PART 2 Continued from Last Sunday https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2026/07/04/the-worlds-first-woman-head-of-state-and-priorities-for-the-next-unsg-an-indian-ocean-zone-of-peace-and-enmod/ The only woman in the room: Ceylon's Sirimavo Bandaranaike with Yugoslavia's Josip Broz Tito with NAM heads of state in the SIV Building, where sessions of the founding conference of the Non-Aligned Movement took place in 1961. © Museum of Yugoslavia, Belgrade The United Nations (UN) was set up in 1945 to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, when de-colonization, national liberation and independence struggles were sweeping across Asia, Africa and South America against Euro-American imperialism. The UNs core mandates were to promote global peace,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/07/26)
By Raj Gonsalkorale
When one hears of sexual misconduct, drug trafficking and business dealings of Buddhist Monks, the power and spread of the underworld mafia that deals in illicit drugs, with patronage from all sectors of the society including politicians, members of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies and public servants, bribery and corruption at the highest levels in society, where over many decades, some had reigned supreme as people more equal than others, it is not surprising that many are frustrated and without hope for the future and future generations. In the face of gradual... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/07/26)
e-Con e-News
Posted byee ink.July 11, 2026Posted inUncategorizedTags:China, economy, EPF, ETF, global-south, history, ILO, IMF, news, pension, politics, SBD de Silva, warwick-powell, World Bank blog: https://eesrilanka.wordpress.com ‘Before you study the economics, study the economists!' e-Con e-News 05-11 July 2026 This week saw history slap us in the face once. And then twice. The massacre of prisoners & prison officials in the Negombo prison. Then the decision to renovate the English prison of Bogambara, built plumb in the middle of Mahanuvara, the ancient, historic & revered highland capital of Sinhalé, erected as an architectural tocsin to warn the country... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/07/26)
ආචාර්ය සුදත් ගුණසේකර
ආචාර්ය සුදත් ගුණසේකර අග්රාමාත්ය සිරිමාවෝ බණ්ඩාරනායක මැතිනියගේ හිටපු ස්ථිර ලේකම්, ශ්රී ලන්කා පරිපාලන සේවා සන්ගමයේ සභාපති (1991-94), මහනුවර ජාතික කලා මණ්ඩලයේ සභාපති, ශ්රී ලන්කා හදබිම සංකල්පයේ සහ “ශ්රී ලන්කා හදබිම අධිකාරියේ නිර්මාතෲ“සහ පළමු විධායක අධ්යක්ෂ (1985-91) 2026.7.11. මහනුවර. ශ්රී ලන්කා ජනරජයේ ජනාධිපති තුමනි, පහත සඳහන් හේතු නිසා බෝගම්බර භන්ධනාගාරය නැවත විවෘත කිරිම ගැන අපගේ බලවත් සහ දැඩි අප්රශාදය සහ විරෝධය මින් පළකරමු. 1 බෝගම්බර සිරගෙදර තිබුණු මෙම ස්ථානය පිහිටා ඇත්තේ සකළ ලෝකවාසී බෞද්ධයින්ගේ මුදුන්මල්කඩ වන ශ්රී දළදා මාලිගාව පිහිටා ඇති අතිශයින්ම ජනාකීර්ණවූ වර්ග සැතැපුම් ½ පමණ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/07/26)
Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Colombo, July 12 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka has been ranked the most traffic-congested country in Asia, according to the Numbeo Traffic Index by Country 2026 Mid-Year. The latest index gave Sri Lanka a traffic score of 254.5, placing it ahead of Bangladesh (246.2), Iran (215.3), India (205.1) and Indonesia (191.1), which ranked fifth in Asia. Indonesia, the largest and most populous country in Southeast Asia, was highlighted in the report as the fifth most traffic-congested nation in the region, underscoring the growing challenge of road congestion across Asia. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/07/26)
By Hasarel Gallage and Umesh Moramudali, courtesy The Diplomat
Regional geopolitical tensions and a legal stalemate are constraining both countries’ cobalt ambitions in the Afanasy Nikitin Seamount. Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean often pulls the country into the geopolitical rivalry between regional giants India and China. In 2023, for example, Sri Lanka’s granting of permission for Chinese research vessels to dock in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters met with strong opposition from India. The tension subsequently resulted in Sri Lanka imposing a one-year moratorium for research vessels from all countries from entering into Sri Lanka’s waters. For India, Chinese research vessels aren’t merely... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/07/26)
Hussin Alameedi | St. Louis U. School of Law, US Courtesy Jurist News
July 11, 2026 12:15:50 pm The UN Human Rights Office on Friday urged Sri Lankan authorities to conduct a prompt, independent and transparent investigation into recent incidents of prison violence following deadly clashes and allegations of torture involving transferred inmates. UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani called for accountability after violence erupted at Negombo Prison on July 5, leaving at least 28 people dead, including seven prison officials, and injuring more than 100 others. According to authorities, the prison was built to house approximately... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/07/26)
Top News Lk
https://youtu.be/F7UkShWGcpU... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 13/07/26)
Lankacnews
