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Former President and SLFP leader Maithripala Sirisena taking part in religious observances before striking a deal with like-minded parties for an alliance to contest the upcoming local polls. This came a day before the Supreme Court imposed a fine of Rs. 100 million on Mr. Sirisena for his act of omission in preventing the April [...]
Tough new guidelines on foreign travel for ministers, officials
Even communications with DPL missions must be channelled through MFA By S. Rubatheesan Sri Lankan missions abroad have been informed to refrain from entertaining any direct requests from ministers or senior government officials during foreign visits and any such requests should be channelled through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) only, according to revised protocols [...]
EC moves ahead with polls plans despite issues
By Anthony David and Damith Wickremaskeara The Election Commission will go ahead with preparations to conduct the local council elections, its Chairman Nimal G. Punchihewa, said yesterday. “Unlike previous elections where state institutions linked to the elections are consulted after nominations, we are meeting them in advance to ensure we have their support,” he told [...]
TNA splits, new alliance emerges for local polls
By Chris Kamalendran Three Tamil National Alliance (TNA) partners broke away yesterday to form a new five-party alliance that will contest the upcoming local council elections in the North and East. The Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO), and the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), all of [...]
Electricity tariff revision: PUCSL turns down Cabinet decision
By Sandun Jayawardana Power sector regulator the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has informed the Cabinet that there is no legal basis for it to comply with a Cabinet request to implement the electricity tariff revision proposed by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) with effect from January 1 as an “interim measure.” The [...]
Debt-restructuring talks, two MoUs during Jaishankar’s visit; President receives Xi’s letter
The government is to hold debt restructuring talks with India, one of the key creditors, during a scheduled visit by India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar who is due here next Thursday, President Ranil Wickremesinghe told trade union leaders yesterday. “We discussed China’s Exim Bank earlier this week and by now we have started exchanging [...]
Health Ministry clashes with Tourism Ministry over airport Covid-rule
By Yoshitha Perera The Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) yesterday opted to maintain the same entry status quo after health officials said it was not mandatory to produce the COVID-19 vaccination card for arriving tourists, Airport and Aviation Chairman Rtd. Major General G.A. Chandrasiri said. The Tourism Ministry on Friday issued a notice requiring foreign tourists [...]
No A/L tuition or seminars after January 17
Tuition classes, seminars, and workshops related to the upcoming GCE Advanced Level examination will be prohibited from midnight on Tuesday, January 17 to February 17, Examinations Commissioner-General Amith Jayasundara has announced. The 2022 Advanced Level examination will be held from January 23 to February 17 at 2,200 examination centres across the country. The Examinations Department [...]
Large crowd at funeral for senior lawyer
The funeral of prominent lawyer, Asoka Samararatna, Principal Partner of Samararatna Associates was held last afternoon at the General Cemetery, Colombo in the presence of a large number of professional colleagues, relatives and friends. Mr. Samararatna appeared in several high profile cases during the past four decades and was the personal lawyer for many political [...]
Victim Fund: Prompt action by AG in line with SC ruling in Easter attack case
The Attorney General has written to the Chairperson of the Office for Reparations on the establishment of a Victim Fund in line with the Supreme Court (SC) ruling on the Fundamental Rights petitions filed regarding the Easter Sunday attack. In its directive to the Office for Reparations, the SC has ordered that a Victim Fund [...]
Paddy purchases likely to begin next month
By Senuka Jayakody The Paddy Marketing Board is expecting cabinet approval for at least Rs. 10 billion to buy 10% of the Maha harvest. The Cabinet paper is pending. The PMB had only managed to buy 7,100 metric tonnes of the Yala harvest because there were no funds at the time. The Maha paddy would [...]
Mega bribery case: SC says country’s revival hindered by officials like Sirisena’s ex-Chief of Staff
The magnitude of the bribes solicited from an Indian businessman by two senior Sri Lankan public officials–including former President Maithripala Sirisena’s one-time Chief of Staff–to unblock a legitimate project were “unimaginable”, the Supreme Court (SC) observed this week. The Court stressed that “it would be difficult for this country to revive itself as long as [...]
Nadesan receives the 2023 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award!
Sivakumar Nadesan, the Managing Director of Express Newspapers, the publishers of Virakesari and several other newspapers, received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award from India’s President Droupadi Murmu at the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 Valedictory Session held on January 10 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Mr. Nadesan, who is also the Chairman of the Sri Lanka [...]
University students request that Mahapola funds be doubled to meet their needs
The Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) has requested the Government to increase the Mahapola fund and pay the arrears. On Friday, IUSF members met Education Ministry officials and handed over a letter calling on authorities to look into the issue. IUSF Acting Convener Terence Rodrigo complained that the Government had not paid the Mahapola fund [...]
Overseas Sri Lankans show interest in Jaffna tourism
Some Sri Lankans living in Canada have presented proposals to invest in tourism in Jaffna. Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairman Priyantha Feranando said: “We received some proposals for investment in Jaffna from Sri Lankans living in Canada. In particular, in the Karainagar area. These people, primarily from the diaspora, have provided the Government [...]
