July 21 (LNP) President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised the public sector employees a pay hike of Rs. 2,500 in the run-up to the last presidential election. He was quite desperate for votes at that time. He won comfortably but has not yet honoured his promise, though the State workers voted overwhelmingly for him. His main contender Gen. Sarath Fonseka pledged a salary increase of Rs. 10,000 but failed to impress the workers. more..

July 21 (DN) With the expansion and modernization of the Sapugaskanda oil refinery the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation would be able to meet the entire domestic demand for LP Gas in the country, industry sources told the Daily News yesterday. The expansion would cost the Government Rs 15 billion. The current LP Gas consumption in the country is 130,000 mt. It is expected to rise up to 150,000 by 2015. more..

July 21 (MoD) Three newly constructed women rural development society (WRDS) centres were declared open at Vaharai, Oddamavady and Valaichchenai in Batticaloa district by eastern province chief minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan on 15th July. Addressing the gathering after opening the Vaharai center, Chief Minister said the self-sufficiency in the development of the country can be achieved through the development of villages which marks the beginning of the nation's development. more..

July 21 (AD) Divisions have erupted within the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) of retired General Sarath Fonseka which is to launch a protest campaign from Wednesday (July 21) under the theme �Release the General Immediately�, DNA sources told Adaderana. During the final discussions regarding the protest campaign, the JVP which is a constituent of the DNA, has decide to launch another campaign of its own under the theme, �Down with family rule.� more..

July 21 (TOI) The Air Intelligence Unit of the Customs department at the Tiruchi airport have cracked an international gold smuggling racket and seized around 5 kg of gold biscuits smuggled from Sri Lanka. The sleuths have arrested six Indian nationals for smuggling the gold worth Rs 89.9 lakh on Tuesday. The arrested persons had concealed the gold biscuits in their rectum and more..

July 21 (LBO) The head of Sri Lanka's top business chamber has called for loss-making state entities which are a drain on public finances to be turned around within a strict time frame or more radical alternatives considered. Ceylon Chamber of Commerce chairman Anura Ekanayake said recent reductions in inflation and interest rates and improving business confidence were reasons for optimism after the island's 30-year ethnic war ended in May 2009. more..

July 21 (GDI) Five new Ambassadors and two High Commissioners presented their credentials to President The event took place at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday morning. Kahtan Taha Khalaf Kali presented his credentials to the President as Iran�s new Ambassador. Mpumelelo Joseph Ndumiso Hlophe is the High Commissioner of Swaziland to Sri Lanka. He will be resident in Kuala Lumpur. The new Ambassador of Bhutan is Dasho Bap Kesang. He will be resident in Dhaka. more..

July 21 (GDI) The Widows� and Orphans� Pension Fund (W&OP) Amendment Bill passed in Legislature unanimously yesterday is a great relief, particularly for the widows of the security forces. Many young girls who were married to security forces personnel attained widowhood following the death of their husbands in the operations launched to quell the terrorism. more..

July 21 (LT) Colombo Fort magistrate sent a written order to the Prison commissioner that General Fonseka's Parliamentary privileges including the right of attending parliamentary sessions and consultative committee meetings should be ensured. Gen. Fonseka requested the Speaker yesterday to summon the Army Commander before privilege committee of Parliament. more..

July 21 (LNP) Sri Lanka could benefit from massive outward remittances from India to boost the investment level, said Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ashok K Kantha. India and Sri Lanka will further improve on its closer economic partnership with the right policy framework. There are positive signs of recovery in respect of trade between the two countries. The prospects and opportunities are real, the High Commissioner said. more..

July 21 (CT) Around 100 candidates who triumphed at the last local government polls from the UNP ticket will not be allowed to contest at the next local government polls due to violation of party discipline and rules, UNP General Secretary. Tissa Attanayake says. He added that these persons include opposition leaders and members of Pradeshiya Sabhas as well as deputy mayors, opposition leaders and members of urban councils. more..

July 21 (MoD) The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) will set-up 25 tsunami early warning towers along the Northern coastal belt in addition to the existing towers. DMC Deputy Director Pradeep Kodippilly said as part of covering all coastal areas by establishing tsunami early warning towers, the DMC has taken measures to set-up another 25 early warning towers along the Northern coastal belt. more..

July 21 (Island) The Public Debt Department of the Central Bank accepted Rs. 2.6 billion from bids amounting to Rs. 6.075 billion yesterday at the auction of Treasury bonds with three years and eight months tenure. The Central Bank had offered Rs. 1 billion at coupon rate of 7 percent per annum, but the bidding process took the weighted average yield on this bond issue to 9.53 percent, which is three basis points higher than more..

