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Home » NewsPower cuts boost generator sales
With daily power cuts in most parts of the country, small generators are currently among the fastest selling items. Customers, including small business owners and householders, are seen at a generator shop in Colombo. Pic by M.D. Nissanka
Crisis over top tax post: Billions of rupees await collection
Private sector tax dues have exceeded fifty billion rupees and keep mounting due to a continuing legal dispute, Inland Revenue Department (IRD) officials said. It has been caused by companies challenging in court the legal authority of the IRD’s Acting Commissioner General to carry out tax collection responsibilities. Cases have been filed in the Supreme [...]
Emergency power purchases from private sector
The Government is set to rush into emergency power purchases from the private sector to overcome the current power crisis, despite previous claims that it would not resort to such action. Accordingly, the Power and Energy Ministry and the Ceylon Electricity Board have held talks to buy 50MW from Asia Power in Sapugaskanda , 24MW [...]
769kg of cocaine going up in smoke tomorrow
Going up in smoke tomorrow will be 769kg of cocaine — a stock that was kept as court case evidence and released after a lengthily legal process. The large stock will be inspected by a magistrate and subjected to sample testing on site by the Government Analyst, a senior police source told the Sunday Times. [...]
Artificial rain: Contradictory data; experiment suspended
Rainfall data contradict early reports that the Government’s artificial rainmaking experiment–which has since been suspended–was successful on the day it was carried out over the Maussakelle Reservoir in the Central Province. A Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) official was quoted as saying that it rained for around 45 minutes on March 22 after a Sri Lanka [...]
New elevated highway: Thousands of people to be relocated
The Government will have to acquire 750 lots of land and demolish around 118 shops, houses and places of self-employment when it starts the next phase of its project to build an elevated highway from the New Kelani Bridge to Rajagiriya with a link to Baseline Road. The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) says that other [...]
MTD Walker takeover bid: Malaysian company yet to sell its controlling stake
The Malaysian shareholder of MTD Walkers is yet to sell its 90.8 percent controlling stake of troubled construction company to Sri Lanka’s Anunine Holdings. The Walkers share has been suspended from trading since February 13, 2019. No such controlling stake transaction took place between December 31 last year and that date, so MTD Capital Bhd [...]
Opp. Leader at Chandra Tillekeratne’s funeral
Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa paid his last respects to Chandra Tillekeratne, widow of one time speaker of parliament Stanley Tillekeratne. The funeral took place last Tuesday.
Final rites of Srima Dissanayake tomorrow
The final rites of Srima Dissanayake, wife of the late Minister Gamini Dissanayake, will take place tomorrow at 3 p.m. at the Borella General Cemetery. Her remains are presently lying at No.6/1, Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7. The Cortege will leave residence at 2 p.m. tomorrow. Mrs Dissanayake passed away at a private hospital in Colombo [...]
NCP former Governor Dissanyake passes away
Former Governor of the North Central Province P.B.Dissanayake passed away yesterday in Anuradhapura yesterday. He was 76. Mr. Dissanayake, a former school principal entered the NC Provincial Council in 1993 and in the following year entered Parliament where he remained until 2001. He re-entered the Provincial Council and served as Chairman before he was appointed [...]
Water cut due to Ambatale plant repairs
Several areas in Colombo experienced a prolonged water cut due to repairs being carried out at the Ambatale water treatment plant and maintenance work on the water transmission line in Kotte. National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) Chiarman K.A. Ansar said they were repairing a generator connected to the water line from Ambatale to [...]
CMC cancels 20-year hi-tech lamp post contract
The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has decided to stop a 20-year contract awarded to a private company to instal lamp posts with surveillance cameras and 4G and 5G Wi-Fi connections under a public-private partnership. United National Party Council Member Roy Bogahawatte, who serves in the Finance Committee, told the Sunday Times that the council halted [...]
Funds for two ministries before April 30: Kiriella
The revised Expenditure Heads of two key ministries whose votes were defeated will be presented again to Parliament before April 30, House Leader Lakshman Kiriella said on Friday. Mr. Kiriella was responding to a query raised by United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Parliamentarian Bandula Gunawardena. The UPFA MP claimed that with the defeat of the [...]
Another haul of heroin: This time on a fishing vessel from a port in Iran
SLN Suranimala, a Navy fast patrol vessel, had been shadowing a suspect fishing vessel in international waters off the South Western coast of Hikkaduwa last week. Onboard was a team of Special Task Force (STF) commandos, Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) officers and Navy personnel prepared to board that boat. At dusk, the vessel entered Sri [...]
Nurses unions warn of another strike on April 8
Nurses unions will meet next week to decide on further trade union action after failing to draw a favourable response from the Government for some of their demands. The move comes after a two-day strike (on March 27 and 28) by nurses crippled services at government hospitals. The Government Nursing Officers’ Association president, Saman Rathnapriya, [...]
Nothing special about arrack claims, apex court ruling shows
Leading coconut arrack distiller, the Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka, was not allowed to proceed with an appeal in the Supreme Court against the use of the trademark “Extra Special Arrack” by competitor Hingurana Distilleries (Pvt) Limited. “Extra Special Arrack” is commonly known as “Gal Arakku’’. In a similar case 25 years ago, three leading [...]
