Colombo (LNW): The MPs accused of being involved in the recent alleged assault on State Minister Diana Gamage outside the Chambers will appear before the committee appointed by Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena for an inquiry today (06).
Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapaksa, who chairs the committee, announced that statements will be obtained from State Minister Diana Gamage, as well as MPs Rohana Bandara and Sujith Sanjaya Perera.
State Minister Piyal Nishantha De Silva, who was in the vicinity during the incident, has also been summoned by the committee.
Other members of the committee include Chamal Rajapaksa, Gayantha Karunatilleka, Imthiaz Bakeer Markar, and Ramesh Pathirana.
Colombo (LNW): Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has issued a gazette regarding the suspension of the registration of Sri Lanka Cricket, the National Association of Sport of Cricket.
This decision has been made under the authority granted to him by Section 32 of the Sports Law No. 25 of 1973.
The suspension is effective from the 5th of November 2023 and is a response to allegations of corruption, malpractices, irregularities, misconduct, and the organisation’s failure to fulfil its duties and responsibilities.
The suspension is deemed necessary to facilitate an independent, transparent, and trustworthy inquiry into these matters and to implement necessary remedial actions.
Furthermore, Ranasinghe, as the Minister in charge, has invoked his authority under Section 33 of the Sri Lanka Sports Law No. 25 of 1973 to appoint an Interim Committee.
This committee comprises the following members and is tasked with assuming the powers, functions, and duties of Sri Lanka Cricket, the National Association of Sport of Cricket, until an election is conducted or until further notice is issued.
The interim board is responsible for ensuring the effective operation of Sri Lanka Cricket and is mandated to:
Investigate and take appropriate action regarding the recommendations outlined in the Audit Report dated 11th September 2023 issued by the Auditor General.
Carry out the powers, functions, and duties of Sri Lanka Cricket in a suitable manner until remedial actions are taken through independent, transparent, and trustworthy inquiries by the Interim Committee.
Formulate recommendations and strategic measures to prevent the recurrence of corruption, malpractices, irregularities, misconduct, and the failures detailed in the aforementioned Audit Report by the Auditor General.
Colombo (LNW): The 11 Sri Lankan citizens who had been stranded in the Gaza Strip following the October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel have successfully returned to their home country.
They arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday, the 5th of November, via a flight from Doha, Qatar, after departing through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt.
Among the group, two were adult women, while the remaining nine were children.
The Sri Lankan representative office in Palestine reported that the group had initially arrived in Egypt on the 3rd of November.
Bennett Cooray, the head of the office, confirmed that they entered Egypt through the Rafah border crossing and stayed at a hotel in the country.
Initially, 17 Sri Lankans were stranded in the Gaza Strip as a result of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. However, four of them were unable to leave their location due to ongoing security concerns in the area.
Wounded Palestinians and foreign nationals began their journey back to Egypt from the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing on the 1st of November, marking the first such return since the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict in early October.
Colombo (LNW): Urban Development and Housing Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has instructed the Urban Development Authority to return Viharamahadevi Park to the Colombo Municipal Council.
The move is in accordance with Section 50 of the Urban Development Authority Act, which allows for the return of properties taken over for development purposes.
The park had been under the Urban Development Authority for renovation since 2011.
The park was modernised as part of the Metro Colombo Urban Development Project with World Bank assistance and was reopened in 2013 with features like removing iron fences and creating a more open and barrier-free environment.
“Paris Club” informs Govt that it would delay its final proposal on SL’s debt restructuring until the agreement between the China Exim Bank and the SL Govt is disclosed; a Govt internal statement indicates that the Chinese side has not yet responded to the SL Govt’s request to allow the sharing of the confidential agreement between the two parties, with the Paris Club.
Foreign investors dump Rs.34.1 bn (USD 106mn) of SL Govt securities in 14 weeks upto November 3: foreign holdings in SL’s Treasury bills & bonds falls to Rs.148.4bn by November 3 from Rs.182.5bn on July 27: analysts say the sudden & inexplicable sharp appreciation of the LKR by the Central Bank enabled (hot-money) foreign investors to earn massive capital gains as they were able to buy Govt Securities when the LKR was at 365 & thereafter sell the Securities when the LKR appreciated to a range between 300 and 335.
