June 3 (CI) England threatened to run away with the ODIs first, then Sri Lanka did. Then England did again. Somehow, the series has wound up at Edgbaston still needing to be decided. The result may pivot on which version of each team shows up. Will the Sri Lanka that played the first 35 overs at Lord's outclass the hosts? Or will the England that gathered speed in the last 15 overs of that match, blow the visitors away? Will the Sri Lanka batting that fell apart for 67 surrender once more? more..

June 3 (Age) Leo Seemanpillai met his new 'mum', Cathie Bond, almost a year ago on a cold night in Geelong. Cathie, a retired art teacher and volunteer, was handing out 'welcome packs' to new asylum seekers, distributing food and toiletries, undies and socks, 'to give them some dignity'. Leo was her helper at each house, unloading the car and interpreting. The 29-year-old had been on the Bellarine Peninsula for more..

June 3 (CI) Would Jos Buttler play Test cricket this summer if he was Sri Lankan? According to one adversary the answer goes without saying. "Obviously," said Sachithra Senanayake, speaking at The Oval the day after Buttler's incredible assault narrowly failed to prevent Sri Lanka from levelling the one-day series. Buttler is not the sort of player that county academies can mass produce. In his unorthodoxy, chutzpah and ebullient self-confidence, his style is more reminiscent of SL cricketers. more..

June 3 (Island) A gamut of measures taken for de-risking the economy has triggered overall improvement in the macro-economic environment, Finance and Planning Ministry Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundare said last week. He made this remark at the MILODA Academy of Financial Studies while making a detailed presentation on the country’s Fiscal and Macro-Economic Performance in the Year 2013. Dr. Jayasundare pointed out that this achievement was made on a multi-pronged more..

June 3 (CT) The govt has not yet asked Parliament to approve crucial 25-year tax breaks for the US$ 1.3 billion Colombo Port City Project, the largest single investment in Sri Lanka's history, the Minister of Investment Promotion said. The first step of reclaiming 233 hectares of land from the sea has already commenced, following Cabinet approval of the project and its tax breaks. Colombo Port City Project, for which a MoU was signed in more..

June 3 (Island) Sri Lanka has a favourable ‘per container cost to export’ rate of only $ 595. After reporting $1.07 Bn record exports in March, the country is now mulling a new high tech initiative to help exporters to lower this rate for added competitive advantage-while eager Lankan exporters are already testing to avail themselves to a portion of $60Bn global savings from Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). "We want our exporters to be competitive and will go to more..

June 3 (AN) A total of 5,179 domestic workers ran away from their sponsors in the six months from November 2013 to April 2014, according to the Passport Department in the Eastern Province. Most maids tend to run away just before Ramadan because that's when there is the most demand for household workers. 1,543 maids ran away in November, 729 in December, 926 in January, 801 in February, 523 in March and 657 in April. An earlier survey by the Maid Welfare Center found that more..

June 3 (CT) Minister C.B. Ratnayake, appointed a 14-member committee to regulate vehicles transporting school children. During a workshop conducted for drivers of school vans, Ratnayake said they are hoping to draft a policy regarding the school children transportation, thus the committee is at the initial step towards this goal. The committee is headed by the Ministry Secretary, Padmasiri Jayamanna, and comprises of more..

June 3 (DN) Sri Lanka’s coconut related exports increased by 86% during the first quarter of this year compared to 2011. The Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development Ministry was established in 2011 as a new Cabinet ministry. According to ministry statistics, during the first quarter of this year, Sri Lanka earned over Rs. 5,090 million from coconut related products, an 88% increase from the same period in 2011. In the first quarter of 2011 it was Rs. 2,115 million. more..

June 3 (Forbes) Ivan Robinson of Lanka Real Estate has been in the real estate business in Sri Lanka since 2002. Before relocating to Sri Lanka, 48-year-old Mr. Robinson previously worked as a real estate agent in his native London and then the Cote D’Azur. Between 1996 and 2002, he visited Sri Lanka every year on holiday before the country finally wooed him into moving there. He exchanged 23 years of life selling real estate on the French Riviera for life in Sri Lanka, and more..

June 3 (BBC) Ajith Nivard Cabraal, the governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, has good reason to be pleased. The Bank has achieved much in recent years. Inflation is coming down and is below 5%. Interest rates are lower too. Foreign exchange reserves have never been higher, and GDP growth has averaged between 7% and 8% over the last three years. And yet foreign direct investment (FDI) lags. more..

June 3 (SM) Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera, who has been ailing for some days now, has been offered overseas treatment by President Rajapaksa. President has telephoned the prelate, who is receiving in-house treatment at Sri J'pura Hospital, and offered to provide him the necessary facilities for treatment overseas. Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe too, has visited him at hospital. There have been reports that Sobhitha Thera is to contest the presidential election more..

June 3 (Island) The Defence Ministry had claimed that it was giving "VIP treatment" to the families of military and police personnel who had fought to defend the country, but it was just another ‘lie’ it had propagated, the UNP charged. Colombo District UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake said that many security forces and police personnel had complained to him that the promised monthly allowance of Rs. 750 to their parents was being dished out selectively. more..

