Nov 18 (CT) The 43rd National Youth Drama Festival is set to bring the vibrancy of youth creativity to life on the stage, marking a milestone in Sri Lanka’s theatrical calendar. Organised by the National Youth Services Council in collaboration with the Youth Social Convention, this much-anticipated event will unfold at the iconic Tower Hall Theatre, Maradana, on the evenings of 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27 Nov 2024, at 6.30 p.m. The festival’s opening night on 18th November at 7.00 p.m. more..

Nov 18 (TM) The mass resignation of academic staff at universities has made retaining foreign students challenging while also preventing the recruitment of more students, education trade unions allege. “Many university staff have resigned due to factors such as poor salaries and several of them have moved on to private universities,” Secretary and Media Spokesperson of the FUTA, Senior Lecturer Charudaththe Illangasinghe, more..

Nov 18 (AD) Attorney General (AG) today informed the Supreme Court that the Office for Reparations has received Rs. 311 million in total as compensation for the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks, as per the court order issued in relation to the petitions filed in this regard. Additional Solicitor General, who appeared on behalf of the AG, informed this to the court today, when the FR petitions filed related to the Easter Sunday terror attacks were taken up this morning. more..

Nov 18 (Island) National Peace Council (NPC) has congratulated Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and NPP on their election victory. This overwhelming mandate reflects the trust placed in the president and his party to lead the country towards economic development, justice, and reconciliation, NPC has said. “The broad-based support for the govt, spanning all regions of the country—including areas predominantly inhabited by ethnic and religious minorities—demonstrates a significant step more..

Nov 19 (DM) Even though Courts can grant bail for minor offences under the existing legal regulations, Felonies such as murder and rape are defined as non-bailable offences by Law and therefore, the commission of these crimes are liable to be punished by death, or in certain cases by life imprisonment. Homicide in particular, is considered a breach of kindness towards a fellow human being or more appropriately a fatal attack against brotherly love, and in that sense grant of bail for more..

Nov 19 (DM) Tennessee William’s Pulitzer winning 1955 play (and the subsequent 1958 film starring Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor) is about a wealthy, crumbling family in the United States deep South. It’s a story of alcoholism, self-destruction, and lies, though it ends on a somewhat happy note. General elections SL 2024 – 17 million people voted. All previous records were broken. SL is a socio-economic and political drama about self-destruction, deception and lies for its 22 million people. more..

Nov 19 (DM) NPP known in Sinhala aand Theseeya Makkal Sakthi (TMS) in Tamil has recorded a historic victory in the Parliamentary elections held on 14 Nov 2024. The NPP is a coalition of 21 political entities and trade unions of which the JVP is the chief constituent. The NPP polled 6,863,86 (61.6%) votes to win 159 seats in the 225 member Parliament. Of these 141 are directly elected MPs on a district basis while 18 will be appointed as more..

Nov 19 (CT) Sri Lanka has spoken. With no horse-trading, no coalition agreements, NPP reached their dream destination – taking full control of both the executive and legislative citadels of power; bagging 159 seats, achieved without recourse to racial or religious chauvinism. For the triumphant NPP, armed with little over two thirds majority in the Parliament, and a substantially weakened opposition, after a long period of struggle then as an insignificant third force and an underdog in SL politics, more..

Nov 19 (GV) Prez and parliamentary elections of 2024 have clearly sent strong signals of a clear change in the political landscape in SL. On Sept 21, the country elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake as its 9th executive president. Prez Dissanayake is a seasoned politician but has always represented the political left and successfully distanced himself from the traditional power blocs who have previously held power. It was only 4 yrs ago that his party was only able to gain 3.84% more..

Nov 19 (DM) What happened was after the war we had a bloated military, and no govt had the guts to start a national discussion about the need to slowly demilitarise after the war. If they can have that forthright vision and try to work out these issues about militarisation, the release of land, about ensuring that the state structures work in each region for the benefit of those communities, that would go a long way. more..

Nov 19 (TM) Sri Lanka has decided. Through democratic franchise at the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections of this year, the citizenry has sent a clear and strong signal of a clear change that they desire a change in the political landscape in Sri Lanka. The Indian Ocean island, having elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake as its 9th Executive President on 21 Sept, moved quickly to give Dissanayake and the JVP-led NPP coalition an unprecedented majority in the Parliament. more..

Nov 19 (Island) The political avalanche that swept the electoral landscape due to the demand for change was unprecedented. In some electorates the majority achieved by the NPP exceeded 70%. The overall majority in the country was 61%. The avalanche swept aside many who had earned names for themselves on account of their long years of commitment to influence policies in the national interest. In their place will be a host of much younger persons who will come in with their ideals more..

