July 28 (Island) The grand gesture of recognition that President Mahinda Rajapaksa bestowed upon Muttiah Muralitharan for his long career contribution to Sri Lanka cricket has been widely appreciated throughout the country. The President found time to make an unscheduled visit to the Galle Cricket Stadium, where Sri Lanka was playing against India, and Muralitharan was playing his final game prior to retirement. more..

July 28 (LG) There is a case against Editor of �Irida Lanka �,Chandana Sirimalwatte for publishing following wording in his paper. "Allas sekakaruta newatha sevaya labadenna Janadipathigen Adhikaranayaka Balapem�. He is charged for contempt of court. In examining the wording ,it becomes clear that the wording does not imply any wrong done by the courts. It only states that �the president pressures the court to release a suspect of bribery�. more..

July 28 (Island) People sometimes say that they feel blue or depressed. It�s not something to be alarmed about; everybody has his moods once in a while. Such feelings can occur after losing your job, a loss of somebody dear to you, a setback or apparently without a reason. Usually these feelings dissolve after a while but with some people they persist. Their whole existence seems to be coloured by it. more..

July 28 (LBO) Several batches of transport professionals will graduate from Sri Lankan universities and academies this year, easing a skills shortfall as the island's seeks to become a hub for the region, an official said. Amal Kumarage, chairman of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), told LBO that altogether around 100 logistics graduates and diplomates are expected to enter the industry in 2010 and 2011. more..

July 28 (TC) I am not now and have never been a member of either the SLFP or the UNP, though President Premadasa urged me to �come in through the National List, take a portfolio and do a job of work�. The only registered political party (as distinct from political organisation) I have ever been a member (actually an Asst Secretary) of, was the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party. Vijaya had enthusiastically announced to the Central Committee, more..

July 28 (CNA) Negotiations are underway to bring back four Sri Lankan fishermen now stranded in Seychelles after going missing in February. Informed sources told the Daily Mirror that Caritas South Africa had informed the local counterpart that the air fare would be high as the fishermen would have to travel via Dubai in their journey back to Sri Lanka. However, Caritas Sri Lanka had not given up its bid to negotiate with more..

July 28 (TN) Sri Lanka Justice Ministry has decided to appoint Jayawardne, a Sinhala magistrate to Mullaiththeevu magistrate court in Vanni which had begun to function after a period of nearly 20 years, sources in Mullaiththeevu said. Chaavakachcheari magistrate A. M. Mohamed Riyal has been the acting magistrate of Mullaiththeevu court that began to function two weeks ago in a private house near Mullaiththeevu police station. more..

July 28 (TN) A young couple, recently resettled in Ki�linochchi district in Vanni, attempted to kill themselves Sunday. The neighbours rushed them to Ki�linochchi government hospital where the husband died and the wife, transferred to Jaffna Teaching Hospital, is admitted in the Intensive Care Unit. The couple had lost all four of their children during the war in Puthumaaththa�lan, killed in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling on civilians, more..

July 28 (GV) The recent announcement of Government�s intention to establish a Media Development Authority (MDA) in Sri Lanka could be taken as an indication of its approach towards media in the context of post-war economic development. An official statement posted on 25th July 2010 on a government news portal shows that the proposed authority will be modeled on along the lines of the MDA of Singapore. more..

July 28 (DN) Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena has ordered the Ministry�s Internal Audit Department to conduct a full scale investigation into a container of medical items lying at the harbour. It is revealed that the medical items imported by the State Pharmaceutical Corporation six months ago had been rejected by the National Drugs Authority as these items did not meet the quality standards of the Authority. The SPC General Manager who initially confessed to be in the dark when contacted by our reporter, more..

July 28 (MoD) The Northern Province has accelerated the dengue mosquito eradicating campaign in the entire north. Around 98 confirmed dengue cases were reported from the Northern Province in July. Northern Province Governor Major General G.A. Chandrasiri said on the request of the Government, a dengue mosquito eradicating campaign is being considered. "A four day dengue eradicating campaign will be carried out in all five districts in the Northern Province", he added. more..

July 28 (LP) A patient who was receiving treatment in the Colombo National Hospital in Ward number 23 has hanged himself by a cloth wrapped behind the toilet of Ward 23 of the Hospital yesterday (27). The victim has been identified as H.J Chandrapala, 64 years of age who is a resident of Galle Face Court 01, Colombo 03. He was admitted to Hospital to receive treatments for an injury in his foot. more..

