Oct 6 (DM) The responsibility of uplifting the lives of the innocent people of this country and protecting the nation, race and religion now rests on the shoulders of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Atamasthanadhipathi Most Venerable Pallekumbura Hemarathana Nayake Thera said today. The Thera made this remark when President Dissanayake visited the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura this afternoon to pay homage and receive blessings. The Thera pointed out that, more..

Oct 6 (TM) Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith is set to visit the Katuwapitiya church today (6) to meet with the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. Cardinal is expected to discuss the ongoing pursuit of justice for the victims and update them on recent meetings he has held with the new Government. Easter Attack Victims’ Collective Head Nishantha Mohandiram confirmed the Cardinal’s visit, stating that all those more..

Oct 6 (EN) Election Commission has halted an appointment made by new Port Minister Vijitha Herath to the state-owned Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) after the former official complained to the EC citing the move was against the election laws. Minister Herath appointed the new Managing Director after replacing Prabath Malavige who has nearly ten years of service remaining. The move was done without prior notice to Malavige, SLPA officials said. “The complaint states that a new more..

Oct 6 (AD) Sri Lanka Police informs that anyone with evidence or knowledge of any exam questions, other than the three questions already alleged to have been leaked, being disclosed prior to the 2024 Scholarship Examination, to come forward with complaints by October 7, 2024. Issuing a statement in this regard, the Police Media Division stated that complaints can be submitted at the offices of Senior Superintendents of Police (SSP) in police divisions across the island. more..

Oct 6 (SO) Following the apparent dismantling of what many saw as a political mafia in the country that provided a free-for-all from the top to bottom, it may take a clean-up of monumental proportions to eradicate the island’s destructive sports set-up that for the past 25 or more years had become a fertile ground for corruption of the highest order unprecedented in the annals of SL’s sporting history. Some watchers have even compared the scenario to a Sports Mafia having a field day but more..

Oct 6 (AD) The Public Health Inspectors’ Union has reassured the public that there is no need for undue concern regarding imported coconut oil. Commenting regarding the rising suspicions surrounding the safety and quality of coconut oil entering Sri Lanka, the Chairman of the Public Health Inspectors’ Union Upul Rohana said: “When coconut oil is imported to Sri Lanka, a special inspection is conducted by food inspectors from the Food Control Unit at Sri Lanka Customs. more..

Oct 6 (PMD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura this afternoon (5) to pay homage and receive blessings. Upon his arrival at the historic Anuradhapura sacred site, the President first met with the Atamasthanadhipathi, Chief Sanghanayaka of Nuwara Kalaviya, and Chief Administrator of the Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya, Most Venerable Pallekumbura Hemarathana Nayake Thero. more..

Oct 6 (AD) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the headquarters of the Amarapura Maha Nikaya in Wellawatte this morning (05) and received blessings from the Acting Maha Nayaka, Most Venerable Karagoda Uyangoda Maithri Murthi Maha Nayaka Thero of Amarapura Nikaya. The Nayaka Theros of the Secretariat of the Amarapura Maha Nikaya were also present at this occasion, where they invoked blessings for the President, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said. more..

Oct 6 (TM) The new Govt is considering significant reforms to the SL Electricity Act, with options ranging from amendments to a complete repeal and replacement following public consultation, according to CEB Director Pubudu Hedigallage. Hedigallage, who is also a member of the NPP Energy Sector Policy Committee, stated that the Govt was focused on introducing a more people-centric energy transition. “The new administration is looking into whether the existing Electricity Act should be more..

Oct 6 (ST) Colombo and Jaffna will clash for the National Super League Limited Overs title, today at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium starting at 2:30p.m. With all national players set to take the field, this promises to be a crunch match. Colombo, led by Charith Asalanka, finished the league campaign as the top team, securing seven wins against Dambulla, Galle, Kandy (twice), and Jaffna, ending with 14 points. In contrast, Jaffna, captained by Janith Liyanage, won four matches against more..

Oct 6 (ST) The CIABOC has decided to file legal action to freeze properties belonging to seven persons, including politicians, public officials, and military officers. Accordingly, steps have been taken to prevent these suspects from using their properties, bank accounts, and insurance policies. CIABOC sources said investigators were probing these seven persons on how they acquired such a large number of assets that they would not be able to acquire on their normal salaries. more..

Oct 6 (EN) The head of SL’s State Intelligence Service (SIS) was sacked on Saturday, and the premier spy agency was brought back under the control of the police after nearly five years. Retired Major General Suresh Sallay was dismissed after he refused to resign following the takeover by the new govt, an official source involved in the shake-up said. DIG Dhammika Priyantha, who had earlier served at CID/FCID, more..

