by Tang Lu, Jamila Najmuddin Courtesy NewsIn.Asia Colombo, September 19 (Xinhua):  These days in Sri Lanka, both locals and the Chinese living here are busy preparing for festivals related to the full moon. The day of Sept. 20 is the monthly Poya Day in Sri Lanka and the following day is the annual Mid-Autumn Festival […]

By Rohan Abeygunawardena Incidentally, our memory flows exactly Seventy [70] years back to the  ‘ San Francisco Peace Treaty Conference ‘ in September 1951. D.S. Senanayake, the first Prime Minister of Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was then known) selected his young and able Finance Minister J. R. Jayewardene to lead the delegation from Ceylon to the […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ sung by young artiste Yohani De Silva has created history in Sri Lanka as her song been viewed by over 100 million users on YouTube. Yohani is also the first female singer in Sri Lanka who has cross two million YouTube subscribers. The song ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ is […]

Courtesy Adaderana The family of a Sri Lankan woman who died in March following mistreatment at an immigration center visited the immigration agency Friday to seek the full disclosure of two weeks’ worth of security camera footage showing her final days. The family members of Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali, 33, were only able to see […]

By P.K.Balachandran/Daily Mirror   Colombo, September 9: Sri Lanka’s last king, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha of Kandy, was vilified as a cruel despot and was overthrown by the British in 1815, acting in cahoots with disgruntled local chieftains. But Vikrama Rajasinha was a creative builder, town-planner and executor of irrigation projects for the benefit of the […]

 by Moiz Mustafa Courtesy NewsIn.Asia Sept 2 (newsin.asia) – From triumphant conservation stories to devastating fishing disasters and everything in between, the new Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition demonstrates the sheer resilience of the natural world. The latest competition received a record-breaking number of entries from professional and amateur photographers from 95 countries around the […]

 by Moiz Mustafa Courtesy NewsIn.Asia Colombo, August 22 (newsin.asia) – The Island nation announced a lockdown which began on Friday night (20), bowing to pressure from medical experts as infections have overwhelmed the healthcare system. All essential services will function as normal. Read more As the lockdown came into effect on Friday night, Colombo went silent. Busy […]

Courtesy The Daily Mirror A 10 day quarantine curfew came into effect from last night. Seen here are the deserted roads of Colombo today morning. Pix by Nisal Baduge Kottawa Pix by Nisal Baduge

Courtesy The Daily Mirror People travelling to Dubai from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Uganda, and Nigeria do not need to produce a COVID-19 vaccination certificate on arrival, but need to register for pre-entry approval before arrival. Emirates airline has announced that entry to foreign nationals is only limited to valid UAE visa holders, who […]

The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka The Hon.Minister of Tourism and Aviation has instructed this office of the following: 1. For Passengers not arriving via the Sri Lanka Tourism Bio Bubble and who have not been vaccinated or only partially vaccinated can be carried by Airlines only up to a maximum of 75 passengers […]

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter Soon after the UAE authorities announced that eligible passengers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other countries will be allowed to travel to/through the UAE from Aug.5, Dubai’s flagship airline Emirates has issued the list of 11 countries from where the stranded residents can return or transit. The airline said, “The UAE […]

Abhishek Bhalla New Delhi courtesy India today The Indian Navy’s INS Sarvekshak completed a survey of the MV X-Press Pearl site on Friday and handed over survey data to Sri Lankan authorities. The INS Sarvekshak survey of the wreckage area being handed over to Sri Lankan authorities (Photo: Twitter/@indiannavy) The Indian Navy’s Hydrographic Survey Ship INS […]

Courtesy Maritime Bulletin un 25 1310 UTC UPDATE: 1 crew is reported missing. Photos by Sri Lankan Navy Jun 25: Container ship MSC MESSINA reportedly suffered fire in engine room in Indian ocean halfway between Sri Lanka and Malacca Strait, at around 1930 UTC Jun 24. The ship was disabled, and as of 0415 UTC […]

By Patrick Wintour/The Guardian Courtesy NewsIn.Asia London, May 5: The US faces an uphill task presenting itself as the chief guardian of global democracy, according to a new poll that shows the US is seen around the world as more of a threat to democracy than even Russia and China. The poll finds support for […]

By: SwatiRana Courtesy Eastern Eye UK-based Oil Spill Response experts look for pollutants from the Singapore-registered container ship MV X-Press Pearl, which is sinking after burning for almost two weeks in the sea off Colombo Harbour, at Sarakkuwa beach, north of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on June 10, 2021. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via […]

