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Home » NewsViva Il Papa from 600,000 Lankans
Pope Francis is seen greeting the biggest ever turnout of more than 600,000 people at the Galle Face Green for the Holy Mass and the canonisation of Sri Lanka’s first Saint Joseph Vaz. See stories on Pages 10-12 and Plus Page 1. Pic by Amila Gamage
CJ 44 must go: BASL
Sri Lanka’s premier body of lawyers yesterday demanded the immediate removal of Chief Justice 44 Mohan Peiris, accusing him of being present when former President Mahinda Rajapaksa discussed means of staying in power illegally after learning he would lose the January 8 presidential poll. “Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told me he would call for the [...]
Mangala in New Delhi: Mission to rebuild ties
Sri Lanka has always had excellent ties with China over the years, but it shall not be at the risk of jeopardising its relations with immediate neighbours, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said on the eve of his departure to New Delhi. Mr. Samaraweera reached New Delhi yesterday. Significantly, it is the first official visit of [...]
SLFP to cooperate with Govt: Chamal stays on as Speaker
Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa will continue in office for the next three months during which the new Government hopes to pass several important laws, including the Right to Information Act, a Cabinet minister said. Newly appointed Minister and House Leader Lakshman Kiriella told the Sunday Times that as the SLFP hads pledged to cooperate with the [...]
Major drug cases to be probed again
All investigations regarding smuggling of narcotics during the past two years will be reopened, Public Order Minister John Amaratunga said yesterday. “I have ordered the Inspector General of Police to send me a progress report of all investigations regarding the cases of drug detections. We are not happy about the progress of these cases,” the [...]
Hunt on for ex-President’s missing vehicles
Criminal Investigations Department (CID) detectives are probing as to how a large number of the 700 vehicles allocated to the Presidential Secretariat have gone missing, a senior police officer said. The probe has been launched on the directive of Inspector General N.K. Illangakoon following a complaint by an officer in charge of the transport section [...]
Pope in Madhu galvanises hopes for reconciliation, unity and peace
In an area once gripped by fear and terror, Pope Francis’ visit to the church of Our Lady of Madhu, during his two-day visit to the country, was seen by many as the start of a new phase in postwar reconciliation in the country. Thousands thronged the precincts of the Madhu Church in Mannar district [...]
CID to check CCTV data and record statements
Closed Circuit TV recordings are to be checked by CID detectives to find out who was present and what took place at Temple Trees before dawn on January 9 when an alleged conspiracy was hatched to suspend the announcement of the Presidential election results. The detectives will also obtain telephone records of those present at [...]
Musical chairs in provincial councils
More provincial councils run by the former ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) are set to change hands with UPFA members throwing their support behind the United National Party (UNP). Provincial governors are being pressed by council members to change the councils’ chief ministers who are suddenly finding themselves deserted by their own party members [...]
Govt takes action to stop political vendettas, mainly by UNP
The government is faced with having to rein in its own thugs and hooligans whose revenge attacks on United People’s Freedom Party (UPFA) supporters are being monitored by election watchdogs. “We are still formulating a strategy to arrest them whoever it is if they committed any crime they will be charged,” said Defence Ministry Additional [...]
Independence Day at Parliament grounds
With the change of government, the main Independence Day ceremony scheduled to be held at Weeraketiya in Hambantota has been shifted to Parliament grounds, Home Affairs Minister Joseph Michael Perera said yesterday. He said the programme worked out by the previous government was being revised but the ceremony would be a simple and low-cost one [...]
President Maithripala Sirisena visited the Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya
President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last evening visited the Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya. They were accompanied by ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers. The chief incumbent of the Kelaniya Rajamaha Viharaya, Ven Dr. Kollupitiye Mahinda Sangharakkitha Nayake Thera is also seen in the picture. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Chitranganee Wagiswara takes over as Foreign Secretary
Newly-appointed Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chitranganee Wagiswara, has been in the Foreign Service for 34 years. Having joined in 1981, she is the most senior serving officer at present. Meanwhile, former Secretary, Kshenuka Senewiratne remains in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Additional Secretary, and has yet to be assigned to any [...]
Get working: Ranil tells UNP ministers at first meeting
Prime Minister (PM) Ranil Wickremesinghe used his first meeting with the newly appointed Ministers, State Ministers and Deputy Ministers of the United National Party (UNP) to drive home the message that they need to get working immediately, to achieve the targets set under the 100-Day Programme. He also gave them a practical lesson on why [...]
AG’s Dept marks 130 years
The Attorney General’s Department is hosting a conference tomorrow at the BMICH to mark its 130th anniversary. This year’s theme is “The Role of the Attorney General in a Changing Asia”. Delegates from Asian countries have been invited for the event.
Northern power plant’s waste oil contaminates region’s water supply
When the Northern Power Plant (NPP) was set up in 2009 in the Valikamam area, nobody would have thought of having to face a serious shortage of drinking water, which made them demand an immediate closure of the station after five years. Residents of surrounding areas took to the streets yesterday to protest opposite the [...]
Minor tremor reported 20km offshore from Kirinda
A minor tremor measuring about 2.0 on the Richter scale, 20 km offshore from Kirinda, is the first reported from the area, Geological Survey and Mines Bureau said. A Bureau spokesman said the tremor was reported at 9.20 am yesterday (17), while also receiving reports of mild tremors in Tissamaharama and Kirinda areas. “This is [...]
President’s 100-day programme gets top priority: Gayantha
Implementing President Sirisena’s 100-day plan is listed a top priority in the new Government with ministers being instructed to carry out their tasks without further delay. Cabinet Spokesman MinisterGayantha Karunathilake told the Sunday Times, the 100-day relief measures are being discussed at this week’s meetings. “On Friday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met ministers representing the [...]
