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Home » NewsThanthirimale comes alive with Aloka Pooja
The Aloka Pooja organised by Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. for the 20th year began on Friday at the historic Thanthirimale Raja Maha Viharaya. The Aloka Pooja, which was also held yesterday, will come to an end today. State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe, Anuradhapura District Secretary Janaka Jayasundara, former Chief Minister Ranjith Samarakoon and Daily Lankadeepa Editor [...]
Rs. 200bn for social welfare projects
To raise the living standards of poverty-stricken people, the Government is to allocate an additional Rs 200 billion for social welfare projects in next year’s budget, anticipating two major World Bank loans amounting to US$ 700 million within this year, Treasury officials said. The World Bank funds are to be pumped into welfare projects including [...]
Japanese lifeline for Suwa Seriya: Tender for 25 new ambulances
The Health Ministry has floated a tender for 25 ambulances for the 1990 Suwa Seriya service to be financed through a grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction. The tender is open to suppliers from countries which are members of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the notice says. The bid deadline is June 20 [...]
Chinese suspect to be deported under special security measures
The Chinese suspect detained while trying to enter Sri Lanka on a forged passport recently is to be deported to his country under special security arrangements. The Chinese embassy has been requested to provide a separate aircraft along with security personnel to deport the Chinese national to his country where he is wanted for a [...]
CAA revoking regulations which allowed illegal pyramid schemes
The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has revoked two of its gazette notifications after the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) wrote to the consumer regulator that shady organisations which run illegal pyramid schemes in the country used those regulations to register themselves as legal entities. CAA Director General J.M.C Jayanthi Wijethunga told the Sunday Times [...]
X-Press Pearl: British case may delay Lanka’s claim for compensation
A limitation on damages action filed in Britain by insurers of the X-Press Pearl container vessel could force a delay in the ongoing compensation claim filed by Sri Lanka in Singapore. The Sunday Times understands that legal experts have informed the Government that it would be opportune to either lay by the claims action in [...]
Economic crisis showed there is no room for populist and unsustainable policies, says Treasury report
Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is now being widely pointed to as a textbook case of how an economy should not be managed, given its severity and the detrimental effects it had on the economy and the broader society, a report from the Treasury said. Titled ’2022 Economic Crisis – Lessons Learned and Way Forward’ in [...]
Government’s e-procurement portal, an IMF requirement, not yet able to list ICB and NCB projects
The Government’s e-procurement portal – launched to improve transparency and efficiency – is still attracting just “shopping tenders”, with costlier, large-scale international and national competitive bidding (ICB and NCB) projects due to start getting uploaded only after the system is further upgraded. The Finance Ministry has instructed all ministries, provincial councils, departments, district secretariats, State [...]
President condoles with Indian Govt. over train tragedy
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has expressed his condolences to the Indian Government and the families of the victims of the train tragedy in Odisha, India. The President said his thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ families in this difficult time and wished those injured a speedy recovery.
Defence: Shipping agent and X-Press Pearl captain can’t be charged in the same indictment
The shipping agent and captain of the X-Press Pearl cannot be charged in the same indictment, argued the counsel appearing for the shipping agent when the case was taken up at the Colombo High Court on Thursday. Representing the shipping agent, Sea Consortium Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Sarath Jayamanne, PC, argued that the shipping agent and [...]
Court orders delisting of life insurance agents’ trade union
The Court of Appeal (CA) has issued an order to the Assistant Labour Commissioner to delete or expunge from the Registrar of the Trade Unions, the registration of the “Life Insurance Agents Association (LIAA)” and to cancel its certificate of registration. The bench comprising Judges Sobitha Rajakaruna and Dhammika Ganepola gave the ruling after considering [...]
Poson celebrated across the country
By Senuka Jayakody Poson Poya religious activities yesterday drew thousands of pilgrims to Mihintale, despite various setbacks. Crowds started gathering from Friday in Anuradhapura. The Anuradhapura District Secretary and chairman of the Poson committee, Janaka Jayasundara told the Sunday Times a meeting was held with the Ceylon Electricity Board to discuss Mihintale illuminations. The CEB [...]
