July 18 (Reuters) Sri Lankan fighter jets destroyed two Tamil Tiger boats and bombed a rebel heavy-weapon deployment site in the country's north east on Friday, the air force said, adding that day-earlier fighting had killed 20 Tigers and five soldiers. Friday's attack follows the military's claim it had dealt a "fatal blow" to the Tamil Tiger rebels, with the Wednesday capture of the northwestern town of Vidattaltivu, the main base of the Tigers' sea wing and their logistics hub for the region. more..

July 18 (AFP) Journalists covering Sri Lanka's war with Tamil Tiger rebels are being harassed despite a government pledge to take action to protect the press, a rights group said Friday. The Free Media Movement (FMM) reported eight incidents of threats and intimidation, just two weeks after a ministerial committee was formed to look at the issue of media rights. The incidents included verbal death threats, assaults in public places and visits to journalists' homes by people claiming to be from the police, more..

July 19 (GDI) Cabinet approved a memorandum submitted by H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Minister of Finance and Planning proposing that the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs and the Treasury issue a circular to revise the present cost of living allowance for Public Sector Employees. Accordingly, the cost of living allowance will be revised as follows: more..

July 19 (PC) Lazy summer days at the beach getting a tan are pass� as Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Board (SLTPB) is marketing the country as an adventure destination with adventure seekers being identified as a potential growth market. �Adventurous holidays are a rapidly growing trend in global tourism and an increasing number of travellers are seeking out new adventures like Sri Lanka having done the usual African Safaris,� more..

July 19 (Hindu) A parliamentary delegation of the E.U. will arrive here on July 20 to assess the situation in the eastern part of the country, especially after the recent election to the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC). The delegation includes a cross-section of political groups and E.U. member-states. The delegation�s six-day visit would include meetings with key members of the Cabinet, political parties and the media. more..

July 19 (CI) India's bowlers, several of whom are returning to the Test squad after breaks due to injury, form or discipline, had a satisfactory start to the tour of Sri Lanka, dismissing the Board XI for 224 at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo. Zaheer Khan, who hasn't played for India since the tour of Australia due to an ankle injury, struck twice with the new ball; Harbhajan Singh, returning from a disciplinary ban, took a brace of wickets; more..

July 19 (CI) Two players pressing for places in their national teams for the first Test starting on Wednesday shone on the opening day of India's three-day warm up match against a Sri Lanka Board XI. Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan, returning to competitive cricket after a lay off due to an ankle injury, bowled with his usual pace, not holding back anything, and was rewarded with two wickets for 35 runs off 12 overs. more..

July 19 (CI) Two players pressing for places in their national teams for the first Test starting on Wednesday shone on the opening day of India's three-day warm up match against a Sri Lanka Board XI. Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan, returning to competitive cricket after a lay off due to an ankle injury, bowled with his usual pace, not holding back anything, and was rewarded with two wickets for 35 runs off 12 overs. more..

July 19 (CI) Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lankan captain and interim chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket, has said that money brought in by Twenty20s should be used for the benefit of Test cricket, while criticising players for complaining about heavy schedules only when it had nothing to do with the Indian Premier League (IPL). "Twenty20 brings in money and is business. That money should be used for Test cricket's survival," more..

July 19 (BBC) Seven men have been jailed for an attack in which four of them tried to behead a man using samurai swords. The gang members, from Newham, east London, ambushed a group of six men in Alperton, north London, in August 2006. Armed with swords, pickaxe handles and pieces of wood, four tried to behead a 20-year-old man, the Old Bailey heard. The four were sentenced to life for attempted murder. more..

July 19 (TOI) With the Sri Lankan series making an interesting start, cricket lovers are all set to enjoy a battle of bat and ball between India and Sri Lanka. It is in this backdrop that TIMES NOW caught up with Lankan batting main stay Kumara Sangakkara who expressed shock on Yuvraj Singh's omission from the Indian Test lineup. Sangakkara said that India was a very good side but he hoped that Sri Lanka hopes to execute their game plan right. more..

July 19 (TOI) For almost 15 years, Chaminda Vaas has been the mainstay of the Sri Lankan pace battery. Even at the age of 35, his never-say-die attitude motivates him to deliver some useful spells for his country. TOI caught up with the Sri Lankan medium-pacer during his team's net session at the SSC ground on Friday afternoon. more..

