- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake pledges to expedite investigations into the Easter Sunday bomb attacks and ensure justice for the victims: also vows to prevent such tragedies from recurring: The President made these assurances during a discussion with families of those affected at St. Sebastian’s Church, Katuwapitiya, where he laid floral tributes at the victims’ memorial: The President also answered the questions raised by the victims’ families who attended the event, guaranteeing that justice will be served.
- The Election Commission declares six political parties’ ineligibility to contest the upcoming General Election due to their failure to resolve issues surrounding party secretaryships: These parties are Eelawar Democratic Front, United Peoples Freedom Alliance, Eksath Lanka Podujana Party, Eksath Lanka Maha Sabha Party, Lanka Peoples Party, and Sri Lanka Progressive Front: The Commission stressed discussions to resolve the aforementioned issues had been undertaken, only to meet dead ends.
- Police Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa confirms former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s security detail, comprising 50 Special Task Force (STF) personnel, will remain unchanged: However, the number of personnel required for his security will be reviewed and adjusted accordingly in the near future.
- Former State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe expresses support for the current government’s continuation of the vehicle import resumption policy initiated by the previous administration: clarifies that this policy, aligned with IMF guidelines, was carefully staged to protect foreign reserves and stabilise the economy: criticises false claims about the policy’s origins and praises its responsible implementation for economic recovery.
- Sri Lanka’s Department of Census and Statistics will begin collecting personal and housing data for the 15th population census today (07): Director General Anoja Senevirathne says around 50,000 officials will visit households nationwide: The census, typically conducted every 10 years, was delayed due to COVID-19 and the economic crisis, with the last one held in 2012.
- Sri Lanka’s Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry is set to achieve $3 billion in exports by 2024, driven by high-value services like financial analysis and IT: Supported by government policies, cutting-edge technology, and a skilled workforce, the sector is growing 20% annually: Advanced technologies and a shift to hybrid work models are further boosting Sri Lanka’s global outsourcing leadership.
- Acting Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya directs all police stations to address pending minor complaints lodged by the public within the next two weeks: Police Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa announced the directive on 6 October, emphasising the need for timely action on unresolved matters.
- The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) launches a programme to recover unpaid taxes by visiting defaulters’ premises following the September 30 deadline: Despite collecting 70% of its Rs.2,024 billion target, the IRD aims to recover the remaining dues: Commissioner General Sepalika Chandrasekera confirms legal measures will be pursued for unpaid taxes, emphasising the department’s focus on meeting its highest-ever revenue target.
- Police arrest 40 foreigners involved in online financial scams, including 30 Chinese, 4 Indian, and 6 Thai nationals: The arrests took place in a Gampaha hotel and a private institution in Hanwella: Seized items including 499 mobile phones, 25 laptops, and 29 desktop computers have been sent for forensic examination: The group was apprehended yesterday (06) morning.
- A team of Sri Lankan students from Dharmapala College, St. Sebastian’s College, and Elizabeth Moir School won the prestigious Zhang Heng Award for Engineering Design at the 6th Global Challenge Robotics Competition 2024 in Athens, Greece: Competing against 193 countries, they placed sixth overall: Their innovation secured first place, followed by Colombia and India: The team was welcomed home recently.
