hydro power plant to take place in Sri Lanka will see its completion by the 3rd quarter of 2011. Project Director Shavindranath Fernando said �by the 3rd quarter of 2011, the project will be completed� Once completed the plant will add 150 MW into the national grid, will contribute 3.5% of the country�s total electricity requirement for the year 2012. more..

June 1 (GV) Every day, we fight several battles � from inflation to traffic to our friendly neighborhood cop. Our battles are many, but our defeat in one particular battle stands out, quite spectacularly. Sign boards saying �Mehi kunu dameema ballanta pamanai� (Only dogs may dump garbage here) are testimony that we did not go down without a fight, that we tried our best. Whenever I see these signs on people�s walls I�m always intrigued because more..

June 1 (GV) Nationalism in our post-modern era is an extremely suspect concept. It smacks of homogeneity, patriarchy and insularity; all ideas and concepts that our generation has learned with good reason to suspect. Most difficult of all, it has often been anti-minority. My intention in this article is not to defend nationalism but rather to inquire into the particular characteristics of Sinhala nationalism and more..

June 1 (NF) People of the country know how well the Health Ministry was run and there's no need to prove the obvious, for, people are already aware of it, says Nimal Siripala De Silva, Minister of Irrigation and Water Management. Addressing a bala mandala meeting, Minister De Silva said that certain parties were attempting to create a dispute between him and the new minister of health. more..

June 1 (LP) President Mahinda Rajapaksa instructed officials to take measures to develop Mahamevna Uyana as a tourist attraction while preserving its historic and sacred values. He called for short and long term plans for its development once initial cleaning and other preparations are completed for the forthcoming Poson festival. The President added that a sound coordinating mechanism between officials of various government bodies should more..

June 1 (LT) We have been with you for the past eight years attempting to quench your thirst for the truth and now have decided to add several more novel features to our service. As a first feature of this novel phase we would like to present to you the �Radio LT" Internet Radio service. You can listen to our radio by accessing www.radio.lankatruth.com We hope to present to you, who access the internet regularly, more..

June 1 (LNP) It is a supreme irony that some government ministers have unwittingly come to play the role of the Opposition, which lies supine following a string of disastrous electoral defeats. UNP bigwigs are too busy stalking one another to concentrate on the government`s omissions and commissions. The DNA is all at sea making some noise from time to time about Gen. Sarath Fonseka`s detention. The TNA does not know whether it is coming or going. more..

June 1 (LP) Bogawantalawa Tea Estates PLC signed the BOI agreement on behalf of �Walters Bay Bogawantalawa Estates (Pvt) Ltd� to setup a state-of-the-art processing centre to manufacture iced tea in packaged form for export to Walters Bay US, in fulfilment of its contract obligations with the global multiple brands. The initial investment would be US $ 2 Mn to set up the processing centre which provides more..

June 1 (NS) Way back in the �50s, Cora Abraham, founder of the Melbourne Art School, decided that Art should be introduced into the school curriculum. Fortunately for her, the Art Inspector of Schools, Mr Beling, shared her views, and gave her a free hand to put her idea into practice. One of the first pupils who benefited from that new approach to Art education was Chandramani Thenuwera. more..

June 1 (MoD) The city is well prepared for the Indian Film Awards (IIFA) to be held this week, said Colombo City Tourist Hotels Association (CCTHA) President, M. Shanthikumar. Hotels in Colombo would make available 650 rooms-nights per day, on a bed and breakfast basis and 148 suites on a full-board basis, which would amount to a total of 2,600 room-nights, for the period of the glitzy IIFA. more..

June 1 (DN) Public servants need not entertain any fears about their job security as the government has planned to provide an efficient and friendly State service to the people through a sound administrative structure, said Public Management Reforms Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka. He said the government wanted to approach an accelerated march to progress with technology and it had no desire or need to prune the public service. more..

June 1 (LP) Sugathadasa stadium has become a brand new venue with IIFA. Two world class giant stadium chillers imported from America and Singapore installed at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium where the 11th International Indian Film (IIFA) awards will take place. The IIFA awards ceremony will comprise high lighting. The prevailing air-conditioning capacity is 24 degrees and more..

June 1 (NF) A state-of-the-art stage is being constructed at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium for the Indian International Film Festival (IIFA) that includes ultra modern lighting and 500-ton air conditioning to keep the whole environs at a constant 18C. The chief organiser of the IIFA awards, Aman Anand making an inspection tour of the venue yesterday, observed that steps had been taken to upgrade various facilities at the stadium. more..

