July 15 (DM) Deputy Minister Duminda Dissanayake�s coordinating secretary who had been wanted in connection with a fraud and evading court, surrendered before Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge Ruwandika Marapona who remanded him till July 27. It is alleged that the cheques amounting to Rs. One million issued by the suspect to two private establishments had been dishonored for want of funds. Anuradhapura magistrate�s court had more..

July 15 (NS) In a dramatic turn of events, former Auditor General, S E Mayadunne stepped down as the chairman of the much controversial trust board which was established to seek redress to over 4,000 depositors of two failed Ceylinco group of companies, Finance & Guarantee Property Developers Ltd., and F&G Real Estate Co. Ltd. �I consider the recent media reports on the conduct of the trust board have tarnished my image and more..

July 15 (SM) Information has come to light about several persons who had supplied baseless information to mudslinging websites and obtained financial and other returns, state run �Silumina� claims. Among these persons are employees of state and private media institutions, who had used their profession to play a hide-and-seek game. After being exposed, they are trading accusations against each other in an attempt to clear themselves, the newspaper says. more..

July 15 (SL) Organizers of a protest demanding justice for a young girl killed during overseas employment a few months back have been accused of unlawful assembly and damaging public property after a BMW jeep belonging to the Presidential Secretariat had come under attack during the protest. The Avissawella Magistrate has however observed that the aggrieved party (members of the vehicle convoy) has been responsible for creating a situation where the crowds have been more..

July 15 (PTI) Five fishermen were injured when they were attacked allegedly by Sri Lankan naval personnel near Katchathivu islet near the island nation. They were part of a group of 2788 fishermen who had put out to sea in 697 boats yesterday. The officials said Sri Lankan Naval personnel came to the area in four patrol vessels, fired in the air and surrounded them. They later boarded a boat and beat up the five fishermen with sticks, more..

July 15 (NZ) A five-wicket haul from Brian Vitori, followed by a half-century from Tino Mawoyo, helped Zimbabwe A consign Sri Lanka A to their second-straight defeat in as many games in the tri-series in Harare. Zimbabwe chose to bowl, and Vitori justified the decision right away, removing Kushal Perera for 2. In the 11th over, he claimed two in two balls, and Sri Lanka - who were already scoring at a far from threatening rate - hardly recovered. Vitori picked up the more..

July 15 (AAP) SRI Lankan authorities have arrested 131 would-be asylum seekers heading to Australia and seized a fishing trawler used for the people-smuggling operation. The Sri Lankan navy detected the trawler carrying 109 people off the island's eastern coast on Saturday and it was being escorted to the port of Trincomalee, 260 kilometres northeast of Colombo. "The men on board were heading for Australia," more..

July 15 (SL) Questions have arisen as to why the government has failed to reduce fuel prices despite world market crude oil prices reducing to 84 US$ a barrel. The UNP affiliated Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya Petroleum Branch (JSSPB) accused the govt for not passing the benefit to the masses but making money to pay the outstanding interest for the loans they had obtained. �When the world crude oil prices went up from 98 US$ to 112 US$, the fuel prices were increased on more..

July 15 (DM) The Eksath Jathika Bhikku Peramuna today revealed that close relatives of six leading politicians including the husband of a Minister, sons of a Minister and a Deputy Minister were to contest the forthcoming provincial council elections despite assurances given by the ruling UPFA that relatives of politicos would not be allowed to contest this time. Its General Secretary Ven. Thiniyawala Palitha Thera requested the people of the North Central, Sabaragamuwa and more..

July 15 (AD) Reports alleging the existence of a dispute within the leadership of the SLMC and that the party is on the brink of a split, following its decision to contest the upcoming election under the UPFA ticket, are completely false, says a top member of the party. Certain media reports on Sunday had claimed that several of the SLMC top brass had walked out during the Supreme Council meeting last Friday, when the more..

July 15 (DM) Former Chief Minister of the North Central Province, Berty Premalal Dissanayake said that he would be the Chief Minister in the North Central Province until his death as long as the people of the area were with him. Addressing his first election propaganda meeting held at his house in Anuradhapura, Mr. Dissanayake said no persons both from the opposition as well as within his party � were there to challenge him for the Chief Ministerial portfolio. more..

July 15 (Island) Noor Dubai Foundation has commenced its second in a series of four camps supported by the initiative from His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Presidential Affairs, UAE and Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women Establishment. The medical team is currently screening and operating on patients in Puttalam. According to Dr. Manal Taryam, CEO of more..

July 15 (Island) The move by the Central Bank to relax exchange controls on foreign currency accounts will help to enhance and strengthen foreign reserves, says K.M.M. Siriwardana, Secretary, Department of Fiscal Policy of the Ministry of Finance and Planning. "Under the new regulations, Non-resident Foreign Currency (NRFC) account holders can transfer money to other NRFC and Resident Foreign Currency (RFC) accounts. more..

