June 1 (NS) Hairdresser Ramani Fernando, a name synonymous with beauty care in Sri Lanka, believes anyone can look good if the need for change comes from within. In an interview with The Nation Ramani tells readers why she does her job with so much passion. She reminds her staffers to smile a lot because hairdressing involves dealing with people and they (Customers) need love and care. Her father, a lawyer, saw the potential to succeed in the industry she chose and even said, more..

June 1 (GV) This year’s Bishop Cyril Abeynaike Memorial Oration was a fascinating talk on some aspects of globalization by Dr. Harsha Athurupane. He spoke mostly of the benefits of globalization but also mentioned some possible ill effects. In an ideal globalized world, people, goods, services, knowledge, information and technology should move freely across of globe. But we do not live in such a world and probably never will, but there has been some movement towards globalization that more..

June 1 (SO) During my childhood, I immensely enjoyed the comic strip Sathweni Dawasa (created by Bandula Harishchandra and Published in the Silumina) which presented a dissection of gypsy life and their tragedies in the face of rapid social change. In this popular strip cartoon, the gypsies (Ahikuntakas) were pictured as tragic heroes in the process of evolution and in their struggle to avoid being sidelined in society. more..

June 1 (NS) Vesak is the season of giving. Almsgivings and Dansal are rampant during the Vesak week. Daana or almsgiving has been promoted since Sri Lankan civilization began. Though the concept of Daana given in a systematic manner began with cultural civilization, no one can claim that the concept of giving or offering things to the poor was non existent before. Yet, people started to give Daana with specific intentions and various wishes with the introduction of more..

June 1 (Island) The TNA has taken exception to the UNP’s commitment to Sri Lanka’s unitary status as reiterated in its draft proposal for a new Constitution. TNA MP Mavai Senathirajah has told the media that genuine power sharing is not possible so long as the state remains unitary and his party will make public a detailed response to the UNP’s proposal later. The UNP may have made specific mention of its commitment to the country’s unitary status in its draft constitutional proposals in a bid to win back more..

June 1 (CT) Women's Action for Social Justice (WASJ) recently organized a panel discussion on the theme Violence Against Women is 'Violence Against Humanity,' which was held at the Public Library auditorium. Over 10,000 signatures, which have been gathered against Violence Against Women, from 10 Dec 2012 to May 2013, were also handed over to the UN Office in Colombo. Signatures were gathered from the general more..

June 1 (SL) Sri Lanka registered yet another historic record last week. For the first time in the world, workers rallied round a govt and broke a strike that demanded the removal of a crippling electricity tariff hike that would have taken a significant part of their income. ‘Workers of the World Unite You have Much to Gain from the Tariffs Imposed on You’, cracked Hirung Bombepala, UNP stalwart raising his glass to his old pal Vimukthi Viplavapaksha when they sat down for drinks at their water hole. more..

June 1 (CT) The publicized behavior of the Christian hierarchy in many parts of the world in relation to pedophile allegations and of the Buddhist monks who are running wild and violent in Sri Lanka has revived within me the need to reaffirm the skepticism about religion that I developed intellectually during the four years that I read philosophy at Peradeniya. I passionately believe in things spiritual-namely things of the human spirit that include empathy and feel for other humans especially when the latter are more..

June 1 (GV) The country stands at a crossroad. A parliamentary victory for the JHU bill will complete the negative process which commenced with Sinhala Only in 1956 and the distortion in 1972 of the laudable shift to a Republic with mono-linguistic and mono-religious hegemony. If ’56 and ’72 were paving stones for the Tamil Eelam project, the passage of the JHU bill to abolish the 13th amendment will complete the process of the legitimisation of secessionism. more..

June 1 (CT) The suicide by a Buddhist monk who set himself on fire in Sri Lanka to protest the slaughter of cattle has been hailed as an act of great self-sacrifice and compared to acts of self-immolation by Tibetan Buddhist monks protesting China’s repression in Tibet. Nothing could be more ill-informed. In fact, it is one more step by Sri Lanka’s chauvinist Sinhala-Buddhists to undermine the Muslim political base. The monk, Bowatte Indraratne, who had been campaigning more..

June 1 (DBS) Dear Sirs/Madams, Forgive me for sending out an impersonal email. I wish to draw your attention to the following. Last night (28), a young trainee nurse from Nawalapitiya was tossed out of a moving bus unto the bustling street in Kirulapone and fell right in front of my moving car. While a Police Officer from the Wellawatte Station was questioning the bus driver, a friend and I rushed her to the General more..

June 1 (Island) Last week, the world was outraged by the brutal killing by religious extremists of an off-duty British soldier outside his barracks in south-east London. Of course, sectarian killngs are now taking place with sickening regularity throughout the world but when they happen, we need to continue condemning them in the strongest possible terms. It was good to find Dr Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, Co-Chair of the Christian-Muslim Forum at a more..

June 1 (Island) My father started building the house in which we live in Colombo in 1957. For a decade or two after its completion, butterflies and moths were a constant presence in the garden. In the evening, they used to enter the living room and rest on the walls. They were of a variety of colours – some very beautiful. At a certain season of the year, long processions of large yellow butterflies used to fly in one direction down the road in front of the house. There are records that much larger more..