July 21 (DM) Prof. Tissa Vitharana is a gentleman. He took the APRC quite seriously and gave it his best. However that does not make the last Constitution making process any less of a charade, a travesty to quell the tide of international pressure. Its centrality for the UPFA went for a six once the government took the upper hand over the international critics following the annihilation of the LTTE. One does not need to be a genius to figure as to why more..

July 21 (DM) A planned protest by opposition members of the Western Provincial Council yesterday was thwarted after the placards for the protests were reportedly stolen by ruling party members of the Council. The protest was organized against the 300 per cent increase of revenue licence on vehicles like three wheelers, motor bicycles and buses in the Western Province. WPC Opposition Leader Manju Sri Arangala said they opposed the increase of tax as more..

July 21 (DM) The police will strictly implement existing road rules under the Police Ordinance including parking restrictions near public places, IGP Mahinda Balasuriya said adding that the rules would also apply to the police. �We have imposed new specific time periods that vehicles can park along the roadsides. During 7.30 a.m to 9.30 a.m vehicles will not be allowed to park in front of more..

July 21 (Island) For want of proper supervision and effective regulatory action on the part of Parliament, a sizeable amount of funds spent for the upkeep of the MPs� Madiwela housing scheme, is believed to have been misappropriated. Informed sources said unscrupulous elements had taken advantage of administrative shortcomings, particularly some officials� lethargy, to help themselves to public funds. more..

July 21 (Island) Sri Lanka will propose Horton Plains, the Knuckles Mountain Range and Sri Pada Forest Reserve to the UNESCO, to be declared as world heritage sites, A. Kulatunga, the Director, Natural Resources Ministry said. The proposal will be made at the 34th World Heritage committee (WHC) session to be held on 24th July in Brazil. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will hold discussions on promoting the sites with more..

July 21 (DN) The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) will be able to reach the break-even point and make CEB a profitable venture with the new financial plan from 2015, Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka said. �We are preparing a new long-term power generation plan for the next five years. Our first priority is to transform our high cost thermal power plants into low cost thermal plants. more..

July 21 (DM) Five beggars who were arrested by the police and charged with begging at public places near the Lake House building were ordered to pay a fine of Rs.10 each by the Colombo Fort Magistrate. Mohammed Siddhik, G. Kumarage Karunadasa, M. Beddalage Premachandra, Ariyasinghe Pathiranalage Nandawathie and Anthony Martin Fernando were arrested by the Slave Island police and produced in Court. more..

July 21 (DN) Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena yesterday blamed politicians and public servants for mental health problems among Sri Lankans. "Politicians and public servants do not perform their duties properly and by not being responsible," the Minister said. Minister Sirisena was speaking after re-naming Angoda Mental Hospital as `National Mental Health Institute' at a ceremony yesterday. more..

July 21 (DM) The government yesterday opposed the tabling of the APRC report in Parliament by UNP National List MP R. Yogarajan. Mr. Yogarajan, during his speech in the House, tried to table this document with recommendations for constitutional changes in the House. Government MP A.H.M. Azwer who raised a Point of Order asked on what authority Mr. Yogarajan sought to table this report in the House. more..

July 21 (AD) The indigenous people of Sri Lanka are fast losing their unique identity. Urbanisation is making this process faster. The Veddas as they are normally called do not want changes forcibly thrust on them, said Uruwarige Vanniyelaaththo. The indigenous people�s leader Vanniyelaaththo was presenting facts regarding his tribe to the National Revival Commission (NRC) at more..

July 21 (Xinhua) U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake, who is on a one-day visit to Colombo, paid a courtesy call on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Wednesday morning, said the presidential office. "President Rajapaksa and Blake exchanged views on bilateral relations during the breakfast meeting. The two sides examined ways and means of further strengthening bilateral relations more..

July 21 (Island) The total amount of loans, including the Treasury bills, as at March 31, this year stood at Rs. 4,246,520 million, Parliament was told yesterday. Of this amount, Rs. 1,770,365 million had been obtained from foreign sources and Rs. 2,476,155 million raised locally, Deputy Finance and Planning Minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera told Parliament. He was responding to a query by UNP Colombo District MP Ravi Karunanayake. more..

