Oct 8 (FT) South Asia is no stranger to women holding top positions of political power. SL led the way with Sirimavo Bandaranaike being the world’s first ever woman PM. She took on the mantle (party leader SLFP) vacated by her husband S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike who was assassinated in 1959. She ran for elections in 1960 and won and later on again in 1970 she took on the role of PM. Her daughter Chandrika Kumaratunga too became PM from Aug to Nov 1994 and was later on Prez of SL more..

Oct 8 (AD) Election Commission today announced that the deadline for accepting applications for postal voting in the 2024 General Election, which was scheduled to end at midnight today, has been extended until midnight on 10 Oct 2024. Elections Commissioner General said that this decision was made in consideration of the possible postal delays and several requests made by the public to the commission. Furthermore, the election regulatory body has also advised that more..

Oct 8 (DM) An arrest warrant has been issued for Upul Tharanga, the Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket’s Selection Committee, after he failed to appear in court today (8). The warrant issued by the Matale High Court is connected to a match-fixing case, which Tharanga had initially reported, involving the Legends League tournament held in Kandy. It was reported that Tharanga is currently in the United States, where he is participating in a franchise cricket tournament. more..

Oct 8 (DM) Investigations into the death of a female student from the Colombo International School (CIS) have revealed that the 16-year-old girl had committed suicide and that her death is linked to the earlier suicides of two schoolmates at the Altair luxury apartment in Slave Island. The student, a resident of Kollupitiya, fell to her death from the observation deck of the Lotus Tower in Colombo yesterday evening. more..

Oct 8 (AD) The Constitutional Council has approved the appointment of Senior DIG Priyantha Weerasooriya as the Acting IGP. The Constitutional Council convened a meeting at the parliamentary complex today under the chairmanship of Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to take a final decision on approving the appointment of the Acting IGP. Under existing regulations, any individual serving as Acting IGP for more than 14 days must receive the formal approval of the Constitutional Council. more..

Oct 8 (AD) The Democratic Left Front (DLF) has officially announced its support for the National People’s Power (NPP) in the forthcoming parliamentary elections. The party’s leader, former MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara, confirmed this decision during a press conference held today (08). Nanayakkara stated, “The parliamentary election is approaching, and our party has decided to support the National People’s Power. We will be contesting while backing them in this election.” more..

Oct 8 (BN) SL’s new govt said it will review a wind power deal with the Adani Group, throwing a fresh hurdle for the Indian conglomerate as it seeks to expand abroad. The previous administration’s approval of electricity prices for Adani Green Energy Ltd’s projects was a problem, Minister Vijitha Herath said after a meeting of the Cabinet ministers. The new govt would give the deal a fresh look after parliamentary elections more..

Oct 8 (DM) Most of the senior members of the SJB are expected to enter Parliament through the national list this year, a former MP from the party said. Former SJB MP and Polonnaruwa District Leader Kings Nelson told a media briefing that most of the senior members of the party are anticipated to enter Parliament via the national list. "Most of our senior members, including General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, are expected to come through the national list this year," more..

Oct 8 (EN) Representation of minority groups in Sri Lanka’s Parliament is in danger of weakening in the upcoming November 14 elections, which could affect their rights, an European Commission funded study has revealed. Research by Oxford Brookes University as part of the Minority empowerment for democracy and pluralism programme revealed that major national parties have successively reduced the space within their parties for minorities to participate and raise their issues. more..

Oct 8 (DM) Health authorities express concern over the rapid increase of HIV contracted individuals in the Hambantota district this year. A medical officer of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Prevention Unit of the Hambantota District said during a medical clinic held recently in Ambalangoda area. He pointed out that 21 HIV infected individuals had been identified from the district this year and that there could be more yet to be identified. He said a total number of 87 patients had been identified more..

Oct 8 (CT) Approximately 15 new patients are diagnosed with breast cancer daily in SL, the Health Ministry revealed. A senior spokesperson for the Health Ministry stated that breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. 26.2% of the most prevalent cancers in women are breast cancers. Globally, around 2.3 million breast cancer cases are reported annually, resulting in 670,000 deaths. In SL, at least 15 new cases are diagnosed each day, with at least three daily fatalities. more..

Oct 8 (AD) Taking into consideration the matters submitted by SL’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath relevant to the 57th session of the UNHRC, which is held from Sept 9 to Oct 11, 2024 in Geneva, the consent of the Cabinet of Ministers has been obtained to present the position of SL for certain matters. Accordingly, SL has strongly rejected the proposed drafted resolution at the present session of the UNHRC and more..

