News Room : Sirisena urges swift action to complete water diversion canals
Former President Maithripala Sirisena has urged the government to accelerate the construction of canals to divert excess water from the Moragahakanda and Kalu Ganga reservoirs to Anuradhapura and the North Western Province. He has emphasised the urgent need to address flood damage in the Polonnaruwa District caused by the recent heavy rains. Polonnaruwa has been severely impacted, with crops destroyed,...
News Room : Adani says its power projects not cancelled
Reports that Adani’s 484 MW wind power projects in Mannar and Pooneryn have been cancelled are false and misleading, a spokesperson for the Adani Group has said. “We categorically state that the project has not been cancelled. The Sri Lankan Cabinet’s decision of 2 Jan., 2025, to reevaluate the tariff approved in May 2024 is part of a standard review...
News Room : NPP MP Aravinda Senarath elected COPA Chairman
94 National People’s Power MP Aravinda Senarath was elected as the new Chair of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) yesterday. He was elected during the inaugural meeting of the Committee held for the first session of the Tenth Parliament. Senarath’s name was proposed as the Chair by MP Chandana Sooriyaarachchi and was seconded by MP Susantha Kumara Nawarathna, both representing...
News Room : SL will not allow its territory to be used for separatist activities by any country – Foreign Minister
100 Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath stated that the Government emphasises that Sri Lanka will not allow its territory to be used for separatist activities by any country. “Sri Lanka will not permit its land to be used for China’s separatist activities and that China has pledged to intervene against any actions that harm Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. During a...
News Room : Firefighters battle huge blaze near Los Angeles as winds pick up – The Island
At least 76 people have been killed in a fire that engulfed a popular Turkish ski resort hotel, leaving some to jump out of windows. The fire broke out at the wooden-clad 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during a busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there. An initial toll of 10 dead...
News Room : Proposed Adani energy project neither green nor clean: Environmentalist – The Island
by Ifham Nizam Sri Lanka’s decision to grant permission for an Adani Group renewable energy project has raised significant concerns among environmentalists, economists, and the local communities. Environmental Scientist Hemantha Withanage told The Island, immediately after launching the South Asia Just Transition Alliance Report on three cross border energy projects in South Asia in Nepal, that despite its portrayal as a clean energy...
News Room : Only the visually impaired NPP MP given vehicle – PM
93 Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament yesterday that no NPP MP has been provided with a vehicle except for the visually impaired MP Sugath Wasantha De Silva. She said that the Presidential Secretariat has provided a car to MP Sugath Wasantha de Silva as a special need but a driver or fuel has not been provided for him. She said...
News Room : Retired Presidents will not be maintained from public funds – Minister
135 Chief Government Whip and Mass Media and Health Minister, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, said in Parliament yesterday that the people of this country will be freed from the burden of maintaining retired Presidents, their wives and politicians. The Minister also said that relief will be provided to the people by changing the political culture of the country. “We are doing something...
News Room : A country cannot progress through laws and regulations alone – President – The Island
President Anura Kumara Disanayake emphasized that a country cannot progress solely through laws and regulations and highlighted that tradition is a vital component of a nation. President Disanayake emphasized that Sri Lanka has accomplished a remarkable mission through the traditions built on Buddhism and that it is the responsibility of everyone to safeguard these Buddhist traditions and pass them down...
News Room : Aircraft owners and operators flay Civil Aviation Authority – The Island
Aircraft Owners and Operators Association (AOOA) has complained of what it calls the dire state of Sri Lanka’s domestic aviation industry, citing systemic failures, regulatory incompetence, and a lack of adherence to international standards by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL). The AOOA, at a media briefing on Tuesday, highlighted critical safety concerns, operational inefficiencies, and the potential...