Sep 11 (DM) NPP MP Harini Amarasuriya today filed a defamatory action before the Colombo District Court against SJB MP Tissa Attanayake claiming Rs.100 million as damages for allegedly making a false and defamatory statement during an election rally. Harini Amarasuriya alleges that on August 19, the defendant Tissa Attanayake made a public statement during an SJB Presidential campaign meeting in Mawanella, claiming that an NPP govt would halt the Kandy Dalada Perahera more..

Sep 11 (AD) Prez candidate of the Sarvajana Balaya alliance, entrepreneur Dilith Jayaweera, called on the public not to base their final decision on artificially created political rallies. He made these remarks during a meeting held this morning to present appointment letters to several electoral organizers of the Sarvajana Balaya alliance. He stated that SL has reached the final stage of the prez election, regarding which the people of the country had placed immense expectations and hope. more..

Sep 11 (NW) Asset declarations of over 100 persons who are obligated to submit their asset and liabilities declarations, including top officials and the Prez, are now publicly accessible on the Asset Declarations webpage of the CIABOC. This is an interim measure to make asset declarations public under the Anti-Corruption Act No. 09 of 2023 (ACA), while CIABOC establishes a centralized electronic system in compliance with the law. more..

Sep 11 (AD) The Election Commission (EC) says that postal voting for the 2024 Presidential Election can be carried out today and tomorrow. Accordingly, the government employees who were unable to cast their postal votes on Sept 4, 5, and 6 can do so on these two days. The EC has also stated that if postal votes are not used on these two days, there will be no further opportunities to use the postal vote on any other day or on Sept 21, when the Presidential Election will be held. more..

Sep 11 (wsws) SL’s main prez candidates—Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake of NPP —have made bogus and extravagant election promises. They maintain, however, total radio silence on the escalating danger of a catastrophic third world war. The threat of world war is very real. The fascistic Israeli regime, with the full backing of Washington and its European NATO allies, has now expanded its relentless slaughter of more..

Sep 11 (Reuters) Not one of the 38 contenders in SL's prez election this month is a woman, a stark contrast in the Indian Ocean island where women make up more than half the voters and the workforce. Well before more familiar figures such as Britain's Margaret Thatcher or India's Indira Gandhi, SL gave the world its first female PM in 1960, electing Sirimavo Bandaranaike to a job her daughter also held 30 years later. more..

Sep 11 (CT) Several prominent members of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) have pledged their support to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming Prez Election. Among those who have aligned with Wickremesinghe are former Northern Provincial Councillor Alikhan Shariff, former Musali PS Chairman A.G.H. Subihan, members A.R.M. Rasmin, Haneef Makbool, M.H.M. Kamil, Ash Sheikh Abdul Rahman and former Musali Jamiyyathul Ulama President M. Thowfeek, along more..

Sep 11 (EN) Three international banking corporations are in discussion to set up offshore operations in Colombo Port City, its operating company said. Parliament on Sept 4, approved offshore banking rules gazette in July, CHEC Port City CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd said. “The presence of offshore branches of international banks would promote greater financial stability and provide the dexterity to invest in large-scale projects for prospective global investors,” more..

Sep 11 (TM) Authorities are yet to find the fate that befell the Sri Lankan fishermen who went missing in the seas off Galle and the Indian fishermen, near Kachchatheevu Island. Among them one fisherman was found dead. Last month, it was reported that an Indian fishing vessel met with an accident near the Kachchatheevu Island, and that while two fishermen were rescued by the SL Navy, two had gone missing. Meanwhile, last week, reports said that three SL fishermen had gone missing after more..

Sep 11 (ANI) Six Sri Lankan players have obtained new career-high ratings on the latest ICC Men's Test Rankings following their victory over England in the third Test match at The Oval. Sri Lanka produced their first Test win over England away from home in the third Test of their recently-completed series, with the likes of skipper Dhananjaya de Silva, middle-order performer Kamindu Mendis and opener Pathum Nissanka leading the way with the bat for the island nation. more..

Sep 11 (TM) Centre for Society and Religion's Research Team member Tharindu Jayawardhana has filed two petitions before the Court of Appeal (CA), claiming that the Right to Information (RTI) Commission has violated the RTI Act, No. 12 of 2016 and the relevant rules gazetted under it by dismissing 138 appeals related to information requests made by 138 families affected by the construction of the Central Expressway's more..

