Sep 14 (ST) Enthusiasm varies across the Sabaragamuwa Province, with support increasing for the NPP, especially among the youth, while Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and the SJB have a notable backing. The province, which includes the Kegalle and Ratnapura districts, has a combined 1.633 million registered voters. Ratnapura district, with eight constituencies, has 923,736 registered voters and 32,530 postal votes. Kolonna leads with the highest number of voters, totalling 62,266. more..

Sep 14 (FT) Transparency International SL (TISL) said yesterday it has received 758 complaints concerning the misuse of public resources for election campaigning as of 1 Sept. It said the largest category of complaints—343 in total—pertains to the misuse of public premises. These include the misuse of public grounds, Govt offices, buildings, and schools etc. for election campaigns. Complaints detail instances where more..

Sep 14 (CT) Russia’s largest producer of potash and ammonium nitrate, Uralchem, has offered 55,000 metric tons of potash to Sri Lanka as a humanitarian gesture due to its inability to sell the fertiliser to global partners. However, the shipment remains undelivered, having been stranded on the vessel, Asian Majesty at the port of Riga in Latvia, for over a year. Efforts to finalise its dispatch to Sri Lanka are still underway but so far have been futile. It has come to light that more..

Sep 14 (IJN) Sri Lanka has faced considerable political and economic turmoil in recent times. A major economic crisis, which started in 2022 and sparked widespread protests that led to the resignation of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa that July, lingers to this day. The island nation’s next presidential election, on Sept 21, is a significant moment that will provide critical insight into where SL is headed in the coming years. To learn more about what journalists can expect more..

Sep 14 (Island) The recent visa and passport crisis has sparked significant concern among the public, and especially within the business community. Media reports, including those in leading newspapers, have highlighted issues of corruption, and these reports are being amplified internationally through various digital platforms. This is adversely affecting the credibility of Sri Lanka on a global scale. Sri Lanka is currently advancing as an export-driven economy, a direction supported by both more..

Sep 14 (FT) Treasury allayed misinformation and rumours saying the scheduled Rs. 280 billion worth Treasury bond auction was concluded on Thursday successfully in a transparent manner. It said the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies/General Treasury, through the Central Bank, offered Rs. 290 billion to the market at the Treasury bond auction held on 12.09.2024 to finance maturing Treasury bonds worth Rs.168.5 billion & coupon payments of Rs. 122.3 b, more..

Sep 14 (GV) Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) SL Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) MRP provisional estimates of prez election voting intent for Aug 2024 show NPP/JVP leader A.K. Dissanayake and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa led in voting preferences of all adults ahead of the prez election. None of the four major party prez candidates had support of a majority of the adult voters. NPP leader A.K. Dissanayake led with 36% of all adults more..

Sep 14 (ST) The battle for 2.1 million votes in the Southern Province is on, with political parties and independents pitching their own solutions to local and national issues. The manifestoes of the main parties are being circulated, and the main candidates are making repeat visits to the three districts: Galle, Matara and Hambantota. Galle district with 903,163 votes spread out over 10 electorates has turned out to be the key attraction considering the voter base, but parties more..

Sep 14 (DM) A NPP govt will take immediate measures to uplift the economy initially where steps will be taken to boost the tourism industry to attract four million tourists to the country per year, NPP prez candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. Addressing a rally in Monaragala, he said areas such as the tourism industry, fisheries industry, IT industry and agricultural sector have been identified as areas which can be developed as immediate measures to revive the economy. more..

Sep 14 (NW) A luxury house worth Rs. 100 million, located in Bambalapitiya, was forcibly seized by Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court heard on Thursday. Colombo Additional Magistrate Pasan Amarasinghe, ordered Gnanasara Thero and two other respondents to immediately vacate the property, which had been unlawfully seized. The Magistrate further warned that failure to comply would lead to action being taken for contempt of court. more..

Sep 14 (Island) Top spokesperson for ITAK and Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam said efforts made in some quarters to confuse the Tamil speaking electorate had been convincingly defeated and their decision to support SJB candidate Sajith Premadasa at the Sept. 21 election had been communicated to their people. MP Rasamanickam emphasised that the ITAK had moved swiftly and decisively to counter attempts by a small but an influential group of people more..

Sep 14 (CT) Various political parties have expressed concerns that after 18 September, there may be heightened tensions regarding the elections, even though no widespread violence was reported so far during the 2024 election campaigns. According to reports, voters are increasingly agitated due to information circulating on social media suggesting potential unrest, with fears of riots erupting during election & counting periods. more..

