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While the main political parties are going into their May Day rallies with political agendas, a worker wearing a red cap yesterday focused attention on the statue of A.E. Goonasinha, the pioneer of Sri Lanka’s labour movement. The Goonasinha statue in Pettah was being repainted with his brush on the hammer – which symbolises, Mr. [...]
Lanka seeks credit line now from Russia
Sri Lanka is seeking a credit line of US$ 300 to 400 million from Russia to buy military equipment for the armed forces and the Sri Lanka Police. The deal is to be finalised following ongoing discussions between Russian authorities and Sri Lankan embassy officials in Moscow, government sources said. Also included in the deal [...]
Warning signals on beverages from June 1
Crystal clear warnings, as obvious as the traffic-light system ingrained into our brains, will be mandatory on beverage labels from June 1. Red will indicate an excess level of sugar, amber a high-level and green a moderate level, giving the consumer the option to make an informed choice not only to ward off diseases such [...]
Education compulsory for children between 5 and 16 years
The age of compulsory school attendance has been raised from 14 to 16 years and parents who fail to send their children to school will be guilty of an offence. These regulations will come into force within the next two months and are being made under the Education Ordinance — with a vision to create [...]
Economics special graduate gets NPC job as peon
The Northern Provincial Council has received 9,460 applications for 40 vacancies for the post of Office Assistants in the council, officials said. Among the applicants were 250 graduates and of them one with an Economics Special degree has been selected as an Office Assistant. Sri Lanka’s unemployment rate increased to 4.6 percent last year from [...]
Dengue breakthrough: Lanka agrees to preventive vaccine trial
Sri Lanka is among 10 countries which will participate in a dengue vaccine development study. A Memorandum of Understanding on this research collaboration to conduct the Phase 3 Clinical Trials for DENVax was signed this week between the Health Ministry and Takeda, a research-based global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. The Clinical Trials for DENVax, [...]
Some media groups pose threat to media freedom: Ranil
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said threats to media freedom in the country are coming from media organisations themselves and there should be no room for extremism in the country. “None of us condone extremism, be it Sinhala Buddhist, Tamil, Muslim or Christian extremism. We have seen the harm extremism has done to other countries. [...]
BASL to study ETCA, comittee to be revived
After drawing criticism for its silence on the proposed Indo-Sri Lanka Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) yesterday decided to revive a committee appointed to study the proposed agreement. The decision was taken at the second council meeting presided by BASL President Geoffrey Alagaratnam PC. During the meeting [...]
Three bodies with gunshot injuries found inside a car
Three bodies with gunshot injuries were found inside a car along a lonely stretch of road covered by jungle on both sides at Vettankulama in Thurunuvila, around 3 pm yesterday, Police said. Both front and rear windows of the car had been shattered, indicating the vehicle had been fired upon from outside. Two of the [...]
26th Indo-Lanka IMBL annual meet for effective regional maritime security
The 26th International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) annual meeting between representatives of the Navies and Coastguards of Sri Lanka and India, was held on board SLNS Sagara at the Indo-Sri Lanka MBL off Kankasanthurai on Thursday, the Navy said. The Sri Lankan delegation comprised Deputy Director General of the Sri Lanka Coastguard, Commodore Kassapa Paul [...]
Wildlife ranger snared accepting Rs. 12,000 bribe
A Wildlife Ranger of the Maduruwa Oya National park was arrested yesterday for accepting a bribe of Rs. 12,000, to desist from prosecuting two fishermen engaged in illegal fishing in the reserve, said Bribery Commission Investigations Director Priyantha Chandrasiri. He said the ranger had detained some fisherman he found fishing in the Maduruwa oya reservoir. [...]
Its business as usual for all Chinese-funded projects
All Chinese-funded projects are now back on track and either completed or in the process of being completed, a senior Finance Ministry official told the Sunday Times this week. The Government has a total of 28 projects funded predominantly by Chinese loans amounting to US$ 7.671 billion, the official said. They are spread among power [...]
3 bodies with gunshot wounds found inside car
Three unidentified bodies with gunshot injuries were found inside a car at about 3 p.m. yesterday, in Thirappane, Anuradhapura. Police believe the victims had been murdered because of the gunshot wounds. It was not immediately clear as to who the individuals were and why they had been killed. The alleged assailants remained unknown and at [...]
SL will fudge HR issues due to weak political will: UK Forum
Participants at a London seminar on ‘Sri Lanka and the challenges facing it’, claimed that the President Maithripala Sirisena government lacked the political will to implement some of the worthwhile and progressive recommendations to emerge from Commissions inquiring into Human Rights (HR) issues arising from the ethnic conflict. It was also claimed that, though the [...]
SLFP factions see red on May Day over infighting
The rights of the working class on May Day today face being nudged offstage by political infighting within the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). The lead-up to today’s celebrations have been filled with speculation about who would be attending the main SLFP rally, which would be held under President Maithripala Sirisena’s leadership at Galle, and [...]
