- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials of the Ministry of Finance to take necessary action to provide a monthly interim allowance of Rs. 3,000 to all pensioners, from next week. After reviewing the delay in adding the Rs. 3,000 allowance to the October pension, the President directed that this amount be credited to the pensioners’ accounts within the next week.
- The nominations from 690 recognised political parties and independent groups were accepted nationwide for the 2024 General Election, the National Election Commission announced. According to the Election Commission, 74 nomination papers were rejected due to various reasons.
- A consignment of canned fish, containing the toxic heavy metal ‘Arsenic’, has been found from the Customs storage complex in Orugodawatte. The Department of Government Information said in a statement that the consignment of five containers is valued at USD 215,000.
- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that he had a productive virtual discussion today with USAID Administrator Samantha Power, exploring future cooperation and how USAID can support Sri Lanka’s development initiatives.
- The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), DIG Rohan Premaratne has been transferred to serve as the DIG of Western Province (North). At the same time, DIG P. Ampavila has been transferred to the CID Range to serve as its new DIG.
- Sri Lanka Police are requesting the public to call the special hotline ‘1997’ to provide any information regarding the misuse of the government-owned vehicles. The police headquarters requests the public to report any information related to the vehicles issued by the government for various official purposes that may have been unlawfully concealed in certain locations or have been neglected after being parked in certain places and left to dilapidate.
- Sunil Keerthi Nanayakkara, Operations Director of Consumer Action Network Mental Health Lanka (CAN MH Lanka), presented a butterfly logo to the Prime Minister in honor of World Mental Health Day, which falls on October 10, 2024. CAN MH Lanka, established in 2012, advocates for mental health awareness and education. This year’s World Mental Health Day, themed “Mental Health at Work,” focuses on promoting mental well-being in the workplace.
- Two Sri Lankan peacekeepers stationed with the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon have been injured after a nearby village was targeted by an Israeli airstrike, Sri Lanka’s Military Spokesperson confirmed. He stated that the two Sri Lankan Army personnel attached to the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon sustained minor injuries when Israeli tanks fired at a watchtower in Naqoura, Lebanon
- Workers’ remittances amounted to USD 555.6 million in September 2024, reflecting a slight decrease compared to the USD 577.5 million recorded in August. However, the figure marks an improvement from September 2023, when remittances stood at USD 482.4 million.
- The Premier Hockey League (PHL) Sri Lanka 2024, an exciting new addition to the nation’s sports calendar, organized by the Next Generation Development Hockey Society, will begin today (Saturday) at the newly renovated Polytan blue artificial Astro Turf in Reid Avenue, Colombo. The opening ceremony will take place at 5:30 p m, with the tournament running until November 10.
