Oct 11 (FT) The father of the 2022 Rugby Season Captain of Royal College has spoken out against assault on his son as well what he describes as systematic student player abuse. The father Harim Peiris has written to Royal College Principal Thilak Wathuhewa with a copy to the media recounting the ordeal experienced by his son as well as fellow players. Peiris’ action follows Daily FT expose on 1 Oct where a group of more..

Oct 11 (Island) Fluoxetine, one of the main drugs given to children with depression is not available in govt hospitals, Dr Vajira Dharmawardene, Consultant Psychiatrist, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Sabaragamuwa University, said in a televised interview on Wednesday (9). Fluoxetine, an antidepressant, belonged to a group of medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and that was a cheap and effective drug, Dr. Dharmawardene said. more..

Oct 11 (CT) Secretary to the Prez, Dr. Nandika Kumanayake, has issued a directive requiring all govt institutions to obtain written approval from the Presidential Secretariat before displaying photographs or messages of the Prez on commemorative plaques or in designated celebration areas for various events. In addition to this requirement, the Secretary has underscored the necessity for all govt-funded activities to align with State policies & vision during their org. more..

Oct 11 (Island) Out of 1,690 firearms issued to various ‘VIPs’ in recent years, only 30 have been returned to the Welisara Navy Camp following a notice from the Ministry of Defence instructing the return of all weapons issued to civilians for personal security. Defence sources revealed that a large numbers of firearms had been issued without proper threat assessments to businessmen, politicians, and other affluent individuals over past several more..

Oct 11 (PMD) Hisham Abu Taha, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to SL, met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake this morning (10). During the meeting, Ambassador Abu Taha extended his congratulations to Prez Dissanayake on his recent election victory, conveying best wishes on behalf of the Govt and people of Palestine. Palestinian Ambassador expressed deep appreciation for Sri Lanka’s longstanding support for Palestine and its position on key international issues. more..

Oct 11 (CT) Sri Lanka participated in the first ever Asian Village Festival of Singapore as an official tourism partner, along with Indonesia and the Philippines. The festival, held from 3 to 6 October at the Singapore Expo was organised by Shaabaz Pte Ltd in Singapore, with the objectives of promoting Asian culture, food, and business under one roof and creating business opportunities and prospects in the Asia region. The vibrant event was attended by exhibitors and performers from more..

Oct 11 (PMD) Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Kumanayake, met with a delegation from the World Food Programme (WFP) at the Presidential Secretariat this morning. During the meeting, the WFP representatives agreed to continue their on-going programs in SL through the WFP, ensuring no disruptions. Although the food crisis in SL has eased to some extent, the WFP officials expressed their willingness to extend further support through new programmes whenever more..

Oct 11 (AD) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya requested the Thai govt’s assistance in rescuing Sri Lankans still detained in cybercrime camps in Myanmar’s Myawaddy region, facilitated by the Myanmar government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). PM made this request during a discussion held with the Thai Ambassador, Paitoon Mahapannaporn, at the PM’s Office yesterday. PM expressed her gratitude for the assistance provided by Govt of Thailand in rescuing 28 Lankans more..

Oct 11 (PMD) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials of the Ministry of Finance to take necessary action to provide a monthly interim allowance of Rs. 3000 to all pensioners, from next week. After reviewing the delay in adding the Rs. 3000 allowance to the October pension, the President directed that this amount be credited to the pensioners’ accounts within the next week. more..

Oct 11 (CT) Price of personalised stamps will be increased to Rs 5000 from November this year, Sri Lanka Post said. The national postal service issues postage stamps under several categories, with the most popular being the personalised stamp category and the special cover category. Issued in sets of 20 stamps each valued at Rs. 25, SL Post said that the current price of Rs.2,000 for a single sheet of personalised stamps will be increased to Rs. 5,000 from November onwards. more..

Oct 11 (NW) Actress Damitha Abeyratne who was expected to contest from the Ratnapura District is not among the list of candidates from the SJB for the 2024 General Election. It is unclear why Damitha Abeyratne’s name has been exempted from the list, as her candidacy had been confirmed this week. However, the actress’ name is not among the list of candidates submitted by the SJB to District Secretariat. Abeyratne, who has been a staunch and vocal supporter of the SJB signed more..