Sep 11 (EN) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has signed a recently passed national minimum wages (amendment) bill. Parliament said in a statement that the Speaker endorsed the certificate on the Bill titled National Minimum Wage of Workers (Amendment) Bill in accordance with article 79 of the constitution. The second reading debate on the bill to amend the National Minimum Wage Act No. 3 of 2016 was held in parliament on Sept 3. Bill was passed without amendments and vote. more..

Sep 11 (Island) Lawyers’ Collective has urged electorate to vote for a person committed to the safeguard and protection of the independence and integrity of institutions, including the judiciary, the Constitutional Council, the police, public service, Central Bank, and independent commissions and to safeguard them from unwarranted political interference and pressure. Text of the statement: As the Prez Election draws close, the Lawyers’ Collective draws the attention of voting public more..

Sep 11 (TM) Opining that economic recovery would be impossible unless the country’s rulers pay attention to building an agriculture-based production economy, farmer groups expressed disapproval of economy-related plans presented by Prez candidates, including with regard to the agriculture sector. The National Agrarian Unity organisation’s President Anuradha Thennakoon explained that, despite the present state more..

Sep 11 (DM) Presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe's campaign team has strategically reduced the number of public rallies from 92 to 84, Harin Fernando said. Earlier, MP Dayasiri Jayasekera had claimed that more than 30 of Wickremesinghe's political rallies and meetings were cancelled due to lack of public support. In response, Fernando explained that the reduction in rallies was a deliberate strategy to enhance the campaign's focus on one-on-one professional forums. more..

Sep 11 (SM) Measures have been sought against children being used in election campaigns. Surakimu Daruwan National Movement has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission today in this regard. Convener of the movement – Priyantha Herath has said, “Children are being used in canvassing and advertisement… Children cannot be used for political purposes. We have complained to the National Child Protection Authority… Nothing was done. more..

Sep 11 (AD) Officers of SL Customs Narcotics Control Unit at the BIA have seized 2.14 kilograms of cocaine estimated to be worth around Rs. 75 million at the BIA air cargo storage unit. The cocaine had been concealed within an electrical device inside a parcel sent via air cargo from Bogotá in Colombia to an address in Ganemulla. Two individuals from the Maligawatte area, aged 23 and 24, as well as a cargo clearing agent, have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the incident. more..

Sep 11 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed MP Seetha Kumari Arambepola as the Minister of State for Health, Women’s and Child Affairs. She had served as the State Minister for Health prior to this appointment. A medical practitioner by profession, Dr. Seetha Arambepola had entered Parliament through the national List of the SLPP. A former State Minister of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation, she had also briefly served as more..

Sep 11 (NW) President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who had avoided answering his question about whether his party’s economic policy is export- or import-oriented, was now inviting him to a debate. Prez suggested that Dissanayake must first hold a debate with party members Sunil Handunnetti and Harshana Suriyapperuma to clarify the NPP’s proper economic policy to the nation before debating more..

Sep 11 (DM) The Bar Association of SL (BASL), in a statement, alleged that its President, Kaushalya Nawaratne PC, had made certain unfounded allegations regarding the Special Committee Report related to the JICA-BASL Programme, which was unanimously adopted by the Bar Council and some members of the Special Committee. BASL Acting President Anura Meddegoda and Secretary Chathura Galhena issued this statement to clarify the BASL's stance on the alleged more..

Sep 11 (AD) The Prez candidate of the SLPP, Namal Rajapaksa says that he has a plan to generate 2 million new employment opportunities within the next decade. Speaking at a public rally in Matale, SLLP’s prez candidate said that he would transform the country’s administrative systems to eliminate “the era of long queues” and emphasized that in the future, people in the country including the youth would no longer have to wait in queues for passports, NICs, driver’s licenses and such. more..

Sep 11 (AD) Former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and two other suspects, implicated in the alleged importation of substandard human immunoglobulin vials, have been released on bail by the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court. The 7th accused in the case former Deputy Director of the Health Ministry Rathnakumara Herath and 12th accused, former CEO of NMRA Dr. Vijith Gunasekera were also released on bail today. more..

