July 25 (AM) A senior official of the Muthurajawela oil storage facility told that the oil storage has completely depleted and that the petrol and diesel outputs have been halted. The reason for the depletion was an explosion of a buoy that was carrying oil inland from the host tanker. Trade unions claim that CPC is paying millions as demurrages daily due to oil tankers which are anchored near the main port. more..

July 25 (Island) The govt will enhance foreign remittances by raising the minimum monthly wage of Sri Lankan migrant workers from September 1 this year. Minister Dilan Perera said that the minimum monthly wage for Sri Lankan foreign workers would be increased to USD 350 from the current USD 300. There was no change in minimum monthly salary of migrant Lankan workers till 2010. In 2010 it was around Rs. 20,000. more..

July 25 (Island) Nobody could challenge the country’s state owned premier scientific research institution, the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) on its methodology in detecting Dicyandiamide (DCD) in ice cream distributed at dansalas on Poson Day, Minister Champika Ranawaka said. The powerful multinationals might be able to buy people at any level but on issues like this it was the responsibility of everyone to more..

July 25 (Island) Owners of the land where the Achchuveli Army Camp was situated showed their interest to hand over it to the govt after accepting compensation, but now they were refusing to do so due to a politically motivated campaign, Brig. Ruwan Wanigasuriya said. Nine persons owned the blocks of land where part of the army camp was located, he said, noting that they were not living in welfare camps contrary to claims more..

July 25 (Reuters) Australia will transfer 157 Tamil asylum seekers it has been holding at sea for nearly a month to a mainland detention center, the immigration minister said on Friday, in an apparent setback for the government's policies. Australia has provided little information about the asylum seekers, detained by customs after setting sail from India. Their case was due to be heard by the High Court next month. more..

July 25 (CT) We wish to bring a notorious torturer to your attention. And, we wish to do so by highlighting two cases, which have incidentally received some public attention, via the media and other sources. The two cases involve acts of torture committed on Mr. Sanjeewa Edirisinghe, resident of No. 164, Heen Agara, Panirendawa, Chilaw, Puttalam District and Mr. Wathuthantreelage Presly Fernando, who is also from Chilaw. Torture committed on Mr. Sanjeewa Edirisinghe by a team led by more..

July 25 (CT) Dharmadeepa has plunged into infamy. If the accusation that an officer of the law had urinated into the mouth of a suspect in police custody, as a method of interrogation, is true, then there is no gainsaying that Sri Lanka's cultural and social degeneration has reached a level beyond resuscitation. Torture in whatever form, whether inflicting physical pain or unmitigated humiliation, as part of routine grilling or as a means to obtain guilty confessions, is illegal under more..

July 25 (LBO) Shares closed 0.03% higher Friday amid net foreign buying, brokers said. All Share Price Index closed 2.24 points higher at 6,783.64, up 0.03%. The S&P SL20 closed 2.30 points lower at 3,764.90, down 0.06%. Turnover was 1.23 billion rupees, up from 950.21 million rupees a day earlier with 92 stocks closed positive against 89 negative. Chevron Lubricants Lanka closed 70 cents higher at 310.00 rupees with two off-market transactions of 93.00 million rupees more..

July 25 (Island) Following a private television channel reporting two police constables performing labourer’s work at the Borella police station, one of the police constable has been interdicted forthwith. Police have questioned the concerned police constable whether he had contacted the media organisation. SSP Ajith Rohana, asked why one of the police constables, had been interdicted when there were two constables telecast sweeping the garden of the said police station whilst more..

July 25 (CI) Flattest track in the world, eh? Ask the South Africa batsmen. They started to bat at the SSC midway through the second session of the second day, and during the 52 overs till stumps the run-rate never crossed two. Sri Lanka's trio of spinners teased and probed, Suranga Lakmal extracted some reverse swing, and the bad balls were virtually non-existent. Rangana Herath needed five balls to get his first wicket. more..

July 25 (DN) The Public Grievance Redress Mechanism introduced by the Public Management Reforms Ministry aiming at resolving the problems faced by citizens in obtaining public services had received over 150 public complaints within the first 24 hours of its introduction, Public Management Reforms Minister Naveen Dissanayake said. Of the complaints, 37 had already been sorted out while 47 were being looked into. he was addressing a media briefing at the ministry premises yesterday. more..

July 25 (GDI) Central Bank of Sri Lanka hosted the 28th SAARC FINANCE Group Meeting and SAARC FINANCE Governors’ Symposium at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on 24 July 2014. The 28th SAARC FINANCE Group Meeting was attended by Governors and Finance Secretaries and other delegates from the Central Banks and Ministries of Finance in the SAARC region. Following the SAARC FINANCE Group Meeting, the SAARC FINANCE Governors’ symposium was held, more..

July 25 (Island) Military Spokesman Brig. Ruwan Wanigasuriya said that 21 houses damaged during the recent violence between two groups at Alutgama had been renovated by the army and handed over to their owners. He said that the Army had begun the restoration of violence damaged houses and shops just after lifting of the curfew in the area on June 18. According to estimates there were 71 houses which could be repaired more..

