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Home » NewsThe resurrection of the Katuwapitiya Church
The Katuwapitiya St. Sebastian’s Church – where the biggest massacre took place in the Easter Sunday carnage – has been fully repaired and renovated by the Navy and will be formally reopened today with a special Sunday Service. This comes exactly three months after the massacre. Navy personnel, who played a major role in the [...]
Cash-strapped Govt. on cost-cutting drive
The Treasury has issued strict directives to all state institutions to cut down expenses, as a cash-strapped government struggles to revive the economy in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks. The state institutions have been told to cut down expenses on water, electricity and telephone bills, curtail overseas training and not to use public [...]
Head umpire Dharmasena admits judgmental error, says no regrets
Former Sri Lankan test cap Kumar Dharmasena, who officiated as head umpire at the Cricket World Cup’s nail-biting final between England and New Zealand, has admitted that umpires had made an “judgmental error” in signalling six runs off the fourth ball in England’s last over run chase. Arguably, this decision turned decisive eventually with both [...]
20 multi-day fishing vessels stranded in Maldives and Indian island
More than 20 Sri Lankan multi-day fishing vessels remain stranded in the Maldives and in an Indian island, due to the stormy weather, as the Fisheries Ministry continued to monitor the situation before telling them to return to the country, a senior official said. “We are regularly in touch with the vessels through our radio [...]
UNP to lead new alliance for presidential poll
A new political and civil society alliance, headed by United National Party (UNP) leader and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, will be formally announced on August 5 in preparation for the upcoming presidential election. For this purpose, a meeting will take place at the Sugathadasa Stadium and initially comprise the UNP and its current United National [...]
Easter Sunday probes: Police, AG trade allegations over delays
Failures to take timely action and even negligence in some instances have dogged the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in its probes on April 21 Easter Sunday massacres. As the probes enter a third month, the CID, together with the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID), which functions under its purview, is holding 102 suspects in custody. Police [...]
Is microfinance model failing? Govt. absorbs more than Rs 1.25 b in unpaid loans
The Government has absorbed more than Rs 1.25 billion worth of unpaid microfinance debt incurred by 45,139 women in the North, East and North Central Provinces. At the same time, lending companies have written-off Rs 141.41 million worth of interest payments on these loans, the Finance Ministry’s 2018 annual report states. Last year, the Government [...]
Road rage attack: Maths teacher’s bodyguards surrender to police
The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) is investigating an incident seen on social media video clips where a popular Maths tuition teacher’s bodyguards are seen intimidating and attacking a van driver at Kalagedihena in Nittambuwa. Four suspects have been arrested after they surrendered to the CCD. They were remanded till July 22 after being produced in [...]
Ranjan says he owes apology only to pious monks
For actor-turned-politician Ranjan Ramanayake, the enemy seems his own utterances than others. The 56-year-old deputy minister, who acquired the sobriquet “One shot”, for his role in the film by the name, fires like an automatic rifle from his mouth. When there is fallout, he also becomes the first to retract. His latest encounter shook the [...]
Motorcycle gang member killed in police firing in Manipay
One man was killed at Manipay in Jaffna last night when police opened fire at a group reportedly trying to attack them with swords. Police said the incident occurred when they were trying to arrest six people who had come on three motorcycles, while a search operation was underway. The search operation was launched following [...]
FR petition before SC for unlawful arrest and detention after Easter Sunday bombings
A resident of Aluthgama has filed a Fundamental Rights application before the Supreme Court over his arrest and detention by police, following the Easter Sunday bomb attacks. Twenty-five-year-old Mohammed Thufail Mohammed Milhan, who owns a jewellery shop in Attidiya, was taken in by the Mt Lavinia police on May 5, after being told a statement [...]
CID on the hunt for three Avant Garde directors
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) detectives are still on the lookout for three directors of Avant Garde, the private security company charged with “illegally operating merchant vessels carrying firearms and explosives.” They are Nissanka Senadipathi (Chairman), Air Vice Marshal D.M. Premachandra, a former Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and retired Navy Commodore Nandana Diyabalanage. [...]
Sri Lanka Army colours Awards
L/Cpl Liyanage KMPK of SLAWC receives her award from Defence Secretary General Shantha Kottegoda at the Sri Lanka Army colours Awards held at the Nelum Pokuna theater on Friday. Pic by Indika Handuwala.
Colombo DJ issues Interim injunction against Nawaloka Constructions Ltd
Former President of the Court of Appeal Justice Upali de Z. Goonawardene and Mrs. de Z. Goonawardene, former Professor of Microbiology of the University of Kelaniya, together with their son, obtained an Interim Injunction from Colombo District Judge Amali Ranaweera, against a construction company which has allegedly caused damages to their house in Colombo’s Narahenpita [...]
