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Home » NewsExtended stay for Aeroflot passengers
Aeroflot passengers who were offloaded on Friday following the Colombo Commercial Court’s decision to prevent their flight from leaving the BIA are seen outside the airport waiting for buses to take them to a tourist hotel. Arrangements were being made to organise alternate flights for them to leave for Moscow
Public interest petition seeks a halt to Central Expressway Section 3 contracts
Two activists have petitioned the Court of Appeal seeking, among other things, an interim order preventing the awarding of any contract to any party in relation to the proposed 20km Central Expressway Section 3 (CEP3) from Rambukkana to Galagedara. T. M. P. Sandun Thudugala and L. A. G. Renuka Sampath Liyandeniya have filed the petition [...]
Lanka seeks food aid; UN to make global appeal on Wednesday
Decision taken after Premier Wickremesinghe holds talks with high-level representatives of world body The United Nations will on Wednesday (June announce a formal appeal for food and medicines following a request by the Sri Lanka Government, Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris confirmed yesterday. This S-O-S for international help from the world body follows talks held by Prime [...]
Garbage project in crisis: US$ 10m to be paid to Chinese firms
The Aruwakkalu sanitary landfill’s Chinese contractors have closed down project offices, heavily trimmed local staff and sent many of their Chinese employees back because the Urban Development Authority (UDA) has fallen back on US$ 10mn worth of payments up to March this year.Work is continuing, but slowly. The contractors are holding talks with the Urban [...]
21st Amendment: Three key issues yet to be resolved
Three key issues related to presidential powers are yet to be resolved before the final draft of the 21st Amendment is to be submitted to the cabinet for approval, a senior government official said. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe met last night to sort out the outstanding issues. [...]
Public servants given Friday holiday option to grow food
The Government is considering a proposal to give public servants the option of keeping away from work on Fridays and cultivate home gardens and other lands, a senior official said. According to him, public servants who want to keep off from work on Friday will have to register with the Agriculture Department to ensure that [...]
Russia strongly protests over Aeroflot incident
The prevention of an Aeroflot flight from leaving the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) based on an enjoining order granted by the Commercial High Court of Colombo while hearing a legal dispute between two private companies has turned into a diplomatic issue between Sri Lanka and Russia. In Moscow, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Janitha A. Liyanage was [...]
Govt. siphoned out millions from LRC fund for failed organic fertiliser project
The Land Reform Commission (LRC) is yet to recover millions of rupees taken “illegally” from its official fund to support the government’s failed organic fertiliser project, the Sunday Times learns. In July last year, Lands Minister S. M. Chandrasena announced that Rs 700mn would be released for an organic fertiliser production project to be implemented [...]
Viral infection, another setback for frustrated students
Schools are set to reopen next week for the second term, but once again, children have been asked to stay away. Last week, the Western Province announced that all pre-schools would be closed until further notice citing hand and mouth disease that has been spreading. In the last two years, children went through rough times, [...]
Sumanthiran’s security officer found dead in Wellawatte; Army and Police investigations underway
The Army and the Police are carrying out separate inquiries into the death of a soldier assigned to provide security to Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran, after his body was found with gun shot injuries in Wellawatte yesterday morning. The soldier’s body was found in a residence, six houses away from the [...]
Basil and Nadesan acquitted after contractor disputed signature
Former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and his relative and businessman Thirukumar Nadesan were acquitted by the Gampaha High Court on Friday in the Malwana property case. The Attorney General had filed three indictments against them for misappropriating state funds by purchasing a 16-acre property in Malwana and constructing a luxury house equipped with a swimming [...]
Tea companies will face legal action if they do not increase workers’ wages: CWC Leader
Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) Leader Senthil Thondaman is going to take legal action against plantation companies which do not comply with the Cabinet decision to increase wages of tea estate workers. Plantation workers are facing severe hardships owing to the skyrocketing cost of living brought on by the economic crisis, he said. Even though the [...]
End of the road, if payments are not made
A proposal to pay arrears of Rs. 59 billion as outstanding payments to contractors engaged in road maintenance work is to be submitted to the Cabinet shortly. The payments had been accumulating over the past six months and continued delay in paying the contractors was hindering road maintenance work of thousands of kilometres of national [...]
