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Home » NewsNuclear threat: India turns down Lanka’s request
India has refused to accept a year-long request to have Sri Lankans to be part of safety committees in the event of a nuclear fallout at the Kudankulam Nuclear Plant in Tamil Nadu to be commissioned shortly, Atomic Energy Authority (AEA) Chairman Dr. Ranjith Wijayawardana said yesterday. The matter was taken up by Sri Lanka [...]
China tells TNA it won’t interfere in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs
A request by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to the Chinese government to use its good offices to convince the Sri Lankan government to find an early political settlement to the ethnic issue has been turned down by Beijing’s representative in Colombo. A five-member TNA delegation led by its Parliamentary Group Leader R. Sampanthan made [...]
Seabed change sends thousands of fish ashore
Shoals of fish, some alive and others dead, have begun to flood coastal areas in what experts described yesterday as an impact of the inter-monsoonal weather changes. Thousands of fish were being collected by residents and fishermen in the eastern, southern western, north-western and northern coastal areas and were either being sold or used for [...]
No jail, but rehabilitation for drug addicts
People found guilty of violating some narcotics or excise laws will not be sent to jail, but to community-based correction centres for rehabilitation from next year, Prisons Reforms Minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera said. He said the main objective was to reduce overcrowding of prisons where nearly 60 per cent of inmates were held in connection with [...]
Two elevated highways over Colombo to ease traffic congestion within
Colombo city and its suburbs are to have two elevated highways to ease traffic congestion, the Government has decided. Road Development Authority (RDA) Chairman R.W.R. Premasiri told the Sunday Times, one of the projects would be from Kottawa to Fort, as an extension of the Southern Expressway, while a second elevated highway will be from [...]
President orders removal of campsites in parks
Private campsites at national parks are to be dismantled and removed, on an order from President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The order came at a special Hambanthota District Development Committee meeting held last week, at which a report was tabled that claimed these campsites had become permanent and were polluting the environment. Environment lawyer Jagath Gunasekara said [...]
Ranil calls for discipline within UNP ranks
Discipline was required when fighting dictatorial rule, UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday at a meeting in Kandy. “We have to build ourselves up like an army to fight such rule,” he told Kandy district UNP organisers and Provincial Council members. The Opposition leader said the party’s Working Committee resembled an Army headquarters. He said [...]
FUTA says will look into Govt’s implementation of its demands
The Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA) will hold an Executive Committee meeting on Thursday to review the process of implementation of its demands which were agreed upon by the Government, said FUTA president Dr. Nirmal Dewasiri. He said that, although it was agreed to immediately withdraw circulars that disrupt the autonomy of the university, [...]
Re-export of imported low quality spices as SL products frowned upon
Observers claim that a new Cabinet proposal to import, repack and export foreign spices as Sri Lankan products will have serious consequences The Cabinet recently granted approval for a new Temporary Import for Export Purpose (TIEP) scheme for arecanuts (puwak) and karunka for value-added exportation. The TIEP scheme, signed by Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, [...]
Whale-watching guidelines
Parliament will on Tuesday debate regulations promulgated under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance that will impose strict guidelines for those engaged in operating whale and dolphin watching expeditions. The regulations cited as Sea Mammals (Observation, Regulation and Control) Regulations have been made by the Minister of Agrarian Services and Wildlife and will apply to [...]
Mullaitivu GA protests after relocated elephants run amok
Elephants have damaged houses, property and crops after being relocated from other districts to Mullaitivu District by the Wildlife Department, drawning a strong reaction from Government Agent (GA) N. Vedanayagan who has lodged a protest. The protest was lodged on Friday after villagers surrounded the GA’s office and complained about the recent elephant attacks. The [...]
Only 10 incubators at Kandy Hospital
The Kandy Hospital Complex, the country’s second biggest General and Teaching Hospital in Sri Lanka, is equipped with only 10 incubators for premature babies. Daily, underweight babies are transferred from peripheral hospitals to the Kandy General Hospital. Medical professionals and nurses have a hard time deciding how to allocate the limited number of incubators. The [...]
Landslide alert in Kandy district
A warning on landslides and the possibility of falling rocks has been issued in several places within the Kandy district, following torrential rains over the past few days, a senior official of the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said yesterday. DMC Additional Director Pradeep Kodippilli told the Sunday Times that landslide-vulnerable locations were in Uda Nuwara, [...]
Big money behind T-20 cheerleader fiasco
Here is why local girls who performed during the ICC T-20 championship in Sri Lanka were dubbed by several foreign media as eyesores — they were hired for a lesser fee though the sponsors had paid large amounts. The Sunday Times learns that Sudev Abeysekara, the man behind the exercise that won much bad publicity [...]
Grand opening for race course mini pavilion
The Colombo Race Course Mini Pavilion, refurbished at a cost of Rs.125 million, was declared opened to the public yesterday by the Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa, the Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and the Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council, M. J. M. Muzammil. Special guests included politicians, members of [...]
Gota promises clean, green city
The Government wants to make Colombo a cleaner, greener city, Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in his address to the annual sessions of environmental professionals. “We need to develop clean, green, people-friendly cities. The environment needs to be preserved so that people can enjoy the beauty of this country’s natural greenery [...]
