Nov 17 (ST) The Govt of Sri Lanka is to reduce the heavy cost of maintaining Parliament by curtailing the benefits given to newly elected MPs. In this respect, a committee has been appointed headed by a retired officer of the SL Administrative Service to spearhead these reforms with the goal of slashing the currently enjoyed perquisites and allowances by MPs. It will scale back vehicle provisions, pensions, house allowances, and other financial perks more..

Nov 17 (AD) Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage announced his retirement from active politics during a press conference in Nawalapitiya. Reflecting on his extensive political journey, Aluthgamage highlighted that his family had been politically active in the Nawalapitiya constituency for seven decades, with his own involvement spanning over 30 years. However, he stated that the outcome of the recent General Election indicated that the people of the Kandy District more..

Nov 17 (AD) Ambika Samuel, the newly elected female representative to Parliament, has expressed confidence in the potential of the youth in plantation community and beyond to take an active role in politics. Speaking about her journey into politics, Samuel, the first female Tamil MP to have been elected through a major political party from the plantation community, emphasized that her entry into the political sphere is not just a personal achievement but a stepping stone for others, more..

Nov 17 (ST) Voter apathy, a changed political landscape and holding the election on a weekday were among reasons for the historic low voter turnout at the general elections, election observers opined. The overall turnout at Thursday’s election was 68.93% as compared to the 75.89% turnout in 2020 and the 79.46% turnout at the recently concluded prez election. Executive Director of PAFFREL, Rohana Hettiarachchi, more..

Nov 17 (AD) A special discussion on the future political direction of the UNP was held this morning (16) under the leadership of the party’s leader, former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Several former UNP MPs participated in the meeting. The discussion reportedly focused on the party’s strategy for the upcoming elections, with an emphasis on contesting under the elephant symbol. UNP Chairman Vajira Abeywardena confirmed that the party plans to contest all upcoming elections more..

Nov 17 (DM) The Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) has sent an official letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the National People’s Power (NPP), congratulating them on their resounding and historic victory in the recent parliamentary elections. In the letter, the CTC extended heartfelt congratulations on behalf of Tamil Canadians, acknowledging this landmark mandate as a reflection of the SL people's trust in the NPP’s vision for transformative governance. more..

Nov 17 (ST) Shuttlers Ranithma Liyanage, Isuri Attanayake and Sithumi de Silva made their cut to the semi-final stage at the Bahrain Int'l Series 2024, which is currently underway in Manama, Bahrain. With the qualifications, SL is guaranteed at least two bronze medals for advancing all the way to the semi-final stage, if they fail to reach the finals. On Friday evening, Liyanage secured her semi-final slot in the Women’s Singles, after seeing off her fellow compatriot Rashmi Mudalige more..

Nov 17 (AD) The leader of the SLPP, former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa claims that the party received the exact number of votes they had expected. He expressed that the victory of the NPP is a positive development, noting that freshers should be given the opportunity to see if they can succeed. Commenting on the significant rise of the NPP from 3% of total votes in the previous general election to 61%, the former Prez said: “It is the people of this country who voted, not outsiders. more..

Nov 17 (ST) Executive Board of the National Olympic Committee of SL (NOCSL) now faces a critical dilemma following demands from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to act on the recommendations of the NOCSL Ethics Committee (EC) aimed at protecting the integrity of the Olympic movement. Ethics Committee has recommended the immediate suspension of NOCSL Secretary General more..

Nov 17 (SO) A massive clean-up operation like never before awaits SL’s new Sports Minister who will find corruption, nepotism, abuse and exploitation of position and even human smuggling high on the list to eradicate that has engulfed sports on a monumental scale. The free-for-all that continued beyond comprehension only created overnight multi millionaires in an environment tailor-made for exploitation with abuse in cricket reaching unprecedented levels of indulgence that more..

Nov 17 (ST) In a bizarre incident, Sri Lanka risked tarnishing its reputation as the oldest Rugby Union in Asia, after a representative from Sri Lanka Rugby was graciously turned down from attending the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Asia Rugby (AR), held on Nov 8 in Bangkok. SL’s representation at the AGM left it looking like a laughing stock in front of other country representatives from the Asian region, who had gathered to elect a new set of office bearers for AR. more..

