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With the Election Commission getting busier for the presidential election in the coming months, the Commission’s head office in Rajagiriya was yesterday being colour-washed as part of the preparations. Pic by Priyanka Samaraweera
Presidential poll: EC announcement at the end of the month
Opposition parties pushing for July 17 date Commissioner says sufficient time to conduct the poll The Election Commission (EC) will make its announcement at the end of this month, calling for nominations for the upcoming presidential election, Commission Chairman N.M.R.L. Ratnayake told the Sunday Times yesterday. Constitutionally, the Commission will be empowered to announce the [...]
India and Sri Lanka work out massive Govt.-to-Govt. LNG supply contract
By Namini Wijedasa An Indian government proposal, which Sri Lanka has accepted, will see the New Delhi-headquartered Petronet LNG Ltd. (PLL) supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the rate of 40 containers a day to thermal plants in Kerawalapitiya. These will be shipped from the port of Kochi and taken by road to the power [...]
China grants Rs. 1.5bn worth humanitarian assistance to fisherfolk in north and east
By S. Rubatheesan China has granted Rs 1.5 billion worth of humanitarian assistance, which includes a prefabricated housing scheme, fishing equipment, and packets of rice for fisherfolk communities in the Northern and Eastern provinces. The three assistance packages, amounting to Rs 500 million each, would be the largest offered by China in the two provinces, [...]
Ministers and MPs get final notice to declare assets and liabilities
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has issued a “final notice” to ministers and parliamentarians who have yet to submit their assets-and-liabilities declarations to do so before the end of this month. The Commission has also written to the Secretary General of Parliament and the Secretary to the [...]
More complaints: Alleged paedophile teacher’s bail revoked
By Ranjith Padmasiri A teacher, who was on trial on charges of sexually assaulting a minor, has had his bail revoked and was remanded after he was accused of committing the same offence on three other occasions. The accused had been indicted on charges of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy in August 2015. A verdict [...]
Three-year-old dies in water tank tragedy
A three-year-old child standing on a chair and drawing water from a tank to bathe fell into it and drowned, a coroner’s court was told. When the inquiry came up at the Elpitiya base hospital this week, the child’s mother, 32-year-old Ruwini Menaka, told the coroner that she believed the child had fallen into the [...]
AG files objection to Hirunika’s bail plea
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Attorney General has filed objections in the Colombo High Court against the bail application filed by former MP Hirunika Premachandra requesting court to release her on bail pending an appeal into her three-year prison sentence. In his objections, the AG points out that the accused “is no longer presumed to be [...]
All medicines will require NMRA label from August 1
More safety measures to prevent scandals and irregularities in health sector Pharmaceutical companies will be required to carry the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) registration number alongside the bar or QR code of the respective drug manufacturer on each pack of medication to ensure authenticity after a series of recent scandals in the health sector, according [...]
Sri Lanka, Indonesia boost apparel exports to EU
By Sunimalee Dias Sri Lanka will be able to obtain greater market access and a boost to its apparel industry’s competitiveness within the European Union (EU) following a regional cumulation with Indonesia which has agreed to provide the approved textile fabric for exports to the EU. Sri Lanka and Indonesia made an application to the [...]
Fsherman dies of extensive bleeding after ‘moralla’ pierces his neck in freak accident
By Malaka Rodrigo In a tragic incident earlier this month, a fisherman from Jaffna died when a fish pierced his neck. This incident occurred while two fishermen were out at sea in a small motorboat at night, according to J. Sudagaran, Assistant Director at the Jaffna district office of the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic [...]
Foreign worker e-vehicle permit scheme riddled with irregularities: CoPF report
By Chandani Kirinde A scheme to grant permits for the import of electric vehicles by Lankans employed abroad launched in 2022 is riddled with irregularities and suspiciously favoured two importers, a parliamentary committee has found. A total of 913 permits had been issued to eligible individuals after the scheme began in September 2022. Of this [...]
Arbitrary decisions on renovations put library collections at risk
The National Library and the Documentation Services Board (NLDSB) where a fire was reported this week escaped serious damage to its valuable collections. But, Upali Amarasiri, former chairman and director general of the NLDSB, asserts that the long-delayed refurbishment may endanger the library in a number of ways. These concerns arose in the wake of [...]