Construction industry hits a brick wall
Construction industry representatives say that the recent cement price increase would have a devastating effect on their projects. “The current situation is a blow to the entire construction industry, as the recent price increase is the second for this year”, Sri Lanka institute of Architects Registration Board Chairman Architect Jayantha Perera told the Sunday Times. He [...]
Garbage strikes back: Disposes people of their homes
The controversy over the Kolonnawa garbage dump which has collapsed on houses and the offer of rent for residents who have lost their houses, will be taken up for discussion with Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Urban Development Authority (UDA) on Monday, Colombo Mayor A.J.M. Muzammil told the Sunday Times yesterday. “There are residents [...]
High chicken prices force consumers to depend more on eggs and fish
The recent hike by Rs.30 of a kilo of chicken has ruffled quite a few feathers particularly of housewives and these engaged in the food business. According to the data from the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) the consumption of meat among the people in the country is 11,000 metric tons per month and the demand [...]
45 break-ins a day: Burglaries and robberies on the rise
A 23-year-old burglar scaled water and drainage pipes of apartment complexes in Wellawatte to gain entry into flats from their rear doors or windows and got away with money and jewellery. This veritable Spiderman, who had robbed 14 apartments in this manner, shattered the belief of apartment dwellers that they were safe from break-ins as they [...]
5 Lankans of 16-member crew bobbing in outer harbour sans F and B and fuel
A 16-member crew including five Sri Lankans aboard a Malaysian-flagged oil tanker, was yesterday fearing the worst, after the local handler discontinued supplies to the vessel, following a payment dispute with the ship’s owner, maritime and trade unionist officials said. Ranjan Perera of the International Transport workers Federation (ITF) said that the local handler-Mackinnon Mackenzie [...]
FAO blamed for spread of chronic kidney disease
Farmers from the North Central Province staged a protest in front of the Food and Agriculture Organisation office (FAO) in Bauddhaloka Mawatha, claiming the FAO was encouraging the promotion of chemical fertiliser. The protest coincided with World Food Day, which fell on Tuesday, October 16. The Swarna Hansa Foundation, which organised the protest, accuses the [...]
Universities in race to catch up with missed lectures
Extra classes and semester extensions are among the measures university authorities are adopting to overcome the backlog of academic activities – a result of the three-month-long academics’ strike which ended last week. But, students said these moves had put them under pressure for no fault of theirs. “Three months were an utter waste. We couldn’t join [...]
All PCs should have been consulted before Bill came to House: Counsel for petitioner MP
When the Divineguma Bill was taken up by the Supreme Court on Thursday to determine its constitutionality, counsel for a petitioner said that for the very reason the Supreme Court had decided that the Divineguma Bill should not have been placed on the Order Paper of Parliament on August 10, it should not have been [...]
Lanka scores low marks for technical knowledge in UN report
Sri Lanka is falling behind in terms of the technical knowledge necessary to compete successfully in the global economy, a UN report has revealed. Focusing on bridging regional disparities for human development, the Sri Lanka Human Development Report released by the United Nations Development Programme paints a bleak picture of the country. According to the [...]
Fishermen in a mess
The fishing season is on, but despite the delight at the size of their catch, fishermen are today lamenting their inability to sell the fish harvested. The Chilaw fish market is presently flooded with fresh fish and fishmongers desperately trying to sell their ware at rock bottom prices. A kilo of small fish like ribbon fish [...]
Hiccups in UNP as members defy Party orders and attend rally
Another crisis is looming within the United National Party (UNP) following the decision taken to suspend 15 members who attended the Common Opposition Alliance rally in Colombo last Thursday. Puttalam District MP Palitha Range Bandara who was among those who attended the rally said he has not been officially asked for an explanation nor summoned [...]
Minister’s brother, accomplice in remand for their wild ways
The arrest last week of Priyantha Sirisena, brother of Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena, and another person, and their subsequent remand till October 30, by the Polonnaruwa Magistrate, on Tuesday (16), follows complaints by Wildlife Officers regarding an alleged assault on them, as well as damage done to the office’s property in Manampitiya. The alleged assault [...]
Childless couple’s drought ends with quintuplets
The four-year childless drought of Dilini Rasangika (29) and her husband Sheelantha Wijepala (34) ended last week (October 14) when Dilini gave birth not to a single child but five little ones – three boys and two girls – who were delivered at the Kandy Teaching Hospital. Unfortunately despite the best efforts of the doctors, [...]
Antibiotic under microscope after young flu victim dies
The Health Ministry has instructed Provincial Health Directors, Medical Officers of Health and Food and Drug Inspectors to launch inspections and take action against those who are still selling or using a withheld drug usually given for bacterial infections. Cosmetic Devices and Drug Regulatory Authority Director Dr. Hemantha Beneragama told the Sunday Times the Health [...]
EPC administration: A setback for ethnic reconciliation
The national discourse on ethnic relation in Sri Lanka shifted to reconciliation from conflict resolution with the crushing of the LTTE as a military force by the Sri Lankan armed forces in May 2009. More than three years after the end of the armed conflict, ethnic reconciliation still remains a distant dream. The primary reason [...]
Ban export of Lanka’s wildlife, say animal rights groups
Local animal rights activists are calling for a ban on giving elephants as gifts to foreign countries and overseas-based beneficiaries. This request follows on a petition for the release of “Mali”, a Sri Lankan elephant that was given to the Manila Zoo more than 30 years ago. The animal was four years old at the [...]