July 28 (LP) Minister of External Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris and Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa, who are currently in Japan on an official visit from 26th to 30th July 2010, met with Mr. Seiji Maehara, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan and Mr. Yasuo Fukuda, Former Prime Minister of Japan and Honorary President of the Japan - Sri Lanka Association. more..

July 28 (LP) The President ceremoniously opened the three storied building for Henry Ariyarathna Maha Vidyalaya in Narawelpita North, Hakmana last Monday (26). The new building was constructed at a cost of Rs 60 Million, which was a contribution of the Chairman, L H Piyasena Group of Companies. Addressing the large gathering the President spoke of widening the scope of education and looking beyond the traditional University qualifications as a means for employment. more..

July 28 (DN) In the pearl shaped island of Sri Lanka one can encounter a diverse and splendid array of tantalizing food ranging from scrumptious seafood to the traditional rice and curry. The island may seem small in size as it is surrounded by the seas of the Indian Ocean but it is certainly not lacking in gastronomical delights which are not limited by the size of the country. Cuisine is an ideal means by which to gain knowledge about a country and more..

July 28 (NF) The Federation of University Teachers' Association says that if a decision is not reached with regard to increasing the wages of university lecturers by August 10, they will relinquish voluntary administrative role they currently hold. Chairman of the Federation, Professor Sampath Amarathunga made this statement at a media briefing held regarding the token strike carried out by the university lecturers today. more..

July 28 (UCAN) Tamil parents have appealed to Catholic priests and parish councils in north and eastern Sri Lanka to respond to the effects of war on the young people of the region. The parents expressed their concerns after a special Mass marking Indigenous Clergy Day on July 25. Special Masses were held around the country to commemorate the post-Vatican II handover from missioners to local clergy. �Evangelizing youths is a challenge for 2010,� more..

July 28 (UCAN) Sri Lanka�s new education minister says he has Church support for his plans to revamp and expand higher education, after recent talks with Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo. Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake on July 23 paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Ranjith. �The archbishop vowed to help improve and expand higher education in the country,� Dissanayake told ucanews.com. more..

July 28 (LeN) The Magistrate of Colombo Rashmi Singapulli ordered the CID yesterday to inform Courts on the 2nd August of the progress made in regard to the case filed by the Attorney General against Gen. Fonseka allegedly for keeping in his custody 10 Army deserters and plotting to overthrow the Govt. After Gen. Fonseka and his Secretary Senaka Silva were produced before the Courts yesterday, this order to the CID was issued by the Magistrate. more..

July 28 (LNP) Ceylon Asset Management and Deutsche Bank AG tied-up to introduce the Ceylon Tourism Fund, to capture returns from Top 10 tourism companies listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). It is the first ever tourism sector fund, structured as an open-ended, equity fund that lets investors invest and exit at any time. The Fund will distribute tax-free income from profits on an annual basis. It captures over 70 percent market capitalization of the hotel and tourism sector of the CSE, more..

July 28 (CT) DPF leader Mano Ganeshan says he does not dispute the TNA's right to be the political representative of Tamils in the north and the east. The TNA had served as the only agent of these people when the LTTE was active, he says in a statement. Therefore, the DPF will not be making any direct involvement in the political solution for the north and the east, says it leader. more..

July 28 (GDI) With the opening of the Jaffna - Kandy A-9 highway following the end of war, the red onion harvest of Jaffna is reaching south. The farmers bring their harvest to Dambulla Special Economic Center, a major wholesale food market in the country, to obtain better prices. Around 100,000 kilos of red onion reach the economic center daily The purchasing price from farmers at the center is around Rs. 55 per kilo. more..

July 28 (GDI) Post Master General M.K.B. Dissanayake said the work-to-rule campaign staged its employees yesterday was resolved with the mediation of the Minister and the distribution of mails has returned to normalcy. He said that several Trade Unions staged a work-to-rule campaign based on a disciplinary action initiated at the Registration Division of the Central Mail Exchange. During a discussion held with Deputy Minister Sunil Dissanayake following more..

July 28 (GDI) The Ministry of Power and Energy has taken a new step to allow the domestic consumers to produce their own power requirements. The Minister of Power and Energy Patali Champika Ranawaka said that the Ministry has decided to permit the generation of power within households with alternative sources such as wind or solar. Consumers will have the option of producing energy more than they require. more..

