July 14 (AFP) Mario Goetze scored a superb extra-time winner as Germany beat Argentina 1-0 to become the first European team to win a World Cup held in South America on Sunday. Bayern Munich star Goetze struck in the 113th minute to finally break Argentina's resistance as Lionel Messi's dream of emulating Diego Maradona ended in defeat. The decisive moment of a World Cup brimming with wonderful goals came with penalties looming in front of 74,738 fans at more..

July 14 (CT) One in four police stations in the country function without an Officer In Charge (OIC) due to the delay in making new appointments, the UNP charged yesterday. There are no OICs of 120 Police stations as of now, the Party alleged. "This is an absurd situation where 120 of the 448 police stations are headless, making one out of every four station headless," UNP MP, Ravi Karunanayake, charged. more..

July 14 (AN) New Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Kingdom Mohamed Hussein Mohamed will arrive here on Tuesday to take up his new assignment at the country’s mission in Riyadh. Hussein Mohamed, former mayor of Colombo, succeeds Vadivel Krishnamoorthy who took over the post of ambassador toLankan mission in Kenya. Hussein is the son of former SL speaker Haniffa Mohamed, a founding member of the Constituent Council of the Muslim World League in Makkah. more..

July 14 (Island) A low sulphur fuel shipment imported last Friday for the use of the Kerawalapitiya combined cycle power plant has been found to be below standard, a top official of the CPC said. He said tests done on samples of the 40,000 MT shipment by two different labs of the CPC at Kolonnawa and Sapugaskanda had determined that the consignment was substandard. The tanker carrying the consignment had dropped anchor at the Colombo outer harbour for unloading through more..

July 14 (CT) SSP Ajith Rohana said several people from the North and the Tamil media have claimed that the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) had been holding inquiries into missing persons at the same time as the Presidential Commission to Investigate Disappearances was sitting in Mullaitivu last week. This was a co-incidence as the TID did not know the Presidential Commission was sitting there at that time, more..

July 14 (Island) The new credit guarantee scheme for pawning advances was introduced by Central Bank on 17 June 2014. Licensed Commercial Banks and Licensed Specialized Banks engaged in pawning activities can now provide enhanced level of credit to their customers by joining this newly introduced credit guarantee scheme. This credit guarantee scheme will support farmers, small business owners and small and medium entrepreneurs who use pawning advances for more..

July 14 (Hindu) After decades of protests, hundreds of Sri Lankan Tamil repatriates, a majority of whom live in colonies in Puttur and Sullia taluks, will be given caste certificates. The order, sent by the Social Welfare Department, was received by the office of the Assistant Commissioner (Puttur) on Saturday and has been sent to the tahsildhars. “As soon as applications come, we can start issuing the certificates. There are a lot of conditions to fulfil and documents to submit, but more..

July 14 (Island) Five oil tankers are stranded in Colombo unable to unload about 400,000 MT of crude and refined oil following the mysterious breaking down of two buoy mounted pipelines at the port and Uswetakeiyawa since May 23. The pipeline from Uswetakeiyawa carries imported refined fuel to the Kerawalapitiya tank farm, while the buoy mounted line from the port carries crude to refinery at Sapugaskanda. more..

July 14 (FT) President Rajapaksa officially opened the new Empire Cineplex at the Arcade Independence Square last evening. The Empire Cineplex, part of the Ceylon Theatres chain of cinemas, opened at the colonial masterpiece that has been restored into a high-end shopping complex. Empire Cineplex is an exclusive 100-seater cinema with state-of-the-art features that are on-par with international standards. Ceylon Theatres has been a pioneer in entertainment industry more..

July 14 (NS) “The police unit established to deal with complaints regarding religious issues will stay,” maintained SSP Ajith Rohana, refuting the comments made by the Ravana Balaya suggesting the possible disbandment of the Police Unit in the near future. The organization led by its General Secretary Ven Ittekande Saddhatissa Thera had also said the unit is now defunct. “The police unit is inactive and is not even receiving any complains,” the Thera said. more..

July 14 (Island) UPFA General Secretary Susil Premjayantha said that the SLFP would meet Socialist Alliance (SA) representatives shortly to discuss latter’s proposal to abolish the executive presidency. The SA included three political parties represented in parliament namely the CP, LSSP and DLF. Asked whether the SLFP was concerned about various constituent members of the ruling UPFA pulling in different directions ahead of Uva more..

July 14 (DM) In the mid 1980s the State Television started featuring a young psychiatrist whose striking presence and intellectual vibrancy saw him carving an iconic niche for himself on screen. In no time this young professor became the most sought after personality for television programmes on medical issues. His forte was elucidating complex theories into simple aphorisms; his cause – making Sri Lanka an alcohol, tobacco and dangerous drug free nation. Impact this young psychiatrist had on more..

July 14 (DM) The govt epidemiology unit reports that the dengue cases have already exceeded the 20,000 mark in the first six months of 2014. If the trend continues in the next few months, it can exceed the 2009 figure of 32, 7000. Nearly 60% of all cases are reported from the western province, while the other high concentrations are in larger urban centres in other parts of the country like Ratnapura, Kurunegala, Kandy, Batticaloa, Jaffna and Galle. The above figures show that more..

