Sep 6 (CI) It's the batters, batters, batters. Right through the series, SL have emphasised that it was their batting order that was letting the side down. Four innings in, with SL never having got close to 350, with none of their top seven having got to triple-figures, captain Dhananjaya de Silva has reiterated the importance of top order runs again. In the first Test, SL were 72 for 5 in the first innings. In the second Test, they were 83 for 5 more..

Sep 6 (FT) SJB Prez candidate Sajith Premadasa has strongly denied rumors of a potential merger between himself and UNP leader Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, reaffirming the SJB�s commitment to an independent and clean political stance. Premadasa made it clear that the SJB would not align with any political parties that it deemed corrupt. �We have a clear program and a vision, as outlined in our manifesto. The current Govt, led by the Prez, has claimed that many of our proposals more..

Sep 6 (TM) The 13th Amendment (13A) to the Constitution, a divisive piece of Legislature, returns to the spotlight each time SL prepares to face an election. Despite being part of the SL constitution for over 35 years, the amendment, introduced with much enthusiasm from New Delhi in the troubled period of 1987 as a means to provide the minority Tamils of the island with devolution of power, is yet to be fully implemented. The 13th amendment, commonly referred to as � 13A has not more..

Sep 6 (TM) The Women Parliamentarians� Caucus called for increasing the facilities made available to facilitate women�s employment prior to amending labour laws. �Women need to be provided with transport if they are to work at night, as otherwise, they are at risk of harassment. They also need separate toilets and many workplaces don�t provide this. We must understand that women are a vulnerable group,� Caucus Chairperson Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle said in response more..

Sep 6 (Island) Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said that he is not too fond of getting in form batter Kamindu Mendis to move up to number three from his current position of number seven. Kamindu has scored a hundred and a half-century in the two Tests so far against England and in his brief five match career has amassed three hundreds and three half-centuries. �If he is scoring runs at seven, then let him score runs at seven. We should not upset his momentum. more..

Sep 6 (FT) SL�s pharmaceutical industry has expressed serious concerns regarding a recent Cabinet proposal submitted by Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana on procurement of 37 drugs from India under the Jan Aushadhi scheme. National Chamber of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of SL (NCPMSL) President Dr. Lohitha Samarawickrema in a formal letter to Dr. Pathirana last week, expressed the chamber�s more..

Sep 6 (DM) According to the Excise Act No. 13 of 1989, taxes are not imposed on essential goods. The Act specifies that, �There shall be a charge, levied and paid on every article manufactured or produced in SL, or imported into SL, in the form of excise duty. Such a rate or rates as may be specified by the Minister, by Order published in the Gazette. Every such article in respect of an order being placed under this section is hereafter referred to as an excisable article. more..

Sep 6 (TM) The Election Commission (EC) stated that it has no objections to the Department of Prisons establishing an appropriate system for eligible prisoners to cast their vote in the Presidential Election scheduled for 21 Sept. The Dept recently stated that in the current situation, no prisoner will be able to vote in the Presidential Election unless a programme is prepared based on a court order or directives are received from the relevant institutions such as the EC. more..

Sep 6 (TM) State hospitals are providing therapies involving diet plans for children who are malnourished, it is learnt. �Hospitals are providing therapies to make sure that children are not malnourished,� Minister of Health, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said in response to a query regarding treatments for malnourished children. �These therapies involve providing a healthy diet for children by having diet plans.� more..

Sep 6 (DM) The postal voting began on Wednesday, signalling the rollout of the 2024 prez election. Most people have already decided on whom to vote on Sept 21. But a substantial section of the voter population is still undecided. Without credible surveys, the percentage of undecided voters is only a guessing game. Some politicians claim it is about 40 percent. But they do not say from where they got their figures. In Sri Lanka, election time is a time for lies, damn lies and statistics. more..

Sep 6 (CI) To The Oval, traditional venue for the final Test of the English summer - although not, by any means, the final international commitment for England's men, who go straight into eight white-ball fixtures against Australia off the back of Sri Lanka's visit (the first T20I takes place 24 hours after the scheduled fifth day of the Test). For now, the focus remains on Test cricket - even if Brendon McCullum's mind may start to wander following news he will soon take charge of England's more..

Sep 6 (EN) Securities linked to gross domestic product growth proposed by bondholders to exchange for defaulted sovereign bonds may not be the best option for SL, National Peoples� Power (NPP) Economic Council Member Harshana Suriyapperuma said. �Macro-lined bonds will not provide the best benefit for Sri Lanka businesses and citizens,� Harshana Suriyapperuma, a member of the Economic Council of the NPP said in a forum with the business community. more..

