July 6 (Island) Industry sources say unannounced power cuts caused chaos at the Biyagama Export processing Zone (EPZ) on Monday and Tuesday. Sources allege that the failure on the part of the CEB to alert the BOI regarding power cuts, due to sharp drop in the power generation capacity, is threatening the industrial sector. Responding to a query by The Island, sources said that Biyagama EPZ had experienced a two-hour power-cut in the morning and more..

July 6 (DM) The main opposition United National Party (UNP) yesterday called for the resignation of Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premajayantha as it had been proved that inferior quality fuel had been purchased by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC).UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told a news conference that the minister should resign as he had offered to do so if it was proved that the CPC had purchased low quality petrol. more..

July 6 (Island) The National Dengue Control Unit will institute legal action against the Maharagama National Cancer Institute unless the hospital authorities take action to clean hospital premises, which have been infested with dengue mosquito larvae. Two weeks notices was issued by the Unit to clean the premises. The MRI Entomological Unit, which conducted inspection of hospital premises to detect potential dengue mosquito breeding grounds last week, had detected that the more..

July 6 (TC) Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, Adviser on Reconciliation to the President, responds on Hard Talk to hard questions about Sri Lanka. In a wide-ranging interview with Stephen Sackur, Prof Wijesinha deals with questions about Sri Lanka raised by recent interventions by Channel 4 as well as a Panel on Accountability appointed by the UN Secretary General. He talks about the similarities between the charges made, and more..

July 6 (Island) A massive silent exercise is about to get underway later this year when 65,000 enumerators go from house to house, throughout the country, with a questionnaire for each household to answer, to round up the country’s first complete census since 1981. Director of Census H.R. Gunasekera said that they have already completed the first two stages of the census, in mapping out the country into 65,000 blocks and more..

July 6 (Island) The govt is moving towards securing a full pardon for Lankan housemaid Rizana Nafeek, sentenced to death by a high court in Saudi Arabia, Minister Dilan Perera said in Parliament yesterday. The Minister said that the death sentence was only suspended following a request by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Saudi King and would now move towards a full pardon for Nafeek. more..

July 6 (LB) Two Sri Lankan managers who allegedly raped Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi workers at a garment factory in Jordan were evicted by the Jordanian labour ministry following sustained pressure from rights groups. But activists are disturbed about what they claim is a “lack of interest” by Sri Lankan authorities in pursuing the allegations of sexual abuse at Classic Fashion. more..

July 6 (DM) The Indian government cannot remain insensitive to the sentiments expressed by the Tamil Nadu government, the Tamil Nadu people and politicians about issues affecting the Tamil-speaking people in Sri Lanka, Indian foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told journalists. “That is something you have to understand. It will always be there and I think you cannot dismiss those concerns. more..

July 6 (NDTV) Seems like airport trouble for our B-Town heroines is lasting forever. After Minissha Lamba, Bipasha Basu and Anushka Sharma, now it's Celina Jaitly. Thankfully, she didn't have any problems with the customs but had a more horrible experience while travelling from Maldives to Mumbai. The actress was in Maldives shooting for a South flick titled Shrimati. She had a stopover in Colombo from where she was to more..

July 6 (DM) Titus Jayawardene, secretary to the Ministry of Petroleum Industries, has gone on leave prior to retirement. His leave application was submitted to Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga yesterday. Jayawardene had another three months to serve before he retired. Damning evidence had surfaced of the importation of low quality petrol by the CPC when Jayawardene was acting chairman more..

July 6 (DM) Modelling and fashion designing have been identified by the govt among the key sectors for growth. Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera addressing the 12th Sri Lanka Economic Summit highlighted priority sectors which would require private sector participation to help the country achieve its economic goals. "There is also scope for the machinery, shipping, manufacturing and power generation sectors to grow," more..

July 6 (GDI) The Ministry of Power and Energy said that there is no power cuts imposed in the country at present. Further it will not impose it in the event of any necessity without prior notice. There are various reports that power cut is imposed by the Electricity Board without advanced notice to consumers. Dismissing the report, the Ministry said a Power Supply Committee with special powers has been appointed to ensure continued supplies. more..

July 6 (AFP) Sri Lanka's military said Wednesday it had original footage that exposed the "malicious intentions" behind a British documentary on alleged war crimes committed by government troops. Major General Ubaya Medawela said the "unaltered" video suggested that what the documentary had presented as soldiers executing Tamil rebel prisoners actually showed rebels dressed in army fatigues. more..

July 7 (LBO) Documents used for international trade such as bills of lading are easily forged, a maritime fraud expert has warned Sri Lankan shippers, saying physical verification of cargoes would help reduce risk. "Trade finance today is wide open to manipulation," declared P Mukundan, director of the International Maritime Bureau, an industry body which probes trade fraud and runs the Piracy Reporting Centre giving information on piracy attacks. more..