June 1 (DN) It�s 12.36 pm now (May 31, 2010). Keep the time in mind. It is important. Ok, now to Paradise. Sri Lanka Paradise. That�s a Tourist Board payoff line from the early eighties, if I remember right. We knew that. We told the world that Sri Lanka is a paradise and what more it comes with blue waters and shining eyes, delivered I was reminded recently with a gentle smile. Some want to call this hell and for a while their consistent rubbishing of Sri Lanka, more..

June 1 (MoD) Over hundred Korean businessmen including some corporate giants have increasingly expressed business interests (trading and investment) with Sri Lanka. Speaking at a luncheon meeting organized by Sri Lanka-Korea Economic Co-operation Committee, Korean Ambassador, Choi Ki-chul said Samsung SDS, Samsung Electronics India and Korea Electric Power Company are some of the leading companies planning to enter Lanka, reported Daily News. more..

June 1 (LeN) It is reported that a group of Govt. MPs are ready to join the UNP if Sajith Premadasa becomes the leader of the party. A Deputy Minister of the Govt. who was elected from the up country has related this to an M P representing the UNP. This Deputy Minister was a Minister without a portfolio in the previous Cabinet. If Sajith becomes the UNP leader, about ten others will also be coming along with him to the UNP, he has added. more..

June 1 (CT) Garbage has been piling up in the roads of the Dehiwala Mt. Lavinia municipality area after garbage collection has come to a standstill since a fortnight ago. This has seriously inconvenienced pedestrians and several lanes have been blocked by uncollected garbage. In a backdrop where Dengue fever is on the rise, the garbage is posing a serious health risk to residents in the area, 'Colombo Today' learns. more..

June 1 (NPC) Under the �Vadakkin Vasantham� programme many development activities are initiated by the President Mahinda Rajapaksha. Hon. Basil Rajapaksha (MP), Minister of Economic Development, has distributed 30 Nos of Sewing Machines to the resettle women headed families and differently able persons at Nedunkerny Division in Vavuniya district on 27th of May 2010. more..

June 1 (MoD) The Japanese Government has expressed its satisfaction on Sri Lanka's development process. The Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Konio Takahashi expressed these views at an official meeting with Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne. The Japanese Government has also expressed its satisfaction on the Government's efforts to create ethnic harmony in the country. more..

June 1 (CT) Notice has been issued on former UNP MP Myown Mustafa to appear before the Colombo High Court over a bribery charge. Mr. Mustafa faces the accusation of giving ex-NFF parliamentarian Mohamed Musammil Rs. 4.2 million to obtain his support for Gen. Sarath Fonseka at the January presidential polls. Filed by the attorney general, the case was heard today by high court judge Deepani Wijesundara in the absence of the accused. more..

June 1 (LNP) A very reliable source has revealed that CID has commenced investigations regarding Minister Dinesh Gunawardene who was the Minister of Urban Development in the last government. The investigations are carried out regarding several lands that have been handed over without a proper procedure while Mr. Dinesh Gunawardene was the minister. The CID has commenced investigations claiming that more..

June 1 (LT) The Court of Appeal has decided to appoint a three judge tribunal to inquire into the petition filed by former Commander of the Army and Member of Parliament Gen. Sarath Fonseka against the second court martial against him. This order was issued when the petition was taken up today before a panel of judges consisting the President of the Court of Appeal Sathya Hettige and Niel Gunaratne. more..

June 1 (MoD) Education Minister Bandula Gunawardene yesterday said that the teacher shortage in the Eastern Province would be resolved soon. The Minister said the contribution of four factors namely the teachers, students, proper administration and well coordinated provincial council system is of equally importance to achieve the core objectives of free education in Sri Lanka. more..

June 1 (DN) Illegal sand mining has caused sea water to enter into the Ambatale tank which supplies 80 percent of the water supply of Colombo, Ambatale Water Purification Centre Assistant General Manager K.P.R.S. Samarasinghe said adding that unless prompt precautions are taken by the authorities a grave situation may ensue. �Usually in January, February and March the sea water is rising and we arrange measures to put barriers to prevent the entrance of sea water into the tank. more..

June 1 (DM) Though a month has passed since he took office, Co-operatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando, is still to fill vacancies to posts of chairmen and directors of a number of state institutions including the Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) and the Building Materials Corporation (BMC) which come under his ministry. The former CWE Chairman Sagara Kariyawasam resigned from his post to contest more..