Director General of the Telecom Regulatory Commission (TRC) Anusha Pelpita quelled rumours spread by an SMS which warned mobile users to beware of calls from some mobile numbers saying answering the calls received from the numbers would cause serious brain damage.
“A text message was circulating yesterday creating panic among mobile users. More >>

Lawyers representing veteran journalist J. S Tissainayagam who was pardoned by the president on May 3rd will meet officials of the Attorney General’s (AGs) department in the coming week to discuss his pardon said lawyer and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M. A Sumanthiran
“The pardon was an announcement by Minister of External Affairs Prof G. L Peiris but so far the pardon has not been granted. More >>

First thing that needs to be asked this week is —- if the UNP is not reforming, how many are deserting the sinking ship?
We do not know.
But it clear that Abdul Cader who topped the preferences in Kandy district, is disgruntled. He voted with the government last week to extend the Emergency.
Speculation has been that he along with Lakshman Kiriella are contemplating on joining the government benches. More >>

With the consecutive poll defeats of the UNP, many expected a possible change in the leadership. An indication of a green light to change the UNP party leadership came with the decision of the Working Committee to hold an election to appoint a new leader.
Now they say, the leaders are to be selected for the high ranks of the party via an election. Yet, the Working Committee of the UNP doesn’t mention that they are going to hold an election with the intention of changing the No 1 leadership. More >>

Sri Lanka were not sure if their star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan would play in Sunday’s (today’s) crucial Super Eight encounter against Australia (at 11pm SL time). Muralithan who was nursing a groin injury made a surprise comeback to the team for Friday’s match against West Indies and has apparently aggravated it.
“He’s getting treatment; he’s pulled up a bit sore,” coach Trevor Bayliss said. “We will just have to wait and see how it comes up tomorrow morning - that will be the real test. More >>

Legendary pole vaulter Sergey Bubka says that aspiring athletes in the island nation should emulate country’s athletic legend Susanthika Jayasinghe, if they wish to succeed in this highly competitive field of athletics.
“I think Susanthika (Jayasinghe) was an incredible talent. When I won the gold medal at the World Championships in 1997 in Athens, she won silver and then won silver at the Sydney Olympics three years later. But, what was more encouraging was her come back in 2007 to win a bronze again at World Championships. More >>

I read with interest Rikaza Hassan’s account of local reactions to ban-the-burqa moves that are going on in Europe (Lakbimanews of May 2). As I am not in agreement with many of the views that have been expressed, I am setting out here some of my own views. The first thing that we have to get right is that there is no Koranic sanction for the more extreme forms of the Islamic dress code that have been gaining ground among Muslims in many parts of the Islamic world and elsewhere, including Sri Lanka. More >>

If the Colombo Zoo was an organization, taken care of by animals carrying out self-assigned duties, the flamingos will be the ‘receptionists’. Living in the enclosure just opposite the gate, they are the first zoo inhabitants any visitor encounters. Flamingos proudly stand up on their long legs and will sometimes actively greet you by shaking their clean white coat of feathers. They are always active, proving their suitability for the role of receptionist. That is not all. Their pinkish beaks resembles that of a woman wearing pink lipstick. More >>

Whatever the final outcome of yesterday’s election, we’re heading for another one pretty soon - maybe even before the end of the year. The City and the money markets, if not the voters, will be demanding nothing less.
For all the swagger, corporate cash infusion and PR makeovers, David Cameron’s Tories have failed to extract an overall majority from an unpopular prime minister in the wake of the deepest economic crisis since the 1930s. More >>

David Cameron will today seek to establish a Conservative government after gaining the cautious support of the Liberal Democrats - meaning Gordon Brown will almost certainly be forced out of Downing Street. A Tory spokesman said Cameron would make a statement at 2.30pm, in which he will “set out how he will seek to form a government that is strong and stable, with broad support, that acts in the national interest”. More >>

Conventional wisdom dictates that economic progress invariably leads towards social progress. Naturally, better economic conditions lead to higher consumption, better education, better sanitation, and in short better quality of life. Moreover, there are good reasons to believe that this overall enhancement of living standards will lead to a more progressive outlook of life, breaking the shackles of ignorance, injustice and prejudice. More >>

The Information & Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), which functions under the Presidential Secretariat, will host the first-ever South Asian Mobile Content Conference in Colombo on June 10, 11. The one-day conference will be followed by a half-day workshop on mobile application development, which will provide practical guidance to the best minds in Sri Lanka on developing useful mobile applications. More >>

Lake Baikal is located in the south of Eastern Siberia, in the Buryat Autonomous Republic and the Region of Irkutsk, Russia. It covers 31,500 sq. km and is 636 km. long, an average of 48 km wide, and 79.4 km at its widest point. Its water basin occupies about 557,000 sq. km. and contains about 23,000 cu. km. of water, that is, about one fifth of the world’s reserves of fresh surface-water and over 80 per cent of the fresh water in the former Soviet Union. The average water level in the lake is never higher than 456 m. More >>

This beautiful tank, Kalawewa is situated in the North Central Province.This marvellous tank was made in the late 5th or early 6th century by King Dhathusena. In fact the King built another tank (Balalu) adjacent to this one and the two tanks are joined to form one of the biggest tanks in Sri Lanka (Kala - Balalu wewa)
Originally, its area is said to have been 40 miles in circumference and extended as far as Dambulla. Some idea of the stupendous work can be gained from the top of the bund, whose height, when the water is law is, amazing. More >>