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Home » NewsPotato farmers’ hopes mashed
Facing crisis after crisis, including droughts or floods, paddy farmers often switched to the cultivation of other crops including potatoes and vegetables. But as shown in this picture the Dambulla wholesale market was heavyloaded and the plight of hundreds of farmers is portrayed in this Jaffna farmer who wonders what to do with his stock [...]
Ashraff crash: Not an explosion but maintenance negligence
The Air Force Mi 17 helicopter crash that killed the then Minister M.H.M. Ashraff was not due to an explosion but “negligence or omission” on the part of the maintenance crew, a Commission of Inquiry has ruled. The Commission headed by former Court of Appeal Judge L.K.G. Weerasekara was appointed to investigate the September 16, [...]
The Sunday Times gets invited for COL Cabinet sub-committee meeting; chairman says invitation was “an accident”
A Cabinet sub-committee on the Cost of Living this week was told by officials and SLFP Minister Mahinda Amaraweera that the country would be importing more rice than was required if it went ahead with estimates previously provided by officials to the sub-committee. Rice imports were not revised with the anticipated rice harvest, the sub-committee [...]
Local traders protest against Chinese retail shops; President intervenes
President Maithripala Sirisena has stopped a proposed protest organised by local industrialists and retail shop owners who are up in arms against foreign-owned retail shops and joint ventures, particularly Chinese ones, flooding the local market at their expense. The groups had made representation to the President that they were affected by the existing government policy [...]
Power cuts loom as dispute between CEB engineers and PUCSL continues
Sri Lanka may face power cuts in view of the prolonged drought because the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) and the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union have failed to reach agreement on new projects. These include liquid natural gas (LNG) and thermal power plants which were expected to generate about 1000MW and were [...]
Minister allows 14-storey Blue Ocean project despite legal disputes
The Megapolis Minister has issued a gazette notification, permitting mixed development on the eastern side of Layards Road in Colombo 5, including a section which is at the centre of a legal dispute between a condominium builder and several residents. The proposed ‘Blue Ocean Layards Road’ is advertised online by the developer as a luxury [...]
Funeral with State patronage for Ven. Daranagama Kusaladhamma Thera, pioneer of Buddhist media
The Chief Incumbent of the Sri Sambodhi Vihara in Colombo, the Ven. Daranagama Kusaladhamma Thera passed away in the early hours of yesterday at the age of 54. The Thera had been ailing for some time and was undergoing treatment when he passed away. In addition to being the Chief Incumbent of the Sri Sambodhi [...]
Last rites for Una McCauley
The last rites of UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Una McCauley, took place on Friday, at the Borella Cemetery in the presence of family members, diplomats, UN staff and others. Pic by Priyantha Wickramarachchi
CMC commissioner defiant after Governor fires him over garbage disaster
Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) Commissioner V.K.A. Anura has been permanently removed from his post following the recommendations made in the one-man presidential committee report that probed the collapse of the Meethotamulla garbage dump, Western Province Governor K.C. Logeswaran told the Sunday Times. Mr. Logeswaran noted that the Governor had the absolute power to appoint and [...]
Sri Lanka’s China envoy condemns Western imperialists, gloats over ‘belt and road’
Sri Lanka’s envoy to China has denounced Western imperialists for exploiting countries they occupied and drawn a sharp contrast with Beijing’s honourable behaviour as a great world benefactor. In an “exclusive” interview with Communist China’s state news agency, Xinhua, Dr Karunasena Kodituwakku, said this week, China’s ‘belt and road’ initiative for shared prosperity is worthy [...]
Japan to roll out the red carpet for President
Japan is expected to reaffirm its commitment to bolstering bilateral ties with Sri Lanka during an official visit by the Indian Ocean nation’s leader this month in an effort to forestall Chinese encroachment in the region, Japan-based Nikkei Asian Review has reported. President Maithripala Sirisena will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his [...]
Top-post dispute may dampen Epidemiology Unit’s disease combat task
As controversy has erupted over the topmost post of the Epidemiology Unit with shouts of protests in health circles, there are also strong fears that Sri Lanka’s much-commended public health system is set to crash with the next outbreak of disease. This follows the appointment of a non-technical, non-specialist medical administrator to the post of [...]
