July 31 (CT) Maha Nayake of the Malwatte Chapter, Most Venerable Thibbotuwawe Siddhartha Sri Sumangala Maha Nayaka Thera said, despite having two-thirds majority, the govt does not use its powers to abolish the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The Thera also said although the President has Executive powers, he does not use it when and where necessary, but that power unnecessarily on various other things. Chief Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), more..

July 31 (Island) President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said that he had faced far more serious situations than the prospect of the TNA winning the forthcoming first NPC polls scheduled for late September. Addressing newspaper editors and electronic media heads at Temple Trees, President said that the govt was ready to cooperate with former judge C.V. Wigneswaran in case of the TNA�s victory at the polls. more..

July 31 (DM) While millions of people in Sri Lanka are struggling for survival and the cost of living keeps on soaring, the Govt is to spend a staggering Rs. 1,930 million for the Commonwealth Summit to be held here in November. The Govt had waged an international battle to ensure that the summit was held here amid widespread calls for a change of venue because of the Rajapaksa regime�s track record on human rights issues, alleged war crimes, destroying the independence of the judiciary more..

July 31 (DM) Dayasiri who left the UNP to join the Mahinda regime claimed that resisting sexual harassment was the main reason that forced him to leave the UNP. He emphasized resisting sexual harassment was the main reason for the UNP hierarchy seeking revenge against him. These revengeful acts forced him to leave the UNP and join the UPFA. We are made to believe that the need to escape from a would be assault and discrimination on sexual basis drove him away from more..

July 31 (DM) This is indeed not a storyline for a movie. Nor are they notes for a piece of fiction we intend to publish in the future. It is rather a horror story, a story of terror, a story of fear, a story about the extent and depth to which subservience stretches to, a story about the callous disregard for human dignity supported and encouraged by those in power and looked on and hushed up by the Police - the only place more..

July 31 (SL) The CEB and Ministry of Power and Energy level allegations against each other, regarding the power purchasing agreement and the joint venture agreement for the setting up of the Sampur coal power plant in Trincomalee, there appear to have been be critical issues in the agreements which would have resulted in SL losing billions of rupees annually are the excess heat rate and operations and maintenance rate. more..

July 31 (ST) Military students of the Medical Faculty at the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) are to undergo their clinical training at the Sri J'pura General Hospital (SJGH) in terms of a MoU now ready for signature by the two sides. The draft MoU states that it is the obligation of the SJGH to establish four clinical units as Professorial Units so medical undergraduates of KDU can undergo their clinical training. more..

July 31 (Island) The JVP accused the govt of holding elections not to safeguard democracy but to pave the way for relatives of incumbent ruling party politicians to grab power and prevent talented independent youth from taking to politics. According to the nomination lists of the ruling UPFA a considerable number of relatives of incumbent ministers, including the PM�s, were scheduled to contest the forthcoming PC polls, more..

July 31 (FT) In an apparent reaction to negativism to the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Govt Summit in Colombo, President Rajapaksa urged people to think positively as the gathering of leaders from 54 countries and connected events were highly beneficial to the country. During a meeting with editors prior to breakfast last morning, the President said that thus far, there has been unwarranted negative press over CHOGM, more..

July 31 (CT) Govt Medical Officers Association (GMOA), at its Executive Committee meeting held recently had discussed the need to establish a database of doctors, and the annual transfer of doctors by adhering to the laid down rules and regulations in this regard. Spokesperson of the GMOA, Dr. Navin De Soysa, said: �It is extremely important that the Ministry of Health takes immediate steps to ensure that an islandwide more..

July 31 (CG) Britain has rejected a demand from the British Tamils Forum (BTF) to boycott the CHOGM in Sri Lanka. The BTF said that at a recent meeting with Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt he had said that the UK Govt has made a decision to attend the summit which reflects the importance of the Commonwealth as well as the opportunity for attendees to see the situation on the ground. A BTF statement quoted Burt more..

July 31 (Xinhua) The Sri Lankan navy on Wednesday arrested 65 Indian fishermen who allegedly entered Sri Lankan waters illegally to catch fish. A navy spokesman said that 34 Indians were arrested off Point Pedro in the north of the country and the other 31 fishermen were arrested off Trincomalee in the east. The navy said that it also seized nine boats used by the fishermen to cross the IMBL that divides the two countries. more..

July 31 CG) The Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Thilak Collure is to resign from his post, sources said. It is understood that Collure had tendered his resignation as he was to go oversaes. His resignation comes amidst the controvercy over the importing of substandard fuel to the country. Meanwhile Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said that the CPC had rejected 5000MT of imported Octane 95 more..

