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Malaysian children wearing colourful traditional costumes of their states and carrying flags took the spotlight at a banquet given by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to the visiting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in Putrajaya, the federal administrative centre of Malaysia.
Undeclared monies in foreign banks can be brought home
Finance Minister says exchange control laws to be liberalised from next year The Government will allow Sri Lankans holding undeclared funds in foreign banks to transfer them to Colombo, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said yesterday. “This should not be misconstrued as a blanket amnesty. We will allow those who have earned the funds through ‘legitimate’ [...]
Container Terminal project thrown into turmoil, all seven contenders out
Five months after inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) for a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) concession for the Colombo Port’s East Container Terminal, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) has brought fresh conditions that eliminate all seven parties vying for the project. Meanwhile, Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga has submitted a separate Cabinet [...]
Conditional approval for 10,000 prefab houses in North
By Namini Wijedasa The Cabinet has granted conditional approval to French steel giant ArcelorMittal to build 10,000 prefabricated houses for the war-affected in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts, a senior official said. “It was decided that 10,000 houses could be erected in the two districts, provided that the people wanted them,” the official explained. Resettlement Minister [...]
11 killed in van-bus collision in Chavakachcheri
A trip to the North turned into a tragedy last afternoon when 11 people travelling in a van were killed in a head-on crash with a Sri Lanka Transport Board bus at Sangathani in Chavakachcheri. Police said initial investigations revealed that the driver of the van had lost control and driven straight onto the oncoming [...]
150,000 tons of paddy to private millers to stabilise rice prices: PMB
The Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) is to release some 150,000 metric tonnes of paddy stocks to private rice millers from tomorrow, as an immediate remedy to bring down the price of rice for the festive season, PMB Chairman, M.B. Dissanayaka said. “We will sell the paddy at higher prices than what we purchased at from [...]
Retired SSPs return as coordinators to improve police-people ties in NE
Three Tamil speaking retired senior police officers are to be appointed as coordinating officers as part of the Government’s move to improve relations between the Police and the people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the Police Commission said yesterday. Commission Secretary Ariyadasa Cooray said Retd. SSP Traffic K. Arasaratnam, Retd. SSP (Traffic) Ganeshanathan and [...]
Hindu group requests ferry service to attend TN pooja
A Hindu religious group, ‘Eelam Siva Senai’, has forwarded a request through Northern Governor Reginald Cooray seeking permission for a ferry service from Kankesanturai (KKS) to Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu to attend a Hindu pooja in Chidambaram. The organization requested both governments to facilitate a ferry service for Siva devotees who intend to participate in [...]
Nirmalalingam passes away
T. Nirmalalingam, a former Royal College Cricket captain, passed away yesterday in Colombo. He led the cricket team in 1954. He was the son of the late C. Thiagalingam Q.C. His funeral will be held tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the Hindu section of the General Cemetery, Kanatte. His remains lie at 3/5 Gower Street, [...]
Into the brain through the nostrils
There is purposeful concentration, while soft and soothing music plays in the background, as different teams of doctors and nurses, scrub up and move around Operating Theatre (OT) C of the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital. On the operating table is a pretty middle-aged woman, but something seems unusual with her face – it seems unduly large, [...]
Festive shopping: Glad tidings for some, not so for others
The malls in Colombo city are all decorated with baubles, tinsel, gold stars and festive music fills the air in anticipation of frenzied shopping with just one week to go for Christmas. Retailers are resorting to discounts of up to 50 per cent to entice shoppers with retailers of electronic goods and mobile phones slashing [...]
Development (Special Provisions) Bill to expedite FDI sans delays, says Malik
The Development (Special Provisions) Bill, published in the Government gazette recently, will help expedite the approval process of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) into the country without any administrative delays, said Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama. “This is to ensure that foreign investors can confidently invest in Sri Lanka without being worried [...]
O/L candidate riding pillion dies in crash
Janith Presanna (16), a student of Katugahena MMV, Matugama, was riding pillion with another friend on a motorcycle, going to his friend’s place to study, the day before the GCE (O/L) exam, when he died in an accident, a coroner’s court inquiry was told. A bull crossed the road in the dark and knocked the [...]
PSD sergeant’s death being investigated by CID
A team of officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been sent to Polonnaruwa to probe the murder of a sergeant driver attached to the Presidential Security Division (PSD). The murdered officer was attached to the personal staff of PSD Head, Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of Police S.M. Wickramasinghe. Police said his body [...]
Alleged assault of journalist at H’tota port: Govt. stays mum
Despite local protests by local journalists and condemnation by international media rights bodies, the Government remains unmoved over any action against Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne. He physically assaulted Rohan Pradeep Kumara, a provincial journalist, who was covering the strike by workers of the Hambantota Port. About ten journalists had turned up to cover [...]
