Gamapaha Chief Magistrate issues an international arrest warrant on Lankaenews editor Sandaruwan Senadheera for alleged contempt of court. The warrant is to be executed through the Interpol.
Duminda invites Anura Kumara to be his adviser
Agriculture Minister Duminda Dissanayake yesterday invited Chief Opposition Whip and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake to join the agriculture sector by becoming an advisor to his ministry.
He said Anura Kumara Dissanayake was speaking on agriculture in detail and invited him to join the Ministry where he could render a great service to the country.
“You were talking about rejuvenating agriculture in the country,” Minister Dissanayake said in Parliament yesterday. “But you too failed in developing agriculture while you were in power and during the period when you were the Agriculture Minister. However, why don’t you join us by accepting a post as an advisor to my ministry?” Although Anura Lumara Dissanayake responded to the Agriculture Minister it was not audible as the mike was on off mode and President Maithripala Sirisena who was in the chambers was seen laughing.
The Chief Opposition Whip was speaking at the Committee Stage debate on the budget proposal for the financial year 2017 under the fiscal heads of Agriculture Ministry, Plantation Industries Ministry, Mahaweli Development and Environment Ministry, Irrigation and Water Resources Management Ministry.
Judge sent on compulsory leave
District court judge Ayesha Abdeen who reportedly visited former Parliamentarian Duminda Silva in prison recently has been sent on compulsory leave by the Judicial Services Commission (JSC).
The former Parliamentarian and one time Foreign Ministry Monitoring MP among the five suspects convicted of conspiring the murder of former Parliamentarian Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, has been sentenced to death.
The district court judge’s visit the prison to see Silva was given wide publicity in the media and was subsequently discussed at the length by the office-bearers of the JSC, commission sources said.
Sources at the Prison’s Department earlier confirmed that the Judge had visited the prison.
Ban on cigarette sale Near Schools
Health Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne yesterday said he would propose a ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco based products within a 500 metre radius of schools.
Addressing a workshop organised by the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) the Health Minister said there was a ban on the sale of alcohol in areas in the vicinity of schools. There was also a pressing need to put a stop to the sale of cigarettes and tobacco based products around schools, the minister said.
Minister Senarante said that though areca nut and lime were carcinogenic both were an integral part of Sri Lankan culture, but soon stringent action would be taken to ban the use of areca nut and lime with betel.
The Health Minister signed a letter addressed to President Maithripala Sirisena seeking his intervention in bringing laws against chewing betel with areca nut and tobacco preparations such as Babul and Hans, mixed with narcotics.
Health Ministry Spokesman Nipun Ekanayake said the ministry had adopted several measures to curb the use of tobacco by increasing taxes, banning the use of smoking in public areas and including pictorial warning on cigarette packs. He said the Health Ministry would also introduce blank packaging for cigarette packets and banning the sale of sticks separately.
Minister Senaratane had said the tobacco industry was bent on influencing the media to promote a distorted picture by giving out false information that the sale of beedi would increase with restrictions placed on cigarettes. Lashing out at a section of the media he said that it was bent on highlighting only the views of tobacco and pharmaceutical industry paying little attention to the need for protecting the public.
Ambulance assistant remanded for sexual offence
An ambulance assistant of the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital was arrested by Peradeniya police following a complaint by the Director of the hospital for allegedly committing a sex offence on a young female mental patient and obtaining Rs. 10,000 from her.
The ambulance assistant is alleged to have committed the sex offence once a month when the 26-year-old patient came to the clinic of the hospital.
The mother of the patient after questing about the withdrawal of cash from the daughter’s savings account revealed that the ambulance employ had cheated her. The mother complained about the matter to the hospital director, who informed the Peradeniya police.
Peradeniya police arrested the ambulance assistant. OIC Peradeniya police station Chief Inspector Kamal Ariyawansa is conducting investigations on the directions of Superintendent S. B. Diyaketinawala.
Magnitude 7 quake hits Central America
A strong earthquake off the Pacific Coast of Central America shook the region on Thursday just as a hurricane barreled into the Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, but there were no immediate reports of any quake damage.
Emergency services in El Salvador said on Twitter it had received no reports of damage at a national level, but urged those living along the country's Pacific coast to withdraw up to 1 kilometer (0.62 mile) away from the shore.
The 7.0 magnitude quake, initially reported as a magnitude 7.2, was very shallow at 10.3 kilometers (6.4 miles) below the seabed, which would have amplified its effect.
Its epicenter was located some 149 km (93 miles) south-southwest of Puerto Triunfo in El Salvador, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned that tsunami waves of up to 1 meter (3 feet) could hit the Pacific coasts of Nicaragua and El Salvador after the quake, but later said that available data showed the threat had passed.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega declared a state of emergency due to the quake and Hurricane Otto, which landed on the country's southeastern coast earlier on Thursday, his spokeswoman said.
"We were serving lunch to the lawmakers and the earthquake started and we felt that it was very strong," said Jacqueline Najarro, a 38-year-old food seller at the Congress in San Salvador. "We were scared."
Earlier on Thursday, the Category 2 Hurricane Otto hit land near the southeastern coast of Nicaragua, where thousands had already been evacuated away from vulnerable coastal areas and into shelters. (Reuters)
Army intelligence officers killed Lasantha: CID
He said this while presenting the investigative reports on an Army intelligence officer who was arrested on charges of abducting and detaining the driver who drove Mr. Wickramatunge’s vehicle at the time of his killing.
Earlier, at an identification parade held at the Mount Lavinia Court premises, the driver had identified the Army intelligence officer as the person who abducted and detained him after Mr. Wickramatunge's killing.
Mr. Wickramatunge was shot on the head in broad daylight by two gunmen who had arrived on a motorcycle.
They had forced his vehicle to stop before shooting him dead at Attidiya on January 8, 2009.
Sri Lanka Cricket Team Fined For Slow Over-rate
Sri Lanka has been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate against the West Indies in the fifth match of the tri-nation series in Bulawayo on Wednesday.
Javagal Srinath of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fine after Upul Tharanga’s side was ruled to be two overs short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration.
Javagal Srinath of the Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees imposed the fine after Upul Tharanga’s side was ruled to be two overs short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration.
In accordance with Article 2.5.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.
As such, Tharanga has been fined 40 per cent of his match fee, while his players have received 20 per cent fines. If Sri Lanka commits another minor over-rate breach in an ODI within 12 months of this offence with Tharanga as captain, it will be deemed a second offence by Tharanga and he will face a suspension.
Tharanga pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
The charge was laid by on-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Jeremiah Matibiri, third umpire Michael Gough and fourth officialLangton Rusere.