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Uprising again to protest against alleged Govt. oppression

Uprising again to protest against alleged Govt. oppression

The JVP’s youth wing and trade unions relaunched protests yesterday to highlight what they called the government’s continued oppression by declaring high-security zones and the use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act to suppress dissent. Our picture shows riot police personnel seizing a protester when their march was dispersed at Maradana. Pic by M.A. Pushpakumara. [...]

President to revive Japan-funded projects next week

Priority to reboot the Light Railway Transit Project By Anthony David  President Ranil Wickremesinghe is to discuss the revival of the Light Railway Transit project and 12 other Japanese-funded projects shelved or abandoned by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa Government. He will do so during his forthcoming visit to Japan to take part in the state funeral [...]

Special unit to monitor 260 mega development projects

By Damith Wickramasekara  A special supervisory unit under a Deputy Treasury Secretary is to be appointed to review the progress of 260 mega-scale development projects with a combined investment of Rs. 5.8 trillion, Treasury sources said.  The special unit, which will be supported by government agencies, including the Auditor General’s Department, will conduct weekly progress [...]

Please pay Rs. 30 more for your newspaper

Dear Valued Readers The entire newspaper industry is in a crisis due to unprecedented increases in printing material, freight and transport costs. We know that you are also going through difficulties due to the prevailing economic crisis. But, we have no other option than to announce a 30-rupee increase in the price of your favourite [...]

Public Security Ministry says HSZs required to run administration

BASL challenges declaration,vows legal action Any offence committed in the newly declared High Security Zones (HSZ) will enable police to take up the case in the High Courts, a senior official of the Public Security Ministry said. He said the measure was taken to ensure that administration was continued without interruption. “All locations declared as [...]

Coal crisis: Minister seeks Cabinet approval for emergency purchases

By Damith Wickremasekara and Niranjala Ariyawansha  Cabinet approval has been sought to urgently buy coal from two companies to meet the immediate requirements of the Lakwijaya coal power plant, as suppliers have put forward tighter payment demands. The Sunday Times learns that citing a possible delay in supplies reaching the country and the risk of [...]

Cannabis for exports

By Chris Kamalendran  The setting up of a 10,000 acre cannabis plantation in the Ratnapura district is to be proposed to the Cabinet by the Health Ministry. Indigenous Medicine State Minister Sisira Jayakody has presented  the proposal through the Health Ministry. The proposal is to be submitted to the Cabinet on October 5. The state [...]

16 students arrested over Ella forest fire

Sixteen school children were arrested yesterday over a fire at Ella rock forest reserve, police said. Officials of the Disaster Management Centre at Ella said the Army, police and workers of the pradeshiya sabha doused the fire that had spread to a ten acre area. They said they believed the fire had spread after the [...]

Patients to Ragama hospital inconvenienced by non functioning main lift

Patients visiting the Ragama Teaching Hospital have been inconvenienced as the main lift is not operational. Patients seeking treatment at the Outpatient Department (OPD), orthopedic clinic, primary care unit, main pharmacy, eye clinic, and the ear nose and throat clinic, diabetes unit as well as the  maternity unit have to take the stairs. Hospital staff [...]

Supreme Court orders RDA to explain its position on elevated expressway

By Wasantha Ramanayake   The Supreme Court has directed the Road Development Authority (RDA) to inform court whether or not the RDA would proceed with the construction of the proposed elevated expressway across Thalanagama Wetland connecting Rajagiriya and Athurugiriya. The direction was made when counsel Raweendranath Dabare for petitioner- respondents Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) pointed [...]

Neon blue waves at Galle Face: A sight to see but may be harmful to touch

Neon blue waves at Galle Face: A sight to see but may be harmful to touch

By Tharushi Weerasinghe   Neon blue waves lit up local shorelines this week at Galle Face. “It was a sight to behold,” said Maleesha Gunawardana who saw the waves at Galle Face on Thursday. The phenomenon she witnessed is called bioluminescence. “Bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon where living organisms produce light using chemicals in their bodies,” [...]

Welgama on why he parted ways with the Rajapaksas

Welgama on why he parted ways with the Rajapaksas

Says he plans to bring left parties under one umbrella By Sandun Jayawardana  For 40 years, Kumara Welgama toiled hard for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). When Maithripala Sirisena broke away to challenge Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 2015 presidential election, Mr Welgama chose to stand with Mr Rajapaksa. He refused to join the government [...]