July 15 (CG) The manageress of the Peoples Bank branch in Piliyandala has been arrested for defrauding over Rs. 114 million, the CID said yesterday. CID sources said that the lady is the wife of the coordinating secretary of a government Minister and she was arrested following investigations on Friday. According to the CID the manageress had pilfered the money from accounts at the bank and transferred it to another bank. Investigations are now underway to see what more..

July 15 (ST) The bridge across Kala Oya near Eluwankulama Navy camp in the Puttalam District is in need of urgent repairs, villagers say.This 200-metre-long-and-10-foot-wide bridge goes under water during heavy rains, making vehicular movements impossible. The villagers also claim that the bridge gets slippery due to moss that gathers on the bridge and several people and motorcyclists have skidded and fallen into the river. The bridge is now a death trap, they say. more..

July 15 (National) The aid is no longer needed, said Mr Al Marzouqi, head of the projects section at Sharjah Charity International, thanks to his organisation. "The man turned up to the charity's free medical services for testing and treating eyes and, after a medical examination, the doctors identified his problem and helped him recover his sight," Mr Al Marzouqi said. "After the treatment, he left the stick he was using to walk to us, more..

July 16 (SL) BETWEEN the match last Saturday at Havelock Park, the first there this season, and the game before, which was last season, the venue�s landscape has undergone a breathtaking revision. The shabby, zinc-roofed spectators� stand that ran alongside the BRC cricket field is now only a memory, as is the ugly chunk of concrete that was the players� dorm, beside Isipathana MV. In their place are a gleaming white spectators stand, behind which is a line of glass-fronted, air-conditioned corporate boxes; across the playing field is more..

July 16 (SL) A while back in a submission to the now-defunct Montage magazine I titled an article referencing the need to �bell the cat� or, in other words hold responsible/accountable whoever had authority over those things and persons making an absolute mockery of democracy in this country. Did I get so much as a little yelp of recognition? Not on your life! This nation was too full of myopic believers in the need for gratitude to Sri Lanka�s self-designated post-war more..

July 16 (ST) As an old girl and past principal of Musaeus College, N.K. Pilapitiya is the perfect choice to author a book about the school she loves with all her heart. And so it was with great enthusiasm that she sat down to write �Tale of a Mud Hut: the Musaeus Saga�, the retelling of Musaeus� 120-year-old legacy. It was certainly a Herculean task to take on. Imagine summarising over a century�s worth of tales into a small volume of 232 pages. more..

July 16 (DBS) The Minister of Environment has come under flak for allegedly violating the Forest Conservation Ordinance and taking a decision to cut a road across the Makandawa Conservation Forest to the Pallebage village. Makandawa is part of the Kitulgala-Kelani Valley Conservation Area and is well-known for its rich bio-diversity. Concerned environmentalists allege the road is meant to facilitate illegal timber transporters and more..

July 16 (GV) I almost always enjoy my time in Jaffna. Riding on the AC-bus to Jaffna is a no-brainer for me. It�s a long ride; the extra 450 rupees is worth it. In Sri Lanka, I have witnessed fistfights, protests, vigorous debate after a car accident and even some mild vigilante justice after an incident of sexual harassment. I thought I had seen anger firsthand here; then I got on a Colombo bus headed for Jaffna that was supposed to have air conditioning. Things were fine for the first hour, until we arrived in Negombo. more..

July 16 (DBS) Reporters Without Borders condemns the threats and insults that defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the president�s brother, made against Sunday Leader editor Frederica Jansz during a phone interview on 9 July. �We call on defence secretary Rajapaksa to stop threatening journalists who are doing their job,� Reporters Without Borders said. �In many countries, a govt official would have to resign more..

July 16 (CT) The present constitution must be repealed and replaced by a new instrument founded on democratic principles; the state must be transformed, secularism enshrined and minority rights guaranteed. Nothing less can be the left�s foundational position, notwithstanding tactical compromises that may need to be made along the way for temporary alliances. The goal of the democratic revolution is bourgeois democracy and a unified nation state: that is, more..

July 16 (CT) Raiding presses and taking press computers with confidential information probably including sources of information into police custody is not in accordance with the democratic process which guarantees freedom of expression and speech. When the press is silenced the nation becomes silent and such a one is a dangerous nation. It waits, it endures, and then it strikes. A nation needs to be governed and not indentured. When the freedom of a nation is threatened it coils like the cobra. more..

July 16 (SO) Oil and gas exploration activities in Sri Lanka's offshore belt from Mullaitivu to Galle will be expanded next year. As its meeting in January 2012 the Petroleum Resources Development Committee chaired by the Secretary to the President took a decision to offer upto 10 offshore blocks in the Cauvery and Manner basins in Sri Lanka's second international licensing by the end of this year, Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat more..

