News

A 14-year-old female resident of Kattankudy has arrived on a bicycle to meet Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya over two key social issues in her area.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Fatima Nada arrived from Kattankudy to Colombo by bicycle to hand over a message to PM Harini Amarasuriya.

During the meeting at the PM’s Office this morning, the young student requested immediate action against the drug menace affecting children and youth and to prevent child abuse.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake conducted a virtual discussion yesterday (11) with the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power.

During the meeting, the two exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and explored avenues for future cooperation.

Notably, Samantha Power stated that USAID is willing to support the government aligning with the manifesto presented to the people.

She also assured President Dissanayake that USAID is prepared to support Sri Lanka in any way needed.

This commitment reflects a shared vision for enhancing development and cooperation with the USAID agency.

The Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kanni Wignaraja, has met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake this morning (14) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The discussion primarily focused on governance, constitutional reforms, and the country’s electoral system, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD) stated.

The UNDP representative presented the report on “Understanding Multidimensional Vulnerabilities: Impact on the People of Sri Lanka” to President Dissanayake. Based on the findings of this report, the UNDP assured its support for Sri Lanka’s development efforts.

A key point of discussion was the low level of women’s participation in the economy. The UNDP noted that rural women face significant challenges in financial literacy, limiting their involvement in economic activities.

The farming sector, in particular, suffers from poor economic literacy, resulting in underrepresentation in the national economy. The UNDP expressed willingness to assist with digitalization programs, highlighting it as a critical tool to minimize corruption, the statement said.

Discussing Sri Lanka’s low agricultural productivity compared to other Asian nations, President Dissanayake explained that many farmers have small plots of land and do not view farming as their primary source of income. To address this, the government plans to strengthen farmers’ associations, which would help improve bargaining power and agricultural activities, the PMD reported.

Discussing reforms to the electoral system, President Dissanayake pointed out such reforms should ensure inclusive representation of ethnic and religious communities.

Addressing concerns over the microfinance sector, the President explained the interests are unfair and that the current administration plans to establish a new development bank to support the microfinance sector, with a focus on greater involvement of women.

The government also plans to provide Treasury guarantees for the best proposals submitted by women entrepreneurs to help them secure capital.

The UNDP reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the government’s reforms, anti-corruption efforts, and increasing women’s participation in both the economy and Parliament, said the PMD.

Resident Representative of the UNDP in Sri Lanka, Azusa Kubota, along with Team Leader for Strategic Engagement, Digital, and Innovation, Fadhil Bakeer Markar also participated in the discussion.

Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, met with a delegation from the World Food Programme (WFP) at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (11).

During the meeting, the WFP representatives agreed to continue their on-going programs in Sri Lanka through the World Food Programme, ensuring no disruptions.

Although the food crisis in Sri Lanka has eased to some extent, the WFP officials expressed their willingness to extend further support through new programmes whenever additional needs arise.

The WFP delegation included WFP Country Director Abdur Rahim Siddiqui, the Government Partnerships Officer Musthafa Nihmath and the Gerard Rebello , WFP Sri Lanka ‘s Deputy Country Director. Additional Secretary to the President, Roshan Gamage, also attended the meeting.

Furthermore, it has been decided to award free marks to all students for the 03 questions which were alleged to have been leaked.

Meanwhile, the evaluation of answer sheets, which had been temporarily suspended, is reportedly expected to commence immediately.

Several committees were appointed to investigate the scholarship examination, and their final conclusion was that only three questions had been leaked prior to the exam.

On September 20, an investigation was launched by the Department of Examinations after it was alleged that a question paper from the exam had been leaked. Later, the initial investigation report was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which also launched a separate investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, the paper marking process of the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination, which was held on September 15, had been temporarily suspended, pending the investigation.

The Director of the Planning Division of the National Institute of Education (NIE) in Maharagama and a school teacher, who were arrested by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over the question paper issue, were remanded until October 22.

The arrested 58-year-old NIE Director was a member of the committee which prepared the 2024 Grade 05 Scholarship Examination paper, and the 49-year-old teacher had been conducting tuition classes for Grade 05 students.

The investigations had uncovered that only three questions from the exam had been leaked in advance. However, a group of parents, holding press conferences and staging protests on several occasions, had claimed that the entire question paper had been leaked.

The parents raised the issue with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and as a result, the evaluation of the answer sheets for the scholarship examination was suspended until the investigation was completed.

This year’s scholarship exam was held on September 15 at 2,849 centres across the island, with 323,879 candidates participating.

