Sri Lanka Speaker attends Commonwealth conference in India

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has raided a fuel station in Beruwala for allegedly concealing petrol stocks and selling fuel at higher prices. The CAA stated that nearly 6,400 litres of Octane 92 petrol were found hidden at the premises during a sudden inspection carried out by Kalutara District officers last night. According to the authority, the fuel station had claimed Octane 92 petrol was unavailable while selling Euro 3 petrol, causing inconvenience to customers. Fuel station employees alleged that company officials had instructed them to sell Euro 3 petrol at night by claiming Octane 92 was unavailable. The concealed fuel stock has been seized and sealed, and cases are to be filed at the Kalutara Magistrate’s Court.

CAA raids Beruwala fuel station over petrol hoarding

Construction of the 50-megawatt HayWind wind power project in Mannar was launched today under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The project, developed by Hayleys Fentons Limited, will consist of 10 wind turbines and is expected to generate 207 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, according to the President’s Media Division. Electricity will be supplied at a tariff of USD 0.0465 per unit, equivalent to Rs. 14.37 per unit, with completion scheduled for March 2027. Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody stated that the project marks a milestone in Sri Lanka’s wind power generation, offering electricity at the lowest tariff recorded so far. Several regional development initiatives, including smart classrooms, drinking water supply, street lighting, drainage and flood mitigation works, were also launched alongside the project.

President launches 50MW HayWind wind power project in Mannar

The Welisara Magistrate’s Court has fined three traders Rs. 1 million each for selling rice above the controlled prices. The fines were imposed after the traders pleaded guilty to cases filed by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA). The traders from Ja-Ela and Kandana attempted to sell rice at Rs. 308, Rs. 275 and Rs. 280 per kilogram, the CAA stated.

Three traders fined Rs. 1 mn each for overpricing rice

The Port of Colombo successfully berthed MV Rudolf to handle an ultra-heavy cargo shipment for the Melwa Cement Ball Mill Project. The vessel carried 533 packages weighing a total of 1,725 MT, including units up to 108 MT. The Sri Lanka Ports Authority said the non-routine operation was completed smoothly within normal port activities. Arrangements are now in place to transport the heavy components at night to the Katunayake cement plant using multi-axle carriers.

Port of Colombo handles ultra-heavy cargo operation

An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA’s first medical evacuation. SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International Space Station. “It’s so good to be home,” said NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, the capsule commander. It was an unexpected finish to a mission that began in August and left the orbiting lab with only one American and two Russians on board. NASA and SpaceX said they would try to move up the launch of a fresh crew of four; liftoff is currently targeted for mid-February. Cardman and NASA’s Mike Fincke were joined on the return by Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. Officials have refused to identify the astronaut who had the health problem or explain what happened, citing medical privacy. While the astronaut was stable in orbit, NASA wanted them back on Earth as soon as possible to receive proper care and diagnostic testing. The entry and splashdown required no special changes or accommodations, officials said, and the recovery ship had its usual allotment of medical experts on board.&nbsp; It was not immediately known when the astronauts would fly from California to their home base in Houston. Platonov’s return to Moscow was also unclear. NASA stressed repeatedly over the past week that this was not an emergency. The astronaut fell sick or was injured on Jan. 7, prompting NASA to call off the next day’s spacewalk by Cardman and Fincke, and ultimately resulting in the early return.&nbsp; It was the first time NASA cut short a spaceflight for medical reasons. The Russians had done so decades ago. The space station has gotten by with three astronauts before, sometimes even with just two. NASA said it will be unable to perform a spacewalk, even for an emergency, until the arrival of the next crew, which has two Americans, one French and one Russian astronaut. Source: AP

