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..

Sep 9 (AD) Former IGP Pujith Jayasundara has completed the payment of Rs. 75 million in compensation to the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks, as ordered by the Supreme Court. It is reported that he made the final payment on Aug 30, completing the full amount in eight installments. Meanwhile, former Prez Maithripala Sirisena had also recently completed the payments of compensation of Rs. 100 million to the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks as ordered more..

Sep 9 (DM) At least seven individuals including five police officers were injured following the reckless lighting of firecrackers during a propaganda rally of the SJB in front of the Kandy central market this afternoon. The injured were admitted to the National Hospital in Kandy. Police said supporters had lighted crackers haphazardly at several locations in the heart of Kandy city, regardless of the warnings not to do so. The injured were admitted to the Emergency Treatment Unit. more..

Sep 9 (FT) As the race to the hot seat heats up, it was inevitable that propaganda would come to overshadow any semblance of a principles-based debate among the chief contenders. Not for a lack of desire or opportunity. But based on a fear that the respective parties would be found wanting in terms of policies. To convince a jaded and yet ironically expectant electorate, and be discovered to be lamentably lacking in integrity. No leader likes being shown up as a facsimile of his opponents, more..

Sep 9 (FT) Joint Nobel laureate in economics in 2013, Robert Shiller published his masterpiece in economics under the title Narrative Economics in 2019 which was in the bestselling list of the New York Times for months. The subtitle of the book ‘How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events’ tells us the full story: stories are there, and we believe them, and we make decisions by being influenced by those beliefs. His book has in fact now given rise to a new branch in economics more..

Sep 9 (ST) As the backlog of unfulfilled applications rises daily, Controller General and a Deputy Controller General of Immigration are on a factory visit to Poland to inspect the production of a machine-readable passport (MRP) hastily ordered to tide over the emergency created by a bungled ePassport tender. The MRPs are from a new supplier named Thales DIS Finland Oy, which, with its local partner, Just In Time Technologies more..

Sep 9 (TM) Prez candidate of NPP, Anura Kumara Dissanayake called on independent Prez candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe to apologise to the people of the Northern Province following allegations from Wickremesinghe that Dissanayake has incited racism. Addressing the National Convention of the Inter Company Employees' Union (ICEU), Dissanayake criticised recent comments made by President Wickremesinghe regarding his comments delivered while in Jaffna recently. more..

Sep 9 (FT) SJB Prez candidate Sajith Premadasa has accused his rivals, President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the NPP, of conspiring together through a secret pact. Speaking at a rally yesterday, Sajith Premadasa alleged that President Ranil Wickremesinghe is acting as though he is Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s private secretary, implying that Wickremesinghe and Anura Kumara have formed a secret political alliance. more..

Sep 9 (FT) TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran came to NPP Prez candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s defence after Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe demanded the NPP leader apologise to Northern Tamils over a threatening statement made by him recently. Despite already pledging his party’s support to SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa, Sumanthiran dismissed Wickremesinghe’s claims of racism against Dissanayake. more..

Sep 9 (TM) Election Commission (EC) opined that the decision regarding going ahead with the submitted nominations for the LG Elections will be based on the prevailing legal framework at the time they declare the elections. Cabinet of Ministers recently granted approval to make necessary provisions for the recalling of nominations for indefinitely-postponed LG Elections. This decision was made in the midst of reports that several candidates who submitted nominations to more..

Sep 9 (FT) ITAK Leader Mavai S. Senathirajah on Saturday expressed strong confidence in Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s anticipated victory in the election. Senathirajah believes that Wickremesinghe will not only address the issues faced by the Tamil community, but will also spearhead the development of the Northern Province. Prez Wickremesinghe attended two Puluwan SL victory rallies in Jaffna on Saturday. Following these events, he visited Senathirajah’s residence in Kankesanthurai more..

Sep 9 (TM) The licences for repeater guns being purchased by MP, following the Ministry of Defence's recent decision, will be renewed annually after conducting a threat assessment on the respective MPs, stated Ministry of Defence. Ministry of Defence had informed the Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera recently that MPs would be allowed to purchase two repeater shotguns each from their personal funds, and retain them even after they are out of office. more..

Sep 9 (FT) Despite the shortfall in arrivals, SL’s tourism industry has managed to rake in over $ 2 billion in revenue during the first eight months of 2024. Tourism earnings from January to August registered over $ 2.16 billion, reflecting a substantial 66.1% year-on-year (YoY) increase, the latest Central Bank data release showed. The tourism earnings for the first eight months have now matched the total revenue generated for the entire yr of 2023, showcasing a yield improvement. more..

Sep 9 (TM) Bar Association of SL (BASL) President Kaushalya Nawaratne, PC has denied allegations of a new appointment to his position, asserting that he remains the BASL President. Nawaratne states that, according to the BASL Constitution, he can only be removed through a resolution by the Bar Council, which must be approved by a three-fourths majority of the entire membership. Nawaratne’s statement follows claims by BASL Secretary more..

