Sep 10 (CI) If Test cricket is constantly on the therapist's couch trying to work through its never-ending existential crises, Sri Lanka are the 11 trishaws outside, incensed that Test cricket's SUV is blocking half the lane, honking up a storm. This, at least, tends to be the Sri Lanka men's Test side's vision of itself, forever outsiders, forever straining against bigger powers than they could ever meaningfully have sway over. more..

Sep 10 (Island) The effort of the March 12 Movement, a civil society collective, to bring presidential candidates onto one platform and share their visions and hopes with the general population was successful in its second round. All six of the presidential candidates who had been scheduled for the debate participated as expected and shared their visions and aspirations for the future. Their message went through the electronic and mass media to the general public. more..

Sep 10 (DM) SL and India are engaged in a decade-long discussion of linking their power grids, which would be beneficial for either country as energy consumption in both nations is expected to grow in large proportions. Latest discussion or rather the fifth of the India – SL Joint Working Group for cooperation in the power sector was held last February in SL co-chaired by the Secretary to Indian Ministry of Power Pankaj Agarwal and Secretary to Ministry of Power & Energy Dr. Sulakshana more..

Sep 10 (Island) Election Commission (EC) met the presidential candidates and their representatives yesterday to discuss matters related to the forthcoming election. It has already warned them of the consequences of election law violations, but there have been very serious allegations against some candidates including Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Cabinet headed by the Prez seems to think it is above the law, and can act with impunity. It keeps making decisions and more..

Sep 10 (TM) In around two weeks, Sri Lanka will elect a President and a govt of his choice will take over the troubled island's journey towards recovery and a better style of governance. We hope. Irrespective of who takes the helm during the last week of this month, the best case scenario for Sri Lankans is that the new government or an interim one until the General Elections are held, will continue with current reforms agenda which is aimed at improving the islands economy, and more..

Sep 10 (TM) Immigration and Emigration officers at the BIA have raised concerns that inadequate infrastructure is causing significant delays during peak hours, despite a Cabinet decision to grant free visas to 38 countries. This measure, intended to reduce queues following the suspension of the online visa portal due to the ongoing VFS visa controversy, has yet to alleviate the pressure. more..

Sep 10 (DM) Voters at this year’s prez election do not face a straight forward choice. All these years, voters were used to choose between two main candidates. This year the choice is between four front-runners. Whereas earlier most people cast a single vote though they had multiple choices, this time around scare stories are swirling and people are thinking in terms of how they could use their vote to prevent particular candidates from winning. As yet a large number of voters are uncertain as more..

Sep 10 (ST) Last two days of parliamentary sittings before the 2024 prez election offered up their fair share of drama, with one govt MP crossing over to the opposition, a state minister declaring himself as an independent MP and another MP accusing a former minister of engaging in a conspiracy to frame him for a crime. On Tuesday (3), SLPP MP Jagath Kumara crossed over to the opposition after pledging his support to SJB prez candidate and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. more..

Sep 10 (FT) Following PickMe’s announcement of its forthcoming IPO, Chairman Ajit Gunewardene speaks about the company’s expansion and potential. “Moving forward, we should remain focused on our core areas of involvement. Despite being highly profitable and cash generative, we are only scratching the surface of our potential. Our expansion into additional verticals, of which we are already active, holds great promise,” more..

Sep 10 (CT) Extinction of a societal system, dismissal of its traditions and values and its very raison d’etre could be defined as a birth of another system of values, morals, ethics and manifestly different social dynamic whose entry would be rather slow in arrival than what it was thought to have been. When the promised elements of the new system suffer delays in deliverance, the would-be recipients of the Utopian components of the new, if not singularly disciplined in terms of more..

Sep 10 (TM) Big investors are not looking for tax breaks but for investment security and ease of doing business which SL did not have over the years, according to Hong-Kong based Senior Development Policy Advisor Kithmina Hewage. Hewage expressed that even within the current government there have been policies shifting from one extreme to the other within six months. “This is why we haven’t been able to attract the big investors, while those around us in the region have,” more..

Sep 9 (FT) As Sri Lanka approaches a critical Prez election that will shape the country’s future, Yukthi, a collective focused on debt justice and the economic challenges facing the nation’s working people has put forward 10 crucial questions to the Prez candidates regarding their post-election economic policies. Yukthi has directed these questions in writing to the key candidates, including Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sajith Premadasa, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and Namal Rajapaksa. more..

