Quick Look

New Court of Appeal President

Court of Appeal Judge Sri Skandarajah was sworn in as Court of Appeal President before President Mahinda Rajapaksa on December 10 at Temple Trees. Picture by Nalin Hewapathirana

Garbage recycling project in Tangalle

Five acre land allocated:

Raja Waidyasekera Tissamaharama spl corr

The Tangalle Urban Council has commissioned a garbage recycling project.

A five acre land has been allocated for this at Pattiyapola. Compost fertilizer is being prepared here out of garbage collect from Tangalle and its outskirts.

Chairman Anil Sella Hennedi said that garbage was earlier dumped in a highly residential area adjoining a cemetery posing a health hazard to residents.

Repeated offender fined

Edward Weerasinghe - Kelaniya Group Correspondent

Anura Kumara of Weliweriya who pleaded guilty to the charge of driving a vehicle under the influence of liquor was fined Rs 15,000 by Gampaha Additional Magistrate Indika Attanayake on Wednesday.

He had been fined on earlier occasion for the same offence.

Weliweriya Police prosecuted.

Student killed in lorry accident

S N Godamunna - Gampola group correspondent

A student of Pussellawa Saraswathi Maha Vidyalaya died run over by the rear wheel of a lorry in Kothmale area on Saturday (11).

Pussellawa police said the deceased and some other students returning home after attending a Deva Pooja held at the school had attempted to hang on to a lorry heading towards Kothmale on the Gampola-Nuwara Eliya Road and the deceased has fallen from the lorry loosing his grip.

According to police, the deceased Krishna Prabu (11) is a Grade six student residing in Pussellawa, Sogamawatta area.

Gampola police are conducting investigations.

Elusive fraudster arrested

Asela Kuruluwansa

Katugastota Police arrested a suspect who is alleged to have cheated around Rs one million promising to provide employments in Cyprus. Police said the suspect has 18 open warrants and has been evading Police arrest for 10 years.

The arrest has been made in Meegahawatta area.

Missing

Police Public Relations and Media Director SP Prishantha Jayakody seek public assistance to trace a woman and a man who are missing from their residences.

They are Thanthiri Arachchilage Swarnalatha (38) of Colombo 11 and Kaluhath Sri Lal de Abrew Wijesinghe Gunasekera (19) of Kosgoda attached to the Navy. Jayasekera Vithanage Sugathapala of No.33 First Rohini Lane, Malwatta Road, Colombo 11 seek public assistance to trace his wife, Thanthiri Arachchilage Swarnalatha, who is missing since March 22, 2010. Swarnalatha is about 5' 3" in height.

Any information about her could be given to the nearest Police Station or to the above address.

H D Nandalatha of 155, Gangarama Temple Road, Nape, Kosgoda seeks public assistance to trace her son Sri Lal de Abrew Wijesinghe Gunasekera who is missing since June 1, 2010. He is about 5' 2" in height.

Any information about him could be given to the above Kosgoda address or to the nearest police station.

GCE O-Ls begin today

Dinesh de Alwis

The GCE Ordinary Level examination will commence today. Examinations Commissioner Anura Edirisinghe said special security arrangements have been made to minimize exam malpractices. Mobile phones are banned at exam halls, Edirisinghe said. The Education Ministry will also conduct the exam in flood affected areas.

The GCE O-L exam will be held until December 23. About 510,000 candidates will sit this year’s examination taking place at 3,804 examination centres islandwide. Approximately 394,603 school candidates and 113,813 private candidates will sit the examination.

Class suspension removed

The class suspension imposed on 109 students of the Sri Jayewardenepura University was removed by University officials. Vice Chancellor Dr N L A Karunaratne allowed the students to sit for the semester exams on sympathetic grounds.

The students were suspended on charges of entering the University in an unauthorized manner and damaging property.

Three drown in river tragedy

Asela Kuruluwansa

Three persons drowned when a car they were travelling, ran off the road and fell into the Mahaweli river near the elephant bath at Katugastota on Saturday at about 9 pm.

They were travelling from Dodanwala to Katugastota at the time of the incident, according to Katugastota police.

The dead have been identified as D Sudath Rohana Kumara, 30, Sanjaya Mallikarachchige, 23, of Yattawala and Roshan Jayawrdene, 24, of Suduhumpola.

Driver Sinnaiya Kadireshan escaped. Police said those in the car were drunk.

Death of Gunawathie Amaraweera

N L Gunawathie Seneviratne Amaraweera, 76, has passed away. She is the wife of senior Dinamina and Lankadeepa journalist Sirisena Amaraweera (Siri Amare) and mother of Uditha Amaraweera of AMW Institute. Her remains are lying at No. 80, Thotupola Road, Etul Kotte.

Funeral arrangements will be notified later.

Death of Merlyn de Silva

The death occurred of Merlyn de Silva, wife of former Daily Mirror Editor (Times of Ceylon) E P de Silva. She is the mother of Lalin, Heshan, Mayura, Vajira and Chula (Business Development Officer) at Lake House. The remains are lying at Mahinda Florists Funeral Parlour, Mount Lavinia. Funeral takes place at St Sebastian's Church, Moratuwa burial grounds at 5 pm today.

Truck falls into oya

S N Godamunna Gampola group correspondent

A boom truck plying from Kotmale to Colombo has fallen into Atabage Oya when a section of the bridge over the oya collapsed. One person died in the accident and the other got injured.

The deceased Kithsiri Priyadarshana, 38, a resident of Kadawata Gonahena drove the vehicle.

Collective responsibility on climate change

A sense of responsibility is the key to solving the problems facing the world today, such as the issue of climate change and the political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire that hit headlines last week.

Xinhua

Sambuddhathva Jayanthi Lecture

The fifth lecture in the Sambuddhathva Jayanthi Lecture Series will be held at Ananda Commaraswamy Mawatha, Colombo 07 at the Gamini Dissanayake Audtorium at 5.0 pm Today.

The topic of the lecture is Compiling an Illustrated Glossary of Pali Terms.

It will be delivered by Ven Dr Varado thera.These lectures will be organized by the Royal Asiatic Society, Sri Lanka. (RASSL)

Matricide in Weligama

Siri Wawwage Matara roving correspondent

An incident of matricide was reported from Weligama police headquarters yesterday.

According to police the son had chopped his mother to death while she was in the house and set fire to the house and later left for fishing.

Police said the son was a mentally handicapped person of 32 years.

The deceased is Lamahewage Somalatha, 53, a resident of Weligama police area. Weligama police are investigating.

‘Christmas at our village’ inaugurated

Jaffna special corr.

Christmas at our village program was enacted at Oddumadam church in Jaffna. It was attended by the religious heads of all the religions.

Mayor of Jaffna Yogeswary Patkunarajah inaugurated the ceremony by lighting the traditional oil lamp. The participants were taken on procession. Doves the symbol of peace were let to fly in the air.

Tamil and Sinhalese artistes sang the Christmas carols. Children were given presents by the Santa Claus.

Body found

A 19-year-old girl who was found missing from her home was found after ten days floating in an abandoned well at Thevaran Puloly South, Point Pedro.

The Point Pedro Magistrate ordered that the body be sent for a post mortem examination. The deceased is identified as Ariyanayagam Thulasi.

School celebrates Founder’s Day

Sandilipay Hindu College celebrated its Founder’s Day, Prize day and the release of school magazine with College Principal Vimalan in the chair.

Valigaman Education Director A Rajendran was the Chief Guest. The Founder’s Day memorial lecture was given by Prof K. Mikunthan of Biology Department, Jaffna University. The school magazine was released by the Vavuniya Campus Department of English Head K Ganeshan.