Aug 25 (SO) Marrying spectacle with seriousness is the essence of the American genius. Both were in full display at the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago last week. For four days, the Democrats gathered at the United Centre (home to Chicago Bulls where Michael Jordan once dribbled and dazzled with the basketball) in a carnival atmosphere mixing serious politics with artsy entertainment, culminating on Thursday with Kamala Harris accepting the Party�s nomination as more..

Aug 25 (SO) In a significant move, the Cabinet has approved a proposed salary increase ranging from 24% to 50% for public sector employees, through the Budget 2025. This decision reflects both a recognition of long-standing salary disparities and the Got�s commitment to economic stability. The proposal, which emerged from the recommendations of an expert committee chaired by former Secretary to the President Udaya Seneviratne, is both timely and necessary, addressing the concerns of more..

Aug 25 (CI) Angelo Mathews, SL's top-scorer on day three at Emirates Old Trafford, says that more rigorous rules need to be enforced regarding replacement balls in Test matches*, after England found themselves on the right side of a ball change for the second time in as many Test summers, After the 41st over of SL's second innings on day three of this first Test at Emirates Old Trafford, standing umpires Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel more..

Aug 25 (Island) Since that lion-hearted seam bowler Chaminda Vaas retired, for many years now, Sri Lanka have depended heavily on their spinners to win Test matches. Rangana Herath did the job for years and then another left-arm spinner in Prabath Jayasuriya is doing a fine job at the moment. But the problem arises when you travel to places like England, Australia and South Africa. Spin won�t win you Test matches there. You need pace. Asitha Fernando is providing the answers to it. more..

Aug 25 (Island) SL�s wicket keeper batsman Dinesh Chandimal told journalists that he was happy with the fight back shown by his team in challenging conditions at Old Trafford in the first Test against England. SL lost the game by five wicket but were able to take the game deep. �It was a good fight back by the boys. Probably we were short by 50 runs. The tail didn�t contribute in the second innings. If they had done we could have got there. When you come to England it will take time to more..

Aug 25 (Island) Irrespective of meager returns SL Athletics has continued to field teams for int'l events conducted by World Athletics. This has stood in good stead for athletes to gain competition exposure at the highest level. At the junior level, experience has provided an extra motivation to remain in this sport. Asian Games medallist Tharushi Karunaratne�s is a case in point. She took part in two World Junior C'ships before ending a gold medal drought in track and field sports at the Asian Games. more..

Aug 25 (TM) The IMF has stressed the need to safeguard hard-won gains amid the ongoing election cycle, given that Sri Lanka�s economic recovery remains vulnerable despite progress. An IMF spokesperson said: �Sri Lanka has made good progress in terms of getting the recovery going, but the country is not out of the woods yet.� Therefore, the IMF urged the Govt to continue with the critical reforms necessary to stabilise the economy and avoid slipping back into a crisis. more..

Aug 25 (CI) Joe Root provided the calm head for a crisis, while Jamie Smith capped a Player-of-the-Match-winning performance with a vital late injection of impetus, as England overcame a spirited SL display with bat and ball to seal a five-wicket win in the first Test, late on the fourth afternoon at Emirates Old Trafford. The victory made it four out of four in the 2024 summer to date, following July's 3-0 win over West Indies, but as had sometimes more..

Aug 25 (TM) Trinity College clinched an absolute thriller against Royal College 17-16 in a game which went down to the wire at Royal Complex yesterday at the 1st Leg of the 78th Bradby Shield. The all important 2nd Leg decider will be played on 7 September at Pallekele. Shan Althaf will be a well-marked man in the decider after his scintillating kicking show. Royal Captain in 1985 Chiranjaya Nanayakkara was the Chief Guest, with Trinity playing sans their skipper Anuhas more..

Aug 25 (ST) National cricketer Niroshan Dickwella has refused a �B� sample testing, effectively admitting to the anti-doping charges brought against him. This refusal comes after Dickwella tested positive for cocaine�a banned narcotic�during the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024, following tests conducted by the SL Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) on July 14. As a result, Dickwella has been suspended from all forms of cricket, and his career now hangs in the balance. more..

Aug 25 (ST) SL�s visa crisis has triggered many concerns for foreign visitors as some have been turned away at the airport while there is still absolute confusion faced by visitors over the procedure to enter the country. After the Supreme Court temporarily suspended the VFS-led online visa process, all travellers to SL are now eligible for on-arrival visas, the only way to enter the country as the immigration authorities are yet to restore more..

