Sep 28 (DN) SriLankan Airlines has once again been recognized as the Leading Int'l Airline in South Asia under the Visitors’ Choice Awards category at the South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) 2024, marking its second consecutive win in this prestigious category. This accolade reinforces the airline’s status as a powerhouse in the aviation industry of South Asia, with an unmatched legacy of service and hospitality, and a comprehensive flight schedule serving 85% of the South Asian region. more..

Sep 28 (ST) Sri Lanka’s unique geography, favourable climate, and increasing investments are fuelling a resurgence in its coffee industry. With the global speciality coffee market expanding, the country is poised to become a major player. By 2029, SL’s coffee market is expected to grow by 10.05%, reaching a market volume of US $106.50 million. In 2024, revenues are projected to hit $6.64 million, with a 8.79 per cent annual growth rate, culminating in $10.12 million by 2029. more..

Sep 28 (NW) Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has instructed an immediate internal audit regarding the progress of expenditure allocations within the Sports Ministry. This directive was given during a meeting held yesterday, with heads of institutions operating under the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs. In her remarks, the PM emphasized the need to control unnecessary state spending, especially on festivals and events, urging officials to minimize wastage. more..

Sep 28 (FT) Monetary Policy Board of the Central Bank of SL, at its meeting held on 26 September 2024, decided to maintain the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) of the CB at their current levels of 8.25% and 9.25%, respectively. Board arrived at this decision after carefully considering the recent and expected macroeconomic developments and possible risks and uncertainties on more..

Sep 28 (DM) Former Kalutara district MP and Minister Kumara Welgama passed away at the age of 74. He passed away while receiving treatment in a private hospital in Colombo. Since 2020, he has been the leader of the New Lanka Freedom Party and contested elections with the SJB. Welgama was the chief organiser for the SLFP in the Agalawatte electorate between 1984 and 2000. Welgamaa was the Minister of Industrial Development from 2007 to 2010 and the Minister of Transport from 2010 more..

Sep 28 (NW) Sri Lanka’s largest book exhibition, the Colombo International Book Fair, will take place from today Sept 27 to Oct 6 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH). Organized by the SL Book Publishers’ Association, the event will run daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The annual fair draws thousands of visitors and offers a wide range of local and international books across genres, making it a significant cultural event in the country’s literary calendar. more..

Sep 28 (FT) The Japanese Ambassador to SL, Mizukoshi Hideaki, affirmed that the Japanese Govt is committed to fully supporting efforts to combat corruption and irregularities, a key priority of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s administration. He expressed readiness to continue close collaboration with SL. Ambassador Mizukoshi made these remarks during a meeting with the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday. more..

Sep 28 (FT) The Colombo stock market yesterday closed one of its most bullish weeks in history as investors gathered growing confidence over prospects for listed equities under the regime of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. During the week, ASPI gained by 7.4% and the active S&P SL 20 by 10%. Yesterday the market gained by over 0.8% amidst profit taking mid-day and investors returning to buying side later on. Turnover yesterday was Rs. 2.9 billion lower from Rs. 4.3 billion on Thursday more..

Sep 28 (Island) A large number of Sri Lankans left the country between 2019 and 2024, which was one of the main reasons for the lower voter turnout in the 21 Sept Prez Election compared to 2019, Rohana Hettiarachchi, Executive Director of the PAFFREL said. Hettiarachchi said that almost 80% eligible voters had exercised their franchise, compared to approximately 81% in the 2015 prez election, and 74.5% in 2010. more..

Sep 28 (BBC) Pay Drechsel is going for his daily morning walk around Thalangama Wetland, in Colombo. The Sun casts a warm glow over flowering pink water lilies as a farmer scrubs down his water buffalo. A kingfisher hovers nearby. Soon, photographers will arrive to capture curved-necked egrets, waders probing for crawling worms, and little cormorants diving for freshwater fish. Thalangama Wetland and its surrounding swamps, reedbeds, canals and rice fields more..

Sep 28 (Island) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had assured the Catholic Church that an impartial investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks would be conducted, according to Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Colombo. Speaking to journalists, Fr. Fernando expressed confidence in the administration’s intentions. Fr. Fernando said that the Catholic Church does not believe the NPP was involved in the Easter Sunday conspiracy. more..

Sep 28 (FT) Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has been grappling with a significant decline in arrivals due to the recent crisis over the visa issuance process. Sri Lanka welcomed 92,639 tourists during the first 23 days of September, pushing the year-to-date figure to over 1.45 million arrivals. However, this marks a sharp decrease compared to the same period of the previous two months, with arrivals dropping by over 30%. more..

