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Home » NewsFor a sea of shoppers, a happi-happi New Year
Despite high prices, a continuing threat from COVID-19 and health guidelines such as physical distancing, Pettah’s Main Street was packed with Avurudu shoppers. Last year, the Avurudu fell during a countrywide lockdown.
Govt. seeks deals with oil producing countries
The rapid depreciation of the rupee and an anticipated ballooning of the country’s oil import bill, have forced Sri Lanka for the first time to secure Government-Government (G-to-G) agreements with several oil-producing nations–including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Russia— on long-term credit. Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Chairman Sumith Wijesinghe said [...]
In 2014, Govt. paid US$ 6.5 million to CIA mole, who has now been jailed
The Sri Lankan Government in 2014 paid US$ 6.5mn through its Central Bank to an American businessman, who was a CIA mole, to buy influence and fix its image in the US, an investigative report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) now reveals, following his sentencing for 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to [...]
15 more commonly used plastic items to be banned
Fifteen more commonly-used plastic items will soon be banned, the Ministry of Environment said — days after sachet packets, inflatable toys and cotton buds with plastic stems were prohibited. Two more lists are being compiled for gazetting, a ministry source said, adding that the regulation was aimed at healthier consumerism. He declined to name the [...]
Indian travel bubble excludes Lankan tourists
India on Friday declared the creation of an “air travel bubble” with Sri Lanka and allowed ‘designated carriers’ to operate between the two countries until the resumption of scheduled flights. The decision was conveyed by the Indian Civil Aviation Ministry and will be operative with immediate effect. In terms of this, Indian tourists will be [...]
Sinopharm vaccine given to Chinese, bypassing ‘Lot Release’ certificate
The Chinese Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19 is being administered to Chinese workers in the country without the mandatory ‘Lot Release’ certificate, a requirement for all vaccines, the Sunday Times understands. These Chinese citizens work largely on development project sites in Colombo, Puttalam, Kandy and Hambantota. They were inoculated with the vaccine this week. The vaccine [...]
About-turn on palm oil ban fails to quell industry uproar
Industrial manufacturers and food and beverage producers are calling on the government to review its sudden ban on palm oil imports and introduce plans for substitutes before implementing the ban announced this week. Palm oil is an essential ingredient in industrial products and many food products, manufacturers said, emphasising that imports of the oil were [...]
Analyst dragging feet over reports on oil safety: PHIs
The Public Health Inspectors (PHI) Union has expressed concerns over the Government Analyst’s delay in issuing reports on potentially carcinogenic coconut oil samples. Union Secretary Mahendra Balasooriya, said the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA)’s PHIs have given 150 samples to the Government Analyst’s department to date, with more being collected from markets and small coconut oil [...]
The looting of artefacts resumes
Valuable archaeological artefacts, including three inscriptions, two dagobas and several other antiques in the Eastern Province have been stolen by treasure hunters. The destruction took place in Dharampalawa in the Bakmitiyawa Thiorigolla area belonging to the Pottuvil Divisional Secretariat. According to the inscriptions this temple and a tank were developed by the kings Kutakanna Tissa, [...]
Galle Fort boulder wall project abandoned as residents protest
The Urban Development Ministry had cancelled plans for a 30 million-rupee boulder wall around the sea-side ramparts of the Galle Fort after residents protested to the World Bank (WB), the funder, that it would destroy the surrounding coral reef. The WB decided not to finance the boulder-stacking component of the restoration and improvement of the [...]
Be safe: Warnings to celebrate a home-grown Avurudu this year
This year’s national New Year will be celebrated with “extreme caution” warnings coming from health authorities, police, the Consumer Affairs Authority and even meteorologists. The public has been asked to strictly obey health guidelines as COVID outbreaks are still occurring in the country. The Ministry of Health’s Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Sudath Samaraweera, said health authorities [...]
Spotlight on Prince Philip’s first personal car at Galle Face Hotel
The death this week of 99 year-old Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth, has brought the spotlight back on a car parked on permanent display at the Galle Face Hotel museum. The restored silver and black Standard 9 car is reported to be Prince Philip’s first personal car, bought while [...]
N’Eliya hotels perk up for Avurudu but hopes fade elsewhere
Afraid of the pandemic, the cash-strapped middle class seems set to spend the New Year at home rather than holidaying, and this together with a return to school the week after Avurudu is crushing hoteliers’ hopes of lifting room occupancy rates. “It was in the news in mid-March that the government would restrict travel during [...]
Central Bank: No plans to defer payments; only to ‘rollover’
The Central Bank has drawn reference to the Sunday Times last week page 1 news item titled “As rupee plunges, Govt. takes urgent measures to protect foreign reserves and stabilise rupee”. Its Director Communications rushed a media statement (montage on the left) last Sunday itself and carried in the state media referring to the “erroneous” [...]
