Latest News
A mechanism that goes beyond the normal state apparatus is needed to restore public life – President
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasised that a unified operational mechanism, which goes beyond the normal state administration, is required to restore public life after a disaster.
The President stated this while participating in the Kandy District Coordinating Committee meeting held at the Kandy District Secretariat on Saturday (06).morning
During the meeting, the President separately reviewed the progress of the programmes underway to restore essential infrastructure in the district, including the roadways, electricity, water and fuel supply, irrigation systems and communication facilities.
The President instructed officials to utilise the allocated provisions for the next 25 days to complete road clearing activities swiftly, until the permanent reconstruction of roads is completed.
The President also instructed that water supply in the district be fully restored within three days. Until then, the water requirements of the public should be met through bowsers and such activities must be carried out as an emergency measure beyond the usual procedure, with technical support from the Tri-Forces.
Further, he instructed that the cleaning of household wells be carried out under the coordination of Divisional Secretariats and that electricity supply in the district be restored by 31 December through temporary repairs, while major reconstruction work will be carried into the second phase.
The President pointed out the need to identify arable lands and give priority to cultivation. He instructed that cultivable paddy fields be identified urgently and supplied with the required irrigation water and highlighted the importance of coordinated action by the Department of Irrigation, Provincial Irrigation Department and the Department of Agrarian Development.
He also instructed officials to expedite the payment of the Rs. 200,000 compensation allocated to identified farmers and fields and to submit a report on the extent of vegetable cultivation affected in the district within two weeks. Accordingly, Rs. 150,000 per hectare will be paid as compensation to the affected vegetable farmers and necessary amendments will be made to provide the same compensation for losses incurred in banana cultivation.
The impact on the livestock sector due to the disaster was also broadly discussed. The President highlighted the need to maintain updated data regarding the number of farms and livestock.
He explained the need to restart damaged livestock farms swiftly, to restore income sources for the farmers and to meet the country’s food needs, including milk, poultry and eggs.
Discussions were also held regarding restoring fuel supply in the district. Due to road blockage, fuel supply has been disrupted in Pussellawa and Meetalawa. The President instructed that, through coordination between the Road Development Authority, the Tri-Forces and the Police, fuel be supplied to these areas by Saturday [06] evening.
The resumption of schools in the Kandy District was also discussed. The President instructed officials to minimise delays in reopening schools to ensure that examinations are held as scheduled.
The President also examined in detail the steps taken to restore the district’s health services, railways and communication facilities.
Discussions were held regarding housing damage and the resettlement of affected people. The roles of the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau and the required staffing needs were considered.
The President stated that state-owned lands in adjacent areas will be identified and presented for resettlement activities and necessary interventions will be made to release such lands through discussions with relevant institutions. He emphasised that the government’s objective is to resettle people safely and continuous assessment must be carried out to ensure that compensation provided for destroyed and partly damaged houses is used properly for reconstruction.
As all compensation payments will be made under the 2025 Budget, the President stressed the need to complete all payments before 31 December, to avoid a burden on the 2026 Budget. He said the dedication of all state officials is essential to successfully implement the programmes initiated to restore public life.
Attention was drawn to the garbage disposal problem in Gampola. As a long-term solution, the President instructed that, until the relevant Mahaweli land is released, land belonging to the Ceylon Electricity Board be temporarily allocated for the purpose.
Attention was also paid to the damage caused to state institutions due to the disaster situation.
While noting that natural disasters such as floods, storms and landslides cannot be prevented, the President emphasised that the loss of lives and property can be minimised. He stated that a proper study of the Central Highlands is needed and a long-term plan must be prepared to restore the eroding ecological system.
He further highlighted the need to enforce the powers of local authorities to prevent similar disasters in the future, stating that no room should be given for illegal constructions hereafter. He also noted that Ceylon Electricity Board should not provide electricity to such unauthorised locations.
The President stated that although some expected it would take a long time for the country to recover after the disaster, the government has already been able to restore public life to normalcy within a very short period. He added that by working together for a little longer, the desired goals can be achieved.
The President expressed special appreciation for the dedication shown by state officials and the Tri-Forces in carrying out these tasks.
Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation K.D. Lal Kantha, Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena, Deputy Minister of Health Hansaka Wijemuni, Members of Parliament Jagath Manuwarana and Thanura Dissanayake, as well as Central Province Governor Professor Sarath Abeykoon, Chief Secretary G.H.M.A. Premasinha, Kandy District Secretary Indika Udawatta and officials representing all line agencies including the Road Development Authority, Ceylon Electricity Board and the Irrigation Department attended the occasion.
The head of Turkiye’s football refereeing body and four other officials have been placed in pretrial detention by a court as part of a corruption investigation, the state news agency Anadolu reports.
Ferhat Gundogdu, head of the Central Referees Committee, and six others appeared before a judge over allegations of manipulation of the referee administration process, Anadolu said on Saturday.
They appeared on Friday before a judge at Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse on several charges, including forgery of official documents, breach of trust and illegal acquisition of personal data, the report said.
The judge remanded five people in custody and granted the other two conditional release, Anadolu said.