Sep 29 (SO) With the election of Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the NPP to the Presidency, SL is on the cusp of a new era in governance. The rallying cry of the Aragalaya (Struggle) in 2022 was System Change a.k.a. a complete change in governance. This was a call to do away with the traditional party politics that had led the country to socio-economic ruin just 75 years after Independence. In Prez Dissanayake, the voters saw a candidate who could effect a System Change in a meaningful way. more..

Sep 29 (CT) The newly-appointed Governor of the Western Province, renowned businessman Hanif Yusuf, made an impassioned comment last week to the media, explaining why he accepted the appointment from Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Yusuf revealed that it was a key statement from the Prez that resonated deeply with him and ultimately shaped his decision. The Prez had remarked, “I don’t mind the rich becoming richer; but we must never allow the poor to become poorer,” more..

Sep 29 (CT) The long speech made by Chairman of the Election Commission R.M.A.L. Rathnayake, at the conclusion of the Prez Election 2024, thanking all the institutions and individuals who contributed to conducting a successful and peaceful election, may have grounded Prez elect Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Speaking soon after he was declared the winner of the election, Dissanayake took the podium and said it was only then he realised more..

Sep 29 (Island) It is no exaggeration to say that no previous SL political leader has achieved what Anura Kumara Dissanayake accomplished this week. His leap from 418,553 (3.16%) in 2019 to 5,634,915 (42.31%) and victory in 2024 – a 14-fold jump in five years – is in itself unprecedented, not only in SL but likely also elsewhere. More importantly AKD did what he did without the proverbial political spoon in his mouth. Up till now everyone who achieved high political office in this country more..

Sep 29 (TM) The events that resulted in a tectonic shift in SL’s political landscape are now the stuff of history. The politicians, without exception, have played all their cards, so there’s nothing more to say and no more aces to play. The winner has taken it all, the losers are standing small, but beside the victory, that’s SL’s destiny. (With apologies to the ’70s pop icon, ABBA). It is now one week since SL elected a new Executive Prez and it appears that comrade Anura Kumara Dissanayake more..

Sep 29 (TM) Hot on the heels of the Prez Election that saw NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) assuming office as the ninth Executive Prez, the new Prez dissolved Parliament on Tuesday, a day after assuming office, to hold Parliamentary Elections on 14 Nov. While AKD’s appointment will go down in the country’s history, there are several reasons that will make it interesting to see how he balances governance and more..

Sep 29 (Island) The result of the Sept 21 prez election promises, more than anything ever before, the system change demanded in 2002 by the Aragalaya as well as many other segments of the SL polity outside the agitation. Commentators were correctly unanimous that none of the front runners, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and then Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe would clear the 50 percent plus one vote margin eliminating a preference vote more..

Sep 29 (DM) It was strongly argued before the Prez election that a party like the NPP led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake which obtained only 3.16% of total votes in the 2019 Prez election cannot achieve the 50% target to win this time. It looked like a sensible argument without malice when it was taken comparatively with the performance of the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s SJB in 2019 when it got 42% of votes. Any sane person would see that Sajith Premadasa could easily pass more..

Sep 29 (SO) As Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been served with a timed-out notice, former Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe who led the crusade against abuse and exploitation in cricket administration has been joined by Sports Minister Harini Amarasuriya who is also the new PM at a time a high profile Recommendation against corruption in cricket has gone missing. Recommendation referred to a complete clean-up at SLC in the form of an Investigative Report compiled by more..

Sep 29 (Island) Let’s rewind to last year, a time when the national cricket team was stumbling like a toddler learning to walk. Pakistan swept us 2-0 in our own backyard, India handed us a record-breaking hammering in the ODIs, and to top it all off, we limped home ninth in the World Cup, getting kicked out of the Champions Trophy for good measure. It wasn’t just a fall from grace; it was more like we tumbled headfirst off a cliff. The decline was so obvious even the greats more..

Sep 29 (CI) Prabath Jayasuriya was made to work hard for his wickets in the first Test. Even when he ended up with figures of 4 for 136 in the first innings there, they had at one point been ingloriously perched at 1 for 99. Second time out he got his customary Galle five-for, and that was down to a better showing from his spin colleagues at the other end, who offered much more control than they had in the first innings. more..

Sep 29 (ST) It was one of the most peaceful transfers of power in the democratic world last weekend. Bouquets are due to the Elections Commission for ensuring it without interference, and to the newly elected Prez for seeing that there were no after-effects by over-enthusiastic supporters to the detriment of his opponents. It is now possible for this country to engage in some capacity building on how to hold elections in some other countries where public hatred, extremism and violence more..

