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Home » NewsWheels of polls turning for Jaffna
With a largely peaceful Jaffna preparing for a crucial election to the Northern Provincial Council next Saturday, our picture of this girl riding her bicycle past a wall, a notice board and lamp posts with political posters is indicative of the general mood in the peninsula. The people are not overly enthusiastic about the polls, [...]
Rs. 1.2 billion for BMWs, Defender jeeps for CHOGM
The Government will spend more than US$ 7.8 million or Rs. 1.2 billion to import 40 luxury BMW cars and 60 Defender jeeps for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo. While the cars are for use by heads of state or government, the new Defender Jeeps will be for security details, [...]
Ring, ring on crossing: You will be arrested and fined
Those who use mobile phones while crossing the road will be arrested and prosecuted with immediate effect, police warned yesterday. A senior police officer said the decision came after a survey conducted by the police revealed that there were number of accidents caused due to the negligence of pedestrians who used mobile phones on the roads. [...]
Dispute over classy hotel’s ownership; Police guard placed
A stand-off between a hotelier and parties acting on behalf of the original British investor in a multi-million rupee boutique hotel in Wadduwa near Panadura continued after the hotelier who is the CEO was forcibly locked out, with the police continuing to guard the high-end hotel. The hotel, ‘Serene Pavilions’, was stormed by a group [...]
BBS threatens to resume anti-Halal campaign
The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) is to revive its campaign against the ‘Halal certification’ process on the basis the Government has failed to keep to its promises on this issue. “We stopped our campaign against the Halal certification process after the Government assured it would look into the issue and appointed a Parliamentary committee. Our [...]
Weliweriya shooting: Police agree to finalise probe before Sunday
Police yesterday assured that all investigations into the Weliweriya’s shooting incident would be concluded before next Sunday. The assurance was given by Gampaha’s Assistant Police Superintendent Chandana Kodithuwakku when Ven. Theripehe Siridhamma Thera, the chief monk who is spearheading the clean water campaign in Rathupaswela, went to the Weliweriya police to inquire about the investigations. The [...]
Amanda crowned Miss Lanka
Twenty-three-year-old Amanda Rathnayake was crowned Miss Sri Lanka for Miss Universe 2013 last night at a glittering event at the Mount Lavinia Hotel. She will represent Sri Lanka at the Miss. Universe pageant in Moscow in November. Simerene Rabot was adjudged the runner up and Kristina Palliyaguruge the second runner-up. Wijeya Newspapers Ltd was the print media [...]
Hundreds of monitors to ensure fair poll in North
More than 700,000 voters are eligible to go to the polls next Saturday in the first ever Provincial Council election for only the North since the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was introduced in 1987. It comes after the military defeat of Tiger guerrillas four and a half years ago and assumes greater significance in many [...]
President queries TNA’s choice of NP CM from the south
President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday asked why the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had to bring a Chief Ministerial candidate from the South to contest the Northern Provincial Council. “The person the TNA has chosen is from the South. He is the brother-in-law of my Cabinet Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara. By getting him to contest for the Chief [...]
Upcountry residents working in Colombo may be deprived of vote
Thousands of Central Province voters employed in Colombo are set to lose their voting rights after their employers turned down their request for leave to cast their votes next Saturday. The issue is due to be taken with the Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya next Tuesday when a group representing the interests of the workers, meet him. [...]
The Rs. 147 m. was deposited as security, Brewery company says | Right of reply
McCAllum Brewing Company (Pvt) Limited which has been renamed as Adrastos Beverages (Pvt.) Limited has written to the newspaper in reference to the article titled “Liquor giants’ licences renewed despite tax default,” published last Sunday. They say that the article states that there is a sum of Rs.147 million in “arrears” due by them to [...]
GTF calls on Tamils abroad to help TNA achieve victory
The largest Tamil diaspora group in the United Kingdom, the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) has called upon the Tamil diaspora to help the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) achieve the best possible victory in the upcoming Northern Provincial Council elections. “Tamils and others who live outside the North but registered to vote in the North must [...]
Depositors trapped in double game
Two CIFL companies: One registered and the other unregistered; one has a red logo and the other blue Several finance companies under stress; hapless clients told their deposits to be turned into shares When her husband died of a heart attack in 2004, Ms. J, who wished to remain unnamed in this article, received a [...]
PC polls campaigns in full swing while violations abound
Over 4.3 million voters in the Central, North-Western and the Northern provinces will go to the polls on September 21 to elect representatives to their respective Provincial Councils (PCs). Of these, around 1.8 million are registered voters from the Central Province (CP), around 1.7 million from the North-Western Province (NWP) and around 714,000 from the Northern [...]
Garbage collection waste deep in management and disposal
Garbage collection and disposal has become an essential service in the country, especially in the Western Province (WP), where much dedicated effort and resources are put in to ensure a smooth operation of the system. Although standards have improved by leaps and bounds in solid waste management in the country, in general, and the WP [...]
The growing problem of teenage mothers
Poverty, alcoholism, unstable families and lack of proper sex education; the main reasons, say health officials Pregnancies due to rape, incest on the rise It’s an inconvenient truth–but the increasing number of teenage pregnancies is a troubling concern for both state authorities as well as social workers. Among the reported cases this year, girls as young [...]
From ground realities to outer space
Annual sessions of the Ceylon College of Physicians Riveting was the inauguration of the annual sessions of the physicians on Thursday, when the distinguished gathering of both local and foreign healers, was guided along the way forward right here on earth and later lifted to space to get a glimpse of the threats emerging from [...]
Who’s cooking what and where
Wash and rinse your hands well before eating and after using the toilet, prepare food in a fly-free area and do not touch food with dirty hands, are among the common health tips one hears over and over again. But, failure to practise these simple health tips is leading to an increase in food poisoning [...]