July 25 (MoD) A new motor racing track built by the Sri Lanka Navy has been introduced to motor sports enthusiasts during a press briefing held on Wednesday. The 'Navy Racing Track- Colombo', built at Navy's sprawling Welisara naval facility is the closest motor racing/riding track in Colombo. With a motorcar track of 1.2 km and a 1.8 km riding track the NRTC has fulfilled a felt need of the Navy which in recent years has made its presence felt in a variety of sporting disciplines. more..

July 25 (Island) The Central Province Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Bandula Yalegama said that human excreta had been mixed with water resources in the area. The health authorities had been informed of the situation and urged to take remedial measures as it could lead to the spread of contagious diseases, Yalegama. Public Health Inspectors have been advised to chlorinate the water. The Minister said that most community water projects had been started in plantation areas more..

July 25 (DM) President Rajapaksa directed the Vice Chancellor of the Rajarata University to pardon the university students and to reopen the university immediately, during the District coordinating Committee Meeting held in Anuradhapura today. The president had inquired the Vice Chancellor Professor Ranjith Wijewardane about the situation of the university. Upon the inquiry Vice Chancellor explained current situation more..

July 25 (GDI) The 9th session of the Sri Lanka Youth second Parliament will be held on 26 and 27 at the Maharagama Sri Lanka youth main hall. It has been jointly organized by the Sri Lanka Youth and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills development. Educational Reforms, un-employments, entrepreneurship development, Disaster Management and relief services, environment protection, Health, Empowering women, Child rights and protection, foreign employment, more..

July 25 (Island) Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne told Parliament that paying pension arrears through the Divisional Secretariats had been stopped after receiving information that a huge fraud amounting to over Rs. 38.2 million had taken place in several Divisional Secretariats. The Minister, responding to several questions raised by JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Wednesday, said that payment of pension arrears through divisional secretariats had been stopped by more..

July 25 (IANS) Navy and Coast Guard ships are deployed continuously in Palk Bay off TN to protect Indian fisherman from attacks on the sea, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said. The vessels also seek to check illegal activities in the sea, the minister told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. Jaitley said the Indian govt had repeatedly told Sri Lanka to ensure that its navy "acts with restraint and our fishermen found in SL waters more..

July 25 (AD) A 46-year old person has self-immolated in Wellawatta a short while ago, over a dispute with her wife, according to the police. The deceased has been identified as a resident of Pintu-Place in Wellawatta. The police Media Unit told Ada Derana that the person has set himself on fire after pouring a bottle of kerosene oil. The remains of the body is currently kept at the Colombo National Hospital for the post-mortem examination.

July 25 (DM) The special commodity levy on imported grains has been reduced from July 26 because of the insufficient supply of local grain to the market, the Finance and Planning Ministry said. It said the prevailing drought was the reason for the low grain supply. A kilo of Mysore dhal has been reduced by Rs.3; cowpea by Rs.30; watana dhal by Rs.7; green gram by Rs.32, chickpeas by Rs.5 and Kurakkan by Rs.30.

July 25 (AD) The JVP today accused that the govt supporting the spread of racism in the country in a bid to uphold the political power. Central Committee Member of the JVP Bimal Ratnayake expressed the observations while commenting to media at an event in Colombo organized to sign a petition to eliminate racism from Sri Lanka. “This state of affairs prior emerged in countries such as Ukraine, Palestine, Iran, and Afghanistan. more..

July 25 (MoD) Secretary Defence and Urban Development Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa attended a traditional 'Ifthar' ceremony at the Hotel Taj Samudra in Colombo this evening (23). The 'Iftar' was hosted by the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development. 'Ifthar' is the breaking of fast of Muslims during the month of Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims around the world undertake a month long fast during this holy month. It is the third of the five obligations of Islam. more..

July 25 (AM) While dismissing an appeal filed by Associated News Papers of Ceylon Ltd (Lake House) against a Colombo District Court judgment, the Court of Appeal yesterday affirmed and upheld the original District Court judgment ordering the Associated News Papers Ceylon Ltd and then Sunday Observer chief editor Ajith Samaranayake to pay a compensation of two million rupees to retired army Brigadier L.D.S. Wijisekara over publishing a defamatory statement on April 3, 1994. more..

July 25 (E24|7) The baby elephant that was kept illegally at Dewram Vehera Pannipitiya in Sri Lanka was taken to the Uda Walawe Transit Home after a Court Order on July 18, 2014. The baby elephant was later released from the temple. According to Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWLC) officers, despite resistance by temple officials the baby elephant was taken and had arrived at the Uda Walawe Transit home. more..

July 25 (Island) A section of lawyers styled as the Forum of Independent Lawyers of Sri Lanka has accused the BASL leadership of misusing funds to gain personal and political mileage at the expense of the interests of the association. The following is the full text of statement issued by Anoma Goonatilleke, President of Forum ILSL and its Secretary, Saman Galappaththi: "As members of the legal profession, proud of its traditions and committed to its wellbeing, we are appalled by the recent activities of more..

