The kapuwa (lay priest) of Paththini Devale in the Lunugala area of the Badulla District who allegedly impregnated a 14-year-old schoolgirl by raping her under the pretext of performing rites to dispel the malefic effects of a ghost haunting her was taken into custody by Lunugala Police.
Claiming that President Ranil Wickremesinghe is not a ‘game man’ or crafty man like former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday all plans by Ranil Wickremesinghe so far had been failures and that all his plans to prevent the Presidential election too will be a failure.
Amidst concerns raised by various parties about the Election Commission’s ability to conduct the impending Presidential election due to legal and financial obstacles, Election Commission chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake has emphasized that currently there are no such barriers.
MPs of both sides in Parliament yesterday questioned the airing of the video clip on the confession made by the tattoo shop owner who is held in connection with the killing of ‘Club Wasantha’ in Athurugiriya on Tuesday.
Inspector General of Police Deshabandu Tennakoon’s attention has been drawn to a video of a confession made by a suspect in the Athurugiriya shooting in which two persons including ‘Club Wasantha’ was killed, being released to the media.
Airport and Aviation Services Ltd which is plagued with corruption has now come to light on how the substantially responsive and lowest evaluated bidder in the tender to construct a new building to enhance capacity for the benefit of departing passengers and improve the services provided at check-in, satellite boarding gates and baggage handling system at the Bandaranaike International Airport has been overlooked and offered to the bidder
Change of laws pertaining to crimes are on the cards with the Legislative Standing Committee which is duty bound to consider the Bills/Proposed Statutes referred to it by Parliament approving the decriminalization of homosexuality and while the Code of Criminal Procedure Amendment Bill which seeks to introduce a system of plea of guilty agreement before a person is pleaded guilty on any offense under the prevention of crimes ordinance was tabled
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) factions were engaged in a verbal battle in Parliament yesterday with members of both factions blaming each other for destroying the party. The verbal battle broke out when former President Maithripala Sirisena accused the SLFPers who are currently holding ministerial portfolios and the police of engaging in contempt of court. “Those SLEEPers who are ministers prevented MP Dayasiri Jayasekera from entering into
The Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) warned that if the President decides to raise the current Value Added Tax (VAT) to meet public servants’ salary increase demands, they will resort to trade union action with the participation of all private associations. Addressing the media yesterday, he said that they will not allow the President to increase VAT (Value Added Tax) to meet salary increase demands. He urged the President to act
Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe who raised a privilege issue against the Judicial Service Commission and two judges yesterday requested the Speaker to summon the said judges before the parliamentary privilege committee and mentioned that he would make another request to summon members of the Judicial Service Commission if the need arises. The Minister who came up with various allegations against the Judicial Service Commission and t
In the wake of recent development regarding to the substandard quality of cosmetic products in the market, the health authorities have come under huge criticism for not regulating cosmetic products for years. This follows a storm of discussion that ensued after beauty products endorsed by model Piumi Hansamali came under scrutiny following her questioning by the CID. According to sources, a lot of parties have raised grave concerns with the
The Government has announced a special pay increment for non-executive government officials who reported for duty on July 8 and 9, 2024, despite the ongoing strike action. In addition, these employees will receive a commendation certificate, which will be considered for future promotions. According to the President’s Media Division, the proposal, submitted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in this regard, was approved by the Cabinet yesterday.
Clarifying the allegations made by Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya has said five judges of the High Court who were nominated to the Court of Appeal had not been appointed so far whereas there is no legal obstacle to appoint them as per the interim stay order by the Supreme Court. In a letter to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardhane, the Chief Justice said one of the vacancies of the Supreme Court could al
The Railways Department stated that all Station Masters who do not report for duty today (10) will be considered as having vacated their positions. In a letter, Railways General Manager S.S. Mudalige noted that the government had declared public transport services including train services as an essential service in a gazette notification (2390/28) issued yesterday. This announcement comes ahead of the scheduled strike by Station Masters an
Drawing from experiences at the last local government election where inadequate protection posed challenges in ballot paper printing, the Election Commission, at a meeting attended by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon yesterday, sought special police protection for the Government Press during the process for the conduct of the presidential elections, an official said yesterday. The Commission had a meeting with the IGP, t
A collection of reptiles and birds , which was being smuggled into a foreign country by sea was seized and five suspects arrested by the Navy on Monday night (08) during a raid in the sea off Galle. The suspects were from Negombo, Ettukala and Dalukotuwa areas. Investigations revealed that the stock of animals and birds ha
Third review approved by IMF, SL to get next US$ 333 million tranche
Niloufer Esufally-Anverally Makes a Stylish Comeback with the Launch of NLFR
Global Entrepreneurship Week 2024 kicks off across all 25 districts
Fonterra to proceed with sale process for Consumer businesses
BOI signs US$ 12.16mn deal with Celogen Lanka
15-year-old schoolgirl impregnated, mother’s paramour arrested
United in art: Children collaborate to celebrate 35 years of CRC