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President instructs Ministry officials to
expedite work :
Two new highways to be opened soon
The Highways Ministry is completing two new
highway projects - the Katunayake Expressway and the Matara
Expressway which will be open to the public in August and September
this year, Secretary to the Ministry of Ports and Highways Ranjith
Premasiri told the Sunday Observer . He said construction work on
these mega projects, now in the final stages will be inaugurated in
August and September this year.
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Govt’s decision to deploy Security Forces in development
commended
Senior Minister for International Monetary
Cooperation and Deputy Finance and Planning Minister Dr. Sarath
Amunugama said that the Government’s decision to deploy the Security
Forces in national development was good. Commenting on the
contribution by the Sri Lanka Army to save Rs. 1,500 million last
year for labour in health, education, sports and urban development
projects,
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Religious disharmony, halal certification:
PSC to find permanent solution
The Government will appoint a special
Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to look into the recent spate
of events that led to religious disharmony and find a permanent
solution to issues that have cropped up with the halal
certification. Leader of the House and Irrigation Minister Nimal
Siripala de Silva, explaining the Government’s stand on the issue
said, “There is no need to give Government approval for halal food
certification since it is a voluntary exercise.”
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Abduction and assault on two PCs, civilian
informants :
Wildlife officers identified
Seven Wildlife Department officials who
allegedly abducted and assaulted two police constables from the
Walana Vice Squad and two civilian police informants, a fortnight
ago while raiding a ganja plantation at Udawalawa surrendered to the
Wellawaya Magistrate’s Court for an identification parade on
Thursday. Thereafter, they went into hiding in the Udawalawa jungle
after releasing the suspects.
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Plantation talks run into a snag
Talks between the plantation trade unions and
the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon which were due to begin this
week to sign a fresh Collective Agreement on a wage increase for
plantation workers have run into a snag, according to reports. While
the Unions were getting ready for the talks as the Collective
Agreement expires on March 31, 2013,
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President Maithripala Sirisena is in Thailand making a three-day official visit and attending the second Asia Cooperation Dialogue Summit. The Dialogue Summit that brings together 34 nations in the Asian region takes place from October 8 -10 in Bangkok under the theme "One Asia, Diverse Strength".
Official level discussions have commenced between Sri Lanka and Iran on reviving trade agreements that were signed between the two countries and will be put into operation soon after ironing out technicalities, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rishad Bathiudeen said. 
Pakistan on Friday (September 30) officially postponed the 19th SAARC Summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad on November 9 and 10. A new set of dates for holding the Summit will be announced soon through the Chair of SAARC (Nepal), reports said. 
Due to the prevailing drought, water levels of the main reservoirs have dropped to half its capacity, with authorities warning that drastic measures may need to be taken if water is to be continuously released from the reservoirs for power generation. 
To avert a possible dengue outbreak in the next three months, when the number of mosquito breeding sites are likely to surge with the monsoon rains, the Dengue Control Unit of the Health Ministry will launch an island-wide Dengue Control Week starting on Tuesday, September 27 to Monday, October 3.
Sir Richard Jolly, former Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF, and Special Adviser to the Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (1996 to 2000), and Principal Coordinator of the widely-acclaimed Human Development Report will deliver a lecture on, “Development: Can Sri Lanka be a model for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs)?” on September 28 at 5 pm at the BMICH Committee Room D, on the invitation of the Gamani Corea Foundation. 
Richmondite Charith Asalanka joined the elite band of school cricketers by winning the coveted Schoolboy Cricketer Of The Year 2016 title for the second year in succession emulating the feats of former Sri Lankan greats Arjuna Ranatunga, 1980/82' ( Ananda) Roshan Mahanama, 1983/84'(Nalanda) Thilan Samaraweera 1994/95' ( Ananda) 'Lahiru Peiris 2004/2005 (St.Peter's) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa 2010'2011 (Royal) who had also won the award twice .
Cricketing legend and former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene will grace the occasion at the 38th Observer-Mobitel Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year awards night scheduled to take place at the Galadari Hotel on September 20. 
Stern action will be taken against traders who sell sugar above the controlled price of Rs. 95. Instructions have been given to the relevant authorities to launch island-wide search operations, a press communique from the Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake said. 
Refuting speculations, Power and Renewable Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said, no decision has been taken to impose power cuts on account of the current dry spell in the country. 
