Paranagama Commission probes abduction claims
5-member team visit military camps in North:
19,000 complaints lodged with Commission:
The investigative team of the Paranagama missing
persons’ commission, recently visited military camps in the North to
interview the officers and verify claims of abductions, in the run
up to the UNHRC sessions in Geneva. A senior official said the
five-member team comprising retired police officers.
 Full Story
Rakna Lanka workers used for MR’s campaign
Second public hearing next week:
More witnesses will be summoned to give evidence
during the second public hearing on allegations against State-owned
Rakna Araksha Lanka Limited (RALL), scheduled for September 17 and
18, by the Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into
Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State
Resources and Privileges.
Full Story
Ranil leaves for India
First official overseas visit:
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
will make his first official trip overseas today to the Indian
capital New Delhi. His visit is made at a critical time, just three
days before a much awaited report on Sri Lanka’s human rights record
is to be taken up by the international rights community in Geneva.
Full Story
CC appointees to get House nod on Sept 22
The National Unity Government last week
finalised nominations to the 10-member Constitutional Council (CC)
with a view to urgently reactivating the eleven independent
commissions that come under the CC. The names of civil society
representatives are to be submitted to Parliament for sanction by
September 22, highly placed sources said.
Full Story
Top ministers to be grilled over ITN fiasco
Several top ministers and parliamentarians are
to be grilled in the coming weeks over the alleged non-recovery of
payment, from former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, owed to State-run
Independent Television Network (ITN) for publicity over the network
during the 2014 -2015 presidential election campaign.
Full Story
|
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. 
