Sep 4 (AD) Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement detailing the procedures for the online authentication of birth, marriage and death certificates. Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched online authentication process for birth, marriage and death certificates, in partnership with the Registrar General’s Dept at a ceremony held on Sep 2, 2024 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.With the new online process, SL citizens can apply for the authentication of their birth, marriage, and death certificates more..

Sep 4 (AD) Independent prez candidate and incumbent Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe says that it is not possible to build the country’s economy without a formal plan. He states that through the strengthening of the rupee by taking tough decisions, they have temporarily addressed the economic crisis. Speaking at a rally in Eheliyagoda, Prez emphasized that they took over the governance of the country with a fearless commitment. “That day, this group came with me to accept responsibility without fear. more..

Sep 5 (DM) The minority Tamils of SL have been promised devolution of power since the Indo-SL Accord was signed in 1987. The J.R. Jayewardene govt even got the 13th Amendment (13A) to the Constitution passed by an overwhelming majority in Parliament. But to date, the 13A has not been implemented in full with devolution of powers over the police and State land. As of now, what goes as devolution is only a shell comprising an elected Provincial Council and a Board of Ministers. more..

Sep 5 (DM) Over the past 50 years or so, every Sri Lankan president has followed a non-rational approach to the formation of govt. This prompted Verité Research to draft a blueprint for rational govt and present it to the major candidates (or their parties) in the lead up to this Prez Election. But what does it mean to make the govt more rational? A white paper by Verité Research identifies three ways in which the design of govt fails to be rational. That is, by constructing the Cabinet ministries and more..

Sep 5 (DM) President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his Ask Me Anything Session which was organised by the Professionals Forum, took questions from the audience on a wide range of issues. President Wickremesinghe warned that if Sri Lanka’s economy isn’t swiftly reoriented towards exports, the country may face another financial crisis between 2035-2040; necessitating continued borrowing. more..

Sep 5 (DM) While media coverage is largely on the Prez Election which is to be held on Sept 21, today marks an important day on the calendar– that is the Int'l Day of Charity. UN stated that Charity provides ample opportunities for bonding between communities and societies, thereby contributing to more inclusive societies, just like volunteerism and philanthropy. Charity also helps alleviate those worst hit by humanitarian crises, supplement public services in health care, education, housing more..

Sep 5 (GV) The most recent Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) SL Opinion Tracker Survey for July 2024 shows a tight race in the upcoming prez election. NPP leader A.K. Dissanayake and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa are neck and neck, each garnering approximately 37% and 36% of voting intent respectively but neither candidate has secured more than 40% support among all adults. July also saw a significant surge in support for incumbent Prez Ranil, whose backing grew to 23%. more..

Sep 5 (Hindu) Fixing SL’s battered economy and wiping out racism will be top priority for a NPP govt, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, among the frontrunners in the Sept 21 race, said. He spoke to The Hindu amid a hectic campaign at the headquarters of the JVP, a party with Marxist origins that is leading the NPP alliance. Sri Lanka is poised for a renaissance project, departing from the old political order, Mr. Dissanayake, 55, said, more..

Sep 5 (TM) Sri Lanka is witnessing a considerable increase in childhood obesity, and as per the available information, nearly half of the students in a classroom are obese. As was pointed out by Consultant Paediatrician at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Dr. Deepal Perera, the present situation is such that there are about 15 to 20 obese children per classroom of 30 to 40, when there used to be only two-three such cases that existed per classroom before. more..

Sep 5 (CT) With the technological revolution that swept the world at the dawn of the new millennium, a sea change has occurred in nearly every aspect of human life. The Internet, smart devices, and more recently, generative AI have drastically challenged the conventional ways of life that people followed before 2000. In fact, with these advancements, countries worldwide have made life faster and easier for their citizens. Unfortunately, this change took a long time to reach our island in Indian Ocean, more..

Sep 5 (CT) When the rich hear it, they dread; when all hope seems to be gone for ever, the hapless and poor fall further down the ladder until they hit the floor. The song of the poor is indeed poignant and sometimes even enchanting but never to be unheard for what was heard cannot be undone. The rhythmical melody of life narrated from the unwilling corners cannot be ignored nor shall it be suppressed. From the lips of the wretched cascades the appeal of a slice of our men and women more..

Sep 5 (Island) Having served Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s despicable political agenda since May 2022, till August this year, MP Namal Rajapaksa entered the fray in a last-ditch attempt to save the SLPP’s nationalistic vote, MJP leader Dilith Jayaweera declared. The highest taxpaying presidential contestant Jayaweera tore into SLPP candidate Namal Rajapaksa as he questioned the motives of the eldest son of former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa to seek the Office of the President. more..