New disease threatens arecanut plantations
The Director General of the Department of Export Agriculture -Upali Gunaratne- advised researchers of the department recommend that Government destroy five out of twelve acres of arecanut cultivation at the Puthukkudiyiruppu, Udayar Kattukulan Army camp. Mr. Gunaratne made this observation at the 40th Anniversary Symposium of Minor Export Crops ( ASMEC), held at the Plant [...]
From floors to ceilings: Rs 2 b refurbishment of BMICH nears completion for CHOGM 2013
The more than Rs 2 billion refurbishment project of the Bandaranaike International Memorial Conference Hall (BMICH) initiated in 2010, is nearing completion, BMICH Director General Bandula Ekanayake said. “This is first time the BMICH is going through a major refurbishment, since its construction in 1973. Basically, we are renovating everything from floors to ceilings,” he added. [...]
New rules to make road travel safer for you and me
In the face of the rapidly increasing number of bus accidents, traffic police are taking measures to introduce a new set of rules to make our public transport safer. Research has shown that a majority of accidents are caused by unnecessary posters or stickers on windscreens of vehicles which curtail the range of vision of the [...]
Import of products using HCFC greenhouse gas to be phased out: Minister
The import of refrigerators, freezers, domestic and industrial air conditioners, ice plants, paints, perfumes and other items that use the chemical compound hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) is to be phased out from this week as part of an Environment Ministry’s initiative to save the Ozone layer. Environment Minister Susil Premajayantha said that at present the import of [...]
Indian govt. floats Sethusamudram Canal project again
The controversial Sethusamudram Canal project is back on the Indian government’s agenda under pressure from some Tamil Nadu Political parties such as the DMK the Indian Media reported recently. This in turn has raised concern among environmentalists in Sri Lanka. The project aims at shortening the sea route between India and Sri Lanka by dredging [...]
Environmentalists: Grace period a cover to register newly captured jumbo calves
The grace period given for registering illegally caught wild elephants is being made use of by certain dishonest people to register baby elephants newly captured by them, environmentalists charge. Several environmental groups raised a concerted voice at a news conference, against this move to give a grace period for registering illegally kept wild elephant calves. The [...]
A hell of a ride
Despite the stretch of road between Galle and Colombo being one of the most widely used in the country, motorists using the stretch between Kalutara and Aluthgama complain, that bad road conditions are causing accidents. Damaged roads, uneven fitting of gullies and unsafe road surfaces are some of the major complaints made by motorists. They [...]
President makes historic train ride to Kilinochchi
President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday made a historic train journey from Omanthai to Kilinochchi on the Yal Devi marking the official opening of the newly constructed 63 kilometre track of the Northern Line after more than three decades. The President, along with officials and media personnel boarded the train at the Omanthai station at 8.55 a.m. [...]
Local seaman destitute sans compensation after stroke while on duty
A Sri Lankan seafarer employed as the head cook on a locally owned vessel and who suffered a stroke while on duty in late April this year, is today, semi-paralyzed and left in the doldrums, after his employer allegedly refused to pay any compensation, a maritime trade union said yesterday. “The cook- Nimal Perera from Habarakada [...]
Schoolchildren’s increasingly poor health demands islandwide Child Support Centres
The country is in need of child-support centres island-wide to address rising child-related Health concerns varying from malnutrition, over nutrition and psychiatric issues, a senior official in charge of school Health division warned. In an interview with Education Times, Medical Officer of the Health Ministry’s School Health Office, Dr. Chintha Karunaratne said many present-day schoolchildren [...]
Errant preschools must conform with new Statute or else…
A legal amendment passed this month has made it more difficult for errant preschools to continue to operate in the Western Province. The Western Province Provincial Council (PC) Preschool Statute No 1 of 2013 has replaced an earlier law which came into being 10 years ago. As per the new legislation, the maximum fine for [...]
Local higher studies scholarships for 2nd batch of foreign students
The Higher Education Ministry is to take in the second batch of foreign students to study in Sri Lanka, Ministry officials said. Accordingly, 100 scholarships will be given to foreign students, along with US$ 300 per month as expenses. “These students can do their postgraduate and undergraduate studies. We have informed the respective countries through [...]
‘Education and Technology in postwar Recovery’, Eastern University’s international conference theme
The second International conference of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka was held last Thursday and Friday at the University premises. The theme of the conference was “Education and Technology in postwar Recovery”. Prof. Jasayath Jamil Ahamed of the Dhaka University of Bangladesh was the keynote speaker at the conference, while the coordinator of South [...]
American, Australian expertise to improve SL’s educational framework
An American and Australian experts will soon be in Sri Lanka to discuss ways of improving the country’s educational framework. George Washington University’s Associate Professor of International Education and International Affairs, Prof James H. Williams, is due today (15) to formulate a long term programme with Sri Lanka to introduce a National Higher Education Policy [...]
COSTI, Google explore innovation, research here via new technology
The Coordinating Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) met the Google team to discuss how they could implement new technology to enhance innovation and research in the country. “COSTI is mandated to activities in the Science and Technology spheres and also to ensure that a useful economic end result is obtained. The Google team [...]
Rs 1.2 b for 60 hostels to house 12,000 undergrads
Cabinet has approved Rs 1.2 billion to construct 60 hostels within all 15 State universities in the country, Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake said. Each building will be four storied and house 200 students. The project, to be undertaken by the Higher Education Ministry along with a Singapore Company, is expected to be completed in [...]
President appoints committee to stay abreast of global educational trends
A committee was appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa recently to look into formulating a new policy to suit the present and future needs of the country in keeping with global educational trends. The committee will look into new educational reforms and implement them within the local education system to improve its quality, and strive for [...]
