Ceylon Petroleum Corp, the Sri Lankan state-owned oil company, failed in its appeal to have a London court ruling over turned.

The ruling last year ordered the company to pay $162 million plus interest for non-payment of dues to Standard Chartered Bank.

The company appealed against the ruling; however government officials announced on Friday that this had failed.

The ever-growing Sri Lankan Defence Ministry may now also be taking over the Prisons Department, annulling the already existing Ministry according to reports.

According to ColomboPage, sources stated that the move is being considered “due to the deterioration of discipline in prisons”.

Investigations into the Sri Lankan Army’s killing of Tamil civilians in the run up to and during May 2009 could take up to 5 years according to Sri Lanka.

The Jaffna University Academics (JUA) said at a press conference about their industrial action,

A failed Tamil asylum seeker, known as Mr X for safety reasons has been reported missing since he was deported from Australia.

Spokeswoman for Refugee Action Collective, Sue Bolton, said that Mr X’s family had waited outside the airport for more than 14 hours but received no news about his whereabouts.

 The leading Tamil political party has called for international monitors to be deployed to monitor polls during the Eastern Provincial Council elections, after threats of violence and concerns over electoral fraud.

Australian officials have deported a Tamil refugee, suffering from mental illness.

Sri Lankan Army officers from the operational camp of the occupying military in Vanni, have been enforcing the acceptance of death certificates on to families of missing persons in the Mullaitheevu district.

The Sri Lankan electricity board has announced it will cut the electricity supply across the country for three hours a day, after the Chinese-built Norocholai coal power plant failed for the 5th time in 16 months.

"We are facing difficulties in balancing the supply and demand," the ministry said in a statement. "The only alternative is to carry out power cuts across the country until further notice."

Last week was the gorvernment's much hyped about Social Integration Week. True to form, the event kicked off with an example of what integration is in Sri Lanka - the national anthem sung in Sinhala only.

Australia's handling of Tamil asylum seekers arriving boat, has been criticised by human rights organisations base in the country, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

The Tamil Nadu fishermen, arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on Saturday night, will be remanded in custody until August 6th. The twenty-three men were presented to a court in Mannar today and said to be detained at Anuradhapura prison.

Local fishermen groups in Rameswaran have urged an indefinite strike till all the fishermen are released.

Photographs Tamilwin

Sri Lankan military, intelligence and police officers descended upon the funeral proceedings of Nimalaroopan - the Tamil political prisoner who was murdered whilst in custody - on Tuesday, reports Tamilwin.

Mourners were unable to pay their respects freely as security personnel surrounded the event.

The Sri Lankan government has ordered 14 more Mi-171 helicopters, according to Russian company Rosoboronexport.

The purchase is part of a $300million loan 10 year loan signed with Russia to buy equipment for the Sri Lankan armed forces.