Sep 3 (CT) Every nation carries a heritage; a living memory of the past that shapes its present and guides its future. This heritage, be it cultural, or natural, is the soul of a country, telling the story of its people and their journey through time. But what happens when the legal framework meant to safeguard these treasures is weak or, worse, non-existent or out-dated? In SL, this is the reality we face today. SL is a land that is rich in history, culture and archaeological wonders more..

Sep 3 (CT) Mr. Murtaza Jafferjee, Chairman of the Advocata Institute has analyzed the NPP manifesto from the point of view of a neo-liberal economist and has found it to be good, bad and ugly. This is not surprising as Mr. Jafferjee is Chairman of the Advocata Institute, an NGO committed to the free market and limited government interference in the economy, a former Director of the Colombo Stock Exchange and the CEO of a Securities company and Portfolio Manager of an investment company, more..

Sep 3 (CT) Education Minister Susil Premajayantha, while elaborating on steps taken to stabilise and develop the education sector in the past two years, also explained the majority of teachers not being equipped with proper training in Child Psychology is a key challenge. He also expressed concerns about continuing progressive reforms under a new administration, in a scenario where the incumbent Prez wasn�t reelected. more..

Sep 3 (DM) SLFP was established on Sept 2, 1951. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike left the UNP, following his resignation from both his Cabinet portfolio and the UNP�s unofficial deputy leadership in July 1951, to form the new party. From its inception, the party forged a close association with nationalist and chauvinist Sinhala groups, building its foundation on a Sinhala-Buddhist identity and cultural traditions. This strategy proved successful, leading to the defeat of the UNP in the 1956 elections. more..

Sep 3 (DM) Colombo High Court on Aug 27 sentenced former Minister A.H.M. Fowzie for two years of rigorous imprisonment and suspended it for 10 years after he pleaded guilty over the charge of misusing a vehicle belonging to the Disaster Management Ministry. In addition to the prison sentence, the Colombo High Court also imposed a fine of Rs. 400,000 on the former Minister. Fowzie was accused of using a vehicle worth Rs. 20 million given to DMC by the Netherlands more..

Sep 3 (TM) With the SC's ruling that Election Commission (EC) conduct the LG Polls as soon as possible, SL is likely to face a wave of elections. Given the context of the upcoming Prez Poll, this ruling spotlights the possible series of elections likely to follow amid the current state of the economy. Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake said that as per the SC judgment, LG Polls could be held and that the EC was more..

Sep 3 (ST) Aficionados of cricket, the game the British invented and then spread across its imperial empire, will remember that annual encounter played here called Gentlemen versus Players. That stopped several decades ago, not because the British gave up the game in the face of rising competition from its former colonies. It just happened that while they could find players, they could not find any gentlemen to field a team. This was proved once again when SL played its first Test more..

Sep 3 (ST) Lochana de Silva and Varangana Jayawardena bagged the Men�s and Women�s Singles titles of the NCPBA All-Island Open Badminton Championship that concluded at the Sports Department Indoor Stadium in Anuradhapura this weekend. Lochana went on to claim a double crown by also claiming the Mixed Doubles title at the seven-day tournament organised and conducted by the North Central Province Badminton Association (NCPBA) under approval of SL Badminton. more..

Sep 3 (Island) A few days ago, Ariel Geller, a four-year-old Israeli boy, hit international headlines. During a museum visit in Israel, he accidently broke a precious artefact�a jar dating back to between 2200 and 1500 BC. His mother, who was watching over him, was distracted for a moment, and the curious boy tried to see if there was anything inside it, and that was the last time the invaluable Bronze Age artefact was seen in one piece. However, the museum authorities were sympathetic; more..

Sep 3 (EN) SL�s Lakdhanavi Limited has undertaken the responsibilities of engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning for the Sobadhanavi power plant as the turnkey contractor, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said. Lakdhanavi will also manage its operation and maintenance for a period of 20 years. �Given the significant cost advantage of LNG over Diesel, the project is set to achieve Annual Net Savings of USD 220 million, to CEB,� Wijesekera said. more..

Sep 3 (TM) SL will be considering admitting students of SL origin (not necessarily born in SL but are born to SL parentage) who are domiciled abroad, as foreign students to SL�s State universities. �We are mainly targeting foreign students," the Chairperson of the University Grants Commission, Prof. Sampath Amaratunge said. �However, we will be considering students of Sri Lankan origin who currently reside abroad.� more..