Oct 11 (CT) Two SL women journalists won the prestigious South Asia Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity 2024 in Mumbai on Wednesday. At a star-studded award ceremony held at the Tata Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai, News 1st’s Sonali Wanigabaduge and freelance journalist Aanya Wipulasena received this distinguished award representing SL. The awards, organised by Population First, a Mumbai-based social impact organisation that has been working for more..

Oct 11 (CT) Cancer patients admitted to the Teaching Hospital, Batticaloa, have been facing a significant dilemma since last Friday (4) due to the breakdown of the linear accelerator machine in the hospital’s Cancer Treatment Unit. President of the Govt Radiological Technologists’ Association (GRTA) and Secretary of the JCPSM, Chanaka Dharmawickrema, expressed concern yesterday (10) that 35-40 cancer patients were receiving treatment from this machine daily. more..

Oct 11 (AD) Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake, announced that a total of 764 nomination papers were submitted by political parties and independent groups for the 2024 General Election. However, he stated that only 690 nomination papers were accepted from political parties and independent groups for the election and that 74 nomination papers were rejected. The highest number of nominations were received more..

Oct 11 (AD) SL Police are requesting the public to call the special hotline ‘1997’ to provide any information regarding the misuse of the government-owned vehicles. Issuing a communiqué, the police headquarters requests the public to report any information related to the vehicles issued by the govt for various official purposes that may have been unlawfully concealed in certain locations or have been neglected after being parked in certain places and left to dilapidate. more..

Oct 11 (DM) SLPP Politburo member Geethanath Cassilingham, who is contesting the upcoming General Election from the Jaffna District, challenged his co-candidates to prove they have never solicited or mediated liquor licenses. Cassilingham said that he would issue an open affidavit to his district affirming that he has never solicited or mediated liquor licenses for himself or his associates. "I never solicited or mediated an arrack license for myself, my family, relatives, friends, more..

Oct 11 (EN) Institute for Health Policy (IHP) has released new polling data showing that the ruling NPP’s Harini Amarasuriya is a popular choice for the post of PM and that former minister Ali Sabry’s exit may be premature. In IHP SL Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) polling through 2024 prior to the prez election, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake and MPs Amarasuriya, and Ali Sabry were consistently the most popular more..

Oct 11 (DM) Supreme Court suspended a decision by the Elections Commission (EC) to deactivate the Lanka Janatha Party and allowed the party to contest the General Elections. Lanka Janatha Party was deactivated and not allowed to contest the general elections by the EC due to an internal dispute. General Secretary of the party, Shalika Perera filing a writ petition challenged the decision. He said that the EC did not have the authority to de activate a recognized political party. more..

Oct 11 (AD) Irrigation Dept has issued flood warnings for several of low-lying areas of Attanagalu Oya and Uruwal Oya river basins, effective until 9.45 a.m. on Oct 13. It states that a considerable rainfall has occurred in most of the catchment areas of Attanagalu Oya Basin as of 9.00 a.m. today (11). By analyzing the current rainfall situation and river water levels of Hydrological Stations in Attanagalu Oya, it is warned that there is a possibility of a flood situation occurring more..

Oct 11 (FT) Given the recent political changes the country has experienced, the writer senses a need to reproduce this article (which was published previously). At a time when the track record and performance of the country’s intelligence services and law enforcement agencies have been debated in the public sphere, and with the appointment of a new Chief of State Intelligence, the writer feels it is pertinent to re-examine this interesting, albeit somewhat murky, subject. more..

Oct 11 (FT) SL has a new Prez, and a fresh general election will be held on 14 Nov to elect members to its Parliament and for a new Govt to be formed thereafter. The choice before the voters will be whether the NPP should be given a Parliamentary majority for them to form the next Govt or those opposed to the NPP should be given a majority for them to form the next Govt. This article will not analyse and discuss this issue as it is a topic that is already being widely discussed. more..

Oct 11 (EN) Several prominent SL politicians who previously held senior ministerial positions have announced they will not be contesting in the upcoming parliamentary elections, citing limited political opportunities. Among those stepping down are Bandula Gunawardena, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Shehan Semasinghe, Gamini Lokuge, Champika Ranawaka, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Lakshman Kiriella and Wimal Weerawansa, more..

