July 29 (DN) President Rajapaksa yesterday said that whatever decision taken by the govt has never been election oriented. �All decisions of the govt were taken for the well being of the country and we did not gain any kind of advantage by these decisions,� he said. President said the govt is striving to mould students suitable to present themselves to the modern world. President was speaking at the national ceremony to more..

July 29 (Island) The UNP is to begin selecting its candidates for the forthcoming Uva PC Election today. MP Gayantha Karunathillaka said that the Nomination Board (NB) headed by UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe would meet from tomorrow till August 4, to pick its candidates. The NB would also include LC Chairman Karu Jayasuriya, UNP Chairman Kabeer Hashim, Tissa Attanayake, Daya Gamage, Harin Fernando, Ravi Karunanayake, Sajith Pemadasa, Lakshman Kiriella, more..

July 29 (Island) The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC), has called on stockbrokers to align their lending rates on credit extension with the policy rates prescribed by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. This is in view of the fact that the �Average Weighted Prime Lending Rate (AWPR) of the CBSL has declined considerably in the recent past and the lending rates on credit extension of certain stockbrokers have not been adjusted accordingly, transferring the benefit more..

July 29 (NS) The BoI allows a Water Gardens project in Sigiriya at the heart of the island�s cultural triangle at an estimated cost of Rs. 650 million. Facilities will include 30 super luxury villas, each equipped with every imaginable facility, amenity and convenience. �Recent economic growth, infrastructural development and an overall rise in tourism to the island has also seen a host of ambitious new projects, which will cater to more..

July 29 (Island) Deputy Higher Education Minister and Matale District MP Nadimithra Ekanayake complained that Central Provincial Council Health Minister and Chief Organiser for Rattota, Bandula Yalegama had stopped his co-ordinating secretary Maithri Dawson from attending a committee meeting of the SLFP and ordered him out in the presence of others. Yalegama told Ekanayake�s co-ordinating secretary had arrived for the meeting without prior notice. more..

July 29 (TOI) A team of researchers from Vector Control Research Centre (VCRC), Puducherry and Pondicherry University has discovered bacteria in bird droppings that can kill mosquitoes. It has proposed to develop an anti-mosquito formulation using these bacteria, which can replace chemical insecticides. The team, which undertook a three-year-study analyzed 1,000 samples of bird droppings and discovered 12 bacterial strains that kill mosquitoes. more..

July 29 (MoD) The reconstructed Colombo - Jaffna, Northern Railway Line up to Jaffna will be completed by September and the Yal Devi train service to Jaffna, which was suspended for nearly 30 years, due to LTTE terrorist activities will resume operations on 15 September, the Ministry of Transport said. Northern Railway Line from Vavuniya to Kankasanthurai in the northern most tip of the island was completely destroyed by more..

July 29 (Hindu) CM Jayalalithaa should send a delegation of ministers and fishermen leaders to New Delhi to press the Centre for steps to free fishermen and their boats from Sri Lanka. Fishermen leaders made the demand at a demonstration here on Monday. The fishermen of Rameswaram and Mandapam have not put out to sea for the past four days to condemn the continuing arrest of fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. They went in procession to the Collectorate to hand over more..

July 29 (LBT) The Indian CEO Forum (ICF), which completed one year of its formation on July 12, 2014, announced the roll out of its plan to bring free medical aid to all sectors of society through a health check camp specifically focusing on two major silent killers � Diabetes and High Blood Pressure. The first such camp was held on July 27 at the �Lama Huruwa Pre School�, Aramangolla, Horana, from 9 am to 2 pm. The objectives of the Indian CEO Forum is to promote and contribute to more..

July 29 (CI) Two slips and a gully. A leg slip and a leg gully. A short leg. Silly mid off. Dilruwan Perera lurks at short cover. Rangana Herath prowls the bowling crease. Crows patrol fine leg. Fresh air blows through deep point. Sri Lanka are in their third last-hour finish in four Tests. Drama follows them like a man with an axe after the pretty girl in a horror flick. This is the kind of stuff Sri Lanka's Test supporters - a meagre and more..

July 29 (GDI) Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity", while Fiṭr means "to break the fast". Today all Muslims in Sri Lanka celebrates Ramazan, ending their month of fasting. The festival of Eidul Fitr began on Monday in Saudi Arabia and neighbouring states. The religious authorities in the desert kingdom had announced on Sunday they had received reports of sightings of the new moon, marking the end of Ramazan. more..

July 29 (GDI) I am pleased to send this message of greetings to the devotees of Islam as they celebrate the festival Eid ul-Fitr today, President Rajapaksa stated in a message to mark the Ramazan festival. �The Muslim community of Sri Lanka join their brothers in faith the world over today, to mark the completion of the important period of fasting and religious fervour, in keeping with the traditions of Islam. �This is now the time of rejoicing at the end of a holy month of strict religious observances more..

