=Sep 5 (CT) Rangana Herath and Vikram Rathour have linked up with the New Zealand Test squad, who are set to play six Tests in Asia over the next two months. Herath will be the spin-bowling coach for New Zealand�s next three Tests � one against Afghanistan and two in Sri Lanka � while Rathour will only be with the squad for the one-off Afghanistan Test in Greater Noida, India, starting Sept 9. �Both men are held in high regard in the world of cricket and I know our players are really looking forward more..

=Sep 5 (EN) Around 100 companies are now interested in the Port City, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said at the opening of �The Mall,� a newly constructed duty-free shopping complex in the Colombo Port City. �The development of shopping malls in the Port City is a key part of our strategy to enhance the region�s appeal and provide goods for tourists. This represents the beginning of a new era for the Port City,� Wickremesinghe said. �Approximately 100 companies are currently directing more..

Sep 5 (TM) SJB has decided not to accept the Defence Ministry's offer allowing MPs to purchase repeater guns and retain them even after their term of office has ended. The Ministry had informed the Secretary-General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadheera recently that MPs would be allowed to purchase two repeater shotguns each from their personal funds, and retain them even after they are out of office. When contacted and queried as to whether the SJB would accept the offer, more..

Sep 7 (CT) As SL approaches a crucial Presidential Election, the political and economic climate is dominated by campaign-centric rhetoric and lofty promises. All major candidates across the spectrum are laying out attractive and ambitious plans to attract votes, however, a serious question looms; How are they going to fund those promises at a time when the nation is facing serious fiscal constraints? Therefore, election promises must reflect the State�s socioeconomic reality rather than false promises more..

Sep 7 (CT) Every developing country is keen on attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and I am sure the manifestos of the candidates contesting the SL Presidency will be assuring the people that they will attract FDI to develop the country. However, there is some misunderstanding about what FDI is. Some wrongly think that the Japanese Light Rail project was an FDI. It was Japanese aid to Sri Lanka � aid in very generous terms which was rejected by the Gotabaya govt as more..

Sep 7 (CI) Ollie Pope planted his front foot, fixed his eyes on the ball, puffed out his cheeks and cut to the boundary to raise a century that mattered. Every one matters, of course, but with England all over SL on the opening day of this third Test and in a series already won, this was personal. Pope's seventh Test ton, scored against as many different opposition teams in a first for the game, came amid the intense pressure of four previous failures in a series more..

Sep 7 (Island) State Minister A. Aravindh Kumar is reported to have been evicted from a house belonging to an estate company, in Lindula, following a court order. In 1987, a case was filed against him for refusal to hand over the house, when he left the estate, where he had worked, according to newspaper reports. It took about 37 long years for the property to be returned to its rightful owner! Worryingly, court cases over such property disputes usually drag on for decades. more..

Sep 7 (Island) All four major contenders for the presidency come Sept 21, have released their manifestos: magnificently made castles in the air with a magnum of imagination; irresponsibly airy fairy; frankly tall tales. The latest released was by Namal Rajapaksa, with his father close at hand and four paternal uncles planting kisses on his cheek which translates for those watching � elders� approval. The moot point as pointed out by a TV news reader was his promise to eliminate corruption. more..

Sep 7 (AD) Sri Lanka Customs announced that for the first time in the history of the Customs Dept, it has achieved an annual custom revenue of Rs. 1 trillion so far this year. IMF has set a revenue target of Rs.1,534 billion for 2024. With the Rs.1,000 billion targets already met within the first eight months, Director General of Customs Sarath Nonis is confident that the annual target can be achieved within the next four months of the year, President�s Media Division (PMD) said. more..

Sep 7 (EN) Over 80% of the postal vote has been cast for Sept 21 presidential election, an official said. Deputy Postmaster General Rajitha K Ranasinghe told reporters that packets containing marked postal votes have been sent to their relevant post offices. �As of now, the postal department has received a lot of registered and secured packets containing marked ballot papers. These are now being distributed to relevant returning officers,� he said. more..

Sep 7 (DM) Claiming that the next Parliamentary session is scheduled for Oct 8, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that if he wins, he will not convene Parliament on October 8 but only after a general election. Speaking at a rally in Maradankadawala, he said the NPP will dissolve Parliament and rule the country as per the Constitution for one and half months until a general election is held. "Parliament was convened on Sept 3. That is the last session of Parliament for more than 150 MPs. more..

