Mahinda’s close aide accused of stealing from his account

25 Jan, 2022

A close aide of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has been accused of stealing from his bank account. According to reports, the close aide had used an ATM card linked to the bank account and stole millions. One media report said that Rs. 35 million had been stolen from the bank account. The crime had been committed over the past several years when the official served in the office of the President when Mahinda Rajapaksa was President and later in the Prime Minister’s Office. The money in the

Biden describes a reporter as a stupid son of a bitch

25 Jan, 2022

US President Joe Biden, on Monday, was caught on a hot microphone describing a reporter as a stupid son of a bitch.? The response was made when the reporter asked him a question about inflation and the midterm elections during a White House event on lowering prices for American families, Washington Post reported. The reporter, Peter Doocy of Fox News Channel, later said the president called him and told him the comment was ?nothing personal.? Doocy was one of several reporters who shouted que

Whistleblower prevented from leaving Sri Lanka

23 Jan, 2022

Whistleblower Thushan Gunawardena says he has been prevented from leaving Sri Lanka by immigration officials. Gunawardena said that he was informed by immigration officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) yesterday (Saturday) that he cannot leave Sri Lanka. Gunawardena said that he was about to travel to the US for business reasons when he was stopped by immigration officers and informed that there is a case against him. He said that according to immigration officers a case had

India and Sri Lanka to cooperate on artificial intelligence

21 Jan, 2022

India and Sri Lanka have decided to extend existing cooperation in Science and Technology for 3 more years, with focus on new areas including artificial intelligence and aerospace engineering. The decision was taken at the India-Sri Lanka 5th Joint Committee on S&T Cooperation, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said today. ?India and Sri Lanka have a great legacy of intellectual, cultural, and religious interaction and relationship of more than 2500 years old. Trade and investment and coop

Singer Meat Loaf has died

21 Jan, 2022

Meat Loaf, the singer whose Bat Out Of Hell album is one of the best-selling of all time, has died at the age of 74. The news was confirmed on the star’s?Facebook page?by his family. “Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side,” a message read. The star sold 100 million albums worldwide and also appeared in movies like Fight Club, the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Wayne’s World. “Daughters Pearl and Amanda and close

Tourist establishments told to accept only foreign exchange

20 Jan, 2022

Registered tourist establishments have been instructed to accept only foreign exchange in respect of services rendered to persons resident outside Sri Lanka. The instructions have been issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka following a decision taken by the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The Monetary Board has decided to adopt several policy measures with the view to strengthening macroeconomic stability. Accordingly, the Monetary Board decided to instruct?registered touris

Central Bank releases funds to obtain fuel from 2 ships

19 Jan, 2022

The Central Bank has released funds for the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) to obtain fuel from two ships docked at the Colombo Port. Energy Minister?Udaya Gammanpila said that the approval was given last evening and the unloading began today. He said that of the 37,500 MT of diesel being purchased by Sri Lanka 10,000 MT will be given to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). Accordingly, he said that the CEB will have fuel from the current stocks for another 8 days. Gammanpila said that the

WHO warns pandemic not over amid Europe case records

19 Jan, 2022

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning to world leaders that the coronavirus pandemic “is nowhere near over”. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned against the assumption that the newly dominant Omicron variant is significantly milder and has eliminated the threat posed by the virus. The intervention comes as some European nations saw record new case numbers. France reported nearly half a million new daily cases on Tuesday. Speaking during a news conference at

UN says Taliban attempting to erase women and girls from public life

18 Jan, 2022

Taliban leaders in Afghanistan are institutionalizing large scale and systematic gender-based discrimination and violence against women and girls, a group of UN human rights experts* said today. The experts reiterated their alarm expressed since August 2021 at a series of restrictive measures that have been introduced since the Taliban?s takeover of Afghanistan, particularly those concerning women and girls. ?Taken together, these policies constitute a collective punishment of women and girls,