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 (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 (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 (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 (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 (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) 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 (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) At one point, many thought that Angelo Mathews would one day break Kumar Sangakkara�s record for most runs by a Sri Lankan. Sanga scored 12,400 runs in Test cricket and his 38 Test hundreds are also a record. With Mathews at 37, it is unlikely that he will go on to break the milestone as he is over 4000 runs short, but the record could be broken by either Pathum Nissanka or Kamindu Mendis. Pathum�s heroics in white ball cricket are all too known and more..

Sep 10 (TM) It was revealed that the passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in SL was increased by one more day in a week. The service, which was reduced to three days a week due to lower-than-expected bookings, will now be operated on Saturdays, from 21 Sept onwards. The ferry service, which resumed on 16 Aug with the new vessel Sivagangai, initially operated daily. However, passenger demand prompted the company to reduce frequency more..

Sep 10 (SO) Samitha Dulan Kodituwakku became the first SL Para athlete to win a medal at the Paralympics Games being held in Paris. Competing in the Javelin Throw event in the F64 category he recorded his fifth throw of 67. 03m breaking the previous world record in the F44 category to win the silver medal. �I have been training very hard with the ambition to excel and win a medal,� said Dulan before leaving for Paris. �This was my key event during my schooldays but my turning point more..

Sep 10 (DN) SL Paralympic team led by Samitha Dulan the silver medalist at F-44/63 Javelin Throw event will return home after successful Paris Paralympics Games today. SL team will arrive at 3.15 pm today on EY390 flight and there will be welcome ceremony at Airport VIP lounge. Sports Ministry senior officials, National Paralympic senior officials and Sri Lank Army senior officials will be present. SL finished 75th place at the medals tally with a silver medal won by Samitha Dulan. more..

Sep 10 (FT) Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday at Welimada stepped up his broadside on main opponents exposing their duplicity and incompetence as the race for 21 Sept Prez election got nearer. Speaking at a crowded public rally at Welimada which saw entry of former SJB MP Thalatha Athukorala in support of Wickremesinghe, Prez raised questions about the economic stance of the NPP, highlighting inconsistencies in more..

Sep 10 (TM) PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi assured that the absence of an official polling card for the Prez Election � the distribution of which is currently in progress - would not hinder the voters from exercising their right to vote, if they are able to provide the necessary identification (ID) documents. �Election Commission, in collaboration with the Postal Dept, is distributing official polling cards to registered voters. This serves as an invitation for voters to cast their ballots,� more..

Sep 10 (EN) SL has restructured defaulted loans and unspecified past due interest owed to the Export Import Bank of China, into US$ 4,187 million in new loans, according to a June 2024 debt bulletin. In March 2024 SL had had US$ 3,993 million of loans owned to the Exim Bank of China of which US$ 903.8 million was in arrears. The restructured loans by June amounted to US$ 4,187 million. The amount of past due interest which was capitalized was not separately disclosed. more..

Sep 10 (FT) SJB Prez candidate Sajith Premadasa pledged to expose those responsible for the ongoing visa and passport crisis, once he becomes victorious in the upcoming election on 21 Sept. He made special remarks on the issue, which has adversely impacted both individuals and key industries as well as drawn increasing attention from the Daily FT. �I promise you all that with the victory in the Prez election, I will reveal all the names more..

Sep 10 (Island) Freebies have been an indispensable and attractive feature of electoral politics in SL, but having suffered the country�s worst economic crisis in the past two and a half years, people have realised through experience, what they need to know about the goodies basket in election manifestos, Faizer Mustapha PC, said yesterday. �Today, the people have learned from unpleasant experiences rather than by being taught that when a promised basket of public benefits more..

Sep 10 (FT) NPP MP Vijitha Herath challenged Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe�s claim that a future NPP Govt would annul Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). Herath challenged Wickremesinghe to specify the page and article number where this information is mentioned in the NPP manifesto. �Stop relying on uninformed advisers and spreading falsehoods on stage. We challenge you to take not just one night, but a full month to thoroughly re-read the manifesto if necessary,� he said. more..

Sep 10 (Island) Kalupahana National School pugilist Athukoralage Dona Senudi brought glory to Sri Lanka by winning a bronze medal at the ASBC Asian Junior Boys and Girls and Schoolboys and Schoolgirls Boxing Championships held in the UAE. She was the only Sri Lankan boxer to feature in the semifinals but lost a tough contest in the School Girls 33-35kg weight class to Indian Bhoomi Bhoomi with the bout being stopped in round two on day seven of the competition held in Al Ain City. more..

Sep 10 (Island) NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake challenged Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to a debate, promising to address all the questions the latter had posed. Speaking at a rally in Anamaduwa, Dissanayake said: �We can�t tackle these serious issues by speaking from different stages. He asks a question in Welimada, and I respond in Anamaduwa � what�s the point? Let�s sit down together, where you can ask me questions, and I�ll do the same.� more..

Sep 10 (FT) Public Security Minister Tiran Alles refuted the allegations made by NPP MP Vijitha Herath regarding the ongoing visa and passport issue, accusing Herath of distorting facts and challenging him to a public debate on the matter. Minister invited the media to ask any questions related to the visa and passport controversy. He addressed Herath�s call for the Govt to procure passports from the previous supplier, more..