July 29 (Island) the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) while condemning the NGOs responsible for activities detrimental to the country has called on the govt not to tar all of them with the same brush. Following is the full LSSP statement: The fact that there area large number of NGO operating in Sri Lanka and most other countries is well known. While some of them get local funding many are funded from abroad. more..

July 29 (DM) Parliament was informed last week that the Mattala Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport has generated only Rs.16,185 as revenue in May. It is understandable that a new airport, or any new infrastructure development project for that matter, requires reasonable time to generate a decent income on a continuous basis, so that it could cover up the money which was pumped into constructing it. However little more than Rs.16,000 is not at all a justifiable amount for an airport which more..

July 29 (DM) The world is getting ready to end the menace of the victim-activated weapons known as Anti-Personnel (AP) mines from the earth on or before 2025. This was officially revealed at the recently concluded 3rd Review Conference (RC) of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) which was held in Maputo, Mozambique from June 22 to 27, 2014. The Review Conferences take place every five years to review the progress made on five components of mine action (mine clearance, more..

July 29 (DM) Deputy Minister Faiszer Mustapha in an interview with spoke on the recent incidents relating to Muslim community and of the need to increase standards of Colombo. Q: How is the present situation in Aluthgama and Beruwala? A: I was in Japan when the violence erupted. As soon as I returned, I went to Aluthgama straight from the airport. On June 14 I wrote to IGP requesting him not to allow the procession more..

July 29 (SL) With the colossal losses incurred by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) following the undersea buoy hose rupture on May 23 at the Colombo Port whilst unloading crude oil, covert plans are underway to cover up the losses which will lead to the general public being further burdened financially, highly reliable CPC sources said. However, the sources said that this burden will not be passed on to the consumers with more..

July 29 (AM) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the South Asia Media Solidarity Network (SAMSN) join the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) in strongly condemning the death threats issued to Sunil Jayasekara, the convener of Free Media Movement (FMM) over recent days. The IFJ has also questioned the role of govt agencies in sabotaging a media workshop in Colombo more..

July 29 (MoD) The rousing finale of the world's first ever reality show for the members of service personnel, "Ranaviru Real Star" reality show "Mission IV" was staged on a grand scale at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium yesterday evening (26). A record number of over 10 million SMS's poured in supporting the seven finalists. "Ranaviru Real Star" is a brain child of Secretary Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa more..

July 29 (CI) Sri Lanka offspinner Sachithra Senanayake will get help from Daryl Foster, a human movement lecturer at the University of Western Australia, to correct his bowling action. Senanayake was banned from bowling in international cricket by the ICC earlier this month, due to an illegal action. Senanayake will leave for Australia in second week of August, along with SLC's head of coaching, Jerome Jayaratne, more..

July 29 (Island) More than 1,100 Facebook related incidents have been recorded in Sri Lanka so far this year and they have almost doubled compared to the previous year, according to Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT). SLCERT, Media Spokesman Roshan Chandragupta yesterday told The Island that the number of Facebook related incidents recorded for the whole of last year was only 1,200. more..

July 29 (Hindu) The Sri Lankan Navy arrested 50 Indian fishermen off Point Pedro in Jaffna on Monday, on charges of poaching in Sri Lankan waters. As many as seven trawlers in their possession were seized. The arrest comes at a time when fishermen on either side of the Palk Strait are voicing concern about the lack of progress in finding a solution to the ongoing fisheries conflict between fishermen of India and Sri Lanka. more..

July 29 (ST) The JVP, putting up at least two Tamil candidates, is campaigning strongly for the forthcoming Uva PC elections � the last election ahead of a possible presidential poll � saying it is the country�s most poverty-stricken province. �The upcountry workers have been working more than 180 years but they are not entitled to own even one perch of land. The Mahinda Chinthanaya manifesto promised them seven perches of land but more..

July 29 (DM) A committee will be appointed to retrieve the documents lying inside the office room of the Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman amidst allegations that the Chairman who is in jail now had locked his office and taken away the keys. Earlier it was reported that work at the Pradeshiya Sabha had come to a stop as its Chairman Chandrapushpa Vidanapathirana, had locked his office prior to his imprisonment. more..

July 29 (DM) Sri Lanka Cricket officials have decided to honour a request made by star cricketer Lasith Malinga to pay the Southern Express cricket team which would take part in the Champions� League T20 tournament a ten percent of the SLC income from the tournament. The fifteen members of Southern Express team captained by Malinga would thus be paid a ten percent of the SLC nett income from the tournament which more..

July 29 (CT) Maybe we didn't jump for joy, there is a still long way to go for that, but certainly there was cause for pause when the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), released its Human Development Index (HDI) for 2014, placing Sri Lanka 73rd in a list of 187 countries. The placement isn't what you'd call 'fortunate happenstance', rather it is an indication of the steady progress the country has made in the fields of life expectancy, education levels and incomes. more..

