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Home » NewsVolunteers chip in to do poll work
The Colombo District Secretariat preparing for Thursday’s elections has enlisted the support of dozens of volunteers to help it with preparations for the dispatch of documents to the respective polling booths. Here volunteers, seated on the ground, are seen at work. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Suspect who tried to kill Trump also planned Arugam Bay attack
US files charges but Iran rejects accusations as ‘totally unfounded’ The United States Justice Department on Friday charged that an Iranian national now at large planned to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump and disclosed that he also put together a plot to kill Israeli tourists visiting Arugam Bay. In indictments filed before a federal court in [...]
Local council elections likely in January next year
By Damith Wickramasekara The long-delayed local council elections are set to take place in January next year, with the Election Commission due to start preparations soon after the parliamentary poll. The elections were earlier estimated to cost more than Rs eight billion, and the Election Commission will send new estimates to the Treasury to obtain [...]
US$7 million WFP grant to provide farmers with local climate info
By Kapila Bandara Disadvantaged farmers are expected to benefit from a food security initiative by the World Food Programme, which will help them adapt to unusual weather patterns by providing practical local weather and climate information for them to make farming decisions. The WFP is providing a US$7 million (Rs 2.05 billion) grant to Sri [...]
Rains likely on election day; EC takes precautions
By Ishu Bandara The Election Commission and the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) are gearing up for adverse weather conditions on election day following predictions of rain in many districts. Election Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake told the Sunday Times that to face any potential disaster situations on election day, the EC had identified the areas [...]
Liquor licence holders required to submit tax clearance certificates
Liquor licence holders are required to submit Tax Clearance Certificates of Income Tax, Value Added Tax (VAT) and Social Security Contribution Levy (SSCL) for the renewal of the Liquor Licences with effect from January 1 next year, the Inland Revenue Department said. Under the new system introduced by the department, after the tax files are [...]
AG’s Dept. interdicts SSC Shaveendra Wickrama
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Attorney General’s Department has interdicted Senior State Counsel (SSC) Shaveendra Wickrama. SSC Wickrama was interdicted on charges of disobeying the orders of his superiors. The officer has more than 20 years of service at the AG’s Department. The Sunday Times understands that the Public Service Commission has approved the interdiction of [...]
More protests against Mannar sand mining project
By Mimi Alphonsus Australian company Titanium Sands Limited and the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) were met with angry protests this week when they visited the proposed site for the Mannar heavy mineral sand mining project. The CEA had aimed to draft the terms of reference (TOR) for the project’s mandatory environmental impact assessment (EIA) based [...]
City of Dreams Sri Lanka casino pre-opening costs exceed Rs 1.9b
By Kapila Bandara Pre-opening costs of the John Keells Holdings’ multi-billion rupee integrated resort, City of Dreams Sri Lanka, which includes a casino operated by Macau’s Melco Resorts & Entertainment, have risen to Rs 1.95 billion, the company reported in its interim financial filings this week. The costs are weighing on operating profitability, the second [...]
Political heavies wrestle for an edge in Colombo
By Sandun Jayawardana With more than 1.76 million registered voters across 15 electorates, the Colombo District is second only to Gampaha in terms of the voter count. Voters can choose from among 18 candidates to Parliament. The importance that all main political parties attach to the district is evidenced by the heavyweights they are fielding. [...]
Kalutara: NPP going with little known people; smaller parties rely on known faces
By Jayanie Madawala The Kalutara district consists of eight polling divisions; Agalawatte, Bandaragama (Millaniya), Beruwala, Bulathsinhala, Horana, Kalutara, Mathugama and Panadura. The National People’s Power (NPP) has been holding campaign meetings in the district urging people to elect a strong NPP government to advance President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s agenda. “Instead of building ministries that benefit [...]
Stripped of old guard, Gampaha battleground ripe for the picking
By Kasun Warakapitiya The Gampaha District was a former stronghold of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) during the last general elections, has undergone significant changes since then. Some key candidates have dropped out, while others have crossed over to other parties to contest. The district which consists of 13 electorates has more than 1.8 [...]