July 14 (DM) UNP MP Palitha Thewarapperuma who was an eye witness to the recent riots in Aluthgama and surrounding areas was injured after a mob had attacked his vehicle while transporting victims. He said that his offer to resign was due a cause he believed in and should not be viewed narrow-mindedly in order to portray him in bad light. Q: Your recent offer to resign in the event IGP does not take the blame more..

July 14 (SL) It was an ordeal they would never want to face again. A group of 41 Sri Lankan asylum seekers who were returned by Australia said they were given shabby treatment at sea by the Australians before they were handed over to the navy. The boat had departed to Australia from Batticaloa when it was stopped at sea by the Australian authorities. The asylum seekers were eventually transferred to the Sri Lankan navy more..

July 14 (ST) The Education Ministry has commissioned an inquiry into the incident which resulted in an eight-year-old child being electrocuted within his school premises. The ministry has commissioned the Additional Secretary in-charge of National Schools, to conduct an inquiry into the incident to determine whether the cause of the accident was negligence, Education Ministry Secretary Anura Dissanayake said. more..

July 14 (LBO) Sri Lanka's exports rose 11.1% to US$ 882.1 million in May 2014 from a year earlier led by apparel exports that rose 14.5% to US$ 365.1 million, official data showed. Agriculture exports rose 21.1% to US$ 239.9 million with tea up 9.7% to US$ 140.6 million. Imports fell 17.6% to US$ 1,275.5 with investment goods down 25.2% to US$ 279.9 million and fuel imports down 35.4% to US$ 208.4 million. more..

July 14 (DM) Leonard Fonseka, a UNP supporter who operated a broadcasting centre in Kuliyapitiya. had lodged a complaint with the North Western Province DIG on July 11 alleging that supporters of North Western Chief Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera had tried to kidnap him. He had complained to the Kuliyapitiya Police and North Western DIG Jagath Abeysiri Gunawardana about the attempt. more..

July 14 (Island) The five-party TNA has thrown its weight behind efforts by the Opposition to abolish or at least dilute powers of the executive presidency. TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran, said that his grouping would fully support the ongoing campaing for the abolition of the executive presidency. When pointed out the TNA had not given any indication recently as regards its position on the executive presidency, he said that more..

July 14 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's central bank on Monday kept policy rates steady at multi-year lows for a sixth straight month, as expected, and said it anticipates that previous cuts will bring lower lending rates to more sectors of the economy. Between December 2012 and January 2014, the central bank cut the repurchase rate by 125 basis points (and the reverse repurchase rate by 175 bps to stimulate growth. more..

July 14 (Island) General Secretary of All Ceylon Govt Medical Officers’ Association (ACGMOA) affiliated to the JVP, Dr. Jayantha Bandara stressed that his outfit had submitted five proposals to the govt for implementation. Dr. Bandara said the proposals were that 5% of the GDP be allocated to the health sector, politicians abstain from interfering with doctors’ affairs, the formulation of a reasonable salary structure and the provision of a more..

July 14 (DM) Against the backdrop of some organisations defying the regulations governing NGO activities, the govt has decided to enact a law, before the end of this year, making it mandatory for all of them to register with the National Secretariat on NGOs. NGO activities are currently governed by the provisions of the Voluntary Social Service Organizations [Registration and Supervision] Act Number 31 of 1980 and more..

July 14 (CI) Mahela Jayawardene will retire from Test cricket at the conclusion of the series against Pakistan in August, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced. He will continue to be available for ODI cricket only, having also retired from T20 internationals in April this year. Jayawardene, 37, has been a cornerstone of the Sri Lanka batting order since his debut against India in 1997, and has amassed 11493 Test runs in his career, more..

July 14 (CT) While the Sinhala Zionist Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), gangsters were killing Muslims, looting and burning Muslim owned properties in Aluthgama, Dharga Town, Beruwala and the surrounding areas on June 15 and 16, 2014 in Colombo an all out effort was made to cover up this carnage with a media blackout. This was a disaster for the local mainstream media which, by and large, had become tool in the hands of the govt and Sinhala racist elements. more..

July 14 (Island) A lorry illegally transporting cattle was stopped following a chase and exchange of fire in the early hours of yesterday by the Kosgoda police. Two suspects were arrested, one with a bullet wound in a leg. The driver and another suspect fled. Around 3.00 am a Kosgoda a group of policemen on a night patrol on the Gonagala-Miriswatte road spotted a lorry parked at the Yalegama Junction. The vehicle pulled off as the police approached it defying orders to stop. more..

July 14 (LBO) Sri Lanka's stocks closed 0.56% higher on Monday extending the gains of food, beverages and tobacco sector amid low foreign participation. All Share Price Index closed 37.63 points higher at 6,699.03, up 0.56%. The S&P SL20 closed 13.07 points higher at 3,721.23, up 0.35%. Turnover was 597.19 million rupees, down from 1.67 billion rupees last Friday with 114 stocks closed positive against 68 negative. DIMO closed 29.90 rupees higher at 564.10 rupees more..