July 29 (CT) The United Socialist Party wishes to thank all those Left Parties, Trade Unions and individuals who extended solidarity to us at the time of the launch of our initiative �Socialist peace March against Racism & Communilism�. We also thank all left parties who organised the press conference to condemn the brutal attack on USP Motor cycle march on 26th July. And USP is greatful to all those who showed us the sympathy and support to us after we were attacked and ambushed by more..

July 29 (LBO) Sri Lanka's shares closed higher on Monday with oil palm firms gaining amid weak foreign buying. All Share Price Index closed 0.63 points higher at 6,784.27, up 0.01%. The S&P SL20 closed 3.47 points lower at 3,761.43, down 0.09%. Turnover was 493.10 million rupees, down from 1.23 billion rupees last Friday with 101 stocks closed positive against 88 negative. F L C Holdings closed 10 cents higher at 2.20 rupees, attracting most number of trades during the day. more..

July 29 (Island) Private Transport Services Minister C.B. Ratnayaka yesterday warned that all adult films and controversial music videos shown on private buses would be banned soon. Minister Ratnayaka pointed out that the Ministry had received many complaints that adults movies were being shown in private buses. Most complaints were against the noise pollution caused by TV programmes. The sounds emitted inside some buses were far too high, the minister said. more..

July 29 (CT) Setting up independent commissions was the main aim of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution which was introduced to enhance good governance. The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption which was under the Ministry of Justice was re-established as an independent commission under the new Constitution. But the Rajapaksa Govt abolished the 17th Amendment to the more..

July 29 (Island) The Kurunegala police yesterday busted a �family business� of circulating counterfeit currency notes and recovered a stock of dud money. The police nabbed five members of the same family � mother (47), daughter (18), son (08), nephew (17) and mother�s sister (36) with 22 counterfeit currency notes. The suspects were making purchases along the road from Anuradhapura to Kurunegala using dud notes. Their modus operandi misfired when they had tried to purchase some vegetables from more..

July 29 (CI) A break out series, in which he was easily the most menacing Sri Lanka bowler on two spin-friendly tracks. There were occasional poor overs in Galle, but at the SSC, Perera's lines and lengths were impeccable. The deliveries to dismiss AB de Villiers and Vernon Philander in the first innings would have had virtually any batsman in the world in trouble. Bowled a few unplayable balls on the final day too, but did not quite have the luck. He is a nice fit for this attack's more..

July 29 (CG) The Holy See Press Office issued a communique Tuesday confirming the dates of the Apostolic Trip of the Holy Father in Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Accepting the invitation from the civil authorities and the Episcopate, His Holiness Francis will make an Apostolic Trip to Sri Lanka from 12 to 15 January and in the Philippines from 15 to 19 January 2015. The program for the trip will be published shortly. more..

July 29 (AM) M.G. Dhanushka, the singer from Embilipitiya who emerged as the Derana Dream Star a few weeks ago, performed at an event organized by the Socialist Youth Wing, affiliated with the JVP. In a context where a large number of artistes have openly aligned themselves with the UPFA govt, Dhanushka's move to perform at the JVP backed event has drawn the attention of many, as a radical decision. Along with Dhanushka, several other artistes too participated in �Brotherhood Day� more..

July 29 (DN) Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment in partnership with the British Council has launched a training program for outbound migrant workers to improve their proficiency in the English language, with a focus largely on speaking practice. British Council which would formulate and carry our the study program with the involvement of its expert instructors, would also offer an internationally accredited qualification for those who complete the program successfully, more..

July 29 (AD) The NFF led by Minister Wimal Weerawansa, has decided to contest the Uva PC elections independently. He said that differences of opinion on some issues with the ruling UPFA led to the NFF deciding to contest the polls independently. Weerawansa said that the Govt has taken some decisions unilaterally without consulting the other members of the alliance. Among those decisions, Weerawansa said, was the more..

July 29 (DN) Maternal deaths during the pregnancy period or due to post-natal complications have drastically reduced in the Northern Province over the last few years. This was revealed at the National Maternal Death reviews conducted for 2013 in Jaffna and Vavuniya recently. Sri Lanka reports a low maternal mortality ratio of 37.7 per 100,000 live births the best in South-East Asia. There were only five maternal deaths reported in the entire Northern Province in 2013. more..

July 29 (CG) The TNA has said it is yet to decide on who it will back at the next Presidential elections and if that candidate will be a common candidate. TNA MP Suresh Premachandran was quoted in the Uthayan website this evening as saying discussions have taken place among members of the TNA on who the party should support at the Presidential polls. However Premachandran has said that the party is yet to decide on a candidate for President at the next polls. more..

July 29 (CG) A US Govt report released today said that local media in Sri Lanka and NGOs have noted strong linkages between the BBS and the govt. The International Religious Freedom Report for 2013 noted in its Executive Summary that the BBS continued to promote its anti-Muslim campaign, which was linked to violent activities last year. The report released at the US State Department by US Secretary of State more..