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As part of his Afro-Asian tour, China’s Foreign Minister arrived here last night after his whistle-stop visit to the Maldives yesterday. At the Bandaranaike International Airport, he was welcomed by Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa. Mr. Wang’s visit to Sri Lanka, a key partner in Beijing’s Belt-and-Road Initiative, comes at a time when Sri Lanka is [...]
CEB recommends scheduled power cuts for two and half hours daily
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has recommended to the Ministry of Power to impose scheduled power cuts for two and half hours daily. The CEB’s Additional General Manager P.W. Hendahewa has communicated the decision to Power Ministry Secretary Wasantha Perera and urged that it be enforced immediately. However, the Sunday Times learns that unscheduled power [...]
Treasury to directly collect Special GST and VAT
The Treasury will be empowered to collect the proposed Special Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the revised Value Added Tax in future. The move will reduce the powers of the Inland Revenue Department, confining it to the collection of income tax. A Bill proposing that the Treasury Secretary sets up a unit under the [...]
China’s Foreign Minister to meet President and PM today
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived here yesterday for a visit lasting less than 24 hours. He was welcomed at the airport by Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa. Mr Wang is scheduled to meet President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning. Thereafter, he will visit the Colombo Port City — China’s flagship development [...]
Central Bank sells gold worth US$ 206mn to shore up reserves
The Central Bank sold more than half of its gold reserve–54.1 percent or US$ 206.8mn worth– last month to shore up forex reserves that had dropped to around a month of imports in November 2021. The Central Bank’s Weekly Economic Indicators dated January 7, 2022, showed that gold reserves went down from US$ 382mn to [...]
Govt. seeks Saudi aid to uplift SriLankan and get dollars to buy fuel
The Government has begun talks with the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) to finance Sri Lankan Airlines and find US dollars to pay for its fuel, Tourism and Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said. He said that although the SFD usually provided assistance for social and infrastructure projects, the Government had decided to approach the Saudi [...]
Holidaying families cautioned about deadly dips in the water
Long weekend and planning a trip? Watch out as you step into waterways, advise experts. This caution comes following a number of deaths from drowning during the festive season. Three young women drowned in Kumari Ella in Thummodara, Avissawella last week. Their bodies were recovered hundreds of metres downstream. The trio, aged between 14 years [...]
Importers wait for Trade Minister’s promised dollars to clear essential food items
Though Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena pledged to importers that he would release US dollars needed to clear containers of essential food items held at the Colombo Port, funds had not been released by Friday. As a result, more than 1,500 containers are still stuck at Customs in the Port. Customs Chief G V Ravipriya told [...]
Pick of the Pix
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High fees, no facilities at Sigiriya
The World Heritage Site of Sigiriya is becoming very inaccessible due to the lack of development and maintenance. According to Chairman, Dambulla Paradeshiya Sabha, KG Somathilake, the new town of Sigiriya has not yet legally been handed over to the local council for maintenance; he says the facilities could be maintained once it is handed [...]
No light shed on Nov 29 and Dec 3 blackouts
A committee that investigated the total blackout of December 3 last year has been unable to find evidence to substantiate the Ceylon Electricity Board’s (CEB) claim that its root cause was an earth fault. It has also not found grounds to “eliminate the allegation” that the outage, along with a similar one on November 29 [...]
Marine City project in final stage of regulatory approval
The Urban Development Authority (UDA) is in the final stage of regulatory approvals for the proposed multimillion dollar 121.6 hectare (ha) beach reclamation from Kollupitiya to Dehiwala, officials said. The Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management Department has opened the environment impact assessment (EIA) for “Marine City” for public comment. Once the EIA is passed, [...]
Livestock owner accused of branding cattle granted bail
A Northern Province livestock owner was granted bail by the Kayts Magistrate for allegedly branding his cows, an offence under the country’s Animal Welfare laws. However, the case filed against him by the Saiva Maha Sabha, a pro-Hindu outfit will continue. Branding is an old practice where the initials or name of livestock owners were [...]
Likely five per cent drop in SL’s tea production for 2022
Sri Lanka’s tea production this year is estimated to fall by five per cent to around 285-288 million kg from a projected 300 million kg last year, largely due a fertiliser shortage which has hampered agricultural crops in the country, a leading commodities broker said. Production in 2020 was 278.9 million kg. The Government has [...]
Veteran Actor Robin Fernando passes away
Veteran actor Robin Fernando has passed away on Saturday (8) at the age of 84 years. He was an actor, as well as a stunt coordinator in Sri Lankan cinema. He debuted in ‘Chandiya’ by renowned director Titus Thotawatte in 1965, and rose to prominence with lead roles. Fernando has acted in more than 80 [...]
Taxi-hailing apps: Who’s taking whom for a ride?
Customers complain of higher charges and longer waiting time; Service providers explain challenges they face due to pandemic-related realities Tuk-tuk union leader attributes crisis to multiple factors including leasing issues, taxes and import controls, absence of regulator Are taxi-hailing apps a rip-off? Do they no longer offer convenience? The vast majority of users seem to [...]
Mandatory meter rule comes into force from next week in WP
There will be strict implementation of mandatory meter regulation in the Western Province starting January 15, then countrywide over the next few months. All taxis are legally required to have a functioning meter installed by July 15. Southern Province taxis must have their meters installed by February 15. “This has been the rule for a [...]
