Gossip Lanka News [English]

Wild elephants demolish houses in Polonnaruwa in search of food

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 19:54:00 +0000

Residents of Polonnaruwa villages in Sri Lanka suffer from the constant destruction of their homes, as a result of the recent widespread attack of elephants,

in search of food after deforestation in the area and a shortage of food for animals, which led to the killing of about 50 people and nearly 100 elephants as a result of human-elephant conflict. Elephants prefer to eat grains such as rice and recognize its smell so they attack paddy storage, breaking down the walls at night to steal the paddy sacks. The villagers say that although all the governments have promised to solve the problem, yet they have not found a solution. The Villagers fix their homes, however, the elephants continuously damage them to destroy the grain stored inside the houses, thus they requested to put on GPS collars to elephants to identify where animals roam and solve this problem.

Source-A24 News

Observers: investments in Colombo put Sri Lanka's interests at stake

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 19:47:00 +0000

Investment projects in the coastal city of Colombo, Sri Lanka have created enormous social and economic imbalances in many respects, changing the landscape of the city geographically and

surrounding it from all sides, to serve 1% of the mega-rich and consider it a forbidden city. The former COPE chair and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna MP, Sunil Handunneththi, stated that the government had signed an agreement to hand over the southern part of the coastal city to investors without announcing or showing a document on the agreement, which raises doubts about the possibility of suspicions of corruption. Observers believe that the coastal city project if it succeeds, will not result in a real boost to the economy, but will only benefit the financial sector and the financial services sector, and this indirect return will be at the expense of strengthening Sri Lanka's image as a partner to China, which will make Sri Lanka more vulnerable to the contradictions of regional and global competition, and it is a costly risk for Sri Lanka and its people.
Source-A24 News

Bandula Warnapura Passed Away

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 05:39:00 +0000

Bandula Warnapura, the founding leader of Sri Lanka Cricket passed away today (18) at a private hospital in Colombo.
He was receiving residential treatment and had to undergo surgery to remove a leg due to his advanced diabetes when he was critically hospitalized. Then he became more ill and died today.
Warnapura, 68, played four Tests and 12 ODIs during his international career from 1975 to 1982. He was a right-handed opener as well as a right-handed middle-order fast bowler.
Warnapura is the first Sri Lankan to be given a Test opportunity in the history of Sri Lankan cricket. He has also served as a national cricket coach and cricket administrator.

Bandula Warnapura was born on March 1, 1953 in Rambukkana.

He is an alumnus of Nalanda College, Colombo. In 1971, Bandula captained the first XI cricket team of Nalanda College, Colombo. Warnapura has also officiated as an ICC match referee and umpire and is a certified cricket coach. Prior to his appointment as the Director of Training in 1994, he coached the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team. He was the Operations Director of Sri Lanka Cricket in 2001. He served in that position for eight years before resigning in 2008. He last served as the Development Manager of the Cricket Council of Asia. Malinda Warnapura, who currently plays for the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team, is his nephew.

Demands to amend the marriage and divorce act in favor of women

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 13 Oct 2021 18:38:00 +0000

Attorneys in Sri Lanka urged a reassessment of Muslim marriage and divorce law decisions by adopting an inclusive decision-making process, as Muslims in the country have been following the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act established for over 60 years, which were amended from time to time based on societal needs,

pointing out that there is still a long way to go to accommodate major reforms that would protect the welfare of Muslim women in the country. On July 19, the Council of Ministers agreed to amend the Civil Procedures Law and allow Muslims to marry under the Marriage Registration Law. However, lawyers demand the need to amend its clauses, which are considered discriminatory towards Muslim women.
Source - A24 News

Sri Lanka- Visually impaired student overcomes hurdles, achieves academic excellence

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 18:41:00 +0000

Brian Kingston has achieved outstanding academic excellence, obtaining the highest 9 A* in the 2020 GCE Ordinary Level examination. As a visually impaired student, 16-year-old Kingston stands as a source of inspiration to his peers to take the cue and learn how positive minds can overcome all obstacles ahead. Born as the second son to a family in Mattakuliya, Brian is visually impaired, yet his disability is never an obstacle to achieve his high ambitions. “I will exert my utmost efforts to make my mother happy and proud,” Brian says, adding, “My mother has been my biggest strength, my mentor and my everything. She guided me through each and every step of my journey and the faith she has in me has given me the strength to achieve my dreams and to make her the happiest mother on earth.” Brian, a student at the Ratmalana College for the Blind, made history as the first visually impaired student in the school to score 9 A’s in the GCE Ordinary Level Examination. Brian has never attended extra classes through his entire school life and he hopes to become a lawyer by pursuing a career in arts.
Source-A24 News

Bangladesh - Four Centuries since Christian Cemetery Established in Dhaka

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 18:42:00 +0000

The Christian Cemetery in Dhaka was mainly established 400 years ago for the European traders and their families who used to work for East India Company back during the 17th Century.

