Fire breaks out in building down Braybrooke Place
NewsA fire has broken out at a building located on Braybrooke Place. According to media reports, the Colombo Fire Brigade has dispatched five fire trucks to the location a short while ago. The cause for the fire is yet to be determined.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 09:56 UTC
Kim's denuclearization time line prompts thanks from Trump
WorldSEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has given his first timeline for denuclearization, aiming for the end of U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term, Seoul officials said on Thursday, prompting thanks from Trump who said they would “get it done together”. Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet in Pyongyang on Sept. 18-20 for a third summit and discuss “practical measures” toward denuclearization, Moon’s national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, said a day after meeting Kim. The summit could provide renewed momentum to talks over denuclearization between North Korea and the United States, after Trump canceled a visit to Pyongyang by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month citing lack of progress. Trump welcomed Kim’s remarks in a trademark Tweet. “Kim Jong Un of North Korea proclaims ‘unwavering faith in President Trump.’ Thank you to Chairman Kim.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 09:56 UTC
Search continues after deadly Japan quake
WorldTOKYO (Reuters) - Rescue workers with dogs searched for survivors on Friday in debris-strewn landslides caused by an earthquake in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, as electricity was restored to just over half of households. Public broadcaster NHK put the death toll at 12, with five people unresponsive. Another 24 were still missing after Thursday’s pre-dawn magnitude-6.7 quake, the latest deadly natural disaster to hit Japan over the past two months, coming after typhoons, floods and a record-breaking heat wave. Some 22,000 rescue workers had worked through the night to search for survivors, Abe told an emergency meeting on Friday. With rain forecast for Friday afternoon and Saturday, he urged people to be careful about loose soil that could cause unstable houses to collapse or further landslides.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 09:27 UTC
Zimbabwe's Mugabe says now accepts Mnangagwa as legitimate president
WorldHARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe has said he now accepts President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the country's legitimate leader after initially accusing him of leading a “disgraceful” de facto coup that ended his near four-decades rule last year. On the eve of the July 30 vote, Mugabe said he would vote for the opposition to remove Mnangagwa's “military government”, as the 94-year-old leader expressed bitterness and turned against his one-time allies in the ruling ZANU-PF party. But at a funeral wake of his mother-in-law, Mugabe said Mnangagwa's victory, which is still disputed by his main opponent Nelson Chamisa, made him a legitimate president, the privately-owned NewsDay and state-owned The Herald newspapers reported on Friday. “The wrong that happened last November has been erased by his victory in the July 30 elections. I now accept his leadership and he now deserves the support of every Zimbabwean,” Mugabe said, looking frail in video footage on an online television site.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 09:22 UTC
Hartal in Batticaloa against proposed bottled water manufacturing plant
NewsA hartal campaign against a proposed bottled water manufacturing plant is currently underway in Batticaloa disrupting normalcy in the region. Normalcy is affected in many areas of Batticaloa. The proposed water manufacturing company is to be built in the Pullumalai area. Earlier the call for hartal was issued by Batticaloa based civil society organizations alleging that proposed bottled water manufacturing plant would cause severe environmental impacts in the region as underwater resources are the vital water resources in the areas. They allege that excessive pumping of underground water will cause more difficulties in accessing safe drinking water for the locals.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 09:06 UTC
Police hunt for vehicle involved in hit-and-run death
NewsPolice in Puttalam have launched an investigation to track down a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run incident that left a cyclist dead last night (6). The incident had occurred at about 7.20pm last night at Kottukachchiya in Puttalam. An unidentified vehicle headed towards Kurunegala from Puttalam had struck the cyclist and continued without stopping. The cyclist was admitted to the Puttalam Hospital with serious injuries, but later died. The 35-year-old victim is a resident of Kottukachchiya.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 08:46 UTC
A change in our education system
One way of achieving this transformation is through changes in our current education system. Honourable Minister Dr. Amunugama declared that there has to be a change in our present education system, in order for youth to secure sustainable employment. Introducing a change in our education system requires meticulous planning. They believe vocational education trains people for a blue collar job, and is not considered a ‘higher education’ program. For example, in Germany, the vocational education and training system, also known as the Dual Training System, offers an excellent approach to skills development.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 08:25 UTC
British Airways website suffers data breach; 380,000 payments affected