Sep 14 (DN) In light of the unexpected weather conditions, emergency contact numbers have been introduced for the benefit of the students sitting for the Scholarship Examination to report any difficulties that may arise due to the adverse weather. According to the Disaster Management Center (DMC), students or guardians can inform about any such difficulties by calling the DMC’s emergency hotline at 117 or the Special Unified Emergency Operations Center numbers: more..

Sep 14 (DM) Rs. 20 billion initial public offering (IPO) of LTL Holdings Ltd, which was scheduled to be opened yesterday, was postponed, as the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) sought further clarification to review the fresh information submitted by the company on the legal matters. This is likely to be on the two recently filed fundamental rights (FR) applications in the Supreme Court, in which the company has been made a respondent and still waiting for official notices from the SC. more..

Sep 14 (SD) Prez candidates in SL have pledged to prioritise science and technology, promising modernisation and better science education in a country suffering from brain drain. SL will hold its prez election on 21 Sept, its first since the nation’s devastating economic crisis in 2022. The vote will feature the country’s longest ballot paper in history, with a record 39 candidates vying for the presidency, all promising to tackle more..

Sep 15 (CT) With just one week remaining before the highly anticipated 2024 Prez Election, the political landscape has reached a critical point. The main candidates are leaving no stone unturned as they ramp up their campaigns to sway the undecided voters. This is shaping up to be a pivotal moment in the nation’s political history, and the public is watching closely. However, while the election fever is at its peak, there are pressing concerns about whether the process will be fair and more..

Sep 15 (TM) In a period as short as one year from now, Sri Lankans of all hues will do one of two things. They will either celebrate or regret the choice they are to make on 21 Sept. Given the negligible possibility of neither considering the current circumstances, it makes this by far the most important decision people of this nation have ever been called upon to make. It will take less than a year into the next presidency for its contours and the fate of this nation to emerge, for such is more..

Sep 15 (ST) The election campaign has given rise to many new businesses, but none as novel as the one carried out by companies that provide manpower services. Several of them have been reaching out to candidates offering services with different packages depending on how much each one can spend. The service to provide 3,000 persons for public rallies for 3 hours is Rs. 1,500 a person or Rs. 4.5 mil for the whole package, more..

Sep 15 (CT) 2024 Prez Election in SL is not just another ballot; it marks a critical juncture shaping the nation’s future and influencing its political and developmental trajectory. Amidst an existential crisis, SL—rich in human and natural resources—faces formidable challenges: starvation, death, and the creeping colonization of its resources under the shadow of eroding sovereignty. The positive gains from social policies, which once earned SL a reputation as a successful development more..

Sep 15 (Island) As SL starts the countdown week before its Sept 21 presidential vote, the US finished the debate week that is expected to set the campaign tones for the remaining eight weeks before its presidential election on Nov 5. In a riveting performance last Tuesday, the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris exceeded all expectations and with consummate lawyerly skill laid bare the utter limitations and disqualifications of Donald Trump to be America’s president a second time. more..

Sep 15 (TM) As the countdown for the 2024 Prez Election continues, with just six days for the 21 Sept polls and with election campaigning to conclude on Wednesday, the campaigns of the key contenders – independent candidate Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, SJB candidate Sajith Premadasa, and NPP candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) – have entered the mudslinging phase. With Premadasa and AKD both claiming to have already more..

Sep 15 (ST) My dear voters, I thought I should write to you because a majority of you will be making your way to polling booths at the end of this week to mark that all important cross on a ballot paper. Many seem to consider this as the most crucial election in Paradise since the British gave us independence 76 years ago. We have had 8 such elections before. Some of them have been when part of our country was not under our total control. One election saw a candidate, Gamini, being assassinated. more..

Sep 15 (EAR) As the 57th session of the Geneva-based UNHRC addresses the human rights situation in Sri Lanka next week, a new report from the Oakland Institute, Trincomalee Under Siege: Land Grabs Target the Tamil Homeland in SL uncovers the rapidly escalating colonization of Tamil and Muslim lands in Trincomalee District. While Sinhalese colonization and settlements have taken place in SL under the guise of development since independence, this new research exposes more..

Sep 15 (ST) Royal College ended this season’s silverware drought with a gripping 26-20 win against S. Thomas’ College as they retained the Michael Gunaratne Trophy for the sixth consecutive year at the Royal Sports Complex yesterday. Both teams had their moments of glory, as well as situations to reflect as the Royal took the upper hand in a battle that eventually gave the team’s Head Coach, Dushanth Lewke a memorable outing in his 50th game in-charge. more..

