Meteorology Department sources yesterday said the rainy weather in the country was caused by the South- Western monsoon. They further said while the Western Province would experience scattered rain and thunder showers in the coming days, the hill...

Some large-scale construction sites in the Colombo City have been found to be mosquito breeding sites, Colombo Municipal Council’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said yesterday. Dr. Kariyawasam said the owners and the contractors have...

A special project of registering those who are engaged in the medical treatment of elephants was held at Navinna Bandaranaike Ayurveda Research Centre recently. This programme included creating awareness among the owners of elephants as well as the...

Inspections and awareness campaigns related to dengue were carried out by health inspectors of the Dehiwela-Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council area recently. Officers said health checks were also carried out to ascertain if commercial entities and...

The Beira Lake redevelopment project proposed by the Ministry of Defence and the Urban Development Authority which is expected to be funded by the World Bank (WB) has yet to receive its approval, the Ministry yesterday said. The project which comes...

The Lawyers Collective, which comprises several lawyer associations, yesterday pledged to provide free legal aid to employees if they were expelled from their jobs and those who would be intimidated because of having participated in today’s general...

The Lotus Tower that is to provide facilities for broadcasting, telecasting, telecommunications and defence signals in Colombo is to be completed by March 2015, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) said yesterday. The...

The government yesterday requested the working class people not take part in today’s planned- countrywide strike action and asked them not to fall prey to those who were trying to gain political advantage from the action. Minister John Seneviratne...

The sacred relics of the Lord Buddha, Paswaga Mahanun, Arahath Rahula, Arahath Seewali, Arahath Sariyuth, Arahath Mugalan, Arahath Kashyapa, Arahath Ananda, Arahath Nanda Thera and 500 other Arahath Theras will be brought for veneration from Myanmar to...

The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) is faced with a major financial crisis with the Treasury having failed to release funds to purchase drugs after the SPC exhausted a major part of its budgetary allocations, Daily Mirror learns.

The National Movement of Electricity Consumers asserted yesterday that there was no necessity for the government to go ahead with the electricity tariff hike as this year’s rainfall had exceeded the Ceylon Electricity Board’s (CEB) expected rainfall.

An atmospheric disturbance has resulted in heavy showers with the southern parts of the country going under water.

Neither will threats nor pressure tactics stop workers from going ahead with today’s general strike and they will step out into the streets together with the general public, Opposition United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said...

Insisting on diplomatic immunity, the Norwegian Embassy said it was studying the Sri Lankan Court order which deprived former Norwegian Ambassador and three other Norwegian Foreign Ministry officials of diplomatic immunity with regard to a civil suit.

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) founder Rohana Wijeweera’s daughter Easha was arrested yesterday after she was alleged to have assaulted her mother and brother. Police Headquarters said the incident was said to have taken place on Saturday night at...

Around 50 students at Palugaswanguwa Maha Vidyalaya in Padavi-Sripura have lost their parents due to the spread of the chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology in the Anuradhapura District, said H.M.Gamini Hiniduma, the principal of the school.

Public, private and plantation sector trade unions from 941 industries and organisations countrywide would be on strike today urging the government to immediately withdraw the increased electricity tariffs and reduce the soaring cost of living.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) has taken steps to provide free entrance for all school students who come in their school uniforms and the accompanying teachers who visit the national parks in the island on 22 May, said its spokesperson...

The Airconditioner (AC) installed at the operating theatre complex of the Matale District Hospital had stopped functioning from last Thursday the 17th May, and work at the operating theatre and the ICU had been disrupted. Operations scheduled on the...

The Court of Appeal yesterday (20) fixed for support on May 27 the Writ application filed by 1,474 land owners in the Jaffna Peninsula against the move by the State to acquire their lands with a total extent of more than 6,381 acres. The matter came...

The Nuwara-Eliya District secretary D G P Kumarasiri said steps had been taken by the Economic Development Ministry, on the direction of the Presidential Task Force, to stop the import of potatoes commencing from 2014. With the aim of protecting the...

A man allegedly hit by a motorcycle at Katiyawa Tract 1 succumbed to his injuries while under treatment. Eppawala police said the victim S.K. Kapurubanda was a resident of the area and he had met with the accident while walking along the road. The...

A suspect in custody was found hanging inside a cell at the Bambalapitiya police yesterday few hours after he was arrested on charges of robbing vehicles parts. Police said the man was arrested while attempting to remove side mirrors and lights from...

A 19-year-old woman allegedly abducted by a group of men from her home in Katugastota was found abandoned inside a forest in Matale, by police. Police said a complaint was lodged by her husband when he found her missing. He revealed they had been...

