News
EU funded policy roundtable held in Sri Lanka to discuss a cleaner marine environment
As part of the ‘Prevention of Marine Litter in the Lakshadweep Sea’ (PROMISE) project, funded by the European Union (EU), through the SWITCH-Asia Programme. Government institutions, academia, NGOs, international development organizations, and tourism industry associations, gathered, in Colombo, for a policy roundtable discussion.
The PROMISE project has organized a series of policy roundtable meetings to look at solutions to tackle marine litter in the Lakshadweep Sea between Sri Lanka, the Maldives and India. This was a follow-up meeting to the first policy roundtable meeting, held last year. The second policy roundtable meeting focused on policy benchmarking and discussion around adaptation to challenges and gaps in the Sri Lankan context, followed by the design and development of policy prototype solutions.
The Head of Cooperation from the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Mrs. Jenny Correia Nunes, delivered the keynote speech emphasizing that “while marine pollution is a transboundary issue, we need also to look at national solutions, considering that the economy of Sri Lanka depends substantially on its marine and coastal environments.”
The EU has been a driving force, globally, to achieve climate neutrality, and the PROMISE project can help the economies of Sri Lanka, the Maldives and India to make a green transition and keep our seas clean.”
PROMISE is a four-year project (2020-2024), supported by the European Union (EU), under the SWITCH-Asia Programme. It promotes sustainable consumption and production in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The project activities target tourism clusters, located along the Lakshadweep shorelines in the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India. It aims to prevent the leakage of wastes from land-based sources into the Lakshadweep Sea. The project is implemented by the Maldives National University (MNU), in collaboration with Parley for the Oceans, the National Cleaner Production Centre, the Energy and Resources Institute, STENUM Asia, and adelphi research.
The Ministry of Education has announced that all schools in the island will be closed on 13th and 14th November due to the Parliamentary Election.
By Rathindra Kuruwita
More than 8,800 candidates were contesting this year’s general election, but fewer than 1,000 of them were actively campaigning, Rohana Hettiarachchi, Executive Director of the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), said yesterday.
“This low level of enthusiasm reflects the strain on political parties which have had to contest elections one after the other,” Hettiarachchi said, noting that voters themselves seemed less enthusiastic about the election. “There is significant disillusionment with traditional parties. Additionally, with campaign finance laws now in place, questionable individuals and entities are restricted from injecting money, leading many big spenders from previous elections to withdraw,” he said.
Although hundreds of political parties and independent groups were contesting and are allowed to establish around 600,000 campaign offices, only about 9,200 offices have been set up, Hettiarachchi added.
…assumes jurisdiction over case
By A. J. A. Abeynayake
The Supreme Court issued an order yesterday (07) directing the immediate transfer of a case regarding the possession of several unregistered elephants from the Colombo Additional Magistrate’s Court to its own jurisdiction.
The Supreme Court also instructed the Magistrate’s Court not to take any further steps concerning the case. Additionally, it issued a stay order on all directives given by the Magistrate’s Court regarding the case filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) until the conclusion of its examination of the related petitions.
This ruling was made by a Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justice Arjuna Obeysekere, in response to submissions by President’s Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardena, who argued that the previous order issued by an Colombo Additional Magistrate’s Court, allowing the release of illegally held elephants back to the individuals in possession of them was unlawful.
The Centre for Environmental and Cultural Studies and several other parties had previously filed the case, which was called for hearing yesterday (07).
President’s Counsel Sanjeeva Jayawardena also brought to the notice of the Supreme Court that despite an order from the Court of Appeal preventing the release of elephants held by the Department of Wildlife in connection with this case, the Magistrate’s Court had recently issued an order releasing the elephants back to the individuals in possession of them.
Rauf, Ayub hand Pakistan first ODI win in Australia since 2017
Schools closed on 13th and 14th November
Showers or thundershowers will occur in most parts of the island
-
Business7 days agoStandard Chartered appoints Harini Jayaweera as Chief Compliance Officer
-
News6 days agoFifteen heads of Sri Lanka missions overseas urgently recalled
-
News6 days agoFive-star hotels stop serving pork products
-
News5 days agoITAK denies secret pact with NPP
-
Features6 days agoWaiting for a Democratic Opposition
-
Sports6 days agoSri Lanka’s path to Lord’s
-
Opinion5 days agoLawyers’ Collective calls on govt., all political parties to commit to repeal of PTA
-
News6 days agoLanka eyes default exit by December; IMF review completion after budget: CB Governor