July 19 (PISL) The Peace Secretariat views with concern the recent statement by the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum regarding the work of the Commission of Inquiry. Though some of the issues it raises are of general concern, and need to be addressed by government, there are inconsistencies in its approach which suggest that even positive efforts by government to deal with issues will not find favour. more..

July 19 (AT) Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam, who completes his assignment as Sri Lanka�s Permanent Representative to the UN, is one of the most senior and distinguished diplomats in the country�s foreign service. During his career in Sri Lanka�s overseas missions, he acquitted himself handling a variety of political and socio-economic issues, including human rights, disarmament, migration, small arms and international trade. more..

July 19 (HT) That Ajantha Mendis took the cricket world by storm with his matchwinning performance in the final of the Asia Cup did not come as a surprise to those who have been watching him in Sri Lanka over the last couple of years. The reasons for his success are quite clear � he is extremely unusual in the way he bowls, he was kept back from the Indians in the league match and sprung on them in the final, and some of India�s young batsmen played regrettable shots. more..

July 19 (AHRC) An incident which happened this week was shocking confirmation of the fears repeatedly expressed by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) about threats to the legal system of Sri Lanka. A special police unit, acting on orders from above, recorded statements from three representatives of two well-known and reputable human rights organizations, the Law and Society Trust (LST) and Right to Life. more..

July 19 (AHRC) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that a police investigator has told the mother of a boy who was complaining about the beating of her son by a school principal to forget about making complaints. Furthermore, an inquiry officer of a local branch of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) also warned her from complaining further and more..

July 19 (LD) The Sri Lankan government is in a fix after signing several pacts with India, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna has claimed, alleging that Colombo is fulfilling its promises one by one. Speaking to the media today, JVP's Anura Kumara Dissanayake charged that one of the accords was for the exploration of oil in the Mannar Basin to India. An agreement was hurriedly inked and handed over to New Delhi, he said. more..

July 19 (LD) President Mahinda Rajapaksa is dissolving provincial councils and holding fresh polls with the sole intention of building up his power, said JVP Parliamentary Group leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Neither the people nor the chief ministers of these provinces want elections, Mr. Dissanayake told the media in Colombo today (July 18th). President Rajapaksa was intending to separately dissolve PCs and more..

July 19 (LD) Police used tear gas on protestors who clashed with Urban Development Authority officials who disregarded a Supreme Court order and moved to demolish houses at Glennie Street, Slave Island in Colombo this afternoon (July 18th). The lawyer, who appeared for the residents in a fundamental rights petition, which the SC heard earlier in the day, handed over the stay order against the demotion to the UDA and the police. more..

July 19 (AP) Angry protesters halted trains and clashed with policemen in Sri Lanka's capital Friday as authorities began demolishing their homes, saying they were unauthorized constructions that encroached on government lands. Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters who pelted stones and placed logs across a nearby rail road halting train transport for a few hours. more..

July 19 (LBO) Sri Lanka will ban the duty-free import of a range of white goods now allowed to be brought into the country by returning citizens that worked abroad, a senior revenue official said. Sri Lanka Customs would not allow any type of air conditioners, deep freezers or dishwashers and fully automatic washing machines to be brought duty free as 'passenger baggage allowance' from August 01, 2008. more..

July 19 (LT) Provincial council Election was the 1st step of a 10year project for the political power, told by the JVP P.B. member, MP Anura Kumara Disanaayaka.He revealed these facts at a press conference arranged to explain the present situation of the election at Colombo. He furthe Provincial council Election � The 1st step of a 10year project for the political power said, president had authority to held an presidential election after completion of 4 years. more..

July 19 (LD) New Delhi has officially told Colombo that it wants to takeover security of the city for the duration of the 15th SAARC summit in order to ensure the safety of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, according to 'Ravaya.' In a front-page article, the newspaper also said quoting Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena that India would be sending its army, air force and navy troops. more..

July 19 (LD) With the intensification of military offensives to liberate the Wanni, the Sri Lankan government is under demand by India, at the instigation of Tamil Nadu, to halt offensives against the LTTE, 'Lanka' reports, quoting political sources. More pressure is being exerted after the capture of the Sea Tiger base at Vedithaltivu in Mannar, a main supply route from South India. more..