Oct 6 (DM) There has been an increase in the number of children showing symptoms of influenza and doctors advise vulnerable groups to wear masks, Consultant Pediatrician Dr. Deepal Perera said. He said symptoms like respiratory problems, cough, cold, fever, runny nose, blocked nose and sometimes vomiting may occur. Influenza is a viral infection that spreads particularly during the winter season in Western countries. Influenza viruses are categorized into types A, B, C and D, more..

Oct 6 (ST) Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has issued a final warning to large and medium-scale tax defaulters to settle bills amounting to Rs. 300 billion by the end of the year or face confiscation of their properties and freezing of bank accounts. The businesses that come into the Large Taxpayer Units and Upper Corporates Tax categories and whose overdue amounts are less than Rs. 100 billion have to settle their dues by Oct 25, while those who are to pay more than this amount have time till more..

Oct 6 (ST) The UNP, once at the forefront of the freedom struggle for SL, (then Ceylon), has become the casualty again, as political parties talk of alliances ahead of the parliamentary general election. Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, upon his defeat at the Sept 21 prez elections, asked UNP seniors to resurrect the party which has lost almost all its grassroots-level organisations. They were also advised to take other measures necessary to more..

Oct 7 (DM) During the post presidential period of electioneering, all credible presidential parties and groupings save the faction led by ex-Prez Wickremesinghe, made promises of renegotiating the IMF agreement. Presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his NPP promised to reverse the unpopular steep tax hikes, raise public servant salaries and renegotiate the unpopular IMF bailout secured by then President Wickremesinghe’s regime. more..

Oct 7 (CT) SL celebrated the International Children’s Day on 1 Oct with several events in Colombo with the participation of the new PM, Dr Harini Amarasuriya, and other officials related to children’s issues. Both the PM and the new Prez, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, issued commendable statements related to broad children’s issues, but the two issues that I am raising here now were not directly addressed. One is the so much of Kunu Harupa (filthy language) used by social media more..

Oct 7 (DM) At the opening ceremony of Japan’s 214th Extraordinary Session of the National Diet (Parliament), SL’s Ambassador Rodney Perera, who was attending the event inaugurated by Emperor Naruhito, met the newly appointed PM Shigeru Ishiba, along with the new Cabinet of Ministers. Ambassador Perera extended warm congratulations on the new govt of SL to the new Japanese PM and the ministers. more..

Oct 7 (ST) Is the Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) Presidency which came into power on a reformist election platform able to legally justify the invocation of Section 12 of the Public Security Ordinance (PSO) using special powers to call out the armed forces for the maintenance of public order? Speaking to me soon after, a colleague ruminated as to whether this was a routine act, the signing of a gazette placed before the Prez by a staffer, the issuing of which was not so much more..

Oct 7 (DM) SL people have voted again for great change. They have elected a president from outside the political mainstream and rejected the political elite who have ruled the country since independence. Yet any prez that comes to power now is in an unenviable position, as they inherit an economy that is at its most fragile moment since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It is the contradiction between the fresh breath of political change and the stale forces dictating the economy that more..

Oct 7 (CT) In the past five years, Sri Lanka has witnessed a significant rise in the percentage of students failing the GCE O/L Exam. This trend has raised concerns across the country about the quality of education and the preparedness of students. Growing failure rate points to underlying issues within the education system that need to be addressed urgently to safeguard the future of the nation’s youth. From 2018 to 2023, more..

Oct 7 (TM) Sri Lanka is increasingly vulnerable to online scams and identity theft, with more citizens using digital services. Last week, concerns were growing about a phishing campaign targeting customers of several Sri Lankan banks via social media posts and ads. The risk of a focused campaign against Sri Lanka’s banking sector cannot be understated. The risk to personal wealth and financial stability of the victims can also leave them in a dire situation. more..

Oct 7 (Island) The process of submitting nominations for the 14 Nov, general election is currently underway. It is popularly thought that a person who wins the presidency stands a much better chance of steering his or her party to victory at a subsequent general election. But anything is possible in politics, where upset wins are not uncommon. What if a party other than Prez Dissanayake’s NPP wins the upcoming parliamentary polls? Dissanayake has been one of the bitterest critics of more..

Oct 7 (DM) As I went through countless election campaign videos and scrolled through dozens of photos of canvassing something stood out. Senior citizens were always in the front lines of these efforts. But were they truly there out of choice? Were promises of financial rewards, or even just a pack of rice, dangled in front of them to secure their participation? Was hunger the key tool to drag our seniors to these meetings? Did they understand what was written on placards they were more..

