Feb 28 (DM) Responding to allegations that the NPP was spending colossal amounts of money for the election campaign, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today they never spent lavishly on the election campaign like other parties. He said that they were not spending any money exceeding the limit specified by the newly passed Act on election expenditure. “The figures shown by political opponents are wrong. Politicians who loot public money and spend millions on stages and more..

Feb 28 (DM) A group of Opposition members including Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa, Dullas Alahapperuma, Professor G. L. Peiris and Dilan Perera who had met the Speaker today had proposed that Parliament should immediately allocate funds for the local govt elections through a special resolution. A statement from the Opposition Leader's office said the MPs requested the Speaker to take this step in relation to the request made by Election Commission Chairman more..

Feb 28 (DM) A number of professional trade unions from the essential services sector, including power, petroleum, water, ports, teachers, university lecturers, and banks, assured that they will engage in a countrywide one-day strike tomorrow, Trade Union Alliance Convener Ranjan Jayalal said. All trade unions would stand tomorrow against the govt's decision to collect taxes from people. Accordingly, trade unions more..

Feb 28 (EN) A group of opposition MPs led by opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has asked Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to summon the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance to a party leader’s meeting on the local govt elections. The group of legislators which included former govt MPs who now sit in the opposition as independents met the Speaker urging him to facilitate a discussion with the finance ministry secretary. The MPs had also sought clarification on a letter addressed to more..

Feb 28 (EN) SL’s cabinet has cleared a proposal by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe to prepare a law to set up a contributory pension fund for new state employees, Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. The contributory fund will help state workers get a pension without being a burden to the country, he said. The employee will contribute 8% and the govt will contribute 12% to the fund. At the moment SL has a unfunded pension for state workers which is paid for by current tax revenues. more..