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Home » NewsFeast of St. Anthony: We once were lost, but now we are found
The feast of the much revered St. Anthony was celebrated yesterday at the Kachchativu church. Seventy seven devotees from South India were allowed to take part and they are seen praying to St. Anthony in the grounds outside the church. Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters is an outstanding issue. Pic by S. Rubatheesen.
Projects signed ahead of Basil’s visit
Sri Lanka and India have sped ahead to sign agreements that give India greater access to Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee and Mannar area, days before Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa is due in New Delhi to secure Colombo’s request for a US$1bn credit line. The deals tied to the credit line were rushed through before new dates [...]
29% increase in prices of medicinal drugs
A gazette notification is to be issued tomorrow, allowing for a 29 percent price increase on all essential and non-essential medicinal drugs, but will be effective only for two months, said State Minister Channa Jayasumana who is in charge of production, supply and regulation of pharmaceuticals. At present, 60 essential medicines have a maximum retail [...]
Kachchativu talks: Lankan fishermen reject Indian plea for grace period
Informal talks between the fisherfolk communities of northern Sri Lanka and southern India were held on the eve of the St Anthony’s feast in Kachatheevu but they ended inconclusively on Friday. This came after Sri Lankan fishermen refused to give any more ‘grace period’ for Indian bottom trawlers in Sri Lankan waters. The meeting which [...]
Russia Today off the air in Sri Lanka
The Russia Today (RT) international news channel has gone off the air in Sri Lanka. The Russian state controlled channel was telecast in the country via Dialog TV. However, it suddenly went off the air this week and its slot has been taken over by German broadcaster DW-TV (Deutsche Welle). “Dialog is not receiving the [...]
Helitours finally fulfills conditions to get air operator certificate
It can no longer fly as a military operation and must follow all civil aviation rules and regulations, says CAASL Director-General The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) has issued an air operator certificate (AOC) to Helitours, the Air Force-run paid passenger transport service. The AOC had been pending till Helitours fulfilled conditions allowing [...]
CEB wants to increase electricity rates
In the aftermath of an unprecedented fuel price increase, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has proposed to the Government a revision in the electricity rates. The proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Power and the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka. Accordingly the PUCSL has begun working out the revised rates to be [...]
Monetary Board to grant exemptions for exports registered as ‘Strategic Development Projects’
A fresh gazette issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) on Friday mandating the repatriation of export proceeds gives the Monetary Board discretion to grant exemption from the rules in respect of exporters of goods and services registered as ‘Strategic Development Projects’ with the Board of Investment (BOI). The CBSL first issued a [...]
Floating dollar draws mixed reactions from businesses
The Central Bank’s recent decision to float the Rupee was met with mixed reactions as some business owners hailed the move while others claimed that it was too little too late. “From an entrepreneur’s perspective, the decision to float was a good move,” noted Randheera Herath, Working and Foreign Affairs Director at Kandyan Spices (Pvt) [...]
PUCSL grants CEB conditional approval for power purchase deal with Ace Power Embilipitiya
The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has authorised the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to buy 93MW of emergency power on a six-month agreement with Ace Power Embilipitiya (Pvt) Ltd, subject to several conditions. Among other things, the CEB must ensure all existing power plants have fuel before the emergency power plant receives it. [...]
Ginger and turmeric aplenty; farmers complain of low prices and severe losses
Local turmeric and ginger cultivations have yielded bountiful harvests this season, resulting in a sharp fall in their market prices. The Government earlier imposed a ban on importing turmeric and ginger, resulting in their prices rising sharply, with a kilo of raw turmeric and ginger, selling for more than Rs. 1000 a kilo. However, the [...]
Attack on SJB office: Kotte MC’s UNP members call for action against council workers
The Kotte Municipal Council’s 11 United National Party members in solidarity with the Samagi Jana Balawegaya have called for an inquiry and disciplinary action against the employees who took part in a protest outside the SJB head office in Kotte. The 11 UNP members later walked out of the council meeting in protest against the [...]
Take the vaccine, don’t get complacent, we don’t know what lies around the corner: Expert
With the number of people interested in taking the vaccine against COVID-19 dropping, the Sunday Times asked Consultant Immunologist Dr. Rajiva de Silva of the Medical Research Institute (MRI) about concerns relating to food allergies and more. Reiterating that it is crucial for all eligible people to take the vaccine (all 3 doses – 1st, [...]
4,800 state vehicles headed for overhaul or the waste yard
More than 4,800 state-owned vehicles are to be disposed of by April 30 following a government directive to speed up the disposal or repair of vehicles not in running condition owned by all government agencies including provincial councils. Under the plan, 3,229 vehicles are yet to be repaired, while so far, 844 vehicles have been [...]
‘Deltacron’ : No need to panic, need to observe and see how things progress
A new COVID-19 variant which is a combination of the previously identified Delta and Omicron versions, is spreading quickly in parts of Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. This variant has been dubbed ‘Deltacron’ by some. “Deltacron is a recombination of the SARS-CoV-2 virus variants Delta and Omicron,” said Prof. Neelika Malavige, Head [...]
