Two arrested for misuse of state vehicles

Warnasiri Bandara, chairman of the Nidahas Sewaka Sangamaya (NSS) attached to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) was arrested for using two state-owned vehicles for political activity, yesterday.

Police said the two-state owned vehicles were used in the Joint Opposition’s 'Jana Satana Pada Yatra' anti-government march. Two drivers were arrested alongside Warnasiri Bandara.

Asteroid Could hit Earth 40 years later

An asteroid set to narrowly miss Earth could cause 'immense suffering and death' years later if its orbit is changed when it passes dangerously near to our planet.

The space rock, called Bennu, crosses Earth's orbit once every six years and is set to pass between the moon and our planet in 2135.

Scientists are worried the 500-metre wide asteroid's orbit could be tweaked by Earth's gravity as it passes by, causing it to smash into our planet later in the century.

'That 2135 fly-by is going to tweak Bennu's orbit, potentially putting it on course for the Earth later that century,' Dante Lauretta, professor of planetary science at Arizona University, told the Sunday Times.

'It may be destined to cause immense suffering and death,' he added.

It is hard for astronomers to predict how the close run-in between Earth and the moon will affect Bennu's orbit, but Lauretta estimates that it could shift it onto a collision course with our planet.

'We estimate the chance of impact at about one in 2,700 between 2175 and 2196,' he said.
Bennu travels around the sun at an average speed of 63,000mph and an impact with the Earth would be similar to setting off 3billion tonnes of explosives.

Nasa is so concerned by Bennu that it is sending a probe to the asteroid's surface to analyse it.

Vehicle permits for govt. servants again

The Vehicle Import Permits offered to public officials and officials of the State Corporation and Statutory Boards under a concessionary basis would be implemented again with amendments, the Finance Ministry said today.

The ministry said in a media statement that it had received Cabinet approval for the programme and the Industry and Investment Department had issued the Circular No.01/2016 in this regard.

Accordingly, Public Officers, Executive Officers attached to the State Corporations and other Statutory Boards, doctors and legal officers attached to Government Service, University Vice Chancellors, University Lecturers and Executive Grade Officers attached to University Non-Academic Staff are entitled to receive vehicle permits under this Concessionary Basis Vehicle Permit Scheme.

The ministry said an applicant should complete more than six years in State Service to be eligible to receive the permit.

One officer is entitled to only two such permits.  The face value of each concessionary vehicle permit is US$ 30,000. 

The Circular relevant to this vehicle permit scheme is available in the official website of the Treasury (treasury.gov.lk) under its Trade and Investment Policy Department tag.

SLFP to decide on ‘Paada Yatra’ participants

Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekera told a media briefing held at the Government Information Department that action will be taken against the SLFPers who participated in the Paada Yatra.

Accordingly “SLFP central committee which will be convened in a day or two will decide on those who participated in the joint opposition protest,” he said.

At the same time Mr. Jaysekera said ‘Paada Yatra’ is being held prematurely. “Such a protest march is usually held as a last resort to topple a government and therefore it would have been acceptable if the protest was held sometime in 2020 when the next national elections are held,” he said.

Mahinda to make special statement on Government

SLFP Kurunegala District MP and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that he will be revealing a hitherto untold story about the government at the rally to be held by the Joint Opposition (JO) in Colombo on 1 August, after the conclusion of its protest 'walk' that began in Kandy last Thursday.

The former President told this Newspaper that the government had heaped burdens on the people both politically and socially.

He said the purpose of staging the protest walk was to bring people of all communities together in an effort to exert pressure on the government to ease the burdens placed on the masses.

The JO protest walk will leave Nittambuwa at 9 a.m. today and wend its way to Kiribathgoda late in the evening.

It will thereafter continue from Kiribathgoda at 9 a.m. on 1 August expecting to reach Colombo around 3 p.m. the same day.

JO sources said they have still not decided on the venue for their rally in Colombo.

Jacqueline brand ambassador for SriLankan Airlines

Award-winning Sri Lankan carrier Srilankan Airlines, yesterday signed on board Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez, as their brand ambassador, Indian media reported.

The letter of agreement was exchanged between Srilankan Airlines Chairman Ajit Dias and Jacqueline Fernandez, at St. Regis Hotel, in Mumbai.

With this collaboration, the Srilankan Airlines brand continues to strengthen its presence in India, the agencies reported.

Commenting on the association, Jacqueline Fernandez had said it was an honour to be part of Srilankan Airlines:

"The brands heritage and ideology are depicted in its service and strong reputation, carried for many years."

"Ever since I was a kid I had great memories travelling with this airline. I am quite excited about this opportunity to represent the brand from my country origin."

Location Of Joint Opposition's Colombo Rally

The 'Joint Opposition' last night refused to reveal the location of the rally that will be held on August 1 in Colombo.

UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa told media that the JO had reserved the Hyde Park two weeks prior to the rally. However, the government suddenly remembered there were repairs to be done, he said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government had already done the reconstruction work at Hyde Park, Namal Rajapaksa said, raising the question whether the pits in Hyde Park are merely 'Yahapalana pits.'

The Joint Opposition will not reveal the location of the rally, as repair work in so many other grounds might also be started, Rajapaksa said.

Rathupaswala Residents Give Drinking Water to Pada Yatra

A group of residents from Rathupaswala had offered drinking water to Pada Yatra protesters marching from Nittambuwa to Kadawatha, today.

A group led by Theripaha Siridhamma Thera, a Buddhist monk from the Rathupaswala area, had initiated the move. They kept hundreds of water bottles alongside the Colombo-Kandy road to "greet" the protesters backing former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

"The Rajapaksas gave us bullets when we asked for water. But, we will give them waters, not bullets or stones," they told the reporters gathered at the venue. They were planning to greet the Joint Opposition protestors near the Oruthota junction, Gampaha.

The Rajapaksa government was accused of shooting protesters who demanded drinking water, in 2013. Coincidentally, the third anniversary of Rathupaswala killings falls on August 01.

However, the Police intervened to disperse the group saying the "welcome" could lead to a clash between protesters and the Rathupaswala residents.