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Home » NewsCBSL made huge payments to Strauss Kahn’s tottering company
The disclosure of how the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) remitted US$ 250,000 (or Rs. 32,586,525) to former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss Kahn’s company when it was going bankrupt has raised eyebrows in the corridors of power. The remittance was made on September 10, 2014. It was then well known in [...]
Change of command in the Army
In a major shakeup in the Army, the outgoing Commander Daya Ratnayake is seen handing over the ceremonial sword to the new Commander Crishanthe de Silva. The farewell to Major General Ratnayake was given at Army headquarters in Colombo while a welcome to the new Commander will be given tomorrow. Pic by Indika Handuwela
Indian fishermen invading Lankan waters; no arrests
Indian fishermen are continuing to gain unimpeded access to Sri Lanka’s territorial waters as the Navy is refraining from making any arrests of poaching fishermen, a top minister said yesterday. “We have to admit that no action is being taken against the Indian fishermen involved in poaching now,” former fisheries minister and now Health Ministry and [...]
Mihin cancels Boeing deal; Airbus planes instead
Mihin Lanka has cancelled a deal for two Boeing 737-800 aircraft after convincing the international leasing company that the costs associated with changing its Airbus fleet to Boeing would cripple its finances. After protracted talks, the California-based Air Lease Corporation (ALC) has agreed to let Mihin have three Airbus planes instead, said Nishantha Ranatunga, the [...]
Indian officials here for gas talks
A team from Cairn India, the company which discovered natural gas in the Mannar basin, will arrive in Sri Lanka this week for discussions on future action, industry sources said. While Cairn India’s quarterly report released in January says it will start “3D seismic reprocessing” to further investigate the potential, the company also admits that finding [...]
18,000 soldiers to go back to their regiments; no more labourer jobs
Nearly 18,000 soldiers who were deployed to work on development projects under the former Ministry of Defence and Urban Development will go back to their regiments soon. This is in keeping with the pledge made in the election manifesto of President Maithripala Sirisena who promised to stop the employment of military personnel in occupations that undermine [...]
Been there, done that, say apathetic Mullaitivu voters
Mullaitivu, a hotspot during the war, seems to be saying “no thanks” to one of the dividends of peace – the freedom to vote in local council elections – with a lacklustre campaign ending next Saturday for two councils up for polls. The voters of Puthukuduirippu and Maritimepattu are not actively engaged with any of [...]
Hotel built on villagers’ sweat and tears
Four years ago, the villagers of Ragamwela in the Lahugala divisional secretariat experienced an act of cruelty that in an instant deprived them of all they possessed. They have not, even now, recovered from the shocking events of that morning of October 17, 2010. The story of Ragamwela goes back to 1971 when the then [...]
Disciplinary action against principals soliciting funds for admissions warns Minister
School principals who continue to accept donations in violation of a recently issued Education Ministry circular regarding admission of students will face disciplinary action, warned Education Minister Akila Virja Kariyawasam. He said they have identified the principals and the schools where illegal collection of funds continue, and action will be initiated against them shortly. Minister [...]
Walking the Talk against irregularities in School Admissions
A protest over school admissions to Rahula College, Matara, where parents of schoolchildren who failed to gain admission due to alleged irregularities, took to the streets. Similar issues have also been reported from other schools. Pix by Krishan Jeewaka Jayaruk
National Schools stop admissions from Grades 2 to 5: Education Ministry
The Education Ministry has issued a fresh circular restricting admission of children to National schools from Grades 2 to 5, to minimise irregularities, Education Ministry Secretary, Upali Marasinghe said. He said that, this was in view of appeals by parents regarding admissions to these Grades, which are under review, where vacancies need to be available [...]
March 6 deadline for complaints regarding school admissions and other issues
The Ministry of Education will continue to entertain complaints until March 6, from aggrieved parents of children unable to gain admission to government schools. Several counters have been established to receive such complaints during week days. All requests and complaints will be thoroughly investigated and suitable solutions found, the Education Ministry said. The decisions taken [...]
