Malaysia lose opening ARFU U-19 match to Sri Lanka
Host Malaysia’s hopes of kicking off the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) Division One Under-19 tournament on a winning note was dashed by a lapse in concentration in the final minutes. Malaysia who were leading Sri Lanka 21-20 until the final minute, conceded a late try to see Sri Lanka walk away with a 27-21 victory at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) today.
Sri Pada season begins today
The annual Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) pilgrim season begins today. The pilgrimage season runs from Unduwap poya (December) to Wesak poya Festival (May), reaching its peak mid-season at Medin poya. The Police calls upon the pilgrims to refrain from carrying or consuming liquor during the pilgrimage and to handover all musical instruments to the Police Post for collection on their return. The Police warns to take legal action on pilgrims who ignore these instructions.
Parliament to debate on new Constitution
Sri Lankan parliament will have a three-day debate in January on the proposals for a new Constitution, Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella said. Sri Lanka sponsored the resolution adopted by the UNHRC in September last year to work out a political solution to the country’s Tamil issue, Xinhua news agency reported. The country ended its 30-year war in May 2009. Since then there has been demands for power devolution. Kiriella said six sub-committees had worked out proposals and they would be debated in Parliament between January 9 and 11. “This is the first time in Sri Lanka that a Constitution making process has been underway under the glare of the media. Earlier, it was not open to the media. The general public can see what we do,” he said. After the debate, the views of respective political parties will be taken up for consideration in drafting the new Constitution.
Lieutenant drowns in Kala Oya
A 42-year-old Lieutenant attached to the Mullikulam navy camp has drowned while bathing in Kala Oya, Ada Derana reporter said. The Lieutenant and a group of sailors had attended a party held in Eluwankulama when the tragedy happened, it was reported. He was pronounced dead upon his admission to the Puttalam hospital. The deceased has been identified as a resident of Kandana. The remains of the Lieutenant are deposited at the same hospital pending a post-mortem.
Antonio Guterres sworn in as new UN secretary-general
Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was sworn in Monday as Secretary-General of the United Nations, becoming the ninth U.N. chief in the body’s 71-year history. The former U.N. refugee chief was elected to the top job by acclamation in the General Assembly in October. He will take over duties from Ban Ki-moon on Jan. 1. Guterres, 67, performed well in answering questions before assembly members and his executive experience as prime minister and as the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005-2015 propelled him to first place among 13 candidates vying for the job in informal polls in the Security Council. After the sixth poll, the council nominated him by acclamation and his name was sent to the assembly for final approval. After being sworn in by General Assembly President John William Ashe, Guterres addressed the 193 member nations, saying the world body must work to simplify, decentralise and make more flexible its sprawling bureaucracy. “It benefits no one if takes nine months to deploy a staff member to the field,” he said. “The United Nations needs to be nimble, efficient and effective. It must focus more on delivery and less on process, more on people and less on bureaucracy.” The swearing-in came after the 193 General Assembly members paid tribute to Ban, ending with a standing ovation for the native South Korean. The swearing-in ceremony included the U.N.’s top leaders and was attended by dignitaries including Myanmar politician and Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
Cyclone Vardah: Flight operations resume at Chennai airport
A day after Cyclone ‘Vardah’ ripped through Chennai, the city presented a scene of devastation with thousands of uprooted trees, broken billboards and snapped telephone and power cables besides low-lying areas reporting waterlogging in India. Flight operations resumed this morning in the storm-hit city which was limping back to normalcy. The storm, which was the most intense to have hit the Tamil Nadu capital in two decades and left four persons dead, snapped communication lines, flattened homes, and threw into disarray rail, road and air traffic as it crossed the Chennai coast on Monday. However, with the rains having abated since morning, people came out on the streets and some of them queued up at roadside tea stalls. Office-goers were seen waiting at bus stops and railway stations with few services being operated. Southern Railway said skeletal services resumed in the MMC, Sulurpettah section while that on the busy Tambaram-Chengalpattu route were yet to be operated. Flight operations, which were suspended at the Chennai airport, have resumed. “Flight operations have resumed at Chennai airport today (Tuesday) morning,” Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju tweeted.
Port damaged in protests – Arjuna
The Sri Lankan Minister of Ports and Shipping, Arjuna Ranatunga has said that recent protests have left the Port of Hambantota in a significant state of damage. The act of dissent lasted for a total of 6 days and tensions got so high that on Sunday December 11, naval troops were forced to intervene and fire warning shots in an attempt to disperse the crowd. The strikers were initially causing disruption by preventing the Japanese vehicle carrier Hyperion Highway from leaving the port. The striking workers of port sabotaged equipment and operations, flooded the main administration building and left deactivated crane machines in ships so they cannot leave. It is believed that the protests cost the shipping line USD $100,000 a day in lost business alone. Arjuna Ranatunga went on to say “We do not know how much it will cost to fix this. These people have behaved very badly and done major damage to the Port”. The Minister was also quick to condemn the danger that the protests posed. Oil tanks and international ships were present at the port and he claims if the navy hadn’t intervened, the problems could have worsened immeasurably. The temporary workers began striking last Tuesday (December 6 2016) in a bid to secure permanent employment status. The workers are worried that the Sri-Lankan Ports Authority are looking to hand over an 80% stake in the port to Chinese firm, China Merchants Ports Holding Company, and fear for the security of their jobs. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported in the wake of the pandemonium at the port
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