As of September 2024, the total number of active government pensioners in Sri Lanka stands at 717,347, according to the Department of Pensions. These pensioners include 392,966 civil service pensioners, 187,913 widows and orphans fund pensioners, and 136,468 retired military personnel. Over the first nine months of the year, the total expenditure for pensions amounted…
The newly formed Sri Lankan government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has decisively rejected UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolution 51/1, which aims to extend the mandate of an external evidence-gathering mechanism on alleged human rights violations. On October 8, the Cabinet, under President Dissanayake, resolved that Sri Lanka will address human rights concerns,…
Diplomatic missions that took a keen interest in the outcome of the presidential election have lost no time in reaching out to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake after his victory. Prior to the election it appeared that former president Ranil Wickemesinghe was the favourite of the Western bloc of countries. T hey made frequent public statements…
Fmr. cricket legend – Sanath Jayasuriya has been appointed as the head coach of the national team, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced. The appointment came into effect on October 1, 2024, and will remain until March 31, 2026. The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket made this decision taking into consideration the team’s good performances…
The Meteorology Department has said that the Intertropical Convergence Zone, where winds from the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere converge, will further affectnn the island’s weather. Accordingly, showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts, it said. Showers or thundershowers will occur elsewhere at…
Sri Lanka has made significant progress in its debt restructuring efforts, finalizing a key agreement in September 2024 with international sovereign bondholders (ISBs) and bilateral creditors, including China, India, and Japan. This agreement marks a crucial step in the country’s economic recovery following its 2022 sovereign default and the subsequent economic crisis. International Sovereign Bonds…
Journalist Kalpa Gunaratne was arrested and later released on bail following an incident at the Colombo International Book Fair. The incident in question occurred near a sales stall, where a dispute escalated involving a bouncer, hired externally by the organizing entity, and a customer. The bouncer, tasked with preventing book thefts, allegedly verbally abused the…
Vidarshana Kannangara, a leader of the *Jana Aragala Vyaparaya* who defected from the movement to support President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in the recently held presidential election, has voiced strong dissatisfaction over a recent police appointment. Kannangara, who backed Dissanayake instead of the movement’s candidate Nuwan Bopage in the September 21 presidential election, criticized the appointment…
Nominations for the 2024 General Election officially opened this morning, October 4, across 22 electoral districts. This process takes place at district secretariats, as candidates prepare to vie for a position in the Parliament of Sri Lanka.
A special meeting at Police Headquarters was convened to assess the progress of high-profile investigations into crimes, fraud, and other controversial cases in Sri Lanka. Chaired by Ravi Seneviratne, the newly appointed Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, the meeting focused on both ongoing and stalled inquiries. Acting Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya,…