July 31 (LBO) Sri Lanka has raised taxes on alcohol by 75 rupees a proof litre and beer by 10 rupees per litre along with cigarettes which will help keep revenue targets on track. The price of a bottle of arrack is expected to go up by about 25 to 30 rupees. Deputy Treasury Secretary S R Attygalle said today's measures will bring in 2.5 billion rupees in revenue to help keep to targets established in the budget last November. more..

July 31 (Island) The police would be called in to probe all allegations of sexual abuse against health workers, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said. The ministry would not handle those investigations, he added. Minister said he had taken that decision to ward off trade union interference. Addressing a workshop on Gender-Based Violence, he said trade unions always stepped in to protect culprits whenever a probe into an allegation of sexual abuse was conducted. more..

July 31 (CT) �Trust� is defined as assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. Therefore, to consider trust as the closest relative one has, is right. This definition is reminded as two politicians from the Govt and the Opposition, worrying over trust has revealed �the extent to which absence of trust remains an obstacle to ethnic reconciliation in Sri Lanka.� (The Hindu reporting Minister Basil Rajapaksa), while concomitantly the TNA NPC Chief Minister more..

July 31 (Island) An awful lot of effort is being put into bringing the killers of Khuram Shaikh to trial. The British aid worker died in Dec 2011, having been set upon by a group of men at a party in the hotel in which he was staying. His girlfriend was raped. Of course the people who did it should be punished. His brother is doing what is both right and natural in using every opportunity to press the Govt to move ahead with the investigation. more..

July 31 (CT) UNP Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe's decision to ban his former deputies, Sajith Premadasa and Karu Jayasuriya, from election platforms seems a typical 'cutting off your nose to spite your face' kind of gesture that is also increasingly becoming typically Ranil. Unfortunately, these tetchy quirks do nothing for the Party, except sink it deeper in the murky mire of its own making. Paranoia is an essential by-product of the twin evils, malice and vendetta. more..

July 31 (CT) The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) raised concerns about the steps taken by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) to file legal actions against impeached Chief Justice, Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake. BASL President, Upul Jayasuriya said that Dr. Bandaranayake was charged for not declaring information about a bank account that has a zero balance. "Anyone knows that a bank account with zero balance is not an asset," more..

July 31 (CG) Minister Mervyn Silva�s son Malaka Silva says the men who attacked him at the Odel car park recently had weapons and other objects with them when they carried out the attack. He fears the attackers may have assassinated him if he had not escaped the attempt to force him into their vehicle. Malaka Silva also insisted that he did not have bodyguards with him at the time or even before that. �I am a normal person. more..

July 31 (Island) The police suspect security forces were involved in Monday�s attack on Malaka Silva, son of Minister Mervyn Silva at the Odel car park. The manner in which Malaka Silva had been attacked by the gang suggested that a group of experienced security forces men was responsible for it. Investigations have revealed that the attackers were wearing boots similar to those worn by the security forces personnel. The attack had been recorded on the CCTV cameras at the more..

July 31 (GDI) Philanthropists of the calibre of Siva Ganeshan are a blessing to Sri Lanka in this era said Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage. Minister participating as the Chief Guest at the ceremony held to mark the opening of the International Training Centre for the children with special needs at Watapana Village, Digana, said that philanthropists of the calbre of Siva Ganeshan, are the ones needed by our country at all times. Minister Douglas Devananda also participated at the more..

July 31 (LBO) Consumer prices in Colombo rose 6.1% in July 2013 from year earlier easing from 6.8% in June, with the index gaining 0.2% in the month. Colombo Consumer Price Index gained 0.3 points to 176.8 points in the month. The inflation data came as the state hiked taxes on cigarettes and alcohol. The index however does not count alcohol or tobacco as it is against the 'Mathata thitha' strategy of the current administration. more..

July 31 (LBO) Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) expects to invest in foreign ports and look for opportunities in terminal management, a strategic plan running up to 2020 said. SLPA already has a 15% stake in Colombo International Container Terminal, where China Merchant is the majority partner. "SLPA will jointly explore such investment opportunities," SLPA's 'Vision2020' strategic plan said. SLPA said its presence in feeder ports in the region would help generate more business. more..

July 31 (Island) Delays in court proceedings as regards abused and neglected children had caused unnecessary distress to them, NCPA Chairperson Anoma Dissanayake said. She said that the disturbing find not only highlighted the rising cases of child abuse in the country, but also how the slow process involved in punishing offenders was making it difficult to successfully prosecute abusers. Chairperson stressed that in Sri Lanka it was taking as long as six years to prosecute criminals more..