Aug 25 (AIR) The Indian Navy�s warship, INS Mumbai, will arrive in Colombo on August 26, 2024, for a three-day visit. The Sri Lanka Navy will ceremonially receive the ship. INS Mumbai, commissioned into the Indian Navy on January 22, 2001, is the third of the Delhi-class destroyers and was built at Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai. The ship recently completed a mid-life upgrade and rejoined the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam on December 8, 2023. more..

Aug 25 (DM) Grandson of SL's first PM D.S. Senanayake, UNP stalwart and former Cabinet Minister Rukman Senanayake passed away at the age of 76. His passion for politics was inculcated from a young age when he embarked on his political journey, following the sudden death of his uncle, former PM Dudley Senanayake. He contested and won the seat for the Dedigama candidacy in 1973 but tended his resignation four years later and did not re-enter parliament till 1994, more..

Aug 25 (EN) A Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) programme implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) is helping farmers modernize cultivation leading to bumper crops and higher incomes in Sri Lanka. 645 farmers across three districts were trained under the programme, and provided with equipment and technical packages to modernize their farming practices and increase their yields and profits, the FAO said. GAP programme started as a more..

Aug 25 (AD) Deputy Minister of Education & Training of Vietnam Prof. Nguyen Van Phuc, along with Ambassador of SL to Vietnam, Dr. Saj U. Mendis has signed the Education Cooperation Agreement between the two countries for the period of 2024 to 2026. Agreement was initially signed in 1999 and was periodically extended as it served as a predominant framework focused on advancement of collaboration in the sphere of education and training, mostly for SL students, researchers and more..

Aug 25 (ST) More than 300 rallies have been organised by main candidates in the prez election with less than three weeks left for polling. Also, each candidate can address potential voters through state-run television and media channels. Election Commission (EC) has allocated each candidate with a total of 90 minutes on SL Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) and SL Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). So far, more than 40 rallies have been held, more..

Aug 25 (ST) SL has rejected several strong strictures made by the UN Human Rights High Commissioner, Volker Turk, stating that the decline in the living standards of the people will be restored with the economy improving and the support of the International Community. On Friday, the Govt briefed foreign envoys of member nations of the Geneva-based world body of its position on the UN High Commissioner�s report. Govt has stated that the decline in social protection measures and more..

Aug 25 (MFA) Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry convened a briefing on current developments in Sri Lanka for the Colombo-based diplomatic corps on Friday (23) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the briefing, Minister Sabry emphasized several significant achievements across various fronts during the past year, including advancements in economic recovery, legal reforms and the strengthening of domestic institutions and mechanisms focused on reconciliation. more..

Aug 25 (PTI) The SL Navy has arrested 11 more Indian fishermen for allegedly poaching in the country's territorial waters, taking the total number of arrests this year to 333, according to an official release. On Friday, 11 Indian fishermen were arrested, and their trawler seized off the coast of Point Pedro in Jaffna in the northern province, the Sri Lankan Navy said in a press release. Those apprehended were brought to the Kankesanthurai fishing harbour for further action, it said. more..

Aug 25 (DM) A NPP govt will collect reasonable tax in a transparent manner and every tax payer will be informed of the taxes paid and how it is utilised by the end of every year through an SMS, NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. He said this system will be introduced within two to three years after taking over the govt. "After two to three years time, we will send an SMS to the mobile phone of the tax payers at the end of every year, giving them an update on the amount of taxes paid by more..

Aug 25 (TM) Epidemiology Unit of Ministry of Health has instructed entry ports nationwide to direct passengers arriving from high-risk areas, such as Central and Western Africa, who display symptoms of mpox to the health desk at the port. The measure comes in response to Thailand�s confirmation of Asia�s first known case of a new, more dangerous strain of monkeypox (mpox) in a patient who travelled from Africa. more..

Aug 25 (ST) Social media platform operators have assured the Election Commission that they would remove content that violates election regulations, Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake said. He said that they have held talks with the officials of social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp, on the posting of material against election laws. The EC was given the assurance that any offensive material would be removed within an hour more..

Aug 25 (DM) Close on the heels of the Supreme Court's direction to conduct elections to the local authorities as early as possible, the Election Commission said it would be possible only after the conclusion of the Presidential Election. Responding to a question about the next action, Commission�s Chairman R.M.L.A. Rathnayake told Daily Mirror that he, along with other commissioners, would take up the court ruling for consideration at the meeting scheduled for next week. more..

