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Home » NewsInter-religious spirit at Ifthar
The Ifthar or break-fast meal for Ramadan was turned into an inter-religious event at Kokila Road in Wellawatte. About a thousand people from the area joined the Muslims’ Ifthar meal to end the day’s fasting.
Rs. 750 m for new airport in Puttalam
The Government will spend Rs. 750 million to construct a new airport at Palavi in Puttalam. For this purpose, the Government has decided to acquire 26 hectares of land in the area. The project is part of a programme to develop domestic airports. Earlier, Rs. 200 million was allocated to rehabilitate the Batticaloa domestic airport.
Singapore turns back Alles
Singapore last week refused entry to businessman Tiran Alles and its Immigration officials ensured he returned to Sri Lanka. Visas are stamped upon arrival and reasons for the refusal are not known. Mr Alles has been a regular visitor to Singapore. Mr Alles flew on SriLankan Airlines flight UL 308 on June 20 (Tuesday). He [...]
Tax net widens: 300 Revenue Officers to go after tax dodgers
The Government is to position Revenue Officers countrywide in a bid to widen the tax net and collect more revenue. “Some three hundred of them will be tasked to identify those eligible to pay taxes,” Treasury Secretary R.H.S. Samaratunga told the Sunday Times. He said their main task would be to ensure that proper assessments [...]
Brexit fallout: Lanka moving fast to strike deals with Britain
Sri Lanka, facing the fallout of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, is set to negotiate a new trade agreement with Britain. Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva, who played a prominent role in the Government’s ultimately failed campaign to persuade Sri Lankans in Britain to vote to remain in the EU, told the [...]
Lanka to offer Dubai-style offshore banking in Port City
Sri Lanka will offer offshore banking facilities in the proposed Financial and Business District within the Colombo Port City, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. “Legislation will be introduced soon in Parliament to create a new jurisdiction within the 575 acre area to be reclaimed,” he told the Sunday Times. A legal expert is heading [...]
Protests over move to relocate Aranayake families to a school sports ground
A move by authorities to temporarily relocate some families displaced by the landslide at Samarasa Hill in Aranayake to a sports ground of a school in the area has met with strong opposition from school officials, students and parents. A decision had been taken to house some families in temporary tents at the sports [...]
Dengue prevention programme resumes
Health authorities have resumed their fight to control the spread of dengue again in most parts of the country. Here Public Health Inspectors carryout a house to house campaign looking for Dengue breeding grounds. A scene captured in Beruwala on Saturday.
Defence Sec., predecessor scoff at use of cluster bombs claim
Defence Secretary Karunasena Kodituwakku dismissed claims that Sri Lanka’s Air Force (SLAF) had used cluster bombs during the penultimate stages of the separatist war with the Tiger guerrillas. “This type of unfounded allegations surface every time the UN Human Rights Council is in session,” he told the Sunday Times. Intelligence sources said guerilla groups in [...]
COPE to study AG’s report on Central Bank bond issue on Wednesday
The Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) will meet on Wednesday to examine the findings relating to the Central Bank bond issue, the controversy regarding which has placed the re-appointment of Central Bank Governor Arjun Mahendran in a quandary. The report of the Auditor General on the bond issue is expected to be placed before [...]
Joint Indo-Lanka venture to develop Trinco oil tanks
Sri Lanka and India will together initially develop 30 of the World War II vintage fuel storage tanks in Trincomalee, the Cabinet of Ministers decided. Eight tanks, in terms of a Government decision, have been handed over to a joint venture formed by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the Lanka-Indian Oil Plc. Ministers have [...]
Jumbo transit location hit by shortage of vets
The lack of veterinary surgeons is hampering the operations at the Ath Athuru Sevana, elephant transit location, in Uda Walawe, a key trade union representing veterinary surgeons said. Dr Suhada Jayawardena, Secretary of the Sri Lanka Veterinary Surgeons’ Association said that currently there were 59 baby elephants including 14 who had been transferred there following [...]
UPFA MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena out of ICU
UPFA Member Rohitha Abeygunawardena who was injured during a protest campaign on Friday, is recovering at a private hospital in Colombo yesterday. He was transferred from the Incentive Care Unit (ICU) to a private room in the hospital. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was among his visitors at the hospital A security official present during the [...]
Pakistani nabbed with 5 kg heroin at BIA
A Pakistani national was arrested with 5 kg of heroin at the Bandaranaike International Airport yesterday morning, on arrival from Doha, Qatar, police said. The heroin had been packed in two bags and placed in specially made fake bottoms. He had claimed the bags contained fancy items. The suspect, Roided Khan, was produced before the [...]
Police seek Interpol assistance in Gammanpila forgery case
Police is seeking Interpol assistance to question two Australian nationals who reportedly signed as witnesses to a forged affidavit allegedly used by UPFA MP Udaya Gammanpila to sell shares held in a local bank by an Australian company. The police Special Investigations Unit (SIU) will either request the witnesses to personally call over to record [...]