Sep 29 (AD) The results of the 2023 (2024) G.C.E. O/L Exam have been released online. Examinations Dept stated that the results were released at midnight yesterday. The examination results can be obtained from the websites: www.doenets.lk or www.results.exams.gov.lk The examination department requests applicants to contact the following hotlines if they seek to make any inquiries regarding these results: 1911 or 011 2 785 922, 0112 786 616, 011 2 784 208 or 011 2 784 537. more..

Sep 29 (EN) SL’s primary dealers are making excessive use of central bank’s standing facilities to fund their govt securities portfolios though they have been cut off from liquidity auctions, an IMF report said. “Non-bank primary dealers for govt LKR debt have access to standing facilities and routinely use Standing Lending Facility (SLF) to fund their portfolios,” report said. “Share of non-bank primary dealers in SLF accounts for about 46% or about 76 bn LKR as of end-April 2023” more..

Sep 29 (CI) Where New Zealand succumbed, Sri Lanka soared. Nowhere was this more true than in the field. Sure, you can wax lyrical about Kamindu Mendis - sorry, we need to mention him as often as we can now - and go on about Prabath Jayasuriya's latest big haul in Galle. But the reality is that the difference in this game has by and large been because of the sides' performance in the field. We have already talked about New Zealand's fielding mishaps across this second Test, more..

Sep 29 (CI) It was a tale of two bowlers, and thankfully for New Zealand, at least two partnerships on a day dominated by the home spinners in Galle. Prabath Jayasuriya bagged 6 for 42, and debutant offspinner Nishan Peiris took 3 for 33, as Sri Lanka spun New Zealand out for 88, their lowest all-out total against Sri Lanka, in the first innings. After securing a mammoth 514-run lead, Dhananjaya de Silva made NZ follow on. more..

Sep 29 (AD) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya says that education is a key area which the new govt will give the highest priority to and that they firmly believe reestablishing the trust in the country’s education system is critical. Addressing a workshop held for school principals at the Ananda College in Colombo today (28), she pointed out that there are several issues in the current education system and that one of the main problems is that the trust in the education system has broken. more..

Sep 29 (SO) Consulate General of India in Jaffna has extended financial aid of Rs. 3 million to 100 underprivileged students at the University as a part of the ongoing educational assistance program offered by the Govt of India to support students of Uni of Jaffna. The event held at the Uni of Jaffna was attended by Consul General of India Shri Sai Murali and Consular Officer Shri R. Nagarajan. Vice Chancellor of Uni of Jaffna, Prof. S. Srisatkunarajah, Registrar, Deans of Faculties and more..

Sep 29 (DM) The govt has initiated action to review the benefits of former Presidents to be pruned according to a criterion since some curtailments require legal amendments to be enacted by the next Parliament. Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, during his election campaign, pledged to scrap benefits of the former Presidents, including pension benefits. However, the benefits for them are decided in terms of the provisions of more..

Sep 29 (CT) Dinura Kalupahana of Mahinda College Galle and Vishmi Gunarathne of Rathnawali Balika Vidyalaya Gampaha were adjudged School Boy Cricketer and School Girl Cricketer 2024 on Thursday. The Awards Ceremony was held at the BMICH with schoolboys and girls from the far corners of the island in attendance. Shammi Silva, President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) participated as the chief guest and talented speedster/National Cap Matheesha Pathirana was the special guest. more..

Sep 29 (PMD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake attended the Colombo International Book Fair today (28), held at the Bandaranaike International Conference Hall in Colombo for the 25th time in celebration of the Literature Month. During the event, Mr. Samantha Indeewara, President of the SL Book Publishers’ Association, presented a draft of the National Policy on Children’s Books to President Dissanayake. Prez then toured several booths showcasing both local & int'l books more..

Sep 29 (PMD) The Gazette Notification No. 2403/53 – 2024, detailing the division of institutions and portfolios under the new ministries, was published yesterday (27th). Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, issued this gazette in accordance with the authority granted under Article 44(1) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. Additionally, the short-term cabinet of the new govt was recently appointed. The full gazette, outlining the functions and institutions under the new govt, is attached herewith. more..

Sep 29 (CT) West Indies will play a three-match T20I series followed by a three-game ODI series in October. The T20I series will commence on 13 Oct, and all three games will be played in Dambulla. This will be followed by the ODI series, to be played from 20-26 October in Kandy. SL will seek to take confidence from their positive run in recent months, with an ODI series win over India, a Test match win against England at The Oval, and a brilliant run in the Test series against NZ at home. more..