Ailing astronaut returns to Earth early in NASA’s first medical evacuation

Singapore’s Leader of the Opposition in parliament, Pritam Singh, has been stripped of his title by the prime minister following a vote by lawmakers. The vote took place on Wednesday in parliament, which is overwhelmingly dominated by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). The move follows Singh’s conviction for lying under oath to a parliamentary committee. Singh has consistently maintained his innocence. He remains a member of parliament and secretary-general of the largest opposition party, Workers’ Party (WP), but will lose privileges such as additional allowances and the right of first reply during parliamentary debates. Singh’s case stands out as one of the only criminal convictions against a sitting opposition lawmaker. He was also the first person to hold the title of Leader of the Opposition. Critics have previously accused Singapore’s government of using the judiciary to go after its political opponents - charges authorities have always denied. On Wednesday, Indranee Rajah, the Leader of the House who had initiated the debate, said that Singh’s lies “strike at the trust” Singaporeans place in parliament and accused him of “failing to take responsibility”. Singh defended himself during the debate, saying that his “conscience remains clear” and disagreed with the debate’s resolution that his behaviour was “dishonourable and unbecoming”. He also vowed to continue his work as an MP. After three hours of debate, the parliament backed a motion that agreed Singh should not be the Leader of the Opposition. All 11 present WP members voted against it. The parliament also agreed to review the implications for two other WP lawmakers at another time.On Thursday, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said in light of Singh’s conviction and the vote that it was “no longer tenable” for him to continue as the Leader of the Opposition. In response to BBC queries over text messaging, Singh responded with a single word: “#WeContinue”.The BBC has also reached out to his party for comment. The WP holds 12 seats in Singapore’s 108-seat parliament. The party has said it is conducting an internal review of whether Singh contravened their rules. What to know about Singh’s case The saga began in 2021, when WP lawmaker Raeesah Khan claimed in parliament that she had witnessed police misbehave towards a sexual assault victim. She later admitted that her anecdote was not true, but said during a parliamentary committee investigation that the party’s leaders, including Singh, had told her to “continue with the narrative” despite knowing about the lie. Khan has since resigned from the party and parliament, and was fined for lying and abusing her parliamentary privilege. A criminal case was subsequently brought against Singh for lying under oath to the parliamentary committee during hearings for Khan’s case. Last February a court found him guilty and fined him several thousands of dollars. It ruled that Singh’s actions were “strongly indicative” that he had not wanted Khan to clarify her lie. But Singh, who maintained his innocence throughout the closely-watched trial, argued that he had wanted to give Khan time to deal with what was a sensitive issue. In December he lost an appeal against the conviction. Source: BBC&nbsp;

Singapore’s opposition leader stripped of title after conviction for lying

Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena said the Kadawatha–Meerigama section of the Central Expressway is expected to be completed by 2028, allowing expressway travel from Kadawatha to Kurunegala. He added that surfacing work on the Pothuhera–Rambukkana stretch is expected to finish by 2027, while procurement has begun for the Rambukkana–Galagedara section, which is set to be completed within 42 months. Land acquisition for the Karugastota–Galagedara Y junction stretch will begin this year, with plans to expand it to four lanes to ease traffic flow.

Central expressway sections to be completed in phases by 2028

A group of academics, professionals and social activists have issued a joint statement supporting the government’s education reforms. They condemned attacks against Prime Minister and Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya by certain opposition groups and individuals. The signatories stated that the education reforms are based on the National People’s Power (NPP) Education Policy, now adopted as government policy. They noted that education should focus on equality, inclusion, democratic values, social mobility and preparing citizens for changing social and economic needs. The group called for equal access to education, elimination of disparities, protection of free education and increased public spending on education to 6% of GDP. Concerns were raised over the National Institute of Education (NIE), citing issues related to textbooks and administrative lapses. They urged an independent review of new textbooks, restructuring of the NIE and transparent dialogue with education stakeholders. The statement was signed by several senior academics, professionals and social activists.

Sri Lanka Speaker attends Commonwealth conference in India

CAA raids Beruwala fuel station over petrol hoarding

CAA raids Beruwala fuel statio ...

President launches 50MW HayWind wind power project in Mannar

President launches 50MW HayWin ...

Three traders fined Rs. 1 mn each for overpricing rice

Three traders fined Rs. 1 mn e ...

Port of Colombo handles ultra-heavy cargo operation

Port of Colombo handles ultra- ...

Ailing astronaut returns to Earth early in NASA’s first medical evacua ...

Ailing astronaut returns to Ea ...

Singapore’s opposition leader stripped of title after conviction for l ...

Singapore’s opposition leader ...

Central expressway sections to be completed in phases by 2028

Central expressway sections to ...

Academics back education reforms, condemn attacks on PM

Academics back education refor ...

CAA raids Beruwala fuel station over petrol hoarding

CAA raids Beruwala fuel statio ...

President launches 50MW HayWind wind power project in Mannar

President launches 50MW HayWin ...

Three traders fined Rs. 1 mn each for overpricing rice

Three traders fined Rs. 1 mn e ...

Port of Colombo handles ultra-heavy cargo operation

Port of Colombo handles ultra- ...

Ailing astronaut returns to Earth early in NASA’s first medical evacua ...

Ailing astronaut returns to Ea ...

Singapore’s opposition leader stripped of title after conviction for l ...

Singapore’s opposition leader ...

Central expressway sections to be completed in phases by 2028

Central expressway sections to ...

Academics back education reforms, condemn attacks on PM

Academics back education refor ...

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CAA raids Beruwala fuel station over petrol hoarding

CAA raids Beruwala fuel statio ...

President launches 50MW HayWind wind power project in Mannar

President launches 50MW HayWin ...

Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Three traders fined Rs. 1 mn each for overpricing rice

Three traders fined Rs. 1 mn e ...

Port of Colombo handles ultra-heavy cargo operation

Port of Colombo handles ultra- ...

Ailing astronaut returns to Earth early in NASA’s first medical evacua ...

Ailing astronaut returns to Ea ...

Singapore’s opposition leader stripped of title after conviction for l ...

Singapore’s opposition leader ...