Sri Lanka shocked by raging child abuse; about 10,300 cases reported last year
The sudden escalation in the cases of cruelty to children, some resulting in untimely deaths, has shocked the country with many trying to find out the reason or reasons for this criminal abuse. Last week the Dickoya Police arrested an intoxicated man for allegedly tying up his two children to a tree and beating them [...]
‘People’s gift to the people’ is born at premier Maternity Hospital
The baby is born – a brand new, well-equipped COVID-19 ward to give all the care needed not only for expectant mothers who seek the services of the premier De Soysa Hospital for Women (Teaching), down Kynsey Road, Colombo, but also staff who may fall victim to the virus. This ‘people’s gift to the people’ [...]
Booster doses also in schools for adults side-by-side with student jabs
Here are the highlights of Friday’s media briefing at the Health Promotion Bureau (HPB) chaired by Director Dr. Ranjith Batuwanthudawe. Dr. Batuwanthudawe: n Omicron is a highly transmissible variant. According to statistics from England and other countries, even though there is less disease severity there seems to be an increase in hospitalizations. Certain restrictions have [...]
Keeping doctors and public informed on matters of life-and-death issues
They treated patients including those affected by COVID-19 throughout the difficult year of 2021. Even amidst these hardships, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) under the guidance of President Dr. Padma Gunaratne and her council also went that extra mile to keep their doctors and the public informed on many matters of life-and-death issues, which [...]
Farmers, workers deride handouts that worsen national financial burden
The concessions that were announced by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa earlier this week have received mixed reactions with warnings that they fail to address double-digit inflation, and have ignored certain sectors. Many found fault with the Rs. 5,000 allowance that was promised to public sector workers especially since daily wage earners like plantation workers were [...]
Gas cylinder explosions: Compensation package on the back burner
Shattering people’s hopes for the New Year, gas cylinder-related explosions continue in various parts of the country, while a cooking gas shortage continues to cause hardship to the people, with the Government and the gas companies not giving the assurance the people seek. Since the first explosions were reported, there have been calls that there [...]
No gas, no firewood, no hot water for Nuwara Eliya residents
Some in N’Eliya turn to electricity due to cooking gas shortage, but poorer residents unable to make the switch due to high cost The prevailing gas shortage has caused immense hardship for people in the country. For those in Nuwara Eliya however, the situation is worse than other places. The climate in Nuwara Eliya these [...]
Switch to organic fertiliser: Paddy farmers to sue Govt. for crop failure
Cultivators warn of 50 percent reduction in yield, say rice prices may soar to around Rs. 300 a kilo by April Govt.’s Rs. 25 stimulus raises PMB’s ‘conditional’ buying price to Rs. 75, but private millers offer Rs. 95 for a kilo Farmer associations have decided to sue the Government over severe crop losses and other [...]
Something to croak about
The green beauty with the lovely eyes on the cover beckons even those not too fond of its kind to take a closer look. The Leaf-nesting Shrub Frog heralds the publication of ‘A Photographic Field Guide to the Amphibians of Sri Lanka’ by Dr. Anslem de Silva, Dr. Kanishka Ukuwela and Dr. Dilan Chaturanga. Dr. [...]
Eliminating mosquito breeding sites key to prevent dengue: Expert
Being aware of dengue alone won’t do, a change in behaviour is needed, stresses Consultant Community Physician Dr Shilanthi Seneviratne as dengue cases increase around the country Dengue is on the rise with a total of 1768 cases reported as at January 7, Health Ministry statistics revealed. Last year 35,924 cases were reported with 26 [...]
Kurunegala collapse reveals continuing clinical waste horror
Most hospitals of Sri Lanka are still wrestling with the continuing nightmare of thousands of kilos of hazardous clinical waste and solid waste they produce every day. And yet again, the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital is in the news for massive piles of stinking clinical waste posing health hazards to patients, a children’s ward, visitors, staff, [...]
Gas shortage, soaring food costs batter hoteliers
High vegetable prices have meant less takers The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, president M Shanthikumar, who has over four decades of experience in the industry, said that hotels normally spend about 40% of revenue on food purchases, but now, hotels are spending 60% to 70%. “We are trying very hard to maintain the quality [...]
Dubai promo to help draw West-Asia visitors
Sri Lanka will attempt to attract cultural and business events organisers especially from West Asia to the island’s many locations amid challenges from the continuing coronavirus global pandemic. Weddings, business programmes and cultural events could be promoted, under health precautions, tourism officials believe. All visitors are required to pay for mandatory local Covid-19 insurance of [...]
High-speed bike deaths a forerunner for accident-prone 2022
A young motorcyclist and his fiancée were killed on New Year’s day in the Bandaragama area in what police believed to be a high-speed crash, the first fatal accident for 2022. According to police, 21-year-old Sankalpa Sandaruwan and his 19-year-old girlfriend Subashini Sivakumari had spent time on the Panadura beach with two of their friends [...]
Red scorpion research stalled: Wildlife Dept silence stings Pera zoologists
Peradeniya University zoologists have called off a red scorpion research programme with foreign collaboration after repeated appeals to the Wildlife Department for permission proved futile. A senior zoology professor said the wildlife authorities’ permission was required to bring in specimen or transport the scorpions, which belonged to the Arachnida class, for comparative studies. But the [...]