World(Reuters) - Financial and personal data has been stolen from potentially hundreds of thousands of British Airways customers who booked online in recent weeks, extending a run of embarrassing technological mishaps suffered by the UK flag carrier. The thefts occurred during a data breach that affected bookings made on the airline’s website and app between Aug. 21 and Sept. 5, parent International Airlines Group (ICAG.L) said on Thursday. BA chairman and chief executive, Alex Cruz, said the carrier was “deeply sorry” for the disruption caused by the criminal activity. The airline also apologized to its customers in a full-page ad in British newspaper Metro on Friday. The airline had launched an investigation and notified police and other relevant authorities.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 08:22 UTC
Reconstruction of Polonnaruwa's 'Gini Patti palama' commences
NewsThe reconstruction of the ‘Gini Petti Bridge’ (Matchbox bridge) belonging to the Parakrama Samudrya project at Polonnaruwa commenced under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena today, the President's Media Division reported. The recent dilapidation of this bridge has caused many hardships to the paddy farmers in the area. The supply of water to 15,000 Acres of paddy fields has been blocked due to the dilapidation of this bridge. The estimated amount of money allocated for this project is Rs. The President unveiled a commemoration plaque to mark the commencement of construction and engaged in an observation tour around the place.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 07:00 UTC
Rohingya protesters call for freedom for Reuters reporters in Myanmar
WorldCOX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (Reuters) - About 50 Rohingya Muslim refugees gathered in a muddy sports field in a camp in Bangladesh on Wednesday to protest against the conviction in Myanmar of two Reuters reporters, who were arrested while covering the plight of their community. The two reporters, Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were investigating the killing by the Myanmar security forces of Rohingya villagers at the time of their arrest in December. Abdu Shakur, the father of Rashid Ahmed, one of the 10 men whose deaths at the hands of the Myanmar military were exposed by the Reuters reporters, was among the crowd protesting in a refugee camp in southeast Bangladesh. “I felt very upset as my sons and other families were innocent and the reporters were innocent,” Shakur told Reuters. Though the Myanmar military acknowledged the killings at Inn Din, the government has denied most allegations of atrocities against Rohingya by the security forces.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 06:33 UTC
Three alleged fraudsters arrested with fake gemstones, hand grenade
NewsThree suspects who allegedly defrauded cash and jewellery from victims by using fake gemstones have been arrested from Mathugama. Police Media Unit stated that the suspects were taken into custody near the Mathugama bus stand following a tip-off. A live hand grenade, four fake gemstones and two gold-painted necklaces were taken into custody from the possession of the suspects, police further said. The suspects have allegedly traveled to various parts of the country and defrauded people of cash and valuables after selling them fake gemstones. Upon further questioning of the suspects, police also recovered 56 grams of gold and a gold chain.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 06:33 UTC
Thais urged to drop charges over posts on British tourist's rape complaint
WorldBANGKOK (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch on Friday urged Thai authorities to drop legal cases against 12 people arrested over Facebook posts they shared about a British tourist’s complaint that she had been raped on a holiday island. Police arrested the 12 Thai Facebook users this week for violating a cyber-crime law, in connection with their posts about what police have deemed to be an untrue complaint of rape. Police had been investigating an accusation by a 19-year-old British tourist who said she had been raped while on holiday on the island of Koh Tao in June. The British tourist, whose identity has not been revealed, reported to police in June that she was robbed on the island. Police deny this and say their investigation determined her complaint of rape was not true.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 06:20 UTC
Alaina B. Teplitz confirmed as 17th US Ambassador to Sri Lanka
NewsAlaina B. Teplitz, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service was confirmed as the Ambassador to Sri Lanka a short while ago. The appointment was confirmed by the American Senate earlier today. Ms. Alaina B. Teplitz will also serve as the Ambassador to the Maldives. The US Embassy in Colombo took its official Twitter handle to extend their congratulations
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 06:10 UTC
UN Permanent Representative Hanna Singer meets the President
NewsNewly-appointed Permanent Representatives for the United Nations in Sri Lanka Hanna Singer called on President Maithripala Sirisena at the President’s residence, the President's Media division reported. President Sirisena according to the media division report thanked the UN representative for the support extended over a long period of time for the development programmes of Sri Lanka.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 05:30 UTC
Singapore to emulate India?
WorldSINGAPORE (Reuters) - A veteran Singapore diplomat on Thursday called for Singapore’s gay community to challenge a law that bans gay sex in the conservative city-state, following India’s scrapping of the same British colonial-era legislation. Tommy Koh, a prominent diplomat and lawyer, made the comments in response to a Facebook post by a senior Singapore-based academic on India’s landmark ruling on Thursday. “I would encourage our gay community to bring a class action to challenge the constitutionality of Section 377A,” Koh wrote. Reminded of this by another Facebook user, Koh said from his verified account: “try again”. Under Singapore’s law 377A, a man found to have committed an act of “gross indecency” with another man could be jailed for up to two years, although prosecutions are rare.
Source:Sunday Times
September 07, 2018 05:01 UTC