Oct 18 (Island) All-Island Schools Games Athletics Championship will commence with a card of eight field event finals but sprinters are likely to steal the show in the heats and semi-finals scheduled for day one at the Sugathadasa Stadium today. All-Island Schools Games is the final major track and field competition for school athletes for the year 2024. Most of the top athletes who skipped the recently held Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletics C'ship due to various reasons are set to return more..

Oct 18 (DN) The govt believes in innovative and socially responsible entrepreneurs. We have many entrepreneurs in the SME sector with creative and innovative ideas waiting for some encouragement,” said Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya who was the Chief Guest at the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI) Achiever Awards 2024 which was held for the 23rd consecutive year at Cinnamon Grand on Tuesday. “A micro level enterprise of today can be a giant business in a few years more..

Oct 18 (CT) The new Central Province Governor, S.B.S. Abayakoon, has ordered the immediate renaming of the Keheliya Rambukwella Primary School in the Kundasale Division, located within the Wattegama Education Zone in Kandy. It has been reported that the Structural Committee of the Provincial Education Dept recommended changing the school’s name to Kundasale Royal Primary School. In response to this, the Central Province Governor approved name change on 16 Oct. more..

Oct 18 (FT) SJB Former MP Dr. Harsha de Silva has revealed that party leader Sajith Premadasa has urged SJB candidates not to undermine Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, emphasising the need to be prepared to collaborate with him. “He has advised us not to undermine the Prez, as he will be in office for the next five years. We must work with him. We have a strong team and a clear program, and we believe we can effectively collaborate with the President,” de Silva explained. more..

Oct 18 (FT) Cabinet Minister Vijitha Herath yesterday said the Govt will release the reports related to the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks at an appropriate time, dismissing the demands and threats from former MP Udaya Gammanpila. Herath reiterated that the Govt, as a responsible body, would not be swayed by external pressures but would carry out its duties properly. Statement comes amid rising tensions with Udaya Gammanpila, more..

Oct 18 (DM) The captain involved in a controversial cockpit lockout incident aboard SriLankan Airlines flight UL607 from Sydney to Colombo has reportedly resigned. Incident, which occurred during a recent flight, involved the captain locking the female first officer out of the cockpit following a disagreement during a toilet break. According to sources, the situation caused distress among passengers and crew members, though the Airbus A330 flight continued without further disruption. more..

Oct 18 (DM) A'pura Magistrate's Court directed all state and private sector banks in SL to provide details of bank accounts belonging to a former ASP, a SI, a Police Sergeant, a woman and another individual to the Illegal Assets or Property Investigation Division of the CID. The court order applies to multiple banks, including National Development Bank, People's Bank, Bank of Ceylon, Commercial Bank, Seylan Bank, Sampath Bank, Nations Trust Bank, State Mortgage Bank & more..

Oct 18 (FT) The last panel of the 45th Annual Conference of the Chartered Accountants of SL offered a rare glimpse into the governance philosophies of 3 former Presidents, Chandrika Kumaratunga, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Maithripala Sirisena. However, former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa who too was bill to participate but was unable to attend in the end. The event marked a first in the country, where the former leaders more..

Oct 18 (FT) Before the Prez election, there were ramifications, speculations and cautions expressed by several learned people who were not ready to adjust their mindset for a change. They casted doubts as to what a future AKD-led Govt would do, if elected. The most repeated question was how would the Govt find money to keep the pledges. The second question was how would the Govt deal with the IMF. The third cynical question was how Thambuttegama Ranbanda’s Kolla would more..

Oct 18 (FT) SL’s debt crisis has been the most critical issue affecting its economy post the 2022 meltdown, with years of borrowing to finance development projects, cover fiscal deficits, and manage post-war reconstruction. The current state of SL’s debt repayments are still to be concluded and several measures need to be taken to alleviate the burden, and to manage its ongoing obligations. In 2022, SL experienced its worst economic crisis since independence, leading to default on foreign more..

Oct 18 (AD) Mahima Herath, a postgraduate student at Griffith University from SL has secured third place in the prestigious Humanitarian Innovation Pitch competition. His research focuses on enhancing access to primary healthcare services for the lives of Syrian refugees in the 70,000 person Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan. Mahima’s project aims to create a model that improves health and well-being in this highly vulnerable community. The first place of the competition was awarded more..

Oct 18 (EN) Sri Lanka’s new govt has come under fire over a reported move state-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to continue to purchase fuel without competitive bidding, and with a deal struck with Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror newspaper reported that CEB has decided not to go ahead with competitive procurement of fuel but to strike a deal with Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, reversing decision by the earlier administration to move for open tendering. more..

