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A reference in a news report in the Sunday Times last week to a tourist from New Zealand plunging naked into the swimming pool at the Hotel Taj Samudra has drawn a response from the hotel. Its Assistant Manager for Public Relations says that such an incident did not take place at the Taj Samudra. [...]
HR review on Nov. 1: Minister will go to Geneva
Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, the President’s special envoy on human rights issues, will lead Sri Lanka’s delegation to next month’s sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. At these sessions, Sri Lanka’s human rights record will come up for scrutiny under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) – a mechanism where every UN member country’s [...]
Open skies, sweeping benefits to attract airlines to Mattala
Attractive concessions and an open sky policy will be offered to those opting to make use of the multi-billion-rupee Mattala international airport scheduled to begin operations early next year, Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratna said yesterday. He said that an open skies policy with liberalised laws would be followed for two years for airlines making [...]
Dialogue at two levels: TNA to announce deal
An official announcement that it would resume bilateral talks with the Government and serve in the proposed Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) will be made by the Tamil National Alliance shortly. A TNA delegation now in New Delhi has agreed to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s appeal towards resumption of the dialogue at both levels. Premier [...]
Tamil Nadu nuclear plant: India says will help Lanka in case of disaster
India has offered Sri Lanka an early warning system as part of safety measures in the event of a leak at the Kudankulam nuclear plant in that country’s south, Power and Energy Ministry Secretary M. M.C. Ferdinando said yesterday. He told the Sunday Times the offer came during consultations between the two countries on Thursday [...]
Local government taxation to be simplified
Sri Lanka’s local government taxation, licensing and various approval rules are to be modernized and simplified under a 2013 National Budget Proposal to ensure balanced regional development and take economic development to less developed urban and rural areas, Finance Ministry sources said. Furthermore on the directions of the President more finances will be allocated from [...]
Customs bust Rs. 300 million sugar racket, launch probe
Customs have busted a move to clear a Rs. 300 million consignment of sugar by producing documents not endorsed by the bank. Customs Director General Neville Gunawardena told the Sunday Times that a senior officer has been appointed to investigate the racket. At least three people including one who acted as the importer, but was [...]
BASL for an independent JSC free of interference and influence
The Council of the Bar Association unanimously decided that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) should be able to function independently without any interference or influence. This was among the resolutions passed when the Bar Council met yesterday, when it strongly condemned the assault on JSC Secretary Manjula Tillekaratne, and expressed solidarity with the judiciary. The [...]
FUTA action ends to be resumed if promises not kept
The 100-day long trade union action by university academics fizzled out on Friday amidst protests of section of the academics, but eventually bringing relief to students and parents. There was disappointment among sections of the academics as they failed to gain clear commitments on the demands of the Federation of the University Teachers Association (FUTA). University [...]
Trapped in Minneriya: Fishermen dared to tread where authorities failed
The unavailability of rescue teams and delayed response from the authorities resulted in a group of foreigners and locals being stranded smack in the middle of the Minneriya National Park and eventually rescued towards midnight by area fishermen. The group consisting of four British nationals, four Germans, six Arabs including children of the ages of [...]
Global economic slowdown, drought to influence Budget 2013 implementation – PBJ
Drought and the global economic slowdown, which the European markets are experiencing currently, will play a decisive role in the next Budget’s implementation said Finance Ministry Secretary Dr P.B. Jayasundara. He made this observation during the annual Sujatha Jayawardena Memorial Oration, organised by the Alumni Association of the University of Colombo. Speaking on the topic, [...]
A tree frog leaps into list of Endemic Amphibians
Researchers worry that the only known population of new endemic tree frogs Polypedates ranwellai, named in honour of Dr. Sanjeewa Ranwella, could soon become extinct. Sri Lanka, already known as an Amphibian hotspot, reveals another new frog at the Gilimale Forest of Peak Wilderness. Leading researcher Mendis Wickramasinghe of the Herpetological Foundation of Sri Lanka, [...]
Motor Traffic Chief sounds out warning on noise pollution
Motorists, especially those who drive vending vehicles, beware! Police will soon come down hard on you if you become a noise polluter by using multi-tone or musical horns to sell bread, ice-cream or other products or if your vehicle horn’s sound level goes beyond the limits set by new regulations. The warning came from the [...]
10-year-old dies of burns from fire caused by faulty wiring
“I held the boy and assured him that everything would be fine, but his face mirrored the immense pain he was in. His skin was peeling off and sticking to my arms,” a glassy-eyed police officer recounted. Sergeant (Sgt.) Lal Premasiri of the Ragama Police Crimes Division, was recounting his harrowing attempt to save 10-year-old [...]
Squash racket: Education Ministry official interferes in school disciplinary matter
In an unprecedented move in the 176-year history of a premier national school, an official of the Education Ministry has written to the principal asking that a student dropped from the team for indiscipline during a squash game be put back in the team for a forthcoming inter-school tournament. The official, Acting Education Director (National [...]