Sep 3 (FT) SL Gem and Jewellery Association (SLGJA), the apex body of the gem and jewellery industry in Sri Lanka established in 2002, has put forward a series of strategic proposals to the main Prez candidates, urging them to take necessary actions to steer the sector towards a more prosperous future. The SLGJA envisions transforming Sri Lanka into the Sapphire Capital of the world, with the goal that 80% of the sapphires mined globally would be processed in SL more..

Sep 3 (Island) SL�s 33-year-old record of being unbeaten at Lord�s came to an end on Sunday when they suffered a 190-run loss with a day to spare at the Home of Cricket. Heading into the third Test match at The Oval on Friday, they have little time to turn things around. England seamers have got the moving ball cause havoc while SL had got their sums wrong when they opted to bowl first when conditions were bright and sunny at Lord�s. On day two and three it was cloudy and conditions more..

Sep 3 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe last night reassured the professional and the business community of steering the country for economic success in the next five years. During the Ask Me Anything special Q&A session organised by The Professionals Forum at Shangri La yesterday, Wickremesinghe reiterated his commitment to economic stability, growth and prosperity for people. Prez said he was content with two key factors more..

Sep 3 (FT) TikTok shared its approach to upholding and protecting election integrity on its platform ahead of the SL�s Prez election on 21 Sept. TikTok said the initiative underscores its commitment to being a responsible and reliable source of information, especially during critical civic events. It has put in place robust measures to combat misinformation, violence, and hate speech in line with its Community Principles. The platform is dedicated to removing misleading information more..

Sep 3 (DN) SL�s Gehansa Methnadi made an impressive start in the ITF World Junior J60 Tennis Tournament at the SL Tennis Association Hard Courts, which began yesterday. In the first-round match, Gehansa Methnadi (Sri Lanka) dominated Kai Lin Yuan (China) with a commanding 6-0, 6-1 victory. The tournament saw several intense matches in both the boys� and girls� categories. In other matches, Dinara de Silva (SL) defeated India�s Pehal Kharadaar 6-4, 6-3, while more..

Sep 3 (Island) Hemas Consumer Brands, through its FEMS line, is on a mission to change the feminine hygiene market in SL. Sachini Welungoda, Marketing Manager for Feminine Hygiene Category, spoke about the brand�s ambitions, challenges and its commitment to driving positive change. She said, among other things, that the stigma attached to the women�s menstruation cycle locally is one of the biggest obstacles to the wider purchase and use of sanitary napkins among SL women. more..

Sep 3 (CT) SL�s debt sustainability is currently under intense scrutiny as the IMF employs its Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) framework to guide the country�s economic recovery. Experts directly involved in Sri Lanka�s debt restructuring process speaking to Finance Today on the condition of anonymity stated that the DSA used by the IMF is a technically rigorous process that cannot be altered to accommodate specific needs or requests of individual countries, including Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 3 (DM) In response to the surge in online financial frauds involving foreign nationals, including Chinese, CID has sought assistance from the Chinese Special Criminal Investigation Unit for investigative support. In recent days, police have arrested numerous Chinese nationals on charges of online financial frauds in various areas across the island. However, investigations were hampered because the data on the suspects' laptops more..

Sep 3 (FT) Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT), in the Port of Colombo said it has marked a significant milestone with the arrival of the first batch of five automated CRMG cranes. This development heralds a new era of enhanced productivity and operational efficiency for SL�s busiest and most strategic maritime hub. These state-of-the-art cranes are not only set to transform the cargo handling capabilities of the port but also to further boost its global ranking among leading maritime more..

Sep 3 (AFP) Sri Lanka may be struggling in the ongoing second Test against England at Lord's but things were very different when they made their debut at the Home of Cricket in 1984. The tourists, still a fledgling Test nation, defied expectations to dominate a drawn one-off game, piling up 491-7 declared in their first innings, with Sidath Wettimuny making a superb 190. It was a landmark moment for both the then 28-year-old opener and his country as he recalled more..

Sep 3 (CT) Javelin thrower Samith Dulan Kodithuwakku won a silver medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games today (2). Competing in the F44-64 Javelin Throw final, Dulan threw 67.73m to win SL�s first medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games. India�s Sumit Antil and Australia�s Michal Burian won the gold and bronze medals, respectively. This is Samith�s second Paralympic medal, as he won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021 in the same event with a performance more..

Sep 3 (CW) A Commonwealth Observer Group (COG), led by Danny Faure, former President of Seychelles, will observe SL's Prez Election, which will be held on 21 Sept. The 14-member group was deployed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, following a pre-election assessment mission to the country and an invitation from Election Commission of SL. Secretary-General Scotland announced the group ahead of the deployment in London, saying: more..