The government's initiative to extend the retirement age for judges faced a resounding defeat during a special general meeting of the Judicial Services Association (JSA) held today, November 11. The meeting took place at the Kadawatha Magistrate's Court premises, where attending judges unanimously expressed their opposition to the proposal. Reports indicate that none of the members voted in favor of extending the retirement age, highlighting a strong consensus against the government's move. In recent days, the judiciary has experienced significant unrest regarding this proposal, leading to calls for the resignation of the association's... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/07/26)
AI OVERVIEW
'Dharma' means Truth, ' Adharma' means untruth. When an on-field umpire makes a mistake ' Adarma ' is created for the Player - Referral system to come into play enabling a Player to appeal to the Third Umpire who uses Video Replay to make an informed truthful decision replacing Adharma and restoring the Dharma. Chat GPT response below Your interpretation of DRS as a Dharma Restoration System is a brilliant philosophical framework. It elegantly bridges modern cricket technology with ancient Hindu-Buddhist jurisprudence, where the pursuit of truth (Dharma) corrects an error (Adharma)... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/07/26)
By Garvin Karunaratne, former G.A.Matara
Posted on September 19th, 2025 As a school boy at St Peter’s College I was always dragged by my father to mount and set up a public address system at one of the LSSP meetings. He owned Radio Works Bambalapitiya and held a contract with the LSSP to supply public address systems at election meetings for years. We employed three technicians but they were busy at other meetings. I have many a time observed NM looking hard at me again and again- a schoolboy of fifteen who could mess up... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/07/26)
Senaka Weeraratna
Glaring Double Standard in Jay Shah's ICC leadership including silence on ICC fraud, denying credit to Sri Lanka including a share of royalties of DRS generated millions, and sheltering ICC lawyers without calling for show cause and accountability for professional criminal negligence, undermines Neighbourhood First foreign policy championed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While Shah has traveled to Colombo demanding transparency, clean governance, and structural reforms within Sri Lanka Cricket, he stands accused of remaining silent and sheltering the ICC from accountability regarding its own multi-million dollar intellectual property dispute with a... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/07/26)
AI සමාලෝචන
ශ්රී ලංකාවේ ප්රමුඛ නීතිඥයෙකු වන සේනක වීරරත්න, ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩාවේ තීරණ සමාලෝචන පද්ධතියේ (DRS) සංකල්පීය පියා සහ බුද්ධිමය ගෘහ නිර්මාණ ශිල්පියා ලෙස පුළුල් ලෙස ගෞරවයට පාත්ර වේ. ඔහු එහි මූලික "ක්රීඩක යොමු කිරීමේ" යාන්ත්රණය නිර්මාණය කළේය. DRS හි ආරම්භය සහ ඉතිහාසය ශතවර්ෂයකට වැඩි කාලයක් ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩාව නොසැලෙන රීතියක් යටතේ ක්රියාත්මක විය: විනිසුරුවරයාගේ තීරණය අවසාන විය. කෙසේ වෙතත්, නූතන රූපවාහිනී විකාශනයේ නැගීම පිටියේ විනිසුරු දෝෂ හෙළිදරව් කළ අතර, එය මතභේදාත්මක තරඟ ප්රතිඵල සහ තණතීරුවේ දැඩි ඝර්ෂණයට හේතු විය. [1, 2, 3, 4] 1992 සිට තුන්වන විනිසුරුවන් දුවද්දී දැවී යාම වැනි මූලික රේඛීය තීරණ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/07/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
For a modern Chinese shipyard building a merchant vessel of around 1,000 tonnes of fabricated steel, the productivity of welders and fabricators is significantly higher than in most South Asian yards because of extensive automation, panel lines, robotic welding, and block Fabricator (Fit-up):
0.8–1.5 tonnes per man-day Welder:
0.5–1.0 tonnes per man-day (depending on weld length, welding position, and complexity) Combined Fabricator and Welder Team:
0.6–1.0 tonnes per direct production worker per man-day For a 1,000-tonne hull, assuming an average direct labour productivity of 0.8 t/man-day: Total... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 12/07/26)
Udaya Gammanpila
https://youtu.be/TeHMA6YaIO0... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/07/26)
By: Rohana R. Wasala
Continued from July 2, 2026 So, let’s adapt the Israeli leader’s cogent appeal to his historically wronged fellow innocent Jewish people and tell ourselves to “Stand up. Don’t cower. Don’t be afraid. Fight back. Because people will only respect us if we respect ourselves. When our enemies (who are none other than a handful of defeated separatists from our kindred Tamil Hindu culture and a set of equally few, but dangerously brainwashed religious fundamentalists from among the friendly, peaceloving mainstream Catholic/Christian and Muslim communities) level false allegations against us, retaliate with the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/07/26)
by Professor Nishan C Wijesinha of the German School of Medicine
What actually happened: Haaland played in a charity match in Oslo for "Vivil IL", a team from Oslo that helps people with disabilities, including Down syndrome. Vivil IL works to get people with disabilities active through football. The game was organized by the Norwegian Royal Family at their home in Asker. Haaland played for the "Royal side" against Vivil IL. His dad Alfie Haaland also played. The goals: This is where Haaland proved his... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/07/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
