News

The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today (21) reissued a warrant for the arrest of former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States Jaliya Wickramasuriya.

Wickramasuriya has been named as a suspect in a case involving the alleged misappropriation of government funds and had failed to appear before court.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena also instructed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to obtain the Attorney General’s advice regarding the case.

The CID was further directed to report the progress of the matter to court on December 9.

Women are the driving force behind Sri Lanka's development, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said yesterday (20), while addressing the Samagi Vanitha Balawegaya convention held in Buttala,

Noting that women represented 52% of the population and constituted the nation's driving force, he said that beyond a privileged few, the vast majority continued to face severe hardship, including harassment at the workplace, on public roads and within the home, amounting to a violation of their fundamental rights.

He said that the erosion of women's rights was inseparable from the erosion of children's rights, highlighting that mothers were typically responsible for a child's safety, protection and care from early childhood, and that when women's rights were violated, children too suffered harassment, oppression and the loss of their basic entitlements.

The Opposition Leader also accused the government of governing on the basis of flawed data and betraying its election pledges to farmers.

He pointed out that the government had promised a guaranteed price of Rs. 150 per kilogram during its election campaign, a figure that had since fallen to Rs. 120, leaving farmers Rs. 17 short of what had been assured and trapping the farming community in what he termed a deadly cycle of debt.

The Opposition Leader said the government's recently released Department of Census and Statistics figures on minimum monthly living costs exposed the gap between official claims and ground reality, citing Rs. 16,367 as the amount deemed sufficient for a person to survive for 30 days in the Monaragala District, and questioning whether residents there genuinely found this adequate.

He noted that the same data placed the figure at Rs. 17,244 in the Badulla District and Rs. 17,315 in the Hambantota District, stating that these calculations illustrated the government's inability to develop the industrial, agricultural and service sectors

The preliminary feasibility study for Sri Lanka’s first Canal-Top Solar power project has commenced along the Viyana Canal in Mahiyanganaya.

The project aims to install solar panels over the canal, with authorities identifying the Viyana Canal as a suitable location due to its length of more than 20 kilometres and its potential to generate significant renewable energy for the national power grid.

Officials stated that the initiative is expected to provide multiple benefits, including clean electricity generation, reduced water evaporation, and improved regulation of water temperatures during periods of extreme heat.

The project could also support future renewable energy developments, including green hydrogen production, authorities said.

As part of the initiative, a secure electric fence system will be introduced to reduce the risk of wild elephants falling into the canal.

A special field inspection and progress review discussion on the project was held in Mahiyanganaya on July 20, with the participation of Parliamentarians Ravindra Bandara and Sudath Balagalla, officials from the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority, the Ceylon Electricity Distribution Company, and senior engineering officers of the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority.

Authorities said the project is expected to serve as a model green energy initiative by combining renewable power generation, water conservation, and wildlife protection.

The Southern Provincial Education Department has postponed the Grade 9 Geography and Civic Education question papers scheduled to be held today (22) under the second term examinations.

According to the Southern Provincial Director of Education, the examinations will now be conducted on July 24.

The decision was made after the question papers could not be distributed to the relevant divisional education offices due to delays in the printing process.

Officials have informed all school principals in the respective education zones about the revised examination schedule.

Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake has raised concerns in Parliament over the growing challenges faced by cattle farmers, alleging that cattle kept for milk production are being slaughtered for meat due to a shortage of suitable grazing lands.

The MP claimed that cattle owners are facing difficulties as the Wildlife Department has taken legal action against them, alleging that their cattle consume grasslands needed for wild elephants.

According to Dassanayake, the issue has become particularly serious in areas including the Maduru Oya forest reserve, creating hardship for cattle owners who depend on dairy farming.

He warned that the decline in dairy cattle could further affect domestic milk production, forcing Sri Lanka to spend billions of rupees on importing milk powder to meet local demand.

Responding to the concerns raised in Parliament, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Namal Karunaratne said the matter should be addressed through careful discussions with all relevant stakeholders.

He stressed the need for a practical solution developed through dialogue and cooperation among authorities, farmers and other parties involved.

Opposition lawmakers have formally submitted a motion of no-confidence against Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara.

The motion, signed by a collective of Opposition Members of Parliament, was handed over to Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne at the parliamentary complex today (21).

The parliamentary challenge directly targets the Minister’s leadership following violent unrest at the Negombo Prison on July 5 and July 6, which resulted in the deaths of several prison officers and inmates, alongside multiple severe injuries.

The Opposition contends that Minister Nanayakkara failed to exercise mandatory oversight and maintain security standards within the country's penal system, rendering him accountable for the deadly escalation.

Opposition lawmakers highlighted specific statutory duties outlined under Extraordinary Gazette Extraordinary Gazette No. 2412/08 of November 25, 2024.

They said that the Justice Minister neglected his obligations regarding prison infrastructure development, administrative oversight, inmate rehabilitation, and the mitigation of facility overcrowding.

According to the signatories, these systemic failures and policy lapses created the exact conditions that precipitated the fatal violent outbreak in Negombo.

The government is preparing to introduce legal provisions to prevent the use of toxic chemicals for artificially ripening fruits, Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe said.

The Minister said the move follows a number of complaints received by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) regarding the sale of fruits ripened using harmful chemicals.

He made these remarks during a discussion held with officials of the Consumer Affairs Authority, where concerns over the practice and possible measures to address the issue were discussed.

Minister Samarasinghe said the use of toxic chemicals to ripen fruits including bananas, mangoes and papayas has emerged as a serious public health concern.

He further stated that authorities will conduct raids at locations where such chemicals are being used for fruit ripening.

The Minister warned that traders who continue the practice despite being informed of the regulations will face legal action. The government is expected to move forward with the proposed legal measures to strengthen consumer protection and prevent the distribution of chemically ripened fruits.