Cabinet Stops Water Rate Hike

The Cabinet has decided to suspend the proposed 30 percent water tariff increase, Minister of Petroleum Chandima Weerakkody said today. 

Minister Chandima Weerakkody told a media briefing held at the Parliamentary complex that a proposal made by President Maithripala Sirisena to suspend the 30 percent water tariff increase was unanimously approved by the Cabinet. 

The minister said a three member committee comprising Ministers Rauff Hakeem, Ravi Karunanayake and Dr. Sarath Amunugama had been appointed to review the water tariff increase. (Yohan Perera)

Brothel raided in Bambalapitiya: four arrested

Four persons including three women were arrested for operating a mobile brothel in Bambalapitiya early this morning. 

Police said a 36-year-old male suspect who was a resident of Colombo was transporting the women in a van when they were arrested on charges of prostitution at Emilda Lane, Bambalapitiya.

Police identified the women aged between 23 and 28 as residents of Minneriya, Udawalawe and Kundasale. The suspects were produced in court today.

Govt. Robbing People through Massive taxes

The government was robbing the people by imposing unconscionable taxes, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Saturday.

Addressing a ceremony at Aparekka-Agarawala Meditation Centre to unveil the pinnacle of new Chaitya, the former President said the water tariff had been increased by around 168 per cent. People were being exploited, he added.

"Look at the way the government is planning to reduce prices of essential food items in the budget. A two-rupee reduction in the price of a kilo of sprats and a five-rupee decrease in the price of a kilo of mung. Will the vendor sell at that price when people go to him at the fair? Are these price reductions meaningful and realistic? This is nothing but daylight robbery. The government is robbing the innocent people", he said.

"I lost the election and went home on Jan 08, 2015. Since then there has been no development in this country. The government has not only failed to bring launch development projects but suspended the ones we started. It cannot generate employment opportunities. The vehicle importers complain they cannot sell what they have imported. Unable, to the problems it has created, it keeps blaming me.

"We have built roads and concreted over thousands of rural roads. Through those development projects we gave relief to people. When we built the Hambantota Port they claimed it was a white elephant. Now they are planning to sell it off! They plan to sell off the harbour that had been constructed at a cost of 460 million dollars for 100 million dollars."

Trump credits social media for election win

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has credited his use of social media with helping him win the US elections, saying it gave him a way of "fighting back."

Trump said with some reluctance that he would be more restrained in his use of social media once in the White House, but said it was nothing to be ashamed of.

"The fact that I have such power in terms of numbers with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, et cetera, I think it helped me win all of these races where they’re spending much more money than I spent. And I won," he said, in an excerpt released late on Saturday.

The Republican billionaire used Twitter to mock his opponents and blast his critics during a long and tumultuous campaign.

Calling it a "great form of communication," he boasted he has 28 million followers on social media, and picked up another 100,000 just the day before the interview.

"I’m not saying I love it, but it does get the word out," he told CBS interviewer Lesley Stahl.

"When you give me a bad story or when you give me an inaccurate story or when somebody other than you — a network, or whatever, because of course, CBS would never do a thing like that, right? — I have a method of fighting back."

Asked whether he would do that as President, Trump said, "I’m going to be very restrained, if I use it at all, I’m going to be very restrained. I find it tremendous. It’s a modern form of communication. There should be nothing we should be ashamed of. It’s where it’s at," he added.

Navy Earns 2.3 Billion From Avant Garde Security operations

Sri Lankan Navy has profited by Rs. 2.33 billion following a year of On Board Security Team Operations (OBSTO), which were taken over from Avant Garde Maritime Security Services Ltd., last year.

Navy Spokesperson Captain Akram Alavi speaking to Ceylon Today noted that since the operations were taken over from Avant Garde Maritime Services Ltd., i.e. on 13 November 2015, the Sri Lanka Navy was able to earn Rs 2.33 billion for the Government of Sri Lanka to date.

As a result, during the year of operations, the Navy had earned an income of Rs 2.33 billion for a total of 6,646 ship movements. Captian Alavi noted that Galle and Colombo operation centres have carried out 6,150 and 496 movements, respectively. An average of approximately 554 moves had been covered per month.

The earnings generated through OBST operations are directly deposited in the Consolidated Fund of the Sri Lanka Government, said Captain Alavi.

