News
Home » NewsReading maketh a President
Memories of hundreds of books he lost when his private library was burnt in 2022 must be at the back of his mind as President Ranil Wickremesinghe visited a book stall at the Galle Literary Festival yesterday. He is seen reading the back cover of a book that caught his attention. The print media sponsors [...]
IRD cracks down on business entities charging illegal VAT
Officials seek police assistance to raid Colombo company, seize documents and computers By S. Rubatheesan The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has launched raids on businesses which are charging Value-Added Tax (VAT) from customers without being a VAT-registered entity, a senior official said. “It is mandatory for VAT-registered business entities to visibly display their VAT registration number [...]
FTA with Thailand to be signed on Feb 3; Thai PM guest of honour at Freedom Day event
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Sri Lanka’s Trade Minister Nalin Fernando will sign the free trade agreement between the two countries on February 3 in Colombo. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who has been invited as the guest of honour at the 76th Independence Day celebration, will be present at the signing of [...]
New political front formed to work for upcoming polls
By Damith Wickremasekara A new political front, including cabinet ministers and government parliamentarians, was formed yesterday with the aim of working for future presidential and parliamentary elections. The front was launched at a meeting in Ja-Ela, and it was attended by Ministers Susil Premajayantha and Nalin Fernando, along with parliamentarians Nimal Lanza and Anura Priyadharshana [...]
Fresh drug scandal: Both NMRA and company concerned complain to CID
By Namini Wijedasa The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has complained to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and halted the production of an anti-epileptic drug by a local manufacturer after a “forged” registration for sodium valproate 100mg tablets was found among documents sent to the regulator by the Health Ministry. But the origin of the [...]
Land acquisition begins for Adani wind power project; hi-tech system to protect birdlife
The government has started the acquisition of lands, most of which are privately owned, for the Adani-backed 250MW Mannar Wind Power Project (MWPP), its final environment impact assessment (EIA) report states. The report crucially emphasises the need for strong measures—even proposing a sophisticated radar system to signal when the turbines need to be shut down—to [...]
Indo-Lanka virtual LNG pipeline could bring down electricity costs: New Indian HC
The government has initiated discussions with India to set up a Kochi-to-Colombo virtual liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline that could bring down electricity tariffs. “…we are also working to set up a virtual LNG pipeline from Kochi to Colombo to bring down electricity costs in Sri Lanka,” said newly appointed Indian High Commissioner in Colombo [...]
Foreign Minister Sabry meets Lord Tariq
Foreign Minister Ali Sabry was on a four-day tour to Britain this week for meetings with both key parliamentarians of the current Conservative Government and the Opposition Labour Party. He is seen here holding talks with Lord Tariq Ahmad, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Accompanying Minister Sabry was Sri Lanka’s High [...]
Dark highways: Motorists slam RDA; authorities blame drug addicts
By Kasun Warakapitiya Motorists are blaming the Road Development Authority for the hardships caused by the lack of a steady street light system on expressways. Regular expressway users say visibility is compromised as, since 2020, there have been no street lamps operational on the Colombo-Katunayake expressway and the Kadawatha-Kerawalapitiya stretch of the outer circular expressway. [...]
Police looking into involvement of third vehicle in accident that killed Sanath Nishantha and security officer
By Damith Wickremasekara and Yohan Basura Police are investigating the presence of a third vehicle, which may be connected to Thursday’s accident that claimed the lives of state minister Sanath Nishantha and his personal security officer. A senior police officer said that since the drivers of the two vehicles have claimed the presence of a third [...]
Transport Ministry jolted after string of accidents on expressways, laws to be strictly implemented
A string of accidents on the expressway including the death of an Austrian tourist, has prompted the Transport Ministry to look into strictly implementing traffic regulations on expressways. The 37-year-old Austrian who was heading to the airport with his parents was killed on the Kadawatha-Kerawalapitiya outer circular road on Friday after the van they were [...]
