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In a picture that portrays political significance, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is seen warmly congratulating his successor Mahinda Rajapaksa soon after he was sworn in at the Presidential Secretariat. With them are new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and former President Maithripala Sirisena. Pic by Amila Gamage
New Govt. suspends UNF’s programmes
The new Government has put on hold a string of concessionary loan schemes, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects of state institutions and an estimated 7,000 jobs provided shortly ahead of the presidential election by the former UNF government, officials said. Newly appointed Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle has issued circulars and instructions to banks, ministries, departments [...]
No Defence Minister still; new President faces constitutional conundrum
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appears restrained by a constitutional conundrum on whether he can take on the portfolio of Defence Minister. As President, the Constitution makes him the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, but the 19th Amendment arguably prohibits him from holding a ministry. In the 15-member caretaker cabinet that has been appointed there is no [...]
General election likely in April or May next year
The National Election Commission will need a minimum of two months to prepare for a parliamentary election from the date it is declared by the President, Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya told the Sunday Times. Mr Deshapriya said the NEC would be able to certify the 2019 electoral register by December 31. Accordingly, if an election [...]
Flour price hike suspended, pending talks with new government
The premier flour supplier to Sri Lanka has put on hold any price increase of its products pending discussions with the new government. The move came after the company, Prima Ceylon (Private) Limited, rescinded a recent price increase of Rs. 8.50 a kilo of flour. “As the newly-elected President is making the best effort to [...]
Western Province drinking water heavily polluted by effluents and domestic waste
The Kelani River, which supplies drinking water to 80 percent of the Western Province’s population, is now a stew of pollutants including sewage and chemicals, causing the cost of purification to skyrocket. There are 10,511 factories near the river. Pollution has spiked as a result of effluents and domestic waste, an environmental audit shows. The [...]
Gampola bids farewell to her son D.M. Jayaratne
The final rites of former Prime Minister D.M.Jayaratne were performed with state honours at his hometown in Doluwa, Gampola, last evening amid a large gathering of mourners. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya were among those who attended the funeral. On Friday the remains of the former Prime Minister were airlifted to Parliament [...]
PM Rajapaksa calls on prelates of Malwatte and Asgiriya
The Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatte Chapter yesterday urged the newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to dedicate himself to serve the public. The Prime Minister called on the Malwatte Mahanayake Thera after paying homage to the Sri Dalada Maligawa. Earlier the premier was warmly welcomed by Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Delabandara and Basnayaka Nilames [...]
UK garbage: Govt. Analyst yet to submit detailed report to court
The Government Analyst is yet to comply with the Court of Appeal orders which directed him to submit a detailed report on waste material found in more than 200 containers shipped from Britain. When asked Government Analyst A. Welianga told the Sunday Times he had still not examined or analysed the contents of the containers [...]
Three arrested with 13.6 kg heroin in Rajagiriya
Police seized a total of 13.6 kilos of heroin and arrested three people in two related detections in the Rajagiriya area. Acting on a tip off, police first arrested a couple in Rajagiriya while they were transporting 2.24 kilos of heroin. The information they provided led to the arrest of another woman with 11.66 kilograms [...]
New CA judge calls for reforms to avert abuse of pre-trial management process
The mechanism to hold pre-trial hearings in civil litigation requires urgent reforms to ensure that the pre-trial management hearing is not confined to mere recording of admissions and settlement of issues, Justice Dr Ruwan Fernando stated. Speaking at the ceremonial sitting to welcome him as a judge of the Court of Appeal, Justice Fernando said [...]
Big names pledge billions to eradicate Polio
Sri Lankan K.R. Ravindran, the incoming Chairman of Rotary Foundation, pledged $150m on behalf of Rotary to eradicate Polio at a conclave jointly hosted by the Crown prince of Abu Dhabi and Bill Gates on November 19, at Abu Dhabi. The global community affirmed their commitment to eradicate Polio and pledged US$2.6 billion as part [...]
