UK NEWS

British Council’s Schools programme has been designed to help education systems to develop 21st century skills in children. This is by developing capacities of teachers, head teachers and policy makers on effective teaching of 21st century skills in their classrooms and schools for setting up a sustainable platform for children to practice these skills in their schools and in social life. The fast expansion of technology, innovation and globalisation is also shaping its needs. Local economies have become global economies. Entrepreneurs, employers, employees and customers, all should acquire higher order skills to be successful in global economic contexts. Future citizens, today’s children, should acquire skills to work in a globalised economy. Students cannot learn these skills only through conventional educational methodologies. Teachers, head teachers and […]

The British Government today urged Sri Lanka to prosecute all those who have been leading and inciting religious and ethnic hatred. The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka James Dauris said that thousands in Sri Lanka have been frightened and worse by ugly violence in recent weeks. “Really important that the government and authorities apply the law and prosecute all those who have been leading and inciting religious and ethnic hatred, including through social media,” the High Commissioner tweeted. The High Commissioner also said that it was good to hear that Viber is unblocked and working again. He also shared the hopes of everyone who wants to have Facebook and other social media platforms fully working quickly. “Free social media has a key part to play in successful […]

By Shamindra Ferdinando Nearly a decade after the successful conclusion of the war, Sri Lanka is still struggling to achieve national reconciliation. The previous Rajapaksa administration brought the violent conflict to an end on the morning of May 19, 2009 on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon,o n the Vanni east front, by militarily crushing the ‘world’s most ruthless terrorist organisation’. In spite of rhetoric, the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government has pathetically failed to accomplish a genuine rapprochement. Instead, the yahapalana leadership has allowed further deterioration of the situation by deliberately suppressing a comprehensive dialogue on wartime British High Commission dispatches that surely cleared, both previous political and military leaderships, of war crimes, as alleged by a section of the international community. In addition to British dispatches, […]

The UK Government said it intends to provide continuity and stability to Sri Lanka’s current trade agreements with the EU, even after the Brexit comes into affect. Minister of State for Trade and Investment Greg Hands said Sri Lanka’s exports to the UK are made under the EU’s unilateral trade arrangement, the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) at present. “The Government intends to provide continuity and stability whilst leaving the EU, which includes maintaining the effects of our trading relationships as we leave. This includes the EU’s GSP scheme, and our trading terms with Sri Lanka, including human rights. When the UK has left the EU, we can look to improve on those trading agreements,” he said as responding to questions raised in the House […]

By Leon Berenger The Government will allow thousands of Sri Lankan refugees, who failed their asylum bid in Europe and elsewhere, to enter the country provided they arrive on a voluntary basis, a high ranking official with the Foreign Ministry said yesterday. He said the decision was taken at the 4th Joint Committee Meeting on Re-Admission held in Brussels on Monday, last week. “There is an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 Lankans who have failed to obtain asylum in several European countries and they are being lined up for deportation to their country of origin. The bulk of the Lankan refugees are ethnic Tamils mainly from the North and East who fled the country during and immediately after the separatist conflict. The Government has decided to […]

Suresh Subramaniam has been elected new President of the National Olympic Committee. At the election today (23), he received 18 votes, while his challenger Rohan Fernando obtained 12 votes. One vote was rejected. Subramaniam is also the deputy President of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association. Maxwell de Silva was elected secretary, defeating his challenger Priti Perera by 19 votes to 12 votes.

Citi veteran Bernie Sinniah is stepping down after a 38-year run at the bank. Citi confirmed the retirement of the banker – who joined as a spot foreign exchange trader in Colombo and rose to become its global head of foreign exchange solutions – in an email to staff on Monday morning. He will leave by the end of the first quarter.   The bank’s global head of foreign exchange corporate sales Flavio Figueiredo said Mr Sinniah had shown “tremendous client focus” and “built great sales teams” during this time at the bank. “He has continuously looked for innovative ways of delivering client solutions and during the past two years he has worked tirelessly in developing the FX partnership with TTS (treasury and trade solutions) and […]

The Buddhasasana Karyasadhaka Mandalaya (BKM), an independent non-governmental national level organization comprising of 14 leading Buddhist monks and Presidents of 14 national level Buddhist organizations, has written to the Lord Naseby, House of Lords of the UK, thanking him for pointing out to the British Parliament that it is incorrect for the British government to prejudge Sri Lanka in terms of the European Convention on Human Rights. The BKM letter to the Lord Naseby says: “This communication is to express the sincere thanks of the Buddhasasana Karyasadhaka Mandalaya, an independent non-governmental national level organization comprising 14 leading Buddhist monks and Presidents of 14 national level Buddhist organizations, for the relentless effort of Your Lordship to get at the truth regarding the actual figures of persons […]

Diaspora Tamils urge British government to shame and sack “slit throat” Sri Lanka diplomat Angered by a public death threat against Tamil demonstrators in London, Eelamist diaspora groups in a rare display of solidarity have urged the British government to strip Sri Lanka’s military attaché in the United Kingdom of his diplomatic status and declare him a “Persona non Grata”. Leading Tamil diaspora organisations spurred into action by Minister Councillor (Defence)  Aandige Priyanka Indunil Fernando gesturing thrice to slit the throats of demonstrators in London who opposed the Sri Lanka government celebrating 70 years of independence while Tamils in the island were persecuted, have petitioned the British government on the 9th of February. In the detailed despatch to Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Secretary of State […]

Ten Tamil diaspora organizations have jointly petitioned Boris Johnson, MP and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs ‘to declare the Sri Lankan military attache, Brigadier Priyanka Fernando a “Persona Non Grata” for committing serious offences under British Law, abusing diplomatic immunity in the UK and committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka and therefore to curtain his leave to remain in the UK.’ The letter has been signed by representatives of the following organizations: British Tamil Conservatives (BTC), British Tamil Forum (BTF), Global Tamil Forum (GTF), International Centre for the Prevention and Prosecution of Genocide (ICPPG), Tamils Coordinating Committee (TCC-UK), Tamils for Labour, Tamil Friends of the Liberal Democrats, Tamil Information Centre (TIC), Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) and Tamil Solidarity. This follows […]