Sep 12 (FT) Sri Lanka – Japan Business Council (SLJBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on Monday held its 45th AGM where for the first time it also received the Japanese Foreign Minister's Commendation Award. It was presented by Japanese Ambassador and Patron of the Council Hideaki Mizukoshi who was also the Chief Guest. This prestigious award was given in recognition of the Council’s unwavering support in strengthening bilateral trade, tourism, and investment ties more..

Sep 12 (Island) Leading US prez candidates, Donald Trump (Republican) and Kamala Harris (Democratic) engaged in a combative live debate on Tuesday. The general consensus is that Harris fared better than Trump, who was seen to be on the defensive. Her experience as a former prosecutor may have stood Harris in good stead when she took on Trump, whose legal woes are legion. Tuesday’s prez face-off revolved around several key issues, but it is thought to have been light on policy details. more..

Sep 12 (DN) SL athletes managed to claim all the glory on the first day of the fourth South Asian (U-20) Junior Athletics Championships, which commenced yesterday in Chennai, India. Competing against athletes from six countries, SL stormed to the top of the medal standings on the first day, winning nine medals. This included 3 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals. In the men’s 100 metres event, Merone Wijesinghe sprinted more..

Sep 12 (CT) In 12 day the country would have to congratulate Anura Kumara Dissanayake as Prez and hurl imprecations at an electoral processes which opened a perilous pathway for Sajith or possibly Ranil to stake a claim to the presidency. For impenetrable reasons however Sumanthiran decided to support Sajith (as did a miniscule left entity known as the ULF). Why Sumanthiran backed Sajith, instead of the NPP, is difficult to understand. It is true that NPP/ JVP has not issued a guarantee more..

Sep 12 (TM) As the 21 Sept Prez Election nears, there are signs that the post-vote period will likely see some instability. As of this week, two of the top three contenders for the Presidency seem to be inching forward in the race, and are now neck and neck as they reach the finishing line. Given the rhetoric and scale of the campaigns which are being waged, in the event of a close result at the ballot box, it is likely that a dissatisfied candidate could begin to throw all sorts of allegations, more..

Sep 12 (GV) It is an enduring stain on SL’s democracy and gender equality that only 4.8% of MPs are women despite their high literacy rate and educational levels. To correct this imbalance, proactive action is needed by women and men. Women had the right to vote when universal franchise was granted to all males and females over the age of 21 in 1931. Before that, under the Donoughmore Constitution voting rights were given to a section of the elite but women from more..

Sep 12 (ST) Sri Lankan politicians make such unimaginable and unattainable promises at election time that Singapore PM Lee Kuan Yew once described it pithily. He called it the auction of nonexistent resources. During a chat I had with him in Hong Kong when I was with The Standard newspaper, he made a similar remark but more out of pity for our country like no other than with any touch of condescension that marked his earlier description of our political legerdemain. more..

Sep 12 (TM) Concerns have been raised regarding the decision to increase salaries and hire additional staff at the State-owned CEB and CPC, which have been incurring losses. These institutions, which have contributed to significant financial losses due to alleged mismanagement, have shifted the burden onto consumers through higher electricity tariffs and fuel prices. A key concern now is whether these institutions more..

Sep 12 (DM) The National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) strongly encouraged all those who are eligible to vote at the upcoming Presidential Elections. In a statement, they added that they consider voting a spiritual-political act, which is an opportunity for voters to not only exercise their rights to choose their leaders, but also express compassion and solidarity with marginalised and vulnerable groups and contribute towards a better country for all. more..

Sep 12 (DM) This is a cricket crazy nation where every islander is loyal to the national cricket team. There was a time when most shopping malls selling televisions would switch on at least one tv and offer some entertainment to passersby. On Test match days, we’d see people standing on the road soaking up the action with their eyes glued to televisions, owned by store owners. Right now, the focus is on the upcoming Prez Elections, and a SL victory over England in the Third Test at the Oval more..

