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Even for disabled soldiers, “You are my life’s Valentine”

Even for disabled soldiers, “You are my life’s Valentine”

While Valentine’s Day is normally celebrated by young lovers, Sri Lanka’s Army Commander Shavendra de Silva, currently in the eye of a diplomatic storm, took it to disabled soldiers with a special ceremony on Friday at Attidiya. Some 50 soldiers who were seriously wounded in defeating terrorism, and their family members took part in the [...]

Govt. revenue plans in disarray

The Government’s revenue plans for the year are in disarray with the Treasury yet to set out revenue targets for the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) amidst an anticipated tax collection drop by as much as Rs 400 billion, officials said. A senior Treasury official said the absence of a full budget had resulted in the [...]

US Ambassador summoned to Foreign Ministry: SL protests over blacklisting of Army Chief

US Ambassador summoned to Foreign Ministry: SL protests over blacklisting of Army Chief

United States Ambassador Allaina B. Teplitz has been summoned to the Foreign Relations Ministry today to be told of the government’s displeasure over the travel ban on Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Shavendra de Silva, considered a ‘war hero’ in Sri Lanka, and his family. Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, who will meet her at noon today, [...]

Lanka keeps close tab on coronavirus

The health authorities are monitoring the global and regional situation regularly with regard to the new coronavirus and are strengthening the measures in place in Sri Lanka to keep it at bay. “We are watching the situation closely while also reviewing the steps we have taken within Sri Lanka,” Health Services Director-General Dr. Anil Jasinghe [...]

Indian poaching: New mechanism to seek compensation for Lankan fishermen

The Government is to assess the damage caused to Sri Lankan fishermen due to Indian poaching and provide compensation by setting up a joint mechanism with India. The joint mechanism called Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar Joint Marine Fisheries Resources Management Authority has been proposed by Sri Lanka to India to resolve poaching disputes [...]

Party total will swell to 120, if 60 new parties get NEC nod

The number of registered political parties will rise to more than 120, if some 60 parties which have sought registration are approved by the National Election Commission. NEC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya confirmed that more than 60 new parties had sought registration and the deadline for registration would end on Monday. The flood of application comes [...]

UC status for S’maruthu

An Extraordinary Gazette notice has been issued to establish the “Sainthamaruthu” area in Kalmunai as a separate urban council. Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon issued the Extraordinary Gazette, according to which, the new urban council will come into effect from March 20, 2022. At present, the area comes under the Kalmunai [...]

World publishers call on President Rajapksa to promote self-regulation

The World Association of Newspaper Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has welcomed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s assurances of media freedom. In a letter to President Rajapaksa, WAN-IFRA CEO Vincent Peyregne said the association noted with interest, several meetings Mr. Rajapaksa had with newspaper and other media heads and his assurances to them that there are no threats to media [...]

Withdraw Sri Lanka from co-sponsoring UNHRC Resolution 30/1: NJC tells Govt.

The National Joint Committee (NJC) is requesting the Government to withdraw Sri Lanka from co-sponsoring United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolution 30/1 at the upcoming UNHRC sessions in Geneva. Issuing a statement signed by its Co-President Lt Col (Rtd) Anil Amarasekera, the NJC stresses that the Government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should withdraw from [...]

Opportunistic millers pounce on paddy board’s handicap

Despite government efforts, large scale millers are buying wet paddy at lower prices, immediately after the harvest, a farmers’ group says. Millers are capitalising on a situation where the Paddy Marketing Board is unable to buy wet paddy because it does not have enough capacity to dry the paddy. As a result, farmers say they [...]

Army in battle against paddy mafia, helps PMB to buy more from farmers

Army in battle against paddy mafia, helps PMB to buy more from farmers

The Sri Lanka Army has been called out to fight against the paddy mafia by supporting the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) to buy more paddy.   Following the instruction of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa the Army Commander Shavendra Silva was directed to assist the PMB to directly buy paddy. Under the programme the army had already provided [...]

Cases galore, convictions rare in Yahapalana Govt.’s anti-corruption sham

Cases galore, convictions rare in Yahapalana Govt.’s anti-corruption sham

The Maithripala Sirisena-Ranil Wickremesinghe administration assumed power in January 2015 pledging, not only to eradicate corruption, but to hold to account anyone who had squandered or stolen public resources. Cases were opened by the dozen. Yet, convictions can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The Sunday Times trawled through four years of records, [...]

One-stop Geriatric Unit to provide holistic care

One-stop Geriatric Unit  to provide holistic care

A one-stop Geriatric Unit with a multidisciplinary team providing holistic care, taking into account all physical, mental and social aspects will see the light of day next Wednesday (February 19). Taking off within the refurbished first floor of the Ceylinco Healthcare Centre down Park Street, Colombo 2, the Ceylinco Assured Care Centre is expected to [...]

