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At a ceremony to welcome Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, President Ranil Wickremesinghe is seen introducing him to Sri Lanka’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Shavendra Silva. While Iran is under heavy sanctions by the United States, General Shavendra Silva is also under US sanctions on unproven allegations of human rights violations during the last stages [...]
Vehicle import ban to be lifted to raise revenue
President to take decision: US$ 800 million drain on foreign reserves, but Govt. will earn tax revenue of Rs. 340 billion By Damith Wickremasekara The ban on motor vehicle imports is set to be lifted early next year, if recommendations from a committee comprising Treasury officials that the move was required to meet revenue targets set [...]
Treasury Secretary given one-year extension
Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana is to be given an extension of service in his post in the Finance Ministry by President Ranil Wickremesinghe following his retirement on Friday from the Central Bank. The Sunday Times learns that Mr. Siriwardana, whose substantive position was Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, will be given a one-year extension [...]
Mega projects in crisis: More than 300 contracts suspended
Finance Ministry says Rs. 2.3 billion sought as compensation by contractors of just nine projects By Namini Wijedasa More than 300 contracts connected to 35 mega projects were suspended last year, and Rs. 2.3 billion was demanded as compensation by contractors for just nine of them, the Finance Ministry’s Project Management and Monitoring Department (PMMD) says, [...]
Fears of further trade union action as RPCs and unions deadlocked over wage increase
By Sandun Jayawardana Negotiations on increasing estate worker wages have become deadlocked. With both sides digging in on their positions, fears are rising of further trade union action in the coming days. Representatives of Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) and Employers Federation of Ceylon (EFC) did not attend a meeting with estate sector unions held at [...]
Five police officers sentenced to death for killing five Tamil civilians 26 years ago
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Anuradhapura High Court on Friday passed a death sentence on five police officers who were found guilty of killing eight Tamil civilians at the Bharathipuram village in Kantale 26 years ago. The sentence was passed by High Court Judge Manoj Thalgodapitiya. The five police officers were attached to the Bharathipuram police [...]
Easter Sunday attack: 43 indictments sent out against 93 accused
A total of 43 indictments have so far been sent out against 93 accused in relation to the Easter Sunday attack, the Attorney General’s Department noted. The main case on the attack is the Trial-at-Bar where 25 accused have been indicted and the trial is in progress. The Trial-at-Bar is headed by High Court Judge [...]
BASL Bar Council condemns statement by Tiran Alles, calls for his resignation
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Bar Council of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) yesterday passed a resolution condemning the recent statement made by Public Security Minister Tiran Alles calling upon newly-passed out police recruits that it was not a sin to eradicate criminals. BASL President Kaushalya Nawaratne told the Sunday Times that the resolution [...]
Trial begins: Fighting back tears, judge recalls killing of his guard on July 22, 2017
By Ranjith Padmasiri The trial began this week over the 2017 attempted murder of Jaffna High Court Judge Manicavasagar Elancheleyan and the murder of his police bodyguard. In this case, Selvarasa Jeyanthan has been accused of fatally shooting Police Sergeant Gam Hewage Sarath Hemachandra and the attempted murder of Judge Elancheleyan and police officer Waththegedara [...]
Iranian President’s visit to Sri Lanka
The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran visited Sri Lanka to declare open the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project this week. Iranian President Dr Ebrahim Raisi, accompanied by Iran’s First Lady Mrs Jamile Sadat Alamolhoda, arrived at the Mattala Airport Wednesday morning. Dr Raisi arrived in Sri Lanka on the invitation of President Ranil [...]
All parties ready to flex their muscle on May Day
By Kasun Warakapitiya Political parties and trade unions are finalising preparations to mark May Day, just three days away. The United National Party (UNP) hopes to begin the construction of its stage at Maligawatte today. Party General Secretary Range Bandara said President Ranil Wickremesinghe is due to take part in the event scheduled to begin [...]