July 28 (GDI) The Sri Lankan Association of New York (SLANY) in cooperation with the residents and the Township of Denville will host an Annual Sri Lanka Day on Saturday, 7th August, at Gardner Field, Denville, New Jersey. The theme of this year�s Sri Lanka Day is �Togetherness�. The Mayor of Denville Phillip Hussa will officially proclaim the day as �Sri Lanka Day�. This is the 35th year that the Sri Lanka Day is being held in Denville. more..

July 28 (DM) The counting of votes and the announcement of results will be made at polling stations at all future local government polls, Electoral Reforms Committee Chairman and Minister Dinesh Gunawardana said. �The government and the main opposition UNP have agreed to the new system among other reforms being introduced to the electoral systems,� Minister Gunawardana told the Daily Mirror. more..

July 28 (DN) A high-tech electricity producing system driven by solar power has been introduced by the Power and Energy Ministry. The new method called �Net Metering System� was officially introduced by Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka yesterday. According to the new method, electricity is produced with a set of solar panels which are more efficient than the conventional solar panels. more..

July 28 (LNP) The police and the JVP have locked horns pun intended over the death of a university student following a recent clash on the Ruhunu campus. Both parties pretend to be incapable of committing murder! IGP Mahinda Balasuriya says something in the morning and contradicts it in the afternoon after having forty winks in his seat. The JVP uses IGP`s contradictory statements to bolster its claim that the police were responsible for the student`s death. more..

July 28 (CT) The JVP has urged the government against preventing people of Jaffna from making links with mainstream political parties in the opposition. In a statement, the party says its former MPs Bimal Ratnayake and Ramalingam Chandrasekaran had toured Kilinochchi last week to inquire into the problems faced by the people there. After the return of the JVP team, Army officers had visited Kavudarimunai village and questioned the people about their connections with the party, more..

July 28 (Island) JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that last week the parliament had met only on Tuesday since the approval of the UPFA�s so-called budget. He emphasised that they should have met during the rest of the week, but the government had conveniently put off sittings to August 3. MP Dissanayake said since last November parliament had not been convened as part of a government move to undermine the parliamentary process. more..

July 28 (DM) For long one had thought that only ideology- based parties like the JVP and the JHU have supporters who are capable of obsessive loyalty - a base that would go to any extent to protect the party and what it stands for. However despite self-immolation attempts by a JVP monk protesting against PTOMS and spate of death fasts by both parties for various other causes not a single member of either party went to the extreme end of giving up life for a party cause. more..

July 28 (Island) UNP Hambantota Parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa yesterday requested the police to hold an investigation in to the death of Rienzie Algama, who set himself ablaze opposite the UNP headquarters Sirikotha on Monday afternoon. SSP Nugegoda Deshabandu Tennekoon said that Police had already commenced an investigation into Algama�s death and statements had been recorded from several people in the vicinity of Sirikotha. more..

July 28 (Island) Veteran UNPer Rienzie Algama, who set himself ablaze in front of Sirikotha on Monday evening, had wanted UNPers to unite and for the various factions to stop squabbling in the interests of the party, Deputy Leader of the UNP Karu Jayasuriya said. He said that as far as he was aware, Rienzie had not wanted anyone to step down. But, he was disgusted with the manner in which UNPers were at each other�s throat to the detriment of the party. more..

July 28 (Island) The government�s failure to appoint boards to manage some State institutions and therefore the parliamentary watchdog committee on public enterprises is finding it difficult to initiate investigations. Well informed sources told The Island that many appointments had not been made for over two months since the last parliamentary elections on April 8. Sources said that the COPE had had to put off some meetings scheduled for this week due to more..

July 28 (DN) President Mahinda Rajapaksa stressed the need for integrating the enormous talents and potential of local researchers and scientists into the country�s massive development drive. He was of the opinion that their research should necessarily be made use of, for the development of country. President Rajapaksa made these observations at the Presidential awards for scientific research more..

July 28 (LT) The government, instead of resolving the issue that led to a token strike carried out by more than 4000 university teachers in universities throughout the island, has taken measures to cut a day�s wages from the university academics who took part in the token strike. This has been informed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to vice- chancellors of all universities by circular. more..

July 28 (CI) Sachin Tendulkar led India's attempt to stay alive in the series on an attritional day at the SSC. Just when it seemed the bat would dominate for the third successive day, the Sri Lankan spinners brought the Test back to life by rattling the Indian top order. But Tendulkar, with support from VVS Laxman and debutant Suresh Raina, made a determined century to restore stability to the Indian innings and took them closer to the follow-on target. more..

