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Home » NewsFarmers in the boiling pot
Like the tale of two cities, these contrasting pictures show the plight of our paddy farmers. In Puttalam (above), hit by a drought, a farmer is seen allowing his cattle to eat the paddy plants because there is no rain. The other picture (top) at Trincomalee, paddy millers are seen loading their lorries with rice [...]
Rice imports continue despite bumper harvest
A glut of rice, the result of a bumper harvest, has not prevented the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to go ahead with more imports. The move has caused concerns for the Department of Agriculture, which has made recommendations to the Agriculture Ministry on the situation and sought its intervention. Agriculture Department Acting Director General [...]
Lanka debt burden Rs 417,913 per person
Sri Lanka’s debt had gone up to Rs. 417,913 a person by the end of 2016, a jump of nearly Rs 45,000 within a year, the Auditor General has reported. By the end of December 2015, the per person debt had stood at Rs 373,462 . This had increased by Rs. 44,451, representing an increase [...]
Air Force seeks runway access and land at Mattala
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is seeking access to a runway at the Mattala International Airport to be used in case of emergency and for national security purposes, a senior official said. The SLAF is also seeking a block of airport land to be used by the military in case a need arises, the [...]
Govt. fast tracks OMP operation before UNHRC sessions
Ahead of United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) sessions scheduled to begin next week, the Government has decided to fast track some of the key commitments it made to the international community. These include bringing into full operation the work of the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) and introducing legislation to make enforced disappearances a [...]
Ranil to continue as PM, Cabinet reshuffle today
The two-week long tug of war between partners in the coalition Government is set to end today when President Maithripala Sirisena swears in a new Cabinet with Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister. The new ministers have been informed to be present at the Presidential Secretariat at 11 a.m. today for the swearing in ceremony. This [...]
Power Ministry to set up artificial rain department
A separate department specialising in producing artificial rain is to be set up at the Ministry of Power and Energy, Deputy Minister Ajith Perera said. He said the purpose of setting up this unit was to maintain the water level in hydropower reservoirs and to provide relief to the agriculture sector during droughts. The deputy [...]
Feast of St. Anthony’s Church in Katchatheevu Island draws Indian and local crowds
Thousands of Catholic devotees from Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu in India took part in the annual feast of St. Anthony’s Church in Katchatheevu Island yesterday. Some 1,920 devotees from Tamil Nadu and over 4,000 locals from various parts of the island participated in the ceremonies. The festival which saw the two countries’ fisher folk [...]
Road closure today for Ironman 70.3
Colombo Fort, Kollupitiya, Bambalapitiya and Wellawatte areas will experience travel restrictions today (25) due to Ironman, an International Triathlon taking place in Colombo, Police said. According to a Police announcement, Chaitya Road in Fort, Galle Face Centre Road, Galle Road till Kollupitiya junction, Kollupitiya Railway Station Road and Marine Drive up to Wellawatte, will see [...]
Pay hike for CJ, Superior Court Judges
Parliament will shortly approve a salary hike for the Chief Justice and the Judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. The Cabinet of Ministers on February 20, granted approval for the pay hike, in keeping with the Cabinet Memorandum submitted by President Maithripala Sirisena, to revise the salaries and allowances of the [...]
Last rites of Ramanna Nikaya Anunayake Thera
The cremation of the Anunayaka of the Ramanna Nikaya the Ve-nerable Girambe Ananda Thera took place at the Harischandra Playground in Anuradapura last evening. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was among those who attended the funeral. Pic by Manula Wickrama
German-based MiCT absolved of wrongdoing in Jaffna University programme
Right of Reply The Media in Cooperation & Transition (MiCT) based in Germany, has drawn reference to a news item titled ‘Private media training institute allegedly used Jaffna Uni name for its programmes’, published in the Sunday Times of January 28, 2018. The MiCT said the name of Jaffna University had not been misused, as [...]
New brooms in CMC gung ho on sweeping clean
After a lapse of more than two years, elected representatives will be back in charge of managing the City’s affairs, once the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) conducts its inaugural session in a few weeks. With 119 members, the CMC is the country’s largest Local Government (LG) body. The increase of members from 55 under the [...]