Any disabled person or one whose parents received financial relief from the government must henceforth furnish a recommendation from the local area MP, in order to request aid under self-employment schemes, the Social Services Ministry said. Disabled...

An armed gang that allegedly waylaid a businessman on his way home at gunpoint took off with cash and jewellery valued at Rs. 55,000. The incident was reported from the Kalagedihena area in Gampaha. Although the victim promptly informed the police,...

Though there were attempts from within the government and outside, and also among the drug mafia to prevent the implementation of the National Medicinal Drug Policy (NMDP) it would be presented in Parliament and incorporated in the Statute Book this...

Two men allegedly using ‘hakka patas’ to hunt down wild animals in forest reserves in the Polonnaruwa district were arrested on Sunday evening, during a search operation in Manampitiya. At the time of arrest, along with the ‘hakka patas’ they had a...

A retired Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) ASP who is alleged to have defrauded several job seekers of Rs.3.5 million by promising them job opportunities in Canada was remanded till June 3 by a Colombo Court yesterday. Former ASP Ananda...

A father of one child taken into custody on the detection of ten packets of heroin allegedly concealed in his underwear, under intense interrogation, also confessed to 33 house break-ins and theft of property. The Unsolved Crimes Division (UCD) of...

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne had a fruitful discussion with the EU Secretary General on Marine Affairs, Ms Lowri Evans recently and was able to convince the EU that Sri Lanka was on the right track and...

Rejecting a request for bail made by the counsel for the first suspect, who was accused of throwing acid at NCP Ayurveda Commissioner Dr Kumara Alwis, the Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge Ms Ruwandika Marapona ordered all the...

Following the discovery that certain food items had been contaminated with toxic substances, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) would team up with the Agriculture Ministry to work out a mechanism to provide quality assurance certificates for...

A man who lodged a complaint on behalf of a private firm ended up becoming the accused and was sentenced yesterday by a Colombo court to six months imprisonment suspended for six years for making a false complaint. The complainant was a storekeeper in...

All school children have been asked to report to school today in order to decorate the classrooms for Vesak, said a vice principal of a school in Sri Jayawardenepura, yesterday. She said a circular had been sent by the Ministry of Education naming...

The Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) said yesterday that the private bus trade was facing a severe economic slump due to the constant threats of strikes by private bus associations. Some private bus associations staged a bus strike...

It is horrifying that in this day and age, that this super scientific, all things bright and splendour for one age, that 43 girls were pregnant in a girls school in Kandy area (according to the Sunday Lankadeepa of April 21). It is high time we...

According to the new tariff structure announced by the Government in April 2013 if the consumption of electricity exceeds each block even by one unit the charges will be based on the unit rate for the higher block, although this has been relaxed for...

My problem with the Health Ministry bureaucrats, the Secretaries from 1993 is still pending without due solution in spite of redress and relief recommended and forwarded to bureaucrats of the Health Ministry by the President, Prime Ministers, Cabinet...

Today’s protests by the trade unions affiliated to the opposition parties against the government’s decision to up the electricity tariffs from this month would definitely meet with stiff resistance and scorn by the government, its trade union leaders...

By Gomin Dayasri An unscheduled mini battle is on in the junior league for“13A” that could change the face of Sri Lanka in 2013/2014. Non-playing captains, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe are watching the game from the pavilion cheering...

ROME, May 19, 2013 (AFP) - Spain's Rafael Nadal dominated his 30th meeting with Swiss rival Roger Federer to secure his seventh title in nine years at the Rome Masters on Sunday. Nadal's 6-1, 6-3 triumph means he now leads Federer 20-10 in their...

LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) – Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori could play his first test for 10 months after spinner Bruce Martin was ruled out of the rest of the tour of England with a calf injury. “Bruce Martin out of England tour, Dan Vettori...

CAPE TOWN, May 20 (Reuters) – South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, who is charged with murdering his girlfriend, will not compete in any events this year, local media reported on Monday. The sprinter's agent had previously said August's...

NEW DELHI, May 20 (Reuters) – India is mulling a law to deal with the issue of spot-fixing in sport following last week's arrest of cricketers and bookmakers, government officials said on Monday. Former India Test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and...

KAVARNA, Bulgaria, May 19, 2013 (AFP) - Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell defeated Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee 2 and 1 in the final of the Volvo World Match-Play in Bulgaria on Sunday McDowell, capturing his second tournament victory in three events,...

May 19 (Reuters) - South Korean Bae Sang-moon made a fast start, then overcame strong winds and a mid-round wobble to clinch his maiden PGA Tour title by two shots at the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas on Sunday. The 26-year-old, an...

