June 15 (RW) The most important function of a government is ensuring the security of its people. This includes defence, the work of the security forces in dealing with external threats. But usually more important in daily life is internal security, the maintenance of law and order within a country. Basic concerns in this respect can be seen in the rules of religions, even before codes of law were developed. All religions prohibit murder and robbery. more..

June 15 (ESPN) ESPN 3 will be webcasting all the Asia Cup matches on the web. Sri Lanka and Pakistan face off in the opening match of the 2010 Asia Cup. Coverage begins Tuesday at 5am ET. This live webcast is available only for US viewers. more..

June 15 (IC) After scripting one of the most memorable wins in a final for Sri Lanka and winning the 2008 Asia Cup, and despite being available for selection, Sanath Jayasuriya and Ajantha Mendis will play no part in this year's Asia Cup. "The [2008] Asia Cup final was won by two exceptional performances, one was Sanath Jayasuriya's freakish 100 when we were about 60/4, and when we were defending a score of 274, Ajantha Mendis came and took 6/13," more..

June 15 (GV) For too long, the political processes in Sri Lanka to resolve minority grievances have been preoccupied with the nature of the state (unitary versus federal), unit of devolution of political and administrative power (village, district, or province), language, land, police, and other administrative issues. Very little discussions have taken place regarding the division of financial/fiscal powers between the centre and the peripheries. more..

June 15 (NF) The government has not taken steps to reduce the price of petrol despite world market prices going down, charged the United National Party today. Addressing a media briefing, parliamentarian Gayantha Karunathilake said the price of a barrel of oil had come down to between US $ 69 and 72. �As such a litre of petrol, when it reaches Colombo port, costs only Rs. 52,� he said. more..

June 15 (SL) Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi is shown here dancing with former LTTE cadres (and their teachers). These former fighters and members of the LTTE have been receiving dance, drama and vocational training at a rehabilitation center near Vavuniya. Vivek Oberoi visited Sri Lanka during the Indian International Film Awards in early June and has taken an interest in social projects in Sri Lanka, including supporting a school. more..

June 15 (SL) Sri Lanka has a culture of sexual abuse that starts from the moment a woman walks down the street. Even for boys, there is an unspoken cycle of abuse that begins in schools, monasteries and institutions. Families break themselves through incest and abuse and girls from broken homes enter a society that preys on them with impunity. Within marriages there is acceptance of marital rape and spoilt boys grow into spoilt adulterers that think they can get away with anything. more..

June 15 (ST) He held a flank of �Basra�, while all others fell to advancing forces. In fact he pushed the forward defence line across a bridge and secured the area. Even though it was a mock-up of the ground situation in Iraq during the American invasion in 2003, dubbed �war gaming� at the Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, US, the pats on the back for Squadron Leader Chaminda Herath were numerous. more..

June 15 (TC) What is the objective of any one�s writing or what every one wants to achieve? a) To prove a point. b) Enlighten. c) To work towards resolution of a problem (altruistic). d) To make one self, known-self development, glorification (Egoistic). e) To deduce, areas of working with others, point of view for resolving and achieving objectives / Target. f) To find fault, with others, and fester the problem g) There is always, number of forces working on any problem, with their own objectives. more..

June 15 (MoD) Among many programmes Defence Service College students now undergo, the one held on 9th June shown a remarkable difference. Students of Grade 4 in the company of their parents seated in the main assembly hall, parents on chairs and children on mats facing the parents. Both clad in white. The event appropriately named "Mavu Piya Guna Sambavana", was a special programme conducted by Ven. Nawalapitiye Saranajothi. more..

June 15 (MoD) Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka have doubled from January to May this year when compared to tourist arrivals for the same period last year. Tourist arrivals for the first five months last year amounted for 157,000 and compared to this number the tourist arrivals during the first five months this year amounted to 233,000 showing an increase of 48.5% compared to the same period last year. more..

June 15 (LP) Surroundings of Reservoirs will be made Eco Tourism Zones while a special boat service will commence in the areas said the Ministry of Water Management and Irrigation. As the Initial step the boat service is due to commence in the Randenigala Reservoir while the service will be extended to all the reservoirs in the island. Two boats will operate in the reservoir along with skilled divers and swimmers employed at the Mahaweli Authority said the Ministry. more..

June 15 (UCAN) Alcohol has long been a scourge of Sri Lankan fishing villages but now a group of Catholic men, all recovering alcoholics, has launched a program to help others like them. Taxi driver Sunil is one. Ten years ago he drank arrack and coconut toddy day and night and caused problems in his peaceful village. Now recovering, he assists others to overcome their own addictions. �We are ashamed of those sinful days,� more..