July 7 (DM) Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani extended an invitation to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne to visit Pakistan, APP reported. The Pakistani Premier extended this invitation during a meeting with a visiting Sri Lankan delegation headed by Rishad Bathiudeen, at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad. Premier Gillani said that he was looking forward to meet President Rajapaksa in the Maldives more..

July 7 (ES) Reports that his public criticism of Sri Lanka Cricket is to be investigated did not affect Kumara Sangakkara's preparations as he went about his business as usual. Sangakkara's references to a "mad power struggle" and lost "accountability and transparency", during his MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at Lord's two days ago,Listen to Kumar Sangakkara's Cowdrey Lecture: more..

July 7 (CI) Kumar Sangakkara has made the most important speech in cricket history. Brushing aside the twin temptations of romance and sentiment, the erudite Sri Lankan has dared to confront the truths about cricket in his country. Along the way he struck many meaty blows on the game's behalf. His discourse was nothing less than a challenge to cricket to set higher standards for itself, to reject jealousy, pettiness and greed, and to become part of the enlightenment. more..

July 7 (LBO) A new deep-water terminal in Colombo port will help Sri Lanka take advantage of increasing Indian cargo volumes, said the head of a local firm doing the project in a joint venture with a Chinese company. Parakrama Dissanayake, chairman of Aitken Spence Maritime, said Indian efforts to modernise its own ports and attract direct calls by shipping lines would pose a challenge to Colombo's status as the region's transhipment hub. more..

July 7 (IPS) Like many Sri Lankans, Kandiah Selvadurai measures the improvement in his life by the amount of money he spends on essentials. When basic goods were scarce more than two years ago, he paid dearly for them. These days, he buys them for a tiny fraction of what they used to cost. Still, life is hard. In early 2009, a kilo of rice was so scarce Selvadurai was spending 2,500 rupees (25 dollars) or more to buy it. more..

July 7 (DPA) Sri Lanka's opposition parties Wednesday vowed to boycott a parliamentary committee proposed to resolve the ethnic conflicts that sparked off three decades of militancy. UNP spokesman Mangala Samaraweera said the govt should make constructive proposals first. 'The government is trying to put the responsibility on opposition parties to find a solution to the conflict. We are not agreeable,' he said. more..

July 7 (NN) Prime Minister D.M Jayaratne admitted in parliament today that there is political influence over some drugs related cases which are under investigation. He was responding to a question posed by UNP MP John Amaratunga during parliament proceedings today after the MP made a special statement on drugs and narcotics. He said that the use of drugs by some criminals is related to murders and other incidents as well reported in the country. more..

July 7 (LBO) Sri Lanka's recent state land sales to investors have procedural flaws that could result in the contracts being challenged in courts and deemed illegal, opposition lawmakers warned at an economic forum. Sri Lanka had sold two blocks of state land to CATIC, a Chinese defence contractor, and Shangri La, a Hong Kong based leisure firm, without open tendering. At least one project has been given sweeping tax breaks under a law relating to more..

July 7 (SL) Three persons were injured today when a protest organized by JVP affiliated Ceylon Teacher Services Union (CTSU) in Kurunegala was attacked by a group of thugs. The protest was organized by the CTSU opposite the Wayamba Province office of the Education Department Cooperative Society (EDCS) against the taking over the EDCS administration by the govet. The EDCS administration was won by the CTSU in an election held in 2008. more..

July 7 (NN) The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) is to introduce new regulations on the sale of lunch packets along the streets. Chief Medical Officer of the CMC Dr Pradeep Kariyawasam said that under the new regulations lunch packets sold along Colombo streets must carry the date and time the lunch was cooked as well as the location. He also said that the sale of lunch packets more than four hours after the lunch was cooked will be prohibited under the new regulations. more..

July 7 (ST) Parliament today approved a Rs 20 billion supplementary estimate to construct the new defence headquarters at Battramulla. Minister Sarath Amunugama who opened the debate this afternoon said that the money from the sale of land at Galle Face to Shangri-La group of hotels is being used for this purpose. “The money from the sale of the land is going into the consolidated fund and Rs20 billion from that is being given for the new headquarters,” more..

July 7 (AD) A petition was presented at the Appeals Court against granting pensions to those living abroad without dual citizenship. The petition was filed by the leader of the Janasetha Front, Battaramulle Seelaratna Himi. Among the respondents was the Director of the Department of Pensions while the petitioner Seelaratna Himi stated that there are more than 12,000 people collecting pensions and living abroad. The petition states that over Rs.3.5 billion is spent annually on paying these pensions.

