July 9 (DM) The UNP said today the govt was afraid of losing the elections to the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) and that was why it had dissolved the North-Western and Central Provincial Councils one year prematurely so as to cover up its loss in the North. �There was no need to dissolve the North-Western and Central Provincial Councils a year before its term ends. It is well-known that the ruling party will lose the elections in the North,� UNP Spokesman Gayantha Karunatileka said more..

July 9 (CG) The officer conducting investigations on behalf of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board on Sri Lanka �A� Team cricketer Ramith Rambukwella over his alleged behavior while he was in a British passenger plane, is to record a statement from him over the incident, Sri Lanka Cricket said today. It was alleged that he had attempted to open the door of the plane while it was some 35,000 feet in the air while he was drunk. more..

July 9 (CT) The strike commenced by Railway employees from 07 July midnight has been called off, sources from the Ministry of Transport said. Railway employees commenced a 48 hour strike starting from 07 July to demand for salary increments. The Ministry sources further stated that the decision to call off the strike was taken following a discussion between the Ministry authorities and Railway Unions. However, our efforts to contact Railway Union sources with regard to more..

July 9 (CT) The Mahanayake of the Malwatu Chapter, most Ven. Tibbotuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera, has urged the govt to remove all beef stalls, liquor bars, fish stalls, and the so-called guest houses in which various nefarious activities are reportedly taking place, in the sacred city of Kandy. "One by one, these places should be removed, as they tarnish the sacredness of the city in which the sacred Tooth Relic is placed," he said. Ven. Sri Sumangala Thera made this statement when more..

July 9 (HP) The ruling in an important immigration case in Britain suggests that Sri Lanka's human rights situation is far from improving, four years after the civil war ended. Under new guidance issued by a British tribunal, a full investigation is now required if an asylum seeker is suspected by the govt of Sri Lanka to have been a member of the Tamil Tiger rebe. Several categories of people are now deemed to be at risk: more..

July 9 (LBO) Russian investors are looking at Sri Lanka's fisheries, agriculture and port industries in Trincomalee, a country's senior envoy had said in Colombo, a business association said. The Sri Lanka - Russia business council of the Ceylon Chamber quoted counselor of Russian Federation, Evgeni Sergienko, as saying at their annual general meeting that, an draft intergovernmental agreement on fisheries cooperation in the final stage. Establishment of an intergovernmental more..

July 9 (MO) A senior doctor used his iPhone to secretly film women in public places � including the police officer who arrested him, a medical tribunal heard. Dr Thilanga Iddamalgoda was arrested by a plain-clothes WPC who noticed he was behaving suspiciously as he sat on the steps of London�s Trafalgar Square. After he was arrested and the phone was analysed, the officer found out that she was one of his victims. The 32-year-old doctor, a clinical research fellow at Imperial College more..

July 9 (DM) Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena today instructed Health Secretary Nihal Jayathilake to lodge a complaint with the CID to find the truth behind the alleged contaminated bottles of saline from govt hospitals. This followed a health sector trade union allegation that contaminated saline had been given to dengue patients at government hospitals, putting their lives at risk. The trade union also alleged that more..

July 10 (NS) I am writing in response to the article titled �Anlene�s Calcium Myth in The Nation of April 28. First and foremost I wish to thank The Nation for taking a bold initiative to create public awareness on this long belated, important subject. Secondly, I seek clarification on some omissions and misleading statements made by Dr Angela de Silva, Senior Lecturer, Department of Physiology who has been interviewed as an expert. Dr Angela de Silva has been a long-term Council Member, more..

July 10 (NS) The hill capital Kandy is endearing to many not only because of its scenic beauty, but also because it also touches the hearts and minds of Buddhists. The scenic culture of the Sacred Temple of Tooth Relic which adorns Kandy also earns the prestige of being named a World Heritage City; filled with an abundance of ancient buildings reminiscent of a proud history. However, the number of people attracted to the city is not countable, the city streets are always filled with pedestrians who trek more..

July 10 (SO) Velayutham Dayanidhi better known as Daya Master was a media spokesman for the LTTE. Born on March 3, 1954 in Point Pedro, he began his career as a private tutor of English. He then lived in the Wattala and Dehiwala areas working in the private sector before moving back to Jaffna to resume his tutoring. Daya Master joined the LTTE as an 'employee' in 1992 and worked as a media coordinator liaising more..

July 10 (SO) For a third world country there is no scarcity of crime in Sri Lanka. Assault, theft, rape and robbery as well as murder is not uncommon or in other words the people are used to hearing such stories everyday. For the first time in the country's history a strange type of lethal weapon was used to kill a person reported from Panadura recently. Feminine undergarments or lingerie are considered to be the most delicate type of clothing with which one would never ever imagined to more..

July 10 (DBS) India is committed to achieving a bright future for the Sri Lankan Tamil community in a united Sri Lanka, in which all citizens can live in dignity, equality, and self-respect. In furtherance of this objective, India would work for a durable political solution through meaningful devolution of powers and the implementation of the 13th Amendment. New Delhi�s commitment to the unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka, in which the Tamil identity can be protected and fostered, more..