June 3 (DN) Mahindodaya technology laboratories are not another system whereby students are turned into guinea pigs, President Rajapaksa said yesterday. He said schoolchildren in the country suffered immensely due to educational reforms implemented from time to time. President said all ministries related to education have joined together to promote technology education through Mahindodaya more..

June 3 (DN) A 'Fever Corner' will be set up at every state hospital in the Western Province to detect dengue patients quickly and to provide them medical treatment without delay, Health Services Director General Dr. Palitha Mahipala said. All patients with fever who visit OPDs in state hospitals wait in queues with other patients to obtain medical treatment. "Patients with fever do not need to wait in queues. They can directly go to the 'Fever Corner' at the OPD and obtain medical treatment. more..

June 3 (AN) The Shoura Council approved a draft agreement between the Saudi Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Foreign Employment in the Republic of Sri Lanka regarding the employment of household workers. The agreement aims to protect the rights of domestic workers and employers by organizing the contractual relationship between them, and emphasizes the development of a standard employment contract for household workers that is acceptable to authorities in both countries, more..

June 3 (Island) The UNP said that the gradual reduction in the education budget over the last several years was a clear indication that the govt was dancing to the tune of the IMF and other international financial institutions. Urging the govt to reveal the several subsidiary agreements it had entered into with the IMF, which impinged on the budgetary allocations for essential services, Vice Chairman of UNP Lakshman Kiriella said more..

June 3 (Island) University teachers will stage a token strike today against the Higher Education Ministry’s failure to solve their problems, based on an agreement the govt entered into with them in 2012. Secretary of the FUTA Dr. Rohan Fernando said that their main demand was the removal of restrictions on research allowance. "The ministry offered the university teachers a research allowance but it is audited," he said, asking how it could be audited if it was part of their salaries. more..

June 3 (MoD) The sudden change in weather has resulted in heavy rainfall in many parts of the island. Floods were reported in several areas in the Kaluthara district due to heavy rainfall yesterday afternoon. Areas including Agalawaththa, Bulathsinghala, Girikola, Welipenna, Lewunduwa, Pelawatta, Walallavita and Baduraliya are among the highly affected by the floods. Seven deaths have been reported due to floods and three persons are still missing according to the district more..

June 3 (DM) A coordinating secretary to Minister Johnston Fernando was yesterday noticed to appear in Court on June 30, after Slave Island police informed Court that the fingerprints obtained from the scene of a crime at the Sathosa building matched the fingerprints of the coordinating secretary. There was a fire at the Sathosa building on July 31, 2013. Prior to this, in 2012, police had received a complaint from more..

June 3 (NF) The Director General of Health Services says that all possible steps have been taken to mitigate the spread of Dengue. Q: A large number of adults as well as children have contracted this disease. Several fatalities have also been reported. The rains have begun once more, so isn’t there a risk that dengue may spread once again? A: Dengue has begun to spread with the rainy weather conditions being experienced. As the number of patients increase, we should more..

June 3 (CG) President Mahinda Rajapaksa ordered the release of 29 Indian fishermen late on Monday, The Hindu newspaper reported. According to a message from his office, the fishermen – arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday near Thalaimannar on charges of poaching – were being released as a goodwill gesture. The release order came Monday night, after a Mannar court remanded the 29 fishermen to custody until June 16. Four other fishermen detained on Sunday were more..

June 3 (Island) The death toll due to the prevailing adverse weather conditions affecting many parts of the country has shot up to 15 while two others are reported missing, according to the DMC. SSP Ajith Rohana said that out of seven victims who had died due to the collapse of an embankment, in Matugama, three were children. Two residents of Bulathsinhala had also died under similar circumstances and one was missing. more..

June 3 (DM) It appears that the thugs of a politician have used ‘minimum force’ on a police constable! The lead story of yesterday’s paper was about an assault on a police officer who gave a speeding ticket to a deputy minister who was little known before the incident. The deputy minister has allegedly threatened the police constable who gave the driver of his vehicle a speeding ticket at the exit point of the Southern Expressway in Kottawa. The deputy minister has allegedly shouted at more..

June 3 (DN) Extra trains will be deployed for the convenience of Poson pilgrims expected in Anuradhapura from June 10 to 14. The trains leaving Colombo Fort will ply via Maho to reach Anuradhapura. The first train will operate on June 10 from Colombo at midnight, Maho 4.57 a.m. to reach Anuradhapura at 6.25 a.m. Seven trains will operate from Colombo to Anuradhapura on June 11. The first of these trains will leave Colombo at 3.45 a.m. arrive at Maho at 7.25 a.m. to reach more..

June 3 (DBS) It was in April this year that this column exclusively reported about how Subramaniam Kapilan alias Nanthagopan had been deported on March 6th 2014 to Sri Lanka from Malaysia with the assistance of law enforcement authorities in Iran and Malaysia.The 45 year old deputy leader of the LTTE “Nediyavan” faction had been stopped on his way to Europe at the Teheran airport and sent back to Kuala Lumpur. more..

