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With coconut prices soaring as high as Rs. 100, people are compelled to buy half a coconut or even less. The coconut is scraped and sold to them in spoon measures. With the increase in the price of cooking gas, the prices of other items have also gone up raising the price of a packet [...]
Less than 50 percent chance for
Prospects of holding Provincial Council elections next year were “less than 50 percent,” Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya said yesterday. The reason: The proposed Delimitation Committee under the new Provincial Council Elections (amendment ) Law would have to finish its task of carving out electorates. Thereafter, he said, the entire process would have to be [...]
Probe on alleged moves by Australian company to bribe Sirisena’s official in 2009
Australian media reported this week that the World Bank had banned five subsidiaries of one of the country’s iconic engineering companies for allegedly making “inappropriate payments” to secure contracts in foreign countries, including Sri Lanka where an official working for the then Minister Maithripala Sirisena is said to have demanded ‘political donations’. The media reports [...]
60 Katugastota cops transferred over missing IB, rise in crime
Sixty Katugastota police officers, including inspectors and sub inspectors, have been transferred and two officers interdicted following the mysterious disappearance of the Information Book and failure to curb crime in the area. Police sources said the book contained entries regarding drug-related crimes and the loss of the book had affected follow-up action by the ASP [...]
eNIC info: Petition to SC on invasion of privacy
The Supreme Court has been petitioned against the Government’s new regulations to create an electronic database allowing the Commissioner General for the Registration of Persons “virtually unrestricted access to any information concerning any citizen recorded with any public authority”. The regulations mandate the Commissioner General to maintain a national register in respect of each application [...]
Petrol prices to go up; CPC says will follow LIOC
Fuel prices are set to increase soon, a senior government official cautioned yesterday. This follows a decision by the Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC) to increase its prices shortly, citing ‘heavy losses’ and fluctuating crude oil prices in the international market. A senior Finance Ministry official said last night that the Government had not taken [...]
Mihin Lanka liquidated, SriLankan floats fresh restructuring plan
Ten years after it was set up as a budget airline, Mihin Lanka is being liquidated. The Auditor General has closed its books and a final annual general meeting is to be held. Liquidation is a process by which a company’s existence is brought to an end. “Now we have a directive from the Government [...]
House to debate new Constitution’s Interim Report from Oct.30-Nov.1
Parliament will debate in late October, the Interim Report (IR) of the Steering Committee (SC) appointed to formulate proposals for a new Constitution, which was submitted by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe when the Constitutional Assembly (CA) met in mid-September. The dates for the debate have been fixed for Oct.30, 31 and Nov.1, the Sunday Times [...]
Parents charge class teacher beat their children for not solving math problem
A group of grade one students of Wawinna Junior School at Wattegama Kandy were allegedly beaten by their class teacher for failing to solve a math problem, parents of some of the students told the Sunday Times. A mother of a six-year old said that her daughter’s back was swollen and had marks of the [...]
Four senior Customs officers face HC trial for alleged Rs. 125m bribe
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has filed indictments at the Colombo High Court against four senior Customs officials accused of taking a Rs.125 million bribe. Fourteen indictments were filed on Friday against the four officials, who are accused of demanding and receiving the bribe from a vehicle spare parts businessman. [...]
50,000 brick houses for NE war-affected: Govt. calls for tenders
The Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation has called tenders for 50,000 permanent brick-and-mortar type houses for conflict-affected families in the North and East. Cabinet has granted approval for the houses based on a memorandum submitted by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Ministry comes under the purview of President Maithripala Sirisena. “Action was taken to [...]
Uma Oya final phase resumes
The final phase of the controversial Uma Oya project is to be started this month with the completion scheduled in six months, a senior official said. Megapolis Ministry Secretary Nihal Rupasinghe, who has been appointed as special consultant to the project, told the Sunday Times they would be handing over a report next week to [...]
UNHRC Officials on high profile visits here in next 3 months
There will be two high profile visits to the country by United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) officials within the next three months. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-recurrence will visit from Oct.10-23, while the Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions will visit from Dec.4-15. The two [...]
Prof. Pattiaratchi guides groundbreaking ‘Challenger’ ocean glider back home
Like a father awaiting the return of a beloved son, he has agonised over the journey, guiding it home around noon yesterday in choppy seas off Mirissa in the south, after a few days of delay due to the inclement weather. Prof. Charitha Pattiaratchi recovered the ‘Challenger’ ocean glider by travelling 40km from the coast [...]
Health Minister and SLMC hold decisive meeting on Minimum Standards for Medical Education
A decisive and cordial meeting on the Minimum Standards for Medical Education was held on Thursday between Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), the Sunday Times learns. This was while in a separate development on Friday, the Supreme Court granted leave to the SLMC to proceed with its appeal [...]
CCD hunts for more Rohingya refugee shelter attackers
The Colombo Crime Division (CCD) is hunting for more suspects allegedly involved in the violence that took place opposite a Mt Lavinia house which served as a shelter for Rohingya asylum seekers from Myanmar. Two suspects, a male and a female, had been taken into custody in connection with the incident, as of yesterday (30). [...]
Speaker leads parliamentary delegation to US
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya is currently leading a multiparty parliamentary delegation on an official visit to Washington D.C. This morning (September 28) they met with the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Paul Ryan at the U.S. Capitol. The visiting multiparty delegation includes Minister of Transport & Civil Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva, State [...]
