July 23 (CT) Undergraduates of Peradeniya University staged a protest demonstration today against four students being summoned to the police. These students are said to have jeered at Minister of Higher Education, S.B. Dissanayake during his recent visit to the Peradeniya University. Convener of the IUSF, Udul Premaratne said that the Minister has said in a recent television programme that the students who jeered will be sent to jail and this posed a threat to these students. more..

July 23 (CI) One of the greatest virtues of Muttiah Muralitharan is the big turn he gets on any surface, to almost take those 22 yards out of the equation. In his farewell match, with the kind of reception he got and the way he took the last Indian wicket to reach 800, it is easy to forget the other man to whom the pitch matters little. Lucky is the captain who has both Lasith Malinga and Murali in the same XI. more..

July 23 (LBO) Sri Lanka's government is to set up a separate authority to regulate micro-finance institutions to make their supervision more effective. Micro finance has been identified as a vital sector in the economy because of its contribution to the growth of the rural economy and income generation, it said. The Cabinet of ministers has approved plans for a draft the 'Micro Finance Bill' to set up the Microfinance Regulatory and Supervisory Authority. more..

July 23 (CI) Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said his team couldn't have scripted it better after they beat India by ten wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series. The hosts experienced the dual joy of winning comprehensively and watching Muttiah Muralitharan bag his 800th wicket in his final Test to seal victory. "When we came here on the first day, we got to a good start, "Sangakkara said. more..

July 23 (LBO) A Sri Lankan software industry group cracking down on piracy has warned that foreign companies in the island cannot assume they are covered by software licences held by their overseas parents. The Business Software Alliance (BSA), a global trade association representing the software industry, said it had entered into a settlement agreement with a Japanese manufacturer based in Kansai for software license infringement. more..

July 23 (Reuters) Sri Lanka, likely to miss its 2010 target for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), will introduce new policies in the 2011 budget to spur post-war investment and tax revenues, a senior investment official said on Thursday. The $42 billion economy had aimed to attract a record $1 billion FDI mainly in tourism and outsourcing after a 25-year war ended in May last year. more..

July 23 (CI) India came into the match knowing their bowlers were the weak link, and they performed accordingly. Where they will feel let down, though, is with the star-studded batting. In all, the top seven lasted fewer than 135 overs in both innings put together. There were some irresponsible shots and some fantastic bowling from the opposition. The pitch remained good for batting throughout, even until more..

July 23 (NF) Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena yesterday visited the patient who underwent a successful liver transplant for the first time in the country. A medical team headed by Professor Mandika Wijeyratna of the Colombo National Hospital performed this surgery recently and the patient is receiving in house treatment. "Here three surgeries are being carried out. The first operation is performed to remove the organs of the person who is brain dead. more..

July 23 (LG) Within the frame of the ample law for law enforcement, intelligence figures little. For all the law and legal initiatives to control bribery, adopted over the years, the function of intelligence for effective action has not been duly conceived. The 1994 law specifies plainly that action under the Act by way of investigation can commence only on a communication, of a formal nature. more..

July 23 (IL) President Mahinda Rajapaksa made a special visit to the Galle International Cricket stadium this afternoon on July 22 and congratulated the spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan (Murali) who made a World Record of 800 Test wickets on the final day of the first Test between Sri Lanka Vs India. It was Murali’s last day of Test cricket and President Rajapaksa felicitated Murali by presenting a special memento at more..

July 23 (DM) With reference to my Article which The Daily Mirror published yesterday (14th July) under the caption “ Some Random thoughts about the U.N. Advisory Panel”, my colleagues have asked me to explain how an Advisory opinion could be sought from the International Court of Justice (I.C.J.) when its jurisdiction to issue such opinions excludes requests made by States and includes, roughly, only fourteen U.N. bodies. more..

July 23 (Island) The primary market Treasury bill auction, conducted by the Public Debt Department of the Central Bank, last morning saw yields drop further from last week. The three month bill attracted bids amounting to Rs. 2.8 billion of which Rs. 1 billion was accepted while the interest rate fell to 7.92 percent from 7.98 percent a week ago. The six month bill saw its yield fall to 8.70 percent from 8.75 percent a week ago more..