June 3 (Island) The UNP said that a rift in the ruling UPFA was widening by the day with some senior members openly questioning the direction of the Mahinda Chintanaya. Some in the govt were calling for the total abolition of the executive presidency while others waned only part of it repealed. There was also another group that was opposed to the abolition thereof, said Galle District MP, Gayantha Karunathillake at a news conference. more..

June 3 (SL) Subsequent to The Sunday Leader revelations last week on how a teenage boy was made a guinea pig by the health authorities at a private hospital in Colombo, after he was admitted with dengue symptoms who died later, medical students who study there complain that they do not get proper training and are compelled by the hospital authority to make maximum use of the patients to get the clinical training they need. more..

June 3 (Island) More than 2,000 dengue cases had been reported from all parts of the country last month while the total number reported from January to the end of May stood at 11,106, the Epidemiology Unit (EU) said yesterday. The EU said that in May last year there had been 2,614 cases while the total numbers reported from January to the end of May 2013 was 14,435. The dengue cases detected so far are as follows: more..

June 3 (ST) A scarcity of vegetables in the marketplace is pushing prices up steeply while continued drought in catchment areas has forced rice farmers to cut their cultivation by nearly half. Vegetable prices increased so sharply that the Government this week made provision for consumers in Colombo and the suburbs to buy cheaper produce through Lak Sathosa sales centres. Officials were instructed to more..

June 3 (AM) Former Sri Lankan cricketer - who now holds a key responsibility in the country's cricket administration - is creating "problems" at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), its General Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga has complained to the President. Sri Lanka Cricket, which is on the verge of running into bankruptcy, is plagued with internecine power struggles between top rung members of the cricket administration. more..

June 3 (MFP) The Japanese Grant Aid for Human Resources Development Scholarship Programme (JDS) was introduce in Sri Lanka 2010 by the Govt Japan in order to bump up the capacity of the executive level public sector officials of Sri Lanka by way of providing opportunities for them to undergo Master Degree Programmes in prominent universities in Japan. Under the 1st framework for the period more..

June 3 (AM) Investigations into the assault on a Police constable who fined Deputy Minister Hemal Gunasekera on the Southern Expressway have taken an interesting turn with Police inquiring whether the Police constable overstepped his limits when he spot-fined the Deputy Minister. Soon after the he fined the Deputy Minister, an unidentified group brutally assaulted the Police constable and set his vehicle on fire. more..

June 3 (CT) Following heavy flooding in Kalutara, two power-supply grids have been disconnected in Matugama in order to ensure the safety of the public, the CEB said. The No. 05 power-supply grid was disconnected due to heavy risk in the Pelawatte, Polgampola, Palinda Nuwara and Walallawita areas. As a result of this disconnection, power supply from Bellana to Neluwa, and Dartanfield to Kithulgoda areas more..

June 3 (AD) The customs import duty on imported milk powder has been increased by Rs 25 per kilogram with effect from yesterday, the Ministry of Finance and Planning said. Accordingly the previous import duty of Rs 57 has been increased to Rs 82 per kilogram. The govt decided to lower its duty waiver provided per kilogram to powdered milk food importers into Sri Lanka with immediate effect. more..

June 3 (LBO) Sri Lanka's stocks closed down 0.1% on Tuesday amid low foreign participation. All Share Price Index closed 6.39 points lower at 6,286.02 down 0.1%. The S&P SL20 closed 0.56 points higher at 3,470.75, up 0.02%. Turnover was 405.22 million rupees, down from 781.96 million rupees a day earlier with 93 stocks closed positive against 93 negative. No off-market transaction reported on Tuesday. Laugfs Gas non-voting shares closed 40 cents lower at 30.00 rupees, more..

June 3 (CT) Torrential rains and resultant mudslides have killed 15 people across the country; 5,000 people have been affected, many of whom are displaced by flash floods. Sri Lanka Air Force has deployed helicopters to rescue victims stranded in the low lying areas of Agalawatta and Palawatta in the Kalutara District. Electricity has been disconnected in the flood hit areas of Kalutara district and residents living near the major rivers have been warned of potential flooding. more..

June 3 (CT) In a surprise move (expect many more in the coming months) Ven Dambara Amila Thera, convenor of the AIMP, has declared that the JVP has requested him to come forward as a Common Candidate (CC) of the opposition, and he would be happy to do so if sufficient numbers backed him. This is what a report in the Ceylon Today newspaper reported in its front page on 3 June. The Thera, according to the report, went on to make some pretty revealing comments. more..

June 3 (Island) Reckless driving killed 3 persons and injured 11 others in the early hours of yesterday at Dimbulagala, while they were returning home in a mini truck from Galle after attending a wedding reception the previous night. A 32-year-old mother, her 12-year-old daughter and a 40-year-old relative were killed and six children, three women and two men were injured around 4 a.m. when their lorry crashed into a wayside tree at Maguldamana in the Aralaganwila police area, more..