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Home » NewsLandslide death toll rises; more warnings
The death toll in Friday’s landslide in a private tea estate at Ramboda in Kotmale increased to seven yesterday as the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) warned Central Province residents of further natural disasters. DMC Director General L.B.R. Mark said seven bodies were recovered by yesterday afternoon following the landslide at Lily Estate where 44 families [...]
Two Supreme Court judges may face impeachment
The Government has decided to impeach a Supreme Court judge for misbehaviour if the court action he is now facing is upheld. This is while another colleague has come under close investigation after allegations that the spouse ran a consultancy firm. The activities of the firm had been allegedly linked to the work of the [...]
CB Governor, senior officials in verbal spat over transfers
Dissatisfaction over a series of controversial transfers of senior officials at the Central Bank (CB) last week led to a verbal spat between Governor Arjuna Mahendran and top officials including Assistant Governors. As about 30 officers of Grade 4 and above including Assistant Governors were having a noon meeting on Tuesday at a 14th floor [...]
President meets world leaders; pullout meeting with Obama
UNITED NATIONS – President Maithripala Sirisena, who is leading a 22-member delegation to the UN General Assembly sessions, is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with six world leaders during his weeklong stay in New York.At a reception to be hosted by US President Barack Obama for visiting heads of state, President Sirisena is scheduled to [...]
Seven bills to raise revenue through mega taxes
Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayaka has reintroduced the Finance Act (Amendment) Bill which seeks to impose the Mansion Tax and Migration Tax and the Super Gains Tax on a company or individual whose profit before tax exceeds Rs. 2,000 million. This and six other bills aimed at raising state revenue were presented to Parliament by the [...]
Killing of Athurugiriya boy: Quarry worker arrested
The main suspect in the killing of a ten-year-old boy from Athurugiriya was arrested yesterday and was being questioned by police last night. The 50-year-old suspect was arrested at Bandarawatta in Biyagama. He was a resident of Kothalawala, Kaduwela. The boy, a fifth grader, was hacked to death and his body was found in an abandoned [...]
Historic artillery gun unearthed at hotel site
An ancient artillery gun was discovered yesterday by workers at the construction site of an upcoming hotel opposite Galle Face Green, Police said. An Indian five-star hotel is coming up on this site which once housed the Army Headquarters. Police said the gun will be removed from the site today.
Railway to carry CPC fuel
Sri Lanka Railway will enter into an agreement with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation to transport fuel by train. The Transport Ministry and the Petroleum Resources Development Ministry will submit a joint proposal to the Cabinet, seeking approval for the arrangement, a Transport Ministry official said. The main objective of the deal was to reduce Sri [...]
Man dies of burns after workplace accident
A 38-year-old man died of burns after a bucket of hot iron liquid fell on him at his workplace, a Coroner’s Court inquiry was told. The victim, Kaluge Don Sumudu Kusumsiri Jinadasa, a father of two, was a resident of Kaduwela, and worked at Priyantha Iron Works Ltd, in Pittugala, Kaduwela. A co-worker, Don Jeewan [...]
Coal stock position affected by rough seas, disputed tender
Unloading of coal at the Lakvijaya power plant in Norochcholai has been hampered by rough seas, worsening an ongoing delay in replenishing stocks caused by a disputed tender. The power plant should have received a fresh consignment of coal by mid-September. However, differences over the awarding of a lucrative multibillion rupee contract to a company [...]
Has VW been polluting our environment too, with its ‘not-so-clean’ software?
Sri Lanka is concerned whether embattled German carmaker Volkswagen’s diesel vehicles sold in Sri Lanka had misled local emission tests, similar to the manner in the United States where a probe is on which could result in possible fines of over US$18 billion for cheating, officials said. The Motor Traffic Department (MTD) will consult the [...]
Independent Commissions up and running by end October: CC Chairman
All appointments to the Independent Commissions, under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, are to be completed and activated by end October, said Constitutional Council (CC) Chairman Karu Jayasuriya yesterday. Evaluation of the nominees received from civil society representatives and individuals, will commence when the CC meets on October 9. The Sunday Times learns that [...]
Northern fishermen meet Minister tomorrow
Following a massive protest in Jaffna this week against Indian fishermen’s poaching in Lankan waters, a delegation of fishermen from the North is due to meet the Fisheries Minister tomorrow to voice their concerns and difficulties they are facing due to the activities of Indian trawlers, a fishermen’s organisation leader said. Jaffna Fishermen’s Association leader [...]
Govt. brakes on vehicle undervaluation and consequent revenue loss
The Finance Ministry, next week, will gazette new regulations to prevent undervaluation of vehicles that deprives the Government billions of rupees annually in revenue, said Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake. The move comes after revelations that vehicle importers deprived the Government Rs 64 billion in revenue by way of duty and taxes, during the past nine [...]
Opening of Gandhi International Centre in Matale
The Mahatma Gandhi International Centre in Matale will be declared opened on Friday, coinciding with the Indian freedom fighter’s birthday. The centre is a gift from the Indian government and is a result of the efforts of former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and Former High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Nirupama Rao, to implement the [...]
Ravi K. rings the Bills for the ‘National Govt.’
Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayaka reintroduced the Finance Act (Amendment) Bill to Parliament this week which seeks to impose a Super Gains Tax on a company or individual whose profit before tax exceeds Rs 2,000 million, the Mansion Tax and Migration Tax. This, along with six other Bills was presented to Parliament by the Finance Minister, [...]
Going beyond the Dansala Concept
At present, the trend the country is largely to ask and take, but not to give. We should not ask for everything from the Government but should rise up on our own. To get or grab and not to give has been our way of life. Some are good at giving; others are not so. [...]
