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Home » NewsEnter Karu J into UNP presidential race as “National candidate” to abolish Executive Presidency
The Speaker of Parliament and the United National Party’s one-time chairman, Karu Jayasuriya is expected to be proposed as a possible “National candidate” by an influential section of the party following party leader Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Deputy Leader and Housing Minister Sajith Premadasa digging in to their position on the presidential ticket. The [...]
Medamulana Rajapaksa scion ties the knot
In one of the biggest and talked about weddings of the year, the former President’s son, Namal Rajapaksa, and his wife Limini Weerasinghe, are seen preparing to cut the wedding cake. A dinner followed at the Rajapaksa’s home Carlton House at Weeraketiya on Thursday. Some 7,000 invitees attended the wedding banquet. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Hashim, two ministers face expulsion from UNP
United National Party Chairman Kabir Hashim and two Non-Cabinet Ministers face expulsion next week whilst a partnership between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) may not materialise, according to new political developments this week. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Sunday Times learns, has decided to move against three [...]
Minister pushes for duty-free vehicle permits for ex-PC members
The Cabinet is to be asked for a third time to approve duty free vehicles for the now defunct Provincial Council members. Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Vajira Abeywardena is re-submitting a memorandum for the third time on the grounds that some former councillors have already got their permits. The Ministry is justifing the [...]
PM’s Office takes massive Rs. 275 mn from LECO to develop Mihintale
The Prime Minister’s Office is dipping into the Lanka Electricity Company (Pvt) Ltd kitty. A Cabinet note submitted on August 20 voices its intention to suck out a massive Rs 275 million–several years worth of LECO corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects–in one go, to develop the Mihintale World Heritage site. The move is said to [...]
Man knocked down by train while crossing rail track to reach platform
A 25-year-old man was knocked down by a train while attempting to cross the track to reach another platform at the Fort railway station, a coroner’s court inquiry was told. The youth who had got off at the fourth platform had tried to reach the third platform by crossing the railway track instead of using [...]
TUs from 147 countries take part in major maritime transport conference in Colombo
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) which connects up trade unions from 147 countries will hold a ten-day International Maritime Conference in Colombo from tomorrow. The ITF is a democratic, affiliate-led federation recognised as the world’s leading transport authority. The Federation represents 18 million members across the world and is working to protect the rights [...]
Walapane tobacco farmers face legal heat
Several farmers in Walapane in Nuwara Eliya who have switched to growing tobacco in paddy lands are being told by local officials that it is illegal and they will face lawsuits. Cases have already been filed against some farmers. Nuwara Eliya District Secretary, Rohana Pushpakumara, said he would file lawsuits. He made the remarks addressing [...]
Bus flips over injuring 12
At least 12 people were injured last evening after a private bus flipped over at Sembatta in Madurankuliya, Puttalam. Police said the incident occurred at about 6.30 pm yesterday, when the driver lost control while trying to overtake a three-wheeler. The injured were admitted to hospitals. Our picture shows an injured child being attended to [...]
Repossessed Council lands can’t be leased out, Governor tells Wattala UC
Western Province Governor A.J.M. Muzammil has informed the Wattala-Mabole Urban Council (W-MUC) that it cannot lease out repossessed lands belonging to the Council, without following due tender process. The Governor’s intervention comes amid accusations that the W-MUC is attempting to circumvent directives given by Parliament’s Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) and the WP Governor’s Office [...]
Mock operation carried out in Colombo by Special Forces
The 17 mission of the ongoing ‘Ex-Cormorant shrike’ mock operation was carried out in Colombo by the Special Forces of the Army. The mock-exercise carried out saw the rescue of Central Bank officials who were held captive by a group of 7 to 12 terrorists infiltrated the building. The terrorists who were armed with T-56 [...]
Petitions against more than 35 per class at Royal via illegal admissions
Two petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court (SC) against the continuing illegal practice at Royal College, Colombo, (RCC) where students are admitted to classrooms, through an adhoc manner outside the regular admission process, in excess of the cap rate, in violation of a Court order to have 35 students per classroom. Petitioners, Kamal [...]
Special Commodity Levy on black gram
Minister of Finance Mangala Samarweera has imposed a Special Commodity Levy (SCL) on black gram for 6 months, commencing September 11. According to Section 2 of the SCL Act published in the extraordinary gazette, the Split black gram would have a SCL of Rs 300 per kg, while non-split black gram would have a SCL [...]
