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Home » NewsAftermath of the flood-hit nation
While gratitude is a virtue some canines seem to express better than humans, a dog sits on a sand mound and stands guard to its master’s house that was buried under mud following an earth slip at Akuressa in the Matara District. Insets: Pictures taken yesterday show that in the Colombo and other districts, several [...]
Vehicle imports from October Industrial and heavy vehicles first and then other categories
By Damith Wickremasekara The Government has decided to permit vehicle imports, starting with industrial and heavy vehicles, from October bringing forward an earlier proposal to implement the decision early next year. Soon after permission is granted for the import of industrial and heavy vehicles, priority will be given to the import of three-wheelers and motorcycles. [...]
Lanka pays up UN fees; wins ECOSOC vote
The Treasury this week paid up USD 1.4 million (USD 1,417,899) to the UN Secretariat as its membership fees in full for 2024. As of this week, only 113 of the 194 member-states had paid their 2024 fees. Fees are calculated based on the country’s Gross National Product (GNP). The UN’s two largest contributors, the [...]
Greek bonds: CIABOC to refile charges against Central Bank’s former governor
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has decided to refile indictments against former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal on charges of causing a loss of Rs. 1.84 billion to the government by investing in Greek bonds during Greece’s severe economic crisis, Commission sources said. Mr. Cabraal was [...]
President to attend Modi’s swearing-in ceremony today
President Ranil Wickremesinghe will be among the regional leaders who will attend the swearing-in of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Council of Ministers today at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Aside from President Wickremesinghe, others in the Sri Lankan delegation are Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake and Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardene. They will be [...]
Sri Lanka’s debt pile surpasses US$ 100b, unpaid principal and interest exceed US$ 6.4b
By Kapila Bandara Sri Lanka’s debt pile has ballooned to US$ 100.18 billion, amid marginal improvement in some macroeconomic barometers, while unpaid principal and interest on selected debt exceed US$ 6.4 billion. More than US$ 12 billion of International Sovereign Bond (ISB) debt remains unpaid; a US$ 500 million ISB is due for payment later [...]
Two die in car-train collision at Enderamulla’s unprotected crossing
By Sarath Chinthaka Two people were killed in a car-train collision yesterday morning at an unprotected railway crossing between Wattala and Enderamulla. The accident occurred when the car attempted to pass the crossing while the Badulla-Colombo express train was approaching, police said. They said the car had driven onto the railway crossing while the bell-and-light [...]
DoC employees file FR pettion against Economic Bill; say it undermines national interest
A group of employees of the Department of Commerce (DoC) has filed a Fundamental Rights petition in the Supreme Court challenging the government’s “Economic Transformation Bill.” In their petition, the 37 employees state that the bill aims to dismantle the DoC and replace it with an Office for International Trade (OIT). The petitioners state that [...]
Jude Jayamaha case: Wheels of justice begin to turn with AG’s Dept. studying SC ruling
By Ranjith Padmasiri and Mimi Alphonsus The Attorney General’s Department has commenced studying the Supreme Court ruling quashing the presidential pardon granted to Jude Shramantha Jayamaha in order to advise the police on how to go about enforcing the punishment imposed on the accused. Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, PC has tasked a team led by [...]
Allegations of threats during VFS probe: CID wants to record Harsha’s statement
Samagi Jana Balawegaya frontliner Dr. Harsha de Silva has been requested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to provide a statement over the allegations he made in Parliament that he faced threats and false accusations during an oversight committee probe into the VFS, which handled online and on-arrival visas. Police Media Spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said [...]
Ninety people removed from new list of banned groups and designated persons
More than 90 people, declared as ‘designated persons’ for their alleged involvement in terrorism-related activities, including fundraising, have been removed from the Defence Ministry list. However, the ban on fifteen entities, including the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the National Thowheed Jama’ath (NTJ), remains, according to an Extraordinary Gazette notification issued. The revised [...]
Young, first time voters cast cynical eye at political promises
By Nathara Abeywickrema An estimated 200,000 first-time voters will be casting their votes in the upcoming presidential election, according to the Election Commission. The new electoral register that will be used for the next presidential election will be available by next month, a spokesman of the Election Commission said. A cross section of youth who [...]
Met. Dept. chief says Doppler radar equipment will help predict weather more accurately
The Department of Meteorology claims it would be able to predict weather more accurately once they are equipped with Doppler radar weather sensing equipment. The Department’s Director General, Athula Karunanayake told the Sunday Times that they could predict weather more accurately if they have the required equipment, but conceded that even with more advanced equipment [...]
