July 14 (TN) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupying Ki�lnochchi has stopped the supply of water to the paddy fields cultivated under Akka�rayan Ku�lam in Ki�linochchi district by resettled civilians claiming the water in the reservoir is reserved for its supply of drinking water, the resettled civilians said. The paddy cultivated by the resettled civilians face the risk of withering off due to lack of water, they said. more..

July 14 (LP) Members of the Police Special Task Force (STF) managed to apprehend a 3 acre Marijuana field and arrest 4 suspects who were in the vicinity following a search operation in the Panama Reserve. The Police reports that the marijuana fields have been destroyed, and that they have also found a locally made gun, a 2 horse power water motor, an oil sprinkler and equipment used for farming such as rubber tubes, water hoses and watering cans. more..

July 14 (MoD) The concessionary housing loan programme for the benefit of the displaced people in the North was launched in Kilinochchi at the ceremony held to commence the reconstruction of the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) Kilinochchi district office building by the Chairman of NHDA, Jayantha Samaraweera, with the participation of officials and people of the area. more..

July 14 (MoD) The Government has expedited the demining process in a bid to complete the resettlement in the Mullaitivu, Mannar, Killinochchi and Vavuniya districts. Special focus has been given to the Mullaitivu district. The Economic Development Ministry has provided all infrastructure facilities including demining machines to military personnel involved in these activities. more..

July 14 (CT) UNP MP Buddhika Pathirana says he disagrees with a government decision to bring down the minimum pass mark to between 25 and 34 marks. The measure seeking to increase the number of students passing the GCE O/L examination will be detrimental to the quality of the examination, especially for mathematics, he told 'Colombo Today.' Mathematics is a subject which enhances the knowledge on logics, thinking and creativity, and more..

July 14 (Island) Addressing all senior police officials above the rank of OICs, Senior DIG, Nimal Lewke, in charge of the North Western province (Wayamba), emphasized the importance of winning the confidence of the people to enhance the image of the Police Department. He instructed SSP/Divisions to do a separate case study of the recent incidents at Mattakkuliya, Kiribathgoda etc, to find the shortcomings of the police and more..

July 14 (LP) Minister Rathnasiri Wickremanayake says that establishing committees to each and every problem of the state is a trait given to Sri Lanka by the British. He further said that establishing committees in hopes that the problems would simply be forgotten in time is unacceptable, saying that we have continued the usage of good things as well as bad which we learned during our time as colonials, more..

July 14 (LP) Sri Lanka�s Ministry of Health has decided to establish a National Committee in order to formulate a national principle preventing the spread of non-contagious diseases in Sri Lanka. Minister of Health Mithripala Sirisena told media that the main problem people will face during the next decade is the infection of non-contagious diseases and since such diseases are currently experiencing a rapid growth, more..

July 14 (LP) Nearly 22, 000 motor accidents occur annually because of the lack of attention and negligence of motorists, and the Motor Traffic Department of Sri Lanka is making an effort to lessen such occurrences by organizing various programmes, said Transport Minister Kumara Welgama. Minister Welgama pointed out that it is also important to make drivers realize the importance of road safety. more..

July 14 (LeN) The opposition accuses that the budget forwarded on 29th June to cover the expenditure for 6 months for 2010 prepared to tally according to IMF proposal. The government says they have given more space in 2010 budget to control the deficit and to safe guard the long term investments of government and the local entrepreneur. But we can see government main intension is to reduce the deficit. more..

July 14 (LeN) The President has given an assurance to the UNP leadership that he would not take no more of the UNP MPs to the Govt. side. The President has given this assurance when he met the UNP group led by its leader at Temple Trees on the 12th to discuss the amendments to the constitution. The President gave this assurance in response to a question raised by the UNP President Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, more..

July 14 (NF) Various views are being expressed with regard to the meeting held between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe over constitutional reforms. While the UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said discussions were on with the government on three issues, UNP MP Dayasiri Jayasekera expressed dismay over the situation, which he described as �government trying to pass the ball on to our side�. more..

July 14 (CT) Around 850 Sri Lankan workers of a garment factory in the town of Riza in Bahrain have ended their strike action after winning their demands. As per their demand, the Sri Lankan manager of the factory has been replaced by an Indian national who had held the position earlier. An inquiry has found the Sri Lankan manager had given the workers difficult work targets. more..