Wildlife Dept. probing cases of animals held sans permits
The Wildlife Department has opened investigations into cases where animals have been held illegally without permits from the Department. Following a complaint received by the Department, officials visited a location in Ambalangoda on Monday to inspect documents relating to an elephant allegedly held by MP Sajin Vass Gunawardena. A Wildlife Department officer who visited the [...]
Deluges strike at valuable coral reef
The intense rainfall that fell across the country a few weeks back left an unexpected victim: coral reefs. Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation Foundation member Upali Mallikarachchi has revealed that some parts of the Bar Reef marine sanctuary at Kalpitiya have begun bleaching. Bleaching is one of the worst destructive natural phenomena faced by corals [...]
Mum’s the word from ‘royal astrologer’
The ‘royal astrologer’ has gone silent. Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena is not granting any more interviews about his former patron’s first-rate star charts. Before Mahinda Rajapaksa’s electoral defeat on January 8, this oracle spoke generously with local and international media. He is no longer so magnanimous. Last week, he curtly told a foreign correspondent that he was [...]
Like lambs to the slaughter
The gentle and docile turtle has suffered greatly due to human activity. When these gentle creatures are not being killed for their flesh, their eggs are plundered, in addition pollution and coastal development too take heavy toll of lives . Another artful way of exploiting these amphibians has been to keep turtles in so-called ponds [...]
Corruption charges: Initial investigations begin on complaints against VVIPs
Preliminary investigations have begun on the complaints of corruption filed against a number of key players of the previous government, but the Commission is yet to make a decision on whether or not to impound the passports of the individuals named in the complaints, a senior official with the Commission said. Bribery Commission Director General [...]
Environmentalists hope Sirisena will honour pledge
The lack of a minister for the environment in the new government has dismayed environmentalists even though they largely view the change in regime as being beneficial. Just days before his election, President Maithripala Sirisena signed a public pact presented by the Environment Organisations’ Collective (EOC), and the grouping hopes the new leader will honour [...]
‘Saint Joseph Vaz saved my life and my mother’s life’: Fr. Costa
The canonization of Sri Lanka’s first saint was truly a special event for one Goan priest whose miraculous birth led to the Vatican approving sainthood for Blessed Joseph Vaz. Rev. Father Cosme Joseph Vaz Costa attended the canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz this week and spoke exclusively to the Sunday Times. The first baby of [...]
The word of the Pope, from arrival to departure to tweet
Pope Francis came to Sri Lanka to inspire and pray with the country’s Catholics. But he also used the visit to deliver some unambiguous messages about truth, justice and unity transcending religious and ethnic confines. The tone was set on the apron at the Bandaranaike International Airport on Tuesday. The Pope descended from an Alitalia [...]
Curtain rises for Pope as curtain falls on polls
From scenes of elation along the road from BIA to Colombo during Pope Francis’ arrival, to scenes of reverence at Galle Face Green, Joshua Surendraraj and Namini Wijedasa capture the spirit of the Papal stay in Sri Lanka Never before had Pope Francis received such a rousing welcome from a country in which Catholics were [...]
Education system needs to be revamped says new Minister
The Education Ministry will see a number of changes under newly appointed Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, including a new unit to monitor International schools, re-establishment of the Teacher Transfer Board, and broadening of Information Technology (IT) studies. The Ministry will shift its focus to developing its Human Resources as there haven’t been proper policies to [...]
The Innocents await His Holiness
During Pope Francis’ visit to Sri Lanka, children were given special prominence. Here a group of children on Wednesday await the Pope’s arrival to welcome him. Pix by Indika Handuwela
Predecessor’s proposed changes to Scholarship exam scrapped: Akila V.
The proposed changes to the Scholarship exam, which were to come into effect from this year, have been shelved, said Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam. The exam will continue to have two papers- a 45-minute Multiple Choice and a 1.5-hour Question paper with a 15-minute break in between. Former Minister Bandula Gunawardane intended to have [...]
51,000, 2014 Grade 5 scholars languish sans new schools: CTU Secretary
The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) said that, due to a lack of proper implementation, 51,000 students who passed the Grade 5 Scholarship exam are without schools. CTU Secretary, Joseph Stalin has requested that the first action the new Education Minister should take is to set the cutoff marks for each school and provide all the [...]
Rural girl Galle District’s Best Arts Student at AL 2014
K.J. Lakmali of Udugama MV in the Galle District, was rated Best Arts Student in the Galle District at the 2014 GCE Advanced Level. She was delighted, as she recounted travelling nearly 16 km to and from every day to attend her village school in Udugama, because she was determined to pass the exam. She [...]
New Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam hits the ground running
New Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam is poised to make several changes in the country’s Education system. The first-time Minister is geared for the challenge and is set to make several tough decisions which may not be popular with everyone, he says. Speaking to the Education Times after he assumed his duties, the Minister said [...]
Eradicating poverty as a barrier towards Education and Empowerment
A charity made up of professionals, graduates and public and national school students who have helped educate and nurture less privileged but talented children, has stepped up its programmes to assist more children. Sasnaka Sansada, founded in 1997 to “Unleash the Power of Youth to Build a Better Country,” has been working single-mindedly to that [...]
Applications now open for ‘Children’s Leadership Training Programme’
Applications are currently being entertained for the Colombo Children Book Society’s “Children’s Leadership Training Programme”, to be held late February. This training programme educates children on aspects of Leadership as Responsibilities and Duties; and the importance of the role of leader and of mutual understanding. Children trained at this camp will be appointed ‘Child Leaders’ [...]
