News
Home » NewsCID collects evidence from phone calls to judge
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has begun collecting ‘scientific and technical’ evidence from phone calls which Minister Rishad Bathiudeen is alleged to have made to Mannar Magistrate and Additional District Judge Anthonipillai Judeson, threatening him to change a court order. The Sunday Times learns that minister had called the judge’s mobile phone from his official [...]
Hyatt land sold for a song
Construction on the Government-backed Hyatt Regency Hotel project was officially launched on Thursday with much fanfare, amidst allegations that the former Ceylinco property had been sold for a song – Rs 4.2 billion against an official valuation of Rs 9.2 billion and a pending offer of Rs 7.8 billion! In the Supreme Court on the [...]
FUTA – Mervyn meeting to break deadlock
The Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA), disappointed over the outcome of the negotiations with a committee headed by President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, has agreed to a meeting with Public Relations Minister Mervyn Silva to find a solution. This was after the minister has sought an appointment with the members of the FUTA to discuss [...]
IMF gives final tranche but Govt. wants $500 m. more
Negotiations for a fresh $500 million (Rs. 65.8 b) loan under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is likely to begin in September when a Fund mission would do an annual review of the Sri Lanka’s economy, Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said yesterday. “No dates have been set [...]
Calls mount to investigate secret Swiss accounts
Opposition politicians and civil society activists are calling for a full investigation into secretive Swiss bank accounts worth more than US$ 85 million (Rs. 11.2 b) held by wealthy Sri Lankans and institutions. This follows the Sunday Times’ July 1 exclusive exposure of this issue. UNP Parliamentarian Lakshman Kiriella, who revealed in Parliament on Tuesday [...]
Overpriced oil cargoes: Fujairah takes CPC to court, here and abroad
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is once again being sued internationally, after the much tainted hedging cases, following its failure to settle a pricing dispute with Fujairah Petroleum Co. Manisha Heerasing, head of a two-member negotiating team from MOCOH, an oil distribution, logistics and trading company based in Switzerland, which represented Fujairah during talks with [...]
Kandy Perahera starts tomorrow
The annual pageant in Kandy will parade the streets starting tomorrow with the Kumbal Perahera. Today will be the last day when the rites would be held within the Devale premises to seek the blessing of the Gods of Kataragama, Maha Vishnu and Natha and Goddess Pattini. The Randoli Perahera would begin on July 28 [...]
Polls Chief sends top team to probe presence of armed gangs in East
Senior Elections Department officials are to be dispatched to the Eastern Province to probe allegations about the operation of armed groups and cases of intimidation to candidates ahead of the provincial elections on September 8. Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya told the Sunday Times three deputy commissioners and several assistant commissioners would be sent from Colombo [...]
Beware! The dentist behind the mask could be a quack
Visiting a dentist to fill or extract a tooth, or for a cleanup is a frightening experience for many, especially the surgical chair, staring into the glare of a bright beam of light, the surgical equipment and of course the masked man/woman. Pix by Susantha Liyanawatte But, a mushrooming number of dental quacks is sure [...]
UGC C hairman hauled up for Contempt of Court
The Supreme Court Bench comprising Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and Justices Gamini Amaratunga and K. Sri Pavan, directed University Grants Commision (UGC) Chairman Gamini Samaranayake to be present in Court on July 23, to explain why Contempt of Court proceedings should not be initiated against him, for not complying with the directive issued by the [...]
Dengue related litigations decline
The number of cases of filed against mosquito breeders has declined in the first six months of this year against the corresponding period last year. Public Health Inspectors’ (PHI) Association Secretary Senarath Bandara told the Sunday Times that a total of 4,456 cases were filed against persons who had mosquito larva in their household compounds, [...]
Raid on website, arrest of employees sans legal basis: Mangala
Although the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the employees of the Lankaxnews news website claiming that they had published articles defaming the President no such article had been submitted to the Magistrate to prove their claims, stated UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera in his rights plea to the Supreme Court. Mr. Samaraweera filed the rights application [...]
Litigants turned away as lawyers absent themselves in protest
Thousands of litigants island-wide had been turned away from courts as the lawyers refrained from appearing for cases in protest over the attack on the Mannar Magistrate’s Court by a group of fisher folk last Wednesday.Many litigants were seen leaving the Supreme Court complex in Hulftsdorp, Colombo 13 on Friday morning as the cases were [...]
