Sep 29 (ST) The Govt led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is set to reduce the benefits provided to MPs. High-level Govt sources confirmed that a committee had been appointed to oversee these changes, headed by a retired SLAS officer. Proposed reforms aim to eliminate several perks currently enjoyed by MPs, including the provision of vehicles, pensions, housing allowances, and other financial benefits. more..

Sep 29 (ST) Three govt agencies are investigating the SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) after recently-surfaced allegations of malpractices and corruption. A top official acknowledged that CID, Bribery Commission, and Govt Audit are all carrying out investigations about alleged fraud in the training of first-time domestic workers, who were required to undergo 25 to 30 days of training at a minimum cost of Rs. 75,000, which was paid to an outside party, not the Bureau. more..

Sep 29 (ST) SL�s new political leadership is preparing to quickly initiate talks with the IMF to continue its current financial programme, while also accelerating debt relief discussions with foreign creditors to support the country�s fragile economic recovery. Recognising the need to advance key economic reforms, an IMF team is scheduled to visit SL on Tuesday (2), to assess the nation�s economic progress. According to IMF�s Communications Chief Julie Kozack, Fund�s third review of $2.9 b more..

Sep 29 (CT) Several energy experts have criticised the recent appointment of Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya as Chairman of the State-owned CEB, by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, accusing the former of being one of SL�s strongest coal advocates and an opponent of renewable energy. They argue that his stance makes him unfit for the role, as he also owns an energy consultancy company. Some experts have written to Prez, expressing concern over Dr. Siyambalapitiya�s solar rooftop projects. more..

Sep 29 (SO) Champika Ranawaka has called for Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down as leader of the UNP if the party hopes to form an alliance with the Sajith Premadasa-led SJB. Ranawaka said that Ruwan Wijewardene should assume the leadership of the UNP in such a scenario. In response to a question regarding the alliance between UNP and SJB ahead of the upcoming General Election, Ranawaka said that UNP, now a smaller political force compared to the SJB, should more..

Sep 29 (TM) Despite Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake�s directive to investigate the disappearance of 29 vehicles from the Presidential Secretariat, CID is yet to take any action. Prez�s Private Secretary Ananda Wijepala announced that the investigation would be carried out by CID. However, according to DIG Nihal Thalduwa, CID is yet to start an investigation into this matter. Thalduwa said that according to CID DIG, more..

Sep 29 (TM) President�s Counsel Anura Meddegoda has been appointed as the new President of Bar Association of SL (BASL), with President�s Counsel Razik Zarook as the new Deputy President. Meddegoda has over 40 years of legal experience, having served in the Attorney General�s Dept and as a Legal Adviser at The Hague�s UN Int'l Criminal Tribunal. Zarook is a senior Attorney-at-Law with a history of leadership roles, including as former Chair of Insurance Regulatory Commission more..

Sep 29 (Island) There is yet no clear explanation of how a large number of voters at the prez election on Sept. 21 spoilt their votes. Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayaka said that they will look at the rejected votes to understand why this happened. This process will take at least another week, he said. There was speculation that some voters have marked both crosses and numbers but there was no confirmation of this. About 1-2% of the votes cast have always been rejected more..

Sep 29 (ST) Voters who earlier backed other candidates and the usual smaller number from the JVP contributed to comfortable victory of NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Sept 21 prez election. He secured only 418,553 or just 3.16% of the votes in the prez election in 2019. This is from 15,992,006 registered voters. Phenomenal increase to 5,634,915 or 42.37% from among 17,140,354 voters was not widely expected. more..

Sep 30 (CT) The victory of Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Prez Election was an epoch-making event. Int'l reception to AKD�s victory from IMF, WB and Mooney are encouraging. The local stock market, tourism sector and exporters have reacted positively. Japan has promised to restart the eleven stalled projects. And the prez�s stability first and reforms later shows how pragmatic this individual is, which demolishes all scaremongering and scurrilous campaign against him and more..

Sep 30 (ST) My dear Anura sahodaraya, I know you are busy with the task of setting up govt but I hope you still have time to read this letter. Congratulations on a truly historic victory. For the very first time, a common man in every sense of the word has made it to the very top. That this is possible in our nation makes us very proud. It is not just that a boy from Thambuttegama Central can beat elite contenders from Royal and St Thomas�. You also convinced 53 million voters that you are sincere more..

Sep 30 (ST) During the separatist war, the SL Army commandos, the Red Berets, were on the frontlines. They broke through the fortified enemy defences to pave the way for the infantry to advance, capture and hold territory once held by Tiger (LTTE) terrorists. In one such incident, a brave commando, who ventured to mount a surprise attack on the advancing enemy, found himself surrounded. He faced a full frontal surprise attack more..

