No one in health sector has right to strike

PRESIDENT Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga yesterday lashed out at all health sector employees, saying that no one in the health sector has a right to strike. "The amount of responsibility upon the shoulders of all in the health sector is 10 times more than any other Government sector employee, because they deal with the patients' lives," President Kumaratunga said.

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4.4 per cent economic growth in 2004 - Central Bank

The economy grew by 4.4. per cent in real terms in the fourth quarter of 2004 over a high base resulting from 6.6. growth recorded in the corresponding period of the previous year, the Central bank said yesterday. While the services and industry sectors performed well, recording over 6 per cent growth, the deceleration in the fourth quarter was mainly due to the poor performance in certain agriculture sub-sectors.

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CEB, CPC restructuring on democratic basis: President

PRESIDENT Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said yesterday her Government will strive to establish its democratic credentials in its truest sense by keeping to the 51/49 per cent ratio in its planned restructuring of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) for the consumers' benefit.

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Xu Jinglei with Sri Lankan dancers at the Colombo Plaza.

BUSINESS

UK based Fielding Group invests in Hemas

THE Hemas Group sold a majority its shares in Hemas Garments (Pte) Ltd, the apparel arm of the Hemas Group, to Monitane Holdings Ltd, the parent company of The Fielding Group. The venture is expected to provide the company with a more apparel focused parent and add more value to the company's customers.

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Pretoria, South Africa Wednesday - Sri Lanka’s Thanuja Ekanayake and Inoka Galagedera celebrate the run out of Belinda Clark during the International Womens Cricket World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Australia at the L.C. Oval in Pretoria, South Africa. (Picture by Herbert Perera)

SPORTS

Indian cricket fans baying for Saurav's blood

Out-of-form Indiacaptain Saurav Ganguly will be under pressure to retain his job in a six-match one-day series against Pakistan starting on Saturday. The 32-year-old, having a torrid time with the bat, has comeunder severe criticism from fans and former players after failing throughout the test series, which ended in a 1-1 draw earlier this week. He had a miserable average of 9.6 in the three matches.

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President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga being greeted by a fresher, who was among the 2,500 trainee nurses who received letters of appointment from the President at a ceremony at the BMICH yesterday. Another 2,500 will get the letters of appointment this year. Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and Minister of Environment A. H. M. Fowzie are also in the picture. Picture By Dudley Wickremasingha


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