Sep 27 (EN) Sri Lanka will implement a single policy rate by the end of 2024, and consultations with market participants will begin soon, top central bank official said. “We thought that it would be more transparent to communicate a single policy rate,” CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. “Instead of two rates we thought it was better to be a single rate. Our Dept of Economic Research and Operational Departments have don research within and also sought technical assistance more..

President orders to reopen roads near President’s Housemore..

Sep 27 (AD) SL Police said that all police personnel assigned to provide security to former MPs have been recalled from today, except those providing security to the former Speaker, former Deputy Speaker and former Opposition Leader. Newly elected Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake dissolved the Parliament with effect from midnight on Tuesday (24), via a Gazette notification. The general election is to be held on Nov 14 while more..

Sep 27 (CT) Captain Manudi Nanayakkara showcased her leadership skills as the SL concluded the U19 Women’s T20 Tri-Series 2024 on a high note, defeating New Zealand Development Women by 7 runs in an exhilarating match on Thursday. Choosing to bat, SL encountered a challenging beginning, finding themselves at 4-39 within the first 8 overs. Despite this early setback, Dahami Sanethma joined the captain and revitalized SL’s innings with a 59-run partnership for 5th wt. more..

Sep 27 (CT) Food supplier for patients and minor staff at the National Hospital, Colombo (NHSL) has remained unchanged for several years, despite several complaints and appeals which had been made in this regard, Govt Medical Officers’ Forum (GMOF) alleged. GMOF President, Dr. Rukshan Bellana, lamented that the food supplier at the NHSL, Colombo had remained unchanged for the past 20 years, and the quality of the food supplied to its patients and minor employees remained more..

Sep 27 (CI) Kamindu Mendis became the fastest batter to 1000 Test runs in 75 years, as he hit an unbeaten 182 in SL's first innings against New Zealand in Galle. Having got there in 13 innings, Kamindu equalled Don Bradman's pace to the milestone. The two of them are now third-equal fastest in Test history, with only Herbert Sutcliffe and Everton Weekes having achieved the feat in fewer innings (both 12). He got there in style too, more..

Sep 27 (DM) Tanzanian President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan Congratulates President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on His Election Victory. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania, has extended her heartfelt congratulations to Anura Kumara Dissanayake on his electoral victory and his recent inauguration as the 9th President of SL. In her congratulatory message, Prez Suluhu Hassan underscored the strong and longstanding relations between Tanzania and Sri Lanka, more..

Sep 27 (EN) US outgoing president Joseph Biden has congratulated SL’s newly elected president Anura Dissanayake. Congratulations on your victory, @AnuraDisanayake, Joe Biden said on social media platform X. “The people of SL chose you as their president in a free, fair, and peaceful election of which they are justifiably proud.” Biden, who will not be contesting in the US November election and has roughly about a month in office, said he looked forward to working with his SL counterpart. more..

Sep 27 (EN) The IMF has told the central bank to target the middle of a policy corridor, among other inflationary operations, in a new technical assistance report urging the agency to go for a single policy rate. A slew of inflationary operations has been suggested for the central bank, which has already caused untold suffering to the people through the currency depreciation coming from its policy rate. Millions have been forced to leave the country of their birth to get jobs in stable nations more..

Sep 27 (DM) Clarifying the abandoned luxury vehicles in front of the Presidential Secretariat, President's private secretary Ananda Wijepala said yesterday 107 vehicles have been parked in three locations and that none of the vehicles will be auctioned. He said these vehicles had been given by the previous govt after creating various positions such as advisory positions merely for the purpose of giving perks to their cronies. "People like Akila Viraj, Ruwan Wijewardene, Ashu Marasinghe, more..

Sep 27 (AD) Attorney General today informed the Supreme Court that contempt of court charges will be filed against former Senior DIG and head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Nilantha Jayawardana, for failing to pay the Rs. 75 million in compensation for the Easter Sunday bomb victims as ordered by the court. Accordingly, the Supreme Court has ordered him to appear before the court on Oct 7. more..

Sep 27 (CT) The stage is set for the 9th edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates from Oct 3 to 20. SL’s women’s cricket team, currently ranked seventh in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings, will begin their campaign with a highly anticipated clash against Pakistan. Both teams are evenly matched in the rankings, promising an exciting start to the tournament. SL faces stiff competition in Group A, which includes defending champs Australia, more..