By Nick Savvides courtesy The Loadstar Following the arrest and subsequent release of the captain of the X-Press Pearl, Sri Lanka’s Attorney General yesterday advised police to also arrest the carrier’s agent in the country. According to local press reports, Sri Lankan detectives visited the Sea Consortium Lanka offices, X-Press Feeders’ agency office in Colombo, and the […]

Courtesy Mailonline A sinking fire-damaged container ship could take months to salvage because of rough monsoon seas, Sri Lanka said Tuesday, as authorities investigated whether the deaths of dozens of turtles and dolphins were caused by the disaster. Part of the Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl submerged in early June after catching fire and burning for […]

Courtesy Adaderana The salvor reports have confirmed that no bunker fuel remains onboard the X-Press Pearl, the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) announced today. The Singapore-registered container ship was carrying 300 metric tons of bunker fuel at the time of the ill-fated incident. We have given written instructions to both the vessel’s owners and the […]

Courtesy CNA COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is seeking an interim claim of US$40 million from the operator of a fire-ravaged cargo ship to cover part of the cost of fighting the blaze, officials said on Saturday (Jun 12). Sri Lanka’s attorney general has sent the claim to lawyers representing X-Press Feeders, the ship’s operating company, said […]

Sanya Burgess Courtesy Sky News Evidence of oil seeping from the wrecked vessel can be seen in images taken on Monday, raising fears of the environmental impact. A large oil slick surrounding the damaged container ship in Sri Lanka has been captured in satellite images. The X-Press Pearl began to sink on 2 June after a fire […]

By Sarasi Wijeratne/Counterpoint.lk Courtesy NewsIn.Asia Colombo, May 28:  The ill-fated container vessel X-Press Pear, which burned and sank off Colombo, could have been saved if the Nitric acid leak had been fixed before it sailed to Colombo. The ship’s crew had detected the leak after it left Jebel Ali in Dubai where it had loaded […]

Courtesy Adaderana The prevailing inclement weather has severely affected ten districts in the country, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) said. It has claimed two more lives pushing the death count to sixteen, DMC confirmed. Further, three individuals have gone missing while another five have been reported injured. Accordingly, a total of 270,912 have been afflicted […]

Courtesy Adaderana The Marine Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) says it has already sought compensation from the company that owns the ‘X-Press Pearl’ cargo ship for the economic damages caused by its fire. Chairperson of MEPA Attorney-at-Law Dharshani Lahadapura stated that the compensation was sought through the Attorney General. In addition to this, compensation for the […]

Courtesy Adaderana Sri Lanka has reported a total of fourteen deaths caused by inclement weather so far, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) stated. Further, two persons have gone missing while another two are injured, the DMC said. A total of 245,212 have been afflicted due to the adverse weather prevailing over the island. Meanwhile, the […]

Courtesy Sky News Fishing has been banned along about 80km (50 miles) of the Sri Lanka coastline as debris from the ship continues to wash ashore. A chemical-laden cargo ship which is slowly sinking off the coast of Sri Lanka is being monitored for environmental damage by salvage experts. The MV X-Press Pearl began sinking […]

Courtesy Adaderana Ten persons have been reported as dead due to the inclement weather prevailing over the island, the Disaster Management Center (DMC) stated. In addition, one individual has been reported missing while another 02 are injured. A total of 219,027 persons have been afflicted by the prevailing weather conditions, the DMC reported.

Courtesy Adaderana The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) says the death toll from the adverse weather condition in parts of the island has climbed to six. Meanwhile, five persons are reported missing and two others have sustained injuries. In addition, as many as 183,028 people have been afflicted by the inclement weather, the DMC stated. Earlier […]

By Camellia Nathaniel/Daily News   Colombo, June 4: Sri Lankan Ports and Shipping Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena told the media here on Thursday that the fire on-board the container vessel MV X-Press Pearl was an unfortunate incident which was beyond anyone’s control. Refuting allegations that the Port authorities had allowed the ship to enter Sri Lankan waters while […]

Courtesy NewsIn.Asia Colombo, June 3 (SLPA): A joint operation in coordinating with local authorities and the Indian Coast Guard to mitigate the impact of the possible environmental damage due to the fire on MV X-Press Pearl continued on June 3. Salvors and other officials have confirmed that the vessel’s aft portion is sitting on the […]

By Miriam Berger Courtesy The Wahington Post A crab roams a Sri Lanka beach polluted with nurdle pellets that washed ashore from burning ship MV X-Press Pearl. (Eranga Jayawardena/AP)June 1, 2021 at 4:37 p.m. GMT+1 Tons of potentially toxic debris is threatening miles of coastlines and seas around western Sri Lanka after a fire on a ship led […]