July 31 (Xinhua) The Sri Lankan navy on Wednesday stopped a boat heading to Australia with at least 115 people on board, a navy spokesman said. Navy spokesman said that the boat with would-be asylum seekers was stopped in the eastern seas off Batticaloa. He said that the exact figure of the number of people on the boat was not known as it was still being escorted to a port nearby. The boat was stopped half way through its journey more..

July 31 (CT) President Rajapaksa hinted that chief ministerial posts may not be given to the person who scores the highest number of preferential votes in the forthcoming Provincial Council elections. He said although the usual practice had been to appoint the candidate who scored the highest number of preferential votes in a PC election as the Chief Minister, one could not be appointed to the post if he does not have certain qualifications to fulfil the obligations of the post. more..

July 31 (Island) Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera yesterday explained measures taken by the government to limit expenditure incurred on the Commonwealth Heads of Govt Meeting (CHOGM 2013) in November. He said that every effort would be made to minimise expenditure in accordance with a Cabinet directive. The Treasury Chief was responding to a media query at the monthly Temple Tress media interaction with editors of national print and electronic media. more..

July 31 (FT) Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has made an appeal from Election Commissioner to prevent the use of all types of State property in a wrongful manner for election purposes. TISL Executive Director S. Ranugge in a letter to Election Commissioner also appealed for the guarantee that all candidates contesting the elections declare their assets and liabilities when they submit their nominations. more..

July 31 (GDI) Sri Lanka�s Ambassador to the United States Jaliya Wickramasuriya recently underscored the remarkable progress that Sri Lanka has achieved in terms of gender equality before an audience of international women leaders. �Sri Lanka is one of the oldest democracies in Asia with over 2,500 years of written history and a rich heritage. Sri Lankan women have enjoyed the universal suffrage since its introduction at home in 1931. We are very proud that Sri Lanka produced the more..

July 31 (SM) Police has commenced investigations on a disappearance of an SSP of the Sabaragamuwa Province who went on a foreign tour. Suspicions have thus risen regarding the disappearance of former Police Media Spokesman Prishantha Jayakody. He has left the country on June 29th stating that his son studying in Australia is facing a surgery and he has also obtained leave from the Police Department. Accordingly, he was expected to report to duty on July 10th, more..

July 31 (CT) The Govt has taken steps to construct a holding centre under the Department of Immigration and Emigration to detain the foreigners who are arrested for staying in the island contravening the provisions of the Immigration and Emigration Act. This holding centre will construct in a land extent of 100 perches in Gallegedara GN Division in Minuwangoda Divisional Secretariat in Gampaha. more..

July 31 (CT) The third batch of soldiers, including two officers and 39 others representing different ranks, who followed a Tamil language course organized by the 55 Division of the Vettilaikerny Headquarters, successfully completed the programme last week. The Tamil language programme for soldiers serving in Jaffna was initiated with a view to enhance their knowledge of the language, which would help them in their endeavours to establish and develop more..

July 31 (CT) Jaffna District TNA female candidate, Ananthi Sasitharan, said she decided to contest the polls at the upcoming elections in the Northern Province, to find redress for the thousands of women and children who had been affected by the nearly three decades long war. Wife of the former LTTE Trincomalee District political wing leader, Elilan, articulated her decision, addressing the media, soon after she filed her nomination papers to contest for the Northern Provincial Council, more..

July 31 (Island) Despite Power and Energy Minister Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi and Ministry Secretary M.M.C. Ferdinando giving assurances that work on the much delayed second coal-fired power plant, for the country, at Sampur, would go ahead, a section of the engineers are adamant not to give into the demands of neighbouring giant, India, until crucial technicalities have been ironed out. more..

July 31 (Reuters) Fitch Ratings Lanka Ltd will be hosting its inaugural Sovereign & Banking Roundtable on 6 August 2013, between 8.30am - 2.30pm at the Oak Room, Cinnamon Grand Colombo, 77 Galle Road, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka. Fitch is honored to have as the roundtable's chief guest Nivard Cabraal, Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, as well as leading market participants in Sri Lanka, including issuers, investors, and bankers. Fitch's senior analysts will discuss more..

July 31 (Island) The JVP urged the govt to stop the alleged harassment of their candidates in the Northern Province by military intelligence in the run up to the Provincial Council election there. JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti said that military intelligence persons visited homes of JVP candidates in the Kilinochchi District and asked whether they were contesting. He said that they had also been asked the reason to contest on the JVP ticket. "We are contesting the poll as an election has been more..

July 31 (CI) South Africa suffered a fifth successive sub-standard batting performance in Sri Lanka to concede the final match in the series - a dead rubber - to opposition who have shown their superiority. Throughout the 12-day contest, Sri Lanka batted with more authority and bowled with more intent and just to emphasise that, they did both even better today despite resting three senior players. more..