Regulations soon to rein in three-wheeler fares, safety and operations
By Nathara Abeywickrema In a significant development for Sri Lanka’s transport sector, the Transport Minister has announced plans to finalise measures to regulatethree-wheelers within the next two months. This comes amid challenges where existing regulations, already gazetted by some provincial councils, including the Western and Central Provinces, have not been effectively enforced. But the Three [...]
Ex-UDA DG, ministry trade accusations over removal of former
By Sandun Jayawardana Former Urban Development Authority (UDA) Director General Prasad Ranaweera claims he was removed from his post as he refused to sign off on releasing funds belonging to the UDA in violation of finance regulations. The Ministry of Urban Development and Housing said this week that Mr Ranaweera was sacked on disciplinary grounds [...]
What ails NHSL where patient-friendliness is compromised
By Tharushi Weerasinghe While the medical field makes strides with breakthroughs, little attention is paid to making state-sector hospitals patient-friendly, as has been observed during our visits to the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo. “I brought my wife on a wheelchair, and she kept expressing her discomfort and nausea, but hospital staff ignored [...]
Authorities change heads to cure Chavakachcheri hospital headache
By S. Rubatheesan Last Friday, a 14-year-old girl who sustained minor injuries to her hand after falling from her bicycle was taken to the Chavakachcheri Base Hospital, but was told that the doctors had withdrawn from duties. Her parents then took her to one of the three private hospitals close to the base hospital, where [...]
Campaign Finance Act: Top EC official laments non-inclusion of tough punishment
By Dilushi Wijesinghe The Election Commission’s initial proposal for the Election Expenditure Act was that a minimum suspension of seven years should be imposed for candidates violating the Act, but it has been reduced to three, Elections Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake disclosed. The Commissioner General made this statement at a programme held at the [...]
Growing cannabis for export as medicinal products first step to legalising its recreational use, warn experts
By Wasantha Ramanayake Legalising ‘Triloka pattra’ (cannabis) cultivation for export as medicinal and allied products would not only violate international conventions but also be a first step to legalising its recreational use, warned the chairman of the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB). The NDDCB was not formally notified of the appointment of a committee [...]
Kalpitiya hit by fly infestation and foul smell as farmers turn more and more to fowl-litter as fertliser
By Padma Kumari Kankanamge in Kalpitiya Kalpitiya, one of Sri Lanka’s top tourist destinations, is experiencing an infestation of flies to the point where it has become a nuisance. House flies, so common in Sri Lanka, are carriers of diseases such as gastroenteritis and tuberculosis. They thrive on animal droppings, manure, and garbage. Homes, restaurants, [...]
Aggrieved Sri Lankans want worker grief resolved
By Ishu Bandara The Railway Station Masters and Controllers Union and the Executive Grade Officers of University Non-Academic Staff called off their strikes On July 12. Despite this, the Collective of State and Provincial State Services Trade Union continues its protests, disrupting public services. The rail station masters’ strike, which began at 00:01 on July [...]
‘We want our men back’
More than 100 relatives of Sri Lankan fighters in Russia gather at the N.M. Perera Centre in Borella to discuss their plight By Namini Wijedasa Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week secured a pledge from Russian President Vladimir Putin that Indians recruited to the Russian military to fight against Ukraine will be granted an early [...]
Sri Lanka pays a price for motor vehicle accidents
By Kevin De Alwis Sri Lanka has witnessed a disturbing rise in road traffic accidents, triggering serious concerns for public safety and the economic impact. During the first six months of this year 1,154 people lost their lives in road traffic accidents. A total of 11,727 road accidents were reported during this period. Rohana Ajith [...]
Police face uphill battle in arresting criminal gang lords operating from overseas
Questions about remote-controlled contract killings after Club Wasantha is gunned down By Chandani Kirinde and Damith Wickremasekara The high-profile killing of Surendra Wasantha Perera, alias Club Wasantha, has once again put the spotlight on the nexus between organised Sri Lankan crime gang leaders operating from overseas, mainly the United Arab Emirates, and their cohorts who [...]