Sep 9 (DM) Namal Rajapakse's (RW) English manifesto, spanning 11,809 words, appears to have been hastily prepared. It is poorly conceived, riddled with inconsistencies, lacking in specifics and heavily relies on invoking the legacy of his father, Mahinda Rajapakse (MR). It begins by highlighting the legacy of his father, portraying the period from 2005 to 2014 as the Golden Era of the country’s post-independence history. The narrative praises the Mahinda Chinthana vision, with its ambition more..

Sep 9 (ST) Despite finalising debt restructuring agreements with official creditors and International Sovereign Bond (ISB) holders, the govt’s total debt marginally increased by 0.25% in the second quarter of 2024, according to the latest quarterly debt report of the Ministry of Finance. The report highlighted that the govt’s total debt reached Rs.100.65 billion by the end of June 2024, up from Rs.100.39 billion at the end of March 2024. This increase caught the attention of analysts, more..

Sep 9 (ST) Public sector employees who obtained long leave to travel abroad for work or other purposes will be considered to have vacated their post in the event they do not return to service after completing their leave or obtain an extension of leave, Ministry of Public Administration has decided. The move came after disclosures that some of the officials who had obtained leave under the special provisions granted in 2022 during the economic crisis period have not reported back to work. more..

Sep 9 (Island) Election Commission (EC) has ordered the police to use lethal force, if necessary, against anyone who might try to disrupt the prez election. EC directive grants the police authority to fire upon anyone engaged in disrupting the election. Police have also been ordered to arrest individuals involved in such activities as will undermine the integrity of the electoral process. The EC has said all those, including media personnel, who photograph polling stations & counting centres more..

Sep 9 (FT) Tourism industry stakeholders yesterday voiced growing concerns over the lack of attention from key Prez candidates regarding the pressing issues facing the sector, particularly the ongoing visa crisis. The silence is especially puzzling, given that all four main candidates have highlighted the tourism industry as a key pillar in their election manifestos for economic recovery. “This makes us wonder if more..

Sep 9 (DM) The Central Bank has relaxed the mandatory export conversion period in the latest exports proceeds conversion rule which came into effect from 4 Nov. As per the new rules, the mandatory export conversion period has been extended to roughly a three-month period from an earlier one-month period. “By these rules, the period applicable for exporters of goods for mandatory conversion of residual of their export proceeds into SL Rupees has been extended up to the 10th more..

Sep 9 (FT) Former SJB MP Thalatha Athukorala, who recently resigned from her Parliamentary role, announced her support for independent Prez candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday. She joined Wickremesinghe at a rally in Welimada, marking her first appearance on his Prez campaign trail. At the rally, Athukorala expressed her confidence in Wickremesinghe’s victory on 21 Sept. She said, following his win, Wickremesinghe would focus on completing the remaining 50% of more..

Sep 9 (CI) In a match as changeable as the weather in south London, SL took control of the third and final Test against England on the third day at The Oval. After an abject performance on the opening day when their bowlers failed to capitalise in prime conditions upon winning the toss, SL had to watch Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett shine through the overhead gloom. Then, two incisive passages of swing bowling - on a dark 2nd day, more..

Sep 9 (DM) Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is at risk of a winter season collapse due to delays in reactivating the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, stakeholders warned this week. The ongoing visa issuance issues have caused significant setbacks to international visitors. On Friday, senior representatives of the industry told journalists that they, together with sector stakeholders, will take to streets if the govt does not implement SLT Mobitel-run ETA system, more..

Sep 9 (FT) Sterling Steels Ltd, a newly renamed entity emerging from the acquisition of BlueScope Lysaght Lanka Ltd by E.B. Creasy & Co, was officially launched at a grand event held at the ITC Ratnadipa recently. The event also witnessed the launch of Sterling Ultra, the company’s new flagship premium brand, which replaces Lysaght as the number one quality steel roofing solutions brand in SL. Sterling Steels will also proudly continue to serve as sole agent for Tata BlueScope more..

Sep 9 (ST) When NPP candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake proclaimed unblushingly during election campaigning in the North a few days ago that his party is the only non-racist party and he is the only ‘non-racist’ candidate in the coming prez poll, that claim must be taken not only with a pinch but also a whole sack full of skeptical salt. Reams have, of course, been written about the peculiar Sinhala ethnic chauvinism (circa Bruce Mathews, 1989) of the NPP’s driving force, more..

Sep 9 (ST) A new men’s doubles partnership between Buvaneka Goonethilake and Jason Homer is at the centre of a brewing controversy with Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) according to informed sources. Both players, despite impressive national and international achievements, have been denied the opportunity to compete in crucial overseas tournaments that could improve their world rankings. Goonethilake, a Triple Crown champion for three consecutive years, teamed up with Homer more..

Sep 9 (CI) Put yourself in the boots of a SL men's Test quick, and you might reflect the job's really not as glamorous as it could be. There are lorry loads of pride to swallow. At home, frontline spinners tend to look at you without perhaps the amount of respect you expect as the group of cricketers who most put their bodies on the line for the team. That's a nice job you did softening up the ball, machan. That channel outside off… more..