Sep 12 (CT) There has been considerable discussion in society regarding the assets and liabilities of the four main party candidates, who contest the prez election. This has been prompted by the CIABOC’s public release of their asset and liability statements. However, these statements reveal that the principal political candidates running for the presidency, along with their families, are in severe debts to various more..

Sep 12 (DM) With mere 9 days to go for the Prez Election, most people are focusing on the often broken promises of various ruling parties – which were essentially family based – but, constitutional analysts are reflecting on a system change. One of such system changes proposed is a body like the Senate which could maintain checks and balances on the ruling party. According to the Soulbury Constitution, under which SL gained independence on Feb 4, 1948, Senate was also set up and more..

Sep 12 (CT) With the Prez Election drawing closer day by day, the political landscape of the country has become highly charged with tension and it seems to have leaked into every sphere of the society, making it hard for anyone not to talk about, or at least hear about politics in their day-to-day life. Proportionally to the very high number of candidates that will appear on the ballot paper, there is a rise in the number of complaints filed against violation of election laws as well. more..

Sep 11 (DM) NPP MP Harini Amarasuriya today filed a defamatory action before the Colombo District Court against SJB MP Tissa Attanayake claiming Rs.100 million as damages for allegedly making a false and defamatory statement during an election rally. Harini Amarasuriya alleges that on August 19, the defendant Tissa Attanayake made a public statement during an SJB Presidential campaign meeting in Mawanella, claiming that an NPP govt would halt the Kandy Dalada Perahera more..

Sep 11 (AD) Prez candidate of the Sarvajana Balaya alliance, entrepreneur Dilith Jayaweera, called on the public not to base their final decision on artificially created political rallies. He made these remarks during a meeting held this morning to present appointment letters to several electoral organizers of the Sarvajana Balaya alliance. He stated that SL has reached the final stage of the prez election, regarding which the people of the country had placed immense expectations and hope. more..

Sep 11 (NW) Asset declarations of over 100 persons who are obligated to submit their asset and liabilities declarations, including top officials and the Prez, are now publicly accessible on the Asset Declarations webpage of the CIABOC. This is an interim measure to make asset declarations public under the Anti-Corruption Act No. 09 of 2023 (ACA), while CIABOC establishes a centralized electronic system in compliance with the law. more..

Sep 11 (AD) The Election Commission (EC) says that postal voting for the 2024 Presidential Election can be carried out today and tomorrow. Accordingly, the government employees who were unable to cast their postal votes on Sept 4, 5, and 6 can do so on these two days. The EC has also stated that if postal votes are not used on these two days, there will be no further opportunities to use the postal vote on any other day or on Sept 21, when the Presidential Election will be held. more..

Sep 11 (wsws) SL’s main prez candidates—Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, and Anura Kumara Dissanayake of NPP —have made bogus and extravagant election promises. They maintain, however, total radio silence on the escalating danger of a catastrophic third world war. The threat of world war is very real. The fascistic Israeli regime, with the full backing of Washington and its European NATO allies, has now expanded its relentless slaughter of more..

Sep 11 (Reuters) Not one of the 38 contenders in SL's prez election this month is a woman, a stark contrast in the Indian Ocean island where women make up more than half the voters and the workforce. Well before more familiar figures such as Britain's Margaret Thatcher or India's Indira Gandhi, SL gave the world its first female PM in 1960, electing Sirimavo Bandaranaike to a job her daughter also held 30 years later. more..

Sep 11 (CT) Several prominent members of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) have pledged their support to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming Prez Election. Among those who have aligned with Wickremesinghe are former Northern Provincial Councillor Alikhan Shariff, former Musali PS Chairman A.G.H. Subihan, members A.R.M. Rasmin, Haneef Makbool, M.H.M. Kamil, Ash Sheikh Abdul Rahman and former Musali Jamiyyathul Ulama President M. Thowfeek, along more..

Sep 11 (EN) Three international banking corporations are in discussion to set up offshore operations in Colombo Port City, its operating company said. Parliament on Sept 4, approved offshore banking rules gazette in July, CHEC Port City CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd said. “The presence of offshore branches of international banks would promote greater financial stability and provide the dexterity to invest in large-scale projects for prospective global investors,” more..