July 14 (DM) President Mahinda Rajapaksa�s move to engage the opposition comes at a time when the leaders of both the government and the opposition desperately crave for each other�s support to save face. For the government especially for the President formal talks with the opposition is a means of keeping the international criticism at bay. The impression created is that the ruling coalition is quite open to the proposals of the opposition and more..

July 14 (DN) The People�s Alliance, the chief constituent of the UPFA and the main Opposition United National Party have agreed to do away with the executive Presidency and instead create an executive Prime Minister who would be responsible to Parliament. This is a move that would certainly be welcomed by the vast majority of the general public who had come to view the executive Presidency as being chiefly responsible for all the ills that beset the nation since its introduction in 1978. more..

July 14 (MoD) Sri Lankan troops serving UN Peace Keeping assignments in Haiti have turned good Samaritans and are busy providing most needed food, water, medicine and relief supplies to a population of over 4075 in historic Jacmel, a city in southern Haiti, affected badly in the January 2010 Haiti earthquake. Street after street of homes and businesses were torn apart in the devastating earthquake and more..

July 14 (DM) One soldier was killed and three others including two soldiers were injured when one of their colleagues opened fire at them early yesterday in Serunuwara. The soldiers were on a patrol in the Serunuwara-Kantale main road when the incident had taken place. The suspect shot at his colleagues when one of them questioned him about a robbery of a stock of iron rods used for the construction of drains along the Serunuwara-Kantale main road. more..

July 14 (SL) Singapore investors are keen to invest in construction, agriculture and real estate businesses in Sri Lanka. Singapore Business Federation Deputy Mission Leader V.K. Rajan and FCCISL President Kosala Wickramanayake exchange pleasantries. A Singapore business delegation of 14 members met 30 Sri Lankan businessmen at the Federation of Chambers of Commerce (FCCISL) yesterday to discuss possibilities of establishing joint ventures. more..

July 14 (DN) The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) staff in association with Colombo Rotary Club will launch a special program to prevent dengue mosquito breeding in the Colombo City. This dengue mosquito breeding prevention program will be held in two stages. The areas worse affected are Borella, Colombo North and Colombo Central where large-scale construction activities are proceeding. more..

July 14 (LNP) It is only too well known that the present Constitution contains some draconian features. Even its chief architect, the late President J.R. Jayewardene admitted that some of the executive powers vested with the president needed revision. Unfortunately, this realisation dawned on him too late in the day after his retirement. When the executive presidency was introduced in 1978, the then SLFP-led Opposition vehemently opposed it claiming that it was a threat to democracy and more..

July 14 (DN) The Railways Department yesterday alerted rail commuters about organized gangs who rob the belongings of passengers on long distance trains. These gangs befriend the unsuspected commuters by resorting to various tactics. They offer seats to the passengers who go on pilgrimage with their families and win their confidence. This kind of goodwill measure invariably ends up with the gangs offering a meal brought by them. more..

July 14 (DN) The Ceylon Electricity Board should cut back its losses and become an institution that will not be a burden to the country. �It should understand the needs of the public and make use of the skills of local engineers exploiting renewable power sources in the country for generation of electricity,� President Mahinda Rajapaksa told senior officials at Temple Trees yesterday. more..

July 14 (Island) Ports and Aviation Deputy Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena said yesterday that all unauthorized structures, including hotels, houses and industrial complexes, erected on beaches in Kalutara would be demolished to construct the Calido Coastal Gardens. All OICs of police stations in the coastal areas would be made aware of the provisions of the Coastal Conservation Act and more..

July 14 (Island) The police have begun prosecuting �speeding� motorists, though the Supreme Court in 2008 ordered removal of all signboards, which carried various speed limits other than 56 kmph in city limits and 72 kmph outside the city. The SC directive issued consequent to a fundamental rights case filed by a couple living at Saliyapura, Anuradhapura forced the police to suspend motorists being fined. more..

July 14 (Island) The Justice Ministry says a section of lawyers recently strongly objected to the location of new Courts in the provinces due to such Courts being not easily accessible to them. Justice Minister Athauda Seneviratne and Justice Secretary Suhada Gamlath say the ministry had no option but to overlook those objections as new courts were meant to be within the easy reach of litigants. more..