Aug 5 (CI) Joe Root has scores of 42, 62 not out, 143, and 103 so far in this series. In general, he averages 67.55 against Sri Lanka, having hit 186 and a 228 in his last series against this opposition as well, those mammoth scores coming in Galle. He sweeps and reverse-sweeps well, tends to be proactive against the seamers, and on the occasions in which he chooses to defend, has one of the best techniques in the game. more..

Sep 5 (ST) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has proposed to the Constitutional Council four names to fill the vacancies in the Court of Appeal. Among them are the three most senior High Court judges—Gihan Kulatunga, Damitha Thotawatta, and Amal Ranaraja. They were recommended by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya. The fourth nominee is Senior Solicitor General Mahen Gopallawa. He was recommended by Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe. At present, the CA has five vacancies. more..

Aug 5 (Island) Former US Prez Donald Trump has mastered the art of attracting media attention. He has hit international headlines again. The Democrats accused him of having won the 2016 presidential election with the help of Russians. He has vehemently denied that claim. This time around, he has sought to use aliens, of all beings, and Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), of all things, to improve his chances in a razor-close presidential race––in a manner of speaking. more..

Aug 5 (ST) SL’s tea industry has established a new standard in a bid to improve the quality of the world’s only Ceylon Tea. This is through collaboration with Unilever Pepsi for funding the project on regenerative agriculture to achieve the Code for Ceylon Tea. Pepsi Lipton Tea partnership is a joint venture between PepsiCo and Unilever. Colombo Tea Traders Association (CTTA) Chairman Sanjaya Herath said that this new int'l standard will supersede all other standards pertaining to more..

Sep 5 (DM) As all political manifestos, ahead of the elections, are filled with promises about boosting exports, Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), the apex body of SL’s apparel sector, voiced sharp criticism regarding the inconsistency in translating these promises into action, warning that this long-standing issue has severely undermined Sri Lanka’s global competitiveness and investor confidence. Speaking at a recent webinar, JAAF Secretary General Yohan Lawrence pointed out more..

Sep 5 (IE) Describing South Asian University’s inquiry into a PhD proposal citing linguist Noam Chomsky’s criticism of the NDA govt as utterly unreasonable, Sasanka Perera (62), the scholar who later quit over the issue, said that the deafening silence of his colleagues and the choreographed timidity, on campus suggests that SAU will never again stand for academic freedom. Perera, a Lankan cultural anthropologist more..

Aug 5 (DN) SL’s Women’s Lifesaving Medley Relay team has emerged as the Asian Champions, setting a new national record at the ongoing Lifesaving World Championship in Gold Coast, Australia, yesterday. The team, consisting of Thenushi Kalawitigoda, Sinali Rajapaksa, Sandali Sumathipala, and Vinuki Perera from Musaeus College, clinched the title in the 4x50m Lifesaving Medley Relay. SL women’s 4x50m Medley Relay team clocked 2:12.94, erasing the previous more..

Aug 5 (DN) David Bedingham’s magnificent century guided South Africa ‘A’ to a convincing win over SL ‘A’ in the third unofficial ODI played today (4) at Potchefstroom. However, the visitors managed to clinch the three-match series, 2-1. After winning the toss, Sri Lanka opted to bat first with 4 changes to their playing XI. The visitors have brought in Pavan Rathnayake, Kavindu Nadeeshan, Chamika Gunasekara and Dinura Kalupahana to the side leaving out Sonal Dinusha, Wanuja Sahan, more..

Sep 5 (DM) SL has the highest plastic waste leakage rate in South Asia, a new World Bank (WB) study said. The WB report released in this connection and titled Waves of Plastics: A Snapshot of Marine Plastic Pollution in South Asia March 2024 and made available on its Open Knowledge Repository (OKR) website last Wednesday (28) further said that Sri Lanka’s annual plastic leakages in metric tons (MT), more..

Aug 5 (DM) A legal dispute has emerged involving Digital Mobility Solutions Lanka Ltd, the company behind the popular ride-hailing platform PickMe, as the company’s proposed IPO comes under the Commercial High Court scrutiny. The action was filed by Fathhi Mohamed, who alleged that he was a co-founding member of the company, naming Digital Mobility Solutions Lanka (Pvt) Ltd and Hassen Jiffry Zulfer as defendants. In the plaint, Fathhi alleged that he played a significant role more..

Aug 5 (DM) Claiming that the NPP will not violate the Constitution if elected on Sept 21, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today the NPP will run the govt as per the Constitution for one and half months until the Parliament is dissolved. He said opposition politicians exert undue fear among the people and said there is no reason to be afraid. He said as per the constitution, NPP has several options to run the govt for the one and half months and added that he would dissolve Parliament more..

