Feb 27 (EN) Four presidential candidates have paid their cash deposits for Sri Lanka’s 2024 prez election, country’s election commission said. Former Deputy Minister Sarath Keerthirathne was the first to make his deposit soon after the announcement by the commission that the election would be held on Sept 21. He was followed by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, activist Oshala Herath and businessman A S P Liyanage. more..

Feb 27 (DM) All Ceylon Bakery Owners' Association (ACBOA) has decided to reduce the price of a 450-gram loaf of bread and other bakery items by Rs. 10 with effect from midnight today. ACBOA Chairman N.K. Jayawardana said that the decision was taken following the request by Minister Nalin Fernando to reduce the bread prices within two days. The Minister earlier said the decision was taken following a discussion with the bakery owners last Friday regarding the price reduction of bread and more..

Feb 27 (DM) Speaker and Chairman of Constitutional Council (CC) said today that removing the IGP requires a special procedure and the situation with regard to the IGP cannot be resolved by the Prez, and the matter must be sorted out in court if necessary. The Speaker, announcing his stance on the injunction order on the IGP issued by the Supreme Court, told Parliament that in terms of the Constitution, if an official appointed by Constitutional Council and Parliament is more..

Feb 27 (EN) SL’s main ethnic Tamil minority party ITAK will not field its own candidate for the upcoming Sept 25 prez candidate, but it will back the candidate who will have a manifesto that will have a solution for power devolution among many others, party officials said. ITAK has a strong say in the island nation’s ethnic Tamil minority dominating N&E where the voters in the past have backed the candidate decided by ITAK-led TNA. more..

Feb 27 (FT) SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne has accused PM Dinesh Gunawardena of attempting to cause conflict between the Executive and Judiciary. Wickramaratne said the statement by Gunawardena refusing to accept the Supreme Court injunction order against IGP Deshabandu Thennakoon from functioning in the post is an insult to other officers of the SL Police. Wickramaratne said the PM made a special statement in Parliament, attempting to mislead the country & Parliament by more..

Feb 27 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday expressed his belief that it is possible to establish a modern economy in SL within the next 10 years, ensuring that development benefits both urban and rural areas. He shared his vision for SL to strengthen its currency and improve foreign reserves through an enhanced export economy, whilst collaborating with major economies like India, China & Singapore. Wickremesinghe made these remarks during an event at the Rambukkana Parakrama more..

Jul 27 (Island) Elections Commission will work with SDIG-Elections although the country does not have an IGP, Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayaka said. The absence of an IGP will not have an impact on the EC’s ability to hold the election, he said. A candidate contesting from a registered political party must place a deposit of 50,000 rupees. An independent candidate must place a bond of 75,000 rupees, he said. Ratnayaka also requested candidates, as well as more..

Jul 27 (Island) Rising Stars Badminton Academy has invested over Rs. 50 million in its current operations and plans to allocate an additional Rs. 150 million towards a new stadium in Sri Lanka. Clarence Homar, founder and president, Rising Stars Badminton Academy, emphasized that while local investment may not always yield significant financial returns, their commitment stems from pure passion for the sport. Homar disclosed plans to establish an academy in Canada next year, more..

Jul 27 (FT) NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said NPP will take legal action against IGP Deshabandu Thennakoon if he attempts to continue functioning in his post despite a Supreme Court order against him. “If Deshabandu Thennakoon dares to carry out any duty as the IGP we will take necessary legal action against him,” he said. Dissanayake also commented on PM Dinesh Gunawardena’s special statement in P'ment, more..

Jul 27 (CI) Kusal Mendis is in outstanding form, Pathum Nissanka has had fantastic outings, Avishka Fernando has been spectacular, and Kusal Perera has made a strong comeback. On top of which, Kamindu Mendis seems in good touch too. This is all on based on LPL performances, that new SL captain Charith Asalanka regards as the gold standard in T20 cricket on the island. LPL concluded only on Sunday, with Asalanka's Jaffna Kings side taking home the trophy. more..

Jul 27 (CI) It will be the start of a new T20I era for both India and SL when they come face-to-face in Pallekele on Saturday. For India, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja have retired from the format and Suryakumar Yadav has been named the new captain. SL have moved on from Angelo Mathews, while Charith Asalanka has replaced Wanindu Hasaranga at the helm. Both teams have a new head coach as well. India have got Gautam Gambhir and SL Sanath Jayasuriya, more..