Labour hero Tampoe remembered
Trade union leaders, politicians, academics and former colleagues of Bala Tampoe will attend today’s ceremonial renaming of 22nd Lane, Kollupitiya as Bala Tampoe Lane in memory of the stalwart of the Sri Lankan workers movement who passed away in 2014. Labour Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne will take part in their naming ceremony along with the Mayor [...]
Southern Expressway: Free ride today
The Road Development Authority (RDA) announced last evening that motorists would be able to use the Southern Expressway free-of-charge from 6 a,m. today till 12 midnight in view of May Day. The main SLFP rally is in Galle today.
Roads to take and not to take
Special traffic plans have been put in place in Colombo to facilitate the processions proceeding to participate in May Day rallies, police said. Approximately 6, 500 police personnel have been deployed today with 4, 000 personnel for security purposes and 2, 500 for traffic duty. Baseline Road from Dematagoda Junction to Borella Junction and the [...]
Fight against dengue moves into powerful preventive phase
The battle against dengue is to be waged in the powerful arena of prevention, with Sri Lanka due to be part of the army which is forging ahead to confront and overcome this virulent malaise of modern times. The plans to test DENVax under Phase 3 Clinical Trials in Sri Lanka began about two years [...]
Drunk driver and Russian woman crash SUV into BMW, motorcycle in Havelock Town
A gem businessman from Wellawatta who was driving his Audi SUV under the influence of liquor crashed into an oncoming BMW and motorcycle, injuring many people in Havelock Town on Monday night (April 25) has been remanded till May 9. Police have filed charges on three counts against the suspect, identified as 30-year-old M. Fawaz: [...]
Big croc caught and dumped into lake
A huge crocodile detected in the sea off Iranawila in Chilaw has been caught and handed over to Wild Life officers who later released it into the Periya Naga Willuwa lake in the Wilpattu forest reserve last Saturday (April 23). The crocodile had been caught by some youths with great difficulty. The capture was conducted [...]
Agents warn Sri Lanka losing thousands of West Asian jobs
A controversial deal the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau (SLBFE) has entered into with a Dubai-based company to provide a new insurance cover, in addition to the existing ones, to Sri Lankan migrant workers has put the country’s West Asian job market in jeopardy. The bad news could not have come to the Government at [...]
Sri Lanka among the ‘dirty five’
A study by the US based Business Times magazine has ranked Sri Lanka among the top 20 countries that pump 80% of the global 13 tons of plastic waste into the sea. Accordingly every Sri Lankan throws 5.1 kilos of plastic and bottles. Sri Lanka has been grouped with populous nations like Indonesia, the Philippines, [...]
Train driver says doomed girls crossed only 3.5m away
The driver of the ill-fated train involved in the accident in Dehiwela where two schoolgirls were killed this week said the victims had been about 3.5m (12 feet) away from the train when he spotted them. Engine driver Nimal Peiris said the train was an S-Ceylon train (express) heading to Kalutara South on that particular [...]
Bleak place for women in male- dominated Police Dept.
Never in the history of the Sri Lanka Police Department has there ever been a woman Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, a woman Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police or a woman Inspector General of Police (IGP). Under existing procedure, there never can be. Despite thousands of women now serving in the police force [...]
Two suspects with 220 Kg Cannabis nabbed by Navagattegama Police
Two suspects with cannabis worth about Rs 40 million, from Kerala, were taken into custody by the Navagattegama Police at Wanni Amunakola. The suspects were trying to escape in a luxury car after ignoring police orders at Saliya Wewa to stop. The two suspects from Uppukulam, Mannar, were transporting cannabis from Jaffna to Colombo and [...]
Lanka, Pakistan joint op. to combat drug menace
Authorities in Sri Lanka wish to enhance cooperation with Pakistan in anti-narcotics efforts, amid mounting concern over the large quantities of heroin from that country, detected in Sri Lanka. Statistics also show that, in recent years, Pakistanis are the largest number of foreigners arrested here for heroin smuggling . The latest such arrest occurred on [...]
Photo focus: Sigiriya under siege
Visitors to Sigiriya are facing a severe threat to their safety as the rock fortress is now home to the largest number of Wasps’ nests in recorded history. A total of 19 wasps’ nests are now observed just above the stairwell of the Lion’s Paws, a sharp rise from the eight observed not too long [...]
Fears that ancient giant tanks could dry up
Thousands of villagers pray for rain as the ancient giant tanks and irrigation systems could dry up if the drought continues in the North, East and North-Central provinces, with the experts forecasting a continued need for trucked-in drinking water. Government Agents (District Secretaries) and irrigation and meteorological experts voiced the need for continued supplies of [...]
A crime is a crime even on campus, declares UGC
The University Grants Commission (UGC) of Sri Lanka wants ragging to be considered a criminal offence, as it plans to carry out a full scale anti-ragging campaign. The move follows wide-ranging discussions at a 10-day conference in Colombo on “Preventing Ragging and Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV)” with the participation of the Association of Commonwealth [...]