In Brief

Nallur temple festival

The annual festival of the most venerated shrine of the Hindus, the Nallur Kanthaswamy Kovil in Jaffna will commence on August 18 with the flag hoisting ceremony.

The temple management and the Jaffna Municipal Council will provide facilities such as the transportation and sanitation to the pilgrims who gather at the shrine from all parts of the Peninsula.

Minimum wage for housemaids

Close on the heels of reports that the Indian government may set a minimum wage for housemaids who work abroad, the Sri Lankan mission in Dubai has echoed similar views. The Sri Lankan consulate in Dubai is contemplating to set a minimum wage of around $250 (Dh912) against the current $150 (Dh550).

Contributions for Kotmale Maha Seya

A meeting chaired by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to solicit contributions for the completion of the final phase of the Kotmale Maha Seya, was held at Temple Trees on Friday evening. Business tycoon Indra De Silva made a donation on behalf of the business community to the proposed fund, which has risen to Rs. 5 million.

Emirates 43.6% stake ruled out

Emirates President Tim Clark has ruled out the possibility of the Dubai based carrier raising its 43.6% stake in SriLankan Airlines at present Bloomberg said. Emirates is currently holding talks with SriLankan regarding the renewal of its management contract which expires on March 31, 2008.

Work on Colombo South harbour in Nov.

Construction work on the Colombo South harbour will commence in November, according to Minister of Ports and Aviation Chamal Rajapaksa. Addressing an adjournment debate in Parliament on Friday, the Minister said that tenders for the construction of the terminal under Build Operate and Transfer basis have now closed. The Asian Development Bank granted US$30 billion of the US$40 billion needed to construct the breakwater and the terminal costs US$45 billion.

India Independence Day on Wednesday

A flag-hoisting ceremony will be held to celebrate the 61st Independence Day of India, at the resident of the High Commissioner of India, "India House", No. 86, Cumaratunga Munidasa Mawatha, Colombo 3 on Wednesday August 15, at 8.00 a.m.

Handicrafts fair from Aug. 18-21

A handicrafts fair organised by the National Crafts Council (NCC) will be held at the National Art Gallery from August 18 - 21, which will be opened by Rural Industries and Self Employment Promotion Minister S.B. Nawinna at 10.00 a.m. on the first day.

The NCC has organised a series of fairs throughout the country with a view to promote traditional handicrafts and to improve living conditions of craftsmen. This is the third of the series to be held in the National Art Gallery Colombo.

Planting of Esala 'Kap'

The planting of the Esala 'Kap' the first religious act of the historic Kandy Esala perahera will take place at the Natha, Paththini, Kataragama and Vishnu devales in Kandy in the early hours of tomorrow. From tomorrow the perahera will be conducted within the precincts of the devales until August 18. The first Kumbal perahera will be conducted along the temple square on August 19. The Randoli perahera will commence on August 24 and will end with the Maha Randoli perahera on August 28.

Goods distribution in Jaffna streamlined

The Government is taking steps to streamline distribution of goods in the Jaffna peninsula to reduce the prices of essential goods. Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda, who visited Jaffna has initiated plans to set up Consumer Observation and Protection Committees in the Jaffna Peninsula. Setting up such committees would help bring down the prices of goods in the Jaffna peninsula.

The committees will be set up to find out the causes for the spiralling prices of consumer and other essential items, irregularities and drawbacks in goods' distribution and to inquire into the quality and quantity aspects of food items to provide prompt solutions.