Sep 6 (TM) Renewable Energy Protectors' Association (REPA) called on leading Prez candidates to outline their plans to address issues faced by the renewable energy sector, including the Power and Energy Ministry�s recent decision to lower the tariff rate for solar energy projects to Rs. 27 per unit. According to the REPA, the Ceylon Electricity Board has instructed officials to reduce the tariff rate for solar energy projects. REPA President Darshana Liyanasekara claimed that more..

Sep 6 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe last night inaugurated The Mall, a state-of-the-art duty-free shopping complex at the Port City, making the beginning of active operations within the Colombo Port City development. Speaking at the event, he stressed the significance of the new shopping complex. �The Mall is expected to boost SL�s tourism sector, enhance investor confidence and position more..

Sep 6 (DM) Nuwara Eliya Magistrate's Court ordered that a house at the Henfold Estate in Lindula, which has been illegally occupied by State Minister of Education Aravindh Kumar since 1987 be handed over to the plantation authorities. The house, originally owned by Plantations PLC, was assigned to Kumar as his official residence when he was employed as a clerk at the estate in 1987. However, the plantation authorities filed a case in court, alleging that Kumar continued to occupy more..

Sep 6 (DM) The NPP, which was formerly the JVP, is playing politics by unnecessarily using issues of the people, Ven. Ulapane Sumangala Thero said. He claimed that the NPP used to create issues in every part of the country to bring it to a collapse. "They forced the people onto the streets, causing them to suffer, and now they are asking for their votes. The problems of teachers and principals were with the Education Ministry, but the NPP made them protest at the Fort Railway Station, more..

Sep 6 (DN) Sri Lanka is coming out of an economic crisis in a very commendable and disciplined manner said Prof. Lee C. Buchheit, who is specialized in Sovereign Debt Management and has an excellent 43 year career in private legal practice at the 74th Anniversary Oration of Central Bank at the Atrium of CBSL Head Office, yesterday. Oration reflects on Sovereign Debt: The Myth of the Golden Age. He however said that the lenders would not seek for the entire debt to be totally written off more..

Sep 6 (CT) A Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) report has revealed that 17.1% of children in SL, under five years of age, were identified as underweight last year. The committee also noted that in 2016, this figure stood at 15.6%. A decline in the percentage of underweight children under five years was observed in 2020 and 2021, with the rate dropping to 13.1% and 12.2%, respectively. The Select Committee report, also found that 10.3% of children under five were stunted last year. more..

Sep 6 (Island) SJB MP Mujibur Rahman alleged that Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe camp was trying to engineer his arrest in connection with 2019 Easter Sunday carnage. Former UNPer claimed that he was being targeted in a bid to tarnish the SJB prez candidate Sajith Premadasa�s image in the run-up to the forthcoming prez election. Claiming that on behalf of the govt, an interested party had met a person now in Welikada remand for more..

Sep 6 (Island) Political dynamics in the North and East had shifted significantly following the decision of the ITAK, the leading party representing Tamil interests, to support the SJB candidate for the presidency, according to ITAK MP M.A. Sumanthiran, who discussed this development in a recent televised interview. Asked whether the Tamil electorate in the North and East would be divided among the four main contenders, Sumanthiran said it would not be the case. more..

Sep 6 (TM) The Police stated that they will investigate if a complaint is received concerning reports that middlemen are running a mafia to collect large sums of money from applicants during the passport issuance process. Currently, passport issuance is facing significant challenges as the Department of Immigration and Emigration is running low on passport stocks, and there are reports of middlemen operating a money extortion scam within the process. more..

Sep 6 (FT) The Department of Immigration and Emigration Controller General Harsha Ilukpitiya yesterday confirmed that the implementation of the single-chop visa for nationals from 38 countries, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers this week will be delayed until at least 8 October. �Cabinet decision must be gazetted and get Parliamentary approval. However, since Parliament was adjourned on Wednesday, we cannot more..

Sep 6 (FT) On 21 Sept the voters of this country will exercise their sovereign right to elect the head of the executive. There was a time when these decisions were based on tribal allegiance�kapuwath kola, and so on. But now, the traditional parties and their networks have atrophied. Voters must decide on what they believe the various candidates will do for them and/or for the country. Through their campaigns, the candidates and their proxies seek to inform us about what they will do if elected. more..

Sep 6 (FT) Election time is the most interesting time for me for two reasons. The first, being policy makers, bring to surface the actual issues (needs of people) of the country, whilst the second being that we see the most unconventional and innovative communication methods being used to reach the target consumer (in this case voters) with solutions. In simple words marketing at its best. There are three strong contending brands from the 38 candidates, targeting to be the Prez of SL on 21 Sept 2024. more..