Sep 5 (CT) Transparency International SL (TISL) reported that a total of 906 election-related incidents have been submitted to their website, apesalli.lk. Out of these, 615 incidents are classified as election law violations. The breakdown of reported incidents is as follows: Bribery – 46 incidents, Misuse of Public Funds or Property – 138 incidents, Misuse of Public Position – 32 incidents, Public Procurement Irregularities – 12 incidents, Conflict of Interest – 1 incident, and Other – 27 incidents. more..

Sep 5 (TM) The CEB is currently assessing the relevant data for the next electricity tariff revision, stated the Ministry of Power and Energy. The Electricity Consumers' Association (ECA) recently stated that according to the Govt's decision to revise electricity tariffs quarterly, the tariffs were due for revision in November, but that no steps have been taken thus far to process it. When queried by The Daily Morning as to whether there will be a tariff revision in November, more..

Sep 5 (FT) SJB, last night unveiled its comprehensive economic blueprint to the professional and business community. The event was held under the patronage of SJB leader and Prez hopeful Sajith Premadasa, whilst the policy document was detailed by the party’s economic trio — Dr. Harsha de Silva, Eran Wickramaratne and Kabir Hashim. 600-page SJB’s latest version of its Economic Blueprint covers 27 areas more..

Sep 5 (DM) Steps have been taken to bring down 750,000 passports within a month as an immediate measure until the issuance of E-passport is fully implemented, minister Susil Premajayantha said. He told parliament that the company which supplied the printed passports has been informed to provide some 750,000 passports and that the company needed some time to print and supply the stock. He said the company was informed to provide the passports within a month and more..

Sep 5 (FT) The courageous crew of the vessel MT Global Beauty performed an astounding rescue operation off the coast of SL on 24 Aug, saving the lives of two fishermen discovered adrift in the open sea. In addition to saving the fishermen’s lives, this audacious rescue served as a shining example and a reminder of the crew’s unwavering dedication to maritime safety and the spirit of solidarity among sailors. The MT Global Beauty Master Capt. Gurpinder Singh and his dedicated crew more..

Sep 5 (DM) The contribution of North and the East towards national development will increase under an SJB govt, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said. “Western province accounts for 43% of the country’s GDP, while North contributes 4.1% and Eastern provinces 5.2%. A future govt under me will change this situation. Accordingly, the N&E provinces will contribute more towards national development under a future SJB govt. We will introduce a development system based on statistics,” more..

Aug 5 (FT) Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday accused the Govt of bypassing the proper tender process and accepting an unsolicited proposal for the new e-passports. He criticised the Govt for failing to have a contingency plan in place during the transition from regular passports to e-passports, which has led to significant delays and caused inconvenience to the public. “The Prez and his Cabinet must accept responsibility for not following due process. more..

Sep 5 (FT) NPP Prez candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake has assured Sri Lanka’s business community that his party will prevent any further collapse of the current economy. Addressing concerns about rivals attempting to create fear and panic about an economic downturn if the NPP comes to power, Dissanayake said the party’s first promise is to prevent any further collapse of the existing economic situation. more..

Sep 5 (DN) Health and Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said that the launch of a new political alliance which would mark a new turning point in Sri Lankan politics will be held today (5) at 9.00 am at the Water’s Edge Hotel with the participation of a large number of political party representatives and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). He emphasised that the alliance is being launched with the aim of starting a new political movement in a futuristic way. more..

Sep 5 (DM) The NPP Prez candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake will surpass SJB candidate Sajith Premadasa at this year’s Prez polls and become the main opposition leader later this year, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe believes. Wickremesinghe said that his former political protégé had failed in his duties as opposition leader, and thereby the SJB will fail to maintain its position as the main opposition. “My party was the main opposition even during the time of former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa. more..

Aug 5 (TM) Election Commission (EC) has condemned the announcement of the salary hike for the public sector during the Prez Election period and has complained regarding the same to the Public Administration Ministry. “Govt should not announce the increase of public sector salaries during the election period,” Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake said in response to a query on the EC’s response more..

Sep 5 (FT) We the People are hiring. The election is the ultimate job interview. The correctness of collective choice, composed of individual choices, is crucial. The candidates files and profiles must be examined through the prism of who is most likely to have the following: (A) Knowledge-- the learning, education and training. (B) Accumulated experience in the relevant field at an approximate level. (C) Ability, skills-set and proven talent. (D) Mentality/temperament to do the job. more..