June 1 (Island) The decline in the standard of Sri Lanka Cricket could be attributed to those square pegs in round holes at the helm at SLC. The reasons for it is that these elements bend their backs to those that wield power in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). As a result, the IPL calls the shots, much to the detriment of Sri Lankan cricket. The damaging factor is that whenever there is a bilateral international more..

June 1 (DN) MP A.H.M. Azwer said that the Mahinda Chinthanaya is the first policy document in Sri Lanka that was translated into a foreign language. The Chinese translation of Mahinda Chinthanaya was launched at a function graced by Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao at the Great Hall of China. Azwer said that the Sri Lanka envoy in China Ranjith Ugangoda has taken great efforts to translate the Mahinda Chinthanaya into Chinese with the help of a Chinese Professor. more..

June 1 (Island) The Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) partnered with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to launch SCORE (Sustaining Competitive & Responsible Enterprises), a course to support SME’s on how to forge an enterprise culture of sustainable competitiveness and growth. On the 22nd of May, the EFC and the ILO welcomed CEOs from six companies to the launch of a new programme on how to become sustainable and responsible competitive more..

June 1 (CT) SGIT, the IT professional services organization of Sri Lanka's premier conglomerate John Keells Holdings (JKH), recently launched the first ever corporate Apps Store in Sri Lanka exclusively for the John Keells Group. The App Store features a number of applications which can be used by JKH employees for tasks such as accessing Business Intelligence reports and dashboards, performing approval tasks, more..

June 1 (BL) 'Udekki's is not a hotel,' says owner Glen Terry, 'it's my home. I just let people stay in it.' Terry, a never-far-from-a-guitar blues musician, set up in Sri Lanka's Kalpitiya peninsula a few years ago and Udekki is one of a small clutch of properties at Alankuda Beach including Palagama Beach and Bar Reef Resort. Terry is fun loving and laid back, and this is reflected in Udekki's atmosphere. Not one for demanding divas, there is no set menu here, no specific meal times and no fuss. more..

June 1 (Island) The four men, who had run amok, on Tuesday (28) afternoon, attacking two vehicles and a couple on a motorcycle, in the Menikhinna town, were arrested by Menikhinna the police. The four men, pretending to be supporters of a minister, attacked and threatened the drivers of the vehicles demanding that they clear the way for their Fargo vehicle. They also attacked the nurse and her husband on who were riding a motorcycle, according to preliminary inquiries. more..

June 1 (DN) Since the Health Ministry has guaranteed the safety of imported milk powder available in Sri Lanka, legal action will be taken against any person or organization which publicizes false information about milk powder, aimed at misleading the public, as such persons and organizations will be deemed to have violated ‘the rules and regulations of the Food Act 26 of 1980’, a Health Ministry spokesman said. more..

June 1 (Island) A badly burnt body of a 15-year-old schoolgirl was found in a shrub jungle, outside her home at Udadumbara, by the Ududumbara police on Tuesday. Acting on information provided by a resident of the area, police visited the scene and commenced investigations. The deceased has been identified as Ruwanthi Dissanayake, daughter of a retired army officer and of a Samurdhi Niladharini of the division. Ruwanthi was a student at Navodya School in Udadumbara. more..

June 1 (AT) The Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Los Angeles participated at a cultural show “Sundara Lanka” organized by the Sri Lankan students of the University of California, Irvine at the Crystal Cove Auditorium on 19th May. The Consul General of Sri Lanka in Los Angeles Dr. Hector Weerasinghe as the Chief Guest of the Cultural show, made a speech on Sri Lanka and its socio-economic developments. At the outset, the Consul General appreciated the SL students for more..

June 1 (Island) The Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) revealed that cigarette production had gone down by 15% during the last 20 years. ADIC Executive Director Pubudu Sumanasekara said that the domestic cigarette production had dropped tremendously between 1994 and last year. The domestic cigarette production in 2007 which was about over 4,600 million sticks had dropped to more..

June 1 (DN) New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully will visit Sri Lanka on Tuesday on a two day official visit on the invitation of Minister Prof. G.L.Peiris. While in Sri Lanka, McCully will meet the ministers of External Affairs and Economic Development among others. According to NZ media, McCully referring to his visit has said that it is a good opportunity to discuss Sri Lanka's hosting of the CHOGM and exploring avenues to further strengthen bi-lateral ties. more..

June 1 (Island) A rural ‘Nenasala’ operator bagged the best tele-centre manager award at the recently concluded Global Telecenter Awards in Spain. Owner / Manager of ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) – initiated Suriyawewa Nenasala in Hambantota, Deepika Priyadharshanee won this prestigious award beating 60 tele-centre operators around the world. Deepika marked her latest first when she won the award as the best telecentre manager at the Global Telecentre Awards (GTA) held in more..