July 10 (NS) Modified extracts of the APRC report made its way into the dossiers of the Mahinda Chinthana. According to Professor Tissa Vitharana, it was the 13th Amendment that inspired the APRC report in the first place � the content of which remains unknown to-date. With the 13 Amendment in a quagmire, he speaks out in an interview on his disappointments and the dissuasion the recent events ensue. more..

July 10 (Stuff) Our time in Sri Lanka is nearly up when we make the questionable decision to take a local metro train. It's a 30-kilometre hop north from the capital Colombo to Negombo, a beachy resort town near the airport where we're spending our final night. Wellington to Plimmerton, in other words. A cinch. A breeze, although there isn't one. A last local experience for the three of us - Harriet, 3-year-old Baxter and me - on our year-long family tramp around the world. more..

July 10 (CT) I am writing to you with reference to a news item published in the Sri Lanka Daily Mirror of 29th June. The story, captioned �Commonwealth wants to make practical difference in Sri Lanka� quotes a letter you have reportedly sent to an unspecified recipient. In the absence of any contradiction or clarification from your organisation, I assume that the remarks are accurate. You are quoted as saying: �The LLRC report was a home grown roadmap for achieving peace more..

July 10 (NS) UNP MP Joseph Michael Perera said the Govt was using the 13th Amendment as a ploy to divert the country�s attention from the burning issues of today. Perera said the implementation of the 17th Amendment and the abolition of the 18th Amendment were important in the current context and alleged that the Govt was only using the 13th Amendment to avoid these issues. more..

July 10 (Island) Sri Lanka�s team for the IAAF World Youth Championship left for Donetsk, Ukraine early last morning, with the aim of achieving their personal best performances in their first competition overseas. "For these athletes, it is their first competition overseas. It is a huge experience for them and also a challenge. As of now, achieving their personal best will be the target for them," Susantha Fernando, the manager of the team, said on the eve of the team�s departure. more..

July 10 (Island) The Indo Lanka Accord that was signed in July 1987 is now defunct and we would argue further that it was not valid even soon after the signing of the accord due to inconsistencies, inclusion of undefined terms. It is also an infringement of sovereignty of the people of the country and J R Jayewardene could not betray the sovereignty even as the President of the country. The President only exercises the executive powers of the sovereignty of the people, more..

July 10 (Island) Close on the heels of an unfortunate incident where a UPFA politico, true to form, made an ass�or, to be more accurate, a Puththalam Booruwa of himself in a school in the Puttalam District, a dog is reported to have terrorised a school in the Anuradhapura District. It bit eleven children on Monday. When a country's education goes to the dogs, it is only natural that dogs go to schools! Teachers, students and others got together and beat the canine to death for harming students. more..

July 10 (Island) Having spent the better part of a decade overseas and exactly six months back home, I�d say the most accurate political insight I have got was at the showing of the satirical play Puswedilla, at the Lionel Wendt in May. When a savage political satire produced in an urban centre for a sophisticated audience shows the Opposition leader as a snivelling clown and a pathetic prop while the President dominates the socio-political scene through sheer force of personality, more..

July 10 (FT) A furious tea industry is up in arms over the brutal murder of a senior planter in Deraniyagala and two leading organisations are urging the Govt to take action against the killers. The Planters� Association of Ceylon in a statement condemned in the strongest possible terms the horrific attack and murder of the Manager of Nooriya Estate, Deraniyagala, Nihal Perera. He has served the industry for around 45 years, more..

July 10 (CT) The country is plastered with what anyone with a modicum of intelligence knows to be cant; absurd untruths. One�s views of the provincial council system, 13A, and the provenance of 13A, is one thing; but to expound that if provincial elections are held in the Northern Province, and if the TNA wins as it will, then it will use the NP-PC as a platform to instigate a conspiracy, divide the country, and work towards a separate state of Thamil Eelam is so absurd that it has to be described as more..

July 10 (LBO) Gold purchases from dealers in Sri Lanka slowed after a 10% tax was imposed, despite prices falling further, industry players said. On Tuesday a gold sovereign the most popular benchmark price was quoted around 40,500 rupees for a 22 carats and 44,000 rupees for a 24 carats, in the trade, after falling from highs of 54,000 in March. At retail level sovereigns were quoted as much as 45,000 rupees per coin. Last month a 22 carat sovereign was quoted around 47,000 rupees more..

July 10 (CI) After a four-and-a-half hour rain interruption, Sri Lanka had ten wickets available over a truncated 26 overs to chase 178. India needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 167 or below to make the final ahead of West Indies. In an ideal Twenty20 world, this was a situation loaded in favour of the chasing side. The Queen's Park Oval pitch, with patches of green spiced up by all the rain, was an ideal Test bowler's paradise, though. more..

July 10 (Island) The country has fallen short of achieving its economic goals and progress has not been smooth despite the significant economic gains over the last few years, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman Suresh Shah told the inaugural session of the 14th Sri Lanka Economic Summit. "As we move forward towards our economic goals, we must be conscious of a red flag on the horizon; the composition of our debt. Over the years, we have increased our exposure to more..