Sep 30 (DM) Sri Lanka is at a historic juncture. Faced with its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and having defaulted on its external debt for the first time, the country recently saw unprecedented protests demanding systemic change. The former prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa was literally chased away in 2022, as protesters stormed his residence and swam in his pool. The political parties and their offshoots that have ruled the country since independence are unravelling. more..

Sep 30 (DM) Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Executive Committee member of NPP, appeared on a TV talk show, where he expressed appreciation for former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe�s efforts in leaving the Treasury in a stable financial condition. Abeysinghe noted that Wickremesinghe�s prudent fiscal management ensured that the incoming administration, led by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, would have adequate financial resources to maintain govt operations without more..

Sep 30 (CT) The JVP stands as one of SL�s most -significant and controversial political movements, with a history deeply rooted in the country�s tumultuous socio-political landscape. Emerging in the mid-1960s amidst widespread disenchantment with mainstream left-wing politics, the JVP was driven by the vision of Rohana Wijeweera, a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary determined to ignite a radical change. more..

Sep 30 (TM) The newly minted NPP caretaker Govt is rushing to corral their momentum to make a successful play at securing their power at the upcoming General Elections which will be held in mid-November. It seems the new Govt doesn�t want to rock the boat much before they are sure of their power base in the Legislature. Further, the new caretaker Govt, only three strong, is inundated with official duties and responsibilities. With just one week of governance under NPP experience, more..

Sep 30 (DM) In what is becoming almost a monotonous regular feature at UNHRC, that org presented a comprehensive report on SL authored by Commissioner of Human Rights earlier in Sept this year. It called on the govt to take responsible and meaningful action to determine and disclose the fate and whereabouts of tens of thousands of people who have been subjected to enforced disappearance over the decades. It also called on govt to hold those responsible to account. more..

Sep 30 (CT) By setting the ball rolling for the next Parliamentary Polls on 14 Nov just a day after assuming the high office of the nation�s Executive Presidency, NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has kept the election fever lingering for now, and shooting up all over again in the coming weeks, until at least the D-day. In doing so, he possibly became the first Prez, with the nation�s third female PM Harini Amarasuriya, in tow, to stay on in office without having faced Parliament more..

Sep 30 (FT) In 2024, as technology advances and reshapes the future workforce, the underrepresentation of women in STEM remains a significant challenge. Despite the growing demand for skilled professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), women only account for 34% of the STEM workforce. This disparity starts early, with girls and women being systematically steered away from science and math throughout their education. more..

Sep 30 (CI) New Zealand battled on day four, with overnight batters Glenn Phillips, and Tom Blundell completing half centuries, before Mitchell Santner struck 67, batting partly in the company of the tail. But this fight only served to throw into relief their abysmal 88 in the first innings, rather than provide any serious hope of avoiding even an innings defeat. In the end, having played out 40.4 overs on day 4, they lost their final wicket more..

Sep 30 (Island) Death of anyone diminishes us, we say with apologies to the verse virtuoso, John Donne, but the demise of good people diminishes us even more. It was with shock and sorrow that we received the news about the untimely death of veteran political leader, Kumara Welgama, on Saturday. Welgama lived up to his first name, enjoying as he did his life to the fullest�at his own expense, unlike many other politicians�but without losing the common touch. more..

Sep 30 (FT) A recent session organised by the Policy Advocacy and Economic Contribution Committee (PAEC Committee) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of SL (CA SL) focused on how the private sector can act as a catalyst in fighting corruption, with a specific emphasis on the responsibilities of directors. CIABOC is essential for promoting accountability and combating corruption in SL. The recently enacted Anti-Corruption Act, No. 9 of 2023, plays a pivotal role in reinforcing more..

Sep 30 (FT) Initial Public Offering (IPO) of leading mobility solutions app, PickMe owner Digital Mobility Solutions Lanka Ltd, has drawn demand worth over Rs. 4 billion, reflecting an oversubscription by four times. The IPO involved issuance of shares worth Rs. 1.56 billion (43,474,179 existing ordinary voting shares at Rs. 36 each), and when it closed on the opening day itself on 13 Sept, the demand had been for shares worth Rs. 4.2 billion. The shareholding percentage on offer is 13.04%. more..