Aug 25 (ST) They grew up together in the 1950s as friends and classmates. It was first in the Royal Primary School and later at Royal College. They played soccer and cricket together. �I never gave him a hora out (or a false dismissal),� says PM Dinesh Gunawardena laughingly. This was when standing in for an umpire, and his colleague, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was at the crease. At the end of their studies, they had parted ways. more..

Aug 26 (DM) It has been three years since the unexpected passing of my friend Mangala. As I pen this today, our country is on the brink of a particularly decisive election � the first since a democratically elected president was ousted by mass protest in an historic first for Sri Lanka. Much has changed in the socio-political landscape of the country since, and I dearly miss my friend and partner in politics Mangala Samaraweera today, as does Sri Lanka. In the years working together, more..

Aug 26 (DM) On 22 Aug this month, Supreme Court (SC) ruled the Prez in his capacity as Finance Minister had infringed the rights of the people by postponing the 2023 LG elections. SC is the ultimate adjudicator of the law and there can be no questioning of its judgments which is based on the letter of the law. In its judgment the highest court of the land, ordered the Office of the Commissioner of Elections and relevant state institutions to conduct the local govt elections without delay. more..

Aug 26 (TM) Experts point out that SL is undergoing a demographic shift, with changes in fertility, mortality, age structure, and migration creating socioeconomic challenges and opportunities that profoundly impact SL�s development trajectory. The population of a country is governed by the interaction of three demographic factors: fertility, mortality, and migration. Accordingly, changes in these dynamics pose both more..

Aug 26 (DM) �I Am Ready for the Challenges; � We always believed in nationalism, and we need to protect that. We believed the policies that suit our country were not addressed by the govt.� � Namal. The outdated and distorted strategy of Sinhala-Buddhism, long exploited by the old guard, is no longer effective. Recent statements by Namal Rajapaksa suggest that both he and the few survivors in his party still grapple with this deeply ingrained issue, which distorts rather than more..

Aug 26 (CT) Last week Thalatha Athukorale exposed Sajith Premadasa�s lack of ability to lead a political party that is almost on the cusp of capturing power at the forthcoming elections. What Thalatha�s motive is, one may not know, but the very fact that one of the leading woman MP of the SJB making such allegations, vicarious as well as direct, would not sound all that palatable for the SJB leader. At a time when each party which is represented by a Prez candidate needs to portray itself more..

Aug 26 (CT) Speaking to PAFFREL Executive Director, Rohana Hettiarachchi about the upcoming crucial Prez Election, he said the race is challenging due to the mix of newcomers and prominent candidates, which has led to a split in votes. He explained that they initially planned to focus on six prominent candidates for a debate as it was practically viable, but following protests, they decided to include all 39 candidates more..

Aug 26 (Island) Sri Lankans will be voting in September, and they will be voting for the first time since 2020 or 2019 if you consider presidential elections. The economy, more specifically economic recovery, will figure as a top concern. People will be voting for candidates based on their perceptions of how well this govt has done and how well they think the Opposition will do if they are given the chance. As of now, economic reforms have polarised opinion. One poll indicates that more..

Aug 26 (Island) Those who are vying for the executive presidency have declared their assets in compliance with election laws. Their asset declarations have elicited a mixed response from the public, as seen from social media comments thereon. The candidates will have a hard time trying to make the people buy into their claims. The prez candidates� asset declarations, which have received wide publicity, remind us of a statement Basil Rajapaksa made about his assets, more..

Aug 26 (ST) Supreme Court ruling this week that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe�s defiant action in postponing Local Govt polls in 2023, citing a purported lack of funds in the wake of the country�s bankruptcy, had violated the fundamental right to equality and the right to vote of citizens, raises several interesting issues. In fact, this decision should come as no surprise. There was little choice but to hold as the Bench did, relying on several precedents which have firmly established more..

Aug 26 (CT) As SL approaches another election season, the air is thick with the usual promises. Among the most frequently announced pledges is the preservation of our culture and heritage � a legacy that spans over 2,500 years. Heritage is often invoked as a symbol of national pride and it�s no surprise that many politicians choose to hold their swearing-in ceremonies at historic sites. But 76 years after gaining independence, the question remains: Have these promises resulted in more..

Aug 26 (ST) The NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, if elected president, will run the country sans a cabinet until the conclusion of the general election through 25 newly named ministries, which will be headed by ministry secretaries, the party�s Executive Committee member and Gampaha District MP Vijitha Herath said. He said that parliament will be dissolved immediately after the conclusion of the presidential election, more..