Lobby payments: How the Central Bank goldmine was plundered
For three consecutive years, the Auditor General’s Department queried the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) about the millions paid in fees to foreign lobbyists, consultants and public relations agencies. The reports for 2013 and 2014 will be published within weeks, when they are tabled in Parliament. The Auditor General first raised concern in 2012 [...]
Fearless school head stood by his convictions at great risk
At the height of a ceasefire between the Tamil Tigers and the military, a school Principal in Jaffna organised a cricket match between his students and the Sri Lanka Army. He paid for it with his life. Chelliah Edwin Anandarajan was riding his scooter to a friend’s house around 5 p.m. when the LTTE stopped [...]
Mirissa attack a stab in the back for tourism
The stabbing of a British tourist and the attempted rape of his girlfriend residing in a tourist resort down south are sending ripples of concern among the authorities over the impact on the tourism industry. A 37-year-old British tourist was stabbed with a sharp knife allegedly by four men who came in a three wheeler [...]
High humidity leads to thunderstorms in south-west
In recent weeks much of the country experienced high humidity leading to uncomfortable afternoons and nights, a senior official of the Met Department reported. Duty Meteorologist Nadee Rupasinghe said that high humidity experienced from last week, fuelled the potential for scattered thunderstorms in the south-western parts of the island for the next two weeks. Thunderstorms will [...]
New committee on child abuse to hold first meeting on Oct. 8
The newly appointed Committee to look into child abuses will meet on October 8, its Chairman Minister of Law and Order and Prisons Reforms Thilak Marapana said. Two of its five members, Ministers Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Chandrani Bandara are out of the country and the committee will meet following their return, he said. Cabinet gave [...]
Seya’s killing: The endgame
A tip-off from a villager in Bemmulla, Gampaha, eventually gave the CID the breakthrough in a crime that had shocked the nation. A senior police officer said the tip-off followed by a statement from the suspect’s brother led to the arrest of the man wanted in connection with the rape and murder of four-year-old Seya [...]
President awaits Delimitation Committee report to decide on electoral system for LG polls
President Maithripala Sirisena has called for a detailed report from the Delimitation Committee (DC) before deciding on the electoral system for the upcoming Local Govt. (LG) polls should be held, a deputy minister said. This follows complaints from political parties as they do not agree on the demarcation of Wards because it benefits certain parties. “There [...]
Show concern for fellow passengers, says father of Fort station accident victim
A father who lost his 25-year-old daughter in a tragic rail accident at the Fort Railway station has called on commuters to be mindful of fellow passengers. James Joseph, an executive officer in a private company in Colombo, on Monday headed to the station, as he did daily, to board the Chilaw-bound train scheduled to [...]
Battle by committed docs against dreaded diabetes to begin
Meticulous plans have been drawn up and the stage set with many firsts by a group of committed doctors to battle the stranglehold that endocrine diseases and diabetes is gaining over Sri Lanka. The 7th annual academic sessions of the Endocrine Society of Sri Lanka (ESSL) will be inaugurated with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as [...]
Wildlife minister orders multiple probes to clean up zoo
Wildlife Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera has ordered National Zoological Gardens (Dehiwala zoo) authorities to take action within two months to address a string of short comings. The order was given following an eight-hour inspection tour by the Minister and his officials on Thursday. “I have received complaints from the people, environmentalist and several organisations about the [...]
Enter the Banana Skipper butterfly; bad news for banana farmers
Butterflies are beautiful, innocent creatures loved by all. But the larvae of the latest addition to Sri Lanka’s list of butterflies could become a pest to banana plants, warns the young butterfly enthusiast who discovered it. Tharindu Ranasinghe had observed the larvae of this butterfly, identified as Banana Skipper, for the first time, on September [...]
Shed some tears for sea-surfing Colombo crocs
Two weeks ago, the Sunday Times reported about a crocodile that took refuge in a home garden at Rawatawatte. Crocs are making news once again. This time, it is crocodiles from the sea. The buzz about the crocs began last week with somebody seeing a croc in the sea off Mount Lavinia. Since then the [...]
Wire trap kills another Hill Country leopard
Adding to the increasing number of leopard deaths, an adult male, more than 7 feet long, was found dead in Nuwara Eliya, early this week, on September 21, having fallen prey to a wire trap. The trap had been set up in Toppass village bordering the Piduruthalagala Forest Reserve and was meant to protect the [...]
LECO gets its pound of flesh
Villagers living in the vicinity of the railway crossing at Magalkanda, Ambappala Maggona this week pooled their resources and collected money to pay an unpaid electricity bill so power could be restored to the signal lights and alarm system at the crossing. This was after the electricity supply to these signal lights and bells were [...]
Parasite devastates coconut estates
A little caterpillar has become the deadly foe of coconut estate owners in the Mundalama and Mangala Eliya areas. They claim that if the problem is not tackled immediately, it has the potential to devastate not only trees in the Wayamba district, but those in the entire coconut triangle. This particular breed of caterpillar has [...]
Mobile Paddy Warehouses in areas lacking storage facilities: PMB
Government is to set up Mobile Paddy Warehouses (MPW) in areas lacking in facilities to stock paddy, said a senior official of the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB). Each MPW will be set up at a cost of Rs 2.6 million, with a capacity to stock 120 metric tons of paddy, said PMB Chairman M.B. Dissanayake. [...]
Hang the death penalty, miscarriages of justice a fact of life: CRM
The Civil Rights Movement (CRM) has opposed the resumption of judicial hangings and said the State has an obligation to calmly weigh the pros and cons of such an important issue. The CRM, in a statement, stressed the irreversible nature of the death penalty, and the danger of executing the innocent. “The integrity and reliability [...]