Police nab law breakers in dawn exercise
Police arrested 2,564 persons islandwide during a special police operation carried in the early hours of Saturday, police said. The operation took place between 2 and 6 in the morning with the participation of 16,256 police personnel. During the operation, which was ordered by the Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundra, drunk drivers, wanted criminals, [...]
Pedro Tea Estate manager makes police complaint against squatters
A police complaint has been filed against a group of squatters who have illegally occupied land belonging to the Pedro Tea Estate in Nuwara Eliya soon after the Local Government Election. The squatters who had moved into a section of the tea estate and erected temporary sheds are refusing to leave. Estate Manager Anura Senanayake [...]
Hospital woes
In addition to suffering broken limbs and other Orthopaedic problems these patients who flock to the Polonnaruwa Hospital Orthopaedic clinic seeking treatment are forced to stay out in the open due to lack of space. Pic by Karu Gamage
Central Bank yet to rule on EAP Group sale
While senior officials of a Malaysian company, brokering a deal to buy the crisis-hit EAP Group, were in Colombo last week for further discussions, the Central Bank (CB) said they are yet to reach a decision on the sale of the two Finance companies owned by the group. The EAP Group has been in negotiations [...]
Dappula De Livera P.C. appointed Solicitor General
Dappula De Livera P.C. was appointed Solicitor General this week. SG De Livera who served as Senior Additional SG was promoted by the Public Service Commission, on the recommendation of Attorney General (AG) Jayantha Jayasuriya P.C. He succeeds Suhada Gamlath who retired as SG last week. SG De Livera will also function as Acting AG [...]
UN Rep. in SL, Una McCauley passes away
The UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka, Una McCauley passed away, the UN office in Colombo said yesterday. A statement from the UN office said, Ms McCauley, 54, was on medical leave, undergoing treatment. “As the first female UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Ms McCauley was a bold, inspiring and [...]
CA judge petitions SC, says Bribery Com. has no power to review AG’s opinion
Justice A.H.M.D. Nawaz, Judge of the Court of Appeal, has filed papers in the Supreme Court, through his Attorney Sanjeewa Kaluarachchi, seeking Writs of Certiorarai and Prohibition under Article 140 of the Constitution on the ground, among others, that the Bribery Commission has no power or authority to review or call in question an opinion [...]
‘Not consulted’ on new police database
The new police database on reported violence against women and children has come under attack by experts who say the programme lacks transparency and was designed in isolation. Prof. Savithiri Gunasekera, an expert on the rights of women and children, said the system was incomplete. While welcoming a database that would comprehensively contain information on [...]
A training exercise that ended a life
“Mata godak amarui, hisa pelenna wage.” Those were the final words, “I’m in a lot of agony, my head feels as if it will burst”, that Thilakaratne Abeysinghe heard from his beloved Sudu Hamine. It was around 7.45 on the night of February 17 and when he saw her next, she was dead. His Sudu [...]
Farmers versus millers: Rice price fight brewing again
Once again, this harvest season, paddy farmers are at the mercy of private millers who have begun descending on the districts and as usual the Paddy Marketing Board, which is under the Rural Economic Affairs Minister P Harrison, is unable to buy the entire produce of the country. Farmers also complain that the PMB is [...]
Alarm over likely backdoor entry of women cronies to local councils
Women activists and civil society organisations have expressed serious concerns that the additional nomination list or second nomination list, which would be decided by political party hierarchy and independent group leaders, would lead to unelected candidates and cronies of politicians being nominated through the back door at the expense of the quota for women in [...]
NMRA raids on pharmacies yield Rs. 3.6 million in fines
The Government earned Rs. 3.6 million in fines last year from pharmacies which sold or had in their possession banned, smuggled or abusive drugs, officials said. Prosecution in magistrates’ courts following some 70 raids carried out by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) across the country last year, the pharmacy owners paid Rs. 3,692,500 as [...]