June 15 (UCAN) A Bollywood actor has launched a project to rebuild a school in the north that was completely destroyed during the civil war. Vivek Oberoi, 32, started his Project Hope during his June 7 and 13 visits to the Mareithuruppai Tamil School in Vavuniya. Under the first phase, 50 million rupees (US$1 million) will go towards rebuilding work. more..

June 15 (NPC) Dengue Control Task Force has commenced its exercise of containing & subsequent eradication of dengue from Jaffna District from 5th June 2010 under the patronage of Hon. Governor ,Northern Province G A Chandrasiri, and it has been intensified within the Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) limits from 14 June 2010. For this purpose the manpower of the JMC was strengthened with additional 200 cleaning labourers for more..

June 15 (NPC) A new school building, a laboratory and a computer laboratory of the Kilinochchi Maha Vidyalayam were ceremonially declared open on 11 June 2010. on Hon. Bandula Gunawardena MP, Minister of Education, Governor, Northern Province, GA Chandrasiri, Namal Rajapaksa MP, Uditha Lokubandara MP and Mr. Sunil Sirisena, Secretary, Ministry of Education graced this occasion as Special Guests. more..

June 15 (LP) The Educational system should create a younger generation who can win the world and love the Motherland at the same time stated President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The President made this observation while accepting the report on national policy framework on Higher Education and vocational education from National Education Commission Chairman Prof A.V. Suraweera at the Temple Trees yesterday (14). more..

June 15 (LT) Despite MP Gen. Sarath Fonseka getting permission from Parliament to go abroad, he will not be able to do so if he doesn�t get legal clearance says Minister of Mass Media and Communication Keheliya Rambukwella. He said this at a press conference regarding Gen. Fonseka being selected to by a Parliamentary committee to participate at the Summit of Commonwealth countries due to be held in Kenya in September this year. more..

June 15 (LNP) This country`s penchant for making laws, laws and still more laws is phenomenal, though the existing ones are quite copious. The more, the merrier, it seems to think. The basic law has been amended umpteen times and several more amendments are said to be in the pipeline. But, of the laws that are being churned out, only a few get implemented, that too very selectively. In short, we live in a jungle of laws where the law of the jungle prevails! more..

June 15 (LNP) The government suffered a loss of Rs. 450 million in 2008 due to the import of low quality and outdated drugs, the Auditor General has revealed in his report submitted to Parliament last week. The Sri Lanka State Pharmaceutical Corporation supplied 16 million syringes to the Medical Supplies Division of the Health Ministry in 2008 and the whole lot was found to be of inferior quality and unfit for use. more..

June 15 2010 (AT) Amid media reports indicating that Tamil organizations made up of diaspora in different countries are still making desperate attempts to keep alive the concept of "Tamil Eelam", suspected pro-LTTE elements, for the first time since the military defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka in May 2009, allegedly executed a terrorist attack in neighboring India. On the morning of June 12, suspected LTTE cadres blasted railway tracks at more..

June 15 (CT) There are around 50,000 Army deserters, military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said. He said that 2,000 such deserters have handed themselves over recently. Noting that Army deserters have been offered yet another period of amnesty from June 07 to June 30, he urged all deserters to come to their respective regiment headquarters with their military and National Identity cards and retire from service officially. more..

June 15 (LeN) According to information reaching Lanka e news, a powerful Minister of the Govt. has brought to Gampaha District, vehicles belonging to the LTTE and sold them after fraudulently making the relevant documents, and made many millions of rupees. Among the vehicles numbering about 200, are Land cruiser, Montero, Land River, Intercooler and bullet proof vehicles. A �Caterpllar� too has been among the vehicles sold. more..

June 15 (LG) There was an anticipation of the government shedding its military focus after the completion of the war a year ago. The ending of emergency rule and reduction of the military budget became possibilities. However, the government has been keeping the war, and its institutions, at the centre of the people�s attention even a year after the war. more..

June 15 (DN) Presidential candidate Sarath Kongahage who contested at the recently concluded Presidential Election moved to withdraw his Fundamental Rights application against the candidature of the National Democratic Alliance Presidential Candidate General Sarath Fonseka, yesterday. The Court allowing the withdrawal dismissed the rights plea. more..

June 15 (DN) The Close-Circuit Television system (CCTV) at the Central Mail Exchange Complex, Colombo has been out of order for a long period as a result of alleged vandalism by certain employees. The CCTV system was installed at the Central Mail Exchange Complex several years ago to monitor the entire complex. Before the CCTV system was established there were allegations that some valuables sent by mail, especially by air-mail went missing. more..