Kalpitiya Primary schoolchildren learn under perilous and hazardous conditions
Parents complain that students at Kalpitiya Singdrathi Maathaa primary school are in grave danger because the school is situated in a hazardous environment. The Singdrathi Maathaa School, established in 2014, was originally the primary section of the Kalpitiya Nirmala Maathaa Sinhala Maha Vidyalaya. Sarath Chandra Ratna (44), a parent, said that the biggest threat posed [...]
Rs 28 million Japanese grant to construct School building in Mullaitivu
The Government of Japan is to grant Rs 28 million for the construction of Udaiyarkaddu School building in the Mullaitivu District, under its Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project (GGP). The project implementation contract was signed by Ambassador of Japan Nobuhito Hobo and Save the Children International (SCI)- Country Director, William Lynch, on Thursday [...]
Batticaloa Pre-school teachers demand inclusion into permanent cadre
Pre-school teachers in Batticaloa want the Government to make them permanent. Some 1,000 Pre-school teachers in Batticaloa on Thursday took to the streets demanding they be absorbed into the Govt. Education service. They marched to the Government Agent’s (GA) office and handed over a petition to GA P.S.M. Charles. Currently, they are recruited by NGO’s, [...]
Eyes opened towards dreams, goals see opportunities everywhere: Miss World 2014
Miss World 2014, Rolene Strauss, who is on a brief visit to Sri Lanka, spoke of the need for other young people to expand their worldview, saying, “If your eyes are open towards your dreams and goals, you will see opportunities wherever you go.” She was among the speakers at Friday’s opening ceremony of Rotary [...]
RTI Bill held back for fine tuning to ‘please everybody’
The Government deferred introducing the long pending Right to Information (RTI) Bill to Parliament this week as there were requests from civil society groups as well as media organizations, for more time to discuss the draft legislation, said Media Ministry Secretary Karunarathne Paranavithana. The Bill was scheduled to be presented to the House on Feb. [...]
‘Weli katussa’ species unique to Sri Lanka
Three young researchers have determined that Sri Lanka has its own species of fan-throated lizards – creatures that puff out an extraordinary frill around their throats to warn off intruders – and that in fact the island has two distinct varieties. Until now it had been assumed that the fan-throated lizards found in Sri Lanka [...]
Sober Dutch courage and cliff-hanging rescue op save man from fall at World’s End
In what would have looked like a scene from an action movie, a Dutchman was brought to safety from a near-death-situation, in a daring rescue operation by soldiers, after he tripped and hurtled down the precipice at ‘World’s End’ in Horton Plains yesterday. According to officials L. Mathalin, 35, who was in Sri Lanka on [...]
CID probes missing jumbo book issue, improper ownership of elephants
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has opened investigations into the alleged abuses regarding the disappearance of an elephant record book and the issue of illegal possession of elephants without proper registration papers. The CID recorded statements of several officers including Wild Life Director General H.D. Rathnayake. Some statements were recorded last week as well while [...]
Household poisoning on the increase
They are all over our houses, in our bedrooms and bathrooms, our garages, store-rooms and kitchens. Hardly a glance do we cast at them, but use them frequently. The National Poisons Information Centre of the National Hospital, Colombo, however, has not only looked at them long and hard but also gone a step further to [...]
Joint Trade Union committee threatens to strike from Mar.26 if Rs 10,000 is not a pay hike
Joint Trade Union Committee convenor, T.M. Somaratne warned if the promised pay hike of Rs. 10,000 was not added to the basic salary, as promised earlier, all government servants would launch a joint strike from March 26. Addressing a media conference he said the recent decision by the government to pay the increment of Rs [...]
Use of short cut shortens two lives
A father and his eleven year old daughter were knocked down by a train near the Courts complex at Gopallawa Mawatha, Kandy yesterday morning when they attempted to cross the railway line, without using the overhead bridge at the place. They are residents of Wattappola in the Udunuwara electorate. The girl, Bindusha, who attended a [...]
Probe on Wele Sudha’s drug distribution network and contacts
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is on the lookout for groups involved in the distribution of drugs smuggled by the notorious drug trafficker Gampola Vidanage Samantha Kumara alias Wele Sudha, a senior police officer said. He said that investigations have revealed that there were groups smuggling drugs into the country and linked with the suspect. [...]