The Lotus Tower to bloom tomorrow
The Lotus Tower – South Asia’s tallest tower standing at 350 metres in Colombo is ready to be opened tomorrow. President Maithripala Sirisena will declare open the tower with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa attending the event. The tower comprises a telecommunications museum, hotel, restaurants, auditorium and observation deck. Above US$ [...]
Hartal, mass rally in Jaffna tomorrow for Tamil grievances
Breakaway groups from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and a new civil society-led organisation named Tamil Peoples’ Council (TPC), called for a hartal campaign, coupled with mass rally, tomorrow in Jaffna, voicing key political demands of the Tamil people. Some of their key political demands include demilitarisation, stop Sinhalese colonisation in North and East, bring [...]
Tabs for schools: Whopping Rs. 55m spent on publicity campaign
The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) has hit out hard at the Ministry of Education’s for a proposal to conduct a massive publicity campaign regarding the distribution tabs to advanced level students and teachers in public schools. The ministry has sought cabinet approval to spend a whopping Rs. 55 million for the publicity campaign of its [...]
Special Commodity Levy on black gram
Minister of Finance Mangala Samarweera has imposed a Special Commodity Levy (SCL) on black gram for 6 months, commencing September 11. According to Section 2 of the SCL Act published in the extraordinary gazette, the Split black gram would have a SCL of Rs 300 per kg, while non-split black gram would have a SCL [...]
Walapane tobacco farmers face legal heat
Several farmers in Walapane in Nuwara Eliya who have switched to growing tobacco in paddy lands are being told by local officials that it is illegal and they will face lawsuits. Cases have already been filed against some farmers. Nuwara Eliya District Secretary, Rohana Pushpakumara, said he would file lawsuits. He made the remarks addressing [...]
Strikes galore: Demands centre on salary anomalies
A string of strikes affected the public sector this week, with some of them still continuing while several others mulling over trade union action and protest campaigns. The key demand of many of the striking unions centres on salary anomalies. The university non-academic employees’ strike launched on Tuesday is still continuing, with union leaders describing [...]
SLASA vows to cripple state services again, if news is no good on Tuesday
The state administrative officers’ sick note campaign that crippled services at many key institutions threatens to morph into a full-blown indefinite strike from next week, if the Government and union leaders fail to work out a solution. The 2,400-strong Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (SLASA) staged a two-day sick note campaign on Tuesday and Wednesday [...]
Petitions against more than 35 per class at Royal via illegal admissions
Two petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court (SC) against the continuing illegal practice at Royal College, Colombo, (RCC) where students are admitted to classrooms, through an adhoc manner outside the regular admission process, in excess of the cap rate, in violation of a Court order to have 35 students per classroom. Petitioners, Kamal [...]
Major efforts to curb worrisome maternal suicides
Sri Lanka has received many an accolade for its low maternal mortality rate (MMR) but there is rising concern over maternal suicides which are pushing up these numbers. Taking serious note of this disturbing trend, there is a concerted multi-pronged and multidisciplinary effort not only to find out what has led these mothers to take [...]
NEC taking early steps to ensure trouble-free polls
The National Election Commission has launched several measures to ensure a trouble-free presidential election, with a little over two months left for the polls. Workshops and seminars for would-be election officials, meetings with heads of media institutions and social media groups about the implementation of the guidelines and discussions regarding security arrangements have already got [...]
Ratmalana, Batticaloa airports as Regional airports from Jan.2020
Cabinet has approved the use of Ratmalana and Batticaloa airports as regional airports, thereby opening them to international flights. The airports will be ready to accommodate international flights from January next year, with Customs and Immigration counters in place by that time. The airports will add to the operations of the Jaffna International Airport due [...]
Facade of development: Kompannaveediya’s heritage building to be bulldozed
The Urban Development Authority (UDA) has approved the demolition of the iconic Soysa building in Kompannaveediya, defying impassioned appeals for it to be preserved as a historical monument. The Cabinet was recently informed via a note that, because the edifice has still not been gazetted as a heritage building by the Department of Archaeology, there [...]
All that glitters attract chain snatchers in search of easy money
With the price of gold on the rise, gold chain snatchers are on the prowl, to make an easy buck, by targeting women, sometimes causing injuries to them, police have warned. The latest incident occurred at Gangadara Mawatha in Mount Lavinia. CCTV footage showed two men snatching a gold chain from a woman as she [...]
