Three persons have died after a boiler exploded in a tea estate at Ella Demodara area today(13). Two more persons have been injured form the incident which occurred at 7.30 this morning. Two women are also among the dead, Police Media Spokesman SSP Prishantha Jayakody said.
(JNW)
August 13, 2011 at 10:01 am
August 13, 2011 at 9:00 am
British Prime Minister David Cameron thinks he’s found some culprits to blame in the recent riots that have rocked London and other cities Facebook and Twitter. Saying the “free flow of information” can sometimes be a problem, Cameron’s government has summoned those two social-networking sites, as well as Research In Motion, makers of the BlackBerry, for a meeting to discuss their roles during the violent outbreaks.
“Everyone watching these horrific actions will be struck by how they were organized via social media,” Cameron said Thursday during an address to Parliament. “Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill. And when people are using social media for violence, we need to stop them.”
Cameron said that government officials are working with authorities “to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality.”
More than 1,200 people have been arrested nationwide, Cameron told lawmakers. One estimate found that UK retailers lost more than than £100 million ($161 million) in stolen goods and property damage over four nights of rioting.
(CNN)
August 12, 2011 at 11:22 am
Rumours of ‘Grease Yaka’ are spread by people with ulterior motives, Inspector General of Police N.K. Ilangakoon said. ”They are only stories and the public are urged not to panic listening to them”, he stated. “Such incidents were reported in the past as well. However, certain groups have modified them and given new names. Therefore, I kindly request the public to act intelligently”, the IGP said.
“21 incidents have been reported so far and 48 persons related to them have been arrested”, he disclosed at a media briefing held today(11).
(JNW)
August 11, 2011 at 4:33 pm
Applications for Korean language test will be issued at 28 centers till 4.00 p.m. today(11), the Foreign Employment Bureau said. It has issued 40,000 applications so far, Chairman of the Bureau Kingsley Ranawaka said. Around 15,000 Sri Lanka are expected get job opportunities in Korea next year.
(JNW)
August 11, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Indian government has expressed its willingess to support Sri Lankan government’s resettlement activities by providing financial assistance to construct 50 thousand houses, Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapakse said. The project will be carried out before the end of this year, he added.
Addressing a meeting held held at his Ministry yesterday(10), the Minister said the financial assistance will be provided within 4 ways. A housing company of India has been entrusted with the responsiblity with constructing houses for disabled persons and widows. Therefore, 150 houses are to be built in Jaffna while the number of houses that will be constructed in Mannar will be 175. The same number of houses will be built in Vavuniya district and 250 houses will be constructed in Mualaitivu.
Furthermore, 4500 families have been identified who are eligible to recieve financial assistance and could go up to 6000 families, the Minister said.
August 11, 2011 at 1:00 pm
The newly built Sri Lanka Research Centre at Beijing Foreign Studies University was declared open by President Mahinda Rajapaksa today (11). As the Chief Guest, the President graced the ceremony to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the University, and the Golden Jubilee of the Sinhala Language Department of its Asia-Africa School, the President’s Media Unit said.
Beijing Foreign Studies University offers 17 foreign languages including Sinhala. 14 Chinese students follow the Bachelors Degree Program in the Sinhala language while 3 follow the Masters Program.
The opening of the Sri Lanka Research Centre will enable Chinese students to study the Sinhala language and culture, as well as to engage in research work for the progress of the language.
The event was attended by Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of Higher Education S. B. Dissanayake, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and MP Sajin Vas Gunawardena.
(JNW)
August 11, 2011 at 12:55 pm
National Parks except Horton Plains, Pigeon Island, Hikkaduwa and Horagolla have been closed till August 13 from today due to Elephant census, Director General of Department of Wild Life H.D.Ratnayake said. National Parks namely Yala, Vilpaththu, Gal Oya, Kumana, Udawalawa, Lunugamwehera, Maduru Oya, Lahugala, Wasgamuwa, Itaran Thenna, Somawathiya, Bundala, Minneriya, Kaudulla and Angamadilla will be closed for this purpose. In addition parks in North and Eastern Provinces will be closed as well, the Director General added.
An Elephant census covering all parts of the island is being conducted after number of years.
(JNW)
August 11, 2011 at 12:23 pm
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been conferred a honorary Doctorate by the Beijing Foreign Language University today, the President’s Media Unit said. President Rajapaksa is currently on a four-day official visit to China on an invitation extended by his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao during the bilateral meeting held in St. Petersburg, Russia this June.
(Government Information Department)
August 11, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Scientists are reporting the first clear success with a new approach for treating leukemia – turning the patients’ own blood cells into assassins that hunt and destroy their cancer cells.
They have only done it in three patients so far, but the results were striking: Two appear cancer-free up to a year after treatment, and the third is improved but still has some cancer. Scientists are already preparing to try the same gene therapy technique for other kinds of cancer.