Sep 9 (NYT) The playwright S. Shakthidharan has lived in Australia since he was a toddler, but when he speaks of his homeland, he means Sri Lanka. That’s where he was born, where he spent his first birthday, where his ancestors were rooted. Then in 1983, the South Asian nation descended into what would become a 26-year civil war. His family, part of the country’s Tamil minority, had the means to flee to safety. So they did, going to India, Singapore and finally Australia, in 1984. more..

Sep 9 (CT) Transparency International SL (TISL) expressed grave concern over widespread misuse of public resources during the ongoing 2024 Prez Election campaign. They said that as of 4 Sept, they have received 580 complaints with regard to vehicle misuse. TISL urged the Election Commission (EC) to take swift action to prevent further violations and ensure a fair election process. TISL highlighted alarming instances where more..

Sep 9 (Island) Over 80% of the postal votes had been cast in respect of the Sept 21 presidential election, Deputy Postmaster General (Operations) Rajitha Ranasinghe said. “As of now, the Postal Department has received a lot of registered and secured packets containing marked ballot papers. “These are now being delivered to the relevant returning officers. At the moment, over 80% of postal votes have been cast. The packets have been sent to their respective post offices,” he said. more..

Sep 9 (TM) The cess levy imposed on imported cement has been reduced by Rs. 01 per kilogram, Finance Ministry said. This levy reduction is in effect from 6 Sept. The levy revision has been made by virtue of the powers vested in Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Minister of Investment Promotion under Section 14 of the SL Export Development Act, No. 40 of 1979, with the concurrence of the Minister of Finance, Economic Stabilisation & National Policies. According to Global Trade Alert, more..

Sep 9 (EN) SL will purchase up to 750,000 e-passport without electronic chips from a foreign firm which has been chosen to provide the int'l travel documents to locals, Minister Tiran Alles said. SL is facing a shortage of passports as the authorities failed to secure adequate existing passports before switching to the new e-passports, govt officials have said. Thales DIS Finland Oy has been chosen through a tender process to more..

Sep 9 (TM) Dept of Police stated that they will investigate all complaints of election law violations, whether reported directly to the Police or through the Election Commission (EC), and take expeditious action. More than 2,500 complaints pertaining to the Prez Election scheduled for 21 Sept have been received thus far. DIG Nihal Thalduwa said that the Police are investigating the complaints pertaining to election law violations, and taking action expeditiously. more..

Sep 9 (CT) Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) Leader Mavai Senathirajah stated that if incumbent Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is elected, he will have a crucial role in addressing the longstanding political issues faced by the Tamil people, with a focus on self-determination. A courtesy meeting took place on 7 Sept between President Wickremesinghe and ITAK Leader Senathirajah, who is also a Jaffna District MP. The meeting was held at the President’s residence in Kankesanturai, Jaffna. more..

Sep 9 (AD) Ministry of Education has announced that all schools across the island will remain closed on Sept 20 (Fri), due to the 2024 Prez Election. The closed schools are scheduled to reopen on Sept 23. Meanwhile, several schools that will be used as polling stations and counting centres are to remain closed from 18 to 24 Sept. They are to be handed over to the Grama Niladhari officers after school hours on Sept 19. The announcement also specifies that schools used as counting centres more..

Sep 9 (CT) Janasetha Peramuna Prez candidate, Ven. Battaramulle Seelarathana Thera expressed regret at a public meeting in Kelaniya, criticising the major parties for their role in the country’s decline over the past 76 years. He accused these parties of reviving politics based on empty promises and exploiting the poor and innocent. The Venerable Thera remarked on the increasing dissatisfaction with current politics, noting that leaders are resorting to gathering crowds from buses and villages, more..

Sep 9 (FT) The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) called on the Govt to urgently resolve ongoing challenges related to the issuance of short-term business visas, which have been halted since 2 August. The JAAF noted that all official foreign business visitors, including buyers, machinery suppliers, and technical service providers, have faced significant hurdles entering SL due to the lack of a proper business visa more..

