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Govt. has taken steps to move away from welfare state – FM
The government has taken substantial steps to move away from a welfare state in the last 18 months, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohomed Ali Sabry said recently on a televised interview.He said that the current government has introduced cost reflective pricing for utilities.
“No one thought this could be done. We can’t keep on subsidizing State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Some SOEs are being privatized,” he said.Minister Sabry said that the IMF in the 1990s took a series of unpopular decisions. However, the IMF has changed, he said.
“The recommendations they have given us are good. They have asked us to be more efficient, less corrupt and increase the welfare dole outs to the most vulnerable,” he said.
Minister Sabry said that during his tenure as Minister of Justice he attempted to increase the number of hard drugs, like heroin, that a person needed to possess to give them a life sentence.
“Now it’s two grams. I wanted to increase it to five. People who have about a gram or two with them often are addicts. We need to rehabilitate them. What the police often do is claim a person possesses drugs over two grams and file a case at the high courts. Then the drugs are sent to the government analyst who takes six months to send the report. 99 percent of the time the government analyst says there are less than two grams here. The addicts who had been languishing in jails are then granted bail. This is a ludicrous situation. There are thousands of such cases. There is no time to listen to cases of big time drug dealers,” he said. (RK)
A commemorative service was held in memory of Rasaiah Parthipan commonly known by the nom de guerre ‘Thileepan’ in Nallur Jaffna this morning (26).
Parthipan a revolutionary member of the LTTE and a student of the University of Jaffna, commenced a hunger strike on 15th September 1987 untill his death on 26th September 1987. He was 23 years old at the time of his demise.
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Landslide Early Warnings issued to the districts of Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambanthota, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura
The National Building Research Institute has issued landslide early warnings to the districts of Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambanthota, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura from 16:00 hrs on 25.09.2026 To 16:00 hrs on 26.09.2026
Accordingly,
LEVEL III [RED] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Neluwa, Nagoda, Niyagama and Thawalama inthe Galle district, Ganga Ihala Korale, Udapalatha, Doluwa and Pasbage Korale in the Kandy district, and Kothmale West, Ambagamuwa, Kotmale East and Norwood in the Nuwara Eliya district.
LEVEL II [AMBER] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Elpitiya, Baddegama and Karandeniya in the Galle district, Walallawita in the Kalutara district, Deltota, Udunuwara, Gangawata Korale, Yatinuwara and Panvila in the Kandy district, Aranayake, Dehiowita, Mawanella, Deraniyagala and Yatiyanthota in the Kegalle district, Thalawakelle in the Nuwara Eliya district and Ratnapura and Pelmadulla in the Ratnapura district.
LEVEL I [YELLOW] landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Seethawaka and Padukka in the Colombo district, Attanagalla and Mirigama in the Gampaha district, Katuwana and Walasmulla in the Hambanthota district, Ingiriya and Bulathsinhala in the Kalutara district, Hatharaliyadda, Poojapitiya, Medadumbara, Kundasale, Ududumbara, Thumpane, Akurana, Pathadumbara, Harispattuwa and Pathahewaheta in the Kandy district, Warakapola, Bulathkohupitiya, Galigamuwa, Kegalle and Ruwanwella in the Kegalle district, Mallawapitiya, Alawwa, Polgahawela and Mawathagama in the Kegalle district, Pitabeddara, Kotapola and Pasgoda in the Matara district, Nuwara Eliya in the Nuwara Eliya district and Elapatha, Ayagama, Nivithigala, Kuruwita and Kalawana in the Ratnapura district
Parliament yesterday passed the Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill with two-thirds majorities, with 158 MPs voting in favour and 63 against each Bill.
The Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) voted with the SJB against the Bills.
NDF MPs Ravi Karunanayake and Faizer Musthapha and SJB Badulla District MP Nayana Wasalathilaka were not present when the votes were taken.
The final vote on the Judicature (Amendment) Bill was announced at around 8.08 p.m. after Opposition MPs called for divisions on its clauses during the Committee Stage.
The votes followed a two-day debate which commenced on Thursday (24), after Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara presented the Bills for their Second Reading.
The Supreme Court’s determination on the Bills was presented to Parliament on Tuesday (22) by Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne. The Court determined that the 22nd Amendment Bill did not require approval at a referendum and could be passed by a special two-thirds majority in Parliament.
The amendment provides for raising the mandatory retirement age of Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67 and that of Court of Appeal judges from 63 to 65. It also provides for the Chief Justice to retire at 67 or after completing six years in office, whichever comes earlier.
The Speaker informed Parliament that the Judicature (Amendment) Bill could be passed by a simple majority.
The SJB opposed the legislation and its MPs attended Parliament dressed in black yesterday. The party also staged a protest at Polduwa Junction, Battaramulla, under the theme “No to 22, which destroys democracy”, with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and several SJB politicians participating.
Thileepan rembered on 39th death anniversary
Landslide Early Warnings issued to the districts of Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambanthota, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura
Showers in the Western, Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Batticaloa and Ampara districts.
22A, Judicature Amendment Bills passed with 2/3 majority
TIN mandatory for key transactions from Nov. 1
Navy brings 25 Indonesian fishermen ashore after trawler capsizes
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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