News Room : Caucus intends to bring Parliament closer to people – Co-Chairs
62 The inaugural meeting of the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative which was reinstated for the Tenth Parliament took place on Wednesday (8) at Parliament premises and Minister Prof. Chrishantha Abeysena and Shanakiyan Rasamanickam were elected as Co-Chairs of this caucus. The name of Minister Prof. Chrishantha Abeysena as Co-Chair of the caucus was proposed by Dr. Janaka Senarathna and...
News Room : Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera elected COPE Chairman
85 National People’s Power (NPP) Parliamentarian Dr.Nishantha Samaraweera has been unanimously elected as the Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). The Committee on Public Enterprises convened in Parliament yesterday (9) at 2 p.m. Dr.Samaraweera who was born in Beliatta received his primary and secondary education education at Wijaya Central College Getamanna. After completing his higher education, Dr.Samaraweera received his first...
News Room : Members of Parliament Prof. Chrishantha Abeysena and Shanakiyan Rasamanickam elected as Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative – The Island
A fire official says a blaze that broke out in Hollywood Hills is “rapidly expanding” after a mandatory evacuation order was issued in the area following the spread of the wildfires in Los Angeles. California fire chief David Acuna told the BBC there had been “zero progress” in containing the fires because of high winds and dry conditions. “The wind...
News Room : Several spells of showers will occur in Northern, North-central, Eastern and Uva provinces and in Matale and Nuwara-Eliya districts – The Island
Weather forecast issued at 05.30 a.m. on 08 January 2025 by the Department of Meteorology Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern and Uva provinces and in Kurunegala district during the morning Several spells of showers will occur in Northern, North-central, Eastern and Uva provinces and in Matale district. A few showers may occur in...
News Room : Dialog becomes a signatory of UN Women’s Empowerment Principles – The Island
Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s #1 connectivity provider, has joined the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) as a signatory, reaffirming its dedication to advancing gender equality and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace aligned with its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles. This milestone builds on Dialog’s ongoing efforts to create opportunities for women across the workplace, marketplace, and...
News Room : Keir Starmer calls on ICC to ‘deliver own rules’ amid Afghanistan boycott row – The Island
Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, has called on the ICC to “deliver on their own rules” when it comes to women’s rights in Afghanistan*, as he weighed into the row over England’s scheduled Champions Trophy clash with the country’s cricketers next month. England are due to face Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26 in their second match of the...
News Room : Rice, rhetoric and red herrings
Wednesday 8th January, 2025 It is still being claimed in some quarters that the current rice shortage has come about owing to the use of rice/paddy for manufacturing beer. Among the peddlers of this view are some powerful rice millers including Dudley Sirisena, who cannot be expected to tell the public the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the...
News Room : MP Archchuna says Opposition not giving him time to speak
92 MP Ramanathan Archchuna told Parliament yesterday that there is no point in coming to Parliament from Jaffna if the Opposition does not allocate time to express the views of Opposition MPs in Parliament. Speaking in Parliament yesterday, the MP said that although a privilege issue was raised in this regard, no solution has been given so far to the problem. “On...
News Room : Scores dead as tremor strikes Tibet – The Island
A senior Hamas official has shared with the BBC a list of 34 hostages that the Palestinian group says it is willing to release in the first stage of a potential ceasefire agreement with Israel.It is unclear how many of those named remain alive. All but two were captured during Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.The ages...
News Room : Automobiie Association ties-up with ndb Affinity Credit Card – The Island
By Ifham Nizam Sri Lanka’s gem and jewellery industry, once a jewel of the nation’s economy, is now at a critical juncture. Against this backdrop, Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chaturanga Abeysinghe calls for urgent reforms and collective efforts to restore the industry’s global standing and unlock its untapped potential. Highlighting the challenges, Abeysinghe remarked, “Sri Lanka has lost...