Over 80 protesters arrested, police use tear gas and water cannons

Over 80 protesters arrested, police  use tear gas and  water cannons

By Yoshitha Perera   Police have detained 83 demonstrators, including Eranga Gunasekara, national organiser of the Socialist Youth Union (SYU), the youth front of the JVP, during a protest march yesterday. Members from the National People’s Power (NPP) along with the SYU yesterday staged a protest in front of the Lipton roundabout demanding the release of [...]

More Lankan children going to school on empty stomachs

By Senuka Jayakody   From schools in the Colombo city to the remotest areas of Sri Lanka, increasing numbers of children do not have enough to eat at home and attendance has dropped sharply. Principals, teachers, and education officials have been finding ways to help children cope. Wimal Piyatissa, the executive secretary of the Joint Teacher’s [...]

Teachers take lead to feed children

Teachers take lead to feed children

Teachers, principals and parents have been responding in many positive ways to keep dozens of hungry children fed at school. Teacher Dilrukshi Rajapaksa of Mahagaswewa Vidyalaya, Mahauswewa in Anamaduwa, t began collecting packed meals from teachers and parents every day, and said some 40 children are now benefiting. She calls it a ‘food bank’, and [...]

Combined effort to tackle food issues

By Sadisha Saparamadu  A multi-sector combined mechanism has been activated to address food security in the country. Dr Suren Batagoda, the presidential advisor on national food security told the Sunday Times that to combat malnutrition the entire economy must be revitalised so that consumers, producers and suppliers work together. He said food should be affordable, [...]

Sharing to encourage caring

The Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa has introduced an “Udaw Kambaraya” (Helping room). Children who can afford are given the opportunity to bring extra food to school, which would be handed over to the “Udaw Kambaraya”, from which food will be available to students, who have not had meals. This idea has been extended to [...]

Australia provides rice aid for emergency distribution

Australia provides rice aid for emergency distribution

By Kapila Bandara   Australia is marking 75 years of diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka by once again assisting during the economic collapse, which has worsened the scale of hunger in the country. Staple food such as rice, and flour, along with cooking oil, are out of the reach of millions of households. About 8.7 million [...]

Schools in North and East draw on local support

By Sohan Vipulananda  Local businesses, past students of rural schools and well-wishers are coming together to provide food for school children badly affected by the food shortage in Sri Lanka. All primary students are being given the necessary nutrition by the National Nutrition Programme (NNP) of the Government, Jaffna’s Zonal Education Director M. Rathakrishnan said. [...]

CBSL defends itself, but confirms our report – The right of reply

The Central Bank’s Communications Department Director has drawn attention to an item published in this column last week under the title ‘Central Bank puts austerity in docket’. The CBSL in a response said: “We write with reference to the above news article published in the “Sunday Times” on 18 September 2022. “The above news article [...]

Thousands head for Qatar despite worker abuse risks

Thousands head for Qatar despite worker abuse risks

By Chrishanthi Christopher   Sri Lanka is facing an exodus of able workers who have been pushed to find jobs overseas following the economic collapse. Several thousands who had lost their jobs are leaving to work in the Gulf state of Qatar which is hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022 in November. There are jobs for [...]

Tongue-twister toxin triggers tainted Thriposha debate

Tongue-twister toxin triggers tainted Thriposha debate

By Kapila Bandara  A Government official heading the state-run Thriposha nutrition packs producer admitted this week that some samples had contained liver cancer-causing aflatoxins, a viral disease that infects corn, a main ingredient in the supplement given to the most needy Sri Lankan children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers. “There was a small amount with [...]

Clashes at Peradeniya Uni over ragging: Minister and Police differ on action taken

By L.B. Senaratne and Senuka Jayakody   Clashes between Peradeniya University student groups opposed to ragging and those justifying it  prompted the temporary closure of the arts faculty, university authorities said yesterday. The university’s arts faculty has been closed from midnight on Friday until further notice, according to a notice issued by the faculty dean. The authorities [...]

High drama over hijacking of fuel bowser at Hanthana; police arrest two suspects

By Shane Seneviratne Two suspects of an organised crime gang were arrested yesterday after they attempted to extort money by hijacking a bowser carrying diesel to a transmission tower generator owned by a private company at the Hanthana Hill, Kandy Police said. They said the suspects had come in three-wheelers, forcibly grabbed the driver and [...]