July 25 (LT) Rajapaksa administration, targeting the presidential election to be held next year, is making plans to transfer or forcefully retire state officials and senior officers of security services who are not amenable states a very reliable source. The first victim of this plan is to be the IGP N.K. Illangakone reveal these sources. It is reported that the govt is taking steps to get Mr. Illangakone retired. According to sources the reason for pressurizing Mr. Illangakone to retire is the unbiased action more..

July 25 (E24|7) An Afghan woman has been sitting at the security entrance to the front office of the UNHCR for several days asking the UNHCR office to grant refugee status for her Afghan husband. She has been listed as a refugee for the past two years but not her husband; she claims they have been living in SL all of that time. “Our situation has become critical now. Our lives are in danger, we need to be settled somewhere safe," more..

July 25 (AM) Minister Champika Ranawaka has opened a new Facebook account and a fan page after his former account and fan page were deactivated. Minister received a reply to his complaint from the Facebook administration saying that the identification number of his parliamentary ID and his older accounts verification ID number did not match. Minister said that he started a new fan page attached to the new account, but the new page was only able to get around 1500 likes. more..

July 25 (SM) An unidentified group has ordered a ban on a special screening of a film at ‘Raja’ cinema, one of the oldest cinema halls in Jaffna. Directed by Sri Lankan born Tamil S.K. Ramanatas who presently lives in Switzerland, the film ‘Maaru Thadam’ has a cast consisting of youths living in Jaffna. The two-and-a-half-hour film has been approved for screening by the State Film Corporation, and Jaffna Municipal Council permission too, has been obtained. more..

July 25 (DM) The Italian supplier of the ‘Under Buoy Hose’ -- damaged when pumping crude oil from the tanker to the storage terminal -- has refused to replace it despite being covered by the 3-year warranty, Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said. Imported crude and refined oil is discharged from ships to the storage terminals using buoys. Buoy used for discharging crude oil is placed at sea some 9 km from the Colombo Port more..

July 26 (CT) “When Gandhi was studying law at the University College of London, there was a professor, whose last name was Peters, who felt animosity for Gandhi, and because Gandhi never lowered his head towards him, their “arguments” were very common. One day, Mr. Peters was having lunch at the dining room of the University and Gandhi came along with his tray and sat next to the professor. The professor, in his arrogance, said, “Mr. Gandhi: you do not understand… a pig and a bird do more..

July 26 (CT) The local lacoreens or sepoys, as we have every right to call them, are paid to do a job and they are paid handsomely too. Remove the monetary aspect and would these so-called NGO heads deliver the same speeches with the same gusto? To this brigade of paid mouthpieces the Bar Association has plugged itself and the dollar disbursements reveal the source to their sudden anti-Lankan stand as well. Is there any credibility when these civil society leaders are simply more..

July 26 (CT) Kaema Sutra, a collaboration between Dharshan Munidasa and Jacqueline Fernandez at Arcade Independence Square, is a restaurant that features contemporary Sri Lankan food. The concept of serving authentic Sri Lankan cuisine with a contemporary twist in the preparation methods is the highlight of Kaema Sutra. "For many years, no one used the great ingredientsof Sri Lanka to improve Sri Lankan cuisine. more..

July 26 (CT) The UNP is not a political Party of any clan or progeny by inheritance. Though it was founded by D.S. Senanayake and his son Dudley later dominated the scene, even when Dudley was alive, it opened the doors for others like Sir John Kotalawala and Wijayananda Dahanayake to become Prime Ministers of this country at certain intervals. That was how leaders like J.R. Jayewardene, Ranasinghe Premadasa and D.B. Wijetunga were born out of the UNP. more..

July 26 (CT) The vote in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last week to institute an International Commission of Inquiry into Israel’s latest assault on Gaza is instructive for the Sri Lankan public in several senses. It reveals the utter hypocrisy of those who moved a resolution against Sri Lanka and voted for it while voting against the resolution on Gaza or abstaining. At least those who voted against Israel and Sri Lanka show the virtue of consistency if not logic. more..

July 26 (FT) It’s been a long wait for fans of award-winning Sri Lankan writer Afdhel Aziz, who just released his debut novel ‘Strange Fruit,’ out this weekend. Following are excerpts of a wide-ranging interview on the novel, how and why he writes and his interests, to inspirations and future plans. Q: Your debut novel Strange Fruit was just released. What can readers expect? A: Strange Fruit is now out in all bookstores in Sri Lanka. more..

July 26 (FT) When leaders are forced to take decisions related to racial sentiments or sentiments where the nation is divided very sharply, then it is a hard task. Farsighted leaders who lead from the front take strong decisions in such times and take the nation forward during the difficult period. Those who apply the fox theory of Machiavelli and those who have nothing but self-interest act indecisively in such situations. We have ample examples internationally and locally. more..

July 26 (Island) The focus of this article will be on the external dimension of the Sri Lankan Muslim ethnic problem. Way back in the seventeenth century the great English poet John Donne declared in one of his sermons, "No man is an island". It has had much vogue as a quotation over several decades for more than one reason. It figures in the epigraph to Hemingway’s best-selling novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, which was followed by an enduringly popular film starring Gary Cooper more..