‘Reach out in service of others as the Buddha preached to overcome effects of pandemic’
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena attended the United Nations (UN) Vesak Festival in Thailand on behalf of the Sri Lankan government. Delivering the keynote address, ‘Buddhist Wisdom Coping with Global Crises,’ at the UN Vesak Day celebrations, Premier Gunawardena called on affluent nations to declare a universal moratorium on all debt and unserviceable financial commitments accumulated [...]
Bread buyers turn their ire at lumps of flour
By Kasun Warakapitiya Most bakeries in the city of Colombo are producing poor quality bread, which also weighs less. Consumers complain that bread has the consistency of a paste or raw dough. The main reason for this is that bakers use low quality flour and baking ingredients. Loaves are not fully baked due to lack [...]
CTBT is an amazing success, although it is yet to come into force: CTBTO chief
Creating a world without nuclear weapons is not easy but achievable, says the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation’s Executive Secretary Dr. Robert Floyd In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times in Colombo, Dr. Floyd said the CTBT was an amazing success although it has still not come into force, 26 years after [...]
Double whammy for Ahmadi refugees fleeing persecution, as UN agency closes Colombo office
By S. Rubatheesan Hundreds of foreign refugees and asylum seekers are facing an uncertain future in Sri Lanka as the local UN refugee agency representation office in Colombo plans to wind up its operations by the end of this year. As Sri Lanka marked the 75th freedom day on February 4, Rizwan Akram Hanjra from [...]
Forger running racket to admit students to Kandy school remanded
By Shane Seneviratne A suspect taken into custody for using forged documents to admit students to a leading girls’ school in Kandy has been remanded until June 13. The suspect is due to be produced for an identification parade. He had issued letters to admit students to St Anthony’s Convent in Katugastota. He is accused [...]
Prison inmates produce sanitary napkins
The Prisons Department has launched a programme to produce sanitary products for inmates’ use. Eight women detainees of the Welikada Prison have set up a unit to manufacture sanitary napkins with the assistance of social worker Mrs Jani Perera. This initiative has provided solutions to hygiene problems of 500 female detainees. “Women prisoners mostly [...]
Danger of unroadworthy vehicles to the fore as a young life is snuffed out
Questions arise over vehicle import ban and wear and tear as Department of Motor Traffic officers crackdown on vehicles plying the roads By Sandun Jayawardana The tragic death of a 13-year-old boy in Wadduwa has again highlighted the danger posed by unroadworthy vehicles. Gagana Kavintha Mendis, a Grade 8 student of Wadduwa Madhya Vidyalaya, was [...]
250 to 350 new dengue cases reported daily, health officials concerned over upsurge
By Nathara Abeywickrema The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) has warned of an upsurge in dengue cases across the island with 250 to 350 new cases being reported daily. In May alone the number had risen to 6000, with concerns raised about the heightening spread of the disease. NDCU’s Consultant Community Physician Dr. Nimalka Pannila [...]
CNCLD shares knowledge of revolutionary liver cancer treatment with foreign doctors
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi It was a “reverse” exchange of expertise as several foreign doctors from the region flew into Sri Lanka to arm themselves with knowledge on how to revolutionise cancer treatment back in their home countries, side-by-side with local doctors. Usually, Sri Lankan doctors go to centres of excellence across the globe to strengthen [...]
Puttalam farmers faced with two paddy pests
Farmers of the Puttalam District battling wild elephants destroying paddy fields, are now forced to fight two new pests affecting paddy cultivations. A caterpillar species and a worm species have started to wreak havoc in paddy fields. Farmers say it is difficult to safeguard their crops from the swarms of caterpillars and worms which are [...]
