By Indika Sri Aravinda Elections for the Northern, North Western and Central Provincial Councils will be held on September 7, Government sources told The Sunday Leader. The North Western and Central Provincial Councils will be dissolved by June 20 after which the dates for the elections will be announced. The Northern Provincial Council is also [...]
By Indika Sri Aravinda The main opposition United National Party (UNP) has decided to boycott the Parliament Select Committee which will look at making proposals on the changes to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Chief Opposition Whip, UNP MP John Amaratunga said that the UNP will take part in the process only if some [...]
By Camelia Nathaniel The fishing community is facing huge losses with the Department of Meteorology issuing weather advisories since last Monday warning of dangerous sea conditions. Head of the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) Herman Kumara told The Sunday Leader that in one anchorage point comprising 90 boats in the Matara area alone, the estimated [...]
By Camelia Nathaniel and Indika Sri Aravinda The External Affairs Ministry is to brief the diplomatic community in Sri Lanka on the proposed changes to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. External Affairs Ministry Secretary Karunatilaka Amunugama said that once the government finalizes the changes, Foreign Governments will be briefed. The government is expected to appoint [...]
By Indika Sri Aravinda Trade Unions of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) have warned that a fuel shortage may arise in the near future. A trade union member who wished to remain anonymous said that a shipment of 9,000 tonnes of fuel had arrived at the Kollonawa fuel storage facility. However, he said refined oil [...]
Christine Robichon, the Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, has been briefed on land issues in the Eastern Province, the French Embassy in Colombo said. The embassy said that during a visit to the Eastern Province, the Ambassador paid particular attention to the relations between ethnic and religious communities and to land [...]
By Indika Sri Aravinda Following the announcement by the government that a Code of Ethics will be introduced for the print and electronic media, the Media Ministry now says it hopes to introduce new laws for websites. Media Ministry Secretary Charitha Herath said that a committee is to be formed to draft the new laws [...]
By Nadine Mariah The Central Hospital in Colombo is initiating a 24-hour ‘hyper acute stroke unit’ for stroke victims. This unit will employ the first ever Biplane Digital Subtraction Angiography Unit in Sri Lanka, radically revolutionising the calibre of medical treatment hospitals have offered in the country thus far. Dr Manjula Karunaratne, Director of Medical [...]
The government is looking at strengthening laws against people smuggling by amendments to the Immigration and Emigrants Act. Top officials from Australian and Sri Lanka have already participated in a round-table discussion on harmonising Australian and Sri Lankan people smuggling laws to assist efforts to combat people smuggling. “The need for continued discussions on harmonising [...]
Former LTTE member and peace negotiator V. Rudrakumar, who is now the self appointed ‘Prime Minister’ of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), says the group wants to have good ties with India. He says this has been mentioned in a ‘Tamil Eelam Freedom Charter’ released last month by the TGTE in the United [...]
