June 4 (BT) LEY Choon Group Holdings has clinched a $38.2 million sewer pipe rehabilitation contract in Sri Lanka, making the country its third overseas market after Brunei and China. The Singapore-listed company, a one-stop service provider for underground utilities construction and road works, said yesterday that the contract is for the rehabilitation of 10 km of sewer lines and assessment of 125 km of sewer lines. CEO Toh Choo Huat said: "Our technical expertise in more..

June 4 (DN) Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi instructed CEB officials to restore electricity as soon as possible in all areas affected by the floods and inclement weather. Power breakdowns due to bad weather were reported from several areas. Most areas in the Kalutara district have been similarly affected. Pelawatta, Polgampola, Palinda Town and Walallawita which were affected by floods are experiencing a blackout, since electricity from No 5 feeder area, belonging to Kotuma sub station more..

June 4 (CT) JHU MP Ven. Athureliye Rathana Thera, who is the National Coordinator of the Pivituru Hetak organization stressed that the President should step down from all ministerial portfolios excluding the Defence Ministry. Addressing the function held in BMICH to launch the manifesto of the organization, Thera said that a large number of important institutions should not be under the purview of Executive President. more..

June 4 (LT) The govt that establishes private medical colleges despite opposition from doctors stating that Allied Medical Science course cannot be extended to its original four years is hilarious says the General Secretary of the JVP Tilvin Silva adding that this reveals the double standard of the govt. Responding to a question asked by a journalist regarding govt’s failure to solve the ‘Allied Medical Science’ issue he said, “Govt always tries to show such issues as a conflict between two parties. more..

June 4 (DN) Over Rs 140 million has been released by the Resettlement Ministry for the improvement of sanitary facilities in the Northern and Eastern Provinces under the second phase of the Ministry's water and sanitation projects for the resettled, Ministry Secretary Janaka Sugathadasa said. "Plans are afoot to construct toilets and and provide washing facilities for 2,200 resettled families in the Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Batticaloa and other districts under this project," he said. more..

June 4 (FT) Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe urged the Govt to take immediate action to resolve the issues highlighted by the FUTA before the ongoing token strike cripples the entire higher education sector in the days to come. Raising his concerns and expecting the PM’s response, Wickremesinghe wanted the Govt to increase allocation on education to 6% of the GDP, grant research allowances to university more..

June 4 (CT) The incapability of the Ministry of Health has led to dengue reaching epidemic levels in several areas in the country, the Government Nursing Officers' Association (GNOA) said. Addressing the media, GNOA President, Saman Ratnapriya, said that the Health Ministry had not taken sufficient measures to prevent the spread of dengue and that the dengue prevention programmes that the Health Ministry boasts about are only media shows. more..

June 4 (LT) The Federation of University Teachers Associations in a letter to the IGP states that politically motivated attacks are carried out against students and members of the staff of Ruhuna University and asks the IGP to instruct his officers to carry out their duties impartially, ensure the safety and security of the students and staff of the University and take action against those who are breaking the law irrespective of their position. The letter states thugs armed with iron bars more..

June 4 (DM) Police Department has advised motorist to desist from fixing any other lights above the headlights of vehicles and warned that legal action would be taken against those who violated the law. “We will remove such lights and in case we find it difficult to do so, the motorists will be given a day’s time to do so and to show us that it has been. Defaulter will be taken to Courts,” Traffic DIG Amarasiri Senaratne said. more..

June 4 (BBC) Gunshot residue found on the body of a British man killed in Sri Lanka matches weapons found in the possession of the accused men, a forensics expert told a court. Khuram Shaikh from Rochdale, was found with gunshot and stab wounds on Christmas Day in 2011. The expert, Mr Gunatilleke, told the trial in Colombo the residue was found when he wiped a wound on his forehead. Sampath Vidanapathirana, a town council leader, and five other men deny murder. more..

June 4 (DM) Government and UNP MPs are gearing up to bring a no-confidence motion against Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem, Daily Mirror learns. The reason for the motion is the present disarray in Law College due to a decision to stop enrolling persons aged over 30 years in the College. UNP MP Ajith Perera said this decision had been taken despite there being no legal provision for it. Mr. Perera said discussions were under way with government MPs to bring this motion.

June 4 (Island) The death toll from adverse weather conditions rose to 21 yesterday while more than 22,449 people, in the Matara, Gampaha, Galle, Kegalle, Ratnapura and Kalutara districts were displaced. One person was missing and eight people had been injured. Minister Mahinda Aamaraweera said that the situation was getting worse. Meteorology Department warned of severe weather conditions in many parts of more..

June 4 (DN) Senior SLFP politician S. D. Bandaranayake who represented the Gampaha district in the Legislature from 1952 to 1989 passed away at a private hospital in Colombo yesterday. He was 98. Funeral arrangements will be notified later. Bandaranayake, an old boy of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinaia and St. Thomas College Matara joined the Ceylon Agricultural Corps as commandant which was introduced by the Late D.S Senanayake during World War II. more..