July 28 (MoD) Defence Spokesman Keheliya Rambukkwella yesterday stated that any public representative and Non Government Organization can visit the North and East and contribute to its ongoing resettlement drive and the development process. He stated that the NGOs that wish to contribute in the development process and the resettlement process could go there but not those with ulterior motives that more..

July 28 (NF) Don Algama Rupathunga don Rienzie Algama, the 60-year-old who set himself ablaze opposite UNP headquarters, Sirikotha, was a full-time activist of the United National Party for more than 29 years, say his relatives. Several eyewitnesses had seen the manner in which the UNPer from Weligama, had come to the location around 5.10pm and poured a certain liquid over him, down a narrow lane. more..

July 28 (DM) A woman army deserter who had called over at the Buttala police to lodge a complaint regarding a dispute, alleged she was raped by three police officers including an inspector in the police station. Uva Province DIG H N G Ambanwela has appointed an investigation team under an ASP to hold a formal inquiry into the incident. The woman soldier attached to the Gajaba Regiment is a resident of Udugama in Galle. more..

July 28 (Island) The police and security forces have so far identified 737 hardcore terrorists among 11,686 LTTE cadres who surrendered. They are being held separately from others undergoing rehabilitation at different government-run centres. A senior military official said that those involved in major terrorist attacks would have to be legally dealt with. more..

July 28 (DM) The Welikada Prison complex covers some very valuable prime land, 40 acres in extent, within the City of Colombo. It is assessed at a minimum value of Rs. 15 billion. It will be up for grabs once the Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Ministry carries out its ambitious prison reform programme, which include the relocation of prisons, said Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Minister D.E.W.Gunasekara. more..

July 29 (BBC) Relatives of displaced people who gathered at the police mobile relief service centre set up at Vauniya urged the police to provide them with information of their loved once. Mothers complained that living with out knowing what happened to their children is something difficult to bare up. A mother in tears told reporter Dinasena rathugamage that her son was arrested by the army when he crossed over from the then LTTE controlled area and more..

July 29 (BBC) The Police was slammed by courts for not been able to identify those who attacked the residents and caused damage to property in Mattakkuliya, Colombo. In early July, following a clash between residents and police a number of houses were damaged and residents were assaulted. Residents charge that the assault took place during heavy police and military presence. The police informed courts that the attacks were carried out by �unidentified persons�. more..

July 29 (DM) Five senior Brigadiers in the Sri Lanka Army have been promoted to the rank of Major General, the Military Secretariat announced. Military spokesman, Brigadier U.A.B. Medawela was also promoted. Brigadier S.A.A.L Perera, former General Officer Commanding 52 Division, Brigadier E.K.J.K Wijesiri, Provost Marshal, Brigadier U.A.B. Medawela, Military Spokesman and Director Media, Brigadier V.U.B Nanayakkara, former Chief Field Engineer and more..

July 29 (CI) Test debutant Suraj Randiv was ecstatic after getting his first wicket, that of Virender Sehwag, with a doosra. "Sehwag was on 99 at that time. I thought he might go for a big shot and I thought of bowling a doosra at him. It worked and I got his wicket," said Randiv who ended the third day of the second Test with figures of 2 for 108. "When you get a player of his calibre it's a big thing. It's a privilege. I just came onto bowl and I thought he will do something different. more..

July 29 (CT) Two men have pleaded guilty to a charge of spying on former minister Mangala Samaraweera in an LTTE attempt on his life. Colombo high court judge Sunil Rajapakse today (July 28) sentenced each of them to 11 years of hard labour. They had been accused of plotting to spy on and of spying on Mr. Samaraweera and providing the information to the LTTE in August 2006. more..

July 29 (LBO) SriLankan Airlines has won an award from Singapore's Changi airport for having the highest growth in traffic to the city state from the region last year, a statement said. The award was for �Top Airline by Growth in Passenger Carriage (South Asia)�. Travel between Singapore and Sri Lanka has grown by 55 percent in the first six months of 2010. SriLankan�s Head of Worldwide Sales Mohamed Fazeel said Sri Lanka's national carrier played an important role in more..

July 29 (LBO) Depositors of a failed Sri Lankan finance company desperate to get their money back want to petition the United Nations human rights council saying their fundamental rights have been violated, a spokeswoman said. Only a few depositors had benefitted from a government repayment scheme for those who had money in the Golden Key Credit Card Company, part of the Ceylinco goup, the spokeswoman for the Ceylinco depositors association said. more..