Forger running racket to admit students to Kandy school remanded
By Shane Seneviratne A suspect taken into custody for using forged documents to admit students to a leading girls’ school in Kandy has been remanded until June 13. The suspect is due to be produced for an identification parade. He had issued letters to admit students to St Anthony’s Convent in Katugastota. He is accused [...]
President spells out four pillars to lift up the country once again
While some decisions the government takes may not always be popular, it is only by pursuing policies that are right and difficult can the country be uplifted again, President Ranil Wickremesinghe stated. He made the remarks on Friday while delivering a special statement to the nation, presenting his government’s “National Transformation Roadmap.” “I can assure [...]
Ailing Thai tusker ‘Sak Surin’ to be quarantined before airlift
By Kasun Warakapitiya The National Zoological Gardens in Dehiwala is preparing to quarantine the ailing Thai tusker Sak Surin (named Muthu Raja in Sri Lanka) before it is airlifted by the Thai Government to a sanctuary where it will be cared for and be finally free. Sri Lanka has to ensure it is free from [...]
Leadership training workshop
A leadership training workshop of Ananda College, Colombo – Leo Club was held recently at the Kularatne Hall in the College under the leadership of Sagala Ratnayake, President’s Chief of Staff. Mr Ratnayake is seen here lighting the oil lamp at the start of the workshop. Lal Dissanayake, Principal Ananda College, Lasanta Gunawardena, President of [...]
Concert marks 75 years of Sri Lankan diplomacy
A concert by the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka to celebrate 75 years of diplomacy was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Lionel Wendt on Friday. The event showcased a mix of orchestral music from composers of the best eastern and western traditions to epitomise Sri Lanka’s longstanding relations with countries near [...]
Campaigns to clean up plastic rubbish
By Ryan Casiechetty Plastic pollution inland on the shores is being targeted in a few clean-up campaigns that coincide with the World Environmental Day. Plastic bottles and other waste in waterways often end up on beaches. Some of the plastic waste is washing up on Sri Lanka’s shores from India. One initiative is by the [...]
Water project fire: Six students released on bail to sit O/L exams
By Nathara Abeywickrema The Aranayaka Ussapitiya Public Stadium fire that destroyed the water pipes connected to the Asupini Ella Water Scheme days before President Ranil Wickremesinghe declared it open was the result of careless disposal of a matchstick by six teenagers who were smoking there, Police said. The six grade 11 students were produced before [...]
Six years after disaster Meethotamulla raising its ugly head once again
The abandoned garbage dumping site in Meethotamulla, Colombo, is once again being used, a visit to the area revealed. Six years back the site was abandoned following the collapse of the dump that claimed 32 lives and displaced over 350. However, residents in the vicinity have once again started dumping garbage at the site. When [...]
Step in to your home garden and observe the birds
By Malaka Rodrigo Connect with nature by stepping into one’s own home gardens, is the message from the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL), as tomorrow (June 5) marks World Environment Day. “Most home gardens in Sri Lanka still harbour a lot of biodiversity, but we do not pay enough attention,” says FOGSL president [...]
Odds and ends art
Story and pix by Eshan Fernando From replicating the iron throne from the popular television series Game of Thrones to creating metal animal figures, talented metal craftsmen are finding a demand for the creative use of discarded metal. K Subasinghe, from Gunoja Metal Works at Nugegoda, said that though they are in the business of [...]
Monsoon in next few days, says Met Dept, amidst hot and sticky days and threat of minor floods
By Jayanie Madawala The South-West Monsoon will gradually establish across the island in the next few days, the Meteorology Department says. Director Athula Karunanayake said that evening showers can be expected particularly in the Central, Uva and Northern Provinces. The monsoon has delayed this time due to the impact of the recent cyclone in the [...]
Efforts to curb spread of Lumpy Skin Disease among cattle
The disease spreading among cattle is being gradually brought under control while local authorities are developing vaccines to be used, officials said. The Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) virus has spread among cattle in the North, North Central, North Western, and Eastern Provinces, affecting a high number. The virus attacks cattle and buffaloes and does not [...]