Nov 19 (ST) With a record number of new faces entering Parliament a large number of political personalities that have been in the space for decades have been voted out at the polls this week. A total of 88 parliamentarians from 2020 that contested in the election this year failed to secure the votes to get through into the new parliament. Many of these parliamentarians held key positions in the successive Rajapaksa and Wickremesinghe governments between 2020-2024. more..

Nov 19 (FT) Prof. P.N.D. Fernando yesterday officially took over as the Chairman of People’s Bank at a ceremony attended by People’s Bank CEO/GM Clive Fonseka and the bank’s senior management. Prof. Fernando brings with him over 25 years of experience in finance, banking, and higher education. He has made notable contributions as a leading academic, having served as a Professor and Dept of Finance Head at the Uni of Kelaniya. With an impressive teaching tenure of more..

Nov 19 (CI) Since July Sri Lanka's men have played eight ODIs and won six, tied one, and lost one. Even before this, Sri Lanka had not been a completely abysmal ODI side; in fact, in the two years before this recent stretch, they'd won 23 ODIs to the 18 they'd lost, maintaining a respectable win/loss ratio of 1.28. But the wider perception, nevertheless, was that this was a nosediving outfit. What other conclusion could you reach, more..

Nov 19 (FT) The Hotel Suppliers Association (HSA) has extended its congratulations to MP Vijitha Herath on his recent appointment as Tourism Minister. It also commended the NPP and Herath’s remarkable achievement in securing election to the Gampaha electorate with an impressive majority of 716,000 votes. “This extraordinary accomplishment is a testament to the trust and confidence placed in his leadership by the people of SL,” HAS President Azad Mansoor said in a statement. more..

Nov 19 (FT) The annual event commemorating the unwavering dedication of outstanding staff members at Abans PLC took place on 8 November at Shangri-La with the participation of back-office and sales staff, top management personnel, and other dignitaries, including LG Electronics Managing Director Gerald Chun, and Sales Director Keith Chung. Around 750 participants contested for over 170 awards that sought to recognise the exceptional efforts of the workforce. more..

Nov 19 (Island) When Sanath Jayasuriya took the reins as SL’s Head Coach earlier this year, he didn’t just shuffle the deck – he set about reshaping the entire playing ethos. Fitness, discipline, fielding, running between the wickets, and commitment were the cornerstones of his strategy. Yet, one masterstroke stood out: mandating tail-enders to sharpen their batting skills during practice sessions. Jayasuriya had identified a glaring gap during the tour of England—the bowlers’ contributions more..

Nov 19 (DN) Dhanushka Madalagama, a former boxing champion from Sivali Central College, Ratnapura, has made significant strides in the boxing world as a referee and judge, now achieving international recognition through his work in Portugal. With an impressive background in boxing, both as a competitor and an official, Madalagama has become an important figure representing SL talent on the international stage. Madalagama’s journey in boxing began at Sivali College, more..

Nov 19 (DM) Sri Lanka witnessed an 11% increase in data consumption in the first nine months of this year, despite the decline in fixed broadband subscriptions. Average Sri Lankan now consumes nearly 15GB of data monthly, a figure that continues to rise. “This number is rising, with the usage already up 11% since January,” CAL stated. In the third quarter of 2024, the country’s total data consumption reached 1,023,436.9 TB, more..

Nov 19 (FT) SL’s tea crop in October has seen a drop in volumes, although cumulative production during the first 10 months has seen a marginal increase. In October, tea production decreased by 8.05% year-on-year (YoY) to 21.14 million kilos, while the 2024 first 10 months’ crop saw a marginal increase of 0.54% compared to the same period a year ago. Data analysed by Forbes and Walkers Research confirmed that in October, all elevations have shown a decrease in volume more..

Nov 19 (Island)) SL won a silver medal and a bronze medal at the Bahrain International Series 2024 in Manama, Bahrain, with shuttlers Ranithma Liyanage, Isuri Attanayake and Sithumi de Silva shinning in their respective events. Ranithma’s victory in the women’s singles semi-finals, earned SL’s sole silver medal, while Isuri Attanayake and Sithumi de Silva secured their bronze medal in the Women’s Doubles, both after stellar performances up until the final stages of the six-day more..

Nov 19 (FT) SL’s tourism sector has reached a significant milestone, surpassing 1.7 million arrivals so far for 2024 with over 100,000 visitors welcomed during the first 17 days of November, signalling a strong momentum as the year-end holiday season approaches. From 1-17 November, the country received 103,315 tourists, pushing the year-to-date (YTD) figure to over 1.72 million. The daily average tourist arrivals were at 6,077. more..