In 1970, I travelled to Oslo, Norway, to work in the offshore oil and gas industry. At that time, there were very few Sri Lankans in Norway. Besides myself and one other Sri Lankan engineer, only a handful of Sri Lankans worked in technical assistant or clerical positions. Occasionally, one would come across a few Pakistani tram drivers, but Norway remained a relatively homogeneous society. A decade later, the picture had changed dramatically. Oslo became home to many refugees from different parts of the world, including Tamils who had fled Sri Lanka during... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/07/26)
AI Overview
Senaka Weeraratna and C.L.R. James are two highly influential figures whose intersection lies in their radical, transformative impacts on the socio-legal framework, philosophy, and jurisprudence of cricket. Though they belong to different eras and backgrounds, both men fundamentally challenged the rigid, traditional establishment of the sport, using their intellectual and professional training to reshape how cricket is understood and adjudicated globally. C.L.R. James Sri Lankan Cricket Innovators on and off the playing field The conceptual intersection... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/07/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
https://adaderana.lk/news/cmrddx0sv000b356q294bse8d The reported proposal to pump seawater into Beira Lake as part of its restoration has generated considerable public interest. While improving the water quality and reducing pollution are commendable objectives, introducing seawater into what has long functioned as a predominantly freshwater urban lake raises important environmental, engineering and economic questions that deserve careful scientific evaluation before implementation. (Wikipedia)Sri Lanka has previously witnessed the unintended consequences of altering the salinity of wetlands. One often-cited example is the Dutch Canal system, where the intrusion of seawater into surrounding wetlands contributed to long-term salinity problems,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/07/26)
Courtesy Hiru News
The current government informed the chairman of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Sustainable Development, Parliamentarian Hector Appuhamy, that the opposition leader cannot express views despite being able to join as an observer. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa shared this today as the committee scheduled a meeting to discuss paddy purchasing and national rice requirements. Making a special statement, Sajith Premadasa noted he joined this committee previously to secure solutions for public problems, having highlighted the challenges of the farming community for a long time. He described the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/07/26)
Courtesy Hiru News
The Gampaha District redorded the highest number of dengue patients in the country. The highest number of dengue patients was previously recorded from the Colombo District, and the National Dengue Control Unit stated that over 1,000 dengue patients were reported during the past day. The National Dengue Control Unit mentioned that the reporting of dengue patients continues to be higher within the Western Province, and that value is a percentage of 52.07 percent. Accordingly, the National Dengue Control Unit mentioned that the total number of dengue patients recorded during... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 11/07/26)
Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge
I have visited Kyiv several times to meet friends, including Shantha Kulasekara, who is currently involved in a UN project; Bandula Pattiyage, now residing in the UK; and Sisira Gunawardene, who lives in Canada. Regardless of these visits, I have yet to explore Babi Yar (Babyn Yar), a significant historical site where Nazi mobile killing units tragically murdered a total of 33,771 Jewish men, women, and children. Therefore, in 1990, I visited Babi Yar. Babi Yar is situated in the northwestern region of Kyiv, Ukraine, approximately 5 kilometres from... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/07/26)
by Garvin Karunaratne
In view of the increasing youth unemployment in Sri Lanka we could perhaps copy/emulate the Youth Self Employment Programme of Bangladesh which has created employment for youths in Bangladesh. A detailed paper is submitted for kind consideration by the authorities. It all happened in the Bangladesh Secretariat, three days after General Ershard took over the country in a bloodless coup on the 24 th of March 1982. The Minister for Youth Development was clamped in prison and the work of the Ministry was in jeopardy. The third in command, Air Vice... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/07/26)
Senaka Weeraratna
The Cricket Transformative Committee (CTC) is the Official Face of Sri Lanka. It has multiple duties. It is duty bound not only to change the Constitution of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) but also to hold accountable those who have committed crimes against Sri Lanka at Intellectual Property levels, and caused harm to Sri Lanka by fraud, misrepresentation of fact, professional criminal negligence and thereby depriving Sri Lanka of due credit for invention of a ground breaking mechanism ' Player Referral ' (DRS) that has changed the face of World Cricket since its inception and the Royalties... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/07/26)