Bus blast: Govt. Analyst report in two weeks, Military Court findings in a few days
The army officer who allegedly carried the grenade that exploded on board the Diyathalawa, Hebarawa bound bus was seated between two other army officers– a Military Police officer on his left and a fellow army officer on his right, preliminary police investigations have revealed. According to Police, the Military Police Officer, an eyewitness to the [...]
Double mistakes led to murder
A case of mistaken identity and a house owner’s failure to check the credentials of his tenant led to his murder by underworld gang members who also shot his wife. Christy Fernando Warnakulasuriya, 51, who was suffering from a nervous disorder, and his wife, Karunawathi Perera, were fast asleep at their home in Batapotha, Thalangama [...]
City of Kandy could be beautified at minimal cost: UN expert
Professor Marcos Finka, Director of the Center for Excellence of the European Union and a member of the Panel of Experts with UN Habitat (the United Nations Human Settlements Programme) in an interview with the Sunday Times said ‘Kandy is an enchanting City and could be beautified with little expense via co-operation with the business [...]
Severe heat levels next week; expert raises alarm over sports events
Be “extremely cautious” of outdoor activities next week as the rising heat levels could cause people to go into a heatstroke. This is the warning from Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Ajith Amarasinghe in the light of many sports meets and cricket matches compelling children to be out in the heat. “Humidity levels in Colombo are around [...]
Pedro Tea Estate manager lodges police complaint against squatters
A police complaint has been filed against a group of squatters who have illegally occupied land belonging to the Pedro Tea Estate in Nuwara Eliya soon after the Local Government Election. The squatters who had moved into a section of the tea estate and erected temporary sheds are refusing to leave. Estate Manager Anura Senanayake [...]
Feast of St. Anthony’s Church in Katchatheevu Island draws Indian and local crowds
Thousands of Catholic devotees from Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu in India took part in the annual feast of St. Anthony’s Church in Katchatheevu Island yesterday. Some 1,920 devotees from Tamil Nadu and over 4,000 locals from various parts of the island participated in the ceremonies. The festival which saw the two countries’ fisher folk [...]
Electoral reform process must be handled carefully to avoid instability at parliamentary elections
The results of local council elections have not been officially released as yet although two weeks have elapsed since polling closed. Clearly there are many challenges posed by the new election laws which have left the Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya exhausted. He publicly declared that he needed a one month vacation to recover from [...]
Pick of the Pix
Pix by Indika Handuwala, Amila Gamage, Sameera Weerasekera, Shelton Hettiarachchi, Gamini Mahadura and Sarath Siriwardana
A textbook case of inefficiency at Education Ministry
Shakila’s son, Thirunaka, entered Grade 5 this year excitedly expecting new school textbooks or at least used books in satisfactory condition but found that she and her son were victims of the mess caused by printing delays of schoolbooks. “Thirunaka’s school [in a Colombo suburb] said that because there was a shortage of textbooks it [...]
Questions mount over police arrest procedures in wake of recent deaths
The case of a youth who died while allegedly trying to evade arrest by police has again raised concerns over the apparent failure of officers to follow basic procedure. When the body of 20-year-old Nalinda Kasun was found in a Piliyandala canal on February 17, angry relatives and area residents blamed the Kahathuduwa Police for [...]
Our vanishing zebra-crossings
In December, 2016, the Road Development Authority (RDA) commenced an ambitious programme to change the colour of all zebra-crossings country-wide from yellow to white. The project was scheduled to commence in Colombo and later move to other areas. Over a year later, the project has ended up another abysmal failure. What’s worse, is that the [...]
Top European cybercrime buster shares strategies with Lankan experts
In a bid to hone the skills of the Sri Lanka Police Department in tackling cybercrimes and to develop related common standards and operating procedures, a top European expert was here on an advisory mission last week. Catching up with the Sunday Times, during his brief stay in Colombo, Virgil Spiridon, Head of Operations of [...]
British cannons discovered at Trinco construction site
Two more cannons dating back to the British period have been unearthed at a construction site for an accident ward of the Trincomalee Hospital, the Department of Archaeology said. Archaeology Director W. H. A. Sumanadasa said the new discovery came days after his department officials unearthed the first cannon. He said further excavations had exposed [...]