Home kitchen as pharmacy and gym: Boosting immunity in times of pandemic
The ‘kitchen’ not only as a pharmacy but also as a ‘gym’ is what was spotlighted at the International Women’s Day celebrations held on March 8, at the Free Ayurvedic Medical Centre at Mattakkuliya run by the Department of Indigenous Medicine of the Colombo Municipal Council. Catering to around 70 people on average per day [...]
There’s nothing called a perfect law: Justice Minister
Parliament on Wednesday passed a landmark Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill after multiple amendments and amid concerns raised by the Opposition that the legislation would negatively impact the media and Right to Information (RTI) law. The bill had been controversial from the outset, with media groups including the Editors Guild of Sri Lanka and Transparency [...]
On Freedom Day, Arosha was discharged free of thalassaemia
Amidst the challenging times of COVID-19 a team headed by Consultant Haematologist Dr. Nipunika Senadheera at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) for Children creates history by carrying out the first ever allogeneic bone marrow transplant in a state hospital in the country Laughter shakes her slender body and her face is wreathed with a big [...]
Battered bakers going out of business
On the official Facebook page of the All Ceylon Bakery Owners’ Association, some members are selling their entire kitchens–ovens, mixers, tables and showcases. Others are hawking firewood. Gas, electricity and flour shortages have hit the industry hard along with acute increases in the prices of raw materials. And bakers–particularly hundreds of small and medium-scale ones–say [...]
Public Admin circular to save power and fuel hits snags
Despite a Government circular on changing working patterns to save power and fuel, state institutions are yet to put it into practice. On Tuesday, the Public Administration Department issued a circular to state institutions, outlining measures to conserve electricity and fuel. They include a proposal to cut down the number of workdays. Noting that public [...]
Thousands vent fury at cooking gas suppliers once again
Thousands of furious and exhausted Sri Lankans, among them the elderly and women with children, are once again lining up, even overnight, to buy a cooking gas cylinder from the duopoly of state-owned Litro Gas and private Laugfs Gas. Just months after an island-wide crisis, yet again, cooking gas is not available for Sri Lankans [...]
School transport on road to uncertainty, as fuel crisis deepens
The problems parents, schoolchildren, teachers and school transport operators face are aggravating with a prolonged fuel shortage and record fuel price increases. They fear the situation will only get worse with the decision by the Education Ministry to call in all students from tomorrow, a change from last week’s decision for students to attend school [...]
Pick of the Pix
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
Sifting through the pieces
Clad in oversized jackets, gloves and hats, about 200 women from the fishing community in Sarakkuwa, Kepungoda coastal areas, close to where the X-Press Pearl ship disaster took place, are fully involved in removal of plastic pellets and other harmful materials washed ashore. According to the Chairperson of Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) Dharshani Lahandapura, [...]
More than 200 devotees take part in Kachchativu feast
Since his childhood, B Robinson, a fisherman from Thankachchimadam, Rameswaram used to attend St Anthony’s feast in Kachchativu along with his whole family. This time he could not bring his family due to the decision taken by authorities to allow only a limited number of devotees from both countries considering Covid-19 health concerns. “I brought [...]
Death sentence upheld for Thiyagarajah Maheswaran’s killer
The death sentence imposed by the Colombo High Court on the accused found guilty of the assassination of former minister and United National Party MP Thiyagarajah Maheswaran has been upheld by the Court of Appeal (CA). A bench comprising Judges Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne and R Gurusinghe rejected the appeal filed by Johnson Colin Valintino alias [...]
Anthurium smugglers pose biosecurity risks
Environmentalists and farmers are worried that dangerous pathogens and pests may be introduced into the country through commercial and ornamental plant smugglers who evade quarantine at entry points. Endemic species could be in danger. Vegetable farmers, house plant enthusiasts who sell ornamental flower plants and those who locally produce new hybrids fear their livelihoods would [...]
Pharma trade selling earlier imports at revised price; pharmacies slam profiting
Amid the shortage of essential drugs in the country’s hospitals and pharmacies, the government allowed a sharp price increase this week, just as the US dollar was allowed to float freely. For months, even paracetamol was not available. Prices of 60 essential price-controlled pharmaceuticals will increase by 29%, the state minister of pharmaceuticals, Dr Channa [...]
Hoisting the Kandyan flag: Wariyapola Sri Sumangala thera honoured at ceremony
The 207th anniversary of the day Wariyapola Sri Sumangala thera pulled down the British Flag and replaced it with the Kandyan Flag in the precincts of the audience hall where the Kandyan Convention was read, was commemorated recently. The ceremony was arranged by Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela and was held at the ‘maha maluwa‘ [...]
Rs. 1.25m fine for killing and burying of tusker in Karuwalagaswewa
Four people who pleaded guilty for electrocuting a tusker and burying its body have been fined Rs. 1.25 million by the Puttalam Magistrate’s Court. Additional Magistrate Asela de Silva imposed the fine on Tuesday on the four accused including the main accused M. D. Roshan Anuruddha Dissanayake, alias “Ali Roshan.” They were arrested following [...]
Navigating our humanity: Four Lessons from Ukraine
The USA Today reported that a photo that went viral about a high-rise in the Ukraine being hit by Russian bombing turned out to be a high-rise from the Gaza Strip, demolished by the Israeli Air Force in May 2021. A few days before that, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister complained to the Israeli ambassador in [...]