‘If I am fit to become MP, why can’t I function as COPE Chair?’ Rohitha asks

COPE Chairman MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena yesterday said if he was fit to be elected as a Member of Parliament, why can’t he function as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). Abeygunawardena told Parliament that Standing Orders must include qualifications required to hold the Chairmanship of Parliamentary Committees such as COPE and COPA. The MP said he was elected the COPE Chair with a majority vote by the members of the

UK urges SL on HR obligations amid British MPs charging SL for HR violations

The British government reiterated its commitment to encouraging Sri Lanka to uphold its human rights obligations, fulfill promises regarding transitional justice and legislative reform, and enhance trust in its institutions, despite the predominant stance of Labour and Conservative speakers in Westminster Hall in UK Parliament charging Sri Lanka with alleged human rights violations. Minister of State-Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Offic

Friday March 22 at 7pm in Kandy En-route to illuminate Kandy with a jazz night celebrating the Great American Songbook

Atelier Kandy, renowned for its cultural vibrancy, is poised to host an unforgettable Friday evening of jazz as En-route, the esteemed jazz ensemble, prepares to take the stage in a celebration of the Great American Songbook. On the eve of this highly anticipated event, anticipation is building among music aficionados and enthusiasts alike for an evening of soulful melodies and timeless classics. Atelier Kandy, the esteemed cultural hub nestled

298 elephants electrocuted since 2018: Wildlife Dept.

The Wildlife Conservation Department has reported a total of 298 elephants falling victim to electrocution since 2018. They attributed the elephant deaths to the installation of various obstacles and traps, including substandard electric fences intended to restrict the movement of wild animals or target wild elephants and other wildlife for lethal purposes. Reports indicate that 72 elephants were killed in 2023, followed by 50 in 2022, 66 in

SLAF best Airmen and Airwomen

The Sri Lanka Air Force Excellence Awards 2023 was held at the Eagles’ Lagoon View Banquet Hall, Katunayake under the patronage of the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa. Outstanding performances of the Airmen and Airwomen within the Air Force were recognized and appreciated in order to motivate them to strive for continued excellence through dedication. This year, Flight Sergeant Kumara AMDSR (Operations Ground Special) and

COPF recommends CB to defer salary hike

The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) yesterday recommended in its report that the Central Bank must defer the salary increase of its employees until a fair solution is found. COPF Chairman Dr. Harsha De Silva while presenting the report in Parliament said an independent remuneration committee should be appointed by the Finance Minister with the concurrence of the Central Bank Governor to review the salary increase. He said the committee recog

Ban on chemical farming Leader should take responsibility- Basil

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) stalwart Basil Rajapaksa, in response to a query about the former President’s decision to ban chemical farming, said a leader should take final responsibility for any decision taken by him. “I don’t know. A leader may consult others when making a decision. Once a decision is made, he should take the responsibility,” Basil Rajapaksa said in an interview with Daily Mirror. Asked why he, as a responsible memb

Health Ministry’s claims on return of migrated doctors

Running counter to the statement by the Health Ministry regarding the return of migrated doctors to Sri Lanka, recent statistics paint a different picture, revealing only a meagre five specialists have returned to the country this year. The assertion initially made by Deputy Director General (Medical Services) Dr. G. Wijesuriya failed to produce the statistics and thus met with skepticism, especially considering the stark reality depicted by t

German vessel to visit SL No research activities, only replenishment

Sri Lanka has barred research activities for German vessel ‘Sonne’ in keeping with the one-year moratorium on such activities involving foreign ships in its Exclusive Economic Zone, but it will be allowed for replenishment in the Colombo port, Daily Mirror learns. The government has declared a moratorium on foreign research ships entering its waters for a year amid concerns from India over Chinese research vessels docking in its neighbourhood.

Rain relief forecasted across multiple provinces

The Forecasting Division of the National Meteorological Centre has announced a welcome change in the prevailing dry weather across the island, with several provinces set to experience much-needed rainfall starting tomorrow. The Eastern, Uva, and Northern Provinces are expected to see multiple spells of showers, while the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva, Southern, North-Western, and North-Central Provinces will witness showers in various are

Sufficient water levels in reservoirs, no power cuts expected

Despite the prolonged drought, water levels in hydro and irrigation reservoirs in the country are still sufficient, ensuring no need for power cuts in the near future, the authorities said yesterday. The Ministry of Power and Energy assures no need for power cuts until end of April as hydropower plants have sufficient water reserves. Thanks to heavy rains received two months prior, all hydro and irrigation reservoirs have attained ample wate

Plans afoot to issue licences for 200 wine stores, 15 already issued

The government is planning to issue licences to open 200 wine stores under the FL4 category and 15 of them have already been issued, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa alleged in Parliament yesterday. He told Parliament that the government must reveal whether a decision has been taken to issue licences to 200 wine stores, of which 15 have already been given. Premadasa also revealed that six liquor manufacturing licences have already been issu

Elephant goes missing at Sinharaja Forest Reserve

The wildlife officers attached to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve observed that one of the two elephants living in the vicinity of the forest reserve had not been seen for the past one and a half years. They said the two male elephants used to come out of the forest reserve when they went into musth. But within the past one and a half years, only one elephant (around 45-years-old), which has a belt around its neck, has been seen by the villagers

