Colombo (LNW): Public Security Minister Tiran Alles has informed the media bodies that the Online Safety Bill will undergo thorough consultation with all the relevant stakeholders before being tabled in Parliament.
The controversial Bill was introduced in Parliament on Tuesday (03) and immediately met with backlash due to his alleged repressive manner.
By Friday, nine objections to the Bill were submitted to the Supreme Court, and more are likely to follow before the October 17 deadline.
On Friday (06), Alles convened a session with numerous media entities and specialists, and entered a consensus that the Bill posed crucial issues that might require revisions.
Media specialists articulated concerns that the Bill could curtail fundamental Freedom of Expression rights and highlighted the lack of comprehensive discussions with primary stakeholders, including technology firms.
Highlighting the Bill’s history, the Minister shared that its development spanned two justice ministers since 2016, and he was now overseeing its evolution. He underscored the increasing online harassment complaints, especially from women and children, which necessitates prompt governmental intervention.
Minister Alles plans to hold in-depth consultations with the Bar Association, civil rights groups, human rights bodies, and the diplomatic sector before advancing the Bill, according to reports.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe directs that his image is not used on billboards, cut-outs, and posters: calls on all political leaders to avoid including their photos in their campaign materials: says people are scolding politicians when they see them on television and queries as to why politicians must put themselves on posters and get scolded from the people again.
Foreign Ministry says SL is deeply concerned about the escalation of violence & the resulting loss of life in Israel & Palestine: calls for an immediate halt to violence: expresses support to a negotiated settlement in line with internationally agreed parameters of 2 states living side by side on the basis of the 1967 borders.
SL economy suffers a massive contraction of 7.9% in the 1st half of 2023, following a decline of 7.8% in 2022: marks the deepest contraction in the country’s post-independence history.
Disaster Management Centre says around 8,000 people (3,500 families) in Galle and more than 50,000 people (18,000 families) in Matara have been affected by the adverse weather conditions.
SJB MP Harsha de Silva who vociferously advocated higher taxes, debt default & an IMF programme, now asks the Govt to reduce tax on professionals and compensate for the revenue loss by tackling the problem of counterfeit revenue stickers on liquor bottles: says there is now a need for a “comprehensive solution”.
Workers’ remittances in September’23 records USD 482 mn, up from USD 359 mn in September’22: however, the September’23 figure was below the August’23 figure of USD 499 mn and well below the USD 570 mn remittances average for the month of September during the period from 2015 to 2020: cumulative remittances for January-September’23 was USD 4,345 mn, up 75% from the corresponding period last year.
SLMC Secretary M Nizam Kariapper, PC, says the expulsion of Batticaloa District MP Zainul Abdeen Nazeer Ahamed from Parliament for switching allegiance to the Govt in violation of a decision by the Party to vote against Budget 2022 would impact the upcoming vote on Budget 2024: previously, SC Justices P Padman Surasena, S Thurairaja PC & Mahinda Samyawardhena had unanimously endorsed the SLMC decision to expel Ahamed.
SLPP General Secretary MP Sagara Kariyawasam says a number of SLPP MPs had breached the party discipline in recent times, with some MPs even joining the opposition: asserts the Party is considering taking action against them in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling: also says the SLPP would be able to take disciplinary action against SLPP MPs such as Dullas Alahapperuma, Dilan Perera & Anura Yapa who have acted against the Party’s stand.
Education Minister Susil Premajayanth says intellectuals who choose to leave the country during its challenging times, despite being prime beneficiaries of the free education system and having enjoyed the associated social benefits, lack wisdom: Opposition MP Eran Wickramaratne says the high cost of living, increased taxation, & the absence of forward-thinking leadership are the causes for the current brain-drain.
Renowned movie actor Jackson Anthony, 65, passes away this morning while receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the Colombo National Hospital after being involved in an accident in Anuradhapura, more than an year ago.