Oct 8 (DM) Cabinet has decided to terminate the services of officers and consultants appointed on contract basis for three projects initiated by the previous govt. Steps have also been taken to establish the Office for the Affairs of Sri Lankans Abroad under the Prez's Office and to establish a National Peoples Council and implement the Agriculture Modernization Programme. The previous govt had appointed officers and consultants on contract basis for these initiatives. more..

Oct 8 (NW) Former Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Mahinda Amaraweera has handed over his official residence in Paget Road, Colombo to Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya in Colombo, it was reported. The former minister vacated his official residence today in line with the recent regime change. Speaking to the media, Mahinda Amaraweera said the proposal to hand over the residence to Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya had been presented by him to the former govt. more..

Oct 8 (DM) The IMF and USAID are prepared to offer financial support to help enhance the economic prospects of Sri Lanka, US Ambassador to SL Julie Chung said today. She said this during a meeting with Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Kumanayake at the Prez Secretariat this morning. The US has also committed to providing essential support to strengthen Sri Lanka's economy and that support would be focused on more..

Oct 8 (DM) While there has been a decrease in elephant deaths this year, a total of 277 elephants have been killed up to October due to both natural and man-made causes, according to the Dept of Wildlife Conservation. As many as 488 elephants were killed last year. Following investigations conducted by the dept, it was revealed that elephant deaths were mainly due to ad hoc electric fences erected by farmers to protect their crops. The dept investigated personal electric fences more..

Oct 8 (SLN) Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy Sail Training Warship PO LANG arrived at the port of Colombo on a formal visit this morning. The visiting ship was welcomed by the SL Navy in compliance with naval traditions. PO LANG is a 86-meter-long Sail Training Vessel crewed by 130 personnel including 35 Officer Cadets. Meanwhile, Commanding Officer of the ship, Commander Ma Wenyong is scheduled to call on the Commander Western Naval Area, more..

Oct 8 (EN) SL’s will seek membership of the BRICS organization at the a meeting in Russia later this month, Cabinet Spokesman Vijitha Herath said. “SL has been invited for the BRICS later this month… and we expect to seek membership in BRICS,” Herath told a weekly media briefing to announce the cabinet decisions. “We have discussed with Indian Foreign Minister when he was here last week as well.” The previous govt’s cabinet approved the country seeking the membership in BRICS more..

Oct 8 (AD) Minister Vijitha Herath emphasized that Sri Lanka maintains balanced diplomatic relations with all countries, reaffirming that no nation is given special treatment. Minister Herath stated, “We are doing business with China just as we are doing business with India.” Furthermore, he addressed the govt’s decision to allow a Chinese military training vessel to visit SL later this month, noting that this falls within the framework of the country’s diplomatic engagements. more..

Oct 8 (DM) It has been revealed that MPs who promised support to the former govt in the run-up to the prez election were granted liquor licences to sell foreign liquor as a reward for the loyalty promised. Additionally, there are allegations that the independent candidate in this year’s prez election, who also served as finance minister, was involved in issuing these licences. Some officials from the Excise Dept of SL has expressed concerns, more..

Oct 8 (CT) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has directed Ministry Secretaries to inform all statutory bodies not to convene director board meetings until new heads are appointed to respective institutions. Accordingly, board meetings of all statutory bodies, including corporations, authorities and boards will stand suspended and all decisions taken by such boards will also be considered as invalid. PM’s Secretary Pradeep Saputantri has issued an order as per the directives of Dr. Amarasuriya to more..

Oct 8 (CT) The Ministry of Finance has ordered the Inland Revenue Department to conduct a special investigation into the tax evading Sri Lankan companies and individuals mentioned in the Pandora Papers. Sources also stated that the Prez has ordered the Ministry of Finance to initiate a formal investigation regarding these issues, which have been discussed by political parties in Sri Lanka since 2021. Accordingly, a senior official of the Ministry of Finance said that more..

Oct 8 (AFP) SL's new govt announced a probe into the 2019 Easter bombings that killed 279 people, saying that previous investigations had failed to identify other culprits responsible for SL's worst-ever attack against civilians. In the aftermath, officials blamed a local jihadist group for the suicide bombings on three churches and three hotels, but a top SL intelligence official was also accused of orchestrating the more..