Two elephants dead, one injured in train collision
Two elephants were killed and one injured following a collision with a train at Gal Oya on the Batticaloa- Colombo railway line, on Friday night.. Director General, Department of Wildlife Conservation told the Sunday Times that he has instructed wildlife officers to treat the injured elephant. A Railways Department official said the train had derailed [...]
More ground awareness needed to protect vulnerable children from abuse
When we entered the village of Atulugama in Bandaragama on Friday, the time was around 3.30pm. There was an air of apprehensiveness and gloom, while small children were frequently observed in the company of adults. A week earlier, on Friday, May 27, Fathima Ayesha, a nine-year-old from Atulugama went missing in broad daylight. The news [...]
On a bicycle made for you
Cycling appears to to be a real option as shortages and high prices of fuel are squeezing people dry. But many are wary of the lack of infrastructure and road safety for bikers in Sri Lanka. Yasas Hewage, Founder of Spinner Cycling, said many are seriously considering the option of turning to the cycle, especially [...]
Farmers pining for fertiliser, while private urea sells for Rs 35,000
Reserves of rice will run out by September and farmers are still waiting in particular for urea distribution from the government, while private imports are being sold at exorbitant prices. Farmers who have yet to get chemical fertiliser or fuel from the government, will be cultivating fewer hectares during the Yala season. Agriculture Minister Mahinda [...]
Monsoon blows away Feb deadline to remove X-Press Pearl wreck
MEPA says salvage op will last well into next year Environmentalists say authorities dragging feet over country’s worst maritime disaster; and being overly protective of ship operators Removal of the wreckage of the container vessel X-Press Pearl will not be finished on schedule due to the onset of the monsoon, authorities admitted this week, [...]
Laugfs to supply gas from today Litro expecting gas shipment of 2500 MT today
Laugfs gas, the duopoly partner in the nation’s cooking gas supply, announced yesterday it would resume supplies today. Its Chief Executive Officer W. H. K. Wegapitiya said a gas shipment of 3500 MT was scheduled to arrive yesterday and urgent arrangements would be made to supply customers who have been waiting months for gas. The [...]
New tax revisions: More revenue for Govt, more price blows for people
The new tax reforms announced this week have, more or less, reversed the tax cuts introduced in 2019 soon after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed office, but some of the new rates are still below the pre-2019 rates. The Value Added Tax that was increased from 8 to 12 percent stood at 15 percent back then. [...]
Revised taxes, shortages propel food prices ever higher
Basic food stuffs remain in short supply, retailers are restricting purchases, while prices are expected to rapidly tick ever higher following sharp increases in taxes this week. According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, food inflation increased to 57.4% in May 2022 from 46.6 percent in April 2022. “Within the food category, increases were [...]
On the brink of being washed away Story and pix by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
Residents and fishing community of Iranawila in Puttalam express concerns about rapid coastal erosion in the area. Fishermen complain that the beach erosion has affected them negatively as they cannot even use the beach to drag or push boats into the water as the beach is becoming non-existent. The people also expressed concern that the [...]
Zoo seeks sponsors and foster homes for animals
Sri Lankans will be asked to sponsor or take an animal into their homes from the national zoo, which is preparing for a challenging time in the wake of the unprecedented economic calamity in the country. The National Zoological Gardens at Dehiwala is taking the measure to ease the burden of the costs of caring [...]
Three academics file FR case against those who caused economic crisis
Three academics have petitioned the Supreme Court, claiming that their fundamental rights have been violated due to the mismanagement of the economy by the cabinet of ministers and Central Bank officials. The petitioners — Dr. Athulasiri Kumara Samarakoon, Soosaiappu Neavis Morais and Dr. Mahim Mendis — state they are aggrieved by the hardships faced by [...]
LRH’s spine-curvature corrections in jeopardy
Smiling teenager Sayuri Anjalika from Rajanganaya gets off the bed in Ward 14B of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) for Children in Colombo and moves about with the walker under the watchful eye of her mother, Tharanganie Ratnayake and the nursing staff on Friday. Close by, S.K. Malisha Hansamali (14) accompanied by her mother W.V. [...]
More heavy rains and strong winds likely but floods subside
More heavy rain and strong winds are expected as the South West monsoon hangs heavily over the island, but floods are gradually subsiding, Meteorology Department Director General Athula Karunanayake said yesterday. He said the rain had eased somewhat, although it was expected to intensify again from tomorrow. In the beginning of the second week of [...]