The tomb of Reverend Joseph Paget who died at the age of 26 years, the tomb was found in 1724 at the, is considered one of the oldest tombs and can be recognized by its architecture and the mausoleum that consists of a round dome with eight columns inside Narendra cemetery. The cemetery has undergone many transformations due to climate changes and other geographical factors.
Source-A24 News

Sri Lanka – 99- year land lease for the development of investment projects

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 18:46:00 +0000

Deputy Mayor of Colombo, Muhammad Iqbal, stated that the Sri Lankan government's plan to develop investment projects in the country is not feasible for the national economy, especially with the handover of 3 high-value plots of land in Colombo, for projects based on a 99-year lease. Iqbal warned that the long-term bid would put the country's fate in confusion, stressing that the government is in the process of granting many properties located in the Fort area to investors due to its location near the port city. Meanwhile, Mr. Duminda Nagamuwa, Propaganda Secretary of Frontline Socialist Party, indicated that China is seeking to place Sri Lanka within the framework of its economic plan as a center for the implementation of the Belt Road project, adding that China's political and economic influence in Sri Lanka was evident during the recent elections. The lease of the SLECC premises is valued at Rs. 3.7 billion while the leases of the People's bank brand and Sathosa warehouse are at Rs. 1.3 billion and Rs. 1.6 billion respectively.
Source-A24 News

Sri Lanka - Organic farming expanding to meet high demand on all-natural food, address health risks

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 09:50:00 +0000

In a bid to address increasing cancer and kidney incidences as a result of exposure to chemical fertilizers, farmers in Sri Lanka have resorted to organic farming, using only compost fertilizers produced from homegrown herbs and other natural substances. An increase in cancer incidences and kidney diseases has been reported in Sri Lanka with specialists attributing the reason to chemical pesticides and fertilizers used in food production. To cope with the rising number of cancer and kidney patients, new hospitals have been established in Sri Lanka. With demand for organic food on the rise in Sri Lanka, farmers turned abandoned lands in the country’s capital Colombo into organic farms. To ensure sustainability for their businesses and thus meet the growing demand for organic food and also contribute to cancer-containment efforts, farmers called for the government’s support to help them overcome their challenges, including the high prices of natural fertilizers and other organic materials. Farmers also demanded that a concise supply mechanism for organic materials be put in place to ensure continuity of their businesses and, with the high demand for organic food in Sri Lanka, they also called for expanding the production of natural fertilizers in their country to the level of an established industry.
Source-A24 News

Jacqueline Fernandez met with Yohani de Silva

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 16:39:00 +0000

Jacqueline Fernandez, a Bollywood actress of Sri Lankan ancestry, met with Yohani de Silva, who is now on a tour of India, India, yesterday.
Both have been instrumental in elevating Sri Lanka's profile in the international realm of art.

According to Indian reports, the two companies will shortly collaborate.
Jacqueline remarked Yohani a few days ago, stating that a singer like Yohani may play a significant role in promoting tourism in Sri Lanka.

The following are some images from the meeting.

Organisations: Human rights violations in Sri Lanka threaten EU trade benefits

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 21:35:00 +0000

Pressure from Human Rights Watch on the European Union over the deteriorating human rights situation in Sri Lanka has prompted the government to pledge reforms in recent weeks, that is after the human rights organization called for the union, to set a clear time frame for Sri Lanka to comply with the commitment in human rights, and to link that file with commercial benefits and fees on Sri Lanka. The human rights organization stressed the need to evaluate and review Sri Lankan reforms periodically, to reach their implementation on the ground. Jurists said that a committee was recently formed to review the country's prevention of terrorism law. It is reported that the law was first used in Sri Lanka in 1988, in which the Minister of Defense can without any kind of justification issue arrest warrants and bring people into his detention indefinitely.
Source-A24 News

Sri Lanka no longer just a transit route for drug Smuggling

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 21:37:00 +0000

The scourge of Narcotics represents an obsession for Authorities in Sri Lanka where cocaine smugglers using the county as a transit point for their operations and a transit hub to the rest of Asia, authorities constantly seize ships carrying narcotic substances off the southern coast on their way to smuggling. On the other hand, seven were recently arrested on board a seizure ship which has contained 336 kilograms of heroin, valued at about 3.1 billion rupees. The Sri Lankan authorities have stated that Smugglers taking advantage of the geographical location of the country as a transit hub for their international operations, and Sri Lanka insists that it will not be a conduit for drug smuggling, which forms the main challenge to Sri Lankan navy officials.
Source-A24 News

Sri Lanka to encounter challenges with the International Monetary Fund in resolving economic issues