Court of Appeal dismisses 3 Petitions filed by Judicial Officers Associations which sought the prevention of PAYE being applied to members of the Judiciary.
Public Security Minister Tiran Alles says he had been approached with an offer of a bribe of Rs.700mn to facilitate the transfer of Underworld Kingpin ‘Harak Kata’ to Dubai, rather than bringing him to SL on his arrest: says the person who extended the bribe to him, met with an unfortunate fate: warns that Officers in Charge of Police Stations would be held accountable for any criminal activities in their respective areas.
SriLankan Airlines & Ceylon Electricity Board to receive Rs. 238.9bn from the Treasury to settle their debts, enabling the two entities to restructure their balance sheets ahead of their divestment process: supplementary estimate of such requirement to be submitted to Parliament shortly.
Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe appoints an Interim Committee for Sri Lanka Cricket: Arjuna Ranatunga (Chairman), Retired Judges S I Imam, Rohini Marasinghe & Iranganie Perera, Upali Dharmadasa, Rakitha Rajapakshe & Hisham Jamaldeen.
Ceylon Electricity Board says it has suffered a loss of nearly Rs.80mn in the first 8 months of 2023 due to unlawfully altered electrical installations & electricity meters.
Colombo’s Marine Drive to be closed near the Bambalapitiya railway station till further notice due to the demolition work of the passenger flyover near the railway station: Police urge motorists to use alternative routes.
Several newly appointed Ambassadors present credentials to President Ranil Wickremesinghe: the new Ambassadors are from Latvia, Cambodia, Portugal, Suriname, Djibouti, Angola, Finland, Venezuela & Norway.
SL Cricket team cancels its training session due to the severe air pollution in the city of New Delhi: SL is scheduled to play their World Cup league match in Delhi on Monday.
Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lanka Disaster Management Centre has taken significant steps to enhance community awareness and preparedness for tsunami risk reduction, with programs scheduled for November 5th and 6th, 2023.
Sri Lanka has a poignant history with tsunamis, notably the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that caused widespread loss of life and displacement.
In 2006, the Government of Sri Lanka passed a Cabinet Memorandum to commemorate the victims of the 2004 Tsunami disaster, designating December 26th as “National Safe Day.”
Recognising the global importance of tsunami preparedness, the United Nations General Assembly designated November 5th as World Tsunami Awareness Day in December 2015.
The Sri Lanka Disaster Management Centre continues to engage in critical activities for tsunami risk reduction, emphasising its mandatory nature.
Notably, the center conducted the Indian Ocean Wave Exercise in 2023 (IOWave23) on October 4th, 2023. It included tsunami readiness programmes across 14 coastal districts and concluded with a large-scale evacuation exercise in three coastal districts at high risk of tsunamis, with a particular focus on rural, school, and fishing communities.
Further initiatives have encompassed online tsunami awareness programmes for 38 scout groups throughout Sri Lanka, marking International Tsunami Awareness Day.
These programmes also involve scout groups as volunteers in reducing disaster risk in rural communities.
Given that November 5th falls on a Sunday and various religious places conduct educational activities, the disaster awareness programs have been directed towards utilising these locations to reach a broader audience.
Colombo (LNW): Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the most provinces of the island after 02.00 p.m, and fairly heavy showers above 75mm are likely at some places in Western, Central, Sabaragamuwa, North-western and North-Central provinces, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather forecast today (06).
Showers may occur in Northern and Eastern provinces during the morning too, the statement added, revealing that misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces during the morning.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimise damages caused by temporary localised strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Marine Weather:
Condition of Rain:
Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in sea areas around the Island particularly during the afternoon or night.
Winds:
Winds will be North-easterly or variable in direction and wind speed will be (20-30) kmph.
State of Sea:
The sea areas around the island will be slight.Temporarily strong gusty winds and very rough seas can be expected during thundershowers.
Colombo (LNW): The Mawbima Janata Party (MJP) led by prominent Sri Lankan business magnet Dilith Jayaweera held its first ever district conference on November 05 in Galle at the Galle City Hall.
High-profile attendees, including Dr. Hemakumara Nanayakkara, a senior leader of the MJP, and Party President Dr. Sarath Amunugama, graced the event.
In his address, Jayaweera revealed that he had an indirect involvement in in politics for the past three decades, representing the nationalist perspective in Sri Lanka. He expressed his decision to directly enter politics to safeguard these values, which he believes have been compromised by leaders driven by personal ambitions.