After peaceful poll, it’s free for all for some victors and vanquished
Attacks on rival party supporters, houses and business premises and throwing fire crackers at political opponents were among a string of violent incidents reported in the aftermath of the presidential election, in contrast to the relative calm on presidential polling day and during the run-up to the election. One of the serious incidents was last [...]
Ever-smiling, the man in the eye of polling storms lays out his plans
Mahinda Deshapriya, Chair of the Election Commission, who oversaw the election considered to be the country’s most peaceful presidential poll, was visibly tired when we met him at his office three days after the results were announced. The Election Commission is still buzzing with activity, with officials engaged in monitoring the post-election period and dealing [...]
Who’s who in the interim cabinet
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs, Policy Development, Buddha Sasana, Cultural, Water Supply & Urban Development, Housing Facilities. Born on November 18, 1945 in Weeraketiya Passed out as an Attorney at Law from the Sri Lanka Law College in 1977. In 1970, at the age of 24, Rajapaksa became Sri Lanka’s [...]
2019 presidential election: How it all unfolded
The 2019 presidential election ended in a resounding victory for the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa as he won the presidency with a final vote count of 6,924,255, an overall percentage of 52.25 percent of the total vote. New Democratic Front candidate Sajith Premadasa came a distant second with 5,564,239 votes, giving [...]
Patient first
It was not just about treating injuries and diseases of our complex musculoskeletal system which includes bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves, but an evening where the core of the healer’s vocation was put under the spotlight. The patient being in the very bones of those gathered for the inauguration of the 11th Annual [...]
The untenable interpretation of the people’s mandate
While some patterns in the presidential election held on November 16, are clearly discernible, a comprehensive analysis of the whys and wherefores of the peoples’ will expressed at the polls will have to await authentic information coming in from the grassroots. It is evident that the majority of the majority community voted for President Gotabaya [...]
Lost elephant seal pup closely guarded on unique visit
A young southern elephant seal – the largest of all seals – was spotted by amazed witnesses near Unawatuna this week, the first time an elephant seal has been spotted in the northern Indian Ocean. Southern elephant males can be more than 7m (20 feet) long and weigh almost 4,000kg. These massive creatures take their [...]
Union leader delivers reform message to rescue loss-making Sri Lanka Post
The Postal Department, now functioning under the brand name Sri Lanka Post, is running at a big loss of Rs 6,000 million and successive governments are to blame, says a trade union leader The Joint Postal Trade Union Alliance Convenor Chintaka Bandara said Sri Lanka lags far behind times compared to the giant strides other [...]
Lakvijaya: Poor coal quality a major cause of environment pollution
Lack of attention to the quality of coal has been “a major cause of environmental problems” at the Lakvijaya power plant, the National Audit Office (NAO) says in its recent annual report. The opinion adds weight to conclusions released in May this year by the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) that sulphur dioxide concentration from unit [...]
CEB ups high cost power generation; concern over coal plant’s unit one breakdowns
Between 2015 and 2017, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) increased generation from expensive fuel oil by a thumping 140.85 percent and private sector power purchases by 47.82 percent instead of using low-cost energy sources, the National Audit Office (NAO) says. Electricity generated from coal, the source with the second lowest unit cost, rose by just [...]
Wattala-Mabole council’s shady land deals ignore dire local needs
The Wattala-Mabole Urban Council is facing severe criticism for continually leasing out or selling council land without due tender process while rate-payers lack basic facilities that could be provided with proper use of the land. The scandal has reached such proportions that earlier this month parliamentary watchdog, the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), ordered that [...]
A near pollution-free election
The run-up to the Presidential election was smooth. The main parties and other candidates all conducted environmentally friendly election campaigns. However, amid the euphoria of electoral victory some failed to realise the election had been conducted without the use of polythene and with little or no pollution accompanying the event. Some persons lit firecrackers with [...]
New brooms clean well
After being sworn in as Plantations and Export Agriculture Minister, Ramesh Pathirana was seen engaged in a city clean up programme in Galle yesterday morning. The day’s programme began after garlanding the statue of his father the late Richard Pathirana, one time Minister of Education and Higher Education. The statue is situated in front of [...]