Oct 18 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake frequently emphasised during his election campaign that he would re-open investigations into incidents of colossal fraud, mass murder and assassinations where the course of justice was allegedly obstructed or thwarted by those in power in the past. Recent happenings indicate that Prez Dissanayake and his Govt are serious about their campaign promises and are initiating more..

Oct 18 (AD) Senior Professor Kapila Senevirathne has been appointed as the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). He graduated with a BSc Degree in Chemistry from the Uni of Kelaniya in 1990. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Wayne State Uni, Detroit, USA, and did his postdoctoral studies at the Uni of British Columbia, Canada in 1998-1999. He was a Commonwealth Fellowship of the Uni of Leeds, UK in 2010 and a Fulbright Fellow more..

Oct 18 (DM) Claiming that none of the NPP leaders had claimed that the NPP govt will not obtain loans, NPP member Lal Kantha said Prez Anura Kumara continuously said loans are not a crime. He told reporters that what is important is to utilise loans in effective investments without robbing or defrauding the funds. "We have never said we will run the govt without obtaining loans. I challenge those who make allegations to prove where we have said that we will run a govt without obtaining loans. more..

Oct 18 (EN) Sri Lanka’s state-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has not decided against competitive bidding in buying diesel for electricity generation though the usage of diesel has been kept minimum. Sri Lanka’s new govt came under fire over a reported move by the CEB to continue to purchase fuel without competitive bidding, and with a deal struck with state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). Both CPC & CEB more..

Oct 18 (NW) The Indoor Stadium and Swimming Pool of the Vavuniya District Sports Complex, completed by the Dept of Sports Development, were vested with the sportsmen and sportswomen of the area today. The measures were taken on the directive of PM Harini Amarasuriya, in her capacity as the Sports Minister. The new additions to the sports complex were handed over to the sportsmen and sportswomen during a simple ceremony that preceded traditional religious blessings. more..

Oct 18 (NW) The SL national carrom team, which includes players participating in the Carrom World Cup held in the US, met PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya at the PM’s Office today. Eight athletes along with the team manager will participate representing Sri Lanka in the Sixth Carrom World Cup to be held in San Francisco, California, America from 10th to 17th Nov. SLC is providing a financial assistance of 5 million rupees for this tour and its Treasurer Sujeewa Godaliyadda also participated more..

Oct 18 (TM) The recent alleged incident involving pilots in SriLankan Airlines flight UL-607 has led to the downgrade of its safety ratings by Airline Ratings. Accordingly, AirlineRatings.com, top airline rating site, has downgraded Sri Lankan’s safety rating from seven to six stars after one of its captains allegedly locked his female co-pilot out of the flight deck during a 10-hour flight from Sydney to Colombo aboard an Airbus A330. The incident as reported by media occurred on a Sri Lankan Airbus more..

Oct 18 (AD) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has held discussions with the uni students’ unions on Thursday (17). During the discussion, attention was drawn to many unsolved problems faced by the uni students so far regarding their studies and student welfare. A group of representatives from many student associations including the Inter-Uni Students’ Federation (IUSF), Students - Mass Power for Right to Education, Medical Faculty Students’ Action Committee and all Medical Faculty more..

Oct 18 (Island) Chairman of the Expert Committee on Public Service Salary Disparities, Udaya Seneviratne contradicted cabinet spokesperson Minister Vijitha Herath declaration that the substantial public sector salary increase announced by the then govt in the run-up to Sept 21 prez election had not received proper approval of the Finance Ministry. Retired SLAS officer Seneviratne who had held several top posts, including more..

Oct 18 (DM) Train services on the Batticaloa-Colombo main line have been disrupted between Hingurakgoda and Gal Oya railway stations after a fuel train collided with a herd of elephants, Railways Dept said. They said two elephants died in the accident, and a few others in the herd were reported to be injured. The incident occurred at 3:30 a.m. today near the Minneriya railway station, while the train was transporting fuel from the Kolonnawa Petroleum Storage Terminal to Batticaloa. more..

Oct 18 (AD) Ministry of Defense has been petitioned in the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn a directive that requires individuals holding firearms for personal protection under licensed permits to return them. Petition was filed by Navinthaka de Silva, CEO of Avenra Hotel Group, who argues that the decision poses a significant risk to his safety. Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Director of the State Intelligence Service, and Acting IGP have been named as respondents in the case. more..

