June 05, Colombo (LNW): At the invitation of the Government of Pakistan, Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs Vidura Wickramanayaka led a delegation to Pakistan on May 27 to participate in the International Symposium and Exhibition titled ‘From Gandhara to the World: The Legacy of Gandharan Buddhism,’ held in connection with Vesak Day 2024.

Minister Wickramanayaka was accompanied by Member of Parliament S.M.M. Muszhaaraff; Ven. Halmillawewe Pemarathana Thera from the International Samanera Bhikkhu Training Institute, Dambulla; Ven. Prof. Thumbulle Seelakkhandha Thera, a member of the Sangha Council in Asgiri Maha Viharaya and former Vice-Chancellor of Pali and Buddhist University and Anuradhapura Bhikku University; Ven. Mugunuwela Anurudha Thera, General Secretary of the All Island Buddhist Council; and Ven. Prof. Tempitiye Indawimala, a lecturer at the University of Peradeniya.

Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Islamabad Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne also participated in the symposium and exhibition. The two-day event on Gandhara was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad from May 28 to 29. Religious leaders, experts, scholars, diplomats, historians, and art enthusiasts from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam attended, providing a platform for exchanging ideas and fostering connections.

Minister Wickramanayaka, as the chief guest, delivered the keynote speech, praising Pakistan’s role in enhancing cultural relations and achieving international recognition for Vesak Day. He emphasized the profound contribution of Buddhism to the culture, art, and civilization of South Asia and beyond. Highlighting the need for harnessing Buddhist values and promoting cultural diplomacy to unite people and nations, he stated, “Let us make Gandhara a bridge to serve this purpose. We must make Gandhara a living legacy.”

Addressing contemporary challenges in preserving and promoting Gandharan heritage, the Minister outlined strategies for fostering greater awareness, conservation, and research through international cooperation and collaboration to safeguard this invaluable cultural treasure.

June 05, Colombo (LNW): Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara announced in a post on ‘X’ that the Ministry has accepted all the amendments suggested by the Supreme Court (SC) regarding the new Electricity Bill.

Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara announced in a post on ‘X’ that the Ministry has accepted all the amendments suggested by the Supreme Court (SC) regarding the new Electricity Bill.

Minister Wijesekara noted that most of the amendments were agreed upon during the SC hearing on the Electricity Sector Reforms Bill three weeks ago. These suggested amendments will be presented for approval during the Committee stage, as per the Supreme Court’s recommendations.

June 05, Colombo (LNW): The government has taken decisive action to freeze all funds and assets of 15 organizations and 210 individuals involved in extremist and terrorist activities with immediate effect. This measure was announced following the issuance of a special gazette by the Defence Ministry, signed by Defence Ministry Secretary Gen. (retd) Kamal Gunaratne.

With this gazette, the funds, financial assets, and economic resources of these 15 terrorist and extremist organizations and the 210 individuals associated with them will be confiscated. This action is in accordance with the UN Act No. 45 of 1968 and the UN Decree No. 01 of 2012.

June 05, Colombo (LNW): The government has decided to obtain technical assistance from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to improve forecasts and early warnings of severe weather, floods, and landslides, Cabinet Spokesman and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardhana announced.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing held yesterday at the Government Information Department, Dr. Gunawardhana outlined the Climate Resilience Multi-Phase Programmatic Approach. Funded by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank, this initiative is planned to be implemented over nine years in three phases.

The first component of the five-part program aims to enhance the skills, technology, and infrastructure of relevant institutions to enable accurate forecasting and pre-assessment of weather conditions. This improvement is expected to allow for the quick and accurate prediction of high-risk weather and climate conditions, potentially reducing the $313 million annually spent by the government on post-disaster management.

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by the Irrigation Minister to engage the WMO, an international organization with extensive experience in meteorology and hydrology, to enhance the country’s emergency warning systems.

Z Messenger (Pvt) Ltd, a leading Marketing Technology company in Sri Lanka, in partnership with Locobuzz, a cutting-edge social listening and sentiment analyzing platform is set to revolutionize how brands and political campaigners engage with their audience.  

In the digital age, social media has become a powerful force in shaping public opinion and influencing political landscapes. Political campaigns are increasingly leveraging social media platforms to connect with voters, disseminate messages, and gain insights into public sentiment. 

Social listening technology harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and big data analytics to provide real-time insights into public sentiment, trends, and opinions across various online platforms. By analyzing millions of data points, zMessenger’s social listening technology offers a comprehensive understanding of how audiences perceive brands or political personalities.

For brands, this technology offers invaluable insights to shape marketing strategies, enhance customer engagement and outpace competitors. By monitoring public sentiment real-time, brands can address issues promptly, capitalize on positive trends and make data-driven decisions to drive business success.

Social listening and Political campaign landscape:

Internationally, prominent political figures and campaigns have successfully utilized social listening to gain a competitive edge.  During the 2016 US presidential election, candidates employed social listening tools to understand voter sentiment, identify key issues and tailor their messaging to resonate with the electorate. 

Similarly zMessenger, together with Polipedia- an Australian-based political data platform, leveraged social listening platform to gauge public attitude towards policies, track voter sentiment and accurately predict voter behaviour during the last Presidential elections in Australia. Moreover, Locobuzz platform has been successfully deployed to manage multiple Government political campaigns worldwide.