Lankadeepa wins ‘Most Popular Newspaper Award’ for the 18th consecutive year

Our sister papers the Daily Lankadeepa and the Sunday Lankadeepa won the ‘Most Popular Newspaper award for the 18th consecutive year at the ‘SLIM- KANTAR Peoples Award 2024’ held at the Monarch Imperial, Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte last evening. The awards ceremony was organised by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) together with Kantar, Sri Lanka. The Chief Editor of Sunday Lankadeepa Kanchana Dassanayake is seen receiving the award. The

Opposition exodus holds no bar on COPE Seven members resign within 24 hours

The exodus of opposition MPs from the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), a watchdog committee, will have no bearing on the conduct of deliberations since the government’s representation is sufficient enough to maintain the quorum number, a top source said. Seven opposition MPs who represent the opposition in the COPE which is empowered to examine the financial activities of the statutory boards such as various corporations and bureaus ha

Crackdown on underworld gangs 20 Special teams mobilized targeting 20 underworld gangs

Following a concerning rise in organized criminal activities in the Western and Southern provinces, a special operation targeting 20 identified organized criminal gangs in the country under the ‘Yukthiya’ initiative was launched yesterday. Accordingly, 20 special police teams have been deployed to crackdown on those identified underworld gangs. IGP Tennakoon said that 99 shootings related to organized criminals were reported since January 2023,

Haven’t read Gota’s book, not even willing to: Basil

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) founder Basil Rajapaksa said that he had not read the book published recently by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on an alleged conspiracy to oust him. While addressing a television interview he said that he did not have such a book at home. “Gotabaya did not even give me a copy of his book,” he said. When the television presenter asked whether he had read the digital version of Gotabaya’s book, Basil

Cabinet nod to introduce hybrid parliamentary electoral system

The Cabinet endorsed a proposal to draft constitutional amendments for the introduction of a new parliamentary electoral system that will enable the election of 160 MPs under the previous First-Past-the –Post System and the remainder under proportional representation, Daily Mirror learns. Currently, Parliament consists of 225 MPs. Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe presented the proposal approved by the Cabinet. A new piece of legislati

Spread of rabies due to intense heat

The Veterinary Medical Officers’ Association has warned on the imminent danger of rabies spreading due to the intense heat that severely affects dogs, cats and other animals. President of the association Dr. Sisisra Piyasiri said the people should be vigilant on complications affecting pets, livestock and animals used in agriculture. He said the production of eggs and milk per day could drop, if hens and cattle were exposed to the heat. D

Excise Chief says Country’s liquor consumption has drastically decreased

The country’s liquor production as compared to the year 2022 has dropped by 6.5million litres last year, which was a significant amount. The recently appointed Excise Commissioner General M J Gunasiri on his second tenure as the departmental head told the Daily Mirror, that alcoholic spirits production of 26.5 million litres in 2022 has been dropped to 20 million litres in 2023. He pointed out that as a result, the sales of 29 million bottl

PAFFREL warns of election delay via new electoral system

While raising concerns over the Cabinet nod to amend the existing electoral system in respect of the parliamentary election, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), alleged that the move could result in the postponement of the election.

We have the best auspicious times for New Year- State Astrologers’ Committee

Refuting allegations of faulty auspicious times during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, the State Astrologers’ Committee justified the designation of auspicious times for performing Sinhala New Year rituals at night, claiming that they wanted the most suitable time for the rituals despite practical difficulties.

Customs work-to-rule to continue as Treasury eyeing for Rs.7Bn rewards fund

Over 500 containers have been queued up waiting clearance since Friday

Malnutrition bloats in schoolchildren

Ceylon Teachers Union has said that 28 per cent of the children between five and 19 years of age in Anuradhapura District and 27 per cent of the schoolchildren in the Polonnaruwa District were suffering from malnutrition.

Thanamalwila Police officers assaulted

Two men under the influence of liquor had assaulted the officers with clubs

Hirunika files action against Deshabandu

Former Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra yesterday filed a Fundamental Rights petition in the Supreme Court seeking an order restraining Deshabandu Tennakoon from discharging the duties and functioning in the office of I

Cracks on world’s’ tallest Jetavanaramaya, Ministry deploys special team

It was built during the reign of King Mahasena (273-301 AD)

Eran resigns from COPE, denounces appointment of ineligible members

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Eran Wickramaratne has tendered his resignation from the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) protesting against the appointment of ineligible members to the committee. The MP s

Sajith hits back: accuses NPP of hypocrisy, affirms commitment to principled politics

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Sajith Premadasa said yesterday. That he, unlike the National People’s Power (NPP), would not engage in politics of hypocrisy “I have donated buses to all schools even to Thambuttegama National School where NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Cash-strapped Govt. to cough up additional Rs.11 billion if general election is declared

The cash-strapped government will have to cough up another Rs.11 billion in case a snap parliamentary election is declared ahead of the Presidential Election which is anyway due in terms of the Constitution during the last quarter of thi