June 4 (CT) Time has come for policy makers to change the voter registration process and the legal framework to transform it into a simple and easy Endeavour, CaFFE said. Each year, between June and August, a survey is conducted to determine eligible voters and to amend the voter registry. "However, a large number of voters lose their franchise, due to this process. The lack of interest among voters to take part in the survey, ignorance and mistakes made by officers are the main more..

June 4 (AFP) England captain Alastair Cook said he expected the controversial run out of Jos Buttler during the fifth one-day international against Sri Lanka to "spice up" the forthcoming Test series between the teams. Cook insisted a "line had been crossed" after Sachithra Senanayake ran out England's Jos Buttler as the non-striker backed up during Sri Lanka's 3-2 series-clinching six-wicket win in the 5th and final ODI on Tuesday. more..

June 4 (DM) One would certainly be surprised to hear that the Chief Minister of Northern Province, C.V. Wigneswaran who is said to be fighting for the democratic rights of the Northern Tamil people has issued a circular depriving the same people of one of their key democratic rights - the right to information. He has sent out the circular days ago to the Jaffna media that they should not make any attempt to contact him at his office or residence. He has said that he would inform the media more..

June 4 (DM) 37 years ago, in 1977, when the country was in the grip of a rule by one single Family, the Bandaranaikes, the country chose in an overwhelming manner to dispel that ‘Family’ from power. The scourge of the Family Tree was most starkly and succinctly illustrated in the political booklet namely “Scourge of the Seven Years” (Hath vasaka saapaya) and each time a new edition was printed, it was sold out within a very short time, in fact within a few weeks. more..

June 4 (SL) Tamil youth in Udappuwa seem finally tired of finding ways to flee the country to seek asylum in countries like Australia. For over the years in the past most of the Tamil youth in Udappuwa – a remote village that is situated 5 km off the Chilaw – Puttalam main road have been fleeing the country on boats to seek asylum in other countries despite all the restrictions imposed by govt against human trafficking. more..

June 4 (ST) With intermittent showers in different parts of the country sending dengue numbers up, fear is gripping men, women and children. The dengue death toll for this year is 39 with this dreaded disease sending 10,700 people to hospitals across the country. If a child or an adult has fever what should be done? The ‘action plan’ in such a scenario is detailed by dengue expert Dr. LakKumar Fernando who heads the Centre for more..

June 4 (AD) Former cricketer and SLFP parliamentarian Sanath Jayasuriya today completely rejected allegations by the JVP that he assaulted Ruhuna University students. He added that he merely went to participate in a protest launched by the villagers near the university. He claimed that he was at the protest for 15 minutes and left with the petition signed by the villagers to be handed over to the President. more..

June 4 (CT) The Allied Health Sciences (AHS) undergraduates will be given the option to complete the 120 credit points required for the degree in either three or four years, Minister for Higher Education, S.B. Dissanayake, told Parliament yesterday. The minister was replying to a question raised by Opposition Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, on the higher education system, under Standing Order 23/A. more..

June 4 (KUNA) In addition to helping further relations between Kuwait and Sri Lanka, the visit by Deputy National Assembly Speaker MP Mubarak Al-Khurainij and an accompanying delegation yielded positive developments on many fronts, MPs said Wednesday, during their visit. Al-Khurainij and delegation members met with Deputy Parliament Speaker Chandima Weerakkody, Ministers G.L. Peiris, and Dilan Perera. more..

June 4 (Island) A token strike by university teachers yesterday crippled academic activities in all universities. The FUTA called their trade union action a success, but the Higher Education Ministry insisted that only a few teachers had kept away. FUTA executive committee member Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said that lecturers from Colombo, Sri J'pura, Kelaniya, Moratuwa and Open University had demonstrated at more..

June 4 (MoD) Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage and Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Robyn Mudie signed the deed of gift of the second Australian Bay Class patrol boat at the Naval Headquarters on 03rd June. Director General Operations Rear Admiral Neil Rosayro, Director Naval Project and Planning, Commodore Samantha Wimalathunge and Ms. Sue Knight of the more..

June 4 (Island) Sri Lanka was being crucified at international forums and adverse UNHRC resolutions had been adopted against it, because President Mahinda Rajapaksa was interfering with the judiciary, the UNP charged. UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the party’s parliamentary group meeting in Colombo pointed out that if the judiciary had been allowed to act independently the Rajapaksa regime more..

June 4 (Island) Senior lecturer in Paediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo University, Dr. Pujitha Wickremasinghe revealed that out of four million schoolchildren in Sri Lanka about 30% attended schools without having breakfast. Although school canteen owners had been instructed to implement school canteen policy and help inculcate healthy eating habits among students, most of them were found to be more..

June 4 (AM) Sri Lanka is to face tougher times on the human rights front with Marzuki Darusman, one of the members of the UN Experts Panel who probed into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka, is tipped to be appointed as the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights after Navi Pillay's retirement in August. Navi Pillay succeeded Louise Arbour as the UN Human Rights Chief in Jul, 2008 and has held the for nearly 06 years. more..

