May 31 (Island) A 50-year-old man of Mahavilachchiya who exhumed the skull of his wife ten months after her burial, brought it home, placed it on a pedestal, offered flowers and lit oil lamps for it has been placed in the care of the Anuradhapura Hospital’s Psychiatric ward. Acting Magistrate Ranjith Rajakaruna, before whom the suspect was produced by the police, ordered that the skull be re-interred in the cemetery. more..

May 31 (DM) Mrs. Mangayarkkarasi Amirthalingam (76), widow of slain Opposition Leader Appapillai Amirthalingam, visited his bodyguard T.A. Nissanka who shot dead three LTTE assassins on July 13, 1989. She was accompanied by her son Dr. Bahirathan Amirthalingam (51). The family was brought to Colombo by the BBC for a radio documentary. The mother and the son had come for a holiday to Sri Lanka more..

May 31 (LeN) Because a budget was not presented so far, the salary increases for Govt. servants; relief measures and development schemes have been stalled. While this is the truly dire situation in the country, at the Cabinet meeting on 29 th however, it was decided that the tax free permit for import of vehicles to MPs shall be increased from Dollars 35,000 to Dollars 50,000. A loan is also to be passed by the BoC to facilitate the enjoyment of this privilege. more..

May 31 (Island) Undergraduates are planning to launch a protest campaign against the government’s move to set up private universities. IUSF Convener Udul Premaratne said that they would bring 15,000 undergraduates to Colombo the following. It would be the first of a series of protests against the move, he said. He vowed to protect the free education introduced by the then Education Minister Dr. C. W. W. Kannangara. more..

May 31 (DM) The UNP Reforms Committee which introduced reforms to the party’s Constitution will embark on a mission today to bring about changes to the party’s electoral and district organisations. The Committee will meet the representatives of the various party-affiliated organisations, and provincial council and local government members from today till Friday to seek their views on the proposals for more..

May 31 (TN) Chandran Ratnam, internationally famed Tamil film producer was released Monday the Gangodawila Magistrate without any charges against him. Ratnam was arrested by the police last week for allegedly possessing explosive materials in his former residence in Nugegoda. Ratnam vacated the residence two years ago. His relatives challenged that some explosives had been ‘planted’ in his former residence to implicate him, more..

May 31 (MoD) The recent UN Medal Parade ceremony of Haiti-based Sri Lankan Peace-Keeping contingent drew overwhelming admiration of the attendees, present on the occasion, as it turned out to be a blend of both military and culture. The customary UN medal parade, the prestigious military ceremony that recognizes the exemplary contribution, made by any specific contingent to maintain law and order in Haiti, more..

May 31 (AFP) The United Nations human rights chief maintained Monday that Sri Lanka needed an international probe into the government's final offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels last year. Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that the Sri Lanka government had created a post-war reconciliation commission to look into alleged human rights violations, and provide justice to victims. more..

May 31 (AFP) The governing body for cricket in Sri Lanka is the island nation's third-most dishonest institution, the country's new sports minister said on Monday. "The first and second are education and police. Sri Lanka Cricket is the third-most corrupt institution in the country," minister Chandrasiri Bandara Ratnayake told reporters in Colombo. Currently run by an interim committee, Sri Lanka Cricket has been dogged by financial scandals. more..

May 31 (PTI) Sri Lanka will undertake the mammoth task of counting its population for the first time in three decades, with its first post war census next year. Though Sri Lanka's population is estimated at around 21 million, the exact figure would perhaps be known only after the 2011 census. The last Census of Population and Housing was conducted in 2001 after a gap of two decades, but the process could not be extended to more..