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The FIFA World Cup in Qatar is the biggest attraction in the world today. In Negombo, a mini FIFA world cup is being staged in carnival settings with locals and tourists watching the Qatar matches on big screens despite the adverse weather conditions. Pic by M.A Pushpa Kumara
Revamping CEB: Committee appointed to draft laws
Legal draftsman given one month’s time By Namini Wijedasa The Power and Energy Ministry has appointed a new committee to start formulating draft legislation to revamp the electricity sector. It was appointed immediately after Ministers on November 28 approved the report of the earlier nine-member Cabinet-Appointed Committee on Power Sector Reform. It recommends, among other [...]
Irrigation Ministry terminates multibillion-rupee contract with Chinese joint venture
By Namini Wijedasa The Irrigation Ministry will terminate a multibillion-rupee Asian Development Bank-funded contract awarded to a Chinese joint venture after the project showed less than three percent of progress in the past 18 months, officials said. The Rs 10.7bn initiative to build the North Western Province’s two largest reservoirs called Mahakithula and Mahakirula is [...]
PSC to decide local council electoral changes, including halving number of members
By Damith Wickremasekara The Government is proposing to establish a Parliamentary Select Committee to decide on local government electoral changes including the reduction of the number of members to be elected at the next poll. President Ranil Wickremesinghe will meet with political party leaders on Tuesday to discuss the proposal of reducing the number of [...]
Retirement age of Secretary General of Parliament not discussed, say Speaker and others
Making a special announcement in Parliament on Monday (5), Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena stated that the report in the Sunday Times of December 4, 2022 under the headline “Committee rejects move to increase retirement age of Parliament Secretary General” was incorrect. The Speaker stated that there was no discussion regarding the retirement of the Secretary [...]
BIA Customs make biggest gold detection with help from India’s DRI
The nabbing of four Sri Lankan passengers attempting to smuggle gold estimated to be worth over Rs 400mn by Customs at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) was facilitated by India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sharing information with authorities in Colombo, Customs officials said. The arrests were made on Friday. Three of the passengers were travelling [...]
Over 1000 cattle, goats die in the cold; transport of beef and mutton stopped
The Government has banned the transportation of beef and mutton between districts and provinces in the wake of a large number of deaths of animals in the Northern and Eastern provinces in the past three days, officials said. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued a directive to suspend the transportation of beef and mutton to ensure [...]
Warning: Dangerous levels of air pollution in Western Province and other areas
People advised to stay indoors as much as possible to avoid risk of strokes, heart attacks and respiratory ailments By Kasun Warakapitiya In Sri Lanka’s main cities, including Colombo, air quality turned unhealthy last morning after showing an improvement on Friday. National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) Director H.D.S. Premasiri told the Sunday Times that in [...]
Alleged kidney racket: SDSG tells court victims promised payments, but not briefed on health issues
By Ranjith Padmasiri Police claim investigations into an alleged organ-transplant racket centering a private hospital indicate that the persons who are alleged to have been tricked to donate their kidneys had not been briefed on health issues. Senior Deputy Solicitor General (SDSG) Dileepa Peiris told Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court that those behind the scam had [...]
Car returning from night club in early morning crash; three-wheeler driver killed
A speeding car crashed into a three-wheeler last morning on Galle Road in Kollupitiya, killing the three-wheeler driver. The accident took place around 6.30 a.m. Police said the car was carrying five persons, reportedly returning from a night club in Bambalapitiya and going towards Galle Face. It had hit the three-wheeler and crashed into a [...]
Express your views on Lanka’s socio-economic and political issues
EML Consultants PLC, a reputed consultancy firm involved in socio-economic research in Sri Lanka, has launched a series of surveys on social, economic and political issues. The survey provides opportunities for those who wish to express their opinions on important socio-economic and political aspects in the country. The national survey will continue on a monthly [...]
23rd Journalism Awards: Five lifetime achievers and more awardees
The 23rd edition of the Annual Journalism Awards for excellence programme will end with the ‘Awards Night’ on Tuesday, December 13. The ceremony will be held at Mount Lavinia Hotel’s Empire Ballroom. The programme is organised by The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka in partnership with the Sri Lanka Press Institute and its affiliated unions; [...]
Writing with Fire screened for journalists
The Sri Lanka Press Institute in collaboration with the Netherlands embassy screened the Academy Award-nominated documentary ‘Writing with Fire’ for media professionals, journalists and media students on Thursday at the SLPI auditorium to mark the Human Rights Day which fell yesterday. The Netherlands Ambassador Bonnie Horbach was among those who attended the event. The movie [...]
Air pollution: We can’t control situation in region but we must stop localised sources, says expert
Health official warns that in this “acute” but transient phase of high air pollution, people can come down with mild symptoms but at the other end death too By Kumudini Hettiarachchi A pall of gloom hangs over Sri Lanka and many people are speculating whether it is caused by dark rain clouds. No, they are [...]
Crucial cancer conference spreads hope amidst the gloom
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi It is a disease feared by one and all. Just the word ‘cancer’ brings up tragic and terrible images. The economic crisis and a shortage of medicines the country is grappling with, have aggravated these fears. It is in this backdrop that a crucial cancer conference, spreading hope was held in Colombo [...]