Oct 11 (Island) Leader of the NFF Wimal Weerawansa, said that his party would not contest the upcoming general election. He said his party was doing so to ensure that Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake would secure a majority in Parliament so that he could govern the country. Weerawansa warned that both India and US would exert immense pressure on the Prez to implement agreements detrimental to national interest, such as 13th Amd & Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). more..

Oct 11 (Island) Election Commission (EC) is not empowered to reject the nominations of candidates with past or present court verdicts against them, Chairman of the Election Commission, R.M.A.L. Rathnayake has said. He noted that the EC could not reject the nomination of actor and politician Ranjan Ramanayake if he submitted it. “If anyone wishes to challenge Ramanayake’s participation in the election, he or she will have to seek a court order against him,” Ratnayake said. more..

Oct 11 (FT) The World Bank announced that SL’s economy has shown signs of stabilisation, projecting growth to surpass the earlier estimate of 2.2% now expected to reach 4.4% in 2024. This positive outlook follows four consecutive quarters of growth, primarily driven by the industrial and tourism sectors. The findings were part of the multilateral donor’s bi-annual report, SL Dev. Update: Opening up to the Future more..

Oct 11 (DN) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has directed officials to allocate 11,000 acres of land, owned by the Kantale Sugar Company, to farmers for short-term crop cultivation. These lands will be provided in plots not exceeding five acres each, and the Prez also instructed that a proper mechanism be developed for this process. Prez issued these directives today (10) during a meeting with officials from the Ministries of Agriculture, Lands, Livestock, Irrigation, Fisheries, and Aquatic Resources more..

Oct 11 (CT) Fort Chief Magistrate Tanuja Lakmali issued a travel ban order yesterday on former Minister Johnston Fernando for allegedly possessing an illegally assembled luxury vehicle. The investigation was initiated after the CID alerted authorities to an unregistered BMW parked in the lot of the Hilton Hotel. The Magistrate issued the travel ban following the submission of an investigation report to Court by the CID’s gang robberies investigation unit, which was based on info more..

Oct 11 (DM) In the wake of the tragic incident where a 16-year-old girl fell to her death from the Lotus Tower, mental health experts are urging parents to be more attentive to the emotional well-being of their children. Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Saman Weerawardana emphasized the importance of recognizing signs of depression early as many adolescents struggle in silence. “One of the critical tips is that parents getting aware of changes in their child's behavior, such as deviating from more..

Oct 11 (EN) A Riyad-bound Sri Lankan Airlines flight returned to Colombo after it encountered a technical issue after taking off, the state-owned carrier said. “SriLankan Airlines confirms that Flight UL 265 from Colombo to Riyadh safely returned to Colombo as a precautionary measure after encountering a technical issue mid-flight,” SriLankan Airlines said. “Aircraft landed without incident at approx 19:00 hrs SL time this evening (10). All passengers have been provided with hotel accommodation more..

Oct 11 (FT) Seasoned investigator SSP Shani Abeysekara has been rehired on a contract basis as the Director of the Criminal Intelligence Analysis and Prevention Division in the SL Police. The appoint has been approved by the National Police Commission an inside source said. His return to the force marks a significant development following his retirement in June 2021 and the controversial period he faced afterward. more..

Oct 11 (DM) Colombo Excise Station busted a major illicit liquor manufacturing distillery carried out in the depths of Muthurajawela swamp and seized a large quantity of Kasippu worth over Rs.7.5 million yesterday. The officials from the Colombo Excise Station following a lengthy probe conducted the raid in an interior marsh in a thick mangrove grove in Muthurajawela in Uswetakeiyawa and seized over 75 barrels of Goda (semi brewed liquor) and over 5, 000 bottles of distilled spirits. more..

Oct 11 (AD) Dept of Meteorology has issued a Color: Red warning for heavy rainfall in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts, in the next 24 hours. Showery conditions are expected to enhance to some extent in the south-western part of the Island in the next few days starting from today (10), due to the development of atmospheric disturbance in the vicinity of SL. Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, more..