Oct 11 (AD) Irrigation Dept has issued flood warnings for several of low-lying areas of Attanagalu Oya and Uruwal Oya river basins, effective until 9.45 a.m. on Oct 13. It states that a considerable rainfall has occurred in most of the catchment areas of Attanagalu Oya Basin as of 9.00 a.m. today (11). By analyzing the current rainfall situation and river water levels of Hydrological Stations in Attanagalu Oya, it is warned that there is a possibility of a flood situation occurring more..

Oct 11 (DM) Supreme Court suspended a decision by the Elections Commission (EC) to deactivate the Lanka Janatha Party and allowed the party to contest the General Elections. Lanka Janatha Party was deactivated and not allowed to contest the general elections by the EC due to an internal dispute. General Secretary of the party, Shalika Perera filing a writ petition challenged the decision. He said that the EC did not have the authority to de activate a recognized political party. more..

Oct 11 (EN) Institute for Health Policy (IHP) has released new polling data showing that the ruling NPP’s Harini Amarasuriya is a popular choice for the post of PM and that former minister Ali Sabry’s exit may be premature. In IHP SL Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) polling through 2024 prior to the prez election, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake and MPs Amarasuriya, and Ali Sabry were consistently the most popular more..

Oct 11 (DM) SLPP Politburo member Geethanath Cassilingham, who is contesting the upcoming General Election from the Jaffna District, challenged his co-candidates to prove they have never solicited or mediated liquor licenses. Cassilingham said that he would issue an open affidavit to his district affirming that he has never solicited or mediated liquor licenses for himself or his associates. "I never solicited or mediated an arrack license for myself, my family, relatives, friends, more..

Oct 11 (AD) SL Police are requesting the public to call the special hotline ‘1997’ to provide any information regarding the misuse of the government-owned vehicles. Issuing a communiqué, the police headquarters requests the public to report any information related to the vehicles issued by the govt for various official purposes that may have been unlawfully concealed in certain locations or have been neglected after being parked in certain places and left to dilapidate. more..

Oct 11 (AD) Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake, announced that a total of 764 nomination papers were submitted by political parties and independent groups for the 2024 General Election. However, he stated that only 690 nomination papers were accepted from political parties and independent groups for the election and that 74 nomination papers were rejected. The highest number of nominations were received more..

Oct 11 (CT) Cancer patients admitted to the Teaching Hospital, Batticaloa, have been facing a significant dilemma since last Friday (4) due to the breakdown of the linear accelerator machine in the hospital’s Cancer Treatment Unit. President of the Govt Radiological Technologists’ Association (GRTA) and Secretary of the JCPSM, Chanaka Dharmawickrema, expressed concern yesterday (10) that 35-40 cancer patients were receiving treatment from this machine daily. more..

Oct 11 (CT) Two SL women journalists won the prestigious South Asia Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity 2024 in Mumbai on Wednesday. At a star-studded award ceremony held at the Tata Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai, News 1st’s Sonali Wanigabaduge and freelance journalist Aanya Wipulasena received this distinguished award representing SL. The awards, organised by Population First, a Mumbai-based social impact organisation that has been working for more..

Oct 11 (NW) Actress Damitha Abeyratne who was expected to contest from the Ratnapura District is not among the list of candidates from the SJB for the 2024 General Election. It is unclear why Damitha Abeyratne’s name has been exempted from the list, as her candidacy had been confirmed this week. However, the actress’ name is not among the list of candidates submitted by the SJB to District Secretariat. Abeyratne, who has been a staunch and vocal supporter of the SJB signed more..

Oct 11 (CT) Price of personalised stamps will be increased to Rs 5000 from November this year, Sri Lanka Post said. The national postal service issues postage stamps under several categories, with the most popular being the personalised stamp category and the special cover category. Issued in sets of 20 stamps each valued at Rs. 25, SL Post said that the current price of Rs.2,000 for a single sheet of personalised stamps will be increased to Rs. 5,000 from November onwards. more..

Oct 11 (PMD) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials of the Ministry of Finance to take necessary action to provide a monthly interim allowance of Rs. 3000 to all pensioners, from next week. After reviewing the delay in adding the Rs. 3000 allowance to the October pension, the President directed that this amount be credited to the pensioners’ accounts within the next week. more..

Oct 11 (AD) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya requested the Thai govt’s assistance in rescuing Sri Lankans still detained in cybercrime camps in Myanmar’s Myawaddy region, facilitated by the Myanmar government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). PM made this request during a discussion held with the Thai Ambassador, Paitoon Mahapannaporn, at the PM’s Office yesterday. PM expressed her gratitude for the assistance provided by Govt of Thailand in rescuing 28 Lankans more..

