Sep 20 (FL) The National People’s Power (NPP) candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake is ahead in the SL Presidential race as campaigning closed for the SL Presidential election at midnight on September 18. Dissanayake’s party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) is the major party in the NPP coalition. “Earlier, only politicians used to be concerned about elections,” Dissanayake said at his last, well-attended public meeting in Kaluthara, just over 40 km from Colombo late on Sept 18. more..

Sep 20 (NW) Election Commission (EC) has requested the removal of over 800 posts from social media platforms for violating election laws during the 2024 Prez Polls so far. EC announced that complaints have been lodged with platforms such as Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Google after thorough investigations into these violations. Of the complaints filed, 121 links have been removed from social media, while 116 links were not taken down by the platforms, as they reportedly do not more..

Sep 20 (Independent) Kamindu Mendis continued his remarkable start to his Test match career, scoring his fourth century in just 7 Test matches. After receiving a promotion from number 7 to number 5 following his prolific form against England earlier in the summer, Mendis scored another century against NZ on 18 Sept as he helped his side fight back from 106 for four to 305 all out. Against the Kiwis, Mendis scored a fluent more..

Sep 20 (CT) Bruno Diwakara, vlogger and founder of the SL-VLOG YouTube channel, has initiated legal proceedings against the CID, seeking Rs 50 million in damages. Diwakara claims he was wrongfully arrested under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act in 2023. Diwakara alleges that the charges brought against him under the ICCPR Act were unjust. In May 2023, Diwakara and stand-up comedian Nathasha Edirisooriya were arrested by the CID. more..

Sep 20 (NW) The Sri Jayawardenepura University, which was recently closed due to a brawl, will reopen next week. According to the Vice-Chancellor of the university, the university will reopen for academic activities on Tuesday, 24th September. The Vice-Chancellor also announced that all students may return to their hostels starting on Monday (23). Sri J'pura University was temporarily closed from 6 p.m. on September 12 following a clash between two student groups. more..

Sep 20 (CI) Left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera, 38, has been named in SL's women's T20 World Cup 2024 squad, with 21-year-old seamer Kawya Kavindi making way. Ranaweera had been left out of the squad for the women's Asia Cup, which SL won, in July. She had also been omitted from SL's squads to Ireland, more recently. But with the T20 World Cup likely to be played on pitches that favour spin in the UAE, more..

Sep 20 (DW) Two years after violent anti-govt protests, Sri Lankans are preparing to vote in a critical presidential election. "We need hope. We don't need someone who will cheat us again," Colombo resident Priyadarshini Guhan told DW. Sri Lanka is set to hold its prez election on Sept 21, marking the first electoral process since the nation defaulted on its debt and declared bankruptcy in 2022. Nearly 17 million out of SL's population of 22 million are eligible to vote this Saturday. more..

Sep 20 (AN) SL’s elections on 21 Sept will be watched closely in neighbouring India. The two countries are linked not only by geography and culture (ethnic Tamils live in both northern SL and in Tamil Nadu, southern India), but also political and strategic issues. China, in fact, has tried to expand its influence in the Indian Ocean, supporting the Rajapaksas and financing infrastructure projects like Colombo’s port, clashing with the commercial and financial plans of Indian-based Adani group, more..

Sep 20 (SLN) The passenger vessel Neduntharakai was ceremonially handed over to the Road Development Authority (RDA) in Delft on 19th Sept 2024, following the completion of full docking by the SL Navy. This vessel has been deployed by the RDA for passenger transport between the Delft Island and Kurikattuwan Jetty in Jaffna. In response to a request from the RDA, SL Navy, under the direction and guidance of the Commander of the Navy, Priyantha Perera, undertook the repair more..

Sep 20 (TM) State Trading Corporation (STC) announced that there is no immediate need to proceed with the planned importation of eggs from India, as local producers have significantly reduced their prices following the Govt's earlier decision to import eggs. STC Chairperson Asiri Walisundara confirmed that the decision to import approximately 30 million eggs from India has been temporarily halted. “The importation of eggs from India was a measure to address the sharp rise in more..