July 21 (CI) In the last series in 2008, M&M maimed India. Today, another M&M combo, Murali and Malinga, have sucker-punched India. Muttiah Muralitharan collected his 67th five-for to help Sri Lanka enforce the follow-on before Lasith Malinga knocked the fight out of India by removing both Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid near the end of the day. India, never great in batting out draws, were left with an uphill task if they are to get out of jail at Galle. more..

July 21 (Hindu) Internally displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka should be settled in their original places, R. Sampanthan, leader of the parliamentary group of the TNA of Sri Lanka, said on Tuesday. �This is the most important demand now in the absence of a political settlement,� Mr Sampanthan told reporters after calling on Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence along with four other TNA Members of Parliament. more..

July 21 (CNN) A departing senior U.N. official has released a rare rebuke of her boss's performance -- saying the United Nations is "drifting into irrelevance" under Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's management. Swedish diplomat Inga-Britt Ahlenius has been serving as the head of the department charged with combating U.N. corruption. As her five-year term came to an end this month, Ahlenius sent a report to Ban admonishing the more..

July 22 (CT) The government has decided to sell off 16 ships wrecked in Sri Lankan waters. Tenders are to be called for the purpose. There are around 84 ships wrecked in the seas off Addalachchena, Galle, Chilaw, Uswetakeiyawa and Colombo. The Department of Archeology has been tasked with providing a report on whether these ships are of archeological importance.

July 22 (DM) The government has declared the third week of August as the National Dengue Prevention week where cleaning campaigns as well as dengue prevention and awareness campaigns will be carried out islandwide. Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena speaking at the Local Government Symposium held today said that they have also taken steps to reserve the first and second Mondays and the third and the fourth Saturdays as part of the National Dengue Prevention program to carry out more..

July 22 (DM) The whereabouts of a the girl who attempted to commit suicide but was rescued by a soldier and policeman in Bambalapitiya and later escaped from hospital is still unknown with the Police saying they have not recieved a complaint from the hospital. According to the hospital authorities, the hospital police post had been immediately informed after the girl escaped. The university student attempted to commit suicide and more..

July 22 (DM) The Deputy Director of Human Resources of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) was today remanded by the Colombo Additional Magistrate for the fraudulent misappropriation of Rs 1,619,899 of public money. The suspect Humpita Pathirannnahalage Nishantha Kumara, a resident of Makola was arrested by the Police unit of the Presidential Investigation Division consequent to a complaint made by the Deputy Finance Director R.C. Ratnayake of the TRC. more..

July 22 (DM) The Colombo High Court today issued an arrest warrant on the Commissioner of Motor Traffic for failing to be present in court to give evidence in a case filed by the Bribery Commission. The Commissioner of Moor Traffic was summoned by the High Court to be present in court today to give evidence in the trial for the prosecution in a case filed by the Commission to Investigate to Allegations of Bribery or Corruption alleging that more..

July 22 (CI) A man who averages 24.48 in 34 ODI tournament finals, conceding runs at 4.1 an over, cannot be accused of not having a sense of occasion. And his farewell Test has been some occasion. You can't escape the farewell Test. The road from the team hotel to the ground, some 40km along the coast, is full of Murali posters. The Galle International Stadium is full of Murali: banners, cut-outs, messages, an electronic countdown to 800 wickets, the works. more..

July 22 (CT) The main suspect in the attempted attack on Mattakkuliya Police Station has surrendered to the court through a lawyer. Identified as Gayan Priyashantha, he was produced before Colombo additional magistrate Lal Ranasinghe Bandara today (July 21). The magistrate ordered that the suspect, named as the 183rd suspect in the case, be remanded until July 28. There have been allegations that people of the area tried to attack Mattakkuliya Police station after more..

July 22 (YN) Donald Perera, who served as Sri Lankan chief of staff during offensive that ended in Tamil rebels' surrender after more than 30 years, is enjoying a change of pace in Israel. In interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, he recalls seeing body of rebel leader Prabhakaran, says IDF needs public's support to successfully eradicate terror. 'Citizens must realize struggle will exact a heavy price,' he adds. more..

July 22 (IRIN) The defeat of the separatist LTTE by the Sri Lankan army last year and an overwhelming election victory by the UPFA could provide an opportunity for reconciliation. Since independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has experienced communal tension and later, civil war, between the majority Sinhalese (74 percent) and country�s minority Tamil (8 percent) community. Tamils have long complained of marginalisation by successive Sinhalese- dominated governments, more..