PARIS, May 19, 2013 (AFP) - Taiwan claimed an historic first world title as the pairing of Chuang Chih-Yuan and Chen ChienAn won the men's doubles at the Table Tennis World Championships in Paris on Sunday. Chuang and Chen defeated Chinese duo Ma Lin...

PARIS, France, May 19, 2013 (AFP) - Reigning champion Zhang Jike remained on course to defend his title at the World Table Tennis Championships in Paris on Sunday after shrugging off Germany's Patrick Baum to reach the semi-finals. Fourth seed Zhang...

The last time we saw her beaming so radiantly, she was draped in a Union Jack and about to be handed a cherished Olympic gold medal after trouncing her rivals on the track. And Jessica Ennis’s trademark smile was very much in evidence again after she...

David Beckham burst into floods of tears as he played his final ever game as a professional footballer in Paris on Saturday evening. The 38-year-old was given the honour of captaining Paris St Germain during their final home game of the season against...

LONDON, May 19, 2013 (AFP) - Liverpool gave retiring stalwart Jamie Carragher a fitting send off by beating the Premier League's bottom club QPR 1-0 at an emotional Anfield on Sunday. The game brought down the curtain on the 35-year-old defender's...

SYDNEY, May 20, 2013 (AFP) - James O'Connor said Monday he will relish the flyhalf role after being preferred to Quade Cooper as the Wallaby playmaker for next month's three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions. O'Connor, despite starting...

LONDON, May 19, 2013 (AFP) - Fernando Torres ensured Rafael Benitez's troubled reign at Chelsea ended with a third place finish, striking a 76th-minute winner to secure a 2-1 over Everton at Stamford Bridge on the final day of the Premier League season...

The 34th Bata - the Sunday Times Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year 2013 competition has almost reached its end, as the contest competes its 18th week today. With just two more weekends to go before its completion, organizers have decided to...

Low crops recorded during the first three months have dragged down Malwatte Valley Plantations PLC’s March quarter net profits by 45 percent to Rs.51 million over the same quarter in 2012, according to the company Chairman and Managing Director, W.L....

Sri Lanka’s diversified Hayleys PLC reported a net profit of Rs.490.8 million for the final quarter of FY12/13, up 267 percent year-onyear, helped by increased other income gains and a substantial deceleration of net finance costs. The turnover for...

Issuing an Economic Alert, Standard Chartered said that they did not see space for further easing in monetary policy, given the inflation risks remaining high. The bank thus expects the current rates to remain stable at least until 1Q’2014. “Although...

Nepal’s first Forbes billionaire, Binod Chaudhary has submitted a proposal worth of US $ 75 million to the Sri Lankan government to set up a stateof-the-art cement plant in the Jaffna Peninsula, a statement issued by Chaudhary’s office said. In Sri...

Despite generally stronger economic growth achieved by Sri Lanka during the recent past, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) claims that the growth has failed to reduce poverty at a similar pace, particularly in less - developed provinces. Measured...

The Colombo Stock Exchange has granted approval to list Rs.4 billion worth of debt securities Hatton National Bank PLC (HNB) plans to issue and the subscription list will open on June 6. The bank will issue 20 million unsecured subordinated redeemable...

A Darlington firm has signed a £35 million contract to build hundreds of road bridges in Sri Lanka, BBC reported. Cleveland Bridge will design and build the structures in jungle and rural areas of the country. The company will replace unreliable rope...

Week started on a positive note with early gains in both indices sustaining throughout the day. Blue chip counters dominated the top turnover contributors with index heavy John keels Holdings touching its highest price ever. Meanwhile, the significant...

TIMWOOD is an acronym for the famous Seven Wastes identified by Toyota, presented in a user-friendly manner by Taiichi Ohno, the then Chief Engineer at Toyota. They are the basics of what we learned in industrial engineering under ‘Method Study’, where...

REUTERS: Sri Lankan shares rose more than 1 percent yesterday to hit a 19-month high, led by market heavy weight John Keells Holdings amid continued foreign buying in blue chips. The main stock index rose 1.35 percent, or 85.97 points, to close at...

Premier blue chip John Keells Holdings (JKH) saw its market capitalization surpassing US $ 2 billion yesterday for the first time amid sharp price gains, the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) data showed. As at the end of yesterday’s market, JKH’s market...

HP unveiled the latest inkjet innovation for businesses that include the breakthrough HP Officejet Pro X series. The HP Officejet Pro X476 dw MFP and HP Officejet Pro X451dw printer deliver high-quality professional documents at up to twice the speed...