July 23 (CI) Years from now, it will become one of those where-were-you questions. There must be thousands of Indians who remember what they were doing when Sunil Gavaskar late-cut Ijaz Faqih at the Motera Stadium, just as legions of Pakistanis will recall the moment Ramiz Raja stared at the Melbourne sky and positioned himself under a skier from Richard Illingworth. Sri Lankans already have one such moment, more..

July 23 (DM) If politics was a boxing match, it would be totally wrong to say that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was knocked down to the mat, it would be even incorrect to claim that he was thrown against the ropes but it would be correct to claim that he paused and perhaps even took a step back in the pursuit of removing the constitutional restrictions on his ability to hold the office of the presidency indefinitely. more..

July 23 (LG) In a legalistic frame of concept, focusing on an individual offender and accomplice is inevitable. The critical feature in such enunciation of the law for bribery and corruption is that the legalistic mode does not take full account the whole realm of the public service; the offence is not simply matter between the offender and victim. The public service is at once the perpetrator of the crime and the victim of the offence. more..

July 23 (DM) Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Israel Donald Perera says the comments attributed to him in an Israeli newspaper where it was reported that he had said Sri Lanka is a staunch supporter of Israel's fight against Palestinian terror, is totally erroneous. In a letter sent to the Israeli newspaper the Sri Lankan envoy said Sri Lanka always values her friendship with Israel and this aspect will continue to underpin the more..

July 23 (LG) The Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam has already run into trouble. The post Prabhakaran Tamil Diaspora which is divided into three rival factions as Rudrakumaran’s TGTE, Eezham People’s Assembly (EPA) or Makkal Peravai of Perinbanayagam Sivaparan (Nediyavan) and Father Emmauel’s Global Tamil Forum (GTF) are at loggerheads over the nature of the TGTE and a power struggle for control of the Constituent Assembly has been going on since the inception of the TGTE Project. more..

July 23 (TN) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers continue to plunder the valuable properties abandoned by the uprooted residents of the coastal area from Naakarkoayil to Chu’ndikku’lam in Vadmaraadchi East, a team of officials which had visited the area recently said. Only Naakarkoayil and its surroundings had been affected by war while the people and their properties in the rest of the vast area had not been greatly affected as the war did not take place in their area. more..

July 23 (LBO) Sri Lanka will set up a state company to develop joint ventures and lease assets of other failed state companies with a capital of 100 million rupees, without 'privatizing' them, a government minister said. The State Resources Management Corporation will make better use of state assets which are uneconomical, minister Keheliya Rambukwelle said. more..

July 23 (NF) The police operations unit set up on Tuesday to look into environmental issues, has to date, received 25 complaints with regard to locations where garbage is disposed of. A senior police officer attached to the unit said that complaints had been received from Kirulapana, Dematagoda, Bambalapitiya, Kotahena and Borella. A majority of complaints have been received from the Kirulapana area. more..

July 23 (Island) Professor G.L. Peiris (GLP) has provided a snapshot account of the constitutional problems that have beset the new constitution of Maldives in his article appearing in The Island of 14 July 2010. This thought-provoking essay brings into sharp focus the recommendation made by the OPA, in its resolution of 17 June 2010, to the effect that the constitution must ensure a clear separation of powers between the legislature, executive and judiciary. more..

July 23 (NF) Garbage disposal has become a major challenge in the country today especially in the light of the numerous diseases that are spreading. However, Newsfirst stumbled upon an innovative device manufactured by a person in Kegalle, where degradable garbage is turned into bio-gas. The inventor of this device, which has been hailed as an ideal means of converting certain degradable garbage items into bio gas, is N. W. Ananda Withana of Yatiyanthota. more..

July 23 (SL) UNP MP Sajith Premadasa termed the decision not to give UNP government officials voting rights a “travesty of justice.” The reform proposals recently approved by the Working Committee allow for a ballot to be held to elect key senior positions within the UNP, including the post of Opposition Leader. However as things stand, local Government officials within the main Opposition party will not be allowed to participate in the vote. more..

July 23 (AFP) Australian legend Shane Warne insists Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan's record total of 800 Test wickets will never be beaten. Muralitharan reached the astonishing haul with his final ball in Test cricket when he dismissed Pragyan Ojha to bring India's second innings to an end in the first Test at Galle on Thursday. more..