Snake oil health supplement claims face scrutiny
The influx of food supplements with false claims of healing diseases that cause 75 per cent of deaths in Sri Lanka has pushed the government into regulating “borderline products” in the pharmaceuticals market. The Health Ministry said thousands of food supplements with claims of addressing health problems from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cholesterol, blood [...]
Pakistani expert conducts whorkshop on data journalism at SLPI
The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) recently conducted a training session for print media journalists on the importance of data journalism in news reporting. The workshop was conducted by Asim Bashir Khan (MSC Economics), from the Centre for Excellence in Journalism in Pakistan. Mr. Khan stressed the importance of using information and data available to [...]
SI, PCs arrested for allegedly snatching conch shell
An SI and three PCs were arrested for allegedly snatching a conch shell from a group of persons who intended selling it to a foreigner in the Hikkaduwa area, police said. The police personnel arrested were attached to the Hikkaduwa police. Three persons from Dompe, together with a broker in the Seenigama area had brought [...]
Last rites for Una McCauley
The last rites of UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Una McCauley, took place on Friday, at the Borella Cemetery in the presence of family members, diplomats, UN staff and others. Pic by Priyantha Wickramarachchi
Northern village women in claws of microfinance monster
Karadikundu villagers keep track of their multiple loans by naming each after the day of the week on which the respective collectors come. So there are ‘Monday loans, Tuesday loans and Wednesday loans — and others. Situated at Pooneryn in Kilinochchi, this tiny fishing hamlet is caught in a debt trap of massive proportions. Women [...]
Defence Secretary opens cyber op centre at SLAF headquarters
The Defence Ministry’s Cyber Operations Centre at Air Force Headquarters was declared open by the Secretary to the Defence Ministry, Kapila Waidyaratne, this week on the invitation of the Air Force Commander, Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy. The visiting Secretary Defence was welcomed to the new Cyber Operations Centre by the Chief Information Technology Officer of [...]
Provincial Councils’ Delimitation report in the House for debate
The Delimitation Committee (DC) report demarcating provincial boundaries, prior to conducting Provincial Councils (PC) polls, has been forwarded to Parliament for debate, while its passage with a two-third majority, will see it being held in the near future, a Cabinet minister said. Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faizer Mustapha told the Sunday Times that [...]
Pakistani expert conducts whorkshop on data journalism at SLPI
The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) recently conducted a training session for print media journalists on the importance of data journalism in news reporting. The workshop was conducted by Asim Bashir Khan (MSC Economics), from the Centre for Excellence in Journalism in Pakistan. Mr. Khan stressed the importance of using information and data available to [...]
Japan to roll out the red carpet for President
Japan is expected to reaffirm its commitment to bolstering bilateral ties with Sri Lanka during an official visit by the Indian Ocean nation’s leader this month in an effort to forestall Chinese encroachment in the region, Japan-based Nikkei Asian Review has reported. President Maithripala Sirisena will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his [...]
Sri Lanka’s China envoy condemns Western imperialists, gloats over ‘belt and road’
Sri Lanka’s envoy to China has denounced Western imperialists for exploiting countries they occupied and drawn a sharp contrast with Beijing’s honourable behaviour as a great world benefactor. In an “exclusive” interview with Communist China’s state news agency, Xinhua, Dr Karunasena Kodituwakku, said this week, China’s ‘belt and road’ initiative for shared prosperity is worthy [...]
Funeral with State patronage for Ven. Kusaladhamma Thera
Chief Incumbent of the Sri Sambodhi Vihara in Colombo, Ven. Daranagama Kusaladhamma Thera passed away in the early hours of yesterday (March 3) at the age of 54. The Thera had been ailing for sometime and was undergoing treatment when he passed away. In addition to being the Chief Incumbent of the Sri Sambodhi Vihara, [...]
Snake oil health supplement claims face scrutiny
The influx of food supplements with false claims of healing diseases that cause 75 per cent of deaths in Sri Lanka has pushed the government into regulating “borderline products” in the pharmaceuticals market. The Health Ministry said thousands of food supplements with claims of addressing health problems from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cholesterol, blood [...]
