8
The new government, in its budget, slashed the prices of 13 essential items, domestic gas, kerosene oil while announcing a host of relief measures for the general public including a monthly pay hike of Rs. 5000 for public servants effective from next month and a Rs.1000 increase on pensions from April
16
Delivering her farewell speech in front of a packed gathering of judges, lawyers, ministry officials and staff, Chief Justice 43 Shirani Bandaranayake today said that the judges who upheld the law in the wake of “baseless” accusations should be commended and valued the most.
7
Asserting that the conditions in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka are still not conducive for the refugees to return to their native land, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Wednesday said a meeting convened by the Union external affairs ministry to discuss the voluntary repatriation of refugees was premature and that it should be deferred.
11
Deputy Minister of Policy Planning and Economic Development Dr. Harsha De Silva yesterday lodged a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption with regard to the Hyatt Regency Hotel Project in Kollupitiya claiming there had been multiple corrupt deals with regard to the transactions involved in the project.
19
The Cabinet of Ministers yesterday approved legislation to make it compulsory for cigarette manufacturers to cover 80 percent of the outer surface of cigarette packets with pictorial warnings against the dangers of smoking, Daily Mirror learns.
15
In what is thought to be a clear violation of rules, a two and half year-old elephant calf had been found inside the Alan Mathiniyaramaya Temple in Polhengoda this evening along with another 20-year-old female elephant that was also being kept at the temple.
19
The Defence Ministry today announced that former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka is entitled to his rank of Four Star General, medals, pension and other privileges which were stripped of in 2010, by two Army tribunals before he was cashiered and imprisoned.
3
As if Sri Lanka team’s on-field problems were not enough, the bungling Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials have managed to complicate things by attempting to remove the team’s fast bowling coach Chaminda Vaas in a failed attempt to replace him with Champaka Ramanayake, but team sources in New Zealand told “Daily Mirror” that the botched attempt only contributed to exacerbate the internal issues of the team with the World Cup