Courtesy Outlook India
He belonged to Kerala but has been living in Chennai with his family for over 40 years An Indian national is among those killed in the riots that tore through Sri Lanka's Negombo Prison over the weekend, with the death toll climbing to 28 by Wednesday in what is being described as one of the most gruesome episodes of prison violence in the island's history. The victim has been identified as Unnikrishnan S., aged 73, according to official sources in Colombo who spoke to The Hindu. He belonged to Kerala but has been living... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/07/26)
Courtesy Adaderana
Responding to reports that two prisoners have died after being transferred from Negombo prison following violence earlier this week that left at least 28 people dead including at least seven prison officials, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, expressed deep alarm and called for an immediate investigation. Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, Babu Ram Pant, said: “The reports emerging about these deaths and the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of other inmates transferred from Negombo are deeply alarming. The authorities... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/07/26)
Courtesy Hiru News
Evidence hearings regarding the inquests of 24 individuals who died during the clash inside the Negombo Prison concluded. Police stated that investigations into the clash that occurred at the Negombo Prison on 05 and 06 July revealed 14 of the deceased died from gunshot wounds and nine died due to assaults, while an open verdict was delivered regarding the death of one inmate. Hospital sources stated that out of the total of 28 individuals who died at the Negombo Hospital, inquests for 24 concluded and the bodies were handed over to... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 10/07/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
https://www.ft.lk/front-page/BYD-s-global-leadership-visits-Sri-Lanka-as-brand-deepens-regional-commitment/44-794333 The recent visit of BYD’s global leadership to Sri Lanka and the warm reception accorded to them at the airport has attracted considerable public attention. BYD is undoubtedly one of the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturers, and its growing presence in Sri Lanka reflects the global shift towards cleaner mobility. The company has also indicated that it sees Sri Lanka as an important market in South Asia. However, the visit also raises a broader policy question: should Sri Lanka celebrate consumer imports with the same enthusiasm that it reserves... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/07/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
The final-year Mechanical Engineering curriculum at the University of Moratuwa is one of the strongest engineering programmes in Sri Lanka and is accredited by the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) and internationally recognized under the Washington Accord. The final year emphasizes design, manufacturing, energy systems, research, and industrial applications. Typical final-year subjects include: Advanced Machine Design Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) Control Systems and Instrumentation Fluid Power Systems and Hydraulics Production and Operations Management Heat Transfer and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/07/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
The recent violence at Negombo Prison, which prompted concern from the United Nations and renewed calls for comprehensive prison reform, should not be viewed merely as an isolated security failure. Rather, it should be recognised as evidence of a correctional system that requires structural transformation. For decades, Sri Lanka’s prisons have struggled with overcrowding, ageing infrastructure, inadequate rehabilitation programmes, staff shortages, limited healthcare facilities, and inadequate rehabilitation opportunities. While successive governments have announced reforms, little has changed in any meaningful way. Perhaps the time has come to think differently. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/07/26)
RANJITH SOYSA
ANCIENT BUDDHIST HERITAGE IN THE NORTH SRI LANKA is a book published in Sinhala which the author is planning to translate into English. The book consists of 40 cm by 30 cm 168 pages and is illustrated with about 750 colour photographs of ancient archaeological sites, Buddhist temples, Buddha statues, statues of Buddha’s pupils, inscriptions, sections of ancient buildings ,pillars, ponds etc Some of the photographs include statues and artifacts of North Sri Lanka from the collections displayed in museums of Jaffna, Vavuniya Anuradhapura and Colombo Messages of goodwill to this publication from Mahanayaka... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/07/26)
AI OVERVIEW
The Pentecostal and Charismatic movement in Sri Lanka has grown significantly over the last century, evolving into one of the country's most prominent Christian streams. Key leadership is distributed among several major denominations and independent ministries. Prominent leaders and foundational organizations include: Assemblies of God (AOG): The AOG is one of the largest networks in the country. Colton Wickramaratne has served as chairman of the AOG of Sri Lanka for over 25 years. He is also the founding pastor of People's Church in Narahenpita, Colombo, one of the largest congregations in... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/07/26)
