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Home » NewsDid they talk about who’s in and who’s out
With a mini Cabinet reshuffle likely soon, one may wonder whether President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunewardena are discussing who’s who at a function to unveil the National Evaluation Policy Implementation Framework. The event took place at Temple Trees on Friday. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Mini reshuffle of ministers soon
Transfer of ministry secretaries also to address issues such as inefficiency and disputes By Damith Wickremasekara A mini reshuffle of Cabinet and state ministers along with a transfer of ministry secretaries will take place soon to address a string of issues including inefficiency and disputes, government sources said. The reshuffle will see some of the [...]
Wealth tax and inheritance tax from next year
By S. Rubatheesan The government is to introduce two more new taxes—the wealth tax and the inheritance tax—next year to raise more revenue for the state, as tax collections fell behind expected revenue targets. The Finance Ministry has been tasked with formulating the necessary legislation for these taxes, which will come into effect next year, [...]
Call fresh tenders for security features on liquor bottles: House committee
By Sandun Jayawardana The Parliamentary Ways and Means Committee has recommended that the Excise Department call a fresh tender for a new security feature for liquor bottles following widespread issues over the current security sticker supplied by an Indian company. The Committee, which presented its first report to Parliament this week, identified many issues related [...]
Massive ransomware attack on state email domain
Cabinet Office and other government institutions lose huge amount of data from May 17 to Aug 26 All Government offices using the “gov.lk” email domain, including the Cabinet Office, have lost data from May 17 to August 26, 2023, after a massive ransomware attack, the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) has confirmed. The virus could [...]
Defence Ministry hits out at Channel 4 allegations as false and reprehensible
The Defence Ministry says it “categorically refutes” what it says are false and reprehensible allegations made by Britain’s Channel 4 that Director General of the State Intelligence Service Major General Suresh Salley helped orchestrate the Easter Sunday terror attacks and assisted the bombers involved. Issuing a statement, the Ministry noted that over the years both [...]
SJB wants a hybrid probe
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya has called for an international investigation with the support of local officials to probe the allegations made in the Channel 4 video on the Easter Sunday attacks. The call comes ahead of tomorrow’s UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva following a fresh video on the Easter Sunday attacks this week. [...]
US Govt. intervenes in Hamilton lawsuit
UK Financial Times on the mysterious ‘global financier’ suing Sri Lanka By Robin Wigglesworth As sovereign debt restructuring nerds, team Alphaville has had an eye on Sri Lanka. But our attention was properly piqued when the US government last week intervened in a lawsuit triggered by the county’s 2022 default. The case has been brought [...]
Major police op underway against underworld
OICs told to get cracking on arresting suspects or face possibility of transfers By Damith Wickramasekara A special police operation was launched yesterday to crack down on underworld gangs. Involving more than 4,000 officers the operation will be conducted islandwide, with special focus on the Western and Southern provinces. Recently these two provinces have witnessed [...]
Despite economic crisis ministries seek more vehicles
The Presidential Secretariat is in a quandary over repeated requests by different Ministries for official vehicles from its vehicle pool. The latest request came from a State Minister this week, with a letter sent by the Ministry’s Secretary requesting a vehicle on a temporary basis for the Ministry’s State Minister, as his official vehicle had [...]
Lakvijaya power plant hampered by engineer migration
Leaked document shows request for engineers from China until local hires are trained Operations at the Lakvijaya power plant (LVPP) are being hampered by a recent large outflow of qualified engineers to foreign shores, internal sources warned. Eleven operations engineers in the electrical discipline have left over the past eight months and another 17 are [...]
NMRA granted at least 186 waivers “under special pathway” for SPC drugs: Report
Importers bypassed the NMRA’s WoR Committee legally mandated to vet requests for waivers By Namini Wijedasa In the three months between September 19 and December 29, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) granted at least 186 waivers of registration (WoRs) for drugs intended for the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) with a bulk of the orders going [...]
Presidential Climate Change advisor holds talks with world leaders during Africa Climate summit
Ruwan Wijewardene, Senior Advisor to President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Climate Change, represented the Sri Lankan President at the recent Africa Climate Summit and concluded a highly successful visit to Kenya. Accompanied by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner, Kana Kananathan, Mr. Wijewardene had meetings with world leaders, fostering diplomatic relations and advancing climate-related discussions. They included Egyptian [...]
‘Gift’ packages used as bait for large-scale ripoffs
By Renishka Fernando A spate of recent financial frauds carried out using information related to Sri Lanka Customs has led to Customs issuing warnings. However, according to Customs Director General and media spokesperson Seevali Arukgoda, these frauds are not new. “To my knowledge, this has been happening for over three years now,” he said. Customs [...]
