News Room : 4,100 Lankans HIV positive – The Island
By Shamindra Ferdinando Senior Director of Customs Seevali Arukgoda strongly defended Customs Officers’ Management and Compensation Fund (COMCF) taking 70% of total penalty imposed on public or private sector wrongdoers. The fund is believed to be the largest of its kind in the country. Arukgoda, who also functions as the Customs spokesperson, insisted that 20% of their share was spent on...
News Room : Mindanao island hit by two powerful quakes but tsunami threat has passed -US Tsunami Warning System
Two powerful earthquakes have hit the Philippines’ second-largest island of Mindanao, prompting initial fears of a potential “destructive tsunami”. The US Geological Survey measured the first tremor late on Saturday at 7.6 magnitude, and the one that followed shortly afterwards at 6.4. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quakes were 7.4 and 6.1 magnitude. The US Tsunami Warning System...
News Room : Bogollagama advocates SL’s economic potential at Commonwealth trade summit – The Island
ECONOMYNEXT –Sri Lanka’s non-performing loans after the latest currency crisis is showing signs of having peaked but some sectors are hit worse than others with problem loans dating back from Coronavirus moratoriums, a banking official said. Hotels, transport and arts and entertainment sectors had bad loans of 30 to 20 percent, while the overall level was lower. There is a...
News Room : President Ranil Wickremesinghe advocates bold climate action at COP28 – The Island
Addressing the 28th session of the Conference of Parties (CoP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai, UAE on Friday (01), President Ranil Wickremesinghe acknowledged the historical significance of the UN Conference on Human Environment, emphasizing its goal to defend and improve the environment for present and future generations. He referenced the alarming findings...
News Room : Pending further investigations Jerome remanded till Dec 13
Colombo Fort Magistrate yesterday (Dec 01) remanded pastor Jerome Fernando till Dec 13, pending further investigations into his controversial remarks on Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.The self-styled ‘prophet’ was produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate yesterday afternoon following his arrest by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), a few hours after he arrived at its premises to record a statement for...
News Room : Heavy showers about 100 mm are likely at some places in Eastern province and in Polonnaruwa and Mullaitivu districts – The Island
Weather forecast issued at 05.30 a.m.on 01 December2023 by the Department of Meteorology Further enhancement of showery condition is expected over the island due to the low-pressure area existing in the southeast Bay of Bengal. Showers may occur in the Southern province during the morning while showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Northern, North-central and Eastern provinces. Heavy showers...
News Room : COP28: Poor countries win 30-year fight for climate cash as Loss and Damage Fund becomes a reality
In a surprise that has lit up COP28, delegates have agreed to launch a long-awaited fund to pay for damage from climate-driven storms and drought. Such deals are normally sealed last minute after days of negotiations. COP28 president Sultan al-Jaber shook up the meeting by bringing the decision to the floor on day one. The EU, UK, US and others immediately announced...
News Room : Secy Gen, not Speaker, gatekeeper of parliament – The Island
By Shamindra Ferdinando The releasing of information in response to the Right to Information (RTI) queries was the prerogative of Secretary General of Parliament, Hansa Abeyrathne, Assistant Secretary General, Parliament and Information Officer (IO) said. The House official said so in response to a recent The Island RTI query pertaining to the landmark Court of Appeal ruling that information sought by...
News Room : Depression over southeast Bay of Bengal and south Andaman Sea areas will develop in to a cyclonic storm- Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre – The Island
Police in Pakistan’s northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have arrested a man who allegedly shot his teenage daughter dead last week after photos showing a boy’s arm around her were seen online. Mukhtar Ahmed Tanoli, district police officer of Kohistan, told Al Jazeera the police had arrested the girl’s father, Arsala, “on charges of killing his own daughter”. They also arrested...
News Room : Pope Francis to evict Cardinal Raymond Burke from Vatican
Pope Francis is evicting US Cardinal Raymond Burke, an outspoken critic, from his Vatican apartment and revoking his salary. Cardinal Burke is part of a group of American conservatives who have long opposed the Pope’s plans for reforming the Catholic Church. A Vatican source told the BBC that Pope Francis has not yet carried out his intention to evict the 75-year-old...