The Party Leader emphasised that the Nationality Camp represents patriots who deeply care for the country and that he will ensure no one else claims this mantle. Any affiliation with the Nationality Camp will only occur through the MJP, he added.
Following the conference, Jayaweera engaged in friendly discussions with attendees.
This series of district conferences for the MJP is centred on the theme “Creating A Happy World Through An Entrepreneurial State.”
Colombo (LNW): In October 2023, the government’s approval rating plummeted to 9%, marking a sharp decline from 21 per cent in June 2023, revealed the recent ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll conducted by Verité Research in a Gallup-style approach.
The survey also indicated a substantial decrease in overall satisfaction with the state of the nation, with only 6 per cent expressing contentment, down from 12 per cent in June 2023. Additionally, the economic confidence score experienced a negative shift from (-) 44 in June to a more pessimistic (-) 62 in October.
The ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll, conducted thrice annually, utilises an island-wide, nationally representative sample to ensure a maximum error margin below 3 per cent at a 95 per cent confidence level.
Regarding government approval, a mere 9% expressed their approval, with 7 per cent remaining undecided. This 9% rating closely resembles the figures from January and October 2022 and February 2023, which stood at 10 per cent.
For general satisfaction with the state of Sri Lanka, only 6 per cent claimed to be satisfied, hitting a low of 4 per cent in February 2023.
Economic confidence is determined by a range of multiple-choice questions addressing the economic condition and trajectory. Scores can range from a negative (-) 100 to a positive (+) 100, with a positive score indicating a more optimistic outlook on economic conditions. Notably, the current (-) 62, although a decline from June, is an improvement from the levels in 2022, which ranged between (-) 96 and (-) 78.
The ‘Mood of the Nation’ survey aims to assess public sentiment concerning government approval, overall satisfaction, and economic confidence. It encompasses responses from 1,029 Sri Lankan adults, collected from October 21 to 29, 2023. The survey is conducted as part of Verité Research’s syndicated survey instrument in collaboration with Vanguard Survey (Pvt) Ltd, enabling other organisations to gauge public sentiment in Sri Lanka.
The government initiated measures to establish a Social Intelligence Unit to ensure the protection and social security of the young generation through the creativity of the students and this would facilitate the students to rid themselves from the drug menace.
Efforts are also being made to popularize and promote the activities of our talented children and National Cadet Corps (NCC) Cadets through modern technical methods.
State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon made these remarks at the NCC Training Centre at Rantembe while gracing the passing out parade of the NCC Hermann Loos and De Soysa Championship 2023 as the Chief Guest two days ago (Nov 02).
NCC Director Brigadier Sudantha Fonseka warmly welcomed the State Minister and the dignitaries on the arrival to the premises.
This year’s Parade which was also attended by Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne as a special dignitary, is the maiden annual spectacle held since the President’s Colours and the Corps Colours were awarded to the NCC in 2023 this year by President Ranil Wickremasinghe recognising the national value of the National Cadet Corps.
Hermann Loos and De Soysa Trophies – 2023 were won by Colombo Ananda College Cadet Platoon and Girls’ High School Kandy Cadet Platoon.
During the ceremony, the Chief Guest pinned medals on the winners of the Hermann Loos and De Soysa platoons followed by the presentation of awards to the winners.
Subsequently, State Minister Tennakoon addressed the Cadets and the audience. During the speech, the Minister emphasised the measures initiated to uplift the NCC.
During the ceremony, the State Minister also extended his special gratitude to Hon. President for spearheading the NCC for the benefit of the education sector and amalgamating the NCC with the Education Ministry when Wickramasinghe was the then Minister of Education.
Minister Tennakoon also congratulated the national champions as well as other Cadet Platoons who performed admirably in the competition. Further, he thanked their parents for directing these children for NCC training activities and for being a source of continuous support for them.
Religious dignitaries including Venerable Maha Sangha, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Additional Secretary – Civil Security and Development, Commander of the Air Force, Chief of Staff of the Navy, Military Liaison Officer of the Defence Ministry, members of the diplomatic corps, state officials, the Commandant and the training staff of the NCC Training Centre, Armed Forces and Police Officers, Provincial and Zonal Directors of Education, Principals, invitees and parents also attended the event.