US$ 350 million Turkish credit line for Lanka
As Sri Lanka plans to strengthen its political and economic relations with Turkey, following the recent visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoglu, the Turk Exim Bank and the Ministry of Finance has just finalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a credit line worth US$ 350 million. At present, the Turkish investment in Sri [...]
Salawa blast victims allege cheating in compensation claims
The Salawa Armoury blast still casts a long shadow over the lives of residents whose homes were damaged by the explosion with many still awaiting compensation such as a promised Rs 50,000 monthly rental allowance. They claim the committees appointed in 12 Grama Seva divisions affected by the blasts to look after the needs of [...]
At last the RTI Bill: What they debated for 2 days
The long awaited Right to Information (RTI) Bill was unanimously approved by Parliament on Friday, after a two-day debate in which MPs of all political parties participated. The Bill provides for every citizen to have right of access to information which is in the possession, custody or control of a public authority, and is intended [...]
Questions over Muslim charity fund auditing
The recent withdrawal of Rs 1.5 million from the Muslim Charities Fund (MCF) to pay Customs duties on a consignment of imported dates has prompted questions about how monies in the kitty are being managed. Upon investigation, the Sunday Times found no evidence of the MCF having been recently audited. The Auditor General’s Department said [...]
Civil society organisations come out strongly against the Govt.
Civil society organisations which supported the candidacy of Maithripala Sirisena at the last Presidential Election, this week issued a strong warning to the Government that it was taking a path leading the country away from the ideals that inspired the ‘political revolution’ of January 8, 2015. Their concerns were highlighted in no uncertain terms at [...]
War Heroes’ ‘Virusara’ Privilege Card’s 2nd phase launch tomorrow
The second phase of the ‘Virusara’ Privilege Card (PC) project launched by the Ministry of Defence and the Ranaviru Seva Authority will be launched tomorrow (27) at a ceremony at the Hingurakgoda Rajarata Maha Vidyalaya. ‘Virusara’, a brainchild of State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene, affords recognition to war heroes by assisting them and their [...]
Destroying breeding grounds vital to curb dengue: Study
As the number of men, women and children hit by dengue sky-rocket, the urgent need is to keep re-visiting the potential mosquito breeding grounds and destroying them in a concerted campaign to prevent this viral disease. This is the strong plea from the National Coordinator for the Dengue Control Programme, Dr. Hasitha Tissera who has [...]
Dengue epidemic looms with spiralling costs
The deadly dengue fever is raising its head again with experts warning that it may reach epidemic proportions in the coming months, claiming more lives and claiming a high economic toll with each dengue patient costing Rs. 50,000-60,000 a day to treat in intensive care. So far for this year, 24 deaths have been reported [...]
Stay connected: New e-NIC makes verification easy
State institutions and banks will have access to ‘selected data’ to verify the identity of citizens when they make use of the new electronic national identity card that will replace the existing identity card introduced more than 40 years ago. Sarath Kumara, Commissioner General of the Department of Registration of Persons, said certain information on [...]
Mangroves are a natural barrier against marine depredation: Expert
It was a fascination with scuttling mud-crabs (Scylla) with their vicious pincer-claws and their shells sporting anything from a deep mottled green to a dark brown that led him to mangroves, a love of which has persisted over the years. Not being satisfied with just studying mangroves, Dr. Donald Macintosh has become a strong advocate, [...]
High Court releases former Magistrate on bail with stiff conditions
The Colombo High Court released on bail former Colombo Additional Magistrate Thilina Gamage on special reasons of being a judicial officer and considering his assisstance given to the CID during the inquiry, cancelling the Gangodawila magistrate’s order which had earlier released him on bail. Gamage was a suspect in a Magesterial inquiry for allegedly possessing [...]
Cases against VAT: Interim relief on July 11
The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to hear five fundamental rights pleas filed against the increase of Value Added Tax (VAT) and against the tax threshold and re-imposition of the Nation Building Tax (NBT) on the electricity and telecommunication sectors. The Bench comprising Chief Justice K. Sripavan and Justice Buwaneka Aluvihare decided to fully hear [...]
Proliferation of illicit firearms triggers crime wave
Three days ago, a man was shot dead in broad daylight opposite the Mahara Magistrate’s Court. There were dozens of witnesses. Two weapons, a T-56 and a 9mm pistol, were used in a gruesome murder which showed illicit weapons are still in circulation. On June 17, a second General Amnesty (GA) of the Government for [...]
Younger trishaw drivers the most dangerous
Most three-wheeler accidents involve younger drivers in an unregulated industry filled with inept and unruly drivers and an unacceptably high death toll, officials said. Despite there being 900,000 three-wheelers operating around the country – half of them in Colombo city – there is no regulatory body for this transport service. Last year, three-wheeler accidents totalled [...]
Photo focus: Garbage and the city
Ever mounting mounds of garbage continue to appear in different parts of the city and the authorities do not seem to have a clue as to how the problem could be tackled. The issue of garbage disposal is not confined to the Colombo city and its outskirts alone. Other areas of the country including Kandy, [...]