July 10 (Hindu) The Kancheepuram district police on Tuesday foiled an attempt made by a group of Sri Lankan nationals to migrate to Australia by sea. The police said the group, a majority of whom gave a slip to authorities manning the Sri Lankan Refugee Open Camp area at Subramaniyapuram, Tirunelveli, assembled at the house of Jothiraja of Oothukadu near Wallajahbad, who also came to India from Sri Lanka in 1983 as a refugee and later secured Indian citizenship. The group had decided to more..

July 10 (DBS) Muslim community and Religious leaders have agreed to relocate a Mosque on Swarna Chaitiya road in the Grandpass area of Colombo in one month�s time due to an intensive protest campaign by the�Ravana Balaya� (Ravana Force). The sequence of events relating to this �forced relocation� demonstrates a very high degree of extreme intolerance and hatred by the Ravana Balaya and the perceived collaboration of more..

July 10 (DN) The National Neprology, Dialysis and Kidney Transplant Institute at Maligawatte has carried out the first kidney transplant at the institute successfully. The institute plans to carry out one kidney transplant a week. Fifty two renal patients are on the waiting list to undergo kidney transplant surgery at the institute. The National Neprology, Dialysis and Kidney Transplant Institute was established in 2010 for the main purpose of conducting kidney transplants was unable to more..

July 10 (DN) The Human Resource Development Scholarship recipients should use the knowledge and experience gained in Japan to effectively contribute towards the future development efforts after returning to country, Japanese Ambassador Nobuhito Hobo said. Hobo granted 15 scholarships to young public sector officials to follow a two year Masters Degree course at Japanese Universities on Monday. Ambassador Hobo was speaking at a reception hosted by him at his residence more..

July 10 (Island) Sri Lanka, with international reserves amounting to less than US$ 7 billion, and other emerging markets with weaker fundamentals amid market volatility could face risks in the face of the US Federal Reserve announcing plans to cut its stimulus programme later this year. The rupee has already fallen sharply in recent weeks after foreign investors holding Treasury bonds sold down their holdings. more..

July 10 (FT) While rejecting a request made through the police by the British High Commission in Colombo for the release from Court custody of the passport of a British national who had been charged for defaulting a hotel bill; the Colombo Fort Magistrate yesterday stated that he does not hear cases according to the wants of the British High Commission. Magistrate Thilina Gamage observed that Courts function in accordance with rules and regulations and maintained that it should be more..

July 10 (Island) Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday, in Parliament, requested the government to be in touch with the Indian government on the on-going investigations into the bomb attacks at the Bodh Gaya Temple. Making a special statement, he said that despite there being intelligence reports warning of possible attacks on the sacred site, the administrative committee of the Bodh Gaya temple had not taken proper security measures to counter threats. more..

July 10 (CT) Even though the nationwide railway strike was called off last evening, the public will still have to brace for an islandwide strike with bus operators all set for industrial action, commencing midnight tonight. The bus owners are demanding the annual increase in bus fares be implemented. Of the approximately nine million commuters who use public transport, 70% are said to travel by bus. This percentage will be more..

July 10 (DN) The government is planning to set up ten university colleges by the end of this year. It will establish 25 university colleges islandwide to provide higher education for students following the technology stream. Under the first phase of the project, construction work on the first university college was commenced recently at the Kuliyapitiya Technical College premises with the participation of Ministers Dullas Alahapperuma, Ranjith Siyabalapitiya, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, more..

July 10 (CT) President Rajapaksa did not promise to the Sinhala Ravaya, the extremist Buddhist organization, that he would ban cattle slaughter, Senior Minister of Urban Affairs, A.H.M. Fowzie, said. The President promised to look into their demands, in response to a memorandum submitted by Sinhala Ravaya, but he did not say he would ban cattle slaughter, Minister reiterated. Earlier, the media reported that the President promised to ban cattle slaughter within the next two months. more..

July 10 (Island) Norway has told Sri Lanka to prevent several senior Norwegian govt representatives from being hauled up before the Colombo District Court in a case filed by NGO activist Dr. Kumar Rupesinghe or face the consequences. Well informed sources said that Norway had told the govt to take tangible action in this regard before the case resumed on August 2 at the District Court of Colombo. Case was last heard on April 30 more..

July 10 (Hindu) The Madhya Pradesh govt is all set to start building a Sita temple, designed in the South Indian architectural style, at Divurumpola in Sri Lanka. Sita is believed to have undergone her agni pareeksha (test by fire) at this spot. The design has been finalised. Divurumpola is near Nuwara-Eliya, in the central part of the country. The State govt has been pursuing the proposal with Sri Lanka since 2012. Early this year, it commissioned a Bangalore-based firm of architects to do the design, more..

July 10 (Island) The Parliamentary Select Committee, appointed to �recommend and report on political and constitutional measures to empower the people of Sri Lanka to live as one nation�, yesterday decided to prepare a list of priorities for conducting its forthcoming sessions. The committee met at a committee hall in the Parliamentary complex with Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva presiding. The committee commenced sittings at 3.00 p.m. and the meeting lasted for 40 minutes without a more..