Govt Wants Sarath Fonseka as defense chief

The government said yesterday that it would disprove claims by a section of the Opposition that it did not have a backbone.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne, addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing in Colombo said that the Opposition grouping of parliamentarians led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had accused the government of not having a back bone and being unable to control the increasing number of strikes in the country." We will show them how law and order can be maintained," Senaratne emphasised.

A plastic eating caterpillar found

Paris, France | AFP | Monday 4/24/2017: A moth caterpillar commonly bred to provide fish bait feasts on a notoriously resistant plastic, scientists reported Monday, raising hopes the creature can help manage the global problem of plastic-bag pollution.

"This discovery could be an important tool for helping to get rid of the polyethylene plastic waste accumulated in landfill sites and oceans," said Cambridge University professor Paolo Bombelli, co-author of a study published in the journal Current Biology.

Maithri sacks Janaka, Anura and Lohan

President Maithripala Sirisena's drive to appoint new electoral organizers, replacing those with Rajapaksa loyalties, yesterday led to the sacking of former Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, MP Lohan Ratwatte and MP Anura Vidanagama.

Tennakoon was the electoral organizer for Dambulla and Ratwatte was the electoral organizer for Pathadumbara.

Range Bandara’s son’s vehicle in mishap

Four members of the same family, including a pregnant woman, were injured when the motorcycle they were travelling on, collided with a vehicle allegedly owned by the son of State Minister Palitha Range Banadara. Police sources said, the family had been rushed to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital after their motorcycle collided with a cab in Anamaduwa, late last Monday (24).

Arrest warrant issued on Dilshan

The Colombo Magistrate Courts yesterday issued an arrest warrant against former cricket captain Tillakaratne Dilshan over a maintenance case.

Dilshan has failed to pay the monthly maintenance fee of Rs.20,000 and the insurance of his child from his previous marriage.

Route permits scam on Expressway

The government incurs a loss of Rs 700 million annually due to the improper methods of issuing route permits to operate buses on the Southern Expressway, Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA) said.

Addressing the media yesterday LPBOA president Gemunu Wijeratne said, most of the route permits, to operate buses on the Southern Expressway, were issued violating proper tender procedures to political henchmen and the fee charged per route permit was way below the stipulated sum.

March sees highest inflation since 2015

The trend of rising inflation appears to continue as the Year on Year (YoY) inflation rate reached 8.6 per cent in March 2017, the highest since February 2015, data released by the Department of Census and Statistics shows.

According to the data, YoY inflation, which indicates the rise of price level during a particular month in comparison with the same month of the previous year, has been rising from December 2016. In December 2016, the YoY inflation rate was 4.2 per cent, which increased to 8.2 per cent in February.

A 1,500 -year-old wall unearthed in Anuradhapura

Archaeologists of the Central Cultural Fund’s Maha Vihara and Abhayagiri project have unearthed a section of an ancient wall which could be older than 1,500 years, from an excavation near the Eastern Gateway of the Ruwanweli Chetiya in Anuradhapura.

The section of the wall was made of a mixture of ant-hill red clay, lime and brick powder, archaeologists said. Decorated with a light blue paint, the wall was lying about one metre below the surface. It had been covered so that its plaster would be protected from elements, archaeologists said.