Sep 27 (DM) The Anura Kumara Dissanayake-led govt must address the salary anomalies of teachers and principals, an issue that has been under discussion since the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration, Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said. He requested the present govt to provide solutions to the salary anomalies of teachers and principals as part of its efforts to stabilise the country, while planning for future general and local elections. more..

Sep 27 (DM) Claiming the Easter Sunday attacks was a well-orchestrated conspiracy rather than a mere isolated incident, ex-CID Director Shani Abeysekara said justice would be meted out to him in an NPP govt. Former CID Director who was arrested and sent to remand prison for 10 months without granting bail on false allegations of fabricating evidence of a firearms case in July 2020 said that he was framed in more..

Sep 27 (EN) Former SLPP MP Premnath Dolawatte said the objective of the MPs that supported former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is not to form a govt but to form a strong opposition. Speaking to reporters following a meeting between SLPP and other ex MPs who backed Wickremesinghe during the presidential election, Dolawatte said they do not intend to sabotage the new NPP govt. “At this time, we wish to respect the people’s choice. The people will give the JVP the ability to govern. more..

Sep 27 (NW) SL ended Day 2 of the Test match in Galle against NZ in a commanding position, posting a massive 602/5 and reducing the visitors to 22/2. Veteran cricketer Angelo Mathews attributed the team’s recent success to head coach Sanath Jayasuriya, calling him a turning point in SL cricket. Mathews praised Jayasuriya’s leadership, stating, “He was superb as cricket director and now as coach. He communicates well, gives us freedom, and has done an amazing job grooming more..

Sep 28 (DM) SL badly needs more books and readers. Those who have made buying books and reading them a habit face a daunting challenge. Buying the next set of books is close to unthinkable now given the skyrocketing prices of books. A good number of books went out of the reach of people after the past govt imposed an overwhelming 18% tariff on imported books. The little good news we get each September-October arrives with the Colombo Int'l Book Fair during which period readers more..

Sep 28 (GV) An analysis of the results of the recent presidential election can be approached in different ways with different political purposes. This short piece is based on my interest in conflicts. I am also aware that while conflicts relating to state-minority relations within the Sri Lankan state received attention at international level, conflicts associated with the politics of capitalist transition have not received similar attention. It is time to change this. Obviously, my political motivation is more..

Sep 28 (DM) The heading of this article is inspired by the title of Edgar Snow’s book, Red Star Over China. Snow’s book first published in 1937 was a vivid account of his interaction with the Chinese communist leader Mao Ze Dong and the Red Army. Mao known then as Mao Tse Tung was relatively unknown to the Western world at that time. Years later when the communists under Mao captured power in China, Red star over China more..

Sep 28 (DM) On 21 Sept, Lankans elected into office a new Prez who campaigned on an anti-corruption platform and renegotiating with the IMF. Presently 25% of our people are living below the poverty line, where according to UNICEF 1 in 2 children in Lanka are going hungry. Our country used to be self-sufficient in food production. The farming community comprising 2 million farmers was dependent on subsidised chemical fertilisers. In May 2022 suddenly all agrochemicals, more..

Sep 28 (FT) Ratha Gaya, a term often used to describe the obsession with owning flashy vehicles, has become a pervasive issue in Sri Lanka. This trend, fuelled by the perceived status and the inadequacy of public transportation, has placed an undue burden on the Govt and the nation’s economy. Govt officials, often compensated with relatively lower salaries compared to their private sector counterparts, have traditionally been given duty-free vehicle allowances. more..

Sep 28 (TM) A total of seven Tamil community based political parties, which have often voiced concerns that their issues are not being addressed by the majority community based leaders, fielded former MP Ariyanethiran Pakkiyaselvam as the Tamil common candidate in the recently concluded Prez Election, whereas another section of the Tamil political parties backed former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe & Leader Sajith Premadasa, more..

Sep 28 (ST) This week, I had an invitation to attend a podcast recording arranged by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Colombo. The topic was the economic battle that Sri Lanka must win after the Prez Elections. As you understand, I had to prepare this column before the elections, which was scheduled for Saturday the 21st of September, not knowing who would win the elections. Whoever that is, while congratulating the newly elected President of Sri Lanka, more..

Sep 28 (Island) The status quo ante as regards the on-arrival visa issuance scheme has been resorted much to the benefit of visitors to SL. Visa queues at the BIA are becoming shorter, we are told. Hats off to newly-appointed Minister of Public Security Vijitha Herath, who acted swiftly to clean up the mess! Anything that corrupt politicians touch turns into a mess, and the visa racket is a case in point. There was absolutely no need for handing over the on-arrival visa processing to a private company; more..

