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Home » NewsPresidential concerns ignored, no brakes on tyre empire
Business tycoon Nandana Lokuwithana started clearing the 100-acre plot in the Wagawatte Industrial Zone in Horana this week, despite still not signing the lease agreement for the land with the Board of Investment. Mr. Lokuwithana proposes to set up a tyre factory there with a US$ 75 million investment. However, the deal being negotiated for [...]
Bond issues: AG hits out at Finance Minister
Claims impatient and unethical reminders for reports on bonds from 2008 to 2016 By Chandani Kirinde The Auditor General has accused the Finance Minister of being impatient and unethical in seeking from him a report on the accounts of the Public Debt Department of the Central Bank on bond issues for eight years. Though the [...]
Monk’s petition on eve of bond debate in House
A Buddhist monk appointed by the Finance Ministry to the Lanka Hospitals’ (Apollo) Board of Directors has filed a fundamental rights (FR) petition challenging the report of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) on the bond issue — just days before Parliament debates the matter. The petitioner, Ven Thiniyawala Palitha Thera, is claiming that the [...]
Traffic offences: Committee proposes revised fines
By Kasun Warakapitiya Thirty five traffic offences for which fines should be increased have been identified by a review committee, its chairman and Transport Ministry Secretary Nihal Somaweera said. He said the recommendations would be submitted to Transport Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva before taking them up for discussion with stakeholders. The committee has proposed [...]
CEB engineers oppose China power plant in H’tota
By Namini Wijedasa China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), the company that built the coal-power plant in Norochcholai, has proposed to set up a liquefied natural gas (LNG) power station in Hambantota as a Government-to-Government project. But Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) engineers have opposed the idea saying there is no provision in the country’s Long-Term Generation [...]
Lankans also lock horns over T’ Nadu Jallikattu row
By Chris Kamalendran Sri Lankan animal rights activists have come out strongly against local groups which are calling on the Tamil Nadu Government to lift a ban on the bull-taming sport popularly known as ‘Jallikattu’. The move came as local groups, mostly in the northern and eastern provinces staged protests to show solidarity with Tamil [...]
One killed in expressway accident
A 57-year-old man was killed and six were wounded when a van stalled on the Southern Expressway was hit by a container truck early yesterday near Kurunduga Hethekma in Thalawa, Police said. The van had stalled on the left lane of the expressway due to a mechanical problem when the container hit the van, throwing [...]
Project to develop 152 acres around Beira Lake to begin next month
Initial preparations for the development of 152 acres around the Beira Lake with mixed development projects and hotels, will get off the ground next month, Megapolis and Western Development Ministry Secretary Nihal Rupasinghe said. Mr. Rupasinghe said the project will begin by clearing the waterways by blocking illegal water outlets and sewerage lines into the [...]
Trunk trouble for jumbo
A tusker who frequents the Sithulpauwa Rajamaha Viharaya in Kataragama had to go without food or water for over two days after its trunk got stuck in its tusk. However, Veterinary surgeon Dr. Ananda Dharmakeerthi and his team helped the animal to retrieve its trunk and all was well. Pic by Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.
Private power augments dwindling hydropower as drought worsens
 As Sri Lanka enters a period of prolonged drought, the strain on the country’s electricity grid continues to mount. Authorities, alarmed at the rapidly worsening situation, announced a variety of measures throughout the past week, aimed at conserving electricity and connecting more power to the national grid. With the capacity of hydropower reservoirs at 32.8%, [...]
Rains to continue, up to 100mm, till Tuesday: Met Dept
Most parts of the country received rain yesterday, with more showers forecast during the next few days, but not sufficient to overcome the present arid conditions, said the Meteorology (Met) Dept. Met. Dept Deputy Director, Anusha Warnasuriya said the rains will remain throughout the week and will become heavier until Tuesday. She explained that, though [...]
Special exposition of the Tooth Relic planned for ‘International Vesak Day’
 The possibility of holding a special exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic for the benefit of the 550- strong international delegation which will be arriving in Kandy on 14 May to commemorate International Vesak Day declared by the United Nations is being explored. The two Maha Vihare’s -Asgiri and Malwatte- indicated that there could be [...]
Methods in the madness that are threewheelers: Police
Police have launched a campaign to educate threewheeler drivers on the new regulations which have been gazetted and will be implemented soon, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (Traffic) Palitha Fernando told the Sunday Times. DIG Fernando said they will advise trishaw drivers who use inappropriate lights, sound setups and horns, to remove them. Under [...]
SLPI conducts RTI awareness programme in Uva
As part of its ongoing, countrywide Right to Information (RTI) awareness programme, the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) this week, conducted a training programme in Sinhala and Tamil for provincial journalists in the Uva Province. The sessions were held on January 18 at Hotel Malindi Inn, Badulla. The programme had 45 participants from the Bandarawela [...]