Sep 3 (TM) The Vedda community, an indigenous group in Sri Lanka, has warned that their entire culture including their livelihood, education, and religious beliefs, will be destroyed if the relevant legal provisions that prohibit them from entering forests are not amended swiftly. Vedda Chief Uruwarige Wannila Aththo said that the longstanding issues faced by the Vedda community are still not resolved. more..

Sep 3 (CT) ITAK, the oldest Tamil political party in SL, has decided to back Sajith Premadasa while some of their members have openly backed the Tamil common Prez Candidate, P. Aiyanethiran, in the upcoming election. The ITAK has given a deadline to Ariyanethiran to withdraw from the race as he is a member of the ITAK Central Committee. The ITAK has clarified that its primary reason for supporting Sajith Premadasa is their concern over Ranil Wickremesinghe�s association and more..

Sep 3 (DN) The Industries Sector welcomes the reduction of the cost of power, water, fuel and interest rates, said President elect of Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI) Kevin Edwards at the 63rd AGM at Taj Samudra on Friday. �We hope it moves further down further after Sept 21, 2024 Prez elections and would be followed by a more business-friendly tax system.� He also opined that a business-friendly corporate tax structure too will always attract FDIs. more..

Sep 3 (NW) Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, a key member of the NPP, has claimed that a significant conspiracy is underway to tarnish the party�s reputation. According to Jayatissa, a meeting between Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and SJB MP S.M. Marikkar, recently highlighted on social media, suggests a coordinated effort to spread false accusations against the NPP. Jayatissa refuted allegations that NPP members sold vehicle permits for party funds, labeling the claims as baseless. more..

Sep 3 (Island) Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake announced that representatives from seven countries had been invited to function as observers at the Prez Election. They are scheduled to arrive in the country on September 18. Ratnayake said those representatives included officials from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Maldives. In addition, Commonwealth election observers and representatives from the Asian Election Observation Network will also be more..

Sep 3 (FT) NPP Prez candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake has announced that his first action if elected as Prez on 22 Sept will be to solidify his authority by dissolving Parliament. He emphasised that it is not only crucial to win the election but also to secure and establish control over power. NPP MP Harini Amarasuriya reiterated this plan in a media statement, confirming that the NPP intends to dissolve Parliament on 22 Sept, using more..

Sep 3 (FT) SL Customs yesterday destroyed a large quantity of counterfeit cigarettes seized from many smuggling attempts through the BIA during the first half of this year. Customs handed over around three million sticks of cigarettes with an estimated value of over Rs. 75 million to Ceylon Tobacco Company for destruction. The attempted evasion of duties and other levies for the seized cigarettes were around Rs. 480 million. The seized contraband had been imported mostly from more..

Sep 3 (NW) Sri Lanka is gearing up for the first phase of voting in the 2024 Prez Election, with over 700,000 state sector employees scheduled to cast their postal ballots this week. Election Commission has announced that postal voting will take place from Sept 4 to Sept 6, 2024. A total of 712,321 individuals are eligible to Postal vote in this election. Voters can mark their postal votes at District Secretariats and the offices of the Election Commission on 4 Sep 2024. more..

Sep 3 (TM) Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has collected 55% of collectable defaulted taxes by the end of June (1H), while the Treasury is making judicial reforms to expedite the collection of defaulted taxes within the appeal process, the Ministry of Finance said. Out of the outstanding defaulted taxes of Rs. 1,066 billion owed to IRD as of the end of 2023, Rs. 878 billion are in various stages of the appeals process. more..

Sep 3 (FT) Our political landscape has become a spectacle, dominated by flashy promotions and unrealistic, flamboyant promises rather than substantive discourse. Candidates increasingly prioritise eye-catching tactics over meaningful engagement, offering little detail on how or when their vague policies will be implemented. This approach incurs enormous costs, with little regard for environmental concerns. There is a lack of discussion on critical issues such as people�s rights or the looming debt crisis, more..

Sep 3 (FT) In the 2024 Prez election, there is a conspicuous absence of female candidates, marking a significant setback in the fight for gender equality in SL politics. Despite the historical presence of influential female leaders in South Asia, the current political landscape in SL is devoid of women contending for the highest office. This absence underscores the deep-seated challenges that continue to hinder women�s full participation in politics, including the enduring influence of patriarchal structures more..

Sep 3 (EN) SL plans to establish a national wealth fund using govt assets, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has said. �There are plans to establish a national wealth fund using govt assets, similar to investment companies created by countries like Norway, Qatar, and Singapore, where profits from govt revenues are used for public welfare,� Wickremesinghe was quoted as saying by his media division. �Traditionally, the funds from the EPF and ETF were used to purchase bonds. more..