May 16 (LT) Four activists of Allied Health Science Faculty students’ Union were arrested during the mass agitation held opposite UGC today against the move to reduce the period of the Allied Health Science degree to three years. President of the Peradeniya Students’ Council, the President and Vice President of Allied Health Science faculty at Peradeniya University and the President of the Allied Health Science Faculty of Ruhuna University more..

May 16 (LT) A massive agitation was held opposite Holcim head office in Colombo today protesting against the failure to make 500 employees permanent despite being employed in the company for about 15 years. The Organizing Secretary of the Inter Company Employees Union B.I. Abdeen and its Senior Asst. Secretary Somadasa Weeratunga also participated. The employees working on a contract basis have been denied a 8 hour work shift, a definite salary, overtime allowances and more..

May 16 (AD) Sri Lanka’s Victory Day parade will be held in Matara on May 18 under the patronage of President Rajapaksa and representatives of foreign countries. In view of the Victory Day Parade, a new traffic plan will be in force in Matara on May 16, 17 and 18 from 5 am, SSP T.M.W.D. Tennakoon said. Also the Matara main bus stand will be temporarily shifted to Isadeen town on May 17 and 18. Accordingly all heavy vehicles including lorries and trucks plying on the Galle road from more..

May 16 (SLN) Bangladesh Naval Ships “ALI HAIDER” and “NIRMUL” arrived at the Port of Colombo on a goodwill visit on 16th May 2014. They were welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with naval traditions on arrival. Ships’ Commanding Officers, Captain Mohammad Anwar and Commander Tanzim Faruq paid a courtesy call on Commander Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Sirimevan Ranasinghe at the Western more..

May 16 (AT) The High Commission of Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom organized an almsgiving for twenty Venerable members of the Maha Sanga representing the Buddhist temples in the UK, on Wednesday 14th May, with the participation of the Sri Lankan community, as part of its Vesak Celebrations, and also to invoke blessings on President Rajapaksa, the Govt and the people of Sri Lanka. The High Commission premises were colourfully adorned with Vesak lanterns, more..

May 16 (SLN) A high-level Chinese delegation visited the Naval Dockyard in Trincomalee on 14th May. They were warmly received by Commander Eastern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Rohan Amarasinghe. The delegation was headed by Air Chief Marshal Qiliang, who is the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of China. Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage was among the top officials that were present at the BIA to receive more..

May 16 (CI) Pakistan will play Tests in Galle and Colombo in August, as well as three ODIs spread across the major limited-over venues in Sri Lanka, SLC has confirmed. Although Pakistan would have played their last Test in January, they are not scheduled to play a first-class practice match in the lead-up to the series, partly because several Pakistan players will be competing in the Caribbean Premier League. A 10-day training camp is more..

May 16 (DM) DP Leader Sarath Fonseka today hailed the example set by Indians by toppling the corrupt and inefficient UPA Government and urged Sri Lankans to follow suit and save this country from the clutches of a corrupt regime. “The people of India have taken a responsible decision by rejecting corruption and inefficiency and electing a new govt. We approve and applaud the decision taken by the Indian people to topple the corrupt Govt which ruled the country for 10 years. more..

May 16 (DN) According to a research done by the Cancer Hospital in Maharagama, there are about 15000 cancer patients every year. The Deputy Director of the hospital Wasantha Dissanayake was quoted in the press as saying that at least 600 patients take treatments from the Out-patient-department every day. During the last 10 years from 2004 up to 2014, the number of patients with cancer has doubled to 8000 while the number of in house patients seeking treatment is at 1000. more..

May 16 (Reuters) Sri Lanka will start bunkering operations by June 15 at its newly built $95 million ship fueling unit in the deep south port in Hambantota with an initial capacity of 55,000 tonnes, the head of the state-run Ports Authority said. The much-delayed bunkering terminal was originally due to open the ship fuel facility in May 2011, six months after President Rajapaksa launched the $1.5 billion port in his home town of Hambantota. more..

May 16 (AFP) The leaders of India's defeated Congress party, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, admitted personal responsibility on Friday for the disastrous election results which came after 10 years in power. "We understand that victory and loss is part of democracy," party president Sonia told reporters in New Delhi as preliminary figures showed the Congress heading for its worst ever performance. "We respect this decision. I take responsibility for this defeat," she added, more..

May 16 (SM) TNA accuses the Army and the police of having prevented a function it had organized in front of the NPC building at Kaithady in Jaffna this afternoon to remember the civilians who had died in the war, BBC Sandeshaya reports. NCP provincilor M.K. Sivajilingam said the military had previously barred the TNA from holding the function at Vellamullivaikkal in Mullaitivu. He said he and his colleague Anandi Shashiharan, widow of LTTE’s political leader for Trincomalee more..

May 16 (HCI) This year, India has the honour to participate in the Buddha Rashmi Vesak celebrations at the kind invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka. India would, inter alia, be displaying a Vesak lantern modelled on the Mahabodhi Temple in Gaya, Bihar, India. Mahabodhi Temple is constructed of brick and is one of the oldest brick structures to have survived in eastern India. It considerably influenced more..

