The Higher Education Ministry is considering applications from five more private higher educational institutions seeking degree awarding status.

Secretary to the Ministry Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navaratne told The Island yesterday that the University Grants Commission (UGC) had awarded degree awarding status to eight private higher educational institutions so far.

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa announced the launch of child friendly schools programmes to minimize competition to admit children to popular schools, and also to provide them with a quality education after developing material resources and other facilities in schools. This is a further step in improving Sri Lanka's education, the level of which the UN's Human Resources Report has recognized as being among the highest in Asia.

Minister Rajapaksa said this when he addressed the inaugural meeting marking t

“There was general agreement that the possibility of increased radicalization of the Muslim population in Sri Lanka, especially on the east coast, exists given that the community is marginalized in many ways and has suffered during the twenty-five years of fighting between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). That said, there was also general agreement that there are no concrete signs that “jihadis” are gaining ground in any systematic way and that the government tended to overplay the possibi

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is to go to court over the resettlement of war displaced Tamils in the north.
TNA MP Appadurai Vinayagamoorthy said that his party will seek the intervention of the court to resettle hundreds of people on their original lands in parts of the north.

He also said that the TNA will support a demonstration set to be staged by families who are yet to be resettled on their original lands.

Bangalore, Apr 7 (ANI): Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader Vaiko has called for an independent international investigation into war crimes allegations agaisnt Sri Lanka and also demanded that the Tamils in Sri Lanka should be allowed a referendum to decide their fate.

"There should be an independent international investigation about the crime of genocide committed by Sri Lankan government of Mahinda Rajapakshe. And the settlements of the army and police who're deployed in the traditionally Tamil area

Media organisations, political parties and civil rights movements condemned this week’s attack on an Uthayan newspaper office in Kilinochchi, as police failed to make a breakthrough in the investigations.Six media organisations condemning the attack, said that the media in the Northern Province continues to be suppressed to prevent public access to information.

The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has called for urgent action by Sri Lanka with regard to pending cases of disappearances.

In a report re-released last week, the Working Group said that since its establishment it has transmitted 12,473 cases to the Government and of those, been clarified on the basis of information provided by the source; 6, been clarified on the basis of information provided by the Government; 222 cases were found to be duplications and were therefore

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to appoint a special commission to investigate the mass grave at Matale.

Presidential spokesman Mohan Samaranayake told the Colombo Gazette this morning that the investigations by the commission will be in addition to the investigations being carried out by the police.

Over been unearthed from the mass grave in Matale.

A Sri Lankan had managed to capture on video of a tragic situation that Sri Lankan domestic workers in Dammam, Saudi Arabia had to undergo a few months ago.

The Sri Lankan who wishes to remain anonymous provided Newsfirst with the footage to ensure such incidents are not repeated.

There is a building in Dammam, Saudi Arabia where Sri Lankan domestic workers are housed after they refused to work at where they had been dispatched and requested to be sent back to Sri Lanka.

The Samudraya Environmental Protection Agency says that steps will be taken against hotels that dump garbage on the beach.

They said that they are filing action against such a hotel in Kosgoda for carrying out activities to pollute the beach and sea water.

The steps are being taken after receiving complaints from neighbouring residents.