Sep 11 (TM) Authorities are yet to find the fate that befell the Sri Lankan fishermen who went missing in the seas off Galle and the Indian fishermen, near Kachchatheevu Island. Among them one fisherman was found dead. Last month, it was reported that an Indian fishing vessel met with an accident near the Kachchatheevu Island, and that while two fishermen were rescued by the SL Navy, two had gone missing. Meanwhile, last week, reports said that three SL fishermen had gone missing after more..

Sep 11 (ANI) Six Sri Lankan players have obtained new career-high ratings on the latest ICC Men's Test Rankings following their victory over England in the third Test match at The Oval. Sri Lanka produced their first Test win over England away from home in the third Test of their recently-completed series, with the likes of skipper Dhananjaya de Silva, middle-order performer Kamindu Mendis and opener Pathum Nissanka leading the way with the bat for the island nation. more..

Sep 11 (TM) Centre for Society and Religion's Research Team member Tharindu Jayawardhana has filed two petitions before the Court of Appeal (CA), claiming that the Right to Information (RTI) Commission has violated the RTI Act, No. 12 of 2016 and the relevant rules gazetted under it by dismissing 138 appeals related to information requests made by 138 families affected by the construction of the Central Expressway's more..

Sep 11 (EN) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has signed a recently passed national minimum wages (amendment) bill. Parliament said in a statement that the Speaker endorsed the certificate on the Bill titled National Minimum Wage of Workers (Amendment) Bill in accordance with article 79 of the constitution. The second reading debate on the bill to amend the National Minimum Wage Act No. 3 of 2016 was held in parliament on Sept 3. Bill was passed without amendments and vote. more..

Sep 11 (Island) Lawyers’ Collective has urged electorate to vote for a person committed to the safeguard and protection of the independence and integrity of institutions, including the judiciary, the Constitutional Council, the police, public service, Central Bank, and independent commissions and to safeguard them from unwarranted political interference and pressure. Text of the statement: As the Prez Election draws close, the Lawyers’ Collective draws the attention of voting public more..

Sep 11 (TM) Opining that economic recovery would be impossible unless the country’s rulers pay attention to building an agriculture-based production economy, farmer groups expressed disapproval of economy-related plans presented by Prez candidates, including with regard to the agriculture sector. The National Agrarian Unity organisation’s President Anuradha Thennakoon explained that, despite the present state more..

Sep 11 (DM) Presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe's campaign team has strategically reduced the number of public rallies from 92 to 84, Harin Fernando said. Earlier, MP Dayasiri Jayasekera had claimed that more than 30 of Wickremesinghe's political rallies and meetings were cancelled due to lack of public support. In response, Fernando explained that the reduction in rallies was a deliberate strategy to enhance the campaign's focus on one-on-one professional forums. more..

Sep 11 (SM) Measures have been sought against children being used in election campaigns. Surakimu Daruwan National Movement has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission today in this regard. Convener of the movement – Priyantha Herath has said, “Children are being used in canvassing and advertisement… Children cannot be used for political purposes. We have complained to the National Child Protection Authority… Nothing was done. more..

Sep 11 (AD) Officers of SL Customs Narcotics Control Unit at the BIA have seized 2.14 kilograms of cocaine estimated to be worth around Rs. 75 million at the BIA air cargo storage unit. The cocaine had been concealed within an electrical device inside a parcel sent via air cargo from Bogotá in Colombia to an address in Ganemulla. Two individuals from the Maligawatte area, aged 23 and 24, as well as a cargo clearing agent, have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the incident. more..

Sep 11 (AD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed MP Seetha Kumari Arambepola as the Minister of State for Health, Women’s and Child Affairs. She had served as the State Minister for Health prior to this appointment. A medical practitioner by profession, Dr. Seetha Arambepola had entered Parliament through the national List of the SLPP. A former State Minister of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation, she had also briefly served as more..