- President Ranil Wickremesinghe assures Sri Lanka’s support to Japan’s and India’s campaigns to become permanent members of the UN Security Council: Japan’s Foreign Minister welcomes the news: stresses Asia requires greater representation on world stage.
- Regional Plantation Companies call for the lifting of the ban on oil palm cultivation: claim the RPCs have invested over Rs.26 bn on expansion of oil palm cultivation up to 12,000 hectares.
- CID arrests barber 37, from Kolonnawa for allegedly attempting to extort money from former first lady Ayoma Rajapaksa: Police say the suspect had telephoned and demanded Rs.1 mn.
- Tough resolution submitted by UNHRC Core Group of countries on Sri Lanka, to be taken for vote on 6th October: the highly offensive resolution against Sri Lanka is co-sponsored by US, UK, Canada & Germany, who regularly claim they are Sri Lanka’s “friendly countries”.
- President Ranil Wickremesinghe pledges to implement FTA with Singapore: Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong says his country is looking forward to investing in Sri Lanka again.
- ADB lowers Sri Lanka’s growth outlook to negative 8.8% this year from positive 2.4% as estimated before the debt default: also forecasts negative 3.3% growth next year, down from positive 2.5% forecast previously.
- Cardinal Ranjith calls on Elections Commission to hold Local Government polls in March next year: says people must be given opportunity to respond to “arrogant rulers”.
- SJB MP S M Marikkar says President Ranil Wickremesinghe will not be allowed to remain in power till 2024: warns the President will be surrounded from all sides wherever he resides, if he fails to resolve starvation and other issues.
- President Ranil Wickremesinghe attends state funeral of former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.
- Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration issues circular preventing public officials from expressing their opinions on social media without following the Establishment Code: deviations to be an offence leading to disciplinary action.
SRI LANKA ORIGINAL NARRATIVE SUMMARY: 28/09
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