Oct 19 (FT) SJB Colombo district candidate and economist Dr. Harsha de Silva has criticised the Government for its lack of response to the current rice shortage in the market, calling for urgent measures to break the rice monopoly in the country. Dr. de Silva highlighted that the monopoly on rice is preventing the proper functioning of the market, leading to a shortage of the staple despite large stockpiles of paddy in warehouses more..

Oct 19 (Island) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has told the new NPP govt some home truths. Making a special statement, on Thursday, he stressed the need for Sri Lanka to meet the revenue targets set by the IMF and predicted that according to the results of last month’s presidential election, no party will be able to secure an absolute majority in the next Parliament. Urging the public to vote for a team of experienced politicians capable of managing the economy properly, more..

Oct 19 (FT) The Maldives is close to an economic crisis similar to which unfolded in SL in 2022. The govt of Muizzu came to power with an India Out campaign. But today, as was the case for SL in 2022, when Maldives is in deep economic trouble and is close to defaulting, it is India that has come to its aid. India could have very well looked the other way but it didn’t. This should be a clear message for South Asian nations that they can have many best friends but India will remain the brother more..

Oct 19 (GV) Poverty and malnutrition are interconnected issues that continue to affect millions worldwide and SL is no exception. In recent years, global poverty levels have faced setbacks after decades of progress. World Bank updated the global extreme poverty line to $2.15 per person per day in Sept 2022, up from the previous $1.90. This change revealed that more than 700 million people currently live in extreme poverty. The period from 2020 to 2023 saw significant disruptions due to crises more..

Oct 19 (ST) Official statistics about Sri Lanka’s urban-rural population share do not show a realistic picture, as everyone knows. The division is based on the administrative demarcation of local govt bodies – Municipalities and Urban Councils which are classified as the ‘urban sector’ and Pradeshiya Sabhas as the rural sector. The current urban-rural classification problem is, at least partially, a result of the Provincial Council system, introduced in 1987. Sri Lanka’s urban population share, more..

Oct 19 (ST) Several members of the last parliament who have decided to either retire from politics or not contest this year’s general elections explained the reason for their decision. Here are some of their views: Wimal Weerawansa who leads the NFF announced that his party will not contest the upcoming elections, either independently or as part of an alliance stating that his decision is based on the party’s commitment to safeguarding more..

Oct 19 (CT) One by one the lights go out. In a span of seven months, SL’s Engineering fraternity and the country’s progressive political fraternity have lost three of their kinds, one after another. Chris Rodrigo was the first to go in March, then it was Bahu in July, and now it is Kumar David, oldest of the three. Prof. Kumar David passed away in Los Angeles, on Monday (14). He was 83 years old. He had been in declining health for some time after a cataract surgery that did not go as smoothly as more..

Oct 19 (DM) Sri Lanka’s history of peaceful relations that had existed between the Sinhalese and the Muslims, stands as a contrast against the mass destruction taking place in the Middle East in the name of ethnicity and religion. The late, eminent historian Dr. Lorna Dewaraja, whose insights of the close bonds that had existed between the two ethnic groups in SL puts to shame the ongoing fighting states in her book The Muslims of SL, Thousand Years of Ethnic Harmony 900-1915 that more..

Oct 19 (TM) With a historic change in SL’s political landscape following the NPP winning the Prez Election last month, many eyes are on the island nation’s trajectory. With General Elections just four weeks away, how the island will calibrate its defence and security posture has been a key question. It is clear that NPP is eager to ensure that the Caretaker Govt it has formed will lead to a parliamentary govt post-General Elections. more..

Oct 19 (DM) In the run-up to the presidential election of 21st Sept this year, the JVP/NPP political combine was at the forefront of highlighting the problems of the poorer sections of our country. It campaigned on a platform of anti-corruption and protecting the poor and disadvantaged. It’s been less than a month since the new President Dissanayake was elected to office. Normally regime change in our country has been based on rejection of politics from one party to the second. more..

Oct 19 (DM) A record number of front-line politicians has opted out of the Nov 14 Parliamentary election. Despite over 50 MPs who represented the last Parliament having so evaded the directed contest at district level some of them are anticipating to enter the House through the National List of their respective parties or the parties where they finally took refuge in, on the eve of the Sept 21 Prez election. However, a majority of those who have managed to include their names in National more..