It was the latest scandal to shake football in Turkiye, coming exactly a year after the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) suspended 149 referees on charges of illegal betting.
On Thursday night, police from the illegal betting and sports crime unit also detained Yasin Kol, a referee from Turkiye’s top-flight Super Lig, as well as an assistant referee, media reports said.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said prosecutors are examining claims about “interference in the processes of referee classification, assignments, scoring and appointments as well as the exams on rules”.
During raids on Tuesday, police searched the VAR room at TFF’s headquarters in Istanbul. Observers said the investigation was likely linked to last year’s betting scandal and would have implications for the federation.
“It does seem to be a continuation of 2025, and it looks like it will continue further,” sports journalist Ayhan Sensoy told the AFP news agency.
Sensoy, who wrote a 2024 book on the issue called The Gambling Pit, said it was unlikely that federation bosses “have any chance of staying in office”.
So far, the TFF has not directly addressed the arrests as its top officials are due to fly home on Saturday after attending Friday night’s Belgium-Turkiye UEFA Nations League clash in Liege, which Turkiye lost 3-0.
[Aljazeera]
A car has crashed into a crowd of rugby league supporters in the eastern Australian city of Newcastle, injuring 10 people, including three children.
New South Wales police said on Saturday that two of the injured – a five-year-old girl and a 67-year-old man – were in a critical condition and the other eight were in stable condition in hospital.
Police said they had arrested the 18-year-old man driving the vehicle and were investigating what happened. They said the crash was not believed to be related to “terrorism”.
The crowd had gathered to farewell the local rugby league side, the Newcastle Knights, ahead of their grand final against the Sydney Roosters on Sunday.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Gavin Morris said the driver, a rugby league fan, had lost control of his vehicle and had been taken into custody.
“He was revving the car, he was excited, he was a supporter, he was there for the joy of the moment,” Morris told the national broadcaster ABC.
“Somehow he lost control of the car … and he’s gone into the crowd,” he added.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “My thoughts are with everyone injured or involved in the horrible incident this morning in Newcastle.”
“Rugby league brings people together, and this should have been a weekend of excitement and pride for Newcastle fans,” he wrote in a social media post.
[Aljazeera]
Polls have opened in Latvia for an election taking place against the backdrop of perceived security threats from Russia and a nationwide cost-of-living squeeze.
Saturday’s vote is the first electoral test for Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs after coming to power in May this year when his predecessor resigned due to a backlash from stray drone incursions from Ukraine.
Kulbergs, whose right-wing United List party is currently polling at about 20 percent, is expected to hold onto his position, but the decline of two allies in his current coalition means he is set for a complicated negotiation over the makeup of any future government.
Polls opened at 05:00 GMT and will close at 17:00 GMT. The results are not expected to change Latvia’s pro-European and pro-Ukrainian course.
About 1.5 million people are eligible to vote in the country’s 11th parliamentary election since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Latvian politics are highly fragmented, with parties rarely seeing above 20 percent vote share and coalitions being the norm.
This year, 14 electoral lists are contesting the election, but polls indicate only seven are likely to enter parliament, with the rest expected to fail to meet the minimum 5 percent vote threshold.
Rising living costs, low wages, strains on the healthcare system and long-term population decline have all featured prominently in campaign debates.
Most parties in Latvia are pro-Ukraine; however, the populist Sovereign Power party – which says it wants Ukraine to win but argues money spent supporting Kyiv would be better spent at home – looks likely to become the country’s second-biggest party, with more than 9 percent of the vote. Most other parties have ruled out forming a coalition with Sovereign Power.
Latvia First, a pro-Ukraine and populist nationalist party currently polling at about 9 percent, could be a potential coalition partner for PM Kulbergs.
The Progressives, a pro-European social democratic party, are polling at 6 percent.
Ethnic Russians make up roughly one in four Latvian citizens, but their vote, which has traditionally been cast along identity-based lines, looks set to be made according to economic and social issues.
Latvia is the poorest of the Baltic states, and it has sharply increased its defence spending since Russia invaded Ukraine, now allocating nearly 5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defence.
[Aljazeera]
Turkish court detains football refereeing chief pending corruption trial
Ten injured after car crashes into rugby supporters in Australia
Polls open in Latvia against backdrop of perceived Russia threat
Abhishek, Tilak and spinners secure gold for India at Asian Games again
Tharindu Rathnayake, bowlers secure Asian Games Bronze for Sri Lanka
G7 to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel after Trump export ban threat
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News6 days agoPolice remove Thileepan statue in Jaffna
-
Features6 days agoThe 22nd Amendment, constitutional recovery and illiberal slippage
-
Features6 days agoOf foreigners as CEOs of Lankan ventures
-
Latest News4 days agoGold winner Tharanga gets brand-new Honda Vezel from SLAAJ
-
News6 days agoSajith rejects Jt. Opp. protest sabotage claim; SJB TU chief demands remedial action
-
Features4 days agoWhy Sri Lanka needs an Inclusive Civic Nationalism – urgently
-
Features5 days agoThailand’s biggest new global star …
-
News3 days agoUS-assisted ‘Ice’ detection: NPC to examine IGP’s move to transfer drug-busting team