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Home » NewsEco-friendly US embassy with Lankan touch
A state-of-the-art and eco-friendly United States embassy with a Sri Lankan touch was declared open by President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday. Cutting the red tape with him are US Ambassador Julie Chung, the US State Department’s Management Under-Secretary John Bass, and the State Department’s Overseas Building Operations Managing Director Chelsea Bakken. The Sunday Times was [...]
Bribery Com. summons RDA project unit
Charges and controversy over multibillion-dollar elevated highway from New Kelani Bridge to Athurugiriya By Namini Wijedasa The project management unit (PMU) of the Road Development Authority (RDA) has been summoned by the Bribery Commission to provide a statement on the controversial tender for the proposed elevated highway from New Kelani Bridge to Athurugiriya. The [...]
8,000 people defrauded of upto Rs. 14bn in cryptocurrency scam; two Chinese, three Lankans held: Police
By Sandun Jayawardana Two Chinese and three Sri Lankans are in remand custody in connection with the running of an alleged cryptocurrency scam that police believe defrauded some Rs. 14 billion from more than 8,000 people. The alleged Ponzi scheme, known as “Sports Chain” has been operating in the country since 2020. The Criminal Investigation [...]
Yala motor show: Wildlife Minister’s nephew arrested
By Kasun Warakapitiya A close relative of Wildlife Minister Mahinda Amaraweera was yesterday arrested and produced before Tissamaharama Magistrate over last week’s incident of driving off-track in Yala Park in violation of Wildlife laws. The suspect was identified as Amaraweera Vidana Kankanamge Dulitha Nuwan Amaraweera (29), son of Minister Amaraweera’s brother. The suspect was released [...]
President’s House repairs to cost Rs. 364.8mn in public funds
The State Engineering Corporation has estimated that the repairs to the President’s House which was damaged during the Aragalaya protests in July would cost Rs. 364.8 million. The expenses include repairs to the building. However, the report does not include damage to the furniture, historic paintings, fitness centre equipment, and vehicles. The SEC report refers [...]
Grounded BIA project likely to take off with AASL funds
By Damith Wickramasekara The Government is considering a proposal to continue the stalled Bandaranaike International Airport expansion project with funds from the Airport and Aviation Services Limited (AASL) to avoid paying hefty monthly penalties to the Japanese contractor. The Aviation Ministry, meanwhile, has observed that it will be far cheaper to terminate the contract awarded [...]
Lanka’s forex reserves further hit by Bangladeshi move
Sri Lanka’s precariously low foreign reserves suffered another blow this week after Bangladesh’s Central Bank, Bangladesh Bank, directed all banks in that country to only resort to cash deals and no credit with Sri Lankan banks under an international payment settlement gateway. The move, according to local bankers, may have been prompted by Sri Lanka’s [...]
Northeast monsoon active: More rains likely
By Jayanie Madawala After a few days of sunshine, be ready for more rain, says the Meteorological Department, announcing the onset of the northeast monsoon. The department said scattered showers could occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, and Central Provinces and the Galle and Matara districts. Showers or thundershowers could also occur at a few places [...]
Matara shooting incident: SI remanded until Nov 4
A Sub Inspector (SI) who was involved in a shooting incident causing injury to a schoolboy at Thihagoda in Matara, was yesterday remanded until November 4 by the Matara Magistrate Court. The incident took place on Friday when the SI attempted to stop and check the boy who was travelling in a three-wheeler. Police said [...]
No more tenders in renewable energy purchase, AG tells CEB
By Niranjala Ariyawansha The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) can procure electricity from renewable energy producers without calling for tenders, but the unit price should be determined by a committee, the Attorney General has advised the utility, interpreting the recent amendments to the Sri Lanka Electricity Act. In answer to a query, the AG told the [...]
Professor Maithree Wickramasinghe delivers keynote address at RSGEE
Unprecedented ecological, social and economic risks, threats and upheaval have not only taken human lives, but also generated and moulded gender equality and equity during the last couple of years in Sri Lanka, Chair Professor of English and Senior Professor Maithree Wickramasinghe said. Professor Wickramasinghe was delivering the keynote address as Chief Guest at the [...]
Reckless driving in Yala wildlife park: Forest Conservation Ministry blacklists 35 vehicles
But confusions and contradictions over what happened; Minister denies his son was involved By Kasun Warakapitiya The Tissamaharama Magistrate has issued a directive to the Motor traffic Department to submit a list of 35 vehicle owners who were involved in the Yala off-track driving incident. This is in addition to the six vehicles which have [...]
Many children dying from dengue, outbreak feared
By Nadia Fazlulhaq Deaths from dengue have risen to 60 — most of them children — and infections exceed 62,000 so far this year. Health officials fear an outbreak the next two months. The 62,184 infections from the mosquito-borne disease as of October, have surpassed last year’s tally of 35,924 patients. According to the Epidemiology [...]
Budget debate: Travel restrictions on ministers
The President’s Office has imposed travel restrictions on ministers and senior officials during the upcoming budget debate. Accordingly, all ministers have been told not to undertake official or private visits from the date of the budget on November 14 until the budget debate is completed on December 8 with the voting. All ministry secretaries and [...]