Up to 48-hours police custody after arrest sans warrant
Government will seek Parliamentary approval next week for a Bill that empowers the Police to hold suspects arrested without a warrant for certain offences, in detention for up to 48 hours, after a previous attempt to extend its validity failed. The Code of Criminal Procedure (Special Provisions) Bill was first enacted in 2007 and extended [...]
Price hike in cement and chicken
The price of a 50-kg bag of cement was increased between Rs 68-85 with effect from midnight on Saturday, the, Consumer Affairs Authority said. Along with this, the price of a kg of chicken too was increased by Rs 30.An official of the Trade and Consumer Affairs ministry said that the increases were made following [...]
Some UNPers to defy party ban on Common Alliance rally
The Common Opposition Alliance’s inaugural meeting has run into some stormy weather after the UNP prohibited its members from attending the rally in Colombo but several of those slated to attend said they would go ahead and do so. UNP Gampaha District MP Karu Jayaruiya said he had not been officially told that the UNP’s [...]
Kahawatte: Arrest and alleged assault by police lead to suicide
A man taken in for questioning by the Police, in connection with the double murder of a mother and daughter in the Kahawatta area, committed suicide by drinking poison, because he felt ashamed by the wrongful arrest and alleged subsequent beating, his widow said at the inquest into his death. U. Seneviratne of Kotakethana, a [...]
Rain brings relief, but danger lurks in lightning strikes
October 10 was International Day of Disaster Reduction. That same week lightning strikes claimed several lives in Sri Lanka. Although the drought appeared to be easing in some areas of the country with the onset of rains, it has come at a price with lightning strikes killing five people during the past few weeks. Two [...]
Bodies of Koreans flown out of country
The bodies of two Koreans -Kion and Jungmung- who died when they were struck by lightning at Lipton’s Seat in Dambathenna, Haputale were flown back to their country. This was the second recorded instance of foreigners being struck by lightning at this spot. In June 1945 the then British AGA for Badulla Thomas William Rogers died [...]
Seven young men wanting a kick out of life go to early grave
Did a deadly cocktail of medicine and other substances send seven young men to an early grave, is the concern of health authorities, in the wake of which the sale of an often-prescribed cough syrup has been banned temporarily. With information indicating that several of the dead men, mainly between 20 and 30 years old, [...]
Nasheed intensifies campaign to regain Maldivian presidency
Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed who was detained overnight and released from custody has re-joined his party’s ‘Journey of Pledges’ campaign for elections. He travelled to the islands in South Huvadhu Atoll, Fuvahmulah of Gnaviyani Atoll and Addu atoll to carry out a door-to-door campaign and policy workshops to gather support ahead of the next election. [...]
End of a young innings
A cricket fan who was disappointed that Sri Lanka lost the T-20 Championship final last Sunday committed suicide, a coroner’s inquest was told in Hatton this week. The inquest was held before Hatton’s inquirer into sudden deaths A.J.M.Fazeer. Ratnam Rajeshwari, 52, told the coroner that her son Mahendran Surendran (26) who returned home after work [...]
Sri Lanka’s defeat was too much to bear for this one-time cricketer
Preethika Ranaweera (35) heavily pregnant with her second child sat down in her small living room with family members to watch the finals of the T-20- Championship finals with high expectations that Sri Lanka will win after failing at three earlier consecutive finals. Preethika a former cricketer of the Lanka women’s team kept in good [...]
No cheers, only jeers
Ajantha Mendis set a Twenty20 world record by taking 6 wickets for 8 runs, and Akila Dananjaya took out the batsman who smashed his cheekbone. But nothing beats the highlight of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World T20 Championship 2012: Cheerleaders. The cheerleaders, all young local girls in gaudy makeup, wearing a multi-coloured ensemble of [...]
Lanka will benefit from the UN and vice versa – UNDP Regional Director
A senior United Nations (UN) official who visited Sri Lanka last week said that the Government has indicated that it is more interested in the ideas the UN can give the country more than it’s financing. “What was conveyed to us is that Sri Lanka will benefit from our ideas, the money is not that [...]
A tale of neglect
The sleek mirror wall of the ancient Sigiriya fortress is renowned for its graffiti that dates back several centuries. Unfortunately more recently, the wall has been infected by a fungus that is gradually spreading. Apart from the fungi, the wall has been disfigured by bird droppings as well. Sigiriya Project Manager K.B. Chandana Weerasena said [...]
Sinhala, Tamil for administration in 12 new DS areas
Twelve new Divisional Secretariat areas in nine districts have been declared by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as areas where both the Sinhala and Tamil languages should as used as the languages of administration. The areas are Dehiwala – Mount Lavinia, Ganga Ihala Korale and the Kandy Four Gravets and Gangawata Korale, Matale, Lankapura and Welikanda in [...]
Sri Lanka could be in path of world’s longest insect migration
Last year same period: Waves of Dragonflies were reported from the west coast and other areas. The world’s longest insect migration was documented from India-Maldives-Africa and this observation hints Sri Lanka too could be a hub in its path. Public support is sought this year to unravel this mystery… On October 20 last year a [...]