Here are the ways that social listening tools help track and manage public sentiments on web and social media platforms.

Sentiment Analysis: Social media listening analyze the sentiment behind mentions, categorizing them as positive, negative, or neutral. This helps campaigns gauge the public’s emotional response to specific issues or candidates.

Keyword Tracking: These tools track keywords and social media hashtags relevant to the campaign, allowing campaigns to identify popular topics and monitor the use of specific terms across social media platforms.

Demographic Insights: Social media listening tools provide demographic information about individuals engaging in conversations. This helps campaigns understand the characteristics of their audience and tailor messages accordingly.

Competitor Analysis: Campaigns can monitor the online presence of competitors, gaining insights into their strategies, strengths, and weaknesses. This competitive analysis informs the development of more effective campaign strategies.

Influencer Identification: Identifying and engaging with social media influencers is crucial for campaigns. Social media listening tools can identify individuals with significant online influence, allowing campaigns to build relationships and amplify their message through influential voices.

Crisis Management: Social media listening tools play a vital role in campaign crisis management. By monitoring conversations going on across social networks in real time, campaigns can identify and address potential issues swiftly, minimizing a candidate’s reputational damage.

“Our social listening and sentiment analyzing platform partner, Locobuzz is poised to redefine how brands and political campaigns engage with their audiences,” stated Jayomi Lokuliyana CEO zMessenger. “By leveraging the power of technology, we empower organizations to make informed decisions, strengthen connections with their target audience and achieve their objectives” 

zMessenger invites brands and political campaigns to embark on a transformative journey with its Locobuzz social sentiment tracking technology platform unlocking new avenues for engagement, understanding and triumph.

June 05, Colombo (LNW): With most of India’s 640 million votes counted following the country’s six-week-long election, the world’s largest democratic exercise has delivered some unexpected results.

The governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is projected to win 240 seats, falling short of the 272-seat majority needed in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s Parliament, which has 543 seats. However, with its allies, the BJP has still secured a majority. The opposition INDIA alliance, led by the Indian National Congress party, has won 222 seats.

These results mark a significant shift from the 2019 election, when the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 353 seats, with the BJP alone securing 303.

A series of political tremors appear to have reshaped India’s political landscape, leading to these surprising outcomes.

In Uttar Pradesh (UP), a state governed by the BJP since 2017 and holding 80 parliamentary constituencies, dramatic changes unfolded. UP, as India’s most populous state with over 240 million people, is crucial in determining the nation’s leadership. Both Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contested elections from different constituencies in this state.

In 2019, the NDA won 64 seats in UP, with the BJP taking 62, the Congress one, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ten, and the Samajwadi Party (SP) five.

The 2024 election saw a starkly different outcome. The SP secured 37 seats and the Congress six, totaling 43 for the INDIA alliance. The BJP, along with its allies, won 33 seats, with three additional seats likely to be secured by its allies. Notably, the BJP lost in the Faizabad constituency, home to the Ram temple in Ayodhya, a central element of the BJP’s campaign.

June 05, Colombo (LNW): Multiple spells of showers are expected in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, and North-western provinces.

Showers or thundershowers may also occur in a few other areas of the island during the evening or night.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

By: Staff Writer

June 04, Colombo (LNW): In a significant step towards sustainable energy solutions, Regen Solar, specialists in the solar PV sector, has inaugurated a ground-breaking project.

The installation consisted of 1893 Nos. DAS Solar 570Wp solar panels are projected to yield 1,425 MWh of solar energy annually into the national grid.

The St. Jones Fish Market, once nestled in the bustling heart of Pettah before relocating to Peliyagoda in 2011, embodies a rich history. Established in 1894 by the Colombo Municipal Council along St. Johns Road, Pettah, initially catered to residents but evolved into a wholesale trade hub over time.

 Today, the Peliyagoda Fish Market (PFM) boasts modern amenities, including 148 stalls for wholesale transactions, 20 stalls for retail operations, banking facilities, shops for fishing paraphernalia, a contemporary eatery, and two flake ice plants capable of producing 25 tons of ice daily.

The agreement, a milestone event, was formally endorsed by Fisheries Ministry Secretary K.N. Kumari Somarathna, and Regen Renewables Ltd., Managing Director and CEO Dr. Lakmal Fernado.

Regen Renewables, represents some of the globe’s premier brands within Sri Lanka. The panels installed at the CFM are from DAS Solar – world’s leading manufacturer of N-type solar modules and with Inverters from Sunways – another leading brand. Regen Solar with a track record of installing over 75 MW of systems and ongoing projects exceeding 10 MW, maintains a firm commitment to engineering excellence and product quality.

Both entities share a profound dedication towards sustainable development, envisioning a greener future for generations to come. This collaboration is poised to offset over 1,566,000kg of CO₂ emissions, marking the Colombo Fish Market Project as an environmentally conscious undertaking.

The entire project was proposed and lead by Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ Minister Douglas Devananda and the ministry officials and financed and owned by Regen Renewables Ltd., on a revenue sharing basis.

This is the 8th such project financed and owned by Regen Renewables. With the pressing need for low-cost energy for businesses and energy wheeling being legalised Regen Solar is fast expanding its wingspan into similar market opportunities.