July 23 (SMH) The vessel MV Sun Sea is a classic example of why John Howard’s Pacific solution for boat people worked -- and why training-wheels PM Gillard is now copying him. The Sun Sea is now sailing from Thailand to Canada with 200 people on board, seeking a home. At first the plan was to sail to Australia but the crew has reportedly decided that Australia is now “tough” and Canada would give a “friendlier reception”. more..

July 23 (MoD) The Organization of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA) referring to the UN Advisory Committee, has expressed its grave concern over and condemns, the wanton manner in which the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has been, on his own volition, acting against the sovereign nation of Sri Lanka. The President of OPA, Prof. A D V de S Indraratna in a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa further states that more..

July 23 (TN) Most of the resettled families having lost their earning male members either killed, disappeared or detained in prison after arrest or surrender, their children are forced to drop out from school in order to earn a living for the family, an education officer in Vanni said. The number of children above fifteen in the resettled families abandoning school has shot up drastically, though most of them would like to continue schooling if only they have the means, more..

July 23 (NF) Cinnamon can be used as a substance to control diabetes, a research has revealed. Senior professor at the Faculty of Agriculture at the Runuhu University, K.D.N. Weerasinghe said that cinnamon prevents sugar from being absorbed into the bloodstream. This revelation comes following research carried out by a group of American scientists. “Cinnamon has a chemical substance that fall into the essential oils category. more..

July 23 (LP) The CMC says that under 20 years have a tendency of becoming a prey to Dengue fever within Colombo suburbs. This was revealed in an inspection done by 600 officers. According to the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr.Pradeep Kariyawasam over 75% of Dengue victims are those under 20 years of age. He further stated that erection of new constructions in Colombo suburbs and inability to prevent Dengue breeding due to improper scheduling increases the threat. more..

July 23 (LP) Thirty projects are expected to create a leisure city in Kalpitiya for tourists. Eight projects in an extent of 5,000 acres in Kalpitiya have already started the mobilising process. All the projects will be environment friendly and will be green hotels dedicated to cater to leisure activities. They have been able to get the lands owned by the Government that were not inhabited by fishermen in the hope of creating 5,000 rooms. more..

July 23 (NF) The Inter University Students' Union claims that a student of the Ruhuna University, who was admitted to hospital after being caught in a brawl, has died. "The student who passed away was a 25-year-old 3rd year student at the university by the name Aruna Bandara. He was a resident of the Buttala area," said Udul Premaratne, Convener of the Union. more..

July 23 (N360) A group of Tea harvesters working for Finlays tea estates recently made a visit to Munnar region of India. The group comprised 6 tea harvesters selected by Finlays out of its “Best tea harvester competition of the year 2009”. The company says the competition which was carried out across its 26 estates was aimed at recognizing the efforts of its employees. The winners were chosen according to the number of kilos and the quality of tea leaves plucked by them for the entire year. more..

July 23 (LP) The Offensive Weapons Act introduced by Rehabilitation and Prisons Minister D.E.W. Gunasekara in order to put a stop to put an end to injustices happening to children was discussed in the latest cabinet meeting. “70% of those in prison have not received their basic education. They’re put in prison for various reasons, and they get three meals a day and a roof to sleep under. But it is their children who go hungry” more..

July 23 (DN) The catching of Pearl Oysters without a limit has endangered oyster population in the country, Ruhunu University Fisheries and Marine Sciences and Technology Faculty Senior Lecturer Ruchira Cumaranatunga told the Daily News. "Conch shells and Sea cucumbers have been collected in Mannar in the North for many years without allowing their reproduction. more..

July 23 (UCAN) The world’s top wicket-taker has paid tribute to his Catholic education after calling time on an illustrious international cricket career that saw him reach 800-wickets in his final Test match. “I was blessed with excellent priests, teachers and coaches,” Sri Lanka’s Muthiah “Murali” Muralitharan said on July 22 after helping his team beat India by 10 wickets in Galle. The combination of playing cricket and more..

July 23 (DM) Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday, that the local government authorities and Environment Ministry were more responsible for the dengue menace, than the Health Ministry. He said that the blame for the spread of dengue was being directed at the Health Ministry. But, that was wrong because it was the duty of the local authorities and Environment Minstry to deal with the problem on a daily basis. more..