Sep 10 (TM) Claiming that the recent observation made by a five-member committee that he, as the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), has not been transparent in entering into some agreements pertaining to dealings with the JICA, is not an opinion based on which one can demand that he step down, the BASL President, Kaushalya Nawarathne said however that he would decide whether to continue in the role or tender his resignation before 13 September. more..

Sep 10 (DN) Prof. Wasantha Athukorala noted that the IMF program formed economic conditions for the temporary reprieve in the construction sector. He however noted that broad macro-economic variables had pushed the costs of the sector quite high. Athukorala was speaking at a recent seminar on Sri Lanka�s economic recovery conducted by the Chamber of Construction Industry of Sri Lanka. He emphasized the positive effects of the IMF package on the country�s construction sector. more..

Sep 10 (CT) Election Commission (EC) has issued instructions to the Police Stations Islandwide to enforce the removal of stickers of Prez Election Candidates pasted on vehicles. EC, in a statement, issued a stern warning to motorists regarding the display of election candidate stickers on their vehicles. Commission said it has received numerous complaints about private vehicles, including buses and three-wheelers, displaying stickers with images and symbols of various election candidates. more..

Sep 10 (FT) NPP MP Vijitha Herath dismissed accusations that the party or its Prez candidate, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, had remained silent on the matter. He said that it was a youth affiliated with the NPP who first exposed the VFS visa scam at the BIA, and whose video went viral. �People only became aware of the scam through his efforts. Therefore, we have consistently intervened in the matter,� he said. Herath said the NPP has no need to protect or absolve any particular Minister or more..

Sep 10 (DM) NPP prez candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake scotched speculation that he is having a secret deal with Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe who is contesting the election as an independent candidate. Dissanayake said if he was in any secret deal with Wickremesinghe as alleged by several politicians, to form a govt with him or work alongside him, then the two would not be contesting against each other as Prez candidates. more..

Sep 10 (TM) Immigration and Emigration authorities have resorted to increasing the number of on arrival visa counters as a temporary measure to address the visa issuance issue. �First, we asked Mobitel to do it, and then, Mobitel had meetings and in the end they wrote to us saying that if they are to do anything, we have to change all our systems,� the Minister Tiran Alles under whose purview the Dept of Immigration and Emigration comes, said in a press briefing yesterday �So, all this took time.� more..

Sep 10 (FT) SJB MP Mujibur Rahman has revealed that at least 80 Govt Ministers and MPs have secured visas to leave Sri Lanka on 21 September, the day of the upcoming Prez election. Rahman said SLPP MPs who initially supported President Ranil Wickremesinghe are now facing a difficult situation. �They thought supporting him would ensure an election victory. However, they now see him as having a dual personality, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,� Rahman remarked. more..

Sep 10 (Island) Some prez candidates and their representatives yesterday raised concerns with the Election Commission (EC) about the misuse of state resources and the conduct of certain public officials in relation to the 2024 prez election. They said that President�s Media Division, Cabinet office and other state institutions were violating guidelines given by the EC and they had put other contestants at a disadvantage. more..

Sep 10 (FT) Following are excerpts from the speech delivered by the author last Thursday at the launch of the writer�s book, Reforming macroeconomic policies for stability and growth: SL�s road to economic recovery. SL has encountered an unprecedented economic crisis since 2022 with multiple setbacks in the economy, including unsustainable fiscal and balance of payments deficits, external debt default, foreign exchange shortages, inflationary pressures, and more..

Sep 10 (CT) The South Asian Athletics Federation (SAFF) Junior Championship 2024 commences tomorrow in Chennai. This marks the beginning of a professional athletics career for many juniors as they will get their first experience in traveling and competing internationally as a team, getting to know fellow athletes who they will compete with for decades to come. This is the fourth edition of the championship, which Sri Lanka has hosted twice before. more..

Sep 10 (AD) Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to increase the Mahapola Scholarship allowance for university students to Rs. 7,500 and the bursary to Rs. 6,500, effective from April 2025, Minister Bandula Gunawardena said. The decision follows a joint proposal presented by Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha and Minister of Trade & Commerce Nalin Fernando, highlighting that the Mahapola and bursary allowances have not been revised since 2015. more..

Sep 10 (AD) The Convenor of the Inter University Students� Federation (IUSF), Madushan Chandrajith and several others were taken into police custody during a protest near the Colombo Fort Railway Station. The protest was organized against the proposed National Education Policy Framework and the establishment of private medical colleges. An official from the Election Commission arrived at the location of the protest and informed the protesters that protests or marches are not allowed more..

Sep 10 (CI) Pathum Nissanka's celebration for his second Test century was familiar but still as crisp as ever. Helmet in one hand, bat in the other, arms outstretched, and hair on point. Still for a moment, milking the ovation from the near-10000 here on Monday at the Kia Oval. A facsimile Jude Bellingham stance, albeit a good foot shorter, but with just as much aura. It said all that needed to be said; "you came for the last day of more..

Sep 10 (DM) Conducting coaching or tuition classes targeting at the 2024 grade five scholarship exam will be prohibited from tomorrow midnight (11), Examinations Dept Commissioner General H.J.M.C Amith Jayasundara said. Grade five examination will be held on Sunday (15) at 2,849 examination centres around the country. The ban will stand until the exam is concluded. Accordingly, organising, conducting subject oriented lecturers, seminars or classes, printing exam-oriented papers, more..