Nov 17 (ST) My dear Anura sahodaraya and the maalimawa team, I am writing to congratulate you on what has been a massive victory at Thursday’s election. It is being described as historic, unprecedented and being a landslide win. I suspect even you didn’t expect such a strong mandate coming your way after Anura sahodaraya’s hard fought win in September. Tilvin sahodaraya, the man who was with you till you did win, said as much. He said you expected a comfortable more..

Nov 17 (ST) Like night follows day, the JVP/NPP alliance romped home to victory at this week’s parliamentary elections after their success at the prez poll in September. The final results had two surprises, both firsts in SL’s parliamentary electoral history: the first for a monolith alliance to win a two-thirds majority and, arguably even more significantly, a party from the South defeating a regional alliance in the North. Without rubbing off the gloss from the victory that rightfully belongs to the alliance, more..

Nov 17 (CT) Former Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya, who went to cast his vote at his down south polling booth, initially went unnoticed until he reminded the senior presiding officer who he was, or had been, and that he was one who strictly handled elections in the recent past. Former EC chairman was wearing a mask when he arrived at the polling station to cast his vote along with a few other people. more..

Nov 17 (CT) The NPP led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has achieved a monumental victory in Thursday’s Parliamentary Election, securing an overwhelming two-thirds majority with 159 seats in the 225-seat legislature. This result is not just a triumph for the NPP but, a defining moment for the nation. It signals a deep yearning for change and a rejection of the status quo, where decades of political mismanagement have eroded trust in governance. more..

Nov 17 (CT) As predicted, Sri Lanka’s National People’s Power (NPP) party has achieved a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections. This win marks a historic shift, especially as it has united a cross-section of Sri Lankans, including the Tamil community in the North. With widespread support and a strong mandate, the NPP now faces the challenge of transforming a nation burdened by debt, corruption, and inefficiency into one defined by stability, growth, and equity. more..

Nov 17 (TM) SL’s political landscape has witnessed much evolution since the introduction of the current electoral system to the country, but the Parliamentary Election of 2024 will definitely be one for the history books. The next focus of the masses is on how Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) will appoint his new Cabinet of Ministers tomorrow. It is learnt that the Prez is looking at keeping his Cabinet at a maximum of 25 ministers and more..

Nov 17 (SO) As widely expected, the NPP emerged victorious at the just-concluded general election but even seasoned political analysts were left stunned by the sheer scale of the landslide victory. In fact, this was the first time that a party had recorded a two-thirds majority on its own after the Proportional Representation electoral system was introduced. A sequel to the triumph of its candidate Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Prez election held in September, this is a massive endorsement by more..

Nov 17 (TM) Next Sunday (24), Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake will be celebrating his 56th birthday, but the people of SL have already given him the biggest birthday present he could have wished for. He is now both Executive Prez and Head of a Govt with a two-thirds supermajority in Parliament. That’s not all; this unprecedented political success also coincides with his 10th anniversary as Leader of the JVP, having assumed the role in 2014. No doubt a personal milestone he could rightfully be proud of. more..

Nov 16 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s NPP has achieved a landmark victory in the 2024 Parliamentary Election on Thursday, securing an impressive 159 seats and a commanding supermajority in Parliament. Apart from emerging as the unifying force of SL especially winning districts in North and East except Batticaloa, this election victory by NPP was one for the history books, breaking records more..

Nov 16 (AD) EC has released the all-island final results in the 2024 General Election with the NPP securing a resounding victory in the Parliamentary Poll. NPP has won 159 seats including 18 bonus seats after polling a total of over 6.8 million votes, which is 61.56% of the total votes counted. Meanwhile, SJB becomes the main opposition party of the tenth Parliament after polling over 1.9 million votes (17.66%) and thereby obtaining 40 seats including 5 bonus seats. more..

Nov 16 (ST) Australian company Titanium Sands Limited and the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) were met with angry protests this week when they visited the proposed site for the Mannar heavy mineral sand mining project. The CEA had aimed to draft the terms of reference (TOR) for the project’s mandatory environmental impact assessment (EIA) based on this visit. Area residents oppose the project over environmental concerns and accusations of land grabbing by Titanium Sands. more..

