Sep 24 (AD) Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Israel has requested Sri Lankan nationals residing in Israel to exercise caution due to recent shelling and rocket attacks from Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah targeting Israel. Hezbollah has fired a fresh barrage of strikes into northern Israel, including Haifa, Galilee, Golan, and Nazareth areas, a day after Israeli airstrikes targeting the militant group in Lebanon killed nearly 500 people and wounded 1,600 others. more..

Sep 24 (EN) Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals are expected to grow after the most peaceful elections in the nation’s history, the island’s tourism promotions office said. SL’s elected Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has prioritized the sector, pledging to unlock its full potential, the statement said. Visa-free travel for citizens of 39 countries will begin in October, and the tourism industry is optimistic about the reinstatement of the streamlined Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system more..

Sep 24 (LICAS) Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo has called on newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to focus on the needs of the poor as he takes on the leadership of Sri Lanka. During a meeting at the Archbishop’s House in Colombo, Cardinal Ranjith congratulated President Dissap-uncapped-offspinner-nishan-peiris-for-second-test-vs-new-zealand-1452410more..

Sep 24 (TW) Harini Amarasuriya was sworn in as the 16th PM of SL on Tuesday. She is the third woman politician from SL to hold the office of the PM. She will additionally hold portfolios in justice, education, labour, industries, science and technology, health, and investments. The 54-year-old rights activist has been chosen by president Anura Kumara Dissanayake as she is one of the prominent faces in the JVP-NPP combine. more..

Sep 24 (Reuters) SL's consumer price inflation slowed to 1.1% year-on-year in August from 2.5% in July, after the country voted in a new president hoping to strengthen its economic rebound. National Consumer Price Index captures broad retail price inflation and is released with a lag of 21 days every month. Food price inflation eased to 0.81% in August from 2.9% in July. Non-food price inflation slowed to 0.55% in August from 2.2% the previous month as demand remained muted. more..

Sep 24 (AD) The European Union has congratulated Anura Kumara Dissanayake upon his election and inauguration as Prez of Sri Lanka. EU further said that the people of Sri Lanka demonstrated once again their commitment to democracy, with a high voter turnout at the presidential elections held on 21 Sept. “Elections took place in a peaceful manner and in a competitive political environment. By invitation of the authorities of SL, EU deployed an Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) more..

Sep 24 (TM) Commonwealth Election observers highlighted a lack of voter education when it came to the preferential voting system followed in 2024 Prez Election. “We have noted that there is a need for greater voter education, including dedicated educational programmes demonstrating preferential voting system, which led to confusion about how the system works and how voters cast their ballots in order of preference,” more..

Sep 24 (CT) Controversial figure Dan Priyasad was prevented from boarding a flight to Dubai at the BIA, hours before Saturday’s Prez Election. He was prevented from leaving the country due to a travel ban imposed on him by Court. Priyasad had arrived at the airport to board the Emirates flight EK-653 which was to leave for Dubai at 8:35 p.m. on 20 Sept. He is the sixth accused in the case related to the attack on a peaceful protest at Galle Face Green in Colombo on 9 May 2022. more..

Sep 24 (AD) Federation of Information Technology (Guarantee) Limited (FITIS) extends its warm congratulations and conveys its best wishes to the newly elected President of SL, Anura Kumara Dissanayake. As the apex body of the country’s ICT sector, FITIS believes that the leadership demonstrated by the Prez will create pivotal opportunities for SL to accelerate its digital transformation. By prioritizing a strong digital strategy, the new leadership can drive more..

Sep 24 (CT) The Sri Lanka Air Force was deployed around BIA, on Saturday (21), at approximately 6:00 p.m., with security significantly tightened. This mirrored the previous deployment of the Air Force on 9 May 2022, aimed at preventing civilians from gathering near the airport. A curfew was imposed from 10:00 p.m. on Saturday (21) to 6.00 a.m. on Sunday (22) by the President, under powers vested in him by the Public Security Act, to ensure public safety, according to the Police. more..

Sep 24 (ACN) Miguel Diaz-Canel, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and president of the country, congratulated Anura Kumara Dissanayake on his election as prez of SL. On X, prez ratified the will to continue strengthening friendship and cooperation ties between the two countries. Dissanayake, 55, ran as leader of the Marxist-leaning NPP coalition and defeated opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and 36 other candidates, after receiving 5,740,179 more..

Sep 24 (DM) SL has appointed secretaries to run 15 ministries after appointing a three member cabinet, who will hold the portfolios, including Prez Anura Dissanayake, following the change of govt. They will run the ministries until general elections are concluded. The following secretaries have been appointed. Mr. G.P. Saputantri - Secretary to the PM; Mr. W.M.D.J. Fernando - Cabinet Secretary; Mr. K.D.S. Ruwanchandra more..

