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Struggle to avert a fuel shortage
Hurt by a refinery closure and US sanctions on Iran, Sri Lanka is to make a desperate appeal to Washington for concessions to avoid a fuel shortage, Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premajayantha said yesterday. “We want to discuss with US authorities ways of clearing the obstacles for opening Letters of Credit through banks to import [...]
CPC to CEB: Pay up or face cut in fuel supplies
The cash-strapped Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has asked the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to pay up more than Rs. 50 billion in arrears or face reduction in fuel supplies for power generation. The CPC has conveyed to the CEB that it has run into problems in opening Letters of Credit (LCs) for the purchase of [...]
TNA splits 4-1 on registration
Four constituent parties of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) are in favour of registering their alliance as a political party, but a fifth is not in favour. Those in favour are the TELO, the PLOTE, the TULF and the EPRLF. However the ITAK (Federal Party) is opposed to the move. TNA parliamentary group leader R. Sampanthan, [...]
Kudankulam: Govt. steps up dpl efforts
The Government is to step up its diplomatic efforts aimed at getting closer to the monitoring mechanism of the controversial nuclear plant in Kudankulam, South India even as the highest court in that country expressed serious concern on the disposal of the atomic waste from the complex. “More diplomatic efforts will be made soon to [...]
Lanka set to face HR salvos in Geneva
A high-level Sri Lanka delegation is set to face questions from several countries when the UN Human Rights Council reviews Sri Lanka’s human rights record in Geneva on Thursday. This is under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a mechanism where all 193 member countries of the UN are scrutinised by Working Groups every four or five [...]
Another large-scale VAT fraud uncovered
Another large-scale Value Added Tax (VAT) fraud, amounting to Rs. 180 million, has come to light after a senior Inland Revenue Department officer detected tampering of VAT data in the department’s computer system. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has taken over the case, following a complaint lodged by Inland Revenue Department Commissioner General Mallika Samarasekera. [...]
Idle mobile phone numbers sold to new applicants
Millions of mobile SIM numbers have been re-issued to new customers without the knowledge of the original users, the Telecom Regulatory Commission (TRC) Director General Anusha Palpita said. He conceded that anything between five to ten million old numbers may have be re-issued by private phone companies during the past several years. “These numbers may [...]
Lustful cops seek sex as bribe
The Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption has been forced to cope with a new vice in the Police – officers and men seeking sexual favours instead of simply demanding bribes alone. One of the latest detections comes from Pulasthigama in the Polonnaruwa District. When a 23-year-old woman was assaulted by her husband, she thought [...]
Curious case of a dead ringer and a dead man walking
He was an alcoholic who was drummed out of his home by his wife and eight children. The family lived in the village of Kithulhawa Minneriyathenne Biharimullah, in the district of Kalutara, on the southwest coast. The 74-year-old Hewasuriyage Dharmasiri, alias Dharma Baasunne, then left the village and headed for an unknown destination. Two days [...]
Teacher unions give Govt. two weeks to act or face boycott
Teacher trade unions have given the Government a two-week ultimatum to settle six of their demands, including the salary issue. If the Government failed to resolve matters, the unions say they will instruct teacher members to boycott classes. The unions’ main demands are an interim salary increment; payment of salary arrears; a fair system for [...]
Two UNP MPs say ready to face party inquiry
Two UNP members who were accused of violating party directives by attending a rally organised by the Eksath Bhikku Peramuna said yesterday they would appear before the Working Committee on Tuesday. “I am a free citizen of this country and have been elected by the people to serve the people. This rally was held to [...]
Colombo blooms, but for some it’s only doom
New pavements, new roundabouts, restoration of old buildings; Colombo city is undergoing a metamorphosis and is the centre of a beautification programme. But look to the north of the city, it’s starved of development. Although the north of the country was liberated after a three decade-long conflict, certain areas of Colombo north are still in [...]