Undergrad tragedies prompt calls for responsible reporting

By Wasantha Ramanayake   A Peradeniya University student who took his own life recently, became the second person to commit suicide in a month, following such a death in March and academic work pressure as a result of the coronavirus disease pandemic and on-line learning was a major cause, undergrads said. They claimed that on-line education [...]

Asian openbill storks flock to Thabbowa tank

Asian openbill storks flock to Thabbowa tank

Hundreds of Asian openbill storks are flocking to the receding Thabbowa tank to fish in the shallow water pools remaining. People from nearby areas are visiting the area to have a glimpse of this rare sight. The tank bed looks like a sea of black and white as the birds feed on fish. Pix by Hiran [...]

Pick of the Pix

Pick of the Pix

Veggie plots take root in heart of capital

Veggie plots take root in heart of capital

Pix and text by Nilan Maligaspe Rising food prices, shortage of food and reports of malnutrition among children coupled with a government drive to promote cultivation have prompted many in urban areas to make use of limited space to plant vegetables. In Colombo city, not only the public but temples as well as state institutions [...]

Places of worship tripped up by troubling tariffs

Places of worship tripped up by troubling tariffs

By Kasun Warakapitiya  A temple in remote Dehiattakandiya in the Ampara District this week received an electricity bill, which was 300% more than the usual after new tariffs took effect. The chief incumbent, Ven Dickumbure Saddhathissa Thera told the Sunday Times that this was the highest bill it had received in 18 years. “Our bill [...]

Ticket racket suspected as 10,000 train seats booked online in ten minutes

Ticket racket suspected as 10,000 train seats booked online in ten minutes

Complaints against travel agents buying additional tickets By Senuka Jayakody With some 10,000 train tickets being sold in ten minutes after online counters opened under a new one-month valid period, suspicions have arisen over a ticket racket, prompting the railway authorities to consider new modes of reservations. Sri Lanka Railways Deputy General Manager (Commercial) V. [...]

Farmers feel the sting of imported big onions; Minister to meet President

Farmers feel the sting of imported big onions; Minister to meet President

By Kanchana Ariyadasa  in Dambulla  Local big onion farmers say they are facing difficult times due to the importation of large amounts of big onions to the Dambulla Economic Centre. They say they had an abundant harvest this time and many dejected farmers are seen at the economic centre with piles of unsold onions. The [...]

Dried-fish making centre dries up even before it starts

Dried-fish making centre dries up even before it starts

It’s a waste of Rs 6 mn spent on project, say fishermen By Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe A Rs six million worth dried fish-making centre has been idling for months since it was declared open, fishermen of Kandakuliya, Puttalam complained. They said that the Saubhagya Development Bureau of Kalpitiya Divisional Secretariat started building the manufacturing centre [...]

Farmers should reap the benefits of research, says minister at Agri Dept symposium

Farmers should reap the benefits of research, says minister at Agri Dept symposium

By L.B.Senartne   Farmers should be able to reap the benefits of any research as they are the the backbone of agriculture, said Agriculture Minister  Mahinda Amaraweera recently, He was speaking at the 24th session of the Agriculture Department Symposium held at the Plant Genetic Resource Center in Gannoruwa on Friday. The minister was chief guest [...]

Promotions ramped up to lure more visitors

Promotions ramped up to lure more visitors

By Renishka Fernando   Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka are slowly picking up with overseas travel advisories being lifted and promotional campaigns by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) and private sector stakeholders. A little over 21,000 arrivals have been recorded from September 1 to 21, data from SLTDA [...]

People fear rise in crime as one incident claims innocent life in Kochchikade police area

People fear rise in crime as one incident claims innocent life in Kochchikade police area

Crime incidents in the Kochchikade Police area have been on the rise in recent weeks, with one tragically claiming the life of a bank employee. A 28-year-old youth fell victim when he was stabbed after he tried to prevent his wife and her friend being robbed just close to their home. The victim, Rasika Vinoth [...]

How to fight pests: Awareness programme for Puttalam coconut farmers

How to fight pests: Awareness programme for Puttalam coconut farmers

Coconut harvest in the Puttalam district is facing the threat of pest damage. The red palm weevil is the biggest culprit,  say farmers. In the past months many coconut trees had been affected by this pest infestation. However, agriculture officers have now introduced a chemical treatment which they hope will tackle the mites. An awareness [...]

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