Linking hands for special needs kids : First Ladies of several countries participated in the International Shafallah Forum on Children with Special Needs at the Shaffallah International Centre in Qatar. Here First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa meets Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Picture by Yohan Dissanayake

The third annual three day Jaffna International Trade Fair (JITF) successfully concluded last Sunday at the Alfred Durayappah Stadium with over 50,000 visitors participating. The event also saw 200 companies, including from India and Indonesia participating, helping the Jaffna public and entrepreneurs and industrialists to find new markets, partners and access to new technology and machinery. Here a Jaffna resident admiring a saree at a stall. Picture by Saliya Rupasinghe

Government to sustain law and order

The government is well equipped and ready to face any challenge posed by disruptive elements who are attempting to create a conflict situation in the country, Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. Addressing a press briefing at his residence in Colombo yesterday, the minister said even though there are no economic hardships or difficulties confronting the people today, attempts are being made by saboteurs to provoke and incite the people to meet their vile ends.

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Huge desire for cross language mix - survey

There is an overwhelming desire on the part of native Sinhala and Tamil speaking people to learn each others’ languages, together with English, a socio-linguistic survey conducted in Sri Lanka revealed. According to the survey conducted across the country, between 80 percent and 96 percent of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people living in both majority Sinhala and majority Tamil speaking areas, have expressed a strong desire, both for themselves and their children, to be conversant in both national languages.

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Deyata Kirula development programme:

Rs 250 m to develop places of religious worship

The Buddhasasana and Religious Affairs Ministry has allocated Rs 250 million to construct and renovate a number of places of religious worship in the Anuradhapura district to mark the Deyata Kirula development programme, ministry Secretary Cassian Herath said.

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Progress in COPE probe

Officials of the Bribery and Corruption Commission and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) will be summoned before the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) when necessary to inquire into the progress of the investigations directed to the Commission and CID by COPE, Human Resources Senior Minister and COPE chairman D E W Gunasekara said.

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