- The Ministry of Defense has been petitioned in the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn a directive that requires individuals holding firearms for personal protection under licensed permits to return them. The petition was filed by H.D. Navinthaka de Silva, CEO of Avenra Hotel Group, who argues that the decision poses a significant risk to his safety.
- The All Ceylon Egg Traders’ Association has called on the government to introduce a pricing formula to stabilize the price of eggs in the market. The Secretary of the association Anura Marasinghe stated that it costs less than Rs. 25 to produce an egg, making it feasible to sell them at a price of Rs. 35 per egg.
- Two elephants killed in fuel train collision: Investigation launched on train’s speed. The incident, which occurred early yesterday, tragically resulted in the death of two wild elephants and left another seriously injured. The train, en route to Batticaloa, was transporting fuel when it struck the elephants, causing the derailment.
- Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation, Vijitha Herath, has directed officials to ensure vehicle revenue licenses issued in the Western Province are seamlessly connected with other provinces. The Ministry of Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation confirmed this in an official statement.
- The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has clarified that no new decision has been taken against competitive procurement of diesel. Issuing a statement, the CEB said that recent articles in media on competitive procurement had misinterpreted the word fuel. The CEB pointed out that it uses three types of petroleum fuels, which are Heavy Fuel Oil, Naphtha, and Diesel, to generate electricity.
- The Inland Revenue Department announced that the number of people required to pay taxes this year has increased by 160 percent compared to last year. The Inland Revenue Department has reported a significant rise in the number of taxpayers for the assessment year 2023/2024.
- Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, National Integration, Social Security and Mass Media Vijitha Herath emphasized the need for the National Film Corporation to adapt to contemporary times, compete with private entities, and progress accordingly.
- Senior Professor Kapila Senevirathne has been appointed as the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
- The Pre-Election Budgetary Position Report 2024 released by the Ministry of Finance says that the undisbursed balance of multilateral foreign financing from already committed loans stood at USD 1,696 million, expected to be utilized over the next 3-5 years. As of the end of August 2024, Sri Lanka has secured foreign financing agreements totaling USD 398.7 million with various development partners and lending agencies.
- Sri Lanka has made a winning start in the SAFF Women’s Championship-2024 today, defeating the Maldives. Sri Lanka edged Maldives, one goal to nil, in the first match of the Group B played at the Dashrath Stadium at Tripureshwar.