Oct 18 (DM) Former presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe and Chandrika Kumaratunga engulfed in an argument over an incident of a certain political leader’s young son hiding USD 1000 million in a Dubai bank, where Mr. Wickremesinghe rebuffed the allegation claiming that his 2015 government could not find any even though teams were sent to Dubai. Ms Kumaratunga said it was found out in 2015 that a young son of more..

Oct 18 (EN) Only 53% of SL’s welfare budget has been utilized in the first eight months of this year by the previous govt, a Finance Ministry report showed. A Pre-Election Budgetary Position Report 2024 released by the Finance Ministry this week showed only 563.4 billion rupees out of the budgeted 1,055.7 billion has been used in the first eight months. The welfare budget was earmarked for the programmes of social welfare, social security, education, health & nutrition and development assistance. more..

Oct 18 (CT) Five students from a school in Anguruwatota, Kalutara District, were hospitalised after being administered the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. A complaint was lodged on Wednesday (16) by the District General Hospital, Horana, regarding the incident. Five Grade 7 students from the school had been admitted with symptoms including headaches, abdominal pain, fainting spells, and difficulty in breathing after receiving HPV vaccine on 16 Oct 2024. more..

Oct 18 (TM) The Election Commission (EC) stated that legal action will be taken against Presidential candidates who did not submit their campaign expenditure reports within the specified period. On Monday (14), the EC stated that three Presidential candidates – Ven. Battaramulle Seelarathana Thera, Sarath Keethirathna and Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran – had failed to make the relevant submissions by the deadline which ended at 12 midnight on 13 October. more..

Oct 18 (Island) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena stated that anyone wishing to understand why he had removed Ranil Wickremesinghe as PM in 2018, replacing him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, could approach him privately. Speaking at the 45th National Conference of Chartered Accountants, where three former Presidents of SL—Chandrika Kumaratunga, Maithripala Sirisena, and Ranil Wickremesinghe—shared the stage, Sirisena noted that Wickremesinghe had been cordial with more..

Oct 18 (Island) Rev Father Cyril Gamini Fernando yesterday urged PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila not to play politics with Easter Sunday carnage. Top spokesperson for the Catholic Church said that they had never asked the then Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to appoint committees to probe Easter Sunday issues. Therefore, the Church was not interested at all in the reports sought by ex-MP Gammanpila. more..

Oct 18 (NW) Govt expenditure has increased by 5.4% to Rs. 3,476.9 billion in the first eight months of 2024, up from Rs. 3,297.3 billion during the same period in 2023, according to a new Finance Ministry report. Spending had reached 49.8% of the annual budget estimate of Rs. 6,978 billion, which includes Rs. 450 billion allocated for bank recapitalization. Recurrent expenditure, which accounted for around 87.5% of total expenditure in the first eight months of 2024, slightly increased by 3.4% more..

Oct 18 (CI) Uncapped fast-bowling allrounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe is in line for his ODI debut after being included in place of Chamika Karunaratne in SL's 16-man squad to face West Indies, while legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay has been brought in for offspinner Akila Dananjaya. Karunaratne's exclusion confirms the notion that he has simply fallen out of favour with the new selection and coaching regime. He last turned out for a game for SL in the 2023 ODI World Cup despite more..

Oct 18 (TM) CTU alleged that since 2015, disciplinary action has been taken against 439 examination staff including teachers and principals for exam-related acts of misconduct while the harshest penalty thus imposed has been a lifetime ban from exam-related duties. Over the recent past, there have been several incidents of mainstream exam question papers being leaked prior to the holding of the exams. more..

Oct 18 (AD) Minister Vijitha Herath, has directed officials to ensure vehicle revenue licenses issued in the Western Province are seamlessly connected with other provinces. Ministry of Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation confirmed this in an official statement. The ministry highlighted that the lack of inter-provincial coordination has been a major obstacle for vehicle owners, particularly those from the Western Province. Despite previous announcements to address this issue, more..

Oct 18 (CT) Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon, the former Executive Director of the CaFFE, stated that the Election Commission has, to date, failed to publish the preferential numbers for many districts. He pointed out, in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Election Commission, that the measures to be followed during election campaign activities have also not been announced so far. As a result, only less than 25 days remain for the upcoming campaign activities. He noted in his letter that more..

Oct 19 (DM) A record number of front-line politicians has opted out of the Nov 14 Parliamentary election. Despite over 50 MPs who represented the last Parliament having so evaded the directed contest at district level some of them are anticipating to enter the House through the National List of their respective parties or the parties where they finally took refuge in, on the eve of the Sept 21 Prez election. However, a majority of those who have managed to include their names in National more..