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.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) denounces the recent shutdown of the independent media outlet Development Media Group (DMG) by Myanmar’s military junta and calls for the release of the two employees who were arrested in connection with the raid.
Myanmar junta’s relentless assault on independent online media outlet Development Media Group (DMG) continues. On October 29, 2023, Htet Aung, a Myanmar journalist working for DMG, was arrested while covering a cultural festival in the western city of Sittwe. A few hours later, soldiers raided DMG’s premises and arrested the night guard, Soe Win Aung, while the rest of the staff went into hiding. The military junta sealed off the outlet’s office and seized several cameras and laptops without providing any explanation.
“Amidst Myanmar’s unprecedented crackdown on journalism and the right to information, Development Media Group is one of the last media outlets providing the public with independent information on the crimes perpetrated by the military junta. RSF denounces the arbitrary shutdown of this media outlet and urges the international community to step up its pressure on the regime for the release of the 71 journalists and press freedom defenders currently detained.”
Cédric Alviani RSF Asia-Pacific Bureau Director
DMG is a community media organisation covering conflict and human rights violations in the state of Rakhine in the west of the country. In 2019, the military-controlled Home Affairs Ministry filed a criminal case against its editor-in-chief Aung Min Oo for alleged unlawful association. The military also filed defamation lawsuits against other DMG reporters two years later.
Since the 2021 military coup, Myanmar’s media landscape has been shattered. The junta quickly issued a list of banned media outlets, including the emblematic Democratic Voice of Burma, and killed at least four journalists: freelance photographers Aye Kyaw andSoe Naing, Federal News Journaleditor Sai Win Aung, Pu Tuidim, founder and editor of the Khonumthung Media Group.
Myanmar, ranked 173th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2023 World Press Freedom Index, is one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists, second only to China.
REPORTERS SANS FRONTIÈRES / REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS (RSF)
Colombo (LNW): The inauguration of ESHA EURO PARTS Pvt. Ltd.’s new showroom, a prominent player in the luxury motor vehicle spare parts industry, took place at 139 Gallupara, Dehiwala.
The ceremony was led by Dr. Amila Kankanamage, former President of the Colombo Chamber of Commerce (CCC), with the participation of Mr. Gotabaya Jayathilaka, a renowned entrepreneur, and Mr. Nuwan Lasantha Medage, the Managing Director of ESHA EURO PARTS.
The company emphasises its seamless accessibility, stating that spare parts required for luxury automobiles can be procured from ESHA EURO PARTS without any difficulty.