Uncle – nephew duo running Public Trustee’s Dept.
The legality of some of the documents signed by the Public Trustee’s Department has come up for question in recent months, as an unauthorised nephew of the Public Trustee is reported to be signing papers on behalf of the Department. The Department is currently embroiled in a major controversy, with the incumbent having appointed his [...]
House to debate timber transport sans permits
Parliament will this week debate new regulations made under the Forest Conservation Ordinance for the transportation of several types of timber and sawn timber sans permits. However, the prohibition on the transportation of timber such as ebony, calamander, nadun wood, sandalwood and satinwood will remain in place, despite the easing of restrictions on several other [...]
Work towards a future of a just, and humane society: Dr. Rohan Perera
Former Foreign Ministry Legal Advisor Dr. Rohan Perera said that, Sri Lanka stands today, at a crucial stage in its history, at the end of a near three decades of brutal conflict, which has taken a heavy toll of human life, leaving deep scars in the social fabric of the nation. He was addressing the [...]
Vavuniya prison riot victim’s body to be released to parents
The Attorney General (AG) has agreed to release the body of Ganeshan Nimalaruban on July 23 to his parents, subject to certain conditions. This was agreed upon by a joint motion signed between the petitioner’s Counsel Saliya Pieris and Deputy Solicitor General Shavindra Fernando and supported in the chambers. Ganeshan was arrested and remanded as [...]
Warning:Temporarily registered foreign medical ‘specialists,’ consultants’
The order by a top health official in early July to the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) to grant temporary registration to a so-called foreign medical specialist of a private hospital against the specific recommendation by an evaluation committee has opened a can of worms. The order by former Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Ravindra Ruberu [...]
Ambassador to Turkey says GL did not interrupt her
Bharathi Wijeratne, Sri Lanka’s newly appointed ambassador to Turkey, has responded to references made to her in last week’s political commentary in the Sunday Times. She writes: “This is with reference to the article reported by your political editor in the opinion column, with regard to the ‘Sri Lankan Ambassadors study tour’ which refers to [...]
Risking blue waters for greener pastures
All of them had different reasons, but their goal and destination were the same – to lead a comfortable life in Australia. Rajendra Thayabaran, 45 from the Andimuni village in Udappuwa was finding it difficult to make ends meet.“My brother-in-law had earlier worked in Dubai and after his return was involved in fishing. It was [...]
Cautious welcome for noose by rights groups; want immediate action against offenders
A proposal to impose the death penalty for rape has been welcomed by rights group, but they are calling the government to make use of the existing laws to initiate action against the offenders, as instances of rape of children and women exceeded 1,000 for this year. The move came as a concept paper to [...]
Vagaries in weather cause near havoc as gales follow drought
Weather swings in Sri Lanka have caused near havoc mainly in the Northern and North Central provinces. These two provinces which were affected by the drastic drought last month are now experiencing high winds this month. The rainfall in these two provinces in July so far remains low when compared with the figures of past [...]
Salmonella in meat served at wedding
Jayarani K, one of the victims of a severe food poisoning incident in Vavunativu, Batticaloa regrets attending the wedding reception that made her whole family sick after consuming the meat served at the joyous gathering. Over 400 guests who attended the wedding lunch on Sunday July 15, were rushed to the Vavunativu Hospital. Some of [...]
Blood is thicker in politics: UPFA nominations a family affair
Despite the governments’ assurance that no relatives of politicians would be allowed to contest the upcoming provincial elections, several of them have received the ruling party nominations. Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva had earlier said the decision to keep relatives out of the provincial elections was aimed at encouraging young politicians to enter active politics. [...]
A disaster waiting to happen
The pedestrian bridge alongside the Moratuwa, Modara Railway Bridge is death trap. It is in a very bad state of disrepair. President of the Association of Disaster Management of Modara, I. V. Jayarathne said many of the sleepers were either broken or worn out. He added the route was used by pregnant mothers to reach [...]
Sri Lanka’s endemic fish peddled around the world with little monitoring
Freshwater fish, some that have been named only in the recent past are under threat due to over fishing for export, an official warned. Among these fish the stone sucker is the most threatened. While beautiful fish such as bulath hapaya, le tittaya are in high demand in the aquarium trade, the Stone Suckers have [...]