Hope amid doom and gloom
First-ever academic sessions of cardiothoracic & thoracic surgeons By Kumudini Hettiarachchi The challenges are many but hope that everything will be done to prevent patients from coming to harm was the highlight of the very successful, first-ever academic sessions of the Association of Cardiothoracic and Thoracic Surgeons of Sri Lanka (ACTSSL) this weekend. Under the [...]
Renaissance man of cardiothoracic surgery felicitated
Dubbed as the ‘Renaissance man of cardiothoracic surgery, with a healing pair of hands and compassionate heart that restored and repaired other hearts’, the ACTSSL’s first Lifetime Achievement Award went to Dr. Panini Arinda Gooneratne. In his “impressive” career, among the firsts to Dr. Gooneratne’s credit are performing the first arterial switch operation for the [...]
Oxford surgeon who touched numerous lives remembered
He is no more but his memory and work will be etched forever not only in the hearts but also the minds of numerous doctors as well as patients. He is none other than eminent Cardiothoracic Surgeon, the late Dr. Ravi Pillai, and the honour of delivering the inaugural ‘Ravi Pillai Memorial Oration’ aptly fell [...]
Egg imports decision triggers industry hand-wringing
By Yoshitha Perera Small and medium-scale poultry farmers are ready to invest for the future, the All Island Poultry Association said, insisting that imports of eggs are not needed. “We ask the Government to revive the collapsed small and medium-scale egg production without importing (eggs). The local egg production which collapsed last year is returning [...]
Three-prong crisis hitting a body blow to the state health sector
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi The current saga of the much-lauded state health sector in Sri Lanka which may lead to its collapse was heavily underscored this week too by concerned experts. The three-prong critical issue that is ailing the state health is: the brain drain of specialists, both young and not so young; the sudden retirement [...]
Address shortage of medicines and medical equipment: GMOA to Gov
The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) has reiterated its call for the government to immediately take all necessary measures to alleviate the shortage of essential medicines and medical equipment. Hospitals around the country are making pleas for assistance to donors, both domestic and overseas, to address priority healthcare needs, GMAO Media Spokesperson Dr Chamil Wijesinghe [...]
Diaries, calendars make appointments with reality
By Senuka Jayakody The diary and the calendar that promoted the corporate image have become the latest casualties of Sri Lanka’s economic bankruptcy. These are also now more expensive. Imports of printing paper have drastically reduced, prices have risen, and that has forced book publishers to adapt, as well. The president of the Sri Lanka [...]
Harvest festival
The Thai Pongal festival is celebrated today by Hindu devotees across the country. Preparations were underway with persons going out to purchase sugar cane, palm leaves and new pots for the event. These scenes were captured in Jaffna by N A Parmeshwaran and Romesh Madushanka.
Despite uncertainty many political parties hand over deposits for local council polls
By S. Rubatheesan Despite uncertainty of over the holding of local elections in March, political parties have begun handing over their deposits across the country for the polls while finalising their nomination lists as the National Election Commission (NEC) informed the Supreme Court that all necessary steps have been taken to conduct the polls. When [...]
With SLPP votes Peliyagoda UC elects UNP member as Deputy Chairman
A new Deputy Chairman for the Peliyagoda Urban Council was elected from the United National Party (UNP ) after the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Chairman of the Urban Council and one other member voted in favour of the UNP. The election to elect a Deputy Chairman to the Peliyagoda UC was held last Thursday [...]
Presidential directive pushes ministries to plan 5 percent expenditure cuts
By Sandun Jayawardana With President Ranil Wickremesinghe directing ministries to slash 5 percent of their budgetary allocations for 2023 to manage the severe strain on the Treasury, top officials are studying the how and where of expenditure cuts. Ministry secretaries the Sunday Times spoke to said they were studying how best to cut down on [...]
University student protest in Kandy brought to a halt by Police
By L. B. Senaratne A protest march over the arrest of Peradeniya University undergraduates in connection with the attack on former Vice Chancellor Prof Athula Senaratne’s residence was halted on a magisterial order yesterday after an application was made by the area’s Police. Yesterday morning Police personnel in riot gear and equipped with water [...]
Chilly weather to continue; health warning to seniors with heart and respiratory issues
By Nadia Fazlulhaq The present chilly mornings may be a pleasant weather phenomenon for some but it is no good news for the sick and elderly, especially when the chillness is accompanied by scorching afternoons, health experts warn. Dr. Shiromi Maduwage, the consultant community physician at the Health Ministry’s youth, elderly and disability unit, said [...]
Pricey exotic creatures rapidly losing appeal
By Kasun Warakapitiya Traders of imported, exotic pets say their business is in the doldrums, largely because Sri Lankans can no longer afford to buy, feed, and care for them. Sales have dropped, Lakmal Fonseka, 45, an employee of a pet shop at Bellanthota junction in Dehiwala, told the Sunday Times. People now tend to [...]