In recent times, Sri Lanka has seen a tremendous boom in the IT/BPO and knowledge service industry, which is marked to be one of the top revenue earners for the country. It is estimated that the industry will grow and become a billion dollar industry...

Nineteen-yearold Dinesh Kapuge from Mihinthale Central College won the first award in the engineering: Electrical and mechanical category and the second award from the Ashtavadhani Vidwan Ambati Subbaraya Chetty (AVASC) Foundation at this year’s Intel...

Asian Alliance Insurance PLC (AAI) along with their new shareholders, Germany’s DEG and The Netherland’s FMO successfully hosted a seminar for Sri Lankan insurance companies and the stakeholders of the industry themed, ‘The Future of Insurance in Sri...

The global securities regulatory agencies that aim to establish and maintain worldwide standards for efficient, orderly and fair markets will conduct their mid-year consultative meeting in Toronto Canada from May 21 to May 23, 2013. Sri Lanka’s...

American Express the credit card acquired and issued in Sri Lanka solely by Nations Trust Bank PLC Partners with Anything.lk to offer their valued Cardmembers an additional 10 percent savings for purchases over Rs1,000 when they shop at www.anything.lk...

Allianz continued its upward growth trajectory in the first quarter of 2013, achieving a profit before tax of Rs.85 million, a 5 percent increase over last year. The Non- Life segment generated a Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Rs.532.2 million during...

The contribution and commitment of state executive officers towards the economic growth of Sri Lanka has become increasingly important and impressively high. They have also shown a favourable reception to local products. In this backdrop, the...

Dinapala Group, the authorized distributor of Philips appliances in Sri Lanka, has won the prestigious ‘Grand Prix 2012 Award’ for the best Philips distributor, who had shown the most prominent sales growth in the Asia Pacific region, which consists of...

For the second year in a row, BBDO won the title of ‘Network of the Year’ at the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards. The coveted awards ceremony was the climax of the two-day ‘Festival of Asian Marketing Effectiveness’ (FAME) held in Shanghai with...

With the aim of giving back to the community, this Vesak season, leading mobile telecommunication innovator Etisalat Lanka will drive a unique Vesak dansala to provide over 3000 spectacles to financially challenged Sri Lankans, unable to afford the...

The John Keells group places an emphasis on the importance of higher education among youth, with the aim of encouraging more local graduates to consider employment in the private sector. Whilst there is fierce competition to enter local universities,...

Seylan Bank, the bank with a heart, has been facilitating remittances from Dubai to Sri Lanka over a long period of time and the bank has arrangements with all the major exchange houses and banks in the UAE for remitting money to Sri Lanka. Whilst...

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) is to pay special focus on emerging issues facing finance companies at a special workshop to be held on May 22 at the Institute’s Auditorium. The workshop will focus in detail on...

The Sri Lanka Business and Biodiversity Platform, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy, is holding a public lecture to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22, 2013. As this year’s theme for...

KABUL, May 19, 2013 (AFP) - Taliban attacks killed at least ten Afghan police persons on Sunday, officials said, in the latest violence against the force which is due to take more security responsibility from NATO troops before their withdrawal next...

KARACHI, May 20, 2013 (AFP) - The party of former Pakistani cricket hero Imran Khan secured victory in a repeat election held in one constituency of violence-plagued Karachi, election officials said on Monday. Voting was held under tight security in...

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, May 20, 2013 (AFP) - A Pakistani court on Monday granted bail to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf over the murder of Benazir Bhutto, an official said, but the retired general remains under house arrest. Musharraf has been...

BAGHDAD, May 20 (Reuters) - At least 20 people were killed by a series of car bombs in mainly Shi'ite districts of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Monday and 11 others were killed by attacks in the southern city of Basra, police and medics said. Scores...

TEHRAN, May 19, 2013 (AFP) - A car packed with Afghanis smuggled into Iran collided with another vehicle and burst into flames on Sunday, killing nine Afghans and five Iranians, media reported. The official IRNA news agency said the crash occurred...

NEW DELHI, May 20, 2013 (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday he had agreed with his Chinese counterpart to make a new push to settle a long-running border row, pledging his commitment to “peace and tranquillity”. “We agreed that...

An asteroid nine times larger than the QE2 is due to sail past the Earth later this month. Luckily, the giant space rock will get no closer than 3.6 million miles, or 15 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. Scientists have named the...

A Wisconsin woman saved her husband’s life after she hit the black bear that was attacking him over the head with a gun. Marie Ninnemann didn’t know how to load or fire the gun, but she instinctively used it to protect her husband after he was mauled...