Patients gasp for breath as power cuts hit hospital services
Restaurant owners were forced to close their doors or throw out food while at rural hospitals patients struggling for breath had to wait long hours to use nebuliser equipment during the island-wide power cuts. The cuts, which only selected areas such as Colombo left untouched, caused widespread anger over financial losses among businesses ranging from [...]
High Posts Com. clears 14 career diplomats for appointments abroad
Fourteen career diplomats have won the Parliament High Posts Committee’s approval for appointment as Heads of Mission abroad, a Foreign Affairs Ministry statement said yesterday. With these appointments, the percentage of career diplomats heading Sri Lanka’s overseas missions has increased from 36.57 percent to 46 percent, the statement said. Sri Lanka maintains 52 embassies and [...]
Power crisis: I will not let this pass over to another Power and Energy Minister, says Ravi
As the country grapples with a severe power crisis, Power, Energy and Business Development Minister Ravi Karunanayake pledged in Parliament on Friday (29) to provide a “permanent solution” to the crisis before Vesak Full Moon Poya Day in May, and assured that there will be no power cuts during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. [...]
Dead baby dolphin on Kayankerni beach
This baby dolphin was found dead recently on the Kayankerni beach in the East coast with polythene in its mouth. Pic by Dr Austin Pulle of the Oceanology Centre
Ditching Grade 5 test is premature, experts warn
The government’s proposal to scrap the Grade 5 scholarship exam has support but many educationists and researchers warned the country was not yet ready for the move. They say with no proper mechanism to substitute for the exams, doing away with the test will only deprive rural students of a chance to enter popular urban [...]
The goodness of milk
Milk is on the minds of men, women and children, with all and sundry being swirled and swished about. They are not being left in a world full of milk and honey but in a very confused and confounded state. Numerous are the mothers and fathers including professionals such as doctors, scratching their heads in [...]
SriLankan followed Business Plan sans Board approval
The debt-ridden National carrier SriLankan Airlines (SriLankan) followed a Business Plan (BP) formulated by an international aviation consultancy firm, without the approval of its Board of Directors (BoD), from 2013 onwards, it was revealed at a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) this week. Seabury, a reputed international aviation consultancy firm was paid millions to formulate a [...]
Shylocks continue to drive women borrowers to their graves
More than a million families are in deep debt, having borrowed at loan shark rates from micro finance companies. Many have committed suicide. In one instance, a Batticaloa family headed by a woman, who had borrowed heavily from multiple lenders, was guided by local government officials to get out of the debt hole. Local officials [...]
Korakulam under threat from squatters
Illegal encroachments or land-grabs are holding Mannar island in their vicious grip, with more and more people putting up huts and other structures in vulnerable and sensitive areas. Of particular concern is the ‘triangle’ of land, the only man-made freshwater wewa (tank) on Mannar island, the Sunday Times learns, as howls of protests are echoing [...]
Wildlife summit jolted by Lankan resignations
With under 60 days to go before the 18th World Wildlife Conference (CITES COP18) opens in Colombo, the event received a blow this week with the resignations of key officials Samantha Gunasekara and Dr. Sevvandi Jayakody. Both officials belonged to the CITES Sri Lanka Secretariat, established last April to drive the organisation of the conference. [...]
Urgent need to strengthen the Central Bank
When Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy took over as the Governor of the Central Bank (CB), he was given a veritable hot potato. He assumed office in the middle of investigations being conducted into the scam over the issue of Bonds by the apex body of the Banking system, which has had ramifications, both in the political [...]
Australian-Sri Lankan Defence engagement wraps up
The largest Australian – Sri Lankan Defence engagement came to an end this weekend with the Australian Joint Task Force setting sail to India for the next phase of the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 (IPE19) exercise. The four vessels of the task force HMAS Canberra, Newcastle, Parramatta and Success left Colombo and Trincomalee port continuing their [...]
Pick of the Pix
Pix by Amila Gamage, Priyantha Wickram-arachchi, Gamini Mahadura, Shelton Hettia-rachchi, P. De Silva and Nimalsiri Edirisinghe
Is it a bear, a monkey or Sri Lanka’s own Hobbit?
Purported encounters with Nittaewo, the legendary dwarf men of Sri Lanka, have emerged from different parts of the country over the past few weeks but experts say these sightings are dubious. The latest incident was reported from Thotamuna, Matara on March 18, with a villager claiming he had been assaulted by a group of dwarf [...]
Human-elephant conflict -No winners only losers
The ongoing human – elephant conflict continues unabated. Even after 70 years of independence, the rulers of our land don’t seem to have a clue as to how the problem can even be managed, leave alone find a permanent solution to the problem. Elephants continue intruding into human settlements. As do the expansion of human [...]
Sajith Premadasa to be bestowed Malwatta Chapter’s high honours
The Venerable Karaka Sangha Sabha of the Siyam Maha Nikaya’s Malwatta Chapter, headed by the most Venerable Thibotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Suma-ngalabhidana Mahanayake Thera, will bestow today the prestigious title of “Sasana Deepana Abimani Sri Lanka Janaranjana” on Sajith Premadasa, Minister of Housing, Construction and Cultural Affairs, Member of Parliament for the Hambanthota District and Deputy [...]