Pera vets successfully insert contraceptive loop in monkey
By L.B.Senaratne An initial programme to control the monkey population was successfully carried out by a team headed by Peradeniya University’s Veternirary Medicine Senior Professor Asok Dangolla. This initiative hopes to address the challenges faced especially by farmers who complain that monkeys cause severe crop damage. The team successfully sterilised a one-and-a-half-year-old monkey using a [...]
Gaza crisis: UNRWA thanks President and Govt, issues global appeal for more funds
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) expressed its gratitude to President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Sri Lankan government for the country’s financial contribution in response to the crisis in the Gaza Strip. The letter from UNRWA Commissioner-General Phillippe Lazzarini said that more than two million Palestinians [...]
Peace will elude West Asia as long as Israel remains an ethnic-supremacist state, says Iranian expert
Regarded as the voice of Iran in the hostile Western media, Professor Syed Mohammad Marandi, who was a member of President Ebrahim Raisi’s delegation to Sri Lanka, says West Asia will not see peace unless and until Israel abandons its policies of racial hierarchy, ethnic supremacism, and apartheid. In a wide-ranging interview with Ameen Izzadeen [...]
In the firing line: To Russia on false promises
By Namini Wijedasa Persuaded by local “agents” that they’ll get non-combat jobs with hefty salaries, citizenship and residency for their families, Sri Lankan ex-military are flocking to Russia only to find themselves deployed to the front lines. “Even last week, a group of 40 arrived,” said one former Special Forces soldier hospitalised in Russia with [...]
India’s demand for exotic animals feeds Sri Lanka smuggling activity
By Kasun Warakapitiya Sri Lanka Customs and Wildlife authorities have warned that Sri Lanka is becoming a transit point for wildlife and exotic animals. India has become a hub for exotic animal sales, and more detections are being made at Indian airports, officials said. Smugglers have devised ways to use Sri Lanka as a transit [...]
A market with no takers
By Jayaratne Wickramaarachchi in Karuwalagaswewa The weekly Karuwalagaswewa market, which was built nine years ago, has been abandoned, residents said. The market’s construction began under the “Mahinda Chinthana” concept during the presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa and was completed during the Yahapalana government during the presidency of Maithripala Sirisena. The construction cost under the Province Specific [...]
Australia and Sri Lanka conduct joint maritime operation ‘Disi Rela’
By Dilushi Wijesinghe A new hotline to combat maritime crime was introduced with the launch of operation ‘Disi Rela’, a joint maritime security operation by the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) in Colombo this week. The hotline 041 750 1400 is open 24 hours for anonymous complaints on suspicious [...]
Special mass held at St Sebastan’s Church, Katuwapitiya
A commemorative mass was held at St Sebastian’s Church at Katuwapitiya, marking the fifth anniversary of the Easter Sunday attack which killed and maimed many devotees. Auxiliary Bishop Maxwell Silva held the commemorative mass. Text and pix by Walter Richard Perera
No drastic increase in city crows in spite of garbage issues
By Malaka Rodrigo Yesterday marked International Crow Appreciation Day. Belonging to the bird family Corvidae, crows and ravens hold symbolic meanings across cultures, signifying intelligence, mystery, and even magic. They are often found in tales, myths, and legends. Although this day lacks wide recognition, Professor Nihal Dayawansa of the Department of Zoology at the University [...]
Fox Hill racing organiser defend drivers, but deaths and injuries raise many questions
By Hafsa Sabry The Fox Hill Supercross race, a cherished event among spectators and racers alike, was marred by tragedy when seven people, including an innocent eight-year-old child, were killed following a collision. The deaths and injuries to dozens have raised urgent questions about safety and the future of motor racing. The tragedy took place [...]
Problems pile up as still no solution to Mannar’s garbage crisis
By Mimi Alphonsus Every evening at 6 p.m, smoke rises from Mannar town, wafting through homes and masking the pink and yellow sunset with a thin black screen. It is a product of garbage burning, a practice that residents are resorting to since collection became sporadic following a court order in November that prevented the [...]