Fish prices down but fisherfolk still in troubled waters
They complain of Southern and Indian fishermen stealing their stocks By Sohan Vipulananda Fish prices have decreased this month due to an increase in supplies combined with low demand. Despite the decrease in prices fisherfolk said they were finding it difficult to continue their fishing activities, due to a shortage of kerosene. A fisherman needs 20 [...]
Sanctions bite Lanka’s tourism sector: Need for proper payment mode for Russian tourists stressed
Russia tops arrival figures, but its tourists can’t pay for services with Mir cards here Some resort to providing transport and accommodation services to other tourists to cover expenses By Wasantha Ramanayake With Western economic sanctions preventing Russian tourists from using Mir payment cards, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry stakeholders are calling for the adoption of [...]
Narco menace puts schools on their toes
By Nadia Fazlulhaq Parents and school authorities are being told to be vigilant about behavioural changes among children, and sellers of narcotics near schools, after a number of arrests were reported this week. The Police Special Task Force arrested a man near a leading school in Thalawakelle, while selling ‘mawa’, an intoxicating chewable tobacco product [...]
Roadside screening tests from next month to detect drug-drivers
By Sohan Vipulananda Roadside drug screening tests are to be introduced next month to detect those who drive under the influence of narcotics substances. Transport and Highways State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said a drug screening test device would be used to detect drivers who had taken narcotics drugs or consumed alcohol. He said the device [...]
Coal bids: Unsolicited proposals from nine parties
Selected company required to deliver 72,000 MT of coal by next April By Namini Wijedasa Nine parties have tendered unsolicited proposals to supply 12 shipments of 72,000 metric tonnes of coal to Lanka Coal Company (LCC) (Pvt) Ltd. The offers all came in by December 1, following last month’s Cabinet approval to purchase coal on [...]
More youth with HIV stir call for behaviour change and testing
By Chrishanthi Christopher Alarming data about Sri Lankans living with HIV have thrown the Health Ministry into panic, cautioning the youth to be careful with their sexual partners. The Std/Aids programme, which commemorated World Aids Day on December 1, issued a warning that those engaging in casual sex should know who their partners are. Statistics [...]
Experts throw the book at National Library refurbishment
By Yoshitha Perera The current National Library building poses major safety and conservation issues to its collection, and a lack of a reader-friendly environment, a committee reported. The committee was appointed to provide advice and recommendations on the matters that should be taken into account when resuming renovation work. The Sunday Times last month revealed [...]
Destructive fishery farm in sanctuary endangers marine ecosystems
By Yoshitha Perera An industrial scale area proposed in the Vidattaltivu Nature Reserve for farming fish, crab and exotic shrimp will not go ahead if an environmental assessment by the Wildlife Conservation Department (DWC) determines it is not suitable, a senior official from the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NACDA) said. The NACDA had requested from [...]
Yala incident: Court orders Police to track down 2 more vehicles
The Tissamaharama Magistrate Courts has ordered the Police to track down two more vehicles involved in the Yala off track driving incident in violation of park regulations. The two vehicles are reported to be from Vavuniya and Kalutara. The order was given after the court took up the case against 32 vehicles which reportedly entered [...]
Pera Management Faculty gets new building through AHEAD
By L.B. Senaratne A new building for Peradeniya University’s Management Faculty was declared open by University Grants Commission (UGC) Vice Chairman Chandana P. Udawatte, Vice Chancellor M.D. Lamawansa, Deputy Vice Chancellor Terrence Madhujith and the faculty’s Dean E.M.A.S.B. Ekanayake. Addressing the distinguished invitees present, Prof. Udawatte said the new building was built through the Accelerating [...]
Disaster officials sat tight despite cyclone warning three weeks ago
By Chris Kamalendran As the cyclonic storm “Mandous” over Southwestern Bay of Bengal passed some 230 kilometres east and northeast of Jaffna on Friday night, its force was felt far into the interior of the country, leaving a trail of destruction, weather monitors said. Three were killed — one in Batticaloa and two in Badulla. [...]
Aluth Kade’s stunning street food offering
Story and Pix by Eshan Fernando Located in North Colombo, Hulftsdorp is home to a range of street food stalls catering to crowds wandering and enjoying nightlife in Colombo. These street food stalls cater to a range of tastes, with various combinations of local and foreign, from burgers, hot dogs, brownies to ice cream kottu [...]
Economic winter kills Christmas cheer
By Kasun Warakapitiya Additional taxes on goods and services, salaries, and the unbearable cost of living have set the stage for a blue Christmas. The prices of food, cake ingredients, festive decorations and clothing and gifts are rising by the day. Eggs and chicken are costlier. A kilo of chicken is Rs 1,600, while red, [...]
Rice import ban too late for farmers suffering price collapse
By Senuka Jayakody Farmers who had stocked paddy expecting higher prices during the festive season are having to deal with falling prices instead, due to an abundance of imported rice, mostly from India. Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, after discussions with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, has requested a ban on rice imports. The President had agreed and [...]