July 16 (Island) The govt has, true to form, donned the armour of a knight errant to further its own interests deftly, if not cunningly, on the pretext of protecting the citizens' rights against mud-slinging websites. Having ordered police raids on two such Internet publications, it has sought to impose a huge registration fee on news websites across the board. Ironically, even some of the worst critics of the govt see eye to eye with it on the draconian measures being adopted purportedly to regulate more..

July 16 (Island) Over the last year the govt turned Colombo into a one-way city believing that it will magically solve its traffic problems. The govt�s one-way mindset is not limited to roads. Last week, the govt gave its diplomats a one-way crash course in foreign policy. Lanka�s far flung emissaries were summoned to Colombo and taught by Ministers what to say abroad, but no one asked them what they are hearing abroad. They were taken on a tour from more..

July 16 (SO) The Public Health Inspector (PHI) who rendered a yeomen service to the community at Mollipothana where he conducted a relentless campaign to educate the public on methods of eradicating dengue the dreaded disease for a considerable period of time was beaten to death last week with a pestle by an enraged man. The reason was that he and his wife were warned by the PHI to keep their premises clean. A heated argument that ensued between the PHI with his more..

July 16 (Island) Everyone agrees that the interest for Test cricket is dwindling. But what they do to maintain the interest is disappointing. Sri Lanka vice-captain Angelo Mathews termed the second Test his side played against Pakistan at SSC as �boring�. Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore was more forthwith. "It was one way traffic really. I am not sure you can mark that wicket as good. Those 600 runs I am not sure whether that�s going to be inspiring to get results anyway," more..

July 16 (Island) In a bid to provide an improved healthcare service, all hospitals such as general, main, base, district and peripheral in the Western Province will undergo major refurbishment shortly. Under the pilot project, health services will be upgraded to meet the needs of the people. Firstly they will get a colour code system to identify different medical and surgical wards, OPDs and operating theatres at their entrances. In addition, greater emphasis will be laid to more..

July 16 (Island) Controversy continues to haunt the Central Bank managed Employees� Provident Fund (EPF) with the Auditor General�s Department highlighting "accounting deficiencies", "non compliance with laws, rules, and regulations", "management inefficiencies", "uneconomic activities" and "idle and underutilised assets" in the fund�s activities for 2010 fiscal year. The Auditor General highlights these short comings in the management of the EPF in the fund�s latest annual report. more..

July 16 (FT) Perhaps in limbo given the uncertainty, Board of Investment (BOI) Acting Chairman and Director General M.M.C Ferdinando last week skipped two important conferences which among other things focused on investment promotion. Ferdinando whose substantive post is Secretary Ministry of Power and Energy, was scheduled to address the world famous Seatrade Communications organised two-day Sri Lanka Ports, Trade and Logistics conference as well as the CCC organised Sri Lanka Economic Summit. more..

July 16 (DBS) In a significant political development, strong grassroots pressure exerted by the Tamils of Sabaragamuwa province has led to political parties representing the interests of Up Country Tamils sinking their differences and uniting to contest the forthcoming provincial council polls by submitting a combined list of candidates under the symbol of cockerel. Three main parties of the Tamils of recent Indian origin known generally as more..

July 16 (ST) More than 18 months after the creation of the executive Director General�s post at the Board of Investment (BOI), the race for the top seat is heating up with three influential candidates shortlisted by the Economic Development Ministry, a senior govt official, who wished to be anonymous, said. The names of former General Manager Bank of Ceylon, W.A. Nalini, former BOI director Lal Kumara Gamage and non-Executive Director BOI � Eshana De Silva have been submitted to more..

July 16 (CT) Two persons were killed, while two others are in critical condition at the Karapitiya hospital, after a train collided with a backhoe loader at an unprotected railway crossing in Wekunegoda, Galle. The train which was traveling from Matara to Kandy had collided with the backhoe at around 3.30 p.m, according to police. The accident had temporarily disrupted train services on the coastal railway line, but was later rectified and resumed according to the schedule. more..

July 16 (Island) Time was not in Sri Lanka�s favour as it stands to lose major opportunities with India seeking to finalise comprehensive economic partnership agreements (CEPA) with other nations, the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Ashok K. Kantha said. "The govts of both countries have not had enough dialog to rectify and finalise the agreement. "Despite several issues and internal turbulence, India was looking at more..

July 16 (DN) Japanese investors are keen on investing in the country while strengthening cordial links between Japan and Sri Lanka, a former Japanese Parliamentarian and a front line investor Zenjiro Kaneko said in an exclusive interview with the Daily News. Kaneko was the Head of the Japanese delegation which visited the country recently to look into investment opportunities. He said even Sri Lankan investors are able to invest in various sectors in Japan. more..

July 16 (DN) Dengue has not reached epidemic levels or high proportions as claimed by some sections of the media and society, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said. �The Health Ministry is implementing a continuous programme to combat dengue. As a result, there is a significant drop in the spread of dengue,� he said. The minister said the number of deaths reported due to accidents and Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) is higher than deaths caused by dengue. more..