Conviction for contempt of court cause for Ranjan’s expulsion from parliament: CA
Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Ranjan Ramanayake’s conviction for Contempt of Court by the Supreme Court disqualifies him from holding his Parliamentary seat as per the Constitution, the Court of Appeal (CA) has stated. A two-judge Court of Appeal bench stated this in its judgment on Monday, dismissing the writ petition filed by Mr Ramanayake seeking [...]
Debt repayment commitments are being met: CB Governor
Upcoming debt repayments are being met with more non-debt inflows and contingency plans were in place to raise necessary funding from donor countries including the Chinese Renminbi swap, Central Bank Governor Prof. W D Lakshman said this week. Addressing a news conference at the Central Bank, Prof Lakshman said that so far, on account of [...]
Pick of the pix
Pettah: Careful sales Galahitiyawa: Flower power Karuwalagasweva: Waste not Colombo: Create order Visaka Lane: Model issues Galle Face: Preserve disorder Slave Island: Off-peak crossing
From our readers
Shutterbugs out there, we would once again appreciate your contributions to this picture corner. Please send your captioned photograph along with your name, and the location of the photograph, to: pictures@sundaytimes. wnl.lk UK: A line in the sky Pic by Noble Jayasuriya Battaramulla: Cast away [...]
EIA gives nod to high-rise apartment complex on Weligama beach
Sri Lanka’s pristine beachfronts are drawing still more proposals for high-rise developments. The latest is an eight-story, 106-unit apartment complex to be built at Pelena, South of Weligama, at an anticipated cost of US$ 10mn (Rs 1.8bn), according to an environmental impact assessment (EIA) opened for public review by the Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource [...]
Agrarian officers earning Rs. 100,000 for each perch of paddy land filled, says Agriculture minister
Certain officers of the agrarian services have been earning Rs. 100,000 for each perch of paddy land, Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said recently. The Minister said he has already asked the CID to look into this incident. He also said as long as he is the Agriculture Minster he will not allow one inch of [...]
40,000 pensioners fall through crack in pay award
Trade unions said the government’s “discriminatory” halting of pension increments for state employees who retired between 2015-19 has denied 40,000 pensioners their right to income increases from January 2020. In June 2015, the last government moved to grant pay increases for state employees and pensioners and allocated Rs. 12 billion for this in its 2019 [...]
Revoke removal of nominee from NMRA – SLCP
The Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians (SLCP) has expressed their “greatest dismay” over the recent sacking (on April 1) of their nominee from the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) by Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi and sought a revocation of this order as well as an urgent meeting with the Minister. In a letter sent to [...]
“Act with responsibility”, public told
A strong call went out once again for everyone to be extra careful and take the basic preventive measures against COVID-19 as the week of the New Year celebrations dawned. Expressing concern about crowds gathering in many places for shopping, Health Promotion Bureau Director, Dr. Palitha Karunapema, told a media briefing that even though the [...]
Numbers vaccinated and assurances of second jab
“Don’t panic, there are adequate vaccines to give the second dose for those who are due to get it in two-three weeks,” assured Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera. Pointing out that those who have got AstraZeneca’s COVISHIELD vaccine have about 75-80% protection, he however strongly advised people to follow the health precautions of hand-hygiene, face-mask [...]
Plastic ban: Poor will be hit hard, say some;manufacturers must find alternatives, say others
Sri Lanka’s latest plastic ban is receiving mixed reviews with some commentators warning that the prohibition of sachet packets, in particular, will hit the poor and others insisting manufacturers must suck it up and find alternatives. Effective from March 31 this year, Sri Lanka has prohibited the use of sachets containing 20ml or 20g and [...]
Patients movement files FR petition objecting to arbitrary removal of NMRA board members
The People’s Movement for the Rights of Patients (PMRP) on Friday filed a Fundamental Rights application in the Supreme Court, against the arbitrary dismissals of board members of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) by the Health Minister and the State Minister of Pharmaceutical Products. In the strongly worded petition, the PMRP said the board [...]
Backlash against police use of archaic law to arrest female sex workers
The recent use of the Vagrants Ordinance against four women for “idling” at night caused a social media backlash against police for targeting women who are on the streets during late hours. But police do not apply the Vagrants Ordinance against women in general, a spokesman insisted, and the four arrests recently made were of [...]
“Grave dearth” of translators: Ministry seeks graduates to fill vacancies
A severe shortage of translators in the public sector–“much worse than before”–has prompted the Public Administration Ministry to advertise for graduates to create a pool. Calling it a “grave dearth,” the Ministry has issued a circular mandating the recruitment of graduates who have studied translation methods and linguistic studies to the translators’ service on contract [...]