Sanath Nishantha’s funeral today, last rites of constable Anuradha Jayakody held yesterday
The funeral service of state minister Sanath Nishantha will take place this evening (28) at the Holy Family Church Rajakadaluwa. Large crowds of mourners, including politicians have been flocking to Arachchikattuwa in Puttalam to pay their last respects to the later state minister. His remains were placed in a temporary shelter constructed for the purpose [...]
Decentralised budget funds for district secretaries, not MPs; opposition protests
A confrontation is brewing between opposition MPs and the government over the move to allocate funds under the decentralised budget programme to district secretaries instead of parliamentarians. The district decentralised budget for this year amounts to Rs. 11,250 million. The allocation comes after a three-year hiatus. No funds were released under the decentralised budget in [...]
Criminal gangs maybe behind recent shootings to undermine ‘Yukthiya’, say Police
Beliatta mass shooting: Wanted criminal behind contract killing, some suspects arrested, police on the hunt for the two gunmen, motive not yet known Personal dispute believed to be motive behind Gampaha monk’s killing Several other shootings in recent days in different parts of the country By Sandun Jayawardana and Damith Wickramasekara Monday’s (23) mass shooting [...]
Calls grow to regulate elders’ homes as Lanka’s elderly population increases
By Mimi Alphonsus As Sri Lanka’s population ages and the economic crisis drives young people abroad, the elderly are increasingly left without traditional family support networks. While charitable elders’ homes are underfunded, a Sunday Times investigation reveals that the private retirement home industry is barely regulated, leaving seniors worried about how they will spend the [...]
Sri Lankan interventional cardiologists showcase prowess at international session
A first at ‘Singapore Live’ By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Many eyes not only from Singapore but also the region were riveted on a Catheterization Laboratory in Sri Lanka, in a first for our country when two well-known Cardiologists performed a live coronary (heart) intervention on Friday (January 26). In the Cath Lab of the Asiri Central [...]
12 maternity clinics embroiled in court case to be reopened following directive
The Galle Municipal Commissioner R. S. D. Rashnayake has been directed to immediately re-open 12 maternity clinics by withdrawing an ongoing court case. The directive was given at the District Development Committee meeting held at the Galle Four Gravets Divisional Secretariat office by Parliamentarian Vajira Abeywardena. Mr. Abeywardena had asked the reason for the closure [...]
Medical certificate, first aid training a must for fishermen
By S Rubatheesan The Fisheries Ministry has introduced a new fishermen’s welfare initiative under which all fishermen are required to undergo a comprehensive medical examination process and obtain a medical certificate in order to be eligible to venture out into the sea for fishing. The certificate will be valid for two years and should be [...]
LRH milestone of 100th scoliosis correction
It’s a century – not wielding the willow on the cricket pitch but the scalpel at the seventh-floor Operating Theatre (OT) of the premier Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) for Children in Colombo, for scoliosis correction. Down below in Ward 14B Jeluni Samoshi (14) and her mother Ayomi Devika are all smiles as they prepare to [...]
Early action saved many lives from landslides, says DMC
The timely evacuation of people saved hundreds of lives in areas where landslides occurred during torrential rains in recent months, Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Director General Major General (Retd.) Sudantha Ranasinghe told the Sunday Times. In addition, more than 15,000 people have been identified as living in danger zones, but plans to relocate them are [...]
Zoo resorts to captive breeding to multiply and protect endangered fish
The Dehiwala Zoo is resorting to captive breeding of endangered and critically endangered endemic fish species in Sri Lanka in an attempt to create captive insurance populations, which in simple terms mean populations created to ensure the survival of a species in case of a catastrophic event, such as a natural disaster or disease outbreak. [...]
Six fishermen abducted by Somali pirates
Six Sri Lankan fishermen onboard a multi-day fishing trawler that left Dikowita fishing harbour were abducted by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea, the Fisheries Ministry confirmed yesterday. Fisheries Ministry secretary K N Kumari Somaratna told the Sunday Times that the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Sri Lanka Navy, and Defence Ministry have been informed about the [...]