Sep 15 (SO) While scores of Sri Lankans some with question marks against their names have procured visas for whatever the reason, the island’s world champion carrom team is sulking in the doldrums without visas to fly the Lion flag in the USA where the 2024 World Cup is to be held. The nine-member team booked their passage to the USA to defend their world title in San Francisco, California, but six of them were deprived of visas for c'ship featuring 20 countries from Nov 10 to 17. more..

Sep 15 (ST) Sri Lanka’s recent strides on the international stage, capped by a thrilling 4-2 penalty shootout win after a 2-2 draw against Cambodia, ranked 180th by FIFA, are being hailed as a potential turning point. For the national men’s team, currently sitting at 205th in the FIFA rankings, the two-spot rise following the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers represents meaningful progress. For stakeholders and football fans, more..

Sep 15 (ST) A crucial election (all elections are considered crucial) negotiates the bend, with a week to go for V-Day (Voting Day). Everyone wants an election in haste often to repent later. The last prez election in 2019 was a textbook example of the pre-election hype of large crowds at public meetings, meetings of businessmen and professionals, workers abroad returning to vote, and then everything evaporating in next to no time: the country plunging into an unprecedented more..

Sep 15 (Island) With the prez election due next Saturday, campaigning is now reaching its peak and must end by Wednesday midnight leaving two clear days before the polling begins. Postal voting by public servants and others on election duty has already closed and the counting of these votes will only start when the counting proper begins upon the close of the poll. There is a widely held perception that, for the first time at a prez election here, none of the contestants will clear the 50% plus one more..

Sep 15 (DM) A NPP govt will eradicate the drug menace which has created serious consequences in the country, NPP Prez candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. He said the distribution of drugs in different parts of the country is done with the patronage of politicians. "Politicians are behind the transportation of drugs in the country. Several politicians were caught recently while transporting drugs and cannabis in their jeeps," he said. Dissanayake said children have become more..

Sep 15 (NW) SJB presidential candidate, Sajith Premadasa, has reiterated his commitment to implementing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. Speaking on the importance of achieving reconciliation among SL’s diverse ethnic and religious communities, Premadasa stressed that the amendment, which grants powers to provincial councils, is part of the country’s legal framework. “I have spoken before about the need to implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. more..

Sep 15 (TM) A recent report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has exposed a major procurement blunder at the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) during the Covid-19 pandemic, where swimming goggles had been delivered instead of safety goggles, causing a loss of millions of rupees in public funds. In 2020, an emergency procurement by the SPC valued at Rs. 14.27 million had been conducted to more..

Sep 15 (TM) SL National Football Team has managed to improve their position in the FIFA World Rankings after a long time following their 4-2 win over Cambodia via a penalty shootout at the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) C'ship. SL, who were placed in the 205th position following the draw in the first-leg match against Cambodia in Colombo, had improved their standing by occupying the 203rd position and in the aftermath of their win in Cambodia, have now reportedly reached 199 more..

Sep 15 (Island) Test match wins overseas have been rare for Sri Lanka. Extremely rare that other than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, they recorded a Test win against any other nation way back in 2019. It came in South Africa when the team won back to back Test matches in Durban and Port Elizabeth to become the first Asian side to win a series in South Africa. That is why the recent win at The Oval was special. It indeed came against many odds with many predicting a 3-0 whitewash to the hosts, more..

Sep 15 (TM) As SL grapples with an acute passport shortage, the Govt’s decision to shift production to one Thales DIS Finland Oy in partnership with Just in Time Technologies Ltd. (Thales/JIT) is being scrutinised for alleged hidden costs and operational risks. What was initially touted as a cost-saving measure is now mired in controversy and questions have risen whether the move will genuinely benefit the public or if it masks more..

Sep 15 (TM) There is an urgent need to promote replanting considering the age of tea bushes in the country in order for SL to reach its previous tea production levels, SL Tea Board (SLTB) reveals. SLTB Chairman Niraj De Mel pointed out that although the chemical fertiliser issue had been resolved, due to the age of the tea bushes, Sri Lanka was no longer able to meet the tea production levels it had achieved around a decade ago. Therefore, if SL intends to improve its tea more..

Sep 15 (DM) The NPP categorically denied media reports suggesting that the JVP, a key ally of the NPP, is responsible for the alleged clash at the Uni of Sri J'pura, which led to its closure. Addressing the media, former NPP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said, "Various parties are attempting to pass the blame onto the NPP, to which we have no connection." He added, "This is a clear sign of how opposition camps are agitated by their imminent loss in the upcoming Presidential Election." more..