Sep 30 (CI) Sanath Jayasuriya's contract as men's head coach is likely to be extended for a year, following his success with the SL team over the past few months. The team has beaten India in an ODI series, won a Test at The Oval, and another in Galle against NZ since he took over as interim coach in early July. SLC had advertised the permanent head coach position following Chris Silverwood's exit in late June. But with at least two of SL's three sides showing signs of improvement under more..

Sep 30 (CI) Sri Lanka's dominant series win against New Zealand has been one to savour not just for the way they won the second Test but also because it allows, even fleetingly, for them to ponder the prospect of a World Test Championship [WTC] final berth next year. As things stand Sri Lanka are placed third behind Australia and India on the WTC points table, but only 6.94 percentage points behind second-placed Australia, more..

Sep 30 (DN) MF Muhammad of Zahira College, a member of SL�s national swimming squad, exhibited extraordinary talent at the All Island National School Games Swimming Championship, event concluded on Friday at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Pool Complex. Muhammad not only won three gold medals but also set three new meet records, earning the highest FINA points across all events. Competing in the U-18 category, the 16-year-old Muhammad dominated pool in all his events, more..

Sep 30 (CT) Energy security is as crucial as food security for a nation. Without a stable and reliable energy supply, industries stall, economies weaken and daily life becomes unsustainable. Today countries with abundant fossil fuel sources are energy self-reliant while those with fewer hydrocarbon deposits become dependent on others with plentiful oil deposits. Sustainable Development Goal 7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is about ensuring access to more..

Sep 30 (TM) Govt is currently evaluating offers submitted by several prospective investors for the joint development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm in partnership with Trinco Petroleum Terminal (TPTL). Lanka IOC (LIOC) Managing Director Dipak Das revealed that the Govt had carried out an Expression of Interest (EOI) process in order to identify a suitable strategic investor for the joint development of the 61 oil tanks of more..

Sep 30 (CI) Stats highlights from Galle, where Sri Lanka crushed New Zealand by an innings and 154 runs. 6: Test wins for Sri Lanka in 2024, the joint-second-most for them in a calendar year. Sri Lanka won eight of the 13 Tests played in 2001 and six wins in 2006 out of the 11 matches. 6-0: Sri Lanka have won all the six Test matches they played against New Zealand at the Galle. These are the most matches played by a team at a venue against an opponent, winning all of them. more..

Sep 30 (DM) The current tax system along with policy inconsistency and other restrictions to doing business, are driving more Sri Lankan businesses to relocate operations overseas and also more professionals to migrate, according to National Taxpayer Perception Study - Sri Lanka 2024. However, Sri Lanka�s business community had mixed views in terms of the impact of tax burden and incentives compared with other countries or regions in which their businesses operate. more..

Sep 30 (TM) The deadline to make final payments on income tax for 2023/2024 ends today (30). Inland Revenue Department (IRD) last week urged all taxpayers to ensure they make their final income tax payments for the Year of Assessment 2023/2024 on or before 30 Sept. Issuing a notice to taxpayers, it warned failure to meet this deadline may result in penalties and interest charges. The penalties and interest imposed for non-payment or late payment of income tax will not be waived or reduced, more..

Sep 30 (TM) Central Bank is likely to hold on to policy rates until the Budget 2025 which should provide fiscal targets agreed between the IMF and the new govt, Bloomberg Economics said. Accordingly, The Central Bank held rates on Friday (27), even though it has space to continue easing, suggesting that it prefers to wait for more clarity on the new prez�s fiscal plans and his approach toward the IMF. �Any disagreement between the parties could spook markets and hurt the rupee. more..

Sep 30 (FT) SL has requested a four-month stay of proceedings in the ongoing case with Hamilton Reserve Bank in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The request aims to provide the necessary time to finalise legal documentation and fully implement the restructuring agreements, including negotiating the terms of new securities to be issued in the exchange offer. Clifford Chance US, on behalf of the SL Govt, more..

Sep 30 (Island) Former Director General (Community Affairs) in the Presidential Secretariat Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon yesterday alleged that interested parties, including a section of the media, had sought to discredit some of those who served the previous administration. The ongoing coverage of the vehicles, alleged to have been abandoned by those who used them at the time of the Sept. 21 Prez Election, was nothing but a despicable bid to direct public anger towards them, more..

Sep 30 (SM) Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is scheduled to visit SL next Friday for high-level talks with the newly elected Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The visit, set to last one day, comes as a significant step in solidifying diplomatic ties between the 2 countries, with several important Indian projects on the agenda. Traditionally, newly elected SL presidents make their first official visit to New Delhi; however, this meeting will mark a shift, with Dr. Jaishankar visiting Colombo instead. more..