Narcotics mystery: Where do all the detected drugs go?
President Maithripala Sirisena launched an ambitious anti-narcotic drive and vowed to hang convicted drug lords. Only a Supreme Court directive till October 30 is keeping him away. His declared objective, repeated publicly, is to curb drug use and thus deal a death blow to that trade. However, an investigation by the Sunday Times this week [...]
Curried rice and more to keep her memory alive
The third book of recipes from Sri Lanka’s beloved TV chef Shantha Mayadunne was posthumously launched on Thursday in the presence of many local TV personalities, family and friends. Shantha and her eldest daughter Nisanga died tragically in the Easter Sunday bomb blast at Shangri-La hotel. She is survived by her husband Kumar and younger [...]
St Sebastian’s Church, Katuwapitiya reopens
Three months after the terrorist attack on Christian churches and leading hotels, which falls today, the institutions are slowly limping back to normalcy. To mark the day, the catholic churches and hotels have planned remembrance services. The Ministry of Housing and Cultural Affairs is to handover St Sebastian’s Church, Katuwapitiya back to the Archdiocese, after [...]
UNP can’t win presidential election on its own: Champika
Jathika Hela Urumaya leader and Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, a partner of the ruling coalition, wants its predominant partner, the United National Party, to re-think fielding its own candidate at this year’s presidential elections. They may only gain some 2.5 million votes if they field their candidate, he told the Sunday Times. This, he said, [...]
Charges, counter charges bounce off mattress mound in Katunayake
The importer of over 100 containers consisting of ‘clinical waste’ dumped at Katunayake and part of them held at the Colombo Port is to face charges for violating environment laws including a violation of an international treaty which prevents import of waste, a senior Central Environmental Authority (CEA) official said yesterday. Director General Hemantha Jayasinghe [...]
CoL committee to review bid to render dough dearer
The Cabinet Committee on Cost of Living (CCCL) will meet on Tuesday (23) to discuss the recent wheat flour increase. This follows a decision made by wheat flour companies, Prima Ceylon and Serendib Flour Mills (Pvt) Ltd. to suspend the Rs. 8 price increase on wheat flour they announced on July 16. Industry & Commerce [...]
Attack on van at Kalagedihena: Maths tutors’ bodyguards surrender to police
Four suspects who were allegedly involved in an incident where bodyguards of a Maths tutor attacked a van at Kalagedihena in Nittambuwa, have been taken into custody by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD). The 4 suspects currently in custody have been named as Hewage Gamini Wijesuriya (45) of Mathugama, Vidana Arachchilage Geeth Prasanna Bandara (32) [...]
Court of Appeal sets aside animal sacrifice ban in Northern Province
The Court of Appeal (CoA) this week set aside the ban imposed by the Jaffna High Court (JHC), which prohibited animal sacrifice ritual in the Northern Province (NP), for the last 3 years. In 2016, a writ application was filed before the JHC seeking an order prohibiting the animal sacrifice rituals in the NP, and [...]
Implications of Ramanayake’s remarks on religious harmony
State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake is no stranger to controversy. Some of his statements, at different times, have attracted charges of Contempt of Court, while others have been the subject of political discussions that have hogged the headlines for several days. Last week, the actor turned politician, hit the headlines once again, when he made disparaging [...]
Our disgraceful bus halts
Members of the public are forced to undergo severe inconvenience, due to the condition of many of the bus stops in the country. Despite a majority of commuters relying on public transport to get to their destination, scant respect is paid to commuter comfort, with many of the bus stops not offering basic facilities. It [...]
Down, down … water reserves hit dangerous low
Reservoirs are only 20 per cent full and generation of hydro-electricity has stopped even though monsoon rains are falling heavily in parts of the country. “In 29 years, this is the worst drought-affected result,” the Power and Renewable Energy Ministry said. Energy costs are rising sharply because the reduction in water inflow to the reservoirs [...]
Pick of the Pix
Pix by Ishanka Sunimal, Indika Handuwala, Gamini Mahadura, Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa and Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
Ask not for whom the bell tolls because nobody knows
Fatalities such as this week’s tragic deaths of a father and daughter at a level crossing will continue despite the government’s plans to install bell and light warning systems, railway authorities said, condemning the move as a waste of money. A 45-year-old father from Ja-Ela and his 11-year-old daughter were killed this week after their [...]
Selfie thrill-seekers don’t care, locals say as more die
“They never listen to us,” lamented Shanthi, a woman who works on Rumassala Jungle Beach, near Unawatuna, where this week more youths died trying to take selfies against the background of sea crashing around rocks. Four young men went to Rumassala on Tuesday, Esala Poya, for a day out – only two came back home. [...]