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Home » NewsDestructive dynamite decimates dolphins: SLN wades to their rescue
The large-scale slaughter of dolphins continues in the seas off Trincomalee, Kalpitiya and the Mannar Basin, despite efforts by the relevant authorities to stop it, a senior marine environmentalist warned yesterday. “In the past few days, some 15 to 20 dolphin carcasses surfaced in the seas between Kinniya and Foul Point on the east coast, [...]
Vesak blessing for Kerry
In an act of reverence to Sri Lanka’s Buddhist heritage on the eve of Vesak, the visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry is seen paying homage to the casket of Buddha relics at the Kelaniya Rajamaha Vihara last evening. The viharadhipathi of this historic temple, the Ven. Dr. Kollupitiya Mahinda Thera, is seen blessing [...]
Annual partnership dialogue with US
The United States and Sri Lanka agreed yesterday to establish an annual partnership dialogue. “I have asked teams from our government to mobilise quickly to provide assistance (to Sri Lanka),” the visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry declared. He said officials of the US Treasury and Commerce Departments would come to Colombo soon to work [...]
20A: Cabinet to decide on May 13
The Cabinet will take up the 20th Amendment to the Constitution with proposals for a new electoral system when it meets again on May 13, officials said. The amendment, which has now been compiled by the Legal Draftsman’s Department, was last taken up in the Cabinet on Wednesday. President Maithripala Sirisena presented it to ministers, [...]
Lanka responds promptly in Nepal’s hour of need
The response was instantaneous – as soon as news of Nepal’s earthquake-devastation was received, out-flew not only Army personnel from Sri Lanka but also four civilian doctors to help in search-and-rescue operations as well as to treat numerous victims. The 44-member Army contingent headed by Major General Maithri Dias and the civilian doctors who left [...]
Rs. 2.5 billion train deal with India
Sri Lanka will buy diesel engines and compartments for the Railway from India at a cost of more than US$ 200 million (Rs. 2.5 billion), Transport Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara said. The deal would be under the Indian credit line offered during the recent visit of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said. The minister said [...]
Leap in US-Lanka naval ties
Just days before US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Sri Lanka, an encounter that signalled renewed military co-operation between Washington and Colombo played out in the Indian Ocean. The US Navy top brass rolled out the red carpet for a top level Sri Lanka Navy delegation. They landed on board their Nimitz class aircraft [...]
Rajapaksa faction wants MR to lead campaign; Nimal says CC must decide
Permitting former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to lead the UPFA’s election campaign and the inclusion of him in the nomination board are among the conditions to be put forward to President Maithripala Sirisena for the unification of the alliance, some party members said yesterday. However, Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva, reacting to the conditions of [...]
Sri Lanka’s problems for Sri Lankans to solve, we will only help: Kerry
US Secretary of State John Kerry addressed a public lecture yesterday at Colombo’s Taj Samudra Hotel. The public lecture was organised by the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies. Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera made the welcome address. Excerpts of Mr. Kerry’s speech: I’m really happy to be here.’Ayubowan’ and ‘Vanakkam’. [...]
Ban on full-face helmet put off till May 19
The Court of Appeal ordered the ban on full-face helmets put off till May 19. Appeal Court President Justice Vijith K. Malalgoda and Justice H.C.J. Madawala made this order on writ petitions filed by two citizens who pleaded an order to prohibit the Inspector General of Police, the Minister of Public Order, the Minister of [...]
‘Buildings fell like puffs of smoke’
Last Saturday the Sri Lankan Under-14 girls football team was at a museum near Kathmandu, Nepal, studying the rich history of the city while on a sports tour. Around noon, they experienced the terrible shaking that caused the city to collapse in a matter of minutes. “We ran into the garden of the museum. Everyone [...]
Navy denies firing on fishermen in Palk Strait
The Navy yesterday denied reports that it had repeatedly fired on Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait while the Government reiterated its earlier position on foreign intruders in the country’s territorial waters saying that such persons will be arrested and dealt with according to the law.“ We have in the past, and still continue to [...]
The buzzing Vesak decoration on the 6th floor
Decorations adorn many buildings at Vesak – but the staff of an office in Dehiwela found a special decoration covering one of their 6th floor windows: a close look revealed it was a swarm of bees spread like a curtain across a part of a large glass window. The bees began arriving on the morning [...]
May Day attack: Devasri makes statement to police
Nirmal Ranjith Devasri, former president of the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA), yesterday made a statement to the police on the alleged attack on him at a May Day rally in Kirulapone. His statement was recorded by the Kirulapone police after he was discharged from hospital. Dr. Devasri told police that he and his colleague [...]
The Kerry visit: Some points to ponder
Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera must be a satisfied man. Within the last 100 days, there has been two significant stand-alone official visits to Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Modi of India and US Secretary of State Kerry, achievements which had eluded the previous government. After the Modi visit, pro-Mahinda political analysts had raised fears that a [...]
Kids at risk while school van drivers lock horns with CMC
Unplanned parking for 30,000 school vans around the country daily adds to the traffic chaos in major cities as well as putting the safety of schoolchildren at risk. Children and drivers talked of situations where children run out onto the road to get into a van because the vehicle is not allowed to park closer [...]
Dansal: They are a-changing but CMC will check them all
In a sign of the times, 63 of the 93 Vesak dansal registered in Colombo will be distributing ice-cream and soft drinks while the rest will serve food such as rice and noodles, said council authorities planning stringent checks on all the outlets. Sixteen Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) will be deployed in Colombo to ensure [...]
Politics elbows workers aside at SLFP May Day rally
By Chathuri Dissanayake Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, addressing the United National Paty (UNP) May Day rally, said despite being a minority government the UNP had been able to bring about a number of short-term relief measures for the country’s workers. The time has come to launch a long-term relief plan for workers, Mr. Wickremesinghe said, [...]