July 14 (NF) Four members of the same family in the Sandaresgama area in Eppawala, Anuradhapura have been murdered. Police noted that the victims had been hacked to death with sharp weapons. "Following a tip off given by a villager, the police who visited the crime scene had discovered the bodies," said Senior DIG Jayantha Gamage. Police noted that the victims included a father, mother, daughter and son. more..

July 14 (AD) Fuel prices have been reduced in the Jaffna with effect from today. The price of a litre of petrol has been reduced by Rs. 2.40, diesel and kerosene by Rs. 1.90 per litre, said Petroleum Industries Ministry Secretary H.T.M. Jayawardena. Cabinet approval was granted this morning and the revision will be effective from today. Accordingly, a litre of petrol which was sold earlier at Rs. 118 will be sold at Rs. 115.60 and more..

July 14 (MoD) United States Naval Ship "USS Pearl Harbour" arrived at the Port of Trincomalee today (13th June 2010) on a goodwill visit. Upon her arrival at the port, she was ceremonially welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy. Subsequently, Commanding Officer of the ship Commander David K. Guluzian called on the Commander Eastern Naval Area Rear Admiral Jayanath Colombage. more..

July 14 (DM) Summons have been issued on a chief magistrate and four senior CID officers to present themselves in court on October 4 to give evidence at the special High Court hearing on the killing of twenty nine people, including Major General Janaka Perera, by a suicide bomber. This is the first time such an order has been issued. The summons were issued by North Central Province High Court Judge Meneka Wijesundera when more..

July 14 (DM) Inquiry into the testamentary proceedings filed by the late Anura Bandaranaike�s elder sister Sunethra Bandaranaike to claim Mr. Bandaranaike�s property on the basis of intestacy will begin in the Colombo District Court today. In this case Ms. Bandaranaike had informed court that her brother Anura died on March 16, 2008 at Visumpaya, Staples Street, Colombo-2 and more..

July 14 (Island) DNA General Secretary and MP Vijitha Herath says the IMF and other international lending agencies are creating a situation similar to that of Greece, which is now experiencing an unprecedented financial crisis. Sri Lanka was heading for an economic catastrophe, though the Rajapaksa administration was trying to paint a rosy picture of the economy, Hearath claimed more..

July 14 (DM) The UNP yesterday said its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe would soon begin discussions with all parties representing Parliament on changing the Constitution and replacing the Executive Presidency with a Prime Minister responsible to the legislature.UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told a news conference that the objective of these talks would be to build up a common stand on Constitutional Amendments. more..

July 14 (SL) The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) yesterday conducted tsunami drills in all coastal areas of the island, covering a total of 14 districts. Pradeep Kodippili, Media Coordinator for the DMC, told The Sunday Leader that the drills were completed successfully. He explained that the drills involved educating selected groups of the �vulnerable community� on how to react to early warnings, evacuation procedures, and more..

July 14 (Reuters) Sea levels are rising unevenly in the Indian Ocean, placing millions at risk along low-lying coastlines in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, scientists say in a study. Researchers from the University of Colorado and the National Center for Atmospheric Research say the rising sea levels are caused in part by climate change and are triggered by warming seas and changes to atmospheric circulation patterns. more..

July 14 (CI) With both sides weak in their respective fast bowling departments, Indian captain MS Dhoni and Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara have pledged to make the Test series more interesting and enterprising by aiming for results. The three-Test series beginning in Galle on July 18 is expected to be a very high-scoring one due to the imbalance between the batting and bowling strengths for both sides. more..

July 14 (TA) AS many as half of Sri Lankans seeking asylum in Australia are suspected of being former fighters, operatives or supporters of the Tamil Tigers. The Tigers have been designated a terrorist organisation in many countries but not in Australia. Sri Lankan officials estimate that between 25 and 50 per cent of Tamils fleeing to Australia have connections to the defeated LTTE. more..

July 14 (BBC) The Sri Lankan cabinet is holding a special meeting in the former capital of the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels, Kilinochchi in the far north of the island. The town was the guerrillas� stronghold for 11 years until January 2009. By assembling there, the government is making a clear statement of its role in reunifying the island after years of civil war. For years during their separatist war, and long after losing Jaffna further north, more..