Jul 27 (EN) Sri Lanka is still negotiating the price to sell Hotel Developers Lanka Ltd, the owning company of Colombo Hilton with the company that submitted the financial bid, the State-Owned Enterprises Restructuring Unit said. Though four parties that were pre-qualified, only one Melwa Hotels & Resorts (Pvt) Ltd, submitted an offer, the SRU said earlier in July. The negotiations are not yet concluded and the price has not yet been finalized. Offers and bids are evaluated by more..

Jul 27 (ST) Easy access for container trucks to the Colombo Port and reduced traffic in the city will be among the benefits of the longest elevated highway bridge due to be opened for the public in October. The construction of Port Access Elevated Highway Project, which began in Sept 2019, is expected to be completed by October, said the director of the project, Vimal Kandambi. It will be the longest elevated highway in SL, with a road length of 5.3 km & 4 lanes with a width of 3.5m for each lane. more..

Jul 27 (FT) Bar Association of SL (BASL) former President Saliya Peiris warned any Govt stance rejecting the Supreme Court’s order on the appointment of the IGP will deal a significant blow to the rule of law and democracy. “Such a move could propel the nation towards dictatorship,” Peiris alleged. Taking to his social media account, Peiris said despite potential Govt claims to the contrary, Deshabandu more..

Jul 27 (DM) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa challenged Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down, if he cannot appoint an Acting IGP as per the Supreme Court Order. He told Parliament that the Prez must uphold the Injunction Order issued by the SC and appoint an Acting IGP. "Prez cannot get away from this issue,” he said. “He is the Prez even today. His responsibilities do not cease even if he becomes a Prez candidate. His responsibility is to appoint an Acting IGP when there is no IGP. more..

Jul 27 (FT) Colombo stock market closed the week on a dismal and lacklustre note as investor sentiments remained wary over the future of listed equities. During the week, ASPI declined by 0.8% and the active S&P SL20 by 1.3%. On Friday, both indices closed negatively. Turnover during the week averaged Rs. 577 million whilst yesterday it was Rs. 575.5 million involving 31.4 million shares. First Capital said the bourse experienced a day of mixed sentiment and unpredictability. more..

Jul 27 (CI) To suggest that the SL men's team captaincy has been in turmoil recently doesn't get close to capturing it. In the last ten years, since Lasith Malinga (himself taking over in an emergency-ripcord situation) led SL to their last title in a global tournament, there has been serious churn in the leadership. So much churn that had it been strapped to a turbine, perhaps Sri Lanka's electricity grid would not be under so much strain. more..

Jul 27 (CI) Chamari Athapaththu's fighting 63 off 48 balls and Anushka Sanjeewani's unbeaten 24 off 22 helped Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by three wickets in a last-over thriller in the second semi-final of Women's Asia Cup 2024. The win saw Sri Lanka march into the final for the second successive edition. Two years ago in Sylhet, they held their nerve with the ball to overcome Pakistan by one run in the semi-final. Once again, Sri Lanka will meet India in the title clash. more..

Jul 27 (FT) PM Dinesh Gunawardena convened a meeting on Wednesday with the Co-Chairs of the Citra Social Innovation Lab Governance Board, Secretary to the PM Anura Dissanayake, and UNDP in SL Resident Representative Azusa Kubota, together with State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe, State Minister of Technology Kanaka Herath, Technology Ministry Secretary Dr. Dharmasri Kumaratunga, Public Administration Ministry Additional Secretary M. L. Gammampila, and more..

Jul 27 (DN) SL will meet India in their first T-20 game of the three match series under two new captains today at Pallekele commencing from 7.30pm. Charith Asalanka from SL and Suryakumar Yadav from India handling the teams after their new appointments while both teams got two day pre training sessions at Pallekele to focus on the matches. SL team players had experience recently at Pallekele when they played few LPL matches but Indian team who recently emerged T–20 more..

Jul 27 (FT) Election Commission has issued a Gazette notification announcing the dates for the 2024 Prez Election and the acceptance of nominations. According to the notification, Prez Election will be held on 21 Sept 2024, and nominations will be accepted on 15 August 2024. He added that during this period, applications for postal voting will also be accepted. The Election Chief mentioned that other relevant preparations for the election will also be undertaken at this time. more..