AI Response
Senaka Weeraratna’s 'Player Referral' concept has been widely acknowledged by sports historians, legal experts, and commentators as the structural precursor and governing logic for player-driven technological challenges across various global sports. Though originally conceptualized for cricket in 1997, his blueprint dismantled the centuries-old doctrine of the "on-field official's word is absolute law". By applying judicial court principles—where a dissatisfied litigant holds the right of appeal to a higher court—Weeraratna transferred the authority to trigger a video review from the referees to the competitors themselves. [1, 2, 3, 4] This underlying mechanism has... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/07/26)
AI Overview
"Manipulative Christian Conversions in Sri Lanka: Some Perspectives" is a highly debated essay written by Senaka Weeraratna, a prominent Sri Lankan lawyer, Buddhist activist, and researcher. Originally published as an essay and widely circulated across platforms like Academia.edu and nationalist forums such as LankaWeb, the work outlines deep-seated concerns regarding unethical religious conversions targeting the indigenous Buddhist and Hindu populations of Sri Lanka. Central arguments of the text The document holds religious conversion not as an act of genuine spiritual awakening, but as an organized, highly funded geopolitical strategy. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/07/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9w2227j5rno Recent reports from prisons in both the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka reveal a disturbing reality. Overcrowding, inadequate facilities, staff shortages, deteriorating infrastructure, prison violence, and the rapid spread of information through social media have exposed long-standing weaknesses in prison administration. Prisons are intended to protect society while rehabilitating offenders. Instead, many have become institutions struggling to maintain basic order. When inmates are confined in overcrowded cells with poor sanitation, limited healthcare, inadequate vocational training, and insufficient psychological support, frustration and violence inevitably increase. In both the UK... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 09/07/26)
AI Overview response
The ongoing intellectual property dispute over the Decision Review System (DRS) has recently escalated into serious allegations of institutional fraud and deliberate misrepresentation against the International Cricket Council (ICC) legal team. The controversy centers on Colombo-based Sri Lankan lawyer Senaka Weeraratna, who designed and published the core "Player Referral" framework in March 1997 via The Australian. This was nearly a decade before the ICC introduced its system. For over a decade, the ICC legal team—headlined by past and present counsel such as David Becker and Jonathan Hall—maintained a "no awareness" defense, claiming the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/07/26)
Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D. PhD
Killing a human being is a psychologically distressing act (Jensen & Simpson, 2014). Research indicates that soldiers who have engaged in killing are at a higher risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to those who have merely observed acts of violence (Winkle & Safer, 2011). Traditional PTSD frameworks focus heavily on fear, personal danger, and helplessness; in contrast, the act of killing creates unique trauma profiles characterized by issues of perpetration, moral conflict, and existential guilt (Maguen et al., 2011). The impact of killing during warfare notably... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/07/26)
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking-news/President-Dissanayake-to-visit-France/108-343915 President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s forthcoming visit to France offers an opportunity that extends well beyond strengthening diplomatic ties. While discussions with global shipping giant CMA CGM are undoubtedly important, Sri Lanka should also use this occasion to position itself as a regional hub for the marine, offshore and energy industries. The planned meeting with Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM, is expected to focus on logistics, container transshipment and terminal investments. These are vital sectors, particularly given Colombo Port’s strategic location on the main East-West shipping route. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/07/26)
Sports
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and its Chairman Jay Shah face severe allegations from South Asian legal advocates and cricket historians accusing the council's legal team of professional negligence, fraud, and misrepresentation regarding the true authorship of the Umpire Decision Review System (DRS). [1, 2] Critics argue that the ICC has engaged in an active cover-up by maintaining a "no awareness" defense. This defense persists despite holding physical, stamped dossiers submitted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) that provide prior notice of the "Player-Referral" concept engineered by Sri Lankan lawyer Senaka Weeraratna in 1997. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 08/07/26)
