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Ambassador Kohona thanks China for coming to Lanka’s rescue with generous assistance
Sri Lanka Ambassador to China Dr. Palitha Kohona attended the opening of the China-South Asia Emergency Supplies Reserve in Chengdu on July 9.
The Lankan Embassy in Beijing said: The emergency reserve was the result of a Zoom meeting convened by Foreign Minister Wang Yi in April and attended by the Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Given the regularity with which natural disasters seem to afflict the South Asian region, the creation of the emergency reserve would enable the reserve to dispatch emergency supplies with the least delay. Today the mobilisation of emergency supplies takes too long.
Vice Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao, a former Ambassador to Colombo, presided over the ceremony. The Vice Governor of Sichuan and the Mayor of Chengdu attended the event.
Ambassador Dr. Kohona in his remarks said that South Asia suffered regularly from natural calamities and the emergency reserve would be a great response mechanism and an asset. With climate change increasingly causing climate related emergencies with unpredictable and unusual weather, the creation of the emergency reserve was timely.
President Xi Jinping has committed China to be carbon neutral by 2060 and was leading the world’s response to climate change by example. China was an example to the world. The leadership provided by the Communist Party of China was exemplary.
Ambassador Dr. Kohona thanked China for coming to Sri Lanka’s assistance generously with vaccines when the COVID-19 situation was threatening to slip out of control. He also said that Sri Lanka had a well-mobilised public healthcare sector which bore the brunt of the national COVID-19 response. It was a resource that Sri Lanka would be able to share with the world when the pandemic comes under adequate control in Sri Lanka.
News
Showers will occur in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 02 SEPTEMBER 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 02 September 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
The atmospheric conditions are getting favorable for afternoon thundershowers in the Northern, North-central, Eastern and Uva provinces in the next few days.
Several spells of showers will occur in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Eastern and Uva provinces and in Mullaitivu district after 2.00 p.m.
Fairly strong winds of about (30-40) kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the Central hills, the North-central and North-western provinces and in Hambantota and Matale districts.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.
Latest News
Sun directly overhead Anamaduwa, Moragollagama, Dambulla, Manampitiya and Valaichchenai, at about 12.10 noon today (02)
The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.
The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (02) are Anamaduwa, Moragollagama, Dambulla, Manampitiya and Valaichchenai, at about 12.10 noon.
News
SC rejects petitioners’ request for full bench
The Supreme Court yesterday rejected a request that the petitions challenging the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution be heard by a full bench of the Supreme Court.
Rejecting the request, Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena said the consideration of the petitions would proceed before the five-judge bench.
Appearing on behalf of one of the petitioners, President’s Counsel M. A. Sumanthiran made the request when the petitions were called for hearing yesterday before a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Surasena.
President’s Counsel Saliya Pieris, Ali Sabry, Geoffrey Alagaratnam, Eraj de Silva, Srinath Perera, Anura Meddegoda, and Maithri Gunaratne, along with other counsel appearing for several other petitioners, also made the same request.
Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, pointed out that the authority to determine the composition of a judicial bench rested with the Chief Justice. Refering to Article 132(3) of the Constitution, the Solicitor General argued that the discretion to determine the number of judges on a bench lay with the Chief Justice and that no other party had the authority to interfere in the matter.
Counsel including President’s Counsel Nigel Hatch, appearing for an intervening petitioner, also made submissions pointing out that the discretion to determine the composition of a bench rested with the Chief Justice.
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