Putting an end to violence against children must be a priority
Sri Lanka’s National Children Day, celebrated today 1 October, marks an important moment to not only celebrate the joy, vibrancy and innocence of childhood, but to look closely at how we are preparing our next generation for their future, and this nation for its next generation. Irrespective of if you are a parent, a grandparent, [...]
Gampaha District tops interest in Right to Information Act
Gampaha District recorded the highest level of interest from people seeking more about RTI, according to the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI). The District was followed by Colombo, Anuradhapura and Kurunegala. This was revealed during a presentation held at the SLPI on Thursday (28) to mark ‘International Right to Know Day.’ The SLPI had been [...]
Girl, 18, and driver accused of peddling teen to nightclub
An 18-year-old girl and the driver of a nightclub in Colombo will be charged with child trafficking for luring a 15-year-old girl into the sex trade. The Welikada Police said that the 15-year-old girl was found dancing in a nightclub six days after she left her parent’s house in Dummalasooriya. She had been lured away [...]
Govt imports rice despite private sector claims of declining demand
While private sector rice importers claim the demand for imported rice in the market is declining, the Govt is going ahead with its imports, and the first stock of rice is expected to reach the country by the second week of this month. Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) Chairman Mohammed Rizwan Hameem said they have reached [...]
Special sitting for 70th Anniversary of 1st democratically elected Parliament
Tuesday, Oct.3 will be a special day for the country’s Legislature, as it holds a session to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the First democratically elected Parliament of the country. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Leader of the Opposition R. Sampanthan will move the Vote Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of Parliamentary Democracy in Sri Lanka, [...]
Bribery Com. takes four senior Customs officers to High Court for alleged Rs. 125m bribe
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has filed indictments at the Colombo High Court against four senior Customs officials accused of taking a Rs.125 million bribe. Fourteen indictments were filed on Friday against the four officials, who are accused of demanding and receiving the bribe from a vehicle spare parts businessman. [...]
Two million face hunger, lack of water, and rising debts in worsening drought
More than two million Sri Lankans are crying out for a drink of water and food and incomes to sustain themselves in a worsening drought that continues to cause large-scale human misery in at least 20 out the 25 districts. Sate assistance is minimal in terms of food and water aid, while international organisations are [...]
Chronic Kidney Disease grips NCP as Dialysis prolongs the inevitable
Four hours a day, three days a week, 60-year-old D. Gunatillake spends his time hooked onto a Dialysis machine at the Padaviya Base Hospital (PBH). It’s been his weekly routine for the past six months, since he was detected with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Gunatillake and seven others fill the Haemodialysis Unit of the PBH [...]
New vehicle regulations from today to protect Galle Fort
New measures will be put into place from today, to protect the Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Galle Heritage Foundation chairman Channa Daswatte said regulations passed in 2009 for the protection of the site would be operational from today. The foundation comes under the purview of the Law and Order and Southern Development [...]
Three-wheeler operators ticked off over fare meter costs
Fare meters for three-wheelers are likely to be introduced in about two months following talks with suppliers and road safety officials, but operators are not pleased with the heavy costs involved. Eleven manufacturers will have talks with officials of the National Council for Road Safety on Monday. The council said fare meters will be introduced [...]
Customs strikes it lucky on Sept. 21
Contraband amounting to nearly Rs. 170 million was seized at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) during the past two weeks alone as Customs officials made a string of major detections, with September 21 turning out to be their luckiest day. Most of the cases involved gold and foreign currency, according to figures obtained by the [...]
Simple changes can protect your heart
As World Heart Day was celebrated on Friday, with the aim of cutting premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 25% in 2025, Sri Lanka will make a concerted effort to meet this target. “CVD is the main cause of death and this is why the World Heart Federation is set on reducing its incidence,” said the [...]
Cooking gas duopoly puts housewives, restaurants on the burner
Homemakers are incensed at the increase in the price of cooking gas and so are the commercial users. A 12.5 kilogram Litro gas cylinder would cost Rs 1,431 in Colombo, up by Rs 110 from this week. The same applies to a Laugfs gas cylinder. The Consumer Affairs Authority, took the decision in favour of [...]
The attack on the Rohingya Refugee safe house: We must hang our collective heads in shame
The unseemly incident at the UNHCR safe house at Mt. Lavinia last week where the 30 Rohingya refugees had been located highlights the fact that the seeds of racism planted during the time of the previous regime have still not been uprooted. Apart from the fact that the purveyors of hate like Sinhala Ravaya, Ravana [...]
Pick of the Pix
Pix by Athula Devapriya, M.A.Pushpa Kumara, Indika Handuwala,Priyantha Wickramarachchi and Gamini Mahadura
A Sri Lanka-made biohybrid car
The Chief Engineer at the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) has built a bio hybrid car, using mainly recycled material. He claims the vehicle can travel up to 30 km once fully charged. Saman Ariyaratne (52) said he built the vehicle during his spare time and it took him about 1 1/2 months [...]
Inhuman and brutish: Crime against schoolgirl Vidya planned for porn mafia
The brutal gang rape and murder of Punkuduthivu schoolgirl Vidya was well planned, masterminded abroad and the crime was committed in a very inhuman way, observed the trial-at-bar which sentenced seven of the nine accused to hang. Wednesday’s unanimous judgment of the first ever trial-at-bar in Jaffna received widespread welcome from the public who were [...]
Orphaned elephants may follow Dehiwela animals in night visits experiment
Pinnawela elephant herds are likely to have visitors at night. The Department of the Zoological Gardens plans to take the night zoo idea to the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, a senior Zoological Department official said. It will depend on the success at the National Zoological Gardens of Dehiwela which opened for night visits last week, the [...]