Sep 24 (AD) The newly appointed Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that SL’s Parliament is most likely to be dissolved today (24). Speaking to the media after being sworn-in as the Prime Minister, Dr. Amarasuriya said that she will assume the duties in the office of the Prime Minister before the dissolution of Parliament. “I have to assume duties now. After that, we have to start our work. Parliament will most likely be dissolved today. I have to go assume duties before that.” more..

Sep 24 (NW) SJB MP Tissa Attanayake critcized claims that whichever party he supports is bound to lose an election. Speaking to media, the SJB MP said that these claims are now part of a customary effort to attack him. “Name one person who has always won? In that case, Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s party lost for 60 odd years. We have worked very hard, and you can either win or lose. There are no constant winners or losers,” the MP said. more..

Sep 24 (SCMP) SL’s left-leaning president-elect Anura Kumara Dissanayake has yet to declare a precise China policy, but was expected to seek maximum support from Beijing through foreign direct investment, technology and tourism, according to analysts. On Monday, Chinese Prez Xi Jinping congratulated Dissanayake on his election victory on Saturday, hailing bilateral ties as “a good example of friendly coexistence more..

Sep 24 (Wisden) Sri Lanka’s recent Test wins against England and New Zealand have propelled them to the No.3 spot in the WTC points table. They have won four of their eight matches thus far, registering a Points Percentage (PCT) of 50%. Sri Lanka have also lost four matches in the ongoing cycle and are only behind India (PCT of 71.67%) and Australia (62.50%) in the standings. Sri Lanka have one Test to be played against New Zealand at Galle, beginning later this week. more..

Sep 24 (FT) Showing signs of recovery, apparel exports saw a spike in August, enabling the industry to make the year to date performance positive for the first time. In August, exports rose by 22.13% year-on-year to $ 485.62 million, and the first eight months’ performance by 2.41% to $ 3.158 billion. In July, apparel exports rose by 3.2% to $ 406.2 million, and the first seven months amounted to $ 2.612 billion, down by 0.7%. Exports to the USA saw a 22.9% increase to $ 209.40 million, more..

Sep 25 (CT) What happened on 21st Sept 2024 was historic. It was another milestone in the long march towards a new era in the history of this country. In a sense, it marked the beginning of the end of a socio-political and economic paradigm, which had bedevilled this nation over several decades. If historians want to delineate the origins of this beginning, they should go back to the 2022 Aragalaya when hundreds of disgruntled youngsters from all communities spontaneously came more..

Sep 25 (TM) The newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has a plethora of challenges to overcome, and most of these have a direct and significant connection to the country’s recovering economy. While continuing the economic recovery that his predecessor (Ranil Wickremesinghe) achieved, Dissanayake has to take steps to prevent the recurrence of another economic downturn. For this, as he himself has said, the contribution of all sectors is crucial. more..

Sep 25 (TM) The misuse of State resources has become a critical issue during the current Prez Election period, as highlighted by various election monitoring organisations such as the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), and Transparency International SL (TISL). Concerns have been raised about the impact of such practices on voter behaviour and more..

Sep 25 (DM) During the last couple of days, SL elected a left-leaning outsider as its 9th Executive Prez and then went on to win a test match in Galle. No one challenged the election results; Protesters did not storm Parliament, arsonists did not torch the houses and shops, and the army did not try to usurp power. Whether you voted for him or not, this is a victory for democracy. This extent of peaceful power transfer from the traditional establishment to its polar opposite would not have been possible more..

Sep 25 (DM) For the first time in our history, on 21 Sept a Marxist, the son of a poor farmer, a man who understands the travails and humiliation the poor have to undergo daily has been elected as the Executive Prez of the country. Prez Dissanayake is the son of a poor farming family. He is now the 9th Executive Prez of SL. As a student, the new prez used to sell sweets on buses to help his family. He himself has said at times when a teacher from his school boarded a bus on which he was more..

Sep 25 (CT) Education is the backbone of national development, driving economic progress, social cohesion, and opportunities for individuals but we were able to find out that there are more than 35,000 teacher vacancies in schools all over the island. Joseph Stalin, general secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU), said that in a situation where there are large teacher vacancies, the teaching of science & technical subjects more..