July 19 (LD) A girl had committed suicide following continuous sexual abuse by her father. The victim's mother, giving evidence before Colombo city coroner Edward Ahangama, has said that the man had abused the mentally-handicapped elder daughter as well. The younger girl had set herself on fire on July 18th, but had died at the Akkarapattu Hospital. Before her death, the girl had told the police and hospital authorities about her father having had sexually abused her. more..

July 19 (LD) 'Divaina' reports a questionable deal in the purchase of five armoured personnel carriers (APCs) worth Rs. 250 million from the Philippines for the police Special Task Force. Of the five APCs, each costing Rs. 45 m, two had arrived on February 10th and first sent to the Katukurunda STF camp. According to the newspaper, the two armoured personnel carriers had been dispatched to Batticaloa, where they met with a technical hitch and rendered unusable. more..

July 19 (GDI) Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and two other super specialty hospitals in India have chosen Bhutan and Sri Lanka this year for the implementation of their project in telemedicine. The project was initiated with the objective of extending PGIMER services to needy patients in SAARC countries. more..

July 19 (GDI) The Security Forces operating in the North are experiencing high morale due to their string of victories in recent days, while the LTTE has been defeated time and again. Some people once claimed that we would not be able to liberate the East or Mavil Aru and must therefore share water with the LTTE. We would like to tell them that the time for sharing things with the LTTE is now over," Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. more..

July 19 (GDI) Sri Lanka's sprint queen Susanthika Jayasinghe, who was recently felicitated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Most Outstanding Sportswoman of the Year, has been named as the leader of the Sri Lankan team travelling for the the Beijing Olympics on August 5th. Accordingly, she will be given the privilege of carrying the Sri Lankan flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympics. more..

July 19 (BBC) A year after troops overpowered Tamil Tiger (LTTE) rebels in Sri Lanka's eastern province and took control of the area, normality has yet to return. The government called the victory the "dawn of the east" and held a nationwide celebration on 19 July 2007, days after the last rebel stronghold fell. It announced a host of development measures, and in May this year provincial elections were held for the first time. more..

July 19 (AFP) Sri Lanka's army chief said Saturday his forces had wiped out two-thirds of the Tamil Tigers' military capability, and that the decades-old conflict with the rebels was at its tail-end. Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said the LTTE would gradually start collapsing, the state-run Daily News paper said. "We are almost at the beginning of the end... we are nearing the turning point now, through the way LTTE is reacting. more..

July 19 (SAMN) Angry protesters halted trains and clashed with policemen in Colombo Friday as authorities began demolishing their homes, saying they were unauthorised constructions that encroached on government lands. Police used tear gas and baton charged the residents who pelted stones and placed logs across a nearby rail road halting train transport for a few hours. Opposition lawmaker Ravi Karunanayake said officials were tearing down the homes in violation of a Supreme Court stay order but were forced to stop because of the protest. more..

July 19 (SAMN) Government defence spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella Friday revealed that the armed forces, who earlier this week captured the LTTE�s Vidataltivu Sea Tiger base, where Sea Tiger leader Soosai had once operated, were now eyeing Kilinochchi as their next aim and have already taken steps to liberate the Tiger stronghold in the North. He described the �liberation� of Vidataltivu as a �great victory�, and more..

July 19 (SAMN) Even as the government introduced new visa regulations for UN staff operating in Sri Lanka, the United Nations (UN) stressed the need for unimpeded access to people in need of humanitarian assistance anywhere in the country. UN deputy spokesperson Marie Okabe told journalists on Thursday that she was awaiting a response from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the new regulations and more..

July 19 (SAMN) The Cabinet has approved to increase the Cost of Living (CoL) allowance by Rs. 1000 with effect from July 1 for public sector employees, the government said. Cabinet Spokesman Minister Anura Priyadharsana Yapa said that �the government has taken a decision to revise the present cost of living allowance for the Public Services, Provincial Public Service and Armed Forces.� more..

July 19 (DN) Sri Lankan High Commissioner in India Romesh Jayasinghe will meet Indian External Affairs Ministry high officials today to brief the Indian authorities about the recent incident relating to the killing of two Indian fishermen from Nagapattinam on the South Indian Coast on July 11. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told the Daily News last nigh that the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in India has already been instructed to brief the Indian External Affairs Ministry officials regarding more..

July 19 (DN) The SAARC Summit will be of immense benefit to all countries in the region, especially Sri Lanka which holds and enjoys extremely good bilateral relationships with all SAARC countries, observed Media and Information Minister and Government Media Spokesperson Anura Priyadarshana Yapa at the weekly Cabinet briefing at the Government Information Department Auditorium in Narahenpita yesterday. more..