Colombo (LNW): Atmospheric conditions are favorable for afternoon thunderstorms in Eastern, Central, North-Central and Northern provinces, and therefore, showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in Eastern, Uva, Central, Northern and North-central provinces and in Kurunegala district during the evening or night, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather forecast today (09).
Fairly heavy showers above 75 mm can be expected at some places, and several spells of showers will occur in Western, Sabaragamuwa and Southern provinces and in Puttalam district, the statement added.
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 a few places in the sea areas around the island.
Winds:
Winds will be southerly and speed will be (20-30) kmph. Wind speed can increase up to 40 kmph at times in the sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Kankasanthurai via Mannar, and from Pottuvil to Batticaloa.
State of Sea:
The sea areas off the coast extending from Puttalam to Kankasanthurai via Mannar, and from Pottuvil to Batticaloa will be moderate. Temporarily strong gusty winds and very rough seas can be expected during thundershowers.
Colombo (LNW): Veteran Sri Lankan Actor Jackson Anthony has passed away aged 65, reports confirmed.
His death was pronounced earlier this (09) morning.
Fatally injured by a vehicle accident, Mr. Anthony had been receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Colombo National Hospital for about 14 months.
Colombo (LNW): 21,000 metric tonnes of urea fertiliser will be distributed for the upcoming Maha season, starting from Monday (09), announced Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera.
The distribution responsibility has been assigned to state-owned companies, Ceylon Fertiliser Company Ltd and Colombo Commercial Fertilisers Ltd.
Farmers can obtain this fertiliser from agrarian service centers, with a 50kg bundle priced at Rs.9,000.
Additionally, the government is offering paddy farmers Rs.15,000 per hectare to procure either chemical or organic fertilisers.
State-run fertiliser companies should prioritise the supply for both paddy and other crop cultivations, Amaraweera noted.
PMD: President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued a directive, urging against the use of his images on billboards, cut-outs and posters.
He has also called upon fellow political leaders to avoid incorporating their photos in their campaign materials.
President Wickremesinghe emphasised the importance of addressing the people’s needs over the politics of slogans, noting that such practices have adversely affected the country’s economy.
The President reiterated his long-standing opposition to the use of slogans and cut-out-based politics and encouraged everyone to embark on a new political journey together.
These remarks were made during his participation in the 149th-anniversary celebration of Chenkaladi Central College in Batticaloa this morning (08).
Additionally, the President instructed the relevant parties to remove a large cut-out displayed near Chenkalady Central College in Batticaloa, following his participation in various programs in Batticaloa over the past two days.
World (LNW): A powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.3 hit western Afghanistan near the Iranian border, around 40km from the city of Herat, at 11:00 local time.
The quake caused significant structural damage, resulting in many trapped under debris and was followed by three strong aftershocks.
Residents, like Bashir Ahmad from Herat, shared distressing accounts of buildings collapsing around them, with limited communication due to network disruptions.
Mosa Ashari, the province’s disaster management chief, reported over 1,000 injuries and approximately 120 deaths, though other unverified sources suggest the death toll could be over 300.
Videos from Herat Central Hospital showed many injured individuals receiving outdoor treatment.
Footage from Herat’s Injil district revealed vast destruction, making rescue operations challenging.
Herat, Afghanistan’s cultural capital, has a population of around 1.9 million. The country, located near the intersection of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates, frequently experiences earthquakes, with a significant one in Paktika province last year killing over 1,000 people.
World (LNW): In a significant escalation of violence in Israel, assailants associated with the Palestinian organisation Hamas launched an aggressive attack across various Israeli towns last Saturday (07).
This has tragically resulted in the death of around 250 Israelis. The attackers also took multiple hostages, marking this event as the gravest violent incident in Israel since the Yom Kippur war approximately 50 years ago.