July 23 (NS) Those green mountains coated with white mist will no longer be able to cover the fact that Kandy- by its geographical location, as well as by short-sighted human activities, tops the list of cities with the worse air pollution. Research carried out in the past decade reveal that during certain periods, especially in dry weather conditions, air pollution levels of Kandy city could reach two to three times that of Colombo city. more..

July 23 (LB) Rajpal Abeynayake has sought some help in deconstructing what he calls a taking-place ‘cultural revolution’. Rajpal has flagged some important issues in the current political, social and cultural milieu that various people have commented on from time to time, for example the issue of lovers (and loving) being frowned on and even hauled up to police stations and courts and the mathata thitha programme aiming at curbing alcohol consumption. more..

July 23 (SL) An employee of the Land Reclamation and Development Board, D.P Sumandasa, was injured in an explosion yesterday, whilst cleaning out a canal in the Paliyawatte area of Dutugemunu Mawatha in Peliyagoda. Reports say that the employee, who had been in close proximity of the explosion had only suffered minor injuries but had complained of aftershock and been taken to the Colombo National Hospital for treatment. more..

July 23 (DM) Although there are more than 8000 children who have lost both parents in the Northern Province, the government is still not even equipped with accurate statistics of orphaned children in the North, Socialist Youth Union National Organizer Bimal Rathnayake said. The government has taken little or no measures to look into the welfare of orphaned children and added that as a result many children were stranded without proper care. more..

July 23 (LeN) DNF Parliamentary member Anura Kumara Dissanayake said, every time national issues cropped up, the people always congregated at the Lipton Circus and stage d their protests successfully. In the same way , the protests and agitations for the release of Gen. Fonseka shall be commenced at the Lipton circus and we shall emerge victorious. more..

July 23 (LNP) Close on the heels of his appointment of an expert panel to advise him on accountability issues relating to violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during the final stages of the conflict in Sri Lanka, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has had a bellyful of lecturing from an outgoing top UN official on transparency and accountability. Chief anti-corruption official of the UN Inga-Britt Ahlenius has, in her goodbye missive, torn the UNSG to shreds. more..

July 23 (Island) Elephant House is prepared to meet the future with the company announcing its rebranded corporate image last evening with promises of new innovations in the near future to cater to the changing tastes of a growing market. Elephant House changed its cooperate identity, it will operate under its legal name Ceylon Cold Stores PLC while all future businesses activities would refer to the company as Elephant House. more..

July 23 (DN) President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said the Traditional Industries and Small Industries Development Ministry should highlight and promote the creativity and craftsmanship among people in rural villages. He said hidden talents and high standard of creativity among the people in rural Sri Lanka can easily be demonstrated to the world with the end of the 30 year conflict. more..

July 23 (DN) Approval has been given to proceed with the construction of Broadlands Hydropower Project (BHP) by Cabinet after the Power and Energy Minister’s direct involvement at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. The project will be launched after 26 years, said Ministry sources. BHP is considered as the last economically feasible Hydro Power Project in the Laxapana Hydro Power complex. more..

July 23 (ST) Unplanned public roads through Protected Areas without proper environmental assessments and precautions against harm to sensitive ecosystems will be the surest way to destroying natural ecosystems in those areas in the long term. This is a well-established fact. These were the serious repercussions that the World Bank’s Lead Environmental Specialist, Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya warned of when the Sunday Times questioned him about the detrimental impact illegal roads being constructed more..

July 23 (DN) Prison reform has been on the national agenda for many years but regrettably no headway has been made in this respect with several governments only paying lip service to the topic. In the meantime problems associated with our prisons keep mounting with conditions in prisons further deteriorating and welfare of prisoners increasingly neglected. This may be as a result of the prejudiced mindset cultivated with regard to our prisoners considered as social outcasts warranting no special attention. more..

July 23 (MoD) 'Sri Lanka is proud of this son of our soil, who has reached the greatest height as a bowler with his new record, winning the highest respect of his contemporaries in the game the world over', stated President Mahinda Rajapaksa congratulating Muttiah Muralitharan on achieving his new record of 800 wickets in Test Cricket in 133 Tests as he retired from this form of the game yesterday. more..