‘Spiritual-healing’ camp deaths due to aggravation of existing illnesses
Post-mortem inquests into the deaths of three persons who died while attending a so-called “spiritual healing” camp in Horowpathana, revealed the cause of death was due to the aggravation of already existing conditions. Two of the deceased were pronounced dead on admission to the Horowpathana Divisional Hospital while a third person died at the Anuradhapura [...]
Unauthorised pandals, hoardings cut out for disaster as polls loom
As the 2019 Presidential Election draws ever closer, political hoardings and pandals are appearing all over the country. The collapse of one such pandal in Maharagama last week, has shown that such structures pose real dangers to the public. The pandal in Maharagama, erected near the town’s clock tower, collapsed last Sunday (8). Police said [...]
‘Hoarding and flex-board politics’ a scourge on T’Nadu
The death of a 22-year-old woman in a freak accident in Chennai on Thursday, has brought to light the ugly face of the “hoarding and flex-board politics” being played out in Tamil Nadu (TN) by the Dravidian politicians. R. Subasri, who was returning home after her office hours, died instantly, when a larger-than-life size banner [...]
Increasing road safety and reducing traffic congestion
An accident is something unintended and often happens due to some intervening circumstance. In the case of motor accidents, such intervening circumstance could be the driver falling asleep, an individual suddenly darting across the road —to name just a few. There are also other circumstances that give rise to what are described as “accidents”. But [...]
Father of Sri Lanka Apparel Industry, Martin Trust dies in the US
Martin Trust, widely regarded as the father of the modern Sri Lankan apparel industry has passed away in the US. He founded MAST Industries with his wife Dena in 1970 with just USD 1000 of capital. It would go onto become a global enterprise with over USD 1 billion in sales. Martin or “Marty” as [...]
External experts devise clever ways to protect wildlife
WildLanka is the annual symposium of the Department of Wildlife Conservation that brings together wildlife researchers and administrators of the country. All keynote speeches were delivered by experts from other fields – one was an ICT expert, while the other two are engineers. Innovative solutions devised collectively by experts are needed to address wildlife challenges, [...]
Snake specialist charmed by the attention
Dr. Anslem de Silva has been honored as the ‘Father of Modern Herpetology in Sri Lanka’ at a global gathering of scientists studying tropical biodiversity. The one-time magician has generated more than 450 publications during 50 years and inspired almost all the next generation herpetologists of the country. Dr. de Silva was felicitated on September [...]
Prison inmates display their skills
The artistic skills of prison inmates were put on display at an event titled ‘Lalitha Siri Sara’ held at the Bandaranaike International Conference Hall (BMICH) recently. The programme is a concept developed by Mr Chandana Ekanayake, who is responsible for the Rehabilitation and Skills Development of prison inmates. The objective of the programme is to [...]
Katuwapitiya child survivors still suffer 5 months after Easter Sunday attacks
Five months have passed since the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, yet people in Katuwapitiya still suffer the after effects of that terrible day. About 10,000 people, belonging to 3400 families, live in the parish of Katuwapitiya. A 166 people, 45 of them children, died in church that Sunday. Child survivors of the attacks are those [...]
Pet-nappers invade Nuwara Eliya
A string of incidents where holidaymakers visiting Nuwara Eliya had surreptitiously taken away pets owned by families who rented out their premises, have been reported in the recent months. According to residents, some lodgers who had rented out rooms for a couple of days, had left with expensive dogs and cats. They said this happened [...]
Pick of the Pix
Pics by Indika Handuwala Ishanka Sunimal Sarath Siriwardana Gamini Mahadura Jayarathna Wickramarachchi.
Replanting to revive southern coral reefs
Further efforts are underway to protect the coral reefs in the southern coast which are under threat. A 251 water acre area defined as an ocean biodiversity park was demarcated in 1979. It is famous as an ocean sanctuary for the fauna and flora with rare sea plants and rich biodiversity compared to other similar [...]
Docs and Fire Dept. team save savoury snack maker’s hand stuck in grinder
A savoury snack maker from Kundasale, has lived to tell the tale of a horrifying accident in which his fingers could have been severed when they got stuck in a grinder. Cutting equipment from firefighters and an emergency surgical operation at the Kandy Teaching Hospital helped Mohamad Faisal to recover from a terrifying, excruciatingly painful [...]