Sep 11 (EN) NPP presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said his NPP is the only party to not platform MPs accused of crime or corruption, accusing SJB of opening its doors to questionable characters. Dissanayake claimed that a former state minister accused of swindling the stock market was now with the SJB. MP Geetha Kumarasinghe who had only just last week praised Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe was now saying SJB leader Sajith Premadasa is great, he said. more..

Sep 11 (AD) The GMOA has decided to launch an islandwide strike on Sept 18. GMOA Media Spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe stated that the strike action has been planned in protest against the disciplinary inquiry launched against GMOA Assistant Secretary and Uva province coordinator Dr. Palitha Rajapaksa without a formal complaint. Meanwhile, he further stated that it has been decided to display black flags in all hospitals for seven consecutive days from today onwards. more..

Sep 11 (FT) The race has begun several months ago, even before the official announcement of the Prez elections and now we witness a flow of fairy tales from all candidates just to grab power, sidelining any realistic plans or strategies to rescue the nation. It is astonishing to note that no candidate has been able to present a simple plan or strategy for the immediate 2-3 years. Instead, they resort to the conventional canvassing methods of insulting, disparaging and telling fairy tales about more..

Sep 11 (FT) This month, Sri Lankans will be casting their ballot for a new president. However, the 2024 Prez election faces an unusual challenge. Conventionally, elections have featured two primary candidates contesting each other. In 2019, it was Gotabaya Rajapaksa versus Sajith Premadasa; in 2015, it was Maithripala Sirisena versus Mahinda Rajapaksa; in 2010, it was Mahinda Rajapaksa versus Sarath Fonseka. At each of these elections, winning candidate secured more than 50% more..

Sep 11 (TM) Several candidates in the Prez Election have refused the assignment of security personnel amidst ongoing threats to their safety. “We will be providing security; however, there are several candidates who have refused protection,” DIG Nihal Thalduwa said in response to a query on the nature of the security provided to the candidates. “However, if they require and request security, Police will provide them Police more..

Sep 11 (CT) Two district branches of the ITAK have decided to support the Tamil common candidate in the upcoming Presidential Election. The Kilinochchi District branch of ITAK made this decision first, unanimously adopting a proposal during their District Committee meeting on 9 Sept, chaired by MP Sivagnanam Shritharan of ITAK. The branch has committed to actively campaigning for the victory of P. Ariyanethiran, the Tamil common candidate, starting from 10 September. more..

Sep 11 (DM) SJB prez candidate Sajith Premadasa said he does not intend to make SL a welfare state and will turn the poor into entrepreneurs. Mr. Premadasa said his new poverty alleviation programme is aimed at making the poor successful entrepreneurs. “Our new poverty alleviation programme is based on investment, export and saving. We will provide Rs 20,000 monthly to each poor family for a period of two years. They will have to use these funds & start up a business more..

Sep 11 (DM) Ahead of the presidential poll, all except ten out of 225 MPs have already secured two repeater shotguns each from the Defence Ministry for their personal security following concerns triggered after arson on a number of houses belonging to them in the aftermath of the 2022 Aragalaya, an official said. A repeater is a firearm that can be fired several times without manual reloading. more..

Sep 11 (DM) The Fundamental Rights petitions filed challenging the legality of the business transactions relating to LTL Holdings (Pvt) Limited, a leading engineering company in SL, have been fixed for support on Friday (13) by the Supreme Court. The petitioners including SJB MP Mujibur Rahaman, Niroshan Padukka, K.R.C. Kaluarachchi and J.T. Mallikarachchi filed these petitions seeking an order to quash the share transfer of 28% of the CEB shareholding of LTL Holdings (Pvt) Ltd to more..

Sep 11 (EN) SL’s central bank has repaid US$ 450 million to the Reserve Bank of India in the first six months of 2024. The central bank owed the RBI, US$ 2001.43 million by June 2024. When the numbers were first disclosed in 2023 third quarter the central bank owned the RBI US$ 2,601.43 million indicating that so far least US$ 600 million has been repaid. Reserve Bank of India gave SL’s central bank a swap and also allowed the agency to run arrears on the Asian Clearing Union dues. more..