Saucy social media seducers drag gullible boys into dark hole

Saucy social media seducers  drag gullible boys into dark hole

“I met her via Instagram, and she said she was interested in me and kept asking for nude videos of myself. Initially I sent some for fun via Snapchat, but then she kept demanding more and more photos and videos. Later it was blackmailing, saying that my previous videos will be given to pornography sites, [...]

Dikovita fishing industry in troubled waters

Dikovita fishing industry in troubled waters

At Dikovita in Wattala the dredging of sand has severely affected the lives of fishermen in the area, and they are demanding that this be stopped.   The sand excavation has been going on for more than five years for the development project related to the Port City, and has continued since then. The area’s [...]

Pera uni conducts anti ragging course at Vihare

Pera uni conducts anti ragging course at Vihare

The University of Peradeniya will conduct a course on ‘Personality, Leadership and Ethical Behaviour’ for about 1000 second-year undergraduates of the university. The course organised by the Department of Sociology and co-ordinated by Professor S. Wijesinghe targets second-year students, as it had been identified, that second-year students, egged on by third-year students have been the [...]

State & pvt sectors to gear up with tests for new virus

State & pvt sectors to gear  up with tests for new virus

As the number of people hit by the new coron3entre Wuhan in the Hubei Province of China grew rapidly, Sri Lanka maintained its ‘one-imported case’ status. The new coronavirus disease has now been named COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the virus as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by the International [...]

Fr. Marcelene Jayakody used music to heal social wounds: Bishop

Speaking at the commemoration of the 22nd death anniversary of late Rev Fr Marceline Jayakody on 15th Jan. 2020, held at the Dankotuwa Town Council, Rev. Valence Mendis -Bishop of Chilaw- said: ‘I am indeed glad to be present on this occasion’. The Bishop recalled that ten years ago, he attended the 10th anniversary commemoration [...]

Proliferating protests put President’s policies to the test

Proliferating protests put President’s  policies to the test

The wave of protests which the previous Government struggled to deal with is continuing under President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, too, with opposition critics claiming that it reflects the rising public discontent with his policies. According to figures provided by police, there have been 38 public protests in Colombo alone from January 1 to February 11 this [...]

Independence of the Public Service and the case of Devanee Jayathilaka

Independence of the Public Service and the case of Devanee Jayathilaka

The world loves a hero and this week’s heroine by popular acclamation is undoubtedly Forest Officer Devanee Jayathilaka. Her strenuous objections to environmental concerns being brushed aside to facilitate a development project has captured the imagination of the public at large with public sentiment in support of her conduct being reflected in both conventional media [...]

Prickly ‘hana’ in Puttalam to repel pachyderms

Prickly ‘hana’  in Puttalam to repel pachyderms

Wild elephants raiding villages in Puttalam situated in the coconut triangle, could be deterred by a plant locally called ‘hana’, with prickly leaves and which could grow more than 2 metres tall. A ‘bio fence’ of these plants, or Agave, would help protect about 400,000 people in 500 villages in the 14 of 16 divisional [...]

State Minister insists he will proceed with controversial development project near Negombo lagoon

State Minister insists he will proceed with controversial development project near Negombo lagoon

State Minister of Fisheries and Inland Fisheries Industry Sanath Nishantha Perera brushed aside criticism from his own Government colleagues and insisted that he planned to go ahead with the controversial development project surrounding the Negombo lagoon.   A video of Mr Perera taking part in a heated discussion with a group of fishermen and a [...]

All losers in race to death on roads

All losers in race  to death on roads

Motorcycles and three-wheelers maintain a joint lead in the race to death last year again, calling into question safety measures constantly being instituted.  Motorcyclists and three-wheelers were involved in almost half of all fatal accidents, according to police statistics for last year that show 1,138 fatalities from motorcycle accidents and 310 fatal accidents involving three-wheelers. [...]

Coming weeks anxious times for drought regions

Coming weeks anxious  times for drought regions

With the heat exceeding 30C in many parts of the country drought conditions are worsening and causing fires lit carelessly in forests to quickly take hold. In the past two weeks alone, four man-made fires were reported by the Kegalle Divisional Secretariat. Divisional Secretary Mr. K.G.S. Nishantha said with the dry conditions the fires easily [...]

Pick of the Pix

Pick of the Pix

Suicide attempt sparks rebuff of ragging as ‘culture’

A young woman’s attempted suicide due to ragging at the University of Jaffna, has again sparked debate on whether the archaic student “indoctrination” practice should be banned altogether from the country’s campuses. Three students of the university’s Faculty of Technology have been suspended on suspicion of involvement in the latest incident in which a father [...]

Death-trap over Kolamunu Oya

Death-trap over Kolamunu Oya

The Kolamunu Oya bridge , on the Bingiriya, Urapoththa, Mela-Eliya road is in a badly dilapidated condition due to a lack of maintenance. The bridge is part of the by-pass road used by residents to reach Weerapokuna, Thossogama, Gadolwaka, Gal Wewa, and Mola-Eliya. The poor maintenance of the bridge for over a decade, has led [...]

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