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Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna members who took part in the party’s convention at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium on Friday are seen using boards with pictures of party leader Mahinda Rajapaksa as umbrellas to shield them from the pouring rain. Pic by Eshan Fernando
Immunoglobulin issued by Health Ministry had no Immunoglobulin
Lab reports reveal damning evidence of cancer vial given to poor patients Rs. 960 million contract was awarded By Namini Wijedasa There were no “detectable levels” of immunoglobulin in the counterfeit human immunoglobulin consignment purchased and paid for by the Health Ministry, laboratory reports disclose. They also reveal that the medication, some of which was [...]
Finance Ministry plans to raise excise revenue target by Rs. 50 billion next year
By Damith Wickremasekara The Finance Ministry has earmarked distillery companies to raise next year’s excise revenue target by Rs 50 billion through the introduction of revenue collection measures. Under the new directive to be issued by the Excise Department, hotels, restaurants, liquor shops, bars and supermarkets will be given only a seven-day credit period by [...]
NPC to probe conduct of Acting IGP after SC ruling
The National Police Commission (NPC) will begin disciplinary proceedings against Acting Inspector General (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon and other police officers named by the Supreme Court (SC) this week for violating a citizen’s fundamental rights. The process under the Establishment Code would begin when the NPC formally receives a copy of the judgment through the Attorney [...]
Podi Hamuduruwo turns 80
Religious ceremonies were held at the Gangaramaya temple in Colombo on Friday to invoke blessings on Ven. Galboda Gnanissara Thera, the chief incumbent who is also known as Podi Hamuduruwo, on his 80th birthday. Singapore’s Golden Pagoda’s chief incumbent Master Shi Shao is seen here paying his respects to Podi Hamuduruwo. Ven. Shi Shao took [...]
December 9 blackout: CEB fails to learn lessons from 2021 disaster
The long power outage last Saturday started when a lightning strike caused both Kotmale-Biyagama transmission lines to trip–but it cascaded countrywide because incorrect protection systems then triggered a breakdown in the two Kotmale-New Habarana transmission lines a full minute after power transferred there. The shortcomings that led to this should have been corrected after the [...]
Trial-at-Bar into Easter Sunday terror attack: Emotional testimony by St. Anthony’s Church parish priest
The Trial-at-Bar into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attack heard an emotional testimony from the Parish Priest of the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade on Wednesday (13). Rev. Father Kurukulasuriya Anton Jude Raj Fernando broke down as he recounted the sight of bodies in the aftermath of the attack. In evidence led by State Counsel [...]
Destruction of historic assembly hall: Kurunegala Mayor and 4 others get three-year jail terms
Former Kurunegala Mayor Thushara Sanjeewa Vitharana and four others were sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs. 13.7 million by the Kurunegala High Court on Thursday after they pleaded guilty to destroying an assembly hall dating back to the reign of King Buwanekabahu. Aside from the former mayor, other accused who were [...]
Residents living near landslide site at Koslanda evacuated
By Palitha Ariyawansha, Badulla Correspondent More than 25 families residing close to a landslide prone site at Koslanda in Badulla were evacuated from their houses recently. People in the Keniyapanawala Grama Niladhari division in the Haldummulla area of Badulla were shifted to safe locations. Badulla district Divisional Secretariat Prabath Abeywardana had visited the area and [...]
More rains, says Met Dept. while issuing flood and landslide warnings
By Jayani Madawala The Met Department has warned that the prevailing showery conditions will increase over most of the island due to a low-level atmospheric disturbance in the vicinity of Sri Lanka associated with easterly waves. The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an advisory for heavy rains in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Northwestern, [...]
Daughter arrested for allegedly killing mother: Police
A 38-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of killing her mother, the Kahawatta Police said yesterday. The Police began investigations on the killing of the 71-year-old woman, whose throat was slit on December 13 in Welladura. Accordingly, the Police arrested the victim’s daughter, a 38-year-old resident of Welewatta in Welladura, this morning. The Kahawatta Police [...]
Increased tax burden piles on further cost pressures
By Senuka Jayakody The adverse impact of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from January 1 is likely to be felt in a range of industries as well as the people. Anuradha Tennakoon, president of the National Agrarian Unity, criticised the Government. “How can an agricultural country run by taxing agriculture?” he asked. The price of [...]
Vegetable consumers and vendors in a soup for the festive season
By Dilushi Wijesinghe Climate conditions with excessive showers of rain, coinciding with the festive season, have contributed to vegetable prices escalating across the country. Among many vegetables, prices of imported big onions have shown a significant hike in the past month, affecting wholesalers, retailers and consumers. S. H. M. Ashraff is a wholesale and retail [...]
STC assures people that eggs will be sold at between Rs. 42 and Rs. 45
High demand due to festive season; bakery owners buying most of the stocks By Nathara Abeywickrema About one million eggs a day will be released to Lanka Sathosa outlets from the remaining stocks of eggs which were shipped in during the past few months, State Trade Corporation (STC) Chairman Asiri Walisundara said. Importing eggs from [...]
Coconut industry in a soup: Tree of life has become ‘lazy man’s crop’ in Sri Lanka
Expert sees poor estate management, high fertiliser, transport and machinery costs and lack of investors as key factors plaguing the industry By Sunimalee Dias The coconut industry in Sri Lanka lacks foreign direct investment, financial assistance and is subject to poor estate management — all matters that need to be addressed if productivity is to be [...]