Oct 18 (CT) Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon, the former Executive Director of the CaFFE, stated that the Election Commission has, to date, failed to publish the preferential numbers for many districts. He pointed out, in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Election Commission, that the measures to be followed during election campaign activities have also not been announced so far. As a result, only less than 25 days remain for the upcoming campaign activities. He noted in his letter that more..

Oct 18 (AD) Minister Vijitha Herath, has directed officials to ensure vehicle revenue licenses issued in the Western Province are seamlessly connected with other provinces. Ministry of Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation confirmed this in an official statement. The ministry highlighted that the lack of inter-provincial coordination has been a major obstacle for vehicle owners, particularly those from the Western Province. Despite previous announcements to address this issue, more..

Oct 18 (TM) CTU alleged that since 2015, disciplinary action has been taken against 439 examination staff including teachers and principals for exam-related acts of misconduct while the harshest penalty thus imposed has been a lifetime ban from exam-related duties. Over the recent past, there have been several incidents of mainstream exam question papers being leaked prior to the holding of the exams. more..

Oct 18 (CI) Uncapped fast-bowling allrounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe is in line for his ODI debut after being included in place of Chamika Karunaratne in SL's 16-man squad to face West Indies, while legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay has been brought in for offspinner Akila Dananjaya. Karunaratne's exclusion confirms the notion that he has simply fallen out of favour with the new selection and coaching regime. He last turned out for a game for SL in the 2023 ODI World Cup despite more..

Oct 18 (NW) Govt expenditure has increased by 5.4% to Rs. 3,476.9 billion in the first eight months of 2024, up from Rs. 3,297.3 billion during the same period in 2023, according to a new Finance Ministry report. Spending had reached 49.8% of the annual budget estimate of Rs. 6,978 billion, which includes Rs. 450 billion allocated for bank recapitalization. Recurrent expenditure, which accounted for around 87.5% of total expenditure in the first eight months of 2024, slightly increased by 3.4% more..

Oct 18 (Island) Rev Father Cyril Gamini Fernando yesterday urged PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila not to play politics with Easter Sunday carnage. Top spokesperson for the Catholic Church said that they had never asked the then Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to appoint committees to probe Easter Sunday issues. Therefore, the Church was not interested at all in the reports sought by ex-MP Gammanpila. more..

Oct 18 (Island) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena stated that anyone wishing to understand why he had removed Ranil Wickremesinghe as PM in 2018, replacing him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, could approach him privately. Speaking at the 45th National Conference of Chartered Accountants, where three former Presidents of SL—Chandrika Kumaratunga, Maithripala Sirisena, and Ranil Wickremesinghe—shared the stage, Sirisena noted that Wickremesinghe had been cordial with more..

Oct 18 (TM) The Election Commission (EC) stated that legal action will be taken against Presidential candidates who did not submit their campaign expenditure reports within the specified period. On Monday (14), the EC stated that three Presidential candidates – Ven. Battaramulle Seelarathana Thera, Sarath Keethirathna and Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran – had failed to make the relevant submissions by the deadline which ended at 12 midnight on 13 October. more..

Oct 18 (CT) Five students from a school in Anguruwatota, Kalutara District, were hospitalised after being administered the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. A complaint was lodged on Wednesday (16) by the District General Hospital, Horana, regarding the incident. Five Grade 7 students from the school had been admitted with symptoms including headaches, abdominal pain, fainting spells, and difficulty in breathing after receiving HPV vaccine on 16 Oct 2024. more..

Oct 18 (EN) Only 53% of SL’s welfare budget has been utilized in the first eight months of this year by the previous govt, a Finance Ministry report showed. A Pre-Election Budgetary Position Report 2024 released by the Finance Ministry this week showed only 563.4 billion rupees out of the budgeted 1,055.7 billion has been used in the first eight months. The welfare budget was earmarked for the programmes of social welfare, social security, education, health & nutrition and development assistance. more..

Oct 18 (DM) Former presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe and Chandrika Kumaratunga engulfed in an argument over an incident of a certain political leader’s young son hiding USD 1000 million in a Dubai bank, where Mr. Wickremesinghe rebuffed the allegation claiming that his 2015 government could not find any even though teams were sent to Dubai. Ms Kumaratunga said it was found out in 2015 that a young son of more..