(adaderana.lk)

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize to the Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo.

This grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, also known as Hibakusha, is receiving the peace prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.

On the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wished to acknowledge one encouraging fact: No nuclear weapon has been used in war in nearly 80 years.

The extraordinary efforts of Nihon Hidankyo and other representatives of the Hibakusha have contributed greatly to the establishment of the nuclear taboo.

It is therefore alarming that today this taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure, said the Norwegian Nobel Committee

The nuclear powers are modernising and upgrading their arsenals; new countries appear to be preparing to acquire nuclear weapons; and threats are being made to use nuclear weapons in ongoing warfare. At this moment in human history, it is worth reminding ourselves what nuclear weapons are: the most destructive weapons the world has ever seen, it added.

The education authorities have decided to keep the schools in several educational zones closed on Monday (14) and Tuesday (15) in view of the prevailing adverse weather conditions.

Accordingly, all government schools of the Gampaha, Kelaniya, Kolonnawa and Kaduwela educational zones will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Western Provincial Education Director said that all government schools in the Colombo educational zone will be closed tomorrow (14).

Earlier today, it was announced that all government schools in Kaduwela and Kolonnawa Education Zonal Divisions in Colombo District and the Wattala Zonal Division in Gampaha District will be closed tomorrow, in view of the prevailing adverse weather condition.

Keshal Jayasinghe, a key activist of ‘Mangilogy’ and a representative of the late Mangala Samaraweera’s radical middle, will contest for Colombo district at the general election under the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol.

Having received his school education at Royal College, Colombo, he obtained an MA on international relations from San Francisco State University in the USA.

After returning home, Keshal functioned as a coordinating secretary to Samaraweera during the period he was a cabinet minister.

He went onto become chairman of the state-owned Selacine and People’s Travel, an affiliate of the Bank of Ceylon.

When Samaraweera left active politics and launched his ‘radical middle’, Keshal became a key advocate of the programme.

Also, he was the digital media director at the President’s Media Division during the period Ranil Wickremesinghe was the president.

As an activist of the UNP’s youth wing, he intends to gain a political representation in parliament for social democracy.

He represents the party’s basic vision of economic and cultural freedom and modernism for all ethnicities.

He also embodies the moderate right-wing political ideology of economic and political space for the citizenry.

Today, the country needs practical politics that goes beyond politics of promises, which only the UNP is capable of delivering. Its vision also signifies income earning for the country by being a contributor to global production.

The JVP-led NPP that rode to power on numerous promises continues with what Wickremesinghe implemented. Even the critics have come to understand that there no other option.

Keshal’s key objective is to get involved in active politics as a representative of this practical, but challenging moderate right-wing programme.

President Anura Kumara DIssanayake has instructed officials to provide immediate relief to those affected by the Adverse Weather.

The President has instructed the Secertary of Defence to take steps to ensure the safety of people living in area that have been affected by the extreme weather.

The President has also instructed the Ministry of Finance to allocate 50 million rupees to provide relief to the people.

UNP chief organizer for Anuradhapura W.B. Ekanayake has died following a fall in the bathroom of his home.

He was 76.

The former minister was a diabetic.

He had been alone at home at the time as the person who looked after him had gone to Jaffna Teaching Hospital to obtain treatment.

Following an inquest, the remains are being kept at Anuradhapura Hospital for the postmortem examination.

Sunil Keerthi Nanayakkara, Operations Director of Consumer Action Network Mental Health Lanka (CAN MH Lanka), presented a butterfly logo to the Prime Minister in honor of World Mental Health Day, which falls on October 10, 2024.

CAN MH Lanka, established in 2012, advocates for mental health awareness and education. This year’s World Mental Health Day, themed “Mental Health at Work,” focuses on promoting mental well-being in the workplace. The global event, initiated by the World Health Organization in 2013, aims to highlight the importance of supporting individuals experiencing mental health challenges.

The Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Steve Koehler, met with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Thursday (10) afternoon.

The visiting US Navy Admiral (4 Star) was accompanied by US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the U.S. commitment to support Sri Lanka in combating transnational threats like drug smuggling and terrorism was discussed at the meeting.

Ambassador Julie Chung said the meeting took place to discuss how U.S.-Sri Lanka security partnership can strengthen Sri Lanka’s sovereignty while ensuring regional stability in the Indo-Pacific.

She added that the U.S. remains firmly committed to enhancing the bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka, working together to promote security, prosperity, and shared values.