Oct 8 (NW) On Sept 21, Lankans elected their 9th Executive Prez, Dissanyaka Mudiyansalage Anura Kumara Dissanayake. His win was not a simple victory; rather, a phenomenal one. Dissanayake managed to secure 5,634,915 votes in the first preference votes itself, leading by more than a million votes than the candidate second in line, opposition leader Sajith Premadasa. Prior to 2022, NPP was not seen as the preferred party. Current prez only received 418,553 votes, 3.16% of more..

Oct 8 (AFP) A Chinese naval sailing ship was granted permission to dock in SL on Tuesday, but Colombo’s new govt clarified that a ban on foreign research vessels is still in effect. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said the Po Lang, a triple-masted tall ship with a crew of 130, was allowed to dock in Colombo because it is considered “a training vessel and not a research craft.” “There is no change in the policy regarding research vessels,” AFP quoted Herath as saying to reporters. more..

Oct 9 (DM) Yesterday the Daily Mirror highlighted the death of a probable suicide by a teenage school girl. The girl had apparently jumped off the 29th floor of a building in the city of Colombo. Suicide is when someone voluntarily takes their own life. Often, this is a way to end an overwhelming hopelessness, frustration or to solve a problem for which they can’t find another solution. A young person dying by suicide is devastating to the family, and friends. Parents, siblings, classmates & neighbours more..

Oct 9 (TM) The prolonged period of crisis SL faced since 2019 has taken a toll on its education system, and experts have been warning, over the last two years, that there is much to be done to address issues in the sector. Even today, in a climate where SL has made some progress to stabilise the economic situation, the education sector and learning continues to be negatively impacted. On the one hand, with State expenditure stringently curtailed, & due to strong austerity measures more..

Oct 9 (SO) Senior Journalist Sunanda Deshapriya who has always raised his voice about human rights, is now in the country on a brief visit. He recently launched a book containing specific facts related to the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. He said that there may be a threat to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s life and that threat was there even before the Prez Election. There was actually a paradigm shift in the country more..

Oct 9 (CT) Diplomatic missions that took a keen interest in the outcome of the presidential election have lost no time in reaching out to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake after his victory. Prior to the election it appeared that former prez Ranil Wickemesinghe was the favourite of the Western bloc of countries. They made frequent public statements commending the president for his handling of the economy which were supplemented by similar supportive statements by the IMF. more..

Oct 9 (DM) In the 1940s, Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter popularized an idea now a free market economist’s mainstay. The concept, creative destruction is a process in which disruptive technologies, products, new methods of production and means of distribution dismantle and replace the established ones, making way for innovation as the driving force of capitalism. Schumpeter argued capitalism is never stationary & ever-evolving. ‘This process of Creative Destruction is more..

Oct 9 (SO) In a candid conversation with former MP Eran Wickramaratne of the SJB, the Sunday Observer discusses the dynamics of SL’s current political landscape. With the recent election outcome and ongoing national challenges, Wickramaratne sheds light on why the SJB faced a decline in voter support, the rise of the NPP, and the shifting demands of the electorate. He offers a thoughtful analysis of the SJB’s strategies more..

Oct 9 (ST) Some of the post-election sayings by the defeated trying to cover up their earlier sins, especially after clinging to the shaky Grusha bridge carrying a child—one of the poorest of allusions in retrospect—were the most jocular of defences uttered by ex-minister Dilum Amunugama. After the presence of hundreds of vehicles parked at Galle Face Green was highlighted by the media and commented on by NPP frontliner Wasantha Samarasinghe, drawing widespread public more..

Oct 9 (Island) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has met a group of food importers and discussed, inter alia, ways and means of making imported food items available to the public at affordable prices, according to media reports. He seems to think that discussions and moral suasion would help persuade the mudalali fraternity to refrain from profit maximisation for the sake of the public. If the govt is really keen to serve the interests of the public, it should make a decisive intervention to tackle the problem of more..

Oct 9 (GV) Elections can be times of hope, offering the possibility of a fresh start, yet also bring deep divisions to the surface. SL is one of several countries where in 2024 voters have made, or are about to make, important choices. Each part of the world has a unique history and set of conditions. Yet there may be lessons to be learnt from other countries in which left and centrist parties have responded in varying ways to tensions linked with economic hardship or uncertainty, identity & more..

Oct 9 (Island) SL Navy will take command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 154 from the Egyptian Navy soon. Since its establishment in May 2023, US (Capt. Oliver Herion), Jordan (Capt. Ayman Al Naimat) and Egypt (Commodore Haytham Elsayed Khalil), respectively, commanded the unit, one of the five Task Forces that operated under the purview of the US-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). The whole operation is spearheaded by Bahrain headquartered US Fifth Fleet. more..