Jul 27 (ST) Inter-gang rivalries and the fight for control of the illegal narcotics market amidst high demand for heroin in the country have led to an escalation of gun violence, with at least 50 related killings reported in the first half of the year, police and experts studying gang violence said. “If you analyse the current problem, it shows that the amalgamation of the post-war scenario with the drug business has given rise to a dangerous more..

Jul 27 (DM) Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka known generally as Sarath Fonseka has thrown his hat into the prez poll ring again. The former army commander who is SL’s one and only Field Marshal has stated in a post on “X” that he would be a contender in the prez election. The following is Fonseka’s formal announcement – “I wish to announce my Presidential candidacy to the people of SL. For 76 years, we have been led by an inept political group that has led us to bankruptcy. more..

Jul 27 (ST) It was just last month that firecrackers were bursting here and there. Sky rockets were aiming for the stars as though India and China were competing to grab the dark side of the moon. Hours before that, Colombo city and elsewhere were plastered with posters that sang out that good news was only hours away, so to say. All well organised, long before the news was even good. Then came the restructuring dan salas doling out kiribath liberally at the UNP’s Siri Kotha HQ and more..

Jul 27 (Island) Executive Prez is thought to be the most powerful person in SL so much so that some of the prez powers have been reduced over the years, and the opponents of the executive presidency, which they consider a threat to democracy, have been campaigning for its abolition. But it has now been revealed that there is another equally powerful person. He answers to the name of Deshabandu Tennakoon. Going by the govt’s response to Wednesday’s SC order, one wonders whether more..

Jul 27 (ST) Last week, a SL migrant working at a farm on the Israeli-Lebanon border was injured in a missile attack on Israeli positions by Hezbollah militants based in Lebanon. He suffered head injuries and was rushed to hospital. While his condition was deemed not serious, SL’s Ambassador in Israel Nimal Bandara has urged Sri Lankans working in Israel, particularly on this border – which witnesses regular border skirmishes between Israel & Lebanon – to go into designated shelters more..

Jul 27 (DM) In 1887, Sir Noel Walker, founder Chairman of Colombo Drawing Club changed the name of this institute to the Ceylon Society of Arts. Colombo Drawing Club was originally formed in the 1880s by a group of art enthusiasts. Members showcased their artistic skills during the society’s monthly meetings. Those skilled in drawing and painting held annual exhibitions to do justice to their work. The first such exhibition by more..

Jul 27 (DM) Just two years after the Aragalaya and the country is beginning to emerge from its state of bankruptcy, a new crisis seems to be in the making. Today 26 July the office of the Commissioner of Elections announced the date for the prez poll. Days prior to the announcement of the date for the holding of presidential polls, the Supreme Court issued a stay order barring the citizen Deshabandu Tennekoom from functioning as Inspector General of Police (IGP). more..

Jul 27 (CT) John Adams, renowned as both a profound political philosopher and the second President of the US, left a lasting impact with his assertion, “A govt of laws, and not of men.” This principle highlights the idea that authority, regardless of its stature, is bound by the rule of law rather than individual whims. In a constitutional democracy, where governance is defined by a codified set of rules, even the highest echelons of power are not above these established provisions. more..

Jul 27 (TM) The recent decision by the Govt to reduce the tariff rates for new rooftop solar and renewable energy projects has sparked considerable debate and concern among stakeholders. With the revised rates set to be applied from 1 July, this policy shift has drawn attention to the broader implications for both the energy sector and economic stability. While the Govt argues that the new tariffs were more..

Jul 27 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe recently announced his govt’s intention to establish a new State-owned agency, Enterprise SL, to revive the island’s struggling micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). This proposal comes in response to a surge in bad loans, with over 12% of loans classified as non-performing, and numerous MSMEs closing down following the worst economic crisis in SL’s history. A survey by the Int'l Labour Organisation (ILO) in Nov 2023 found that more..

Jul 27 (CT) In the background of the recent avoidable economic crisis and the consequential popular uprising, Sri Lanka’s upcoming presidential election assumes greater significance. Once again, there appears to be severe competition among major political parties to prey on a gullible electorate, as history time again has shown. The present Rajapakse led ruling party faction would perhaps anoint another amoral politician, to use as a mask to hide its past follies. more..