Sep 20 (AP) Two years ago, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans rose up against their president and forced him to flee the country. As the country prepares for its first election since then, many say they’re still waiting for change. As SL sank into economic collapse in 2022, people from various walks of life rallied to change a long-entrenched govt they saw as responsible. The unprecedented island-wide public uprising they led was a moment more..

Sep 20 (EN) SL’s ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Romania Madurika Joseph Weninger presented letters of credence to President Klaus-Werner Iohannis at the historic Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest. President Iohannis expressed optimism for future collaborations, the Embassy of SL in Bucharest said in a statement. In a discussion afterwards Ambassador Weninger recalled the long-standing friendship with Romania since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1957, more..

Sep 20 (Island) Nine govt officers who promoted prez candidates in violation of the Establishment Code have been removed from election duties, according to Hambantota District Returning Officer, H.P. Sumanasiri. He said they were part of a group of 19 officers currently under investigation for the same offence. Among the errant officials were three doctors, one public health inspector, nine principals, a vice principal, four teachers, and a manager of a Samurdhi Bank, Sumanasiri said. more..

Sep 20 (DM) The scrutiny of answer scripts for the 2024 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination has been suspended due to the ongoing investigations into the leak of the first paper in Anuradhapura, Education Ministry Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara said. Addressing the media she said the President and the Education Minister have ordered a re-examination of the Grade 5 Scholarship, following a report from more..

Sep 20 (NW) SLPP has confirmed party founder Basil Rajapaksa’s departure from the country prior to the 2024 Prez Election. Confirming that Rajapaksa had left the island early this morning, SLPP said he would return soon to lead the party’s general election activities. SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said that the former minister was scheduled for a medical checkup a few weeks ago, but had delayed it due to the election campaign activities of SLPP Prez candidate Namal more..

Sep 20 (CI) The first Test between SL and NZ will, for the first time in 16 years, feature a rest day, on what would have been the fourth day of the Test. Why is this happening? We're here to explain. In an era in which even four-day Tests feel like a hard-sell, it does seem weird to have a match that stretches across six days. But no, the reason is that SL is holding its presidential election on Saturday. These are the first major polls since the country overthrew its last prez in 2022, and so kind of a big deal. more..

Sep 20 (EN) Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has called for a prequalified expression of interest to develop Talaimannar- North Pier at the North Western Port of Mannar on build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis. The new move comes as India’s Adani Group’s plan to build two wind power projects of 250 MW in Mannar and 234 MW in the Northern Pooneryn area. The proposed project site in Mannar spans across 250 acres of an environmentally sensitive location amid more..

Sep 20 (AD) The 45-year-old man, who was shot by an unidentified gunman at Kadawatha Road in Dehiwala, has succumbed to his injuries after being admitted to the Kalubowila Hospital. The shooting had occurred at around 6.40 a.m. this morning near the Nedimala Cricket Ground in Dehiwala police division. The investigations have commenced with information received by Dehiwala Police that two unidentified gunmen, who had arrived on a motorcycle, opened fire at a person who more..

Sep 20 (CI) Fifties from Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal were followed by steadying knocks from Angelo Mathews and Dhananjaya de Silva and Sri Lanka stretched their lead to 202 by the close of play on day three in Galle. The latter pair had put together an unbeaten fifth wicket stand of 59 when an extended final session came to a close, as Sri Lanka inched forward their hard-fought advantage more..

Sep 20 (TM) A high-level delegation from Mirai Consulting Group, Japan, recently visited Sri Lanka to explore potential investment opportunities in various sectors. The delegation, led by Mirai Consulting Group COO Okada Atsushi, met with the EDB Chairperson at the EDB headquarters. The purpose of the visit was to identify industries that aligned with the investment interests of Japanese companies and to explore the potential for collaboration and partnerships in Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 20 (AD) Attorney General informed the Supreme Court today that no decision has been made to arrest former Director of the CID Shani Abeysekera, and former Senior DIG in charge of the CID Ravi Seneviratne, in connection with the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks. This was stated during the hearing of fundamental rights petitions filed by Ravi Seneviratne and Shani Abeysekera, seeking an order preventing them from being arrested in connection with more..