Sep 25 (TN) The election and inauguration of SL’s first leftist Prez, Anura Dissanayake, has marked the beginning of a new chapter in the country’s political landscape. There are many questions surrounding how the nation’s political vision and progress will unfold under his leadership. His role in addressing the country’s economic crisis, debt, unemployment, and foreign relations has become crucial. His leftist stance and past political ideals necessitate deep analysis to determine the direction more..

Sep 25 (TM) The people of Sri Lanka have achieved what once seemed impossible, challenging the very notions of power that a few scoundrels made the people believe were unshakeable for the past 76 years. Through the force of the people’s will, you and your Party (JVP led NPP) have risen to meet this historic moment. Congratulations. You are now the ninth Executive President of SL, a country once known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean and the granary of the East, celebrated for more..

Sep 25 (ST) As the nation awaits to join the chorus singing hosannas to a new president—whoever that may be—to be announced in the course of the day, he will be instantly coronated with the thorny crown of the collective despair of a nation in the gutter of economic bankruptcy. He will be expected to lead the people on a perilously dangling rope bridge to the promised land as pledged in his manifesto. There will be no euphoric honeymoon for him to imbibe his cup of triumph but, instead, more..

Sep 25 (Island) The 2024 SL prez election is considered a watershed moment for several key reasons. One of the most significant aspects is the peaceful transfer of power from a neoliberal administration to the left-oriented NPP, led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The NPP, supported by the JVP, marked a significant shift in the country’s political landscape. Historically, the JVP was involved in two armed uprisings in 1971 and 1989 in attempts to seize control through more..

Sep 25 (EN) She was ridiculed when she started to express her mind against social injustice to the public like a Marxists JVP activists while teaching as a lecturer at Open University of SL, but Harini Nireka Amarasuriya never had an idea that she will end up as the island nation’s PM. But, the 54-year old youngest in a 3-member elitist family in Colombo on Tuesday took oaths as the 16th PM of SL and the third woman PM in the country. more..

Sep 25 (TM) The Colombo stock market expects foreign investors to return to the market following the completion of the debt restructuring and the expected rating upgrade, according to Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) Chairperson Dilshan Wirasekara. He said that the CSE expects foreign investors to return to the stock market sooner than later. He added that before 2018, there was a 50/50 contribution from foreign and domestic point of view for turnover which then changed due to more..

Sep 25 (Island) The UNP has announced that its leader and former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will not contest the next parliamentary election; nor will he return to Parliament via the National List (NL). It has also said it will contest future elections under its Elephant symbol and invited the SJB to close ranks with it and form a new electoral alliance. SJB has rejected the UNP’s invitation out of hand. Ranil is known for his lateral thinking and unpredictable moves, and therefore more..

Sep 25 (ST) SL women’s cricket team, as unbeaten Asia Cup champions, are heading to the ICC Twenty20 Women’s World Cup in the UAE from Oct 3 to 20 with renewed confidence. This is a pivotal moment in the history of SL women’s cricket. In the Asia Cup, SL showed their strength, defeating Bangladesh in the first round, overcoming Pakistan in the semi-finals, and toppling India in a thrilling final. This success has set a promising tone for their future in the ICC tournaments. more..

Sep 25 (FT) Hotels Association of SL (THASL) and SL Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) being the two apex industry bodies representing the inbound tourism sector and the formal hotel sector yesterday congratulated Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on being elected as the 9th Executive President of Sri Lanka. “We wish President Dissanayake the very best in leading our country and assure him of the fullest support to take the country forward to the next level,” more..

Sep 25 (FT) In an apparent show of growing confidence in new Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Colombo stock market yesterday shot up to record its largest daily gain for the year amidst high turnover including net foreign inflow. ASPI jumped by 237.31 points or 2.14% and the active S&P SL20 by 2.36% or 75 points. Turnover was Rs. 2 billion involving 96 million shares. First Capital said the Colombo Bourse witnessed more..

Sep 25 (ST) SL recently repaid US$400 million to India, along with an additional $200 million towards a $2.2 billion debt owed to the Asian Clearing Union (ACU), as part of a phased repayment strategy. Central Bank of SL has been repaying the ACU credit and India’s $400 million swap in installments through central bank arrangements. The IMF staff report revealed that these debts will be consolidated into a $2.6 billion bilateral swap, which will be repaid in tranches from 2023 to 2026. more..

Sep 25 (Island) Sri Lanka’s Head Coach, Sanath Jayasuriya, wasn’t exactly a happy camper after being cornered into leaving out all-rounder Milan Ratnayake for the first Test against New Zealand, especially following his stellar debut in England last month. It seems, though, the winds of change are blowing, and the selectors might have to rethink their strategy for the second Test, which kicks off in Galle this Thursday. Playing on home soil, where the pitches turn more, more..