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Pictured here Dr. Deborah Persaud, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, is among the doctors who studied the girl’s blood. Using the most sensitive tests available, they found tiny amounts of HIV “particles” but no virus capable of replicating, the research team reported. For the first time, doctors are reporting that a child born with HIV and put on an unusually aggressive treatment regimen has been functionally cured of the infection. Now 2 years old, the Mississippi girl has only trace amounts of HIV in her bloodstream and has been able to keep the virus that causes AIDS in check without the help of medication, doctors said Sunday at a medical conference in Atlanta. If researchers demonstrate that the same treatment can work in other children, it could drastically alter the lives of the estimated 1,000 babies born with HIV every day, most of them in Africa, doctors said. “If there is a trial that shows this can happen again, then this will be very impo...

SLT’s Next Generation Network is already serving major Government institutes and key enterprise customers on  IPv6  ready platform Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the nation’s number one integrated communications service provider and the leading broadband and backbone infrastructure services provider in the country, proudly announced the successful deployment of IPv6, the world’s latest Internet Protocol (IP) version in its Internet Service Provider (ISP) arm, SLTnet on the world’s IPv6 launch day. As a dominant player in the internet market, this is part of the company’s commitment to take the country to greater heights and broader dimensions in the ICT arena by bringing home the latest futuristic and cutting-edge technologies. SLT has IPv6-enabled its corporate web site, http://www.slt.lk, to celebrate the theme of this year’s Global IPv6 day – “This time it is for real” – which was on 6 June. SLT has been operating a separate IPv6-enabled web site, http://www.ipv6.s...

Dialog Enterprise, the corporate solutions arm of Dialog Axiata PLC successfully commissioned an integrated communication solution to enable Road Development Authority (RDA) to start operations of Sri Lanka’s first expressway with a very high note. The solution provided by Dialog Enterprise enabled real time ticket transactions at all entry/exit points in the highway with secure and faster connectivity being provided using a mobile access point network solution (APN) branded as Dialog BizConnect. With this solution all Point of Sales (POS) machines are interconnected to the central server system hosted at the Dialog data centre. The state of the art solution provided by Dialog Enterprise would allow officials at RDA to get real time updates on information such as number of vehicles entered, revenue generated from each exit points and the registration numbers of vehicles that have entered or exited the newly opened Southern Expressway. Dialog enterprise partnered with Access Teleco...

The construction of South Asia’s tallest multi-functional Tower ‘Lotus Tower’ will commence on January 20. The proposed tower with an entertainment centre will be constructed at the Beira Lake water front in Colombo and the total height of the tower is 350 meters, a statement issued by the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRCSL) said yesterday. TRCSL is planning the construction of a multi-functional telecommunication tower and an Entertainment Centre which has been approved by the Cabinet. The proposed tower will be constructed on a plot of land of 3.06 hectares, and it will be situated between the Eastern Beira Lake and D R Wijewardena Mawatha. It is destined to be a striking city symbol and an important landmark by being the tallest Tower in South Asia. It will be a free -standing tower with a four-storey high podium; a concrete tower shaft of moderate diameter; eight storied tower head; and a steel framed antennae mast surmounted at the top. ...

Nokia unveiled two sleek new Microsoft Windows phones on Wednesday in time for Christmas, a first step in the ailing cellphone maker's fightback against Apple and Google. Chief Executive Stephen Elop presented the two new smartphones, the first fruits of his big bet on Microsoft software, to a 3,000-strong audience in London, saying they represented the beginning of a new era for the Finnish giant. "It's a new dawn for Nokia," Elop said as he unveiled the high-end Lumia 800 and mid-range Lumia 710, which will go on sale in key European markets next month. In an interview with Reuters, Elop said the world's biggest cellphone maker had transformed itself during his 13-month tenure, which has seen a shake-up of senior management and thousands of lay-offs. "It is a different company operating on a different clock speed," he said. "The amount of effort and passion and work that's been accomplished that we were able to show off ...

The French company has supplied two sets of high tech medical equipment to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle. The opening ceremony of the new operating theatres of the hospital was inaugurated by the Ambassador of France, Christine Robichon at the invitation of the Sri Lankan authorities. A Twin Modular Operating Theatre and a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Angiography System from the French company Euroformed have been financed by a soft loan granted by the Government of France, for a total amount of 9.5 million Euros (1.6 billion LKR), to upgrade the medical equipment of public hospitals in several cities of Sri Lanka, mainly Galle, Jaffna, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura, states the French embassy in Colombo. “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being and France is particularly happy to contribute to the improvement of the capacities of the Sri Lankan governme...