7 accused in Kandy acid-throwing case get prison sentences of up to 70 years
Seven persons found guilty in the Kandy District Lalith Ambanwala acid attack case have been given prison terms ranging from 10 to 70 years. The seven are former Education Deputy Director Don Ananda Munasinghe; accountant Ananda Weerasinghe; M. Razik Mohamed Rihan; H. S. Mohamed Shafi; H. G. O. L. M. Mohamed Nilfer; M. J. M. [...]
Divineguma Bill: Counsel stress supremacy of parliament; petitioners query clarity
The Supreme Court, last week, concluded hearings into the petitions filed challenging the constitutionality of the Divineguma Bill. The Bench comprising Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake and Justice Nimal Gamini Amaratunga and Justice K. Sripavan said the court determination would be sent to the President and the Speaker. Counsel for several intervenient petitioners, both supporting and [...]
Endemic Catch-22 within local health sector
While the private health sector is battling for foreign consultants, the State health sector is faced with a serious dearth of specialists The contentious battle between the private medical sector and the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) over temporary registration of foreign medical consultants, recently reached the Supreme Court. Foreign doctors who come to Sri [...]
Wild life authorities’ lethargy takes its toll
Gross indifference of wild life officials to complaints of villagers requesting protection from wild elephants is leading to deaths of elephants in different parts of the country. Recently at Neelabemma Govijana Pola in the Karuwalagaswewa area in the Puttalam district tragedy struck when a farmer attempted to protect his crops from marauding elephants by erecting [...]
Rain fills reservoirs but problems persist in NCP
The inter monsoon rains that started a week ago have spread island wide bringing to an end the dry spell, with many parts of the country experiencing thunder showers during the latter part of the day. The Anuradhapura districts, one of the worst drought-hit areas in the North Central Province has been receiving above average [...]
East coast alive with dead fish
Hordes of fish being swept onto the eastern shores will be a daily sight for the next two to three weeks, till the inter-monsoonal period ends, according to oceanographers. Last week, shoals of fish were found some dead, some alive, along the east coast, from Samanthurai to Lanka Patuna. They were predominantly sardines and skip [...]
Seafarers union charges authorities ignoring plight of crew in detained ship
A maritime trade union yesterday charged that the relevant authorities and other stake holders in the shipping industry had opted to ignore the desperate plight of 16 seafarers including five Sri Lankans who are currently on board a Malaysian-flagged vessel located in anchorage some 10 nautical miles off the Colombo Port. Palitha Athukorale, President of [...]
Three endangered animals are the zoo’s latest additions
The Prague Zoo, in the Czech Republic, has sent Sri Lanka six animals – a pair of Przewalski horses, a pair of river hippopotamuses, and a pair of Komodo dragons. They come in exchange for a pair of elephants from the Pinnawala animal orphanage. The two elephants – Janitha, eight years, and Amara, seven – [...]
Three birds fly out of wildlife nest, environmentalists furious
A move by Wildlife authorities to issue licences enabling the capture and sale of certain types of birds has disturbed environmentalists. They expressed concern after Wildlife Ministry Secretary wrote to Wildlife Department Director General directing him to take necessary measures to issue licences for the capture and sale of three kinds of birds — the [...]
Power from gliricidia project in Yala alarms nature lovers
Will “green energy” be produced after destroying valuable forest cover at Amarawewa adjacent to the Yala National Park, is the rallying cry of environmentalists who have taken up arms against a major project to grow gliricidia in the midst of elephant, bear and leopard country in the South. With growing concerns over the serious repercussions [...]
Budget and the burden: People say “We want relief”
With the budget just 10 days away, expectations of the people are high that measures will be put in place to reduce the spiraling cost of living. In recent months, prices of several commodities and imported items have gone up, with the latest being Friday night’s flour price increase which is set to push up [...]
UPFA partners crank up opposition to 13th Amendment
The future of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which led to the setting up of the Provincial Councils system in the country nearly 25 years ago has become the subject of intense debate once again due to a campaign spearheaded by partners in the ruling UPFA Alliance, to have the system abolished. The National [...]