Sep 28 (CT) Due to the recent elections, there is now a great expectation for some decisive change. Everybody agrees that the election results show a very definite rejection of the old way, the old leadership, and the traditional style. People want something very different. What is the most important change that the people are expecting, which can also be done within a short time? That is the decisive question. There is definitely complete consensus on the issue that more..

Sep 28 (Island) Today, we live in a highly developed world compared to primitive humans. Advancements in science and technology have dramatically transformed human life, raising living standards though not without considerable issues like climate change, environmental pollution, and fast depletion of natural resources. The backbone of these positive developments is scientific research that has been continuously advancing with innovation. Ironically, the solutions to more..

Sep 28 (CI) Grab the popcorn, guys, another Kamindu Mendis century/ milestone/diss track has dropped. It's eight fifties in eight straight Tests now, five centuries in 13 Test innings - his latest, 182 not out, being his best yet - making him the fastest Asian to that feat, and oh, he's also the third-fastest ever to do so equalling checks notes Don Bradman. Wait, he's not done yet? Oh yeah, he reached 1000 Test runs, the third-fastest to do that too more..

Sep 28 (FT) SL-Maldives Business Council has extended its congratulations to the newly elected Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. "On behalf of the SL-Maldives Business Council, I extend our heartfelt congratulations on your appointment as Prez of SL. Your leadership comes at a pivotal time for both SL and the Maldives, and we are eager to explore the opportunities that lie ahead. We look forward to collaborating closely with you to strengthen the ties between our countries and more..

Sep 28 (FT) Former Member of Parliament Imthiaz Bakeer Markar has been appointed as the new Chairman of the SJB by party leader Sajith Premadasa. Markar, a seasoned politician with over five decades of experience, has played a key role in shaping Sri Lanka’s political landscape, particularly within the UNP and, more recently, in the formation of the SJB. Markar began his political career in 1970 when he pioneered the United National Party Student Movement. more..

Sep 28 (DN) St. Peter’s College won the Boys’ title for the fourth consecutive year at the All Island School Games Swimming Championship, organised by the Ministry of Education, concluded at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Pool Complex yesterday. Peterite swimming team, led by captain Umar Farook and vice captains Ean Jake and Kaveesha Perera, amassed a total of 83 points, earning nine gold medals, six silver medals, and seven bronze medals. more..

Sep 28 (FT) Reaffirming its commitment to offering best in class connectivity, SLT-Mobitel has unveiled an exciting value proposition with its latest Tourist SIM pack, specifically designed to cater to the communication needs of tourists visiting the island nation. Be it exploring the lush tea plantations of the hill country, soaking up the sun on the southern beaches, or immersing yourself in Colombo’s vibrant culture, SLT-Mobitel ensures you stay connected with seamless, ultra-high-speed more..

Sep 28 (FT) Hotels Association of SL (THASL) and SL Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) hailed the restoration of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) platform by the Govt thereby easing convenience for tourists. ETA platform which was in operation since 2012 and was hailed as being one of the most efficient and effective in the region, and helped tourism growth, was abruptly stopped and a new system more..

Sep 28 (ST) While it’s been more than 260 days since the Red Sea crisis commenced, attacks have been continuing although not frequent per latest updates. Currently almost all carriers are passing via Cape of Good Hope to reach the West, of course costs are escalating with additional 12 days to total transit from East to West, and recent weather patterns at African Cape have contributed delays to the total navigating time. An expert in International Shipping and Logistics, more..

Sep 28 (DN) The passenger visa counters for foreigners arriving in SL at the BIA were less crowded with no queues lined up yesterday, after the online visa issuance system was re-implemented from Thursday midnight. The new Govt of SL took swift action to comply with the Supreme Court’s order in consultation with the Attorney General and has revised the process to the old visa issuance system after the Supreme Court suspended a controversial new visa scheme operated by more..

Sep 28 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s decision to re-issue a gazette notification summoning the armed forces for the maintenance of public order has sparked criticism from human rights activists. This practice, which has been in place since the Easter Sunday attacks during Prez Maithripala Sirisena’s tenure, has been continued by successive govts. Former Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) member more..

Sep 28 (Island) The SL Banks’ Association (SLBA) has congratulated Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on his election to the Presidency and assured him of the fullest support of the banking sector for the challenging journey ahead. In a congratulatory note, the Association, which represents all licenced banks in SL, said: “The essential political and social stability that must be maintained is underpinned as always by the economy, and the banking sector is a lynch-pin in this structure. more..