June 3 (ST) The Supreme Court on Tuesday will examine the constitutionality of the Registration of Electors (Special Provisions) Bill that seeks to enable internally-displaced people to vote in the electoral districts where they had their permanent residencies in the Northern Province. The Bench will go through the bill and communicate its decision to the President and the Speaker before it is presented in Parliament on Thursday as an urgent bill. President has referred the bill to the SC more..

June 3 (Island) Minister S.B. Dissanayake said that he would suspend the students who were responsible for the recent clashes at the Sabaragamuwa University. The clashes followed the suspension of four students, who were members of the JVP-backed students’ union. They had been found guilty of visiting houses, where other students were boarded, at night and incident them to violence through indoctrination. He said that several students had held a protest blocking the highway more..

June 3 (DN) President Rajapaksa said that recalling atrocities perpetrated by LTTE terrorists in the past was not intended to sow seeds of hatred in society, but to ensure that the such a gruesome period will not be repeated in the future. “We should tell the younger generation that the country faced such a gruesome period in the past in order to avert such situations in the future through forging closer and amicable ties between more..

June 3 (CT) The National Council for the Preservation of Heritage of Irrigation Culture (NCPHIC) has organized a number of poojas, to seek pardon from God Mahasen, for naming a destructive force of nature after the ancient god-king. The Department of Meteorology has already apologized for causing distress to the people of the country by naming a cyclone, which passed the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka recently, after Mahasen, also known as God Minneriya. more..

June 3 (Island) Three members of the same family were killed when the boat they were traveling in capsized in the Kalu Ganga at Meehitiya in Ratnapura yesterday. Eight others in the ill-fated boat were rescued from a watery grave by the villagers. Police identified the victims as Lokubalasuriyage Wilbert Lakshman Appuhamy (48), his son Charith (19) and daughter Renuka Damayanthi (14). Police said that the victims and those who had been rescued were more..

June 3 (CT) In an important twist to the investigations into the Matale mass grave, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has come forward as a stakeholder in the case. It is learnt that when the case of the Matale skeletal remains was taken up by Matale Magistrate, a representative of the BASL, Anura Medegoda, had requested for leave to represent the case. Commenting on the recent development, the JVP, said the move by more..

June 3 (DM) The arrest of the Homagama District Judge Sunil Abeysinghe on charges of accepting Rs. 300,000 from a businessman and the disgraceful drama that unfolded with his so-called supporters giving protection to him in the police station and even threatening the media on Friday were an indication of the shocking reality of the damage that had been done to the judicial service in Sri Lanka. Though most judges in the country should not be judged by any such yardstick more..

June 3 (DM) In a rare display of gratitude to a Muslim police officer who launched a Vesak celebration programme ten years ago, the Wellawa police invited Mr. ULM Mohideen to be chief guest at this year’s grand event. SP Sisil de Silva was called upon by the present OIC Wellawa to hand over a plaque to Mohideen - now OIC Akkaraipattu in appreciation of his services towards communal harmony. If not for the present OIC, Anura Gunawardena, the celebration’s initiator more..

June 3 (DN) Miniser Johnston Fernando said they will prosecute all traders selling substandard Atapirikaras and Buddhist pooja items in their shops. "The Internal Trade Ministry's Consumer Affairs Authority have deployed special teams throughout the country to raid grocery stores, book shops, Atapirikara stores and other outlets which may be selling low quality Buddhist Atapirikara and pooja items," he said. more..

June 3 (SL) Friday, May 24th people watched in horror as Bowatte Indrarathana Thero self-immolated to protest against cattle slaughter. When people decided to intervene, it was too late – the monk suffered third degree burns on his body and succumbed to his injuries shortly after. Indrarathana Thero is being hailed by many as a saint for self-sacrificing to a cause. But others, including members of the clergy, disagree. more..

June 3 (DN) Sri Lankan media is presently dominated by sensational news reporting owing to the harsh competition in editorship and consequently the provincial journalists are constantly persuaded by the media institutions in rousing news coverage which in turn generates an unhealthy public mentality filled with shock and fright, Director General of Information Prof. Ariyarathne Ethugala said. more..

June 3 (Island) The government intends to reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio from 80.2% in 2012 to 75% this year and 60% by 2017, according to targets set out in the Medium Term Debt Management Strategy 2013-2017 (MTDS) and the Central Bank says there are challenges, among them falling demand from private investors while captive sources such as the EPF and NSB drive the domestic government debt market. more..

June 3 (SLBC) The Ministry of Plantation Industry points out that there is a high demand for natural rubber both at the local and international markets. Thee government has already taken measures to spread rubber plantation in many parts of the island. In addition to the traditional rubber growing districts the plantation has been expanded in Moneragala, Ampara, Hambantota, Mullativu, Vavuniya and Kilinochchi districts. more..