Migrant worker welfare: Minister laments lack of support from state agencies
Tomorrow (18) is International Migrant Day. Amid Sri Lanka’s crippling economic crisis, migrant workers play a vital role as the country navigates a path towards economic recovery. A major source of foreign exchange, the foreign employment sector remits around USD 7-8 billion annually, and the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment plans to increase that [...]
Spotlight on immunity
Wide, varied and interesting were the topics that the 38th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Clinical Society of Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital focused on Friday (December 15). The ‘Healing Power of Nature: Protective Role through Immune and Metabolic Mechanisms to Promote Health’ was the theme of the sessions held under the guidance of the Clinical [...]
Marine PAs: A solid base directory in place
WNPS hopes to build on this robust fact base By Kumudini Hettiarachchi The need was great. It was felt acutely when marine expert Dr. Malik Fernando attempted to find information on Sri Lanka’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Little information was available and that too was “scattered” all over the place, says Dr. Fernando, who then [...]
Maj. Gen. Harendra Pieris appointed as Army’s new Chief of Staff
Major General Harendra Pieris from the Gajaba Regiment has been appointed as the Chief of Staff for the Sri Lanka Army. Maj. Gen. Pieris held the position of Commander of the Security Forces-West until he was appointed Chief of Staff. He received the ‘Rana Wickrama Padakkama’ and ‘Rana Sura Padakkama’ for his bravery in combat [...]
New special operation unit for drug raids launched at Police Headquarters
More than 100 kilos of heroin incinerated at the Palavi cement factory in Puttalam recently By Hiran Priyankara A special operation unit to conduct raids and locate toxic drugs has been established, the Police Headquarters said yesterday. The special operation unit will cover the entire country and a 24-hour special operations room has been set [...]
Welewatta resident arrested for allegedly killing mother
A 38-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of killing her mother, the Kahawatta Police said yesterday. The Police began investigations on the killing of the 71-year-old woman, whose throat was slit on December 13 in Welladura. Accordingly, the Police arrested the victim’s daughter, a 38-year-old resident of Welewatta in Welladura, this morning. The Kahawatta Police [...]
Tabbowa reservoir: Almost all sluice gates opened due to extreme weather
Text and pix by Hiran Priyankara Two days of intense rain led to the opening of 16 sluice gates at Tabbowa Reservoir, said Tabbowa Regional Irrigation Engineer Lakshitha Beligammana. Irrigation officials warn of grave danger due to the opening of four sluice gates, which released a massive volume of water of around 6230 cubic feet a [...]
Education Sec. says he did not issue letters for student admissions
Once he took over, the Education Ministry issued a circular with guidelines to regulate the admission of students to intermediate grades of public schools, Education Secretary M. N. Ranasinghe said this week. He was responding to a Sunday Times story published last week which cited the National Audit Office as saying the principals of 37 [...]
Print journalism excellence: And the award goes to …
The much-looked-forward-to event in Sri Lanka’s print journalism, the Awards Night, was held at the Empire Ballroom of the Mount Lavinia Hotel on Tuesday, to honour and recognize those who strive for journalism excellence. More than 50 journalists received the Pen Trophy Award and merit certificates while five veteran journalists were honoured with Lifetime Achievement [...]
Wall builders told not to dig their own graves
The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has called for a halt to construction of retaining walls during this period of heavy downpours, especially if digging is undertaken. The warning comes following several deaths and injuries reported at construction sites and in places with poorly designed and old retaining walls. The latest deaths were reported in [...]
Unprecedented costs shatter festive exuberance
By Nathara Abeywickrema The ever-increasing cost of living is further raising the prices of food, cake ingredients, festive decorations, clothing, and gifts, and adversely impacting preparations for Christmas. Professional bakers and home bakers are grappling with ingredient costs and shortages of supplies. The All Ceylon Bakery Owners’ Association’s president, N.K. Jayewardena, reported a decrease in [...]
Out-of-service signals spark concerns
Many accidents have been reported at unprotected railway crossings caused by malfunctioning signals along the coastal rail line. Two recent crashes at an unsafe crossing in Waskaduwa, within a week of each other, have brought the issue to the forefront, sparking outrage among residents who say authorities have failed to address the problem. On November [...]
Shopping around for discount sales
Tis the season for discounts as holiday shoppers sometimes come across deals of a lifetime. Seen here are several retailers offering huge discounts ranging from 20% to 80% off on a variety of items. When the economy is weak, more consumers rely on special bargains such as buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) deals. Compared to prices last year, [...]
Trial-at-Bar into Easter Sunday terror attack: Emotional testimony by St. Anthony’s Church parish priest
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Trial-at-Bar into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attack heard an emotional testimony from the Parish Priest of the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade on Wednesday (13). Rev. Father Kurukulasuriya Anton Jude Raj Fernando broke down as he recounted the sight of bodies in the aftermath of the attack. In evidence led [...]
Bad weather causes havoc in Hali Ela and Haputale
Two shops at Hali Ela in the Badulla District were completely destroyed due to a landslide that occurred on Friday evening, area police officers said. Customers and merchants who were inside the shops when the incident occurred had managed to get out in time and save their lives. The Hali Ela Police said the heavy [...]
From pollution to pedestals: Navy gives creative twist to plastic waste
Giving a creative twist to tackling pollution in waterways, the Sri Lanka Navy has deployed teams not just to rake up plastic waste in Colombo and Gamapaha district rivers and canals but to transform it into ornaments, flower pots, and even sculputures. The Navy said the key objective was to rid the waterways of plastic [...]