Sep 7 (FT) Free Trade Zone Manufacturers Association (FTZMA) yesterday expressed disappointment with the lack of support from the Board of Investment (BOI) in resolving the issuance of business visas for investors and called for immediate action. In a letter addressed to the BOI Chairman, FTZMA highlighted that following a Supreme Court determination, obtaining a business visa through a VFS service provider has been suspended for an indefinite period and against this backdrop, more..

Sep 7 (FT) Sri Lanka�s tourists arrivals in August fell significantly short of the monthly target, marking the largest gap seen so far this year. As per the provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) August saw a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 20.7%, with 164,609 arrivals compared to last year, however it still fell short by 38,298 visitors from the projected target of 202,907 for the month. The year-to-day (YTD) tourist arrivals reached 1.36 million. more..

Sep 7 (FT) The tourism industry is at a breaking point, with leaders yesterday warning of imminent street protests if the Government does not reactivate the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, as ordered by the Supreme Court on 2 August. Six key tourism associations including the SL Association of Inbound Tour Operations (SLAITO), The Hotels Association of SL (THASL), Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET), Tourism Alliance, more..

Sep 8 (ST) They say if you believe in election manifestos, you will believe in anything. More realistically, it was Sri Lanka's one-time north star, the late Singaporean PM Lee Kuan Yew, who famously said election promises in Sri Lanka were the auctioning of nonexistent resources. And so, the tradition continues. The contestants for the country�s top job have, no doubt, with arguably good intentions, got their respective teams to burn the midnight oil and piece together their wish list more..

Sep 8 (ST) My dear Uncle Ranil and Sajith, I am writing to both of you because we hear rumours of you getting together and becoming one team, with only days to go for the big race. So far, they have been just that, rumours. For all the speculation in both camps, it will not happen. It makes us wonder why we are even talking of such a possibility. What neither of you would like to admit is that, by contesting from two different camps, you are splitting the votes you get. more..

Sep 8 (TM) With just 10 days to go to conclude the Prez Election campaign period, the campaigns of the key contenders have reached their peak, with attacks, counter-attacks, pledges, and counter pledges. Last week however saw the pledges made by the three main contenders � Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, SJB candidate Sajith Premadasa, and NPP candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) � reach a fever pitch, more..

Sep 8 (DM) Parliamentarian Roshan Ranasinghe today announced a new vehicle import policy and said that he can import vehicles at prices up to 80 percent lower than the current market rates. Speaking to the media, he said that none of the candidates have included a vehicle import plan in their manifestos. He also criticised past rulers for importing luxury vehicles for themselves while not providing citizens the opportunity to purchase vehicles at more affordable prices. more..

Sep 8 (CT) The general view seems to be that Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa are the clear front runners, but opinions differ as to who is first and who is second depending on which candidate one is rooting for. The general view is also that Ranil Wickremesinghe is running third, but there is no definite indication of how close or far behind he is. Those who support him say that he is surging. But no one is seriously suggesting that either of the front runners could get over 50% more..

Sep 8 (CT) With barely two weeks left for the Perz Election, more political developments varying from resignations, sackings and backings are deemed to take place and last Thursday showcased almost all these developments with new alliances being formed and few State Ministers facing the axe. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe sacked four State Ministers from their positions with immediate effect. State Ministers removed are: Premalal Jayasekara, more..

Sep 8 (SO) Sri Lanka has a bloated public service, with more than 1.5 million public servants including the Armed Forces. This means that the public service has nearly 10 percent of the working or employable population, which is a high ratio for a population of just 22 million. Paradoxically, even with such a high percentage of public servants, there are thousands of vacancies in crucial sectors such as education and health. This leads to the inevitable conclusion that some in the public services more..

Sep 8 (TM) With every one of the hundreds of opinion polls being conducted these days suggesting a photo finish between SJB and NPP at the 21 Sep Prez Election, there are unmistakable signs of an imminent re-enactment of the high drama that engulfed the US following its last Prez Election in 2020. The men in the fray back then � Republican Donald Trump seeking re-election for a second term and Democratic challenger Joe Biden � were neck and neck in the race for months and more..

Sep 8 (Island) With two weeks left before the long awaited presidential election, the campaigns of the principal contenders widely perceived to be Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sajith Premadasa and the incumbent, Ranil Wickremesinghe � not necessarily in that order � are gaining momentum. Namal Rajapaksa was a late entry to the fray after billionaire businessman Dhammika Perera backed out for reasons he has not chosen to explain to the people. There have been defections by more..