Western Province: 4.6m have choice of 48 contestants in largest districts
The electoral districts Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara that make up the Western Province are three of the biggest prizes for all main parties at the general elections. Each of the three districts has more than 1 million registered voters, and in total there are more than 4.6m voters in the three districts. The province is [...]
Swine fever incidence eases, allowing hog trade to sell certified meat
By Nathara Abeywickrema Sri Lanka is reporting a decline in reports of swine fever, with the disease situation easing significantly in recent weeks. This positive trend will be a relief to hog farmers. Sri Lanka has taken a significant step in managing the African swine fever outbreak, with restrictions now eased following successful containment efforts. [...]
No plans to shut down Thriposha company: Govt.
The government yesterday said it had no plans to close down Sri Lanka Thriposha Ltd. Issuing a statement, the Ministry of Finance said it had observed that certain parties were trying to circulate reports to mislead the public on the future of Sri Lanka Thriposha Ltd. The reports had misinterpreted the contents of a gazette [...]
Wildlife officials and villagers save elephant
Wildlife officials and villagers in Mahakumbukkadawala, in the Puttalam District risked their lives to rescue a wild elephant fallen into an abandoned well, this week. After a three-hour long operation the elephant was led out, but the animal had attacked the backhoe used to dig an escape path. Wildlife officials had managed to drive away [...]
It hardly feels like election time, say voters as campaign draws to a close
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake holds sway at most NPP rallies; other parties hold small-scale meetings By Sandun Jayawardana A largely subdued general elections campaign is due to wind down at midnight tomorrow (11) in accordance with election laws. There has been markedly less enthusiasm on the campaign trail compared to the campaign for the recently [...]
In the East, candidates say people want political solution to ethnic issues
Group of rehabilitated former LTTE cadres contesting as independent group in Trinco By S. Rubatheesan Like other parts of the country, there has been little interest among the people in the East for the upcoming parliamentary polls, with candidates limiting their reach-out activities to house-to-house campaigns and holding pocket meetings in villages. In Batticaloa, leading [...]
International polls observers will be here once again but in smaller numbers
By Ishu Bandara In preparation for the Sri Lankan parliamentary elections on Thursday, international election observation groups ANFREL, FEMBoSA, and the European Union have announced their readiness to monitor the polls. These groups, which also observed the recent presidential election, will begin their mission on November 11, with smaller numbers however. However, the Commonwealth has [...]
Sudden algal bloom dealt death blow to Trinco’s triggerfish
By Malaka Rodrigo Trincomalee is known for its serene beaches but certain areas recently emanated a foul smell due to thousands of decaying fish washing ashore and floating in the shallow bays. People speculated various theories, from pollution and temperature changes to an impending natural disaster or even a bizarre case of mass fish suicide. [...]
Biggest ever bribery detection: Sleuth poses as manager to trap four corrupt Customs officers
High Court hands 35-year jail terms and imposes hefty fines By Ranjith Padmasiri An undercover Bribery Commission detective took part in five of the meetings four Customs officers had with a businessman to negotiate a multimillion-rupee bribe, according to court documents. The four Customs officials were each sentenced to 35 years of rigorous imprisonment [...]
Attidiya canal ran red due to dumped kukul sayam
No hazardous elements, says CEA By Tharushi Weerasinghe Heavy metals were not found in the pollutants that made the canal and water bodies in the Dehiwela-Attidiya area run red this week. Residents in the area noticed that the water in the canal completely changed colour on Tuesday morning. “We followed the trail the next day because [...]
Low voter enthusiasm amid lacklustre opposition campaigns visible in NWP and CP
By Anthony David A cross-country run on the roads of the Northwestern and Central provinces tells the story of next Thursday’s parliamentary elections—a disinterested public and lacklustre campaigns by opposition political parties. The only exceptions are the rallies by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) -led National People’s Power. Here again, its election rallies and the [...]
CP: Challengers confident there’s room in the house for them
By Kasun Warakapitiya Former ministers, MPs, provincial councillors, ex-local councillors, as well as freshers are in the fray for the 25 seats in the Central Province. The contest is even with over two million voters in Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya districts. A cross section of candidates from the main parties expressed their views. Kandy [...]