June 3 (CG) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) says it read with surprise, an account of an incident that supposedly lead to the filing of an anti corruption report during the Indian tour of Sri Lanka in 2010 and the subsequent withdrawal of the said report due to ‘arm twisting’ by the Indian Cricket Board. “We wish to state that such an incident did not take place as alleged and no report was submitted to the Indian Team Manager nor was an incident report more..

June 3 (ST) Teachers’ unions of the Colombo University are to write to President Rajapaksa, expressing concern about the appointment of Dr. Kumara Hirimburegama as their Vice Chancellor (VC). The unions are expected to meet tomorrow, said Executive Committee member of the Colombo Uni Federation of Teachers Unions’ (CUFTU), Dr Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri. Dr Hirimburegama is the husband of former VC more..

June 3 (Island) UNP MP Sajith Premadasa said that the Provincial Councils, introduced in accordance with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, wouldn’t help solve the grievances of Tamil speaking people. He said that whoever won the first Northern Provincial Council election, scheduled for Sept 2013, the northerners’ lot would not improve. Asked whether he, too, supported the ongoing campaign more..

June 3 (CG) The Colombo Magistrate has ordered an investigation into the men seen giving security to Homagama District Court Judge Sunil Abeysinghe last week. The Bribery Commission had today raised the issue in Court and subsequently the Colombo Magistrate ordered the Bribery Commission to launch an investigation. Magistrate ordered the Commission to submit a report over the matter in 2 weeks more..

June 3 (E24|7) The Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) has run into trouble with the seven franchise owners pulling out of the 2013 edition. Styled on the cash-rich IPL, it seems like the end of the SLPL after the team owners failed to meet the financial targets in the inaugural edition last year, a Sri Lanka daily reported. “We have a problem this year. The franchise owners are pulling out,” Sports Minister Aluthgamage said. more..

June 3 (CT) It is heartening that our amiable Minister of Health is determined to implement the National Medicinal Drug Policy (NMDP) by the end of this year, despite the many machinations brought in by powerful elements to sabotage its implementation. It is a pity that the NMDP, which was almost finalized in 2005 and came close to being implemented, took a tortuous route and remained in limbo for so long despite the relief it was to bring to the poor patients of this country by way of quality drugs at more..

June 3 (CT) The proposals for a new Constitution presented by the main Opposition party could have been much better, but as they stand they constitute a welcome and useful intervention in the political discussion. What is most positive is the stand the UNP has taken on the single most important political problem facing Sri Lanka, which is also the problem of the longest duration in our history as an independent country. This is of course the challenge of nation-building. At the heart of the problem more..

June 3 (Island) Addiction to Facebook, prevents youngsters from playing an effective and constructive social role, a Sri Lankan study reveals. The research was carried out by Gihani de Silva of the Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and Languages of the Sabaragamuwa Uni and P. A. B. Danushika Peliarachchi of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The overall objective of the study was to examine the impact of Facebook user interactions and social implications. more..

June 3 (LT) “Minister S.B. Dissanayake has become an executioner appointed to destroy education. He has become ‘Polpot’ Dissanayake. He has become the butcher of students. An administration is being set up that is necessary to carry out a repressive programme in universities. A family rule is being installed by appointing the husband of the Chairman of the UGC as the vice-chancellor of Colombo University, says the Member of the Central Committee of the JVP and the more..

June 3 (CT) Dr. Sivalingam Sivananthan, a distinquished old boy of Jaffna Hindu College (1968 -75) and currently professor of physics at the University of Illinois Chicago and founder of Sivananthan Laboratories in Bolingbrook, USA, has been named a White House Champion of Change, an honour that recognizes immigrant entrepreneurs. He was given this honor at a ceremony at the White House on May 29 more..

June 3 (GDI) Vacancies existed for Samurdhi Officers in the Northern Province have been filled. Accordingly, 1,300 Samurdhi Development Officers have been recruited for all districts in the Northern Province. A training for these officials started yesterday at Mulaitivu, Vavuniya and Mannar District Secretariats. After 6 days of training these Samurdhi Development officers will be appointed to Samurdhi Banks and for the field works in the respective districts. As a symbolic gesture of this move, more..

June 3 (DM) Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said today that although the govt all political parties have been provided a draft of the ‘media ethics’ bill in order to study it, prior to it being presented to parliament. He said that the bill was stagnated at the consultative committee stage for a long period of time. “This is nothing new; we had discussed this with civil servants, senior journalists and other respected individuals and formulated a draft which was at the consultative committee stage more..

June 3 (SM) The Coordinating Committee for a Joint Trade Union Alliance is to meet on the 7th together with all trade unions and movements that participated in the May 21st token strike to discuss the future course of action. The decision was made when the Committee had met last Friday. The trade union leaders have agreed that the continuous attacks against certain heads of trade unions by the state is mainly due to more..