June 4 (CT) When I heard that a group of UNP MPs were to visit the controversial Norochcholi Power Plant, I guessed they were deliberately heading for a repetition of the showdown at Hambantota. However the news of what really happened at the visit, gladdened my heart to find my imagination belied. According to the media, the UNP delegation had been given a warm welcome with political leaders on the Government side receiving them with hugs and garlands. more..

June 4 (Island) The Supreme Court yesterday fixed for support on August 4, 2014, the fundamental rights violation application filed by a Muslim girl of Janadhipathi Balika Vidyalaya, Rajagiriya and her father claiming that the principal of the school had prohibited her from wearing the traditional Muslim dress to school. The issue of granting leave to proceed with the petition will be considered on August 4, 2014. The girl is 11 years of age in Grade Seven. more..

June 4 (LBO) Sri Lanka's stocks closed flat Wednesday despite strong foreign buying. All Share Price Index closed 0.04 points higher at 6,286.06. The S&P SL20 closed 1.25 points higher at 3,472.00, up 0.04%. Turnover was 1.02 billion rupees, up from 405.22 million rupees a day earlier with 80 stocks closed positive against 90 negative. John Keells closed flat at 235.00 rupees with market transactions of 514.83 million rupees contributing 51% of the daily turnover more..

June 4 (Island) The body of a youth dragged away by the surging flood waters while he was trying to save some buffaloes that had been tethered together from drowning after the Mudun Ela at Mahara, Kiribathgoda overflowed, was recovered yesterday. The deceased was V. A. Akila Sanjeewa Perera (31) of the same area. His grieving wife Uchitha Mallawarachchi (32) said that her husband had been a casual labourer and they had a nine month old daughter. more..

June 4 (LBO) Sri Lanka based MillenniumIT, a unit of London Stock Exchange said its products have been selected by Aequitas Innovations in Canada which is building a new securities exchange. "This is a significant win for us – our suite of capital markets technology has been chosen to launch this new exchange, which is set to bring increased competition to the Canadian capital market," Mack Gill, CEO, MillenniumIT said. more..

June 4 (WSWS) Nearly 500 contract workers at two Holcim Lanka cement plants in the towns of Puttalam and Galle in Sri Lanka have been on strike since May 19 demanding job permanency, better wages and working conditions. The striking workers together with their families are occupying the plant premises. Amid growing anger against the company’s exploitative conditions, the Inter Company Employees Union (ICEU) was forced to call the strike. more..

June 4 (DN) The Scout Service and Public Relations Fortnight from June 6 to 22 organised by the Sri Lanka Scout Association Movement was officially inaugurated at a ceremony held under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday. Members of the Eagle Scout group of S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia which recorded the highest income during the Scout Service and Public Relations Week last year, joined the President at this ceremony. more..

June 4 (PTI) DMDK, an ally of BJP-led NDA in Tamil Nadu, urged the Centre to find a permanent solution to the Sri Lankan Tamils issue and harassment of state's fishermen, allegedly by the island nation's navy. "Though India magnanimously treats Sri Lanka as a friendly country, it does not seem to be respecting India. Apprehension and assault of Tamil Nadu fishermen continues and we strongly condemn this," a resolution adopted more..

June 4 (Reuters) The Sri Lankan rupee ended firmer on Wednesday as exporters and banks sold dollars due to tight rupee liquidity in the market, while state banks' bought the greenback to prevent possible sharp gains in the local currency, dealers said. Dealers said the two state banks, through which the central bank intervenes to direct the market, bought dollars at 130.30 rupees, five cents below the previous day's level, to prevent sharp volatility in the currency. more..

June 4 (CT) Sri Lanka it appears is destined to remain the vanquished in the continuing battle to rid country of the scourge of dengue. And if the news coming from the Health Ministry is anything to go by, we are not likely to emerge winners over this deadly menace in the foreseeable future. For, not only are we experiencing yet another outbreak with more than 2,000 cases reported in the 31 days of May this year, we are also a hyper endemic country for the deadly disease with the Aedes aegypti more..

June 4 (IRIN) Angry paddy farmers blocked major roads in the Minneriya and Girithale areas in North Eastern Polonnaruwa region last month, complaining the govt had not released enough water for their rice to grow; they claimed they had lost 50,000 hectares of crops, or 1.75 million kg. Ananda Edirisuriya, who took part in the protests, accused the Irrigation Department of failing to notify farmers of impending water shortages. more..

June 4 (SM) The state language policy should be implemented equally in the entire country without any exceptions for the north or the south, says the Jathika Hela Uruyama. The northern provincial council’s having sent letters only in the Tamil language is a clear violation of the country’s language policy, which effectively shows the north was having a Tamil chauvinistic language policy, according to JHU’s central committee member Ven. Passaramulle Dayawansa Thera. more..