A modern bus stand in Galle, in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, built at a cost of Rs. 405 million was declared open yesterday by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. This two storied bus stand is the longest bus stand in Sri Lanka and its length is 161 metres with a width of 10 metres.  Funds for this project were allocated by the Ministry of Economic Development. It consists of 16 shops, one restaurant and 4 stalls for selling newspapers.  It has also 2 resting lounges for male and female passengers and one resting lounge dedicated for disabled persons.  The bus stand will cater to 692 buses daily and 165,680 passengers are using this bus stand daily.  The new bus stand also has an overhead bridge of 41 metres connecting it with the nearby Galle Railway Station. The bridge also has an overhead roof to protect the passengers from rain. 

The newly constructed Galle Bus stand will be opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa today (July 11), the President’s Media Unit stated. The bus stand will be known as Sri Lanka’s longest depot while a cost of Rs. 405 million was spent on its construction. The Galle bus stand along with the Train station and the fly-over will be transferred to public ownership today.

Shares at the CSE rebounded strongly today. The Market ended up 32 points after being down over 100 points in the morning.

With today’s turnover of Rs. 1.1 Billion, the daily turnover of the Colombo Stock Exchange surpassed Rs. 1 Billion for six consecutive market days for the first time in history.

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) created history today by recording its highest ever Market Capitalization (total value) of Rs. 942.6 Billion, the Colombo Stock Exchange told to Share Blogs

Northern Province governor says 30,000 IDPs to be resettled in two weeks; Rs4,000 & tractor facilities to be given to farmers in North

Park and Ride’ initiative will be re-launched on September 1 as a measure to curb the traffic congestion and man power loss, the Transport Ministry said today. st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } PRESS RELEASE Re-launch of CityLiner Premium Bus Service/Park and Ride in Colombo In an effort to improve quality of life in the City of Colombo, the Ministry of Transport has proposed a three year program to reduce the number of private vehicles entering and operating within the city from 200,000 to 150,000 and thereby to reduce traffic congestion, consumption of fuel and environmental pollution. With a view to achieve this objective NTC will re-launch Cityliner project on 1st September 2009. The National Transport Commission (NTC) together with the Ministry of Transport has embarked on several projects to achieve these goals. One of which is the Cityliner Premium Bus Service and Park and Ride Concept that was launched in mid March this year. This project has received good response from the public...

A special bus service will be available for spectators of the Twenty 20 match played between Sri Lanka and Pakistan tomorrow at the R. Premadasa Stadium. The special bus service will begin 20 minutes after the awards presentation, from Maligakanda, opposite Sathosa. The buses will ply along the Galle Road , Kandy Road, Negombo Road , High Level Road , Fort and Malabe routes. The match is scheduled to begin at the R. Premadasa Stadiium at 07.00 pm and spectators are requested to be at the stadium by 06.00 pm the latest, said the organizers. There will be a special entertainment at the grounds before the start of play, they added.

The Government is to establish a National Child Assembly to benefit all children at various levels of the society. The main aim of this move is to create the right environment through the right channels to address issues concerning children, the Department of Probation and Child Protection stated. According to the Department, this development, which has commenced at provincial level, is now active in several districts as well. A National Child Assembly will also assist in grooming future leaders, the sources said. It will also create an atmosphere for discussion and debate on child rights and needs among children with various forums being included in the statute of the National Child Assembly.

Maldives National Oil Company (MNOC) is planning to build a 6-million cubic metres (m³) onshore oil terminal on the one of the Maldive islands. The crude and petroleum terminal is being planned on 20 hectares of land at a total investment of $150 million, according to MNOC’s Managing Director Ahmed Muneez. About 75% of the storage capacity will be dedicated to storing crude oil while the remaining 25% will be for clean and bunker products, said Muneez. The terminal will have either two jetties or two Single Buoy Moorings (SBM), coupled with full blending facilities, Muneez told participants at a bunker course organised by August Energy in Singapore. Construction work on the terminal is expected to start towards the end of this year and could take one and a half years to complete, Muneez told Bunkerworld. Five islands have been shortlisted by MNOC for the project. MNOC is currently inviting international fuel oil traders to commit to lease agreements of the storage capacity for the...

Telecom sector CEOs agree to quick deployment of services in North in meeting with North Task Force chaired by MP Basil Rajapaksa-Dir Gen TRC

Most restrictions on fishing in Trinco & Muttur removed, after five years; boats upto 25 horsepower also allowed for use-MP Basil Rajapaksa-

An Indian Rail construction company (RITE) is to take up the improvement of the tsunami affected coastal railway from Kaluthara to Matara and the installation of an advanced signal system with assistance granted by India.