July 22 (UCAN) A two-month Hindu pilgrimage to a popular temple is becoming an occasion for Sri Lankans of various faiths to show support to the devotees who walk through dense jungle. Many Tamils are presently taking part in a spiritual trek along the east coast to the Lord Murugan temple at Kataragama. Many walk barefoot while balancing a small bundle of belongings on their heads. Thousands of pilgrims, from children to grandparents and hermits, more..

July 22 (DM) The United States pressed Sri Lanka on Wednesday to improve human rights and media freedoms amid charges that security forces committed war crimes during the last days of the island's civil war. During a one-day visit, US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake said reconciliation must play a key role in peace building, a year after troops crushed the 37-year Tamil separatist conflict that claimed 100,000 lives. more..

July 22 (TN) The construction of a fishing jetty and a cooler facility for Sinhalese fishermen from South that was begun in Naachchikkudaa coast in Mannaar district with the support Sri Lanka government top officials was suspended as the local fishermen organizations had raised their strong protest, sources in Mannaar said. The above constructions were begun in the Nachchikkudaa coast where uprooted civilians were allowed to resettle. more..

July 22 (EB) The United States is not concerned about the increasing Chinese influence in Sri Lanka, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, said here on Wednesday. Briefing the media after meeting President Mahinda Rajapaksa, External Affairs Minister G.L.Peiris, and other political and business leaders, Blake said that the US and China were aware of each other�s national interests and were in touch with each other over a variety of issues. more..

July 22 (DNA) This may be Muttiah Muralitharan�s last Test match but the veteran off-spinner seems as cool as a cucumber. His mannerisms may suggest otherwise but the iron man is a picture of calm out in the middle. Up in the stands, in the cool confines of the VIP box, the 37-year-old�s family is simply not at ease. �Every time Murali picks up a wicket, my heart starts beating faster. I get so excited and I can�t just wait for him to get to the 800-wicket mark,� more..

July 22 (UCAN) A demand for female workers overseas has prompted a Church-run institute in Sri Lanka to offer women a course in nursing. St. Anthony�s Institute of Higher Studies in Chilaw diocese is offering a nursing assistant course, as well as the more traditional courses such as English, computing, counseling and Christian studies. �It is a one-year nursing-assistant program,� said Father Ivan Anthony, 45, director of the institute. more..

July 22 (NF) A tense situation arose during a protest in the Digana town in Kandy against the Menikhinna police this morning. A clash had taken place late in the evening yesterday, around 7.30 at Digana town between a group of persons and some policemen in civvies. Dhammika Perera, a member of the Kundasale Pradeshiya Sabha, who is said to have been assaulted in the melee at Digana, has been admitted to Teldeniya hospital. more..

July 22 (HA) Lord Vairavar is one of the most terrifying aspects of Lord Siva. And, Lord Vairavar is also considered a God who safeguards villages and his devotees. He is the fierce manifestation of Lord Siva associated with annihilation. He is a folk deity who safeguards the devotee on all eight directions. Lord Vairavar himself has eight manifestations: Kala (black) Vairavar, Asitanga (with black limbs) Vairavar, more..

July 22 (CI) Virender Sehwag doesn't like negative bowling. He gets irritated, he loses patience. The thing is, opposition captains know it, which is why it ceases to be negative bowling. Third man and sweeper-cover become catching positions, wide deliveries outside off are wicket-taking ones. And when he gets out that way, it is forgotten how well he played until then. It happened in Nagpur before Dale Steyn demolished India. more..

July 22 (SL) The death fast that turned into a big farce had to be called off saving face, not only for Weerawansa, but for Rajapaksa too. Defence Secretary �bro� who was touted in the media as one who inspired Weerawansa, has in hindsight proved to be a political blunder. There was no option but for the President himself to visit Weerawansa on his mattress opposite the UN Colombo office and pack him off. more..

July 22 (CI) Trevor Bayliss, Sri Lanka's coach, has said the return of fast bowler Lasith Malinga to Test cricket after 30 months has been a big bonus to the team. Malinga broke the back of the Indian batting in the second innings with three wickets for 33 off nine overs to bring his team closer to victory in the first Test. His victims included the wickets of three of the top five Indian batsmen more..

July 22 (LG) Children when they play create a world that is make-believe. The parents who know that it is not the real thing pretend it is real so that the feelings of their children are not hurt. For the children it is not pretending for they really believe in it. Their�s is a world of fantasy and can be anything that children want it to be. In it an old car tyre is a car and a folded paper is a plane. It has fairies, goblins and monsters. more..