News
65 elephants killed in 2021

By Ifham Nizam
The number of elephant deaths for 2021 jumped to 65 yesterday with four new deaths within 72 hours.
Scientists, elephant experts and environmental organisations insist that the government needs to put an end to rapidly increasing encroachment on forests.
The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) is organising a national symposium on human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka and environmental experts Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya, Dr. Devaka Weerakoon, Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando and Dr. Depani Jayantha and Hemantha Withanage would speak at the event. They will
highlight the impact of ad hoc policies and unsystematic electric fencing.
Last week, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa insisted that a large-scale
land grab had not taken place under his administration.
“There are allegations that we are destroying the environment ,” President Rajapaksa said speaking at a Gama Samaga Pilisandarak programme on Saturday, “I was once asked to look into an issue where officials had barred people from entering lands that they had been cultivating for generations. I then provided a practical solution to it. That does not mean go and start cutting down trees in forests”.
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Sagala Ratnayaka leads Sri Lanka delegation to 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue

Chief of Staff to the President and National Security Advisor (NSA) Sagala Ratnayaka led the Sri Lanka delegation to the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier Security Summit held in Singapore from 2 – 4 June 2023.
The highly anticipated summit commenced on 2 June with a powerful Keynote address delivered by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Throughout the event, a series of plenary sessions delved into various crucial geo-political issues, encompassing the establishment of a stable and balanced Asia Pacific, the resolution of regional tensions, the evolution of maritime security in Asia, US leadership in the Indo-Pacific, and China’s latest security initiatives, among other topics.
During the Special Session focusing on ‘Defence Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region,’ Ratnayaka delivered an impactful statement, participating alongside representatives from India, Oman, France, and the United States. He emphasized the significance of keeping big power rivalries and external conflicts out of the Indian Ocean, highlighting Sri Lanka’s efforts in the United Nations to declare the region as a zone of peace. Furthermore, he underscored the country’s contributions to preserving freedom of navigation and over flight, stressing the crucial need for constructive dialogue among all stakeholders in the Indian Ocean region to pursue shared interests.
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Prices of sixty essential drugs to be reduced from 15th June

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal raised by the Minister of Health to reduce the maximum retail price of 60 medicines by 16% with effect from 15.06.2023 and review the price of medicines every three months
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The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the proposal submitted by the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional Reforms for publishing the draft bill prepared by the Legal Draftsman which includes the clear and precise provisions and situational circumstances regarding the offense of ‘contempt of court’ , defense and easing the penalty as well as the procedure to follow when easing the penalty, in the government gazette and subsequently to be tabled in the Parliament for its concurrence.
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