Discontinuation of projects during my tenure brought on these floods: Champika
Former Minister of Megapolis and Western Development and Leader of the United Republic Front Patali Champika Ranawaka this week claimed that the main reason for the floods in areas surrounding Colombo was the failure to implement the projects to divert rainwater. The former minister at a news conference said flood situations which occur during normal [...]
Number affected by adverse weather comes down to 132, 521 from nearly 260,000
DMC’s Emergency Operations Hotline receives up to 3000 calls per day By Sandun Jayawardana and Dilushi Wijesinghe The number of persons affected by the adverse weather situation in 14 districts reduced from a peak of nearly 260, 000 and stood at 132, 521 persons from 35, 022 families by yesterday, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) [...]
Residents ponder lives and property ruined by flood devastation in Kolonnawa
By Kasun Warakapitiya Kolonnawa residents are still dealing with the messy aftermath of the severe flooding that shattered their lives. The toilets were flooded while some houses still remained underwater, even though residents returned to clean them up and salvage their possessions. The Sunday Times witnessed residents cleaning up their houses, drying off furniture, and [...]
Railway strike action to continue
The Sri Lanka Locomotive Operating Engineers’ Union is yet to take a decision to call off the ongoing railway strike, union president Chandana Wiyanduwa said. The strike started on the night of June 6. Mr Wiyanduwa said that although the locomotive drivers had been promoted to Second Class five months ago, the strike was carried [...]
Lankan UN Peacekeeper honoured with Dag Hammarskjöld medal
A Sri Lankan UN Peacekeeper was among 61peacekeepers posthumously honoured with the Dag Hammarskjöld medal at a recent event held at the UN Headquarters in New York. Lance Corporal M G L Deshapriya, 42, of the Sri Lanka Army Service Corps who passed away in February 2023 following a sudden cardiac arrest while serving in [...]
Police seek higher surveillance access through private CCTVs
The Sri Lanka Police will soon start monitoring CCTV footage from cameras installed by business establishments and residences, with the consent of the owners. They would make use of camera footage only facing main roads and public places. Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Nihal Thalduwa, in charge of the Crimes Division, and also the [...]
Poisoning the water
Many people dispose waste, especially plastic waste, into the Naula Bowatenna Reservoir. This poses a health risk to people who use the water, the reservoir’s Engineer, Buddhika Mahesh Nawarathna said. Officials of Naula Divisional Secretariat, Police, Pradeshiya Sabha, and officials of the Mahaweli Authority connected to Bowatenna jointly organised a campaign on Thursday (6) to [...]
SL to send delegation to Russia to discuss fate of ex soldiers duped into fighting
By Hafsa Sabry A high-level delegation will be in Russia on June 26 and 27 to hold discussions regarding the fate of hundreds of former soldiers who have been deployed on the war front after being duped. The delegation will include Foreign Affairs State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya, Defence Ministry Secretary, Kamal Gunaratne, former Ambassador to [...]
Navy marks milestone with opening of 1000th Reverse Osmosis plant
The Sri Lanka Navy marked a milestone in its Naval Social Responsibility (NSR) efforts with the opening of its 1,000th Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant at Sri Sumana Vidyalaya in Palukadawala, Galgamuwa, on June 5. It was opened under the auspices of the Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, and National Lotteries Board chairman, Dr. Chameera [...]
It’s not only a ‘fatty’ liver but signals danger to other organs too
Hepatologist Prof. Madunil A. Niriella turns focus on newly-named MASLD By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Located beneath the rib cage in the right upper abdomen, it is the largest solid organ in the body. Vital for removing toxins from the blood supply, the liver maintains healthy blood sugar levels, regulates blood clotting and performs hundreds of other [...]
Exam tumble a chance to embrace challenges and seek opportunity
By Nathara Abeywickrema For most students of Sri Lanka Advanced Level exam results determine their path to higher education and a career. A few hundred thousand high scorers earn admission to state universities, while for others, the choices are confined to different higher education routes. For some, the exam outcome can bring disappointment and uncertainty. [...]
Bugs on the rampage
Answer is ‘point of care testing’ and ‘targeted treatment’ By Kumudini Hettiarachchi The need is great for ‘point-of-care testing’ and ‘targeted treatment’ for the numerous respiratory infections doing the rounds, as Sri Lanka is lashed by heavy rain. This is the fervent appeal of the President of the Sri Lanka College of Pulmonologists, Dr. Neranjan [...]
NDCU launches preemptive strike to prevent post-flood dengue upsurge
By Hafsa Sabry As the monsoon rains show signs of slowing down after causing flood havoc in several districts in the past two weeks, fears of a surge in dengue cases have pushed the authorities to launch a countrywide combat programme. “With the monsoon rains subsiding, a heightened dengue threat looms over the country,” said [...]