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 21:41:00 +0000

Observers have varied opinions about Sri Lanka's tendency to take loans from the International Monetary Fund in light of the economic challenges facing the country, which have led to a high-budget deficit. The former Sri Lankan Minister of Health, MP Tissa Attanayake, believes that the IMF will not intervene in the administration of the country, unlike other sources of funding that seek to impose conditions on Sri Lanka, where the Fund's mission is limited to assisting. On the other hand, a member of Parliament and former Cabinet Minister, professor Tissa Vitharana, says that the policy of taking loans from the International Monetary Fund is contrary to national interests, especially since the Fund sets very strict conditions that may prey on the country to change its policy. Sri Lanka is seeking to commit to repaying the external debt of about $6.8 billion over the next 12 months, in light of fears of domestic loans, especially from the banking sector, which will lead to a weakening of the rupee against foreign currencies.
Source-A24 News

Three decades of mining destroy thousands of hectares of green land in Mongolia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 17:49:00 +0000

In three decades, about 917 areas or about 141153.3 hectares of land in Mongolia have been affected by random mining projects. Over the past 30 years, mining activities in the country have increased at an all-time high,

destroying thousands of hectares of green land, depleting surface and groundwater resources, and increasing Mongolia's external debt by 6.4 times (compared to 1990), and as a result, the country lost about 167678.1 hectares in 21 provinces of grazing land, which is an important part of the country's green economy and food security. Experts believe that it is necessary to activate the United Nations concept of sustainable development 2030, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Reduce Land Degradation, and international projects and programs for land reclamation.
Source-A24 News

Cambodia – Chinese Projects Augment Poor Class Misery in Phnom Penh

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 17:45:00 +0000

Since China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Cambodia has been launched in 2013 up until 2017 Poor Class numbers in Phnom Penh have increased as a result of Chinese investments in the city,

represented in buying plots of land from locals and converting them into huge housing projects, which led to lose lands that used to be rice fields and a source of income for Cambodians. In addition to hollow the middle class in the society.
Source -A24 News

Thailand- Thai government launches emergency plan to reduce flood disasters

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 17:54:00 +0000

Following a wave of floods that swept the Thai capital, Bangkok, with the water level reaching one meter after several hours of heavy rain, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence plan has ordered the deployment of water pumps to drain the canals in the city, as well as the removal of rubbish and weeds to improve the drainage canals. However, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Water and Irrigation, Thaweesak Thanadechopon, said that 68 cubic meters of water have been diverted to the Chao Phraya River and the Gulf of Thailand, indicating that additional water pumps have been installed in flood-prone areas and that the flood response center in the capital operates 24 hours a day to ensure a quick response in the event of further floods.
Source-A24 News

Using his imagination, a young Cambodian man creates the country’s largest shadow puppet

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 18:08:00 +0000

The young Cambodian man, Mr. Sorn Saran, transformed the country's famous small shadow puppets sculpture into Cambodia's first large-scale shadow sculpture, he incorporates ancient and modern art to describe the family life in Cambodia, which took him about 900 hours of continuous work. Shadow puppetry is an ancient traditional art in Cambodia, with its roots dating back to the pre-Angkor eras of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries. Artists use cowhide, tanned red, to make shadow puppets to retell ancient stories on a white screen illuminated from behind by burning coconut husks, producing shadows for the public to see. After the fall of the Khmer Empire in the early 15th century, the form of shadow theaters was adopted as a performance of art and is usually performed throughout the country for entertainment, while retaining its rituals.
Source-A24 News

Mongolian exports to increase around the world

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 18:04:00 +0000

Amid the world’s concern with the pandemic, and the commercial markets crisis resulted from Covid, local traders in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, were able to find alternatives to imported materials and improve their country’s economy, where mineral products accounted for 84.1% of the country's exports, and the 15.9% were distributed to other goods such as wool, cashmere fabrics, etc. The total foreign trade revenues amounted to 10.1 billion US dollars, with an increase of 27.3% compared to the same period last year, as the value of exports exceeded imports by 1.1 billion dollars, which achieved the required trade balance.
Source-A24 News

Mongolia - With a capacity of 50%, cinemas open after a two-year closure

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 18:14:00 +0000

Cinemas began to operate and receive customers in Mongolia after nearly two years of closure due to the Corona pandemic, which left many workers jobless and in grim circumstances. On August 27, the Mongolian government allowed the opening of cinemas; but under conditions, most notably working at half capacity, and following preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus. The organizers of the “Cinemanext” Cinema, state that they have begun to work to pay the wages of employees, excluding profit at present
Source-A24 News

Thailand- Smart Farm Agricultural technology contributes to improving production and supporting the economy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 13:49:00 +0000