Little or no followup action on scathing report on incident
Masterminds of attack still at large A year after gunmen ambushed two prison buses in Kalutara and massacred seven persons, authorities have been slow to implement recommendations made by an expert committee appointed to probe the incident. While several suspects were arrested, the alleged masterminds still remain at large. Five prison inmates and two prison [...]
First-ever study on unnatural deaths of women
Mothers, wives, daughters and sisters – they play a crucial and indispensable role in society. How will we live ‘without’ them, we often ask, but how do we live ‘with’ them? It is to find out the ground reality of their plight, zeroing in on ‘unnatural deaths’ among them that a team of researchers from [...]
No money for District Secretariats, private millers grab bargains
Private millers have been moving in and purchasing the paddy harvest while the state agency the Paddy Marketing Board and District Secretaries are still waiting for money from the government. This is the complaint heard across the districts from farmers who are gathering their rice harvest. The PMB chief admits that money for paddy purchases [...]
Have degree, can drive tuk-tuk
Educated beyond the jobs available to them and with skilled work dwindling, more and more youth are trapped in dead-end employment as three-wheeler drivers with little chance of improving their prospects. Meanwhile, the country loses as skilled youth go overseas in greater numbers in search of jobs. The State Minister for National Policies and Economic [...]
More hope for stroke victims as NHSL performs first-ever mechanical clot-retrieval procedure
Senior Consultant Neurologist Dr. Padma Gunaratne tells the Sunday Times how stroke-care and treatment work like clockwork at the NHSL Currently, even in the private sector only one hospital performs this procedure Stroke treatment has reached its full and world-class potential in the state sector, with the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) performing the [...]
CIABOC, AG’s Dept to file action against those named in PRECIFAC report
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and the Attorney General’s (AG) Department are to file legal action against persons named in 34 cases into which investigations were completed by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate and inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and [...]
Iranawila child killer still at large, Police hunt for itinerant coconut plucker
Police have so far been unable to trace the suspect wanted in connection with the rape and murder of a 10-year-old boy in Iranawila, Puttalam. The boy went missing from his home at Samadigama on February 25. Two days later, villagers found his body in a nearby wood. A postmortem conducted by Chilaw Judicial Medical [...]
155 T-56 automatic weapons used in Welikade Prison massacre
A total of 158 weapons carried by Army personnel into the Welikada Prison, on the day of the Welikada Prison incident of 9.11 2012, has been sent to the Government Analyst, to ascertain how many of them were used to quell the unrest in the prison, which left 27 inmates dead and several others injured. [...]
Mob rivalry spills blood on public streets
A series of shootings over the past few weeks, some in broad daylight, on busy streets and on public transport, have raised concerns over a rise in underworld rivalry that is putting the lives of ordinary people at risk. The concerns were expressed after many incidents of killings were reported over the past two weeks [...]
Ampara incidents: National unity, communal harmony at stake
The anti-Muslim hate campaign which surfaced from around 2012 seems to be continuing unabated, erupting in different parts of the country at regular intervals. Taking advantage of the democratic space created by the change in administration after January 2015, these hatemongers have manifested themselves in various new avatars such as Sinha Le, Mahason Balakaya and [...]
Pick of the Pix
Pix by Amila Gamage, Indika Handuwala, Sameera Weerasekera, Krishan Jeewaka Jayaruk, Shelton Hettiarachchi and Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
1,000 homeless from downpour and gusts
Nearly 1,000 people have been made homeless due to destruction caused by torrential rains and gusts over three days in three districts the past week. More than 350 houses were either completely or partly damaged, officials from the affected districts said. The worst affected area was Kalmunai Tamil Divisional Secretariat Division in Ampara District, where [...]
The big thirst in Kalutara
The effect of last year’s floods are still felt by residents in Kalutara –today it’s the quality of drinking water. The flood waters swept away the sand barrier which stood between the sea and the river. This resulted in sea water flowing upstream to the area where water is obtained for the pumping station which [...]
SI and PCs arrested for Rs. 20 million conch shell snatch
Hikkaduwa police said an SI and three PCs were arrested for allegedly snatching a conch shell from group of persons who intended selling it a foreigner in the Hikkaduwa area. The police personnel arrested were attached to the Hikkaduwa police. The three persons from Dompe, together with a broker in the Seenigama area had brought [...]