NPC refers Rs. 4m fraud case to FCID
The Northern Provincial Council has referred to the Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) an internal probe on alleged misappropriation of development funds by a project engineer, Council Chairman C.V.K. Sivagnanam said. He told the Sunday Times that after a three-member committee which probed the allegations submitted its report, the council took a unanimous decision to [...]
Piyumi Fonseka takes up journalism scholarship at MASCOM, India
Piyumi Fonseka of the Daily Mirror left forMASCOM, the premier Mass Communication Academy in India last week as the recipient of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Journalism Scholarship for 2016-2017. She received the scholarship for winning the Denzil Peiris Young Reporter of the Year Award at the annual Journalism Awards for Excellence programme jointly organised by The [...]
Justice Ministry to introduce Bills safeguarding Children’s Rights
The Justice Ministry is to introduce several new Bills in the New Year to safeguard the rights of children, as well as to combat the growing number of cyber-crimes committed by the improper use of the internet and mobile devices, to harass and bully children, both sexually and otherwise. The laws against cyber-crime will be [...]
Driving under the influence of drugs poses bigger dangers than drunk driving
The large amount of narcotics flowing into the country has theTraffic Police in a dilemma on how to stem the number of people driving under the influence of narcotics. Traffic police emphasised that, although early detection of motorists driving under the influence of drugs is important, to prevent road accidents, they say they have no [...]
Battle against dengue continues as the disease rages
Despite numerous anti-dengue drives the disease continues to take its toll across the country with more than 48,000 cases reported with 77 deaths, so far for this year, the Health Ministry said. The number of dengue cases were 20,000 more than last year’s figures. Health officials warn that it may reach epidemic proportions in the [...]
Ex-bribery chief readies court challenge for long overdue payments
A former chairman of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABoC) is preparing to take the commission to the Supreme Court to recover unpaid salary arrears and to settle other anomalies. “When the courts recommence after vacation by January 9, we will file papers on charges of contempt of court and not [...]
UN shows concern over Lanka’s proposed counter-terrorism laws
The United Nations has expressed several concerns to the Government about its proposed new counter-terrorism legislation including over a clause that allows admission of confessions made without lawyers present, said Una McCauley, UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka. “There are a number of concerns that we had flagged up including the admission of confessions that [...]
Whiskered native – handle with care
In this season of giving, scientists studying biodiversity at the University of Peradeniya have offered Sri Lanka a gift that generations will want to remember – two new species of catfish endemic to the island. One specimen is scientifically named as Mystus nanus with its latin name ‘nanus’ meaning ‘dwarf’ as the fish is comparatively [...]
Curious humans take upside down view of orange-hued flyer
An attractive bat that is rearely seen, is best left alone if you find one hanging from a tree in your garden, researchers have appealed following media reports that have generated a buzz. This week, news reports said an orange colored bat had been sighted in Thalgaswewa, Kanthale at a corn farm by its owner. [...]
CMC capturing ‘cared for’ dogs saying they’re rabid: Animal Welfare Trust
The Animal Welfare Trust (AWT) alleged that the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) is picking up dogs cared for by people, saying they are rabid. In addition, the Trust claims that this creates a complete breakdown of the Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release (CNVR) plan that has thus far been making significant progress. Also, the recent Cabinet approval to build [...]
From ‘dark ages’ to conservation: Evolution of Zoos
Stark are the images portraying the dregs to which humanity can sink — diminutive pygmy Ota Benga from the Congo being “displayed” for gawking crowds in the New York Zoological Gardens, Bronx, in the United States of America (USA). While many are aware of this shocking aberration in the name of ‘ethnological exhibits’ in 1906, [...]
Lankan Penny assesses UN’s economic boost for New York
NEW YORK – The United States has had a longstanding love-hate relationship with the United Nations (UN) over the last 64 years, ever since the UN headquarters building was completed in 1952 in an 18-acre plot, which housed a former abattoir where cattle were being trucked daily for slaughter. The late Republican Senator Jesse Helms, [...]
Thalgaswala Estate workers complain of intimidation
Estate workers of the Niyagama, Thalgaswala Estate claim they are being targeted by hoodlums at the instigation of parties attempting to foist strike action at the estate. According to both workers and estate management,interested parties have been trying to whip up protests and persuade workers to come out on strike. The instigators are allegedly making [...]
Photo focus: Traffic police and confusion compounded
Reckless and dangerous driving on our roads is the realty of day-to-day life. While traffic police undoubtedly have their hands full attempting to keep errant motorists in line, there is concern that authorities aren’t doing enough to provide specific directions to motorists and thus avoid accidents and congestion. Quite often we witness police standing idly [...]
Witness in attempted murder case killed on eve of trial
On Monday (12.12.2016) a fruit seller in the Meetiyagoda area was shot dead. The vendor was due to give evidence at the Balapitiya Magistrate’s Court the following Thursday regarding an earlier attempt on his life. The victim Vipul Priyantha (45) a father of three had on an earlier occasion too, been attacked by unidentified gang [...]