Northern narcotics crisis: Special Task Forces deployed to crackdown on peddlers and users
Minister proposes Cabinet sub-committee to take stern action and set up rehab centres in the region By S. Rubatheesan Kaladdy junction in Jaffna is a vibrant area filled with students due to its proximity to various education institutions such as the University of Jaffna, the Open University’s Regional Study Centre and the Technical College. On [...]
Writers honoured at 65th State Literary Awards Ceremony
The 65th State Literary Awards Ceremony was held at the BMICH on Friday (28) under the patronage of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Forty State Literary Awards and three “Sahitya Ratna” Awards were presented at the ceremony, organised by the State Literary Advisory Council, the Sri Lanka Arts Council, the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Ministry [...]
Staggering increase in school dropouts in the North
Loss of income and poverty push parents and children to the extreme By Chris Kamalendran Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many schoolchildren between the age of 14 to 16 years in the Northern province have dropped out of school. In 2020, 485 students in the region had dropped out. The number [...]
Laws to be changed to prevent dual citizens from contesting parliament polls
By Sandun Jayawardana Election laws will be changed before the next Parliamentary election to compel candidates to submit a sworn affidavit along with their nomination papers to affirm they are not citizens of any other country, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe told the Sunday Times. He said this would make it far more difficult for those [...]
Medicinal drugs crisis may continue for two months; SPC awaits Indian HC response
By Chrishanthi Christopher The medicinal drug shortage in the country’s hospitals is likely to continue for the next two months, according to a senior official. The State Pharmaceutical Corporation said it was awaiting approval from the Indian High Commission to place the orders for more than 1,000 drugs from Indian pharmaceutical companies under the Indian [...]
Lingering fears over child marriage, statutory rape resurface
By Senuka Jayakody A marriage ceremony between a 15 year old girl and a 19 year old boy was to take place on Sunday at a reception hall of Saurupura in Angulana, Moratuwa. The girl had not studied beyond Grade 10 and had been in a romantic relationship for a long time with the youth, [...]
World Bank-funded urea to support small-scale paddy growers
By Kapila Bandara Sri Lanka took delivery this week of the first stock of urea fertiliser purchased with World Bank funding provided under an emergency facility. The fertiliser, to help mitigate a dramatic increase in acute food insecurity, is to be distributed to smallholder farmers cultivating up to two hectares of paddy. Farmers will get [...]
Hotels lower their sights for tourist bookings
By Wasantha Ramanayake Hotels are gearing up for less-than-expected numbers of visitors from Europe’s winter. Although October arrivals were slightly higher from September, hotel managers said there is not much hope for the remaining two months. In the first 25 days of October there were 31,000 foreign visitors, Tourist Hotels Association (THASL) president, M. Shanthikumar [...]
X-Press Pearl: West coast fisherfolk find insurance payouts problematic
By Yoshitha Perera More than a year after the Singapore-registered container ship X-Press Pearl carrying chemicals and other goods and operated by X-Press Feeders, caught fire in May 2021, off the coast of Colombo, interim compensation has been paid to fisherfolk by the ship’s insurer on three occasions. It was Sri Lanka’s biggest marine environmental [...]
Now, northeast monsoon set to bring more rain
By Jayanie Madawala After a few days of sunshine, be ready for more rain, says the Meteorological Department, announcing the onset of the northeast monsoon. The department said scattered showers could occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, and Central Provinces and the Galle and Matara districts. Showers or thundershowers could also occur at a few places [...]
Navy in battle against waves of plastic pollution
Pix and text by Rekha Tharangani Fonseka As pollution of streams, rivers, and the sea with plastic material is posing a massive challenge to environmental authorities, Sri Lanka Navy has intensified efforts to clean up some of the polluted beaches and waterways. Most of the plastic items dumped in rivers and canals eventually end up in [...]
First time bird sightings in Kerawalapitiya as migratory season kicks off
By Malaka Rodrigo The migratory bird season this year, has taken off with the first-time sighting of a Black-Winged Pratincole (Glareola nordmanni), a ‘near-threatened’ migratory bird in Kerawalapitiya – a birding spot bordering Colombo. This bird has never been seen before in this area during the migratory season. The rare bird was spotted and identified [...]
Lawyers, rights activists alarmed by revised jail rules
By Renishka Fernando The Welikada Prison proudly proclaims in a slogan on a wall that, ‘Prisoners are human beings’, but a recent gazette notice has alarmed lawyers and prisoner rights activists that basic rights are being breached. An extraordinary gazette was issued on July 12, 2022 by Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Minister Wijeyadasa [...]
Care homes flattened by six-figure electricity charges
By Chrishanthi Christopher Religious institutions and charity homes reeling from higher electricity tariffs were in for another shock with the announcement of a 2.5% social security contribution levy, effective October 1. The levy, under the Social Security Act will mean customers of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) have to pay an additional 2.5% on their [...]
Driver licence backlog to be cleared next month
By Sadisha Saparamadu New driving licences will be printed with QR codes after cabinet approval is granted, the Motor Traffic Commissioner General, Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasingha said. He said 500,000 licences had been ordered by the end of the month and these will be distributed next month to clear the backlog. There are 600,000 driving licences [...]
An A-Grade bottleneck on the A2
Pix and Text by Sarath Siriwardena The 60-year-old Maggona bridge, popularly known as Maradana bridge, between Maggona and Beruwela on the Galle Road has been under repair for some time. This has resulted in one lane for vehicles, causing inconveniences and affecting the traffic flow along the Galle Road. The RDA has removed a part [...]