News

FM says PM should be thankful to him

Published

1 year ago

2022/06/9

By Saman Indrajith

SJB Gampaha District MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has told Parliament that he had helped save Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s political career twice.

“At the 2010 election, soon after the war victory, he could not find a candidate. The electoral victory was assured for the war-winning camp. By that time, Ranil Wickremesinghe was rejected for opposing the war effort. I came forward and stuck my neck out to save him. So, he survived as the UNP leader.

“I should also mention that you are there in that Prime Minister seat because I refused to accept it. Three hours before you were offered the premiership, the President invited me and asked me to accept it. I put forth conditions, one being that the majority of the SJB should ask me to be the PM. Thereafter, Ranil Wickremesinghe got that offer. Therefore he should should be thankful to me.

“This country is facing the worst crisis. Some seem to think that getting more loans is the solution to the problem. We were proud to be Sri Lankans, but have now turned into beggars.

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Foreign News

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger dies aged 100

Published

1 hour ago

2023/11/30

Priyan

Henry Kissinger at the State Department's 230th anniversary celebrations in 2019

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has died at the age 100.

He served as America’s top diplomat and national security adviser during the Nixon and Ford administrations.

In a statement, Kissinger Associates, a political consulting firm he founded, said the German-born former diplomat died at his home in Connecticut but did not give a cause of death.

During his decades long career, Mr Kissinger played a key, and sometimes controversial, role in US foreign and security policy.

Born in Germany in 1973, Kissinger first came to the US in 1938 when his family fled Nazi Germany. He became a US citizen in 1943 and went on to serve three years in the US Army and later in the Counter Intelligence Corps. After earning bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees, he taught international relations at Harvard.

In 1969, then-President Richard Nixon appointed him National Security Adviser, a position which gave him enormous influence over US foreign policy in two administrations.

(BBC)

News

Rupees 1,500 million allocated for ‘Greater Kandy Urban Development Program’ – State Minister for Provincial Councils and Local Government

Published

2 hours ago

2023/11/30

Priyan

State Minister for Provincial Council and Local Government Janaka Wakkambura participating in a Press Briefing held at the Presidential Media Centre (PMC) on Wednesday (29) under the theme ‘Collective Path to a Stable Country’, announced that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has allocated Rs. 1,500 million for the “Greater Kandy Urban Development Program” in this year’s budget and that part of the allocation would to be utilized to develop the approach roads to Kandy City.

He also announced that the President had allocated Rs. 1,000 million to develop tourism by enhancing facilities through the involvement of local government bodies.

News

DMT unable to print nearly one million driving licences for want of blank cards

Published

3 hours ago

2023/11/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

Racketeers thrive on illegal printing of DLs

By Shiran Ranasinghe

The Department of Motor Traffic was unable to print about 900,000 driving licences due for want of blank plastic cards, Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic Nishantha Weerasinghe told The Island.

He said his Department was doing its best to solve the problem, which could be sorted out in six months or so.

A senior official on condition of anonymity said the Department now printed about 200 driving licences for those who were going abroad or engaged in essential services.

However, some racketeers were printing about 700 licences illegally, he said.

Rs 5,000 each was charged for issuing illegally printed licences, the official said.

Commenting on the allegations, the Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic said he will investigate the matter if he receives a complaint officially.