Sep 6 (AD) The Prez candidate of the NPP, Anura Kumara Dissanayake reiterated his promise to dissolve parliament immediately after being elected to the office of the President. Addressing an election rally in Ja-Ela, the NPP leader highlighted that there are three options on how the country can be governed until a new Parliament can be elected. Dissanayake added that whichever option is implemented, the NPP will conduct the interim govt in a constitutional manner. more..

Sep 6 (AD) The public debate of the prez candidates contesting the Prez Election is scheduled to be held tomorrow, according to the Executive Director of the PAFFREL Rohana Hetticarachchi. The event, organized by the March 12 Movement will broadcast live from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow through all mainstream Television channels and will stream on over 200 social media channels, providing the presidential candidates an opportunity to present their policies to the public. more..

Sep 6 (EN) A NPP govt will hold a referendum on a new constitution, hold the delayed provincial council and local govt polls within a year, and appoint a commission to investigate discrimination, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. Dissanayake said an NPP administration will draft a new constitution on the premise of equality, democracy and participatory governance as one country, picking up where the 2015-2019 administration left off. more..

Sep 6 (EN) A group of Sri Lankans who went to Myanmar for jobs and ended up being trafficked were returned to SL this morning. �The 20 Sri Lankans rescued from the cyber slave camp in Myanmar arrived in SL this morning,� Minister Ali Sabry said. The group were rescued through the efforts of the SL Missions in Yangon and Bangkok. Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged the public to be cautious and to adhere to the proper procedures when pursuing employment opportunities abroad. more..

Sep 6 (AD) Anura Vidanagamage has been appointed as the new Governor of the Uva Province to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of A.J.M. Muzammil. Vidanagamage has previously served as a Uva Provincial Councillor and also as Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine, Probationary and Child Protection and Women Affairs and Social Welfare of the Uva Provincial Council. On Thursday, A.J.M. Muzammil tendered his resignation as the Uva Province Governor in order to support SJB Prez Candidate more..

Sep 6 (TM) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) will not cash the $ 1.4 billion Chinese swap and will use it as a standby arrangement as Sri Lanka has sufficient foreign reserves. Speaking at the COPF on Tuesday, CBSL International Operations Dept Director Dr. Sumila Wanaguru said that the People�s Bank of China swap worth $ 1.4 billion is not cashable at the moment as some conditions are not met, but will maintain it as a standby arrangement. more..

Sep 6 (USE) U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that the Beechcraft King Air 360ER aircraft, donated by the US to the SL Air Force, will arrive in SL next week. Funded by the U.S. Dept of Defense�s Building Partner Capacity program, this donation, which originated in 2019, is part of a long-term collaboration with the SL Air Force. This advanced aircraft is designed to enhance SL�s capabilities in search and rescue operations, , drug interdiction, and combating trafficking and smuggling. more..

Sep 6 (CT) Sanath Jayasuriya is likely to continue as the Interim Head Coach for SL�s home Test series against New Zealand. Jayasuriya, who took over SL in an interim capacity ahead of the home series against India, guided Sri Lanka to their first ODI home series win against India in 27 years. He also undertook the red-ball assignment in England for a three-Test match series. Jayasuriya earlier stated that the England series would be his last in the interim head coach capacity, more..

Sep 5 (AD) Supreme Court has ordered that the petition of intervention filed seeking an order suspending the interim injunction issued preventing Deshabandu Tennakoon from functioning as the IGP, to be taken up for consideration on Sept 13 for the clarification of facts. This petition of intervention was taken up today before a 3-judge SC bench consisting of Justices Yasantha Kodagoda, Janak De Silva, and Arjuna Obeysekara. Ven. Bellanwila Dhammaratana Thero and two other Buddhist monks more..

Sep 5 (AD) The presidential candidate of the SLPP, Namal Rajapaksa reiterated that he will not issue unrealistic election promises and will only propose policies that he is confident of being able to implement if elected as the country�s President. Addressing a gathering in Dehiwala, the parliamentarian emphasized that he intends to follow former President Mahinda Rajapaksa�s example by expanding the state sector with a strategic programme if elected to office. more..

Sep 5 (DM) The UAE govt has launched a two-month amnesty scheme starting from Sept 1, 2024 which provides an opportunity for individuals to correct their visa status or return to their home countries without incurring fines or facing entry bans. Consulate General of SL in Dubai requested that relatives of Sri Lankans living in the UAE without legal residency permits to inform them of the opportunity given and make use of this time period to rectify their residency status or more..