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The Cabinet approved a decision to provide 100 scholarships to foreign students in the country on a proposal made by Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake. This was announced at the cabinet briefing held today in Colombo.

Indian Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar says that the country will provide a large number of Sri Lankan defence personnel with opportunities to train in India in the future. During his meet with President Mahinda Rajapaksa today he also emphasized on the need to spread the current defence dialogues between the nations to ground and air forces. The Defence Secretary who is on a three-day visit to the Island nation with an aim to enhance defence ties between the two countries also expressed of the agreement to hold a joint naval exercise in Sri Lankan waters in 2011. He further revealed that the Indian Air Force plans to perform a display for the 60th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air Force. (Pic courtesy President media)

Necessary steps have been taken in order to provide those who are at risk of being infected with the influenza AH1N1 virus (Swine flu) with vaccine injections, the Ministry of Health stated. Measures have been taken to provide the vaccine to pregnant women, diabetic and asthma patients, Health Secretary Dr. T.R.C. Ruberu said. He explained that it is important to always keep the hands washed and clean, shield the mouth when sneezing at all times and also to avoid overcrowded areas as much as possible in order to prevent from being infected by the virus. However the Secretary to the Health Ministry advised people to avoid being unnecessarily worried and think that everybody has to be injected. The Ministry will identify those who are in need of the vaccine and then they will be treated, says Dr. Ruberu.

The Ministry of Power and Energy in the near future will be experimenting with solar energy to power the county’s street lamps. The aim of this project will be to save the immense electricity and the Rs.4 billion expenditure being spent annually to light up these street lights. Almost 700,000 street lamps are operational in urban and rural areas around the country, the Ministry stated. The Sri Lankan electricity system has had to make an excessive contribution towards lighting these lamps.

If the government is to facilitate the UN Secretary General’s Panel to visit Sri Lanka, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) will hear such representations on the basis of its warrant and all the normal procedures will be followed for the hearings, the LLRC said in a statement.

Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said that he strongly opposed the government’s decision to invite the UN special committee appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. He claimed that by allowing the UN committee to discuss the matter with the Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission it will only seem like the government was extending its support to this report which could breathe new life to the UN committee.

Colombo—Sri Lanka’s tea production in November fell 8.9 percent year-on-year due to heavy rain but rose 14.2 percent in the first 11 months of 2010 from a year earlier, the state-run tea board said. Tea output in November dipped to 26.67 million kg from 29.28 million kg in the same month last year. Output in January to November jumped to 302.45 million kg from 264.8 million in the same period last year. “Heavy rain affected the pruning in the second half of November, “ said H.D. Hemarathne, director general of the Sri Lanka Tea Board. “But overall the output is good due to fairly good weather and better agricultural practices throughout the year. We expect output of at least 325 million kg and export revenue to definitely be over $1.4 billion,” he said. If this forecast proves accurate, both output and export earnings would be at a record high this year. Output fell 9 percent to 289.8 million kg last year from an all-time output peak of 318.7 million kg in 2008 due to adverse weather a...