News
Home » NewsFaith and health go hand in hand in Kachchativu
With the number of cases from the new coronavirus hitting 100,000 worldwide, Sri Lanka’s health officials were seen carrying out fever checks on those who attended the annual St. Anthony’s church feast yesterday in Kachchativu. About 7,000 Sri Lankans and 3,000 Indians converged on this island for the feast. Pic by Priyanka Samaraweera
UNP splits; both factions prepare candidate lists
In power for the past four and half years and now thrust in the opposition, the United National Party (UNP) formally split in two yesterday bringing to a close months of feuding by rival factions. The first test of strength for both sides will come when they field candidates separately for the April 25 parliamentary [...]
COVID-19 hits Lanka’s economy; outflows of Rs. 19.6bn in two weeks
With the coronavirus (COVID-19) slowing down the global economy, foreigners have rushed to encash Treasury Bonds and Bills held by them in Sri Lanka, resulting in an outflow of Rs 19.6 billion in two weeks, the Central Bank said. According to Central Bank statistics, Rs 8.23 billion of foreign outflow was recorded this week by [...]
Port City pact released to RTIC for scrutiny
Following public hearings under the Right to Information Act (RTI) after environmental activists and affected fisherfolk filed an appeal to the Right to Information Commission (RTIC), the Tripartite Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd was released to the RTIC on March 3. The Port City Agreement, as [...]
Bond scam: About 25 CID teams search for Ravi; but former minister missing
Criminal Investigations Department (CID) sleuths yesterday carried out searches for former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake and eight suspects wanted in connection with the case related to the Central Bank bond scam, but failed to find them, a senior CID officer said. He said several locations where they believed Mr Karunanayake would be taking shelter were [...]
Lockdown at two Maldivian resorts
The Maldives, best known for its luxury resorts, has locked down two resort islands after two tourists were found to have symptoms likely to be associated with the coronavirus. “The two tourists remain on the two islands while tests are underway and the lockdown is a precaution,” said state-owned Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation [...]
Coronavirus crisis: Three quarantine centres set up in Sri Lanka
Three quarantine centres have been established in Sri Lanka by the health authorities to keep under observation people arriving here from high-risk COVID-19 affected countries. They are the Batticaloa private campus, the Kandakadu Treatment & Rehabilitation Centre and the Leprosy Hospital at Hekitta in Hendala. Health Services Director-General Dr. Anil Jasinghe told the Sunday Times [...]
Govt. takes a different turn for LRT project; questions over JICA deal
The Government will float a request for proposals (RFP) for the Colombo Light Rail Transit (LRT) project despite the last administration having already signed a loan agreement for it with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in March last year. “We will do it but it will be a different model,” said Priyath Bandu, Secretary to [...]
Hambantota port, construction and apparel industries hit by Covid-19
Sri Lankan businesses, including the Hambantota Port, are now beginning to feel the pinch of the Covid-19 outbreak. The Hambantota International Port Group (Pvt) Ltd (HIPG) had planned to start bunkering in March but that has been delayed because specialists working on tank farm refurbishment went home for the Chinese New Year and are unable [...]
Airbus bribe: Judge asks CID why they delayed action against Kapila and wife
Criminal Investigation Department officials remained silent when Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake asked them to explain why they delayed action against those who obtained huge bribes in a transaction that involved public finance. The magistrate’s query came while he ordered the release of SriLankan Airlines’ former Chief Executive Officer Kapila Chandrasena and his wife Priyanka Niyomali [...]
Sri Lankan drug lord linked to Iranian and Pakistani heroin smugglers
A Sri Lankan mastermind overseas is being sought for the narcotics smuggling network that was uncovered this week following a month-long joint operation by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) and the Sri Lanka Navy. As of Friday, 33 suspects including 14 Iranians, four Pakistanis and 15 Sri Lankans were being held for questioning. The police [...]
Jam for the Barmy Army as tourism tries to counter virus
The tourism industry is resorting to desperate measures to counter the effects of COVID-19 on cruises, flights and Chinese travel to Sri Lanka, wooing the Barmy Army with attractive tours and offering discount packages to Indian tourists. According to Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, “Last month tourist arrival was 207,507. This was a drop from [...]
Kelaniya students continue to oppose installation of cameras
Higher education officials and student unions are still at loggerheads over the installation of CCTV cameras at universities. While Higher Education Minister Bandula Gunewardena said all universities are directed to install CCTV cameras to curb and prevent any threats to national security, student unions charged that this is a move to suppress student unions and [...]
Contingency plan in place in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has a contingency plan covering all aspects to meet the threat from the new coronavirus and the health authorities are scaling it up regularly. This assurance came from the Director-General (DG) of Health Services, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, as he urged all Sri Lankans to be honest and forthright about the country of origin [...]
Govt. cash-strapped: Major projects hobble along
Twenty of Sri Lanka’s biggest construction companies are still owed Rs 26bn by the Government, with some payments pending since October last year. The continued absence of a national budget for 2020 has slowed down implementation of State contracts. Hardest hit are the highways, water supply, health, education and higher education sectors. Earlier this year, [...]
$100m boost for Kantale sugar company: Court permits issue of shares to foreign investors
The Commercial High Court of Colombo has permitted the issue of shares of MG Sugar Lanka (Pvt) Limited (MGSL) to its foreign investor, renewing expectations about a direct investment of US$ 100m to revive the Kantale sugar plant and surrounding plantations. MGSL was incorporated around 2015 as a special purpose vehicle for the revival of [...]
Govt. uses Yahapalana achievements to defend SL against comments in UN Special Rapporteur Report
With the country’s attention focussed on the withdrawal of Sri Lanka’s co sponsorship of Resolution 30/1 at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Report of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief on his visit to Sri Lanka did not receive the attention it deserved. The Special Rapporteur who visited [...]
Unsung eco-warrior gains long-due protection
A hugely underrated eco-warrior is only now gaining national protection with the first steps being taken to safeguard existing mangrove forests and reclaim lost growth. Forest Officer Devanee Jayathilaka’s courageous stance in protecting a mangrove patch in the Negombo lagoon has brought welcome media attention to the issue, speakers at this week’s National Workshop [...]
‘Stop roads through NPs to mitigate climate change’
Sri Lanka is caught in the stranglehold of a dry spell, with major water scarcities, power shortages and crop failures. As men, women and children are warned against heat-strokes and told to drink lots of water, the blame falls squarely on climate change. “Climate change is the defining issue of our time and we are [...]
Smuggling national wildlife; Russians remanded
Three Russians are being investigated for organised smuggling of endemic animals and insects and invertebrates from Sri Lanka after being arrested with a haul of creatures they illegally collected. The Russian suspects are identified as Ignatenko Alexander, Riyabo Artem and Kilfuyan Nicolai. Attorney C Perera appeared for the suspects who were due to leave Sri [...]
Fighting fire with fire
With concern mounting over the increasing number of manmade forest fires, experts stress the importance of effective community level awareness and participation — turning known fire-setters in villages into firefighters Sri Lanka has seen a sharp rise in manmade fires this year–with 129 reported since January alone–and there are fears of more blazes in the [...]
Art emerges from behind bars
Prisoners across the country this week were able to display their art skills when more than 150 works of art created by around 70 prisoners were exhibited at the Public Library Auditorium. The exhibition, which was held from March 2-4, was organised by the Prisons Department as part of a rehabilitation programme for inmates. Prisons [...]