Sports Minister to meet former ex-co on May 12
Sports Minister Naveen Dissanayake will meet the now dismissed Sri Lanka Cricket executive committee on May 12 at 2.00pm at the Sports Ministry to hear its side of the story, SLC’s former senior vice President Mohan de Silva. “We sent him a letter stating our side of the story and the majority of the former [...]
Vigilance, meaningful example to lives sacrificed for Press Freedom- SLPI
The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) in a message to the mark World Press Freedom Day said, ‘Let us be vigilant and leave a meaning to those who have sacrificed through their lives and other deeds toward World Press Freedom’. The SLPI message said: As we all know, the World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed [...]
What to see where
The sacred Bone Relics of the Buddha arrived in Sri Lanka from Myanmar on April 29. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera who officially received the relics is seen here with Ven. Daranagama Kusaladhamma Thera, president of the Buddhist Channel and principal of the Sri Sambodhi Dhamma school who went to Myanmar to accompany the relics back [...]
SL London Mission clerk appointed Third Secretary despite adverse Report
A clerk attached to the Sri Lanka High Commission in London has been made Third Secretary in an unprecedented elevation of a low-level employee to the rank of diplomatic officer without an entrance exam, authoritative sources said. The same officer, Mohammed S. Hanifa, is cited in the Board of Inquiry report on SriLankan Airlines for [...]
Lanka safe from major quakes but “home” plate is splitting
Geologists claim Sri Lanka has very little chance of experiencing a major earthquake but point out the importance of preparedness given the disaster in Nepal. An earthquake usually occurs when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another, hit each other or break apart as a result of tension caused by prolonged energy [...]
Killed at wheel after hitting tree
A resident of Anuradhapura driving to Kalmunai was killed close to Batticaloa when he lost control of his car and hit a kumbuk tree, a coroner’s court inquiry was told. The deceased identified as Muhandiramlage Dharmadasa had reportedly fallen asleep at the wheel at around 4 a.m. leading to the accident The victim’s son identified [...]
Record attendance at Medical Specialists’ AGM
An “unprecedented” number of specialists attended the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) in Colombo on Sunday, where Dr. B.G. Nimal Ratnasena was elected President. The auditorium of the National Blood Transfusion Service at Narahenpita was filled to capacity, with more than 200 seats being occupied as the proceedings of [...]
Govt. owes millions to contractors, suppliers but coffers empty
The Government owes millions to contractors and suppliers, but is unable to do so due to “insufficient funds”, affected parties said this week. Among them are machinery suppliers and contractors who worked for the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLRDC) as well as members of the Ceylon Motor Traders’ Association. Payments effectively came [...]
Breakwater built by Coast Conservation Dept. to prevent soil erosion: DG
Drawing reference to last week’s Sunday Times story tiled ‘Department claims coral beach defence plans in hand’ Coast Conservation and Coastal Resources Management Department Director General P.K.Prabath Chandrekeerthi said it was the department that “investigated and decided” to construct a breakwater in the northern part of the Unawatuna bay area. The Sunday Times report said [...]
Govt. won’t interfere in university internal matters, says Higher Education Minister
Government, under the Yahapalanaya, has decided to adopt a “hands off” approach to problems arising within universities, and will not mediate with students involved in demonstrations and strikes. Higher Education Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama said that, in future his Ministry will only deal with policy issues within universities. He said that, he has had talks [...]
Programme to improve Reading habit among students, teachers
The Education Ministry, in a bid to promote Reading among teachers and schoolchildren, will introduce a new programme in July, said Ministry Secretary Upali Marasinghe. Under this programme, students and teachers will be provided with eight books to be used on a sharing basis. The books will cover subjects such as History and Culture, and [...]
UK NGO, students, citizenry clean up Tangalle beach
A British based NGO has teamed up with a group of students and the local community to clean up Tangalle beach, Jo Kaminska Foundation Founder-Director, Ms Joanna Ruda, told Education Times that her Foundation which deals with plastic pollution through educational programmes and beach-cleaning initiatives, had organised a programme to clean Tangalle beach. The initiative [...]
None within Ministry to overlook Pirivena schools, charges PGSS
The Pirivena Guru Seva Sangamaya (PGSS) this week charged that Government, for the last three years, had failed to appoint an Additional Secretary in the Education Ministry, to overlook the affairs of Pirivena students. PGSS President, Wakemulle Udith Thera said that the Pirivenas’ 65,000 students and 6,600 teachers are undergoing difficulties due to the lack [...]
Rahula Vidyalaya in Atavisi Buddha Pooja for Vesak 2015
To mark Vesak 2015 celebrations, Rahula Vidyalaya, Matara, Primary students participated in an “Atavisi Buddha Pooja”, a ceremony commemorating the 28 Buddhas. They walked in a perahera from their school, bearing flowers, up to Welegoda Primary School, where the “Atavisi Buddha Pooja” was conducted by the Ven. Walasgala Pagnnasiri Thera of the Matara Bodhi Trust. [...]
Rural North Schools face uphill task to re-establish themselves
Educational activities in parts of Valikamam, Jaffna, resuming after the end of the conflict, is picking up, but more facilities and encouragement for the students to return to school are needed, reveals a survey by the Education Times . Naguleswara Mahavidyalayam in Keerimalai (Naguleswaram), the popular tourist attraction in the north, reopened in 2012, after [...]
May Day’s invisible worker
May Day, a dedicated holiday for the worker, did not deter some wage-earners from their daily chores, in order to earn a living. Whilst speakers at the different rallies shouted out hoarsely about workers and their rights, it was business as usual for them. Images show how they had to do their work to facilitate [...]