Oct 11 (PMD) Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Kumanayake, met with a delegation from the World Food Programme (WFP) at the Presidential Secretariat this morning. During the meeting, the WFP representatives agreed to continue their on-going programs in SL through the WFP, ensuring no disruptions. Although the food crisis in SL has eased to some extent, the WFP officials expressed their willingness to extend further support through new programmes whenever more..

Oct 11 (CT) Sri Lanka participated in the first ever Asian Village Festival of Singapore as an official tourism partner, along with Indonesia and the Philippines. The festival, held from 3 to 6 October at the Singapore Expo was organised by Shaabaz Pte Ltd in Singapore, with the objectives of promoting Asian culture, food, and business under one roof and creating business opportunities and prospects in the Asia region. The vibrant event was attended by exhibitors and performers from more..

Oct 11 (PMD) Hisham Abu Taha, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to SL, met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake this morning (10). During the meeting, Ambassador Abu Taha extended his congratulations to Prez Dissanayake on his recent election victory, conveying best wishes on behalf of the Govt and people of Palestine. Palestinian Ambassador expressed deep appreciation for Sri Lanka’s longstanding support for Palestine and its position on key international issues. more..

Oct 11 (Island) Out of 1,690 firearms issued to various ‘VIPs’ in recent years, only 30 have been returned to the Welisara Navy Camp following a notice from the Ministry of Defence instructing the return of all weapons issued to civilians for personal security. Defence sources revealed that a large numbers of firearms had been issued without proper threat assessments to businessmen, politicians, and other affluent individuals over past several more..

Oct 11 (CT) Secretary to the Prez, Dr. Nandika Kumanayake, has issued a directive requiring all govt institutions to obtain written approval from the Presidential Secretariat before displaying photographs or messages of the Prez on commemorative plaques or in designated celebration areas for various events. In addition to this requirement, the Secretary has underscored the necessity for all govt-funded activities to align with State policies & vision during their org. more..

Oct 11 (Island) Fluoxetine, one of the main drugs given to children with depression is not available in govt hospitals, Dr Vajira Dharmawardene, Consultant Psychiatrist, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Sabaragamuwa University, said in a televised interview on Wednesday (9). Fluoxetine, an antidepressant, belonged to a group of medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and that was a cheap and effective drug, Dr. Dharmawardene said. more..

Oct 11 (FT) The father of the 2022 Rugby Season Captain of Royal College has spoken out against assault on his son as well what he describes as systematic student player abuse. The father Harim Peiris has written to Royal College Principal Thilak Wathuhewa with a copy to the media recounting the ordeal experienced by his son as well as fellow players. Peiris’ action follows Daily FT expose on 1 Oct where a group of more..

Oct 11 (CT) Fathima Nada, a 14-year-old schoolgirl, is cycling from her hometown, Kattankudy to Colombo, with a message to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Nada, who set off on 7 October, intends to pass through Polonnaruwa and Kurunegala, and to reach Colombo by Sunday (13). She hopes to meet Prez on Monday (14) to hand over her message, calling for urgent measures to combat the drug crisis, which is increasingly plaguing today’s children & youth, more..

Oct 11 (CT) Education Ministry assures providing mid-day meals to children in the primary section will continue uninterrupted. Ministry Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara said the reports that the lunch provided to the primary grade students in govt schools has been temporarily stopped are false. She also mentioned that various information has been spread in the last few days that the school lunch programme has been stopped. She said that all those reports are false and that more..

Oct 11 (Island) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s presidential campaign was primarily aimed at undermining the SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, according to MP Harsha de Silva. Dr. de Silva said that a significant number of Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s voters were former supporters of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. “This indicates that the majority of the floating vote shifted to Prez Dissanayake.” Dr. de Silva said more..

Oct 11 (NW) Popular YouTuber Ashen Senarathna revealed that his independent group’s nomination has been rejected by the Election Commission. In a social media video, he expressed frustration, stating the rejection was done claiming a wrong person handed over the nomination papers. Senarathna announced plans to take legal action against the decision, claiming that although he was present as the leader of the group, he was asked to wait outside, more..

Oct 11 (NW) Two Sri Lankan UN peacekeepers in Lebanon have sustained minor injuries after a nearby village was targeted by an Israeli airstrike, Sri Lanka Military said. Army Spokesman Major General Rasika Kumara said that the two Sri Lankan Soldiers had been at a UN Base in Naqoura village, at the time of the incident. He said the airstrikes had struck the village close to the base during which shrapnel had hit the two Sri Lankan Soldiers who were taking cover in a nearby bunker. more..