“It worked great. We were surprised it worked as well as it did,’’ said Dr. Carl June, a gene therapy expert at the University of Pennsylvania. “We’re just a year out now. We need to find out how long these remissions last.’’
He led the study, published yesterday by two journals, the New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine.
It involved three men with very advanced cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The only hope for a cure now is bone marrow or stem cell transplants, which do not always work and carry a high risk of death.
(AP)
August 11, 2011 at 8:44 am
Mitchell Johnson produced the fourth-best figures in Australia’s one-day history to set his team on the path to a seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Pallekele. After losing the Twenty20s, Australia found a new spark with the arrival of the 50-over captain Michael Clarke, who attacked in the field and then helped steer the side home with Ricky Ponting after Shane Watson set up the chase.
The first ten overs of the match seemed like an extension of the T20s, as Sri Lanka’s openers gave their side a strong start with a 54-run stand but after the first wicket fell, the rest of the day belonged to Australia. Most surprisingly, given all the talk in the build-up to the game, it was aggressive pace bowling that set the tone for the match.
Australia 192 for 3 (Watson 69, Clarke 53*, Ponting 53) beat Sri Lanka 191 (Randiv 41, Johnson 6-31) by 7 wickets
August 10, 2011 at 9:00 pm
There has been no intrusion of Sri Lankan air space by foreign air crafts, Minister Priyankara Jayaratne told the parliament today(10). The sky above the land and sky above the sea up to 12 nautical miles is considered as the Sri Lanka’s air space. However, a certain flight operation has taken place in the international aviation region allocated to Sri Lanka for providing aviation services. “But we have found those air crafts has not violated the Sri Lanka’s air space”, the Minister disclosed in a special statement to the parliament.
(JNW)
August 10, 2011 at 3:58 pm
Sri Lankan and Saudi Arabia have decided to sign a memorandum of understanding to restructure the recruitment process between the two countries. According to the MoU the two countries are interested in following a government-to-government scheme that would ensure fair recruitment procedures from Sri Lanka without the direct interference of middlemen, , the President’s Media reported.
The decision was taken during a meeting between visiting Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Dilan Perera and Saudi Deputy Labor Minister for Planning and Development Mufarrij bin Saad Al-Hagbani at the headquarters of the Labor Ministry in Riyadh.
Under the proposed scheme, the whole recruitment process will be streamlined under the direct supervision of the two governments.
During the discussions, a social security scheme was proposed to protect both the employer and the employee.
Such a scheme will offer compensation for a distressed worker who suffers at the hands of an unscrupulous employer, while the employer’s investment will also be suitably compensated if a worker runs away from the workplace.
It was revealed during discussions that the Saudi Labor Ministry is currently working out a scheme whereby distressed housemaids could contact the relevant authorities and have their cases resolved quickly.
(JNW)
August 10, 2011 at 12:22 pm
The one day series between Australia and Sri Lanka will kick off at Pallekele this afternoon. Australian have been strengthened with the come back of experienced trio Ricky Ponting, Michael Clark and Michael Hussey. They will up against some serious spin attack from Sri Lanka as clearly seen in the Twenty20 matches. However, the Aussies will be looking to counter attack with their seam department with the return of Doug Bollinger, who is pretty much used to the conditions as he has played so many matches for the IPL.
On the contrary left-handed operner Upul Tharanga will be making a comeback for the Sri Lankan side after serving a three month ban. He will be keen to pick up from where he left. Although Lasith Malinga has been included to the ODI squad he will not be featured in this match as he has been advised to rest. However, it would not be a too much of a worry for Sri Lanka since the superb bowling skills shown on Monday, they will be keen to have Ajantha Mendis included in the final 11.
The match starts at 2.30 p.m. Sri Lankan time.
(JNW)
August 10, 2011 at 11:28 am
A national plan on usage of water is to be developed after conducting a scientific study of water resources in the surface and underground, Minister of Irrigation and Water Resource Management Nimal Siripala De Silva said. A scientific study on water resources in the country has not been conducted so far. The objective of this initiative is to gain maximum benifits from the available water resources while preserving them, the Minister further disclosed.
(JNW)
August 10, 2011 at 11:22 am
The government has handed over a motion to the speaker asking to appoint a parliament select committee to look into an acceptable political solution for Sri Lanka. It was presented to the Speaker Chamal Rajapakse by the leader of the house, Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva this evening. 16 MPs and Ministers of the governing party has placed their signatures in the motion. It also says the recommendations should be made by the committee within 6 months. The speaker will name the chairman of this special parliament select committee. The motion also says that it should be comprised with 31 members.
(JNW)
August 9, 2011 at 8:00 pm
The motion to extend state of emergency by another month was passed in the parliament today(9) with a majority of 80 votes. 110 votes were received in favor while 30 were against it.
(JNW)
August 9, 2011 at 7:44 pm