June 3 (ET) Sri Lanka-based mobile phone company Hutch will offer instant messaging app Nimbuzz to its customers in the country free of charge, it said Monday. The offer would be available to all subscribers of the telecom operator for a period of six months starting from June, 2013. It is available to all subscribers irrespective of their data consumption. Hutchison Telecommunications Lanka CEO Thirukumar Nadarasa said, "Hutch is extremely committed to creating the highest more..

June 3 (PTI) A abducted British couple was rescued and nine persons, including two Sri Lankans, were arrested for allegedly committing the crime and demanding Rs 2.58 crore as ransom. Chennai Police coordinated with Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard), London, and Serious Organised Crime Agency, United Kingdom, state and central intelligence agencies and rescued the couple from an SUV bound for a house at Mandarakuppam in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu last night. more..

June 3 (OU) Four Hindu temples in one night was ransacked and damaged by unidentified persons in the Batticaloa district. The source sculpture and other idols were damaged and the jewelry and money had been looted was said. Tension prevailed in the Batticaloa town two days back due to this incident. Speculations emerged in the midst of people that the court refused to grant permission to erect a Buddhist statue more..

June 3 (CG) An airman attached to the Air force base in Anuradhapura, was killed this morning following a bomb explosion. Initial investigations revealed that he had triggered the bomb inside his room at his official residence in an apparent suicide attempt. The victim was identified as S.T.S Sikuradipathi, a senior officer in the air force. The 31 year old is a resident of Radawana and the police said that his body was found after an explosion was heard inside his room. more..

June 3 (Island) The Mahanayake of Malwatte, the Most Venerable Tibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera, yesterday received a copy of the ‘Code of Ethics’ for teachers. The presentation of the teachers’ ‘Code of Ethics’ was made to the prelate by the Secretary, Ministry of Education, Gotabaya Jayaratne. The new ‘Code of Ethics’ applied to both teachers and heads of schools, Jayaratne said. On receiving the booklet, the Most Venerable Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayake Thera more..

June 3 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's key policy rates are appropriate after two cuts since December, but the central bank is ready to act if needed if there are any major changes in the macroeconomic outlook, Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said. Sri Lanka's monetary authority unexpectedly cut both repurchase and reverse repurchase rates by 50 basis points last month to 7 and 9% respectively to one-year lows after trimming them by the more..

June 3 (PP) Russel Arnold played 44 Tests, 180 ODIs and one T20 for Sri Lanka between April 1997 and April 2007. A left-handed accumulator who also bowled useful off-spin and played in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups, Arnold was also part of the Sri Lankan team that shared the final of the 2002/2003 ICC Champions Trophy with India. Arnold scored over 5,000 international runs, including four centuries and 38 half centuries and also had a successful domestic career, racking up more..

June 3 (PTI) National Freedom Front (NFF), a key nationalist ally in Sri Lankan govt, today launched a signature campaign against the holding of the northern provincial council election. "We will collect a million signatures by June 12 to handover this petition to the President," Wimal Weerawansa, minister and NFF leader said. He said the thirteenth amendment (13A) must be completely abolished or the separatist provisions therein such as the land and police powers be scrapped. more..

June 3 (LBO) A fire at a general cargo warehouse at Sri Lanka's Colombo Port which resulted in about 600 million rupees of damage appeared to have been caused by falsely declared dangerous chemicals. Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Priyath Wickrama said 461 customers had given information about the cargo imported and about their cargo which was valued at 556 million rupees and about 131 had so far said they more..

June 3 (LBO) Stocks closed down 0.18% Monday, with profit taking by investors and losses in the index heavy JKH, DIST and COMB. Colombo All Share Index closed 11.38 points lower at 6,451.68 and the S&P SL 20 Index closed 10.73 points lower at 3,635.59 down 0.29%. Turnover was 752 million rupees up from 731 million day earlier. Foreigners brought 403 million rupees worth shares while selling 60 million rupees of shares, in a day that 91 stocks advanced and 112 stocks declined. more..

June 3 (BP) Sri Lanka celebrated the fourth anniversary of its military victory over Tamil separatists last month amid concerns over a venomous hate campaign and resultant attacks against Muslim and Christian minorities by some Buddhist monks, one of whom set himself on fire. Army tanks rolled onto the streets of Colombo to mark the celebration on May 18, although the ethnic Tamil minority, which witnessed the killing of more than 70,000 civilians during the final phase of more..

June 3 (CG) The govt says people smuggling has become a serious issue of concern. Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem said that Sri Lanka and Australia have been closely working together, and with other countries in the region though the Bali Process, to combat people smuggling. A workshop on people smuggling and international crime cooperation for 39 Sri Lankan Magistrates was held in Negombo over the weekend as part of more..

June 3 (GN) The Sri Lanka govt’s finance and investment officials met Dubai-based fund managers and businesses on Monday in an effort to drum up foreign investments in various sectors, including capital markets, tourism, infrastructure and financial services. In their presentations, the delegation, which comprised two govt ministers and officials from the Colombo Stock Exchange, Securities and Exchange Commission and Investment Board, sought to reassure the prospective investors more..