July 19 (Island) Although a section of the Police attempted to attribute last week�s killing of a 19-year-old youth in Mawanella to accidental discharge of a galkatas (improvised gun) while a group of youth was on a drinking binge, the former Health Minister of the Sabaragamuwa PC Lalith Dissanayake, an SLFP candidate contesting the forthcoming election, yesterday said he had been shot by an Army deserter for no apparent reason. more..

July 19 (Island) The JVP yesterday said the SLFP was attempting to convert the Provincial Councils into �variga sabhas� by fielding the kith and kin of powerful politicos. This attempt at promoting nepotism must be defeated otherwise it would lead to a feudalistic crisis in the country, JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday. more..

July 19 (DM) The UNP yesterday reiterated its allegation that the government had endangered the life of the party�s North Central Province chief ministerial candidate Janaka Perera by failing to provide him adequate security despite the threats to his life by the LTTE. UNP front-liner Lakshman Kiriella told journalists the government had instead deployed a contingent of some 100 security personnel to protect the UPFA chief ministerial candidate Bertie Premalal Dissanayake. more..

July 19 (DM) According to a press release issued by the Director, MCNS Lakshman Hulugalle the following arrangements have been made as part of the special security measures that are to be implemented during the summit days. The four High Security Zones are: Katunayake International Airport and surrounding areas, Colombo Fort, BMICH compound and adjacent premises and the area extending from Kollupitiya to Galle Face. more..

July 19 (LD) Indian premier Dr. Manmohan Singh and Afghan President Hamid Karzai will get the topmost security among regional leaders attending the 15th SAARC summit in Colombo, diplomatic sources said. Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani too, will also be a security priority, according to the sources. The protection of these leaders for the duration of their stay in Sri Lanka has been decided after an assessment by international security agencies. more..

July 19 (LD) Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa has said that a VIP is given state security only in consideration of recommendations by intelligence services. Special bodyguards cannot be provided at request, he said, when 'Lanka Dissent' inquired him about the unequal security given to main candidates at the polls for the North Central Province. UNP candidate retired Major General Janaka Perera told the media yesterday that he was yet to be given any security. more..

July 19 (PTI) The ruling DMK on saturday began a statewide day-long fast condemning the 'frequent' killings of Indian fishermen allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy and asked the Centre to take up the matter immediately with Colombo. Inaugurating the fast, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi asked leaders of various political parties to stand united and voice their concern on the issue. more..

July 19 (AP) Sri Lankan government forces killed 19 Tamil Tiger rebels in fresh fighting along the front lines of the island nation's civil war, the military said Saturday. Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said Friday's worst fighting took place in northern Vavuniya district, where nine rebels were killed. Seven insurgents were killed along the Welioya front, while three more were killed in Jaffna, he said. more..

July 19 (PR) Jaffna Kingdom was dominated by the South Indian Pandyan Empire, a dravidic empire in the 13th Century after they defeated Chadrabanu. The development of the Dravidic tribes in the past twenty centuries gave rise to states like Pallava, Pandy, Chola, Chera and Vijayanagar kingdoms in Southern India. From time to time one or the other of these Dravidian states reached pre-eminence but indubitably the greatest of these was the Chola Empire, more..

July 19 (IANS) Sri Lanka has said the an economic pact with India "is yet to be finalised", even as New Delhi was hopeful that the long-awaited Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) would be signed on the sidelines of the upcoming Saarc summit. Minister of Media Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said the cabinet "is yet to approve the proposed agreement" and it would be subjected to further consultation and dialogue with the relevant officials and parties. more..

July 20 (PTI) After wrecking the famed Indian batting line-up in the Asia Cup final, Sri Lanka's new spin sensation Ajantha Mendis now harbours dream of scalping the prize wicket of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar in the upcoming three-match Test series starting July 23. Mendis created ripples during the Asia Cup in Pakistan early this month with his 'carrom ball' delivery, picking up 17 wickets in the continental tournament. more..

July 20 (LBO) Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal has said its exchange control department had streamlined approvals for overseas investments by local firms. The government wants to encourage big Sri Lankan companies to grow bigger and invest abroad, as a few have already done, he said. "Now the exchange control department has liberalised those approvals (for overseas investment)," more..