Oct 18 (AD) Ministry of Defense has been petitioned in the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn a directive that requires individuals holding firearms for personal protection under licensed permits to return them. Petition was filed by Navinthaka de Silva, CEO of Avenra Hotel Group, who argues that the decision poses a significant risk to his safety. Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Director of the State Intelligence Service, and Acting IGP have been named as respondents in the case. more..

Oct 18 (DM) Train services on the Batticaloa-Colombo main line have been disrupted between Hingurakgoda and Gal Oya railway stations after a fuel train collided with a herd of elephants, Railways Dept said. They said two elephants died in the accident, and a few others in the herd were reported to be injured. The incident occurred at 3:30 a.m. today near the Minneriya railway station, while the train was transporting fuel from the Kolonnawa Petroleum Storage Terminal to Batticaloa. more..

Oct 18 (Island) Chairman of the Expert Committee on Public Service Salary Disparities, Udaya Seneviratne contradicted cabinet spokesperson Minister Vijitha Herath declaration that the substantial public sector salary increase announced by the then govt in the run-up to Sept 21 prez election had not received proper approval of the Finance Ministry. Retired SLAS officer Seneviratne who had held several top posts, including more..

Oct 18 (AD) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has held discussions with the uni students’ unions on Thursday (17). During the discussion, attention was drawn to many unsolved problems faced by the uni students so far regarding their studies and student welfare. A group of representatives from many student associations including the Inter-Uni Students’ Federation (IUSF), Students - Mass Power for Right to Education, Medical Faculty Students’ Action Committee and all Medical Faculty more..

Oct 18 (TM) The recent alleged incident involving pilots in SriLankan Airlines flight UL-607 has led to the downgrade of its safety ratings by Airline Ratings. Accordingly, AirlineRatings.com, top airline rating site, has downgraded Sri Lankan’s safety rating from seven to six stars after one of its captains allegedly locked his female co-pilot out of the flight deck during a 10-hour flight from Sydney to Colombo aboard an Airbus A330. The incident as reported by media occurred on a Sri Lankan Airbus more..

Oct 18 (NW) The SL national carrom team, which includes players participating in the Carrom World Cup held in the US, met PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya at the PM’s Office today. Eight athletes along with the team manager will participate representing Sri Lanka in the Sixth Carrom World Cup to be held in San Francisco, California, America from 10th to 17th Nov. SLC is providing a financial assistance of 5 million rupees for this tour and its Treasurer Sujeewa Godaliyadda also participated more..

Oct 18 (NW) The Indoor Stadium and Swimming Pool of the Vavuniya District Sports Complex, completed by the Dept of Sports Development, were vested with the sportsmen and sportswomen of the area today. The measures were taken on the directive of PM Harini Amarasuriya, in her capacity as the Sports Minister. The new additions to the sports complex were handed over to the sportsmen and sportswomen during a simple ceremony that preceded traditional religious blessings. more..

Oct 18 (EN) Sri Lanka’s state-run Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has not decided against competitive bidding in buying diesel for electricity generation though the usage of diesel has been kept minimum. Sri Lanka’s new govt came under fire over a reported move by the CEB to continue to purchase fuel without competitive bidding, and with a deal struck with state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). Both CPC & CEB more..

Oct 18 (DM) Claiming that none of the NPP leaders had claimed that the NPP govt will not obtain loans, NPP member Lal Kantha said Prez Anura Kumara continuously said loans are not a crime. He told reporters that what is important is to utilise loans in effective investments without robbing or defrauding the funds. "We have never said we will run the govt without obtaining loans. I challenge those who make allegations to prove where we have said that we will run a govt without obtaining loans. more..

Oct 18 (AD) Senior Professor Kapila Senevirathne has been appointed as the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). He graduated with a BSc Degree in Chemistry from the Uni of Kelaniya in 1990. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Wayne State Uni, Detroit, USA, and did his postdoctoral studies at the Uni of British Columbia, Canada in 1998-1999. He was a Commonwealth Fellowship of the Uni of Leeds, UK in 2010 and a Fulbright Fellow more..