Glass of milk on school days for every student: State Minister
Schoolchildren islandwide would be given a glass of milk on school days, as set out in the 100-day programme, State Minister for Education S. Radhakrishan said recently. The Minister who was chief guest at the International Students’ Day held at Queens Hotel, Kandy told the Sunday Times that steps have already been taken to work [...]
Hospitals relieved at drop in dengue cases but plead for vigilance
Hospitals in Colombo, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Jaffna and Galle are reporting a drop in dengue cases but warn that only continued vigilance would keep down sickness and deaths from the mosquito-borne virus. It is imperative that every house is checked for dengue breeding places, Colombo National Hospital Director Dr Anil Jasinghe said. Last month the hospital [...]
More than a taste test
This is an age of ‘grab-and-go’ when home-cooked meals are fast becoming a luxury. Housewives are becoming a thing of the past, and only a few households can afford servants. For many, the only option is to put up with what the kadey or road-side ‘hotel’ has on offer. But while their MSG-laden food may [...]
Seylan Bank donates 1 of 100 Primary School Libraries in Batticaloa
Under the ‘Seylan Bank Cooperative Social Service Project’ of opening libraries in 100 Primary schools in Batticaloa, a new general library for Methodist Central College was ceremonially declared open on Thursday. The Principal J.R.P. Nimalarajah officiated while Seylan Bank Assistant General Manager, Ranjan Pathmanathan, and Eastern Province Regional Manager Sivaganam Muthukeesan were the Chief Guests. [...]
Prices slashed on 13 items, but have you and I benefitted?
Three wheeler association, bakery owners’ association among others give a string of lame excuses for sticking to old prices It’s three weeks since the government introduced price reductions in its interim budget on fuel, gas, milk powder and other selected items, but benefits from some of these cuts are yet to trickle down to the [...]
Foreign Affairs will not be outsourced like the previous regime did: MFA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) will no longer hire private lobbying groups to improve the country’s image abroad and lobby support in other nations, but instead entrust the task to officials in Sri Lanka’s Missions abroad, said Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Ajith P. Perera. The move comes amidst revelations this week in Parliament that [...]
Fishing in troubled waters
Suppaiyah Yogarasan, 58, from Myliddy Jaffna is looking for work as a labourer in order to support his eight-member family because, he says, he can no longer make a living from fishing in the northern sea. “There is no livelihood other than the sea for us. I don’t know any other profession with which to [...]
Twin tussle over trawling: Sri Lanka’s traditional fishermen caught in the net
The newly elected leaders of India and Sri Lanka renewed their governments’ commitment to resolving the fishing dispute between the two countries when they met in New Delhi last week. Another round of fishermen-to-fishermen talks, as announced by India at the end of the talks, will, however, not lead to a solution. The last round [...]
Bill to deter ‘unregulated’ fishing and lift EU fishing ban
When the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment) Act was taken up in Parliament for debate on Tuesday, both Government and Opposition legislators welcomed the new laws to impose heavy fines on those violating international fishing regulations. The EU-IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing ban which was announced on Oct.14 last year, came into force three [...]
All revealed in hi-tech gene test
Predicts cancer risks, enables detection of bacteria in blood, screens for inherited disorders The large white building is like any other along Thimbirigasyaya Road, Colombo 5. But at No. 473, a small team along with sophisticated equipment on its mezzanine floor is set to take gene technology in Sri Lanka to a different level. It [...]
If fuel prices go down, so will electricity bills
The fuel adjustment surcharge on electricity bills will be allowed to fluctuate so that consumers will benefit from a drop in world market prices, Power and Energy Ministry Secretary D.M.R. Batagoda said. He said the new fuel adjustment surcharge scheme would come into effect when a formula on fuel prices was implemented from next month. [...]
Lakshman Kadirgamar- Best Foreign Minister Sri Lanka ever had: State Minister Wijesinha
State Minister for Higher Education Rajiva Wijesinha said that the late Lakshman Kadirgamar was “easily the best Foreign Minister Sri Lanka ever had”, and that, he knew how to handle the world and Sri Lanka’s concerns with those of the Tamil people who had suffered so much under the LTTE. Unveiling a portrait of the [...]