May 16 (GDI) President Rajapakse on Sunday visited a big onion cultivation in Mahasenpura thissamaharamaya to review the progress at he farm. The President during the inspection tour, instructed minister Johnston Fernando to arrange a systematic programme to purchase big onions produced by local farmers. The president who had mutual discussion with the big onion farmers in the area, instructed Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to arrange concessionary more..

May 16 (AT) President Rajapaksa has expressed shock and sadness over the coal mine disaster in Soma, Turkey, about 150 miles south of Istanbul, last Tuesday, which has up to now claimed the lives of over 280 miners and left several others injured. In a message to his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, President Rajapaksa, while conveying heartfelt condolences over this tragedy, has voiced his hope that the other workers trapped in the mine will be rescued safely and the people of Turkey more..

May 16 (AT) The Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission Air Chief Marshal Xu Qiliang called on President Rajapaksa this evening at Temple Trees. The purpose of his visit, Mr. Xu said, is to further enhance the “strategic mutual trust” between China and Sri Lanka and to elevate “relations between the two countries and the armed forces to a new level.” Describing Sri Lanka’s military as “well-trained and well-managed,” more..

May 17 (CT) Five years on after the end of the war, Tamils in the North and East are still “under siege”. This is a clear indication that the prevailing climate is not conducive, either for achieving peace, truth and reconciliation or for obtaining justice and reaching a political settlement. The only redeeming feature in a hopeless situation is the prospect of an international independent inquiry soon to be underway that could lead to ending impunity in Sri Lanka - When the search for justice begins. more..

May 17 (CT) It seems that somebody has organized an essay writing competition on the topic of ‘common candidate’. Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka has proposed Mr. Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of the JVP as the best common candidate while Mr. Kusal Perera , a journalist, proposed Mr. Wigneswaran, the Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council. A few months ago Dr. Kumar David said Venarable Maduluwave Sobhitha Thera was the best common candidate. more..

May 17 (TS) The World Health Organisation’s most comprehensive report to date sounds a warning that we are entering a world where antibiotics have little effect. THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has sounded a warning that many types of disease-causing bacteria can no longer be treated with the usual antibiotics and the benefits of modern medicine are increasingly being eroded. The comprehensive 232-page report more..

May 17 (CT) Students of terrorism studies and officer cadets are customarily taught a couple of course units of the much celebrated counter terrorism strategy: Winning hearts and minds and draining the proverbial pool that breeds terrorists, and so on. Several years back, reading for his post graduate studies, this writer has had his fair share of lectures and presentations on that political correct recipe of counter insurgency. Some of those lessons, you know, are so politically correct more..

May 17 (CT) The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty in India has seemingly come to an end with the landslide victory gained by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharathiya Janatha Party's (BJP) Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, at India's 16th Parliamentary polls. The massive victory gained by the former Gujarat Chief Minister has made him a towering political figure in the subcontinent. The month-long Indian parliamentary polls was described as the biggest 'festival of democracy' more..

May 17 (CT) Mystery surrounds the manner in which the govt has handled the construction of the Northern Railway Line from Omanthai to Kankesathurai under an Indian Credit Line and operated by Ircon International, a Govt of India undertaking. The construction of the first phase of the project from Omanthai to Palai is over and trains are running between the two destinations. But the controversy is on the second phase of more..

May 17 (NS) He was a player, a coach, an administrator, a selector, a consultant and promoter. That’s when it came to rugby in Sri Lanka. His skills in all these spheres are widely recognized to be legendary. What if Kavan Rambukwella was alive right now? What if he could and did send a missive from the Great Beyond? What would he have to say? He would have a lot to say given the many issues that plague the game here in Sri Lanka. But what if he was asked to speak about more..

May 17 (NS) Q: Can you elaborate on how and why the issue of tobacco usage has become matter of serious concern? Why are you fighting against this now, when this has been an issue for years? A: Yes. The issue of tobacco has been there for years now. We did not have much evidence pertaining to the impact of tobacco until late 1970s and early 80s. However, it took several more years for us to have concrete evidence to show that tobacco was indeed a killer. The first reliable and most important more..

May 17 (GV) The guns are silent and the bones buried beneath the sands of the beaches of Mullivaikkal are replete with a story, but the tales they must tell are drowned in a cacophony of half-truths and downright lies that block the healing of the hearts and minds of the men, women and children who were felled in those sands, and amongst those who survived. It has been five years since the security forces of the SL state defeated more..

May 17 (Island) Private bus operators have given the govt a choice between approving a fare hike and making prepaid cards compulsory for commuters. The Lanka Private Bus Operators Association (LPBOA) President Gemunu Wijeratne says the proposed electronic device will benefit both commuters and bus owners. He argues that commuters will be able to pay the exact fare with the card without worrying about the change and the bus owners won’t have to pay extortionists. more..

May 17 (Island) Narendra Modi and the BJP’s massive and runaway victory in the Indian polls, bringing the biggest ever victory for a right-wing party anywhere, has led to a great deal of excitement in the political world of Sri Lanka. Not unexpectedly, the first people to be contacted for advice on how this political change should be understood over here, and the lessons to be learnt from it, were not any political scientists but the favourite astrologers or political soothsayers more..