Sep 8 (CT) The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in his office�s report to the upcoming 57th Session of the UNHRC, has called upon Member States to investigate and prosecute alleged perpetrators of international crimes committed by any party to the conflict in SL. High Commissioner Volker Turk has also asked the Council and Member States to �cooperate in investigating and prosecuting alleged perpetrators of international crimes committed by any party to the conflict in SL more..

Sep 8 (ST) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has decided to crack the whip and ask ministers and govt MPs to leave if they are not actively engaged in his election campaign and remain mere bystanders. This came after others working for the prez�s victory in the upcoming prez election requested him to do so. Prez has said that at this crucial time, there is no point in having ministers and MPs on his side unless they are working for more..

Sep 8 (AD) CID has reported facts to Colombo Magistrate�s Court today (6), pertaining to an investigation related to the information received of a possible attack on one of the candidates contesting the upcoming prez election. The presenting of facts was carried out at the chambers of the Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage, Ada Derana reporter said. However, the CID has informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate that the relevant investigation was launched based on more..

Sep 8 (Island) The Defence Ministry and Army Headquarters yesterday (06) denied the NPP�s allegation that a senior officer, based at the Wahera Sri Lanka National Guard (SLNG) training centre, Kurunegala, had ordered recruits to vote for President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sept. 05, the second day of the three-day postal voting period. Over 700,000 public servants, including the members of the police and military, are eligible to exercise their franchise through postal voting. more..

Sep 8 (Island) A NPP govt would ensure that Indian fishermen would not poach brazenly in Sri Lankan waters, depriving Sri Lankan fishermen of their livelihood, NPP presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in Jaffna on Thursday (05) evening. During his speech, Dissanayake urged voters in Jaffna to make a crucial choice between continuing the destructive political path Sri Lanka has followed, since independence, or joining the NPP in marking a new national resurgence. more..

Sep 8 (Island) With less than three weeks left to choose a President who will lead our country for the next five years, the urgency of our decision is palpable. Many of us, including myself, are still weighing our options. We often chose the lesser of two evils in past elections. However, this time, the issue of corruption seems to be taking precedence over economic stability for a significant number of voters. Many I have spoken to, particularly among the working class, more..

Sep 8 (FT) D. Samson and Sons Ltd., Emeritus Chairman Nandadasa Rajapaksa this week expressed confidence that the NPP, led by its Prez candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has the potential to develop SL if elected. Speaking at the NPP�s National Business Forum held at Monarch Imperial in Sri J'pura Kotte, Rajapaksa voiced his support for Dissanayake and emphasised the importance of five key core values essential more..

Sep 8 (Island) Finance Minister has more clout than the CB Governor but while the Finance Minister can be a person elected by the people and some strange ones have held the plumb portfolio, the Central Bank Governor, who has equal privileges as a Cabinet Minister, is generally chosen after careful consideration. The reason being that he plays a pivotal part in holding the economy together, making key decisions on monetary policy, financial stability and reserve management. more..

Sep 8 (ST) Nethmi Fernando created history yesterday as she beat Valeryia Mikitsich to clinch a historic bronze medal in the 53kg weight class at the 2024 U-20 World Championships Wrestling Tournament being held in Spain. Nethmi, who won a bronze medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the Women�s 57kg event, beat her opponent, neutral athlete Mikitsich by 6-2. This is her second int'l medal following the Birmingham Games in 2022, which marked SL�s first ever medal in more..

Sep 8 (CI) Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis rebuilt SL on a see-sawing second day that closed early due to bad light yet again, but this time the tourists could claim the better of the contest. After their bowlers had staged a remarkable turnaround to bundle England out for 325 from their overnight 221 for 3, SL slumped to 93 for 5 before Dhananjaya & Kamindu staged an unbroken stand worth 118 for 6th wicket to close the deficit. more..

Sep 8 (NW) TNA spokesman MA Sumanthiran has come to the defense of NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake after his remarks in North caused controversy. Dissanayake had said, �When the people of the South are rallying for change, if you oppose that change, imagine the mood of the people in the South. Do you want Jaffna to be seen as opponents of that change?� The comments were criticized as a threat to the Northern population specially by President Ranil Wickramasinghe. more..

Sep 8 (CI) Sanath Jayasuriya, SL's interim head coach, said that his team's success in frustrating Harry Brook had been integral to their fightback on the second day at the Kia Oval, as they reached the close on 211 for 5 in their first innings, trailing by just 114 after bowling England out for 325 in the morning session. England had seemed to be in a familiarly dominant position overnight, having raced to 221 for 3 in barely half a day's play on day one, but they then lost their last seven wickets for 104 more more..