Israel responded with a series of strikes that unfortunately resulted in over 230 casualties in Gaza, marking one of the region’s most intense days of conflict, which extended late into the evening.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the act, pledging, “We will respond decisively to this egregious act of violence.”
He went on to describe Hamas’s actions as the commencement of a dire conflict and recognised its profound impact, adding, “Hamas is intent on our destruction. They heartlessly target families within their homes, even going as far as targeting children. They also kidnap the elderly, children, and teenage girls.”
Meanwhile, Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, announced that the attacks, which began in the densely populated Gaza region with 2.3 million Palestinian residents, would spread to the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Gazans have been living under an Israeli blockade for the past 16 years, which further complicates the situation.
Following this unforeseen large-scale assault by Hamas on Israel, several leading airlines, including American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates, Ryanair, and Aegean Airlines, cancelled numerous flights to Tel Aviv, as observed on the arrivals board at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.
Nevertheless, commercial flights to Eilat, Israel’s secondary international airport and a renowned tourist spot by the Red Sea, were not halted by airport authorities.
Colombo (LNW): Due to severe flooding, all educational institutions in the Galle District will remain closed on Monday (09) and Tuesday (10).
The floods have impacted approximately 6,940 individuals from 2,900 families in the area.
The current rainfall has resulted in the complete destruction of three homes and caused damage to 199 others, revealed District Secretary Shanath Weerasinghe.
As a precautionary measure, 20 families have been relocated to designated safety camps, he noted.
Areas such as Welendawatte and Yakkalamulla have been issued landslide warnings due to the ongoing inclement weather.
Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka needs to enact new regulations rather than depending on outdated ones to overcome the current crisis, said Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, addressing the Sankantha Mandapaya event held at Temple Trees on October 07, 2023, in commemoration of World Cotton Day.
Speaking on this occasion The Prime Minister stated;
“World Cotton Day is a special day declared by the United Nations. It is declared as a special day because it is useful for the people of the world. We dedicate ourselves to make this day meaningful for the cotton industry.
In every district all over the country, we encounter with thousands of acres of uncultivated lands belonging to the government. There is a possibility of using these lands for a useful purpose like cotton cultivation. We are ready to extend our support and commitment in this regard.
By expanding cotton cultivation through a continuous national program, the income of the rural people can be increased and foreign exchange of the country can be saved. I appreciate the attempts of the private sector for that. Farmers and entrepreneurs need confidence to engage in this kind of cultivation. It is necessary to cooperate with our universities and other research institutes to expand this industry.
An innovative system should be introduced to cultivate cotton in small gardens as an additional income. It has been almost a hundred years have elapsed since we started creating agriculture colonies with the belief that we have the ability to raise our heads through agriculture. In those colonies, there is the possibility of cultivating on every piece of land. People need to be directed to that. We are ready to have discussions on this matter with relevant institutions.
Imported weaving machinery was available in certain buildings . Some were gifted to our country. These resources should be given to universities or entrepreneurs to focus on achieving goals. We must undergo such a change if we want to recover from the crisis. It’s necessary to enact new rules instead of relying on old rules. Countries such as the United Kingdom, U.S.A, India, China, and Egypt are still engaged in cotton production.
We have to explain to the people about the production of seeds and the many benefits that can be achieved by seeds. By opening the doors of working generation of villages with universities, the children can be trained and those who leave the university will be benefited to the nation in the future. We also import pieces of gauze from abroad.
Life index has decreased. But the prices of goods are not cheap. Even if the farmers produce surplus, the price is determined by the purchasing power of the people. Farmers need a satisfactory purchase price. An agreement should be existed between the private sector and the government sector on the prices.
Minister Douglas Devananda, State Ministers Sita Arambepola, Ashoka Priyantha, Vijitha Berugoda, Kader Mastan, MPs Jagath Samarawickrama, Yadamini Gunawardena, Secretaries to the Ministries, University Vice Chancellors, heads of government and non-government institutions, young entrepreneurs, farmers were present on this occasion.