July 14 (CT) According to Central Bank statistics, unemployment in Sri Lanka stands at 4%, which when compared with the figures for the region gives the people enough reason to be happy that the policies and development activities initiated by the govt have had an impact on society, and that the people are gainfully employed and contented. But this figure though low and presents a rosy picture of the scenario does not, in itself, throw any light on the more important youth unemployment more..

July 14 (ABC) On June 20, the Federal Govt announced the "continued success" of its border protection operations, evidenced by six months without a "successful people smuggling venture". However, in the days following, reports emerged in Australian media of at least two boats of Sri Lankan asylum seekers purportedly on the way to Australia. The Govt has since confirmed the existence of two boats. more..

July 14 (Reuters) The Sri Lankan rupee traded steady at its highest in more than a year on Monday as importer dollar demand outpaced inflows from remittances and exporter dollar sales, while state banks' dollar buying curbed any sharp appreciation in the local currency. The rupee traded flat at 130.20/22 per dollar at 0525 GMT, its highest close since June 26, 2013. "There is import (dollar) demand but it is trading flat with inflows and the state banks buying at 130.20," more..

July 14 (eTN) SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka wants to monitor their market share in their key markets across the globe. The airline will use eSmash across Europe, Middle East, Far East and Indian sub-continent, among others to do this job. SriLankan Airlines have doubled its passenger volume in last 4-years and have aggressive plans to grow their passenger count. With eSmash, SriLankan Airlines will be able to monitor their regional as well as global market share more..

July 14 (CG) Govt claims the US and British Govts are influenced by the votes they receive from LTTE supporters in their respective countries. Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, speaking at an event today, claimed that US President Barack Obama and British PM David Cameron had secured votes from LTTE supporters to come to power. She claimed that now Obama and Cameron are working according to the agenda of LTTE supporters more..

July 14 (CG) Minister Wimal Weerawansa says some political parties are using extremism to win votes at an election. He accused Muslim and Tamil politicians of spreading extremist ideologies among their communities to secure votes. “We must stop the system where religion and communalism is used to win votes at an election,” he said. Weerawansa said that some Muslim politicians are attempting to draw Muslims towards extremism so they can secure votes even without contesting. more..

July 14 (DM) North Western Province Chief Minister Dayasiri Jaysekera tendered an apology to the people of the country and to those of the province he represents for the unfortunate incident that took place at a recent talk show on TV -- where he got into a brawl with the UNP MP Harin Fernando. “I, as a ruling party politician who is responsible to the people and recognises the sovereignty of the people, tender my sincere apologies to the people of the country as a whole more..

July 14 (AD) The day to hold the Presidential election is not decided by the Elections Secretariat or the Election laws but by the President himself, UNP MP Eran Wickramaratne said. He added that the public reserved the right to know when voters will be registered and elections held. However the govt is hiding it from the public, he alleged. I have no confidence in the Elections Commissioner or the Secretariat, he said. more..

July 14 (Island) The Flying Squad of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) yesterday seized, in a raid on a warehouse at Elakanda, Warttala, over 15,600 bottles of chilli sauce unfit for human consumption imported from Dubai. The expiry date mentioned in the labels of the stock was October 2014, but there was a fungal growth inside the bottles, CAA sources said. The bottles of chili sauce had been estimated by the importers at Rs 4.5 million. Legal action would be instituted against the owner more..

July 14 (GDI) The Monetary Board, with the concurrence of the President and Minister of Finance, has appointed P Samarasiri as a Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, with effect from 1st June, 2014. P Samarasiri has functioned as an Assistant Governor in the Central Bank over the previous six and half years, and while holding such post, he has also functioned as the Secretary to the Monetary Board of the Central Bank for the past four and half years. more..

July 14 (Island) The Wildlife Conservation Department has given priority to North-western, Southern and Eastern regions, in tackling the human-elephant conflict. Wildlife Director General, H.D. Ratnayake said that the latest study had been conducted by Assistant Director Lakshman Peiris. The department had requested Rs. 3,000 million for setting up electric fences, constructing waterholes and introducing grasslands in key locations. more..

July 14 (CI) For more than a decade the first thing that emerged from South Africa's dressing room was a square jaw and broad shoulders. They belonged to Graeme Smith. Their appearance would signal the start of a Test match. South Africans have had three months to get used to the idea that those landmarks have been replaced by something different but equally distinctive: a beard. It belongs to Hashim Amla. But that unmissable mane will not always mean a match is about to get underway. more..

July 14 (CT) FUTA warned strikes and resignations from key posts in the academia would be imminent if the govt does not meet their six primary demands within the next three months. Vice-President of FUTA, Ven. Dambara Amila Thera said while the meeting of certain demands required only two weeks, govt had requested more time to appointment a Special Presidential Commission to monitor higher education reforms, to assure the independence of the universities and also more..