Oct 7 (Island) Before the 1970s, anthropology in SL, as an academic discipline, was relatively confined to a few studies. The country had only a few trained anthropologists, and the scope of anthropological research needed to be expanded. This reflected a broader trend in the social sciences in SL, where subjects like sociology and anthropology are still required to be fully institutionalized or widely pursued. However, discipline began to change significantly in the subsequent decades, more..

Oct 7 (DM) CEB Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) expressed optimism that recent changes in the leadership and management of the CEB will lay a much-needed foundation to avert a looming power crisis in 2026-2027. Over the past two and a half years, under the former Minister of Power and Energy, CEBEU highlighted that politicisation of the CEB reached new levels. Key management positions, including that of more..

Oct 7 (SO) In the landscape of SL sports, cricket, rugby and athletics have long dominated the headlines, capturing the lion’s share of attention, funding and resources. However, one sport with a proud history of international success often remains overlooked: boxing. In his passionate appeal to the nation, Dr. Anuruddha Bandara, newly elected President of the Boxing Association of SL (BASL), is determined to change that narrative, urging the govt and Corporate bodies to recognise more..

Oct 7 (FT) Tourism earnings in September dipped to a four-month low in tandem with low arrivals amid the visa crisis. Sept saw tourism revenue rise by 19% YoY reaching $ 181 million, but lower by 20% in comparison to August due to decline in arrivals, a development attributed to complications emerged from the outsourcing of the visa processing system — a challenge which adversely impacted the industry’s growth in recent months. With the Govt restoring Electronic Travel Authorisation more..

Oct 7 (CB) Chamari Athapaththu, SL skipper, highlighted the inability of her batters to adjust well to the slow and low tracks of Sharjah which has resulted in two losses in as many games of their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. After being restricted to 85 for 9 against Pakistan, Sri Lanka could only manage 93 for 7 against Australia - a score overhauled in only 14.2 overs by the defending champions. Explaining the reasons for the failure of the batters, Athapaththu said, more..

Oct 7 (FT) The SL Automobile Component Manufacturers Association (SLACMA) yesterday extended best wishes to Anura Kumara Dissanayake on being elected as the new Prez of Sri Lanka and said it looks forward to NPP’s futuristic industrial policies to uplift the automobile industry. “It is commendable to see automobile assembly and automobile component manufacturing included in the NPP policy statement,” said the Association’s President Dimantha Jayawardena. more..

Oct 7 (DM) The collection of information about the population in SL and their residences will begin tomorrow, Census and Statistics Dept Director General Ms. Anoja Seneviratne said. While issuing a mid-year web release of the dept, she said births, deaths and migration are the main factors that affect the population change of a country. As births, deaths and migrations are a continuous process, population of a country more..

Oct 7 (DM) A teledrama actor who had in his possession a stock of illegal intoxicant Methamphetamine (ICE) and attempted to escape arrest by offering a bribe of Rs.1 million to the police was taken into custody by Thanamalwila police. Suspect Edirisinghe Arachchige Asanka (26) was produced before the Wellawaya magistrate and detained for further questioning till Oct 11, on court order. He is alleged to have offered a gratification of Rs.1 million to HQI Thanamalwila police to more..

Oct 7 (AD) Public Health Inspectors’ Union has reassured the public that there is no need for undue concern regarding imported coconut oil. Commenting regarding the rising suspicions surrounding the safety and quality of coconut oil entering Sri Lanka, the Chairman of the Public Health Inspectors’ Union Upul Rohana said: “When coconut oil is imported to Sri Lanka, a special inspection is conducted by food inspectors from the Food Control Unit at SL Customs. more..

Oct 7 (Island) March 12 Movement, which consists of election monitoring groups and civil society outfits, has asked political parties not to field those who have been found guilty by courts on corruption charges and other criminal offences, at the parliamentary election scheduled to be held on 14 Nov. Executive Director of PAFFREL Rohana Hettiarachchi, who is also the co-convenor of the March 12 Movement, said that if those facing more..

Oct 7 (EN) SL’s external current account recorded a US$ 415 million surplus in the second quarter of 2024, central bank data shows, as debt repayments and reserve collections at an appropriate interest rate, allowed outflows from through the financial account. So far in 2024, the current account is about US$ 1.1 billion in surplus and economy is staring to recover. SL started to record current account surpluses from around the third quarter of 2022 when central bank stopped printing money more..

Oct 7 (FT) The UN Global Compact regional flagship event, Forward Faster Now|Asia & Oceania, held in Kuala Lumpur on 5-6 August, marked a pivotal moment for sustainable business action across the region. Organised by the UN Global Compact in collaboration with 16 Global Compact Country Networks and Country Offices, the inaugural event brought together high-level executives, govt leaders, and sustainability experts from across Asia and Oceania. more..