Aiming to control weather disturbances in Thailand and their direct impact on agriculture, a Thai farmer started implementing the smart farm system to promote and develop vegetable production, in addition to supporting the digital economy. The smart farm system develops the farm's watering system automatically through the 'Smart Farm Kit' phone application, which is installed at a cheap price of about 1000 baht, the farmer, in the automatic irrigation system, can control the amount of water and set the time to turn on and off through the weather sensor system installed on the Smartphone. Thailand's agriculture is characterized by its high competitiveness, diversity, and successful exports at the world level, as it owns about 138 million hectares of agricultural land, and agricultural production constitutes about 10.5 percent of Thailand's GDP.
Source-A24 News

Mongolia - Under the slogan "Let's read every day", The National Book Festival to kick-off

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 19 Sep 2021 13:44:00 +0000

Under the slogan "Let's read every day"; The National Book Festival started in Sukhbaatar Square in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar, where readers are waiting for this day to get the books they want at a low price,

as the prices of books have decreased during the "Nadam" by 20-50 percent. The festival is expected to witness a large attendance due to the availability of rare books, works by new authors, and e-books.

Source-A24 News

Chinese man involvement in running an illegal labor network in Colombo Port

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Sri Lankan police recently arrested five suspects, including a Chinese national, for attempting to illegally enter the port of Colombo.

Police Spokesman Senior Deputy Inspector General, Ajith Rohana, stated that the Chinese citizen runs a manpower company that handles the highway project in the port. Investigations revealed that the Chinese citizen had brought several residents of the Pottuvil area unconventionally, to work in the port without valid documents. The arrest incident raised the presence of many Chinese nationals who had established Chinese commercial outlets in Colombo and Gampaha provinces in particular, in addition, to implement huge projects in the country.
Source-A24 News

State Minister of Finance Claim of Food Crisis as a Made Up by Monopolists

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 15:39:00 +0000

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared state of emergency in the due to food crisis that the country is going through, the law states that monopoly of sugar, rice and basic food products shall be countered. To enhance the application of these laws Mr. President granted state Officials high powers to confiscate and seize any food products monopolized by merchandizers. The leader of the Sri Lankan opposition, Sajith Premadasa, believes that this crisis occurred due to weak and inefficient government policies, , while the Minister of Finance and former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Ajith Navard Kapraral, denied that and described it as false allegations. On the other hand, Sri Lankan Member of Parliament, Manusha Nanaykar, confirmed that the country has witnessed a shortage of basic commodities such as sugar, powdered milk and cooking gas during the past two weeks, indicating that the crisis is fabricated by the monopolistic merchandizers of these commodities.

Source- A24 News

Mysterious fate awaits students in Sri Lanka due to the pandemic and teachers' strike

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 15:41:00 +0000

Experts in Sri Lanka stated that the suspension of the educational process in the country has negative and dangerous repercussions shortly, and added that the closures that schools witnessed over the past two years, in addition to the teachers’

union strike demanding to pay their accumulated wages, harm students, especially with teachers withdraw from online education. However, with the spread of the virus, it is no longer possible to predict when schools that closed in early 2020 will reopen, as children who entered the school for the first time in 2020 have not yet been able to start their primary education and the education of children in the higher grades also got disturbed, which could negatively affect the development of children's personality as well as their future education.

Source-A24 News

China eyes New Military Bases across the Indo-Pacific

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 04:27:00 +0000

China seeks to achieve its goal to establish new military bases in the South Pacific, by secretly expanding its military influence from southern China through the South Asian island nation of Sri Lanka to the Horn of Africa and Hormuz. For China, pushing for a Chinese base in Kiribati is purely economic in Sri Lanka by taking advantage of the combination of diplomacy, elite capture, and strategic investments in the host country of the military base, similar to the Chinese base in Djibouti in 2017. With new military bases, China is trying to project the power of the People's Liberation Army beyond the tense Taiwan Strait through Sri Lanka.

Source-A24 News

USAID Programs Contribute to Saving Forests in Cambodia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 04:22:00 +0000

Cambodia – USAID Programs Contribute to Saving Forests in Cambodia The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Cambodia contributed to saving the forests in Tbaeng Meanchey,

Preah Vihear Province, by providing some measures such as financial assistance and educating the local community about the importance of forests, so villagers became more effective, and turned from loggers to tourism agents. The director of eco-tourism protection, Chan Vanno, stated that the forests were in a state of chaos, as people came to cut trees and kill animals, but due to the programs of the USAID, everyone joined to protect the forest after knowing how important it is to them, by establishing a patrol department to protect the forest from the members of the local community in return for a sum of money for each patrol. The total area of the forest is about 1,447 hectares, where 80% of the forests remain and contain animals like pandas and deer, and it has become a favorite place for many tourists and visitors.
Source-A24 News