Sep 20 (DM) Founder of the SLPP Basil Rajapaksa left for Dubai from the BIA this morning, airport Duty Manager said. He left for Dubai on Emirates Airlines (EK-649) at 03.05 a.m. He had reportedly paid USD 206 for access to this plane and had obtained the facility at the Gold Route terminal in the BIA. Basil Rajapaksa will first go to Dubai and then leave for the USA from there, and that he always uses this flight route to leave for US. more..

Sep 20 (DM) SLPP sacked three of its members- Pavithra Wanniarachchi, S.M. Chandrasena and Rohitha Abeygunawardane - from all their positions for defying the party’s stand at the presidential election and supporting President Ranil Wickremesinghe. SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam informed them in writing that they would be stripped of their positions in the party. The party decided to field MP Namal Rajapaksa as the presidential candidate. more..

Sep 20 (AD) A fundamental rights petition has been submitted before the Supreme Court requesting the court to issue an order declaring that the govt’s decision to restructure the debt associated with Sri Lanka’s international sovereign bonds has violated the basic human rights of the citizens. The petition has been filed by the former convenor of the IUSF, Wasantha Mudalige. Minister of Finance, the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Governor of the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) and more..

Sep 20 (FT) Since of late, SL Presidential elections have become a battleground with the number of candidates progressively growing. Last Presidential election held on 16 Nov 2019 fielded 36 contestants while the 2024 candidacy increased to 38 numbers but ironically due to the demise of one candidate the number came down to 37 as of today. When we look at the results of the last Presidential election in 2019, the contest was polarised between two main candidates, and the final result was: more..

Sep 20 (FT) Now the countdown to the three-cornered prez tussle is on days, not weeks. Perhaps in another three or four days, Prez elections will be held on 21 Sept. That final result will be decided by the majority rural vote, seldom heard in major urban circles. All these months and weeks, electoral trends were created, ballooned and dominated by the vociferous Sinhala-Buddhist urban middleclass voter, counting not more than 65% from around 4.5 million urban voters across the country. more..

Sep 20 (FT) Election Commission (EC) Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake highlighted the importance of maintaining electoral integrity in the upcoming Prez election, calling on citizens not to treat their sovereignty as a commodity. He announced a strict ban on mobile phones within polling booths, citing instances during voting where some officials had photographed their ballot papers and shared them on social media more..

Sep 20 (EEAS) Today, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to SL’s presidential election deployed 32 short-term observers to all electoral districts, where they will observe the period of campaign silence, as well election day proceedings, including the opening of polling stations, voting, and counting of ballots, as well as the tabulation of results. “The short-term observers who are reinforcing our mission today will visit towns and villages in all nine provinces more..

Sep 20 (CT) Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) has announced that 1,358 buses will be deployed for election duties related to the 2024 Prez Election. SLTB is working to fulfil these requests through the district election offices. In addition, Panduka Swarnahansa, Deputy General Manager of SLTB, confirmed that 175 buses will be allocated for Police duties associated with the election. To facilitate voter transportation, a special bus service has been arranged for today and tomorrow more..

Sep 20 (TM) The voting for the Presidential Poll to elect the ninth Executive President of SL is scheduled to be held tomorrow (21). The Election Commission (EC) stated that voting will take place in 13,421 polling stations from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The election campaigning activities related to Prez Election concluded on Wednesday (18) midnight, and the period up to the time of the Prez Election has been declared as a silent period. more..

Sep 20 (FT) The CIABOC has initiated an investigation following a complaint by Prez candidate Janaka Ratnayake. The complaint accuses politicians and officials associated with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) of committing fraud amounting to Rs. 36 billion, which Ratnayake has called the largest fraud and corruption ever recorded by the Auditor General. Ratnayake revealed that during a COPE meeting that he disclosed a staggering Rs. 36 billion fraud, more..

Sep 20 (Island) Election Commission (EC) has confirmed that all necessary precautions have been taken to handle any potential disaster situations that may arise due to unforeseen weather conditions during the prez election. Chairman of the EC, R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that special attention had been given to districts where there are concerns about possible disaster situations or emergencies. Starting from Friday, Commission would receive weather updates from the Met Dept more..