June 15 (DN) The tsunami alert in the early hours of Sunday was to warn the people of a possible tsunami. Misreading the warning as a tsunami was on the way, people had started fleeing in panic. There also seem to have been lack of coordination among various institutions that were monitoring the seismic activities. An official of the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said that the DMC had released tsunami warning only to alert the people. more..

June 15 (DN) The country needs to introduce a �Health Calendar� because the health sector celebrates a large number of `days� during the year, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said. The Ministers said that the Blood Transfusion Service of Sri Lanka will receive a separate calendar and the whole country will be given opportunities to donate blood. more..

June 15 (Island) The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has commended the Brandix Group�s Platinum-rated Green Apparel Factory at Seeduwa as an example of sustainable production to manufacturers across industries and geographical boundaries. The endorsement came from no less a personage than the global head of the organization, UNIDO Director General Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, more..

June 15 (Island) Twenty four confidence tricksters who obtained money from several people by using President Mahinda Rajapaksa�s family name have been arrested by the Colombo Crime Division. Police said around 50 victims of this gang had complained to Police headquarters. Investigations have revealed that the conmen promised their unsuspecting victims jobs in institutions such as the Ports Authority, Civil Aviation Authority and more..

June 15 2010 (Xinhua) Foot and mouth disease which hit the cattle industry in Sri Lanka's Central Province has now spread to the North Central Province. "The spread began in the Central Province is now rapidly growing in the Anuradhpura district," A. Chandrasoma, the director of Animal Product and Health Department said. He said it was caused by transport of cattle among the provinces and urged cattle owners to have the animals vaccinated. more..

June 15 (Island) Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake said that the Ministry was looking forward to establishing branches of international universities in Sri Lanka. He said that there were already 78 degree awarding institutes in Sri Lanka and the Ministry had been informed that some of those institutions were not maintaining international standards and guidelines. more..

June 15 (Island) The most Venerable Mahanayaka of Asgiriya Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha thero has told Deputy Irrigation and Water Resources Management Minister S. M. Chandrasena that democracy is misused in Sri Lanka. The Mahanayake Thero said that it was impossible to implement anything worthwhile for the benefit of the country due to objections raised. more..

June 15 (DM) Yesterday was World Blood Donor Day, a day dedicated to thanking and celebrating voluntary non-remunerated blood donors. It marks the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the creator of the ABO blood group system, for which he won the Nobel Prize. One of the main goals of the World Blood Donor Day is to ensure the availability of safe blood for transfusion. World Blood Donor Day began in 2005 but in Sri Lanka it has a much longer and more..

June 15 (DM) The NGO Secretariat which was previously operated under the Social Services Ministry and thereafter the Internal Affairs Ministry now comes under the purview of the Defence Ministry, following the new Parliament taking office. �The NGO Secretariat is now under the Ministry of Defence, and the Defence Ministry will be working with them,� Media Centre for National Security Director Laxman Hullugalle said. more..

June 15 (CT) The Colombo chief magistrate's court has issued notice on police chief Mahinda Balasuriya to arrest the DIG of western province who had failed to arrest two suspects in a people smuggling racket. Chief magistrate Champa Janaki Rajaratne today gave the order after police had not apprehended the senior policeman over his failure to execute an arrest warrant. more..

June 15 (CT) They were jailed in Indonesia, stranded in Romania and rescued by Australia off the coast of Sumatra, all in the last eight months. So it was a big relief to Nisanth Segaranantham and his friends when they landed in Oakland last month. The 27-year-old Sri Lankan refugee is savoring his freedom to roam the city, shop for his own groceries and look for a job. "We can go anywhere, anytime, anyplace, no problem," he said. more..

June 15 (Hindu) The Madras High Court on Monday directed the government counsel to get information onthe steps taken on a representation by an advocate who filed a writ petition seeking a direction to the authorities to arrest Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda, an absconding accused in a city murder case. The First Bench, consisting of Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, has posted the petition for further hearing next week. more..

June 15 2010 (LBO) Sri Lanka's western province, where the capital Colombo is located will crack down on the use of plastics and polythene, especially for promotional activity and decorations, officials said. The regional administration is drafting new laws to ban the use of polythene for promotional purposes and impose heavy fines on people. "This is the first step towards a polythene free province," more..

June 15 2010 (LBO) Sri Lanka's main opposition UNP is not opposing an enhanced trade liberalization deal with India, but wants transparency and a parliamentary debate to clear doubts, a lawmaker said. "In principle the UNP is not opposed to the CEPA," Harsha de Silva, an economist who is also a UNP lawmaker said. "What we are objecting to is the process by which they are trying to enter into the agreement. It is not transparent." more..