With the annulment of the previous agreement, Sri Lanka Navy was entrusted the task of providing security to merchant vessels and supplying services to Security Firms involved in providing onboard security for merchant ships. The Navy took over these duties following a special directive issued by President Maithripala Sirisena.

Since taking over the duties, naval personnel have been involved in providing services to merchant ships carrying mainly weapons and ammunitions. Since taking over these tasks, the Navy ensured that the security requirements of the merchant vessels which are frequenting the High Risk Area (HRA) are provided services efficiently by the naval personnel at Galle and Colombo harbours.

The Galle and Colombo operation centres look after the receiving, holding and issuing of weapons, ammunitions and other related equipment belonging to foreign as well as local On Board Security Teams.

Sinhala Edition Click Here (Lanka Hot News)

Treasure hunting Johnny’s SO arrested

The Polpithigama Police and the Nikaweratiya Division Anti-Corruption Unit on Sunday (13) arrested 11 individuals and a Police Official, who were engaged in digging for a treasure, believed to be from the King Dutugemunu era, at Moragollagama in the Polpithigama Police area.

A senior Police Official said that the arrested. Police officer had been identified as a current security officer to former Minister and Member of Parliament for the Kurunegala District Johnston Fernando.

This Police officer who has been identified as the chief suspect in this treasure hunt is attached to the Kurunegala Police Station.

Together with the suspects, machinery which had been used for digging up the treasure, on the pretext of digging a well, a generator, pipes, wire and black magic items as well as other equipment, two motor cycles, a three-wheeler, bottles of saline and a number of medicines, as well as a device named the pathaalaanduna were taken into custody.

This place, known as Hatangama, which belongs to the era of King Dutugemuna, is said, in folklore, to contain valuable lumps of gems and residents of the area say that there are many ancient factors that confirm this. Polpithigama Police said another group was arrested previously at this same place in 2003 while engaged in excavating for treasure.

The senior Police officer of the Polpithigama Police said that the suspects who were arrested were identified as residents of Wariyapola, Nagollagama, Trincomalee, Ankumbura and Moragollagama and that they are scheduled to be produced before the Maho Magistrate.

A group of officers, including Sub Inspector of Police Upali Navaratne, Police Constable Herath (17688), Police Constable Damith (87723), Police Constable Bandara (39038), Police Constable Driver Lakmal (89886) and Sub Inspector of Police Jayaratne of the Nikaweratiya Division Anti-Corruption Unit carried-out the raid on the instructions of Superintendant of Police of the Nikaweratiya Division Sanjeewa Bandara with the guidance of Assistant Superintendant of Police H. M. P. Herath and Officer-in-Charge of Polpithigama Police Upali Rathnamalal.

Safe sex the only solution to AIDS control

Daily around 150,000 acts of unsafe sexual intercourse takes place in Sri Lanka, National STD / AIDS Control Programme Director Dr. Sisira Liyanage said.

According to Dr. Liyanage, generally over 95 percent of HIV infections had occurred due to unsafe sex and condoms play a major role when it comes to controlling this situation. Last year 230 out of 235 new HIV infections detected from Sri Lanka had occurred due to unsafe sex.
Unsafe sex can be between man and a women or between a man and another man. The best solution is keeping sexual relationship to one faithful partner, but it does not happen in today's society.

"Therefore the next best solution is using condoms. The world's best drugs for HIV/AIDS is available in Sri Lanka and these drugs are supplied to patients free of charge by the

Health Ministry," he said.

Health Education Bureau Director Dr. R.D.F.C. Kanthi said since sexual needs are biological, natural and a normal need of all human beings, the best way of protecting school children from HIV/AIDS is educating them with accurate facts on sex and reproductive health using the correct methods.

"It is the responsibility of all, especially the educational authorities," she said. The doctors were addressing the media during a press briefing held at Ramada Hotel, Colombo yesterday.

Eva Wanasundara appointed as acting chief justice

Supreme Court Judge Justice Eva Wanasundara was sworn in as the Acting Chief Justice yesterday, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

Justice Wanasundara has previously served as Solicitor General and Attorney General. She made history when she became the first woman Senior State Counsel, the first woman Deputy Solicitor General, the first woman Additional Solicitor General, the first woman Solicitor General and first ever woman Attorney General of Sri Lanka.

Eva Wanasundera has served as Acting Attorney General on 16 occasions.