June 1 (IANS) India is Sri Lanka's "relative and closest friend" and the island nation's growing close ties with China are not in any way a contraction to that, the Sri Lankan envoy said. Addressing a talk at the Foreign Correspondent's Club, High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam said that Sri Lanka's ties with India and with China are "not a zero sum game". "This is not a zero sum game. We consider India a relative and closest friend more..

June 1 (DN) Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa presided when Parliament met at 2.45 p.m yesterday at a special session for the address to the Members of Parliament by the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Yinghluck Shinawatra. Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa said it is an honour and privilege to welcome to our Parliament at this special session, Yingluck Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, one of the most dynamic and outstanding leaders in South East Asia. more..

June 1 (Island) The GMOA yesterday accused the Matara General Hospital Director, Dr. Ms Samanthi Samarakoon of running an inefficient administration. GMOA General Secretary, Dr. Chandika Epitakduwa said the GMOA would give her time to get her act together but if she failed to do so, the GMOA Matara Branch union would launch trade union action against her. He alleged that due to many shortcomings at the Matara Hospital and maladministration, the Kamburugamuwa more..

June 1 (Island) PM of Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday stressed the need for the world to unite to preserve democracy, which, she said, was the best form of govt to protect the rights and liberty of people and advance society’s interest. PM Shinawatra said democracy was not an internal affair of one country’s alone. "Democracy is rather something that the world must join to preserve." She said Thailand and Sri Lanka more..

June 1 (AT) The Officers and sailors of PNS SAIF visited a local orphanage to extend their support and care to the children residing thnere. Utilizing their stay in Trincomalee, a group of PNS SAIF Officers and sailors visited Rehwatha Children’s Home Trincomalee as part of a humanitarian outreach event and distributed medicines, gifts and supplies to the 50 plus orphaned children residing in the said orphanage. The 123 meter long multi mission PNS SAIF, which is capable of operating more..

June 1 (DN) STF officials yesterday arrested two youths transporting a US made scanner banned in Sri Lanka. The US made scanner has the ability to observe an area in depth of over 100 feet. It is said that artefacts buried in the earth can be traced by this machine. The STF made the arrest in Pettah on Thursday. The two suspects in police custody are residents of Kantalai and Kadawata. They confessed to the police that a friend living in the United States sent them the scanner. more..

June 1 (Reuters) Sri Lanka aims to cut its foreign currency debts and short-term domestic borrowing under a medium-term debt management plan, the central bank said on Friday, after it failed to achieve its debt-to-GDP target last year. The central bank, releasing a report on Sri Lanka's public debt management in 2012, said it aims to reduce foreign currency debts to 30% of total outstanding debt by 2016 from last year's 43%. more..

June 1 (DN) The Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association (SLCFA) wishes to congratulate President Rajapksa for taking measures to further strengthen the historical relationship between Sri Lanka and China during his recent visit to China. "China has been a sincere friend of Sri Lanka as seen in the recent history of our country and appeared more prominently in our post war development efforts. The relationship between the two countries has grown as never seen more..

June 1 (Island) Heavy rains caused by the south-west monsoon, lashed Colombo and other coastal areas countrywide, from the early hours of yesterday, hampering all day-to-day activities and affecting thousands of people, especially in the city, during the morning and evening rush hours. Vehicular traffic came to a standstill due to a number of roads leading to the city being flooded. Thousands of school children were also affected andsome office workers who were caught up more..

June 1 (Island) Matale Magistrate and Additional District Judge ordered the CID to publish advertisements in all three languages, Sinhala, Tamil and English, asking the relatives of those who disappeared during the 1987–‘89 period, in the Matale District, to come forward and give evidence in the mass grave case. When the case was called yesterday, the Magistrate also told the CID that they should start DNA testing on 155 skeletons more..

June 1 (DM) In a front page report headlined ‘Hippocratic or hypocritical?’ highlighted the shocking and scandalous case of what happened at the country’s premier medical centre, the Sri Lanka National Hospital. A courageous and civic conscious lady lawyer, Selyna D. Peiris had seen a girl, later found to be a trainee nurse, being tossed out of a private bus on Havelock Road. While the police dealt with the bus crew the lady lawyer carried the injured girl into her car and rushed her to more..

June 1 (DM) Both Indira Gandhi and her son, Rajiv, were murdered. The former by her Sikh bodyguards and the latter by the LTTE whom he had nurtured, protected and nourished. While many decry these murders as indeed any murder must be, I for one was an exception and was overjoyed by, and rejoiced at, the deaths of this mother and son who to my mind, were two of the biggest enemies Sri Lanka has had in recent times. My one regret was that their deaths came too late, because they came more..

June 1 (CG) The Sri Lankan govt says regulation, transparency and accountability of funding to NGOs and NPOs (Nonprofit Organisations) is a pre-requisite in the interest of national security and counter-terrorism as recognized by states. Speaking during the Clustered ID with the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association on the rights to Peaceful Assembly at the ongoing session more..

June 1 (Island) Since President Mahinda Rajapaksa enjoyed more powers than even US President Barack Obama, a new constitution should ensure that the executive presidency is replaced by a Head of State, who would not be able to abuse his authority, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Thursday. Speaking to the media at Sirikotha after launching the UNP’s new draft constitution, via the party website, more..