Midwife shortage increases to 3,000, raising maternal health risks
By Nathara Abeywickrema The Government Midwifery Service Association (GMSA) has expressed concern about shortages of maternity staff, with some 3,000 vacancies islandwide. GMSA president Devika Kodithuwakku told the Sunday Times that the public sector midwife shortage had affected maternal care in a negative manner and was taking a heavy toll on the families they cared [...]
Education Minister lone defender of holding A/Level exam in November
By Ryan Casiechetty concerns have been voiced in various forums, including the Parliament, about whether the 2023 G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination, scheduled for November, should be held or postponed. Students, teachers, and teacher trade unions are against the decision while Education Minister Susil Premajayantha has pointed out the importance of holding it in November. In [...]
Poultry farmers assure drop in prices while crying foul over chickens from India
Next week’s arrival of imported maize stockpiles will bring down the price of chicken, and if the government decides to remove the tax on poultry products, it might go even lower, say farmers. Recently, the government stated that the import tariff on maize would drop from Rs. 75 to Rs. 25 per kilo. All-Island Poultry [...]
Nearly half of children between ages five and 13 suffering from tooth decay
Dental surgeons advise parents to take care of their children’s oral health According to a recent study, around 48 percent of the students between the ages of five and 13 are suffering from tooth decay, said Dr Champa Senanayake, dental surgeon at the Maharagama Dental Institute. However, according to her, the number of tooth decay [...]
Chilling data – dearth of over 40 Anaesthetists in state hospitals
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Consultant Anaesthetists who scrupulously monitor the vital signs of patients during surgical operations or other procedures are hard to come by in state sector hospitals in the country. The dearth of Consultant Anaesthetists brings about a domino effect, one event causing a series of related events, many told the Sunday Times, describing [...]
Hundreds more elephants are being killed
By Kasun Warakapitiya Elephant deaths have gradually increased over the years as the human-elephant conflict remains unresolved, a senior wildlife official said. The Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) statistics show that for the eight months this year there have been 305 elephant deaths. Since 2015 — that recorded 205 elephant deaths– there has been a [...]
To seal or not to seal Samanalaweva leak: CEB officials clash as experts say it is now or never
By Niranjala Ariyawansha Despite appeals by experts that immediate steps to be taken to stop the immense water leak from the Samanalawewa Reservoir when the water levels were low, work has been delayed due to a dispute between two Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) factions, the Sunday Times learns. If the sealing of this huge water [...]
Monsoon downpours are forecast to intensify in mid-October
By Jayanie Madawala Several areas across the island experienced floods and were battered by heavy rainfall due to the active South-West monsoon, the Meteorological Department said. Meteorological Department Director General Athula Karunanayake told the Sunday Times that the showery weather was expected to increase by October 10 and 11. The Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces, as [...]
Shrimp farm wastewater breaches environmental laws
By S. Rubatheesan in Vidathaltheevu, Mannar J. S. Suresh, a fishermen’s leader from Vidathalthivu, received an urgent call from a friend on a morning in mid-August, while fishermen were busy preparing to attend the yearly festival at the nearby Madhu shrine. His friend had just witnessed a dark-coloured effluent being pumped out from the private-run [...]
Dozens of blocked canals worsen Colombo flooding risk
By Nadia Fazlulhaq With the Asian Cup cricket tournament taking place in Colombo and rainy weather expected to continue, authorities are struggling to prevent another episode of flash flooding, similar to the one that submerged the streets in the city a week ago. Videos of flash floods in Colombo went viral on social media, with [...]
Gara Yaka appeasing ritual at Walli Yak Mangalya
By L B Senaratne The finale of the Kandy Esala Perahera concluded with the entry of Gara Yaka at the Walli Yak Mangalya at the Sri Maha Vishnu Devale on Thursday evening. For seven days, dancers and drummers from the abode of God Dedimunda from Aluthnuwara conducted the Walli Yak Mangalya at the Vishnu Devale. [...]
Scalpels put away to share and gain surgical knowledge
Strong focus on ‘Training the Future Surgeon’ at CSSL’s Annual Congress By Kumudini Hettiarachchi A beautiful building exuding old world charm in the very heart of Cinnamon Gardens is a-bustle, as the College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka (CSSL) prepares for its annual highlight. It is all-systems go with surgeons from across the country set [...]
Standing sentinel
Story and pix by Nilan Maligaspe The postal service in Sri Lanka has a proud history spanning more than 200 years. Having first begun during colonial rule, the Postal Department is today one of the oldest government departments in the country, with more than 17,000 employees serving in various capacities. One of the most iconic [...]
Ambassador-Designate of Sri Lanka to the Republic of the Philippines assumes duties
Ambassador-designate of Sri Lanka to the Republic of the Philippines, Dr Chanaka Talpahewa assumed duties at the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Manila on September 4. After the religious and traditional observances, the Ambassador-designate addressed the staff and emphasised the importance of team work in achieving Sri Lanka’s diplomatic goals, including further strengthening and elevating [...]