July 7 (SL) Employees at the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) are to hold a protest outside the Board head office on Friday (8). The Lanka Vidulu Sevaka Sangamaya says that the protest has been organized by the employees based on several demands including the demand for the payment of a salary arrears amounting to 10 months. Secretary of the trade union, Ranjan Jayalal told the media that most of the trade unions in the CEB would participate in the protest. more..

July 7 (SMH) Australia fired up to blitz Sri Lanka in the biggest win of the world netball championship in Singapore with a crushing 97-20 victory. The 77-point win eclipsed the biggest winning margin of 73 goals set by England against Malaysia earlier in the day. The Diamonds were predictably far too strong for their opponents and the win ensured they finished top of their pool and set up a quarter-final meeting with Malawi. The Australians have compiled a more..

July 7 (GDI) Elections Commissioner has decided to release manual and computerized results of the forthcoming local government elections to the parties contested the election on July 23. The new measure by the commissioner will begin with the forthcoming Local Government polls. The aim is to consolidate the veracity of the results. This decision has already been intimated to political parties and Independent Groups. Appeals were made to undertake recounts more..

July 7 (NN) British Defence Secretary Liam Fox is to arrive in Sri Lanka later this week, a spokesperson at the British High Commission in Colombo said. Fox is scheduled to deliver the Lakshman Kadirgamar lecture over the weekend and on the sidelines of the lecture may meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Minister G.L Peiris. His visit comes amidst concerns raised by the British govt over allegations of human rights abuses being committed in Sri Lanka during more..

July 7 (SL) Senior Minister Sarath Amunugama has told parliament that plans are underway to build more seven star class luxury hotels in the country. He has said that these hotel projects would be similar to the luxury hotel project launched by the Hong Kong based Shangri La Corporation in the country. Amunugama has made this statement during the debate on the allocation of a Rs. 20 billion supplementary budget to the Defence Ministry to the Defence Ministry to build a more..

July 7 (NN) Power cuts were experienced in several parts of the country yesterday despite the Power and Energy Ministry saying there will not be blackouts. Electricity was cut throughout last morning and night for at least two hours, residents told News Now.lk today while reports said today that the unannounced power outings had caused chaos at the Biyagama export processing zone. Residents in parts of Panadura said that they did not have electricity for two hours last night and more..

July 7 (DM) Kahawatta residents staged a four-hour protest in the town urging authorities to investigate the mysterious killings of elderly women and to bring the culprits to book. A large number of people participated in the protest. They said the killing of elderly women had been going on unchecked and that seven women had been killed in cold blood by an unidentified gang creating a fear psychosis in the area. They charged that the Kahawatta police more..

July 7 (DM) Most of us are quite surprised at the unbelievable cleanliness and orderliness that prevails in the most parts of the city of Colombo. In fact the UDA should be complimented for the revamping that has taken place. Today it certainly is a pleasure to drive along Galle road from Bambalapitiya to Fort and it certainly is a great help for all ethnic groups to see the road name-boards printed in all three languages. But as usual (as happens in Sri Lanka there is always a but !), more..

July 7 (DM) For several weeks a public controversy has raged regarding claims made by a group of researchers at the Universities of Rajarata and Kelaniya that high levels of arsenic in imported pesticides, having contaminated both water and soil of farming areas, has found its way into the food supply, and was responsible for the high incidence of chronic kidney disease in the North-Central Province.The SLAAS cannot comment on the truth of these claims, which have been investigated by more..

July 7 (LG) I have to detour and my reply to Professors Carlo Fonseka, Oliver Ileperuma and Upali Samarajeewa has to be postponed as the so-called representative body of western scientists in this country headed by Prof. Dhammika Tantirigoda has taken an unprecedented step by issuing a public statement against its own members. Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) has come out with a statement on Arsenic. more..

July 7 (LG) According to accepted historical records Buddhism was officially introduced into Sri Lanka during the reign of King Devanam Piyatissa, in the third century B.C. It was brought by the Buddhist mission headed by the Venerable Thera Mahinda. It may also be noted here that the Buddhist mission to Sri Lanka was one of several such missions sent to different parts of the then known world by the Emperor Asoka, after the conclusion of the third Buddhist Council more..

July 7 (LG) Dear FUTA, Where were thou all this time? Having watched what you have achieved over the last 8 weeks, including bringing the whole university system to a grinding halt, I wonder for a moment whether you had been injected with a ‘steroid’ or something. The scholarly debate that has sprung up in the print and electronic media as a consequence is immense and is by itself of sufficient magnitude to design an unprecedented National Policy for Education in our country. more..

July 7 (SO) The UNP, formed by its founder leader D.S. Senanayake in 1946, has rendered an invaluable service to the nation from its inception. Six UNP leaders served the country for over 31 years since independence. The UNP recorded a historic five-sixth victory under the able leadership of J.R. Jayewardene in 1977. The party was well consolidated and remained in power until 1994. The performance of the party since 1994 has been poor and pathetic more..