Nov 16 (FT) A large number of powerful former Govt and Opposition MPs, many of whom have been long-standing figures in Parliament, faced major setbacks in the Parliamentary Election, failing to secure their seats due to NPP’s landslide victory. Notably, all Cabinet Ministers from former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Govt who contested in the election were among those unseated. In Colombo, UNP stalwart Sagala Ratnayake was unable more..

Nov 16 (FT) Activist and the Bar Association of SL’s (BASL) Former President Saliya Pieris PC hailed the historic victory of NPP at Thursday’s Parliamentary Election and stressed the importance of living up to the trust of people. In a post on Facebook, Pieris said this is the first time one party got two-thirds majority in the Parliament under the proportional representation system if the National People’s Force gets two-thirds majority. The only parallel to this victory is the Prez Election where more..

Nov 16 (Island) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has revealed an alleged plot to assassinate him, purportedly linked to his efforts to curtail the privileges of the political elite. Speaking at the JVP’s 35th November Heroes’ Commemoration (Il Maha Viru Samaruma) recently in Colombo, he said the elite feared the empowerment of the ordinary people. “They have always sought to keep the people oppressed. They are afraid of losing their elitist privileges and of our determination more..

Nov 16 (FT) National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) yesterday extended its warm congratulations to the National People’s Power (NPP) on its recent success in the Parliamentary Elections. “This historic election, characterised by a peaceful and democratic process, stands as a testament to the strength of Sri Lanka’s democratic principles and the commitment of its people to shape the future of the nation through their right to vote,” NCE said in a statement. more..

Nov 16 (ST) Trincomalee is known for its serene beaches but certain areas recently emanated a foul smell due to thousands of decaying fish washing ashore and floating in the shallow bays. People speculated various theories, from pollution and temperature changes to an impending natural disaster or even a bizarre case of mass fish suicide. This occurred between Oct 29 and Nov 1, coinciding with Halloween week, sparking eerie rumors of supernatural occurrences. more..

Nov 16 (FT) As Prez Anura Dissanayake of SL consolidated his position with a thumping majority for his leftist coalition in Parliament, India welcomed the development while reaffirming its commitment to working with the island neighbour for mutual benefit. Indian govt reiterated its invitation for the president to visit India at an early date as Indian high commissioner Santosh Jha called on Dissanayake shortly after the outcome of more..

Nov 16 (FT) Hayleys Group said it delivered remarkable growth and profitability during the first half of the financial year ending 31 March 2025, as it leveraged its leading market positions across diverse business verticals to deliver a Profit Before Tax of Rs.12.73 billion, an increase of 78% over the corresponding period of the previous year. Hayleys PLC said the Group recorded a 44% increase in Profit Before Tax to Rs. 7 billion during the second quarter of the financial year. more..

Nov 16 (FT) Sampath Bank reported a profit before tax (PBT) of Rs. 29.9 billion and a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs. 17.8 billion for the nine months ending 30 September 2024, despite an exchange loss of Rs. 3.6 billion due to the LKR’s appreciation. The bank said this reflects a year-on-year growth of 36% in PBT and 44% in PAT, underscoring strong performance. Sampath Group achieved a PBT of Rs. 31.9 billion and PAT of Rs. 19.1 billion, with respective growth rates of 40% and 50%. more..

Nov 16 (FT) Former Minister and MP Ali Sabry described the remarkable win by NPP at Thursday’s Parliamentary poll as a historic moment and SL’s diaspora must recognise the new ground reality. “The recent electoral outcome in SL has delivered a powerful and unifying message from the people: a call for solidarity, mutual understanding, and reconciliation. Across the island, from North to South and East to West, the electorate has spoken with one voice, expressing a shared aspiration to more..

Nov 16 (FT) For the first time in the leisure industry, a trendsetter in the SL hospitality sector, Madulkelle Tea and Eco Lodge, Kandy Chairman Philippe Gomez would be engaging in Agro-based exports from products from their hotel. The mentor behind the project, Gomez, a French national, said that they have already planted 4,500 vanilla trees, 4,000 coffee plants and 1,000 pepper plants. “We have allocated more than half of the land from the hotel property and hope to expand this plantation more..