Sep 9 (FT) Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued new regulatory directions to market institutions and market intermediaries operating Whitelist Indices. The move is with the objective of protecting the interest of investors seeking Shariah compliant investments and rationalising the construction and publication of Shariah compliant Whitelist Equity Indices in the capital market. Shariah compliant equities are equity securities which have been determined to more..

Sep 9 (AD) The prez candidate of the Sarvajana Balaya alliance, entrepreneur Dilith Jayaweera urged people to take the correct decisions by looking carefully at all the parties with a correct vision. He cautioned that failing to make the right decision in the upcoming prez election could result in an irreversible mistake by the current generation. He stated this while addressing a public rally held in Ayagama today, as part of the Dilith Gamata series of meetings. more..

Sep 9 (TM) Authorities are yet to establish a functional mechanism to facilitate prisoners to cast their vote, despite Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL), Election Commission (EC), Dept of Prisons, and others discussing the process and possible measures, it is learnt. Meanwhile, it is learnt that due to the time constraints and a myriad of challenges faced, Prisons department has sought to defer the mechanism till next election cycle. more..

Sep 9 (AD) SL Navy says it has seized narcotics worth over Rs. 15 billion during operations conducted along the island’s coasts to prevent drug smuggling via the sea route, so far in 2024. Meanwhile, the gross street value of the narcotics seized during the operations conducted between Jan 1, 2024 and yesterday, is estimated to be around Rs. 15,491 million, the navy said. The seized drugs includes nearly 385 kg of heroin with an estimated street value of around Rs. 9,631 million. more..

Sep 9 (EN) SriLankan Airlines said it has entered into an interline agreement with UAE-based flydubai which allows passengers to travel to selected destinations in each others’ network. SriLankan Airlines could travel to 30 destinations in Africa, Central Asia and Southeast Europe via the Middle Eastern airline’s Dubai hub. These include Bucharest, Istanbul, Krakow, Mombasa, Naples, Sofia, Tashkent and Zanzibar. “This partnership reinforces our strategy to broaden our more..

Sep 9 (TM) Attending the National People’s Power (NPP) lawyers’ Conference NPP Presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the gathering of former judges and legal professionals is significant, as it is they who play the crucial role in identifying early signs of political shifts in the country. The NPP Lawyers’ Conference was held on 7 September at the Taj Samudra hotel, which underscored the significance of aligning national goals with the aims of those in power. more..

Sep 9 (DM) State Minister Geetha Kumarasinghe has extended her support to Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Presidential Candidate Sajith Premadasa in the 2024 Presidential Election. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP pledged her support by participating in MP Premadasa’s election rally held in Kandy today. Geetha Kumarasinghe serves as the State Minister of Women and Child Affairs under President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government. more..

Sep 9 (CI) "Too soon!" That was the mood as autumnal conditions enveloped an Oval ground which, it felt like yesterday, had hosted a packed-out Men's Hundred semi-final thriller in stunning summer twilight, T-shirts, shorts and sunglasses everywhere in the stands. But as a relatively healthy crowd raided the back of their wardrobes for more suitable attire and turned up on a Monday morning to see SL overhaul more..

Sep 9 (DM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe urged the country's youth to produce entertainment content that could feature on international streaming services such as Netflix. Speaking at an Open Mic Night event at Diyatha Uyana in Battaramulla on Sunday, the Prez reiterated his promises for a economically stable SL that will be bring youth happiness. Responding to a youth who said he wanted Netflix in SL, Prez asked why SL content could not feature on the streaming site. more..

Sep 9 (EN) Sri Lanka’s private credit expanded in 60 billion rupees in July 2024, on top of a 74 billion rise in June, official data show, while credit to state enterprises fell. Banks loaned 82.7 billion rupees to the government in July (these include interest roll-overs which are effectively paper transactions) outside of central bank credit. Central bank credit was a negative 19.8 billion rupees, making credit to govt from the banking system as a whole 62.9 billion rupees. more..

Sep 9 (DM) Kandy police have launched an investigation into a pre-wedding photoshoot involving actor Devnaka Porage and musical artist Hashini Wedanda at the Sri Dalada Maligawa. It was reported that a pre-shoot had taken place at the Sri Dalada Maligawa, causing offense to the temple. Police officers at the temple had reportedly advised the crew to stop the shoot, but a person claiming to be a senior figure more..