May 17 (CI) Angelo Mathews hit fifty and Dinesh Chandimal an unbeaten 47 off 31 balls to set up a hefty thumping of Kent in Sri Lanka's second tour match in England. Having put out a strong side - only Lasith Malinga was rested - Sri Lanka gave a truer measure of themselves than in defeat to Essex on Tuesday, sweeping up a mixture of Kent first-teamers and irregulars for 173 on a cool, clear evening. more..

May 17 (Island) I concluded the first part of this article by stating that the Muslim strategy of political quietism had several reasons behind it, one of which was the fear psychosis set off initially by the anti-Muslim riots of 1915. I had intended to begin this part of my article by going into the other reasons, but I have since then come across excellent material to substantiate my point about the Muslim fear psychosis. M.S.M. Fouzer, writing in the web site Halal SL, states that there are disturbing more..

May 17 (FT) Two key international accounting personalities, International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) CEO Fayez Choudhury and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia Head of Leadership and Advocacy Rob Ward, will focus on the evolving role of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at a forum next week organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka). Choudhury who will deliver the keynote speech at the forum on 19 May more..

May 17 (FT) With drought crippling tea crop in Sri Lanka and several other producer nations, likely vagaries of weather in the coming months will force fresh challenges according to industry experts. “Global warming has brought about changes in weather patterns throughout the world. In the recent past we have seen increased frequency of extreme weather,” John Keells said. “Conditions have once again turned dry with hot and more..

May 17 (Island) Guillermo Rubio Funes, the El Salvadorian envoy to both Sri Lanka and India, who is based in Delhi, visited the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce recently, and he was accompanied by Nilrusha Pieris, Honorary Consul of El Salvador in Sri Lanka. Guillermo was met by Mrs. Alikie Perera, Deputy Secretary General of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Chandula Abeywickrema, CEO of the CCC Solutions, Mrs. Lilakshi De Mel, Senior Assistant Secretary General of the Chamber, more..

May 17 (Island) Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the flagship national ICT solutions and premier broadband services provider and the national backbone network operator is proud to celebrate "World Telecommunication and Information Society Day" (WTISD) by highlighting its commitment of using "Broadband for Sustainable Development". The purpose of WTISD is to help raise awareness of the possibilities of the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies more..

May 17 (FT) As long as credit growth doesn’t pick up, there will be no change in interest rates, banking sources said. Bank credit to the private sector, considered as the engine of growth of the economy, slowed to 4.4% on a year-on-year basis in February compared to a 5.2% growth a month earlier in January. This contrasts to the high level of a 34.5% credit growth recorded in 2011, which was capped at 18% in 2012 due to a more..

May 17 (CT) In the wake of the rapid expansion of Sri Lanka's infrastructure industry, UltraTech Cement Sri Lanka held an Engineer's Meet in Matara to facilitate a knowledge sharing session and improve technical expertise among professionals involved in the construction industry. Engineers and Project Executives from Sri Lanka Railways, Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau, China National Machinery Import & Export Cooperation, China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group Co. more..

May 17 (NF) A group of representatives of fisheries organisations in the Puttalam District have asserted that they are not in need of any alternative concessions to the fuel subsidy. They request that fuel prices be reduced if a fuel subsidy cannot be granted. The govt introduced a concession programme for fishermen in 2012, when fuel prices were increased. The govt announced that a new concession programme for trawlers and nets will be introduced to replace the fuel subsidy more..

May 17 (FT) UNP MP Dr. Harsha de Silva has reminded the Central Bank that it has a legal and ethical obligation to produce annual accounts of the EPF to the real owners of the money. Highlighting the fact that audited accounts of the EPF had not been made available since 2010 to Parliament or the public, he demanded that these accounts be published immediately so that investigations into allegations of fraud can begin. more..

May 17 (Island) Sri Lanka’s oldest and premier brewer, the Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC, poured yet another round of success bagging Grand Gold awards at the most prestigious Monde Selection Awards 2013 for the fourth year running. Lion Stout, which was once endorsed by the late international beer connoisseur, Michael Jackson, as ‘one of the most respected beers in the world’ won Monde’s coveted Grand Gold award for the fourth year running, whilst the brand Strong also more..

May 17 (NF) Today is the final day of the Sirasa Vesak Zone, organised to commemorate Vesak – the birth, enlightenment and attainment of Nirvana of Lord Buddha. Devotees visiting the Sirasa Vesak Kalapaya have the opportunity to pay homage to the sacred hair relic of Lord Buddha, the sacred relics of twelve disciples and the sacred Agrashawaka relics of Sariyuth and Mugallan. The Sirasa Vesak Kalapaya is sponsored by John Keells Holdings. The venture is supported by S-Lon Lanka. more..

May 17 (AHRC) A man was bitten four times by a venomous cobra after being forced into a barrel with the snake by a criminal gang operating a baby elephant stealing racket in Sri Lanka. This story was reported in several news channels. The victim, Dammika Nisantha, a resident of Sevanagala, a village area in Sri Lanka, is the father of two children. Dammika, is presently being treated at the Embilipitiya General Hospital. more..