Oct 12 (CT) Behind the unrestrained, ecstatic euphoria following the election of the NPP candidate, Anura Kumar Dissanayake as the ninth Executive Prez of SL, are the unspoken concerns of whether he could perform well enough as our Prez. Can a lad from the backwoods of Tambuttegama, with admittedly stellar oratorical skills in Sinhala, measure up to the flamboyant sophistication of English (or French or German), which prevail in the rarified and lofty lingo of int'l discourse? more..

Oct 12 (CT) The economic crisis the country had to endure caused multiple ripple effects which affected many sectors in the country. The mass exodus of experts – one such effect caused by the crisis – caused severe skilled professional shortages in many industries, among which the healthcare sector – especially the public health sector – suffered some severe blows as a result. However, a few years and two regime changes later, the country is breathing some sighs of relief, convincing itself more..

Oct 12 (TM) SL’s power sector has long been a focal point of political, economic, and social debate, with the State-run CEB often at the centre of controversy. Recent restructuring efforts of CEB, aimed at improving efficiency and sustainability, have been thrown into uncertainty as the new Govt, which came to power following the recent elections, appears to be rethinking the reforms introduced by previous administration. more..

Oct 12 (GV) Sri Lanka’s history is deeply scarred by ethnic tensions and addressing these divisions is crucial for the nation’s future. The NPP and its leader, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, have built their platform on the promise of system change and a break from the old order. To truly deliver on that vision, the NPP must recognize the concerns of minority communities, particularly the Tamil population, and show that they are committed to addressing these issues head on. more..

Oct 12 (CT) Reports that as many as 35 members of the dissolved Parliament would not be seeking re-election, and some, including the then Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardena, have announced retirement from politics is indicative of the state of things to come. Most of them come from the UNP and the SLPP. The reasons are obvious. Even without it, for one more time, the way the UNP, the country’s GoP, seems prepared to forsake the traditional Elephant symbol for Gas Cylinder more..

Oct 12 (TM) Financial literacy – the ability to make informed financial decisions – is important in dealing with today’s complicated economy, particularly at a time of economic crisis, higher inflation, and rising cost of living. In SL, financial inclusion has seen notable progress, thanks to expanded access to formal financial institutions. However, while access has improved, true financial literacy remains a key obstacle to more..

Oct 12 (FT) In SL’s recent election, with an impressive 79% voter turnout, the people made a decisive choice by voting for a new leader. For many, this marks a long-awaited shift, reflecting a collective desire for change amid growing dissatisfaction with governance and economic struggles. This election is seen as a crucial moment in the country’s history, signalling a potential shift in political power and governance. However, it is important to recognise that real progress begins with individual more..

Oct 12 (ST) Economics students are often fascinated by one of the important observations related to economic development – the diminishing importance of agriculture in the national economy. In other words, this means that the agriculture share of GDP continues to fall with economic development. And at the same time, the employment share of agriculture too continues to fall. This is, indeed, shocking news to those who believe that agriculture is the backbone of the economy. more..

Oct 12 (DM) The nomination period for the Parliamentary election scheduled for Nov 14 ended yesterday with many well-known figures of political parties deciding to opt out from the race. It is clear that they could have definitely tendered their nomination papers had the NPP not won the Presidential election last month. For all politicians except for a few, politics is a money-making business. There have been many of them therefore somehow do a political somersault on the eve more..

Oct 12 (DM) The presidential election of 21 Sept is barely over. In less than a month the new president has been forced to hit the ground running so-to-say. With one of his first acts being to dissolve parliament, he now runs the country with a Cabinet of four, including himself. Sections of public, social and mainstream media that hailed his unexpected victory appear to be now gunning for him. Charges of appointing cronies to particular institutions are being trumpeted. more..

Oct 12 (DM) The year was 1969. A 31-year-old mother sought the services of a prominent astrologer to draw up the horoscope of her six-month-old son. The astrologer made some calculations based on planetary movements that prevailed at the time of the boy’s birth the previous year. He looked up with amazement and told the mother “Your son has a Rajayoga in his destiny. He is born to rule. One day he will rule SL”. more..

Oct 12 (ST) SL’s tourist guides, in a letter to the ministry and the tourism authorities, have raised concerns about a recent study done on them to enhance their competencies in alignment with modern traveller expectations. SL Institute of National Tour Guides Association has requested clarification regarding the research findings in the document titled Comprehensive Study of the SL Tour Guide which was conducted in collaboration between SL Tourism Development Authority more..