Nov 19 (Island) NPP, ITAK & Sarvajana Balaya have appointed defeated candidates to Parliament via the National List (NL), making a mockery of their much-avowed commitment to democratic best practices. This has been the name of the game in SL politics all these years and one of the main reasons for the erosion of public trust in the electoral process. The NPP deserves praise for the appointment of a person with a visual disability to Parliament for the first time in SL’s parliamentary history. more..

Nov 19 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism is set to unveil a unified national brand in January instead of going ahead with campaign taglines, aiming to redefine the country’s global tourism appeal and achieve a higher return on investment (RoI). The strategy, which shifts away from the piecemeal approaches of previous administrations, reflects a new vision for marketing Sri Lanka as a 365-day destination. “We plan to finalise the creative assets for the new campaign by next month, with the full-scale rollout more..

Nov 19 (DN) Currently there are over 50 ICT related govt bodies and the new government aims to bring all these institutions under one umbrella, said National Enterprise Development Authority Director Dhanuka Liyanagamage. “In certain cases intentionally or unintentionally they work as a rival organization,” he said at the launch event of the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2024 (GEW) launch at Ceylon Chamber of Commerce yesterday. CEO of Microimage Harsha Purasinghe mentioned more..

Nov 19 (CT) The Swiss Govt has concluded its Safe Labour Migration Programme (SLMP) in Sri Lanka after 14 years, marking a milestone in Sri Lanka’s efforts to enhance labour migration governance. In a joint press statement by the International Labour Organisation, Govt of SL and Swiss Embassy said Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has decided to hand over the programme’s management to SL Govt, ensuring the continuity of the programme for the future. more..

Nov 19 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake called on the IMF to adopt a balanced approach that acknowledges the hardships faced by the citizens, particularly in the wake of inflation and economic pressures. He made these remarks in a meeting with the visiting IMF delegation led by Senior Mission Chief Peter Breuer. Several Cabinet Ministers, and Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardena were associated during more..

Nov 19 (AD) SL Navy says that more than 46kg of heroin with an estimated street value exceeding Rs. 1,152 million was found inside a local multi-day fishing trawler intercepted during a special operation on the high seas about 110 nautical miles west of SL. The operation, conducted by SLNS Nandimithra, resulted in the apprehension of 05 suspects linked to the illicit activity, the navy said. Upon escorting the vessel to Galle Harbour, a detailed inspection uncovered approx. 46kg & 116g of heroin, more..

Nov 19 (TM) Despite seeing an increase in English medium teachers, principals insist that schools do not have the resources to cater to the demands of English medium education. “A lot of our students want to study in the English medium,” the President of the Ceylon Principals’ Union and the Principal of Lourdes College, Nattandiya, Piyasiri Fernando said. “We are seeing an increase in demand, yet, despite this increase, we don’t have the human resources to cater to this.” more..

Nov 19 (DM) In a departure from the practice of the previous rules, the new govt has decided to scrap the concept of state ministers but will proceed with the appointment of 26-28 deputy ministers instead within a day or two, a minister said. Newly sworn-in Health and Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that the appointment of deputy ministers would take place shortly. He said state ministers would not be appointed as outlined in the policy manifesto presented to the country ahead of elections. more..

Nov 19 (AD) The Election Commission of SL has issued a Gazette notification declaring that former minister Ravi Karunanayake has been elected as a Member of Parliament through the National List of the New Democratic Front (NDF), which contested the General Election under the Gas Cylinder symbol. Earlier today, it was reported that the New Democratic Front (NDF) has nominated Karunanayake for one of the two National List seats won by the party in Parliament. more..

Nov 19 (Island) UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken exception to the sumbission of Ravi Karunanayake’s name to the Election Commission (EC) as one of the two National List (NL) MPs of New Democratic Front (NDF). He has said NDF General Secretary submitted Karunanayake’s name without the concurrence of the constitutes of the alliance. Wickremesinghe said so at a meeting of NDF representatives in Colombo. more..

Nov 19 (FT) NPP Colombo district MP Dr. Rizvie Salih yesterday said the new Govt is of the view that the primary conditions for leading a Ministry should be a person’s qualifications, skills, and political acumen, and not their gender, race, or religion. Responding to criticism over no Muslim representatives in the newly appointed Cabinet, Dr. Salih said he has full confidence that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed the right individuals to the right Ministries. more..

Nov 19 (FT) Transparency International SL (TISL) said that it observed a significant reduction in complaints related to the misuse of public funds, vehicles, and State power or positions during the General Election 2024. In contrast to the Prez Election 2024, where TISL recorded 33 complaints about the misuse of State funds and 48 complaints concerning State vehicles, General Election period saw only three complaints about the misuse of State funds and one regarding State vehicles. more..