SLWJA postcard campaign to President to probe ‘crimes against journalists’
The Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA) will launch a campaign to send postcards to President Maithripala Sirisena, requesting the appointment of a Presidential Commission to investigate murders, assaults and abductions of journalists, as well as attacks on media institutions. The campaign will kickoff at 11 am next Tuesday (24) at the Sri Lanka Foundation [...]
Police to interview Musaeus officials in auditorium fire probe
A team of officers from the Cinnamon Gardens Police are expected to visit Musaeus College, Colombo soon and interview school officials, as part of the probe into last November’s fire at the College . On Monday (16), Cinnamon Gardens Police informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate that, according to the report submitted by the Government Analyst’s [...]
EUSL closes as 1st-Year students occupy Senate demanding hostel facilities
Academic activities at the Eastern University of Sri Lanka (EUSL) have been suspended until further notice, since Friday (20), due to student unrest. Authorities decided to close the university when 1st-year undergraduates demanding hostel facilities within the University premises, occupied the University Senate building since Thursday, demanding a resolution to the issue. The Registrar of [...]
Horana Tyre BOI project rolls on despite concerns raised by President
Controversial businessman Nandana Lokuwithana has begun clearing the land in Horana where he proposes to set up a tyre factory, even before the lease agreement with the Board of Investment (BOI) is signed. Meanwhile, President Maithripala Sirisena has sent a note via the Prime Minister’s office to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) flagging [...]
‘Facebook school’ project: Youth go beyond mere ‘likes’
A group of youth from Moratuwa who communicated via Facebook collected funds and built a classroom for a rural school in Theladinnanwala, Dambulla. This positive story comes at a time when there are increasing complaints of Facebook misuse. Chalana Kushan along with his friends who took the initiative, termed ‘Facebook school’ collected Rs.1.1 m. and [...]
Dengue prepares nasty surprise for health officials
Thousands of people are still falling victim to dengue and infections will worsen this year surpassing last year’s record tally, officials warn. So far this year, 1,311 infections have been reported to the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health. Most of the cases are from Colombo, Jaffna, and Galle. Dengue infections last year reached [...]
LIOC won’t release tanks, CPC spends Rs. 1b to build four tanks
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is to set up four fuel storage tanks at a cost of more than Rs. 1 billion. These tanks to be set up in Muthurajawela off Wattala are needed in view of a delay in securing the release of three tanks leased out to the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) [...]
Powerful figures laying claim to precious lands
In the dead of night, dark deeds involving lands are happening in Dandugama in Ja-Ela and the Government remains impotent. Even politicians who are trying to find out about corrupt activities are feeling threatened. For more than one-and-a-half years, a wetland off the main Negombo road is continuing to be filled up at night. A [...]
Many firsts in research flow forth from the IBMBB
Nestling among the respected and staid halls of learning sprawling across the campus that is the University of Colombo, there is an L-shaped four-storey building adjacent to the College House in Colombo 3. It may very well be the ‘youngest’ among the other ‘giants’ occupying the area, but from its portals have flowed forth groundbreaking [...]
Move to heat Nuwara Eliya hotel room with barbecue grill ends in death
An attempt to keep warm by lighting a barbecue grill inside a Nuwara Eliya Hotel room proved fatal to a 40-year-old father of two last week. The victim, identified as W.R. Nalinda Priyadarshana, a resident of Bogamua, Yakkala, had succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning from the release of toxic fumes from the grill, an inquiry [...]
Situation critical: One million cry for water to drink
An estimated one million Sri Lankans are staring in the face of disaster as once again drought threatens their lives across the island. Farmers are accusing irrigation and agriculture officials of being unprepared for what is an annual occurrence. In some areas of the island, violence is being feared over access to drinking water. Some [...]
Misery in Mannar for villagers who fled the clutches of terror
There is no water to drink, no land to build homes, no jobs and very little hope. This is the situation facing hundreds of displaced people who returned to Mannar to find their lives have gone from bad to worse. Many families fled Mannar in the Northern Province in fear of Tamil terrorism 26 years [...]
Drones – a handy tool in trained, trusted hands
When police seized a drone that recorded the Hambantota port protests last week, it renewed the debate on whether to welcome this ‘new kid on the block’ or to ‘rope him tightly’. While few view drones as a menace, their applications in different fields can open up new opportunities that had not been previously thought [...]
Small creatures of Moragahakanda get a helping hand
Operations to rescue and relocate small wild creatures trapped by the waters of the Moragahakanda reservoir are continuing. Filling of water at the reservoir began on January 11. Department of Wildlife Conservation officers with support from volunteers began rescuing wildlife species that had been trapped by the rising waters. “Giant squirrels, squirrels, wild cats, reptiles, [...]
Fhoto focus: China reaches out to Aranayake homeless
Eight months after the devastating landslide at Samasara Hill in Aranayake, Kegalle, which killed 127 persons, many of those displaced still continue to languish in several temporary camps. According to statistics provided by the Aranayake Pradeshiya Sabha, the displaced are accommodated in two camps. 571 displaced families live in temperory shelters at one camp, while [...]