July 15 (CT) The Police Department is to recruit 25 graduates as trainee ASPs, police headquarters sources said. The recruitments are to be made on the instructions of defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The relevant gazette notification will be issued on July 23. This is the first time that the department is enrolling several graduates as trainee ASPs. The recruitments will be made to the medical, information technology, civil, electronic and electric engineering, more..

July 15 (BBC) President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka has called for people in the north of the island to sink their political differences and rebuild the region. He was speaking after chairing an unprecedented cabinet meeting in the town of Kilinochchi, which was the headquarters of the separatist Tamil Tigers until just before their military defeat last year. The government has confirmed that northern Sri Lanka will now host permanent military garrisons. more..

July 15 (CI) Yuvraj Singh made optimum use of the tour game to ensure his place at No. 6 in the Test line-up, scoring an entertaining and assured century, but could not save the Indians the embarrassment of not making the follow-on mark against the Board Presidents' XI. Ajantha Mendis gave the selectors enough reasons to pick him for the second Test, taking the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Gautam Gambhir among his six. more..

July 15 (BBC) Nearly 40,000 IDPs are remaining in the camps in the north, the Sri Lanka government has said. The official website of Sri Lanka government quoted to Colonel Vadugodapitiya, Chief Coordinating Officer of the Competent Office for IDPs in Vavuniya that only 38,127 IDPs are currently in the camps. Nearly 300,000 people were made homeless last year after fierce fighting between the government security forces and the Tamil Tigers. more..

July 15 (Xinhua) After last week's protest opposite the UN offices here by a government minister, Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) has joined subjecting UN to criticism. The UNP leadership aspirant and senior legislator Sajith Premadasa blamed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of acting in contravention of the UN charter for appointing a panel to advise him on Sri Lanka's alleged rights abuses. more..

July 15 (UCAN) The Oblate-run Center for Society and Religion (CSR) in Colombo is attempting to promote ethnic and religious harmony through the use of all forms of modern media. �We need films, videos, audios, articles and books that diagnose the reasons for the ethnic differences and offer remedies,� Oblate Father Rohan Silva, director of CSR, told ucanews.com following a screening of a teledrama on ethnic divisions by veteran director Asoka Handagama. more..

July 15 (JD) Call it tusker diplomacy. The Sri Lanka government recently decided to donate a pair of elephants to Korea by the end of July, a month after Cambodia donated two elephants for a Seoul zoo. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has offered a pair of five-year-old elephants, one female and one male, to the Global Love Sharing Center, a Seoul-based civic group, to thank the group for its efforts to help migrant workers from Sri Lanka. more..

July 15 (Isria) The Ministry of Petroleum and Petroleum Resources Development has collected 2D seismic data offshore Galle and Hambantota to evaluate petroleum potentials. The survey which was carried out in 2009 was intended to investigate the petroleum potential of two gravity anomalies indicated by satellite off the Southern coastal belt of Sri Lanka, the 2009 Performance report of the Ministry of Petroleum Industries said. more..

July 15 (UCAN) Buddhists and Christians are united in mourning for Oblate priest Father Reginald de Silva, a tireless worker for interreligious harmony, who has died aged 87. His funeral was held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church at Kala Oya in northern Sri Lanka on July 14. Father de Silva was based at Kala Oya parish and served Anuradhapura diocese for 45 years. He was the first Sinhalese priest to work in the predominantly Buddhist North Central province, more..

July 15 (AN) Sri Lanka�s bruised ties with the West and the angry reaction against a panel appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon are not without reason. Sri Lanka was subjected to terrorism at its worst form for 30 years. Only those who lived in the country know to what extent the so-called Western friends and the United Nations helped Sri Lanka in those difficult years. It is no secret that most of the Western countries and the UN umbrella organizations more..

July 15 (Hindu) MDMK general secretary Vaiko, Tamil Nationalist Movement leader P. Nedumaran, Periyar Dravida Kazhagam leader Viduthalai Rajendran and CPI cadre were arrested on Wednesday when they tried to take out a procession towards the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission, demanding its closure. They were later remanded to judicial custody. They have been charged under the provisions of more..

July 15 (LBO) The Council for Business with Britain (CBB) made up of firms doing business with the UK is expecting more business volumes between the two countries with the end of a three decade long war. "As patron of the CBB, I am pleased to support this group in their on-going efforts to promote bilateral business relations between the UK and Sri Lanka," Acting British High Commissioner, Mark Gooding, said in a statement. more..