Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as the 9th Executive of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. He was ceremonially sworn in as the country’s new President before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka conducted special discussions with the heads of the security forces today (23). Accordingly, the meetings focused on the security measures currently in place to safeguard the country.

Former Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne has been appointed as the Secretary to the Public Security Ministry by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Seneviratne was the former Senior DIG of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Air Vice Marshal (Rtd) Sampath Thuyacontha has been appointed as the new Secretary of Defence by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Thuyacontha retired from the Sri Lanka Air Force on November 26, 2021 after completing more than 33 years of service. Thuyacontha, born in Colombo on the 26th of November 1966 is a product of Thurstan College, Colombo.

Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, met with National People's Power (NPP)’s Harini Amarasuriya today (23), congratulating her on Anura Kumara Dissanayake's presidential win. Jha also discussed ongoing India-Sri Lanka bilateral initiatives during the meeting.

The Director of the Planning Division at the National Institute of Education (NIE) in Maharagama has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the controversial leak of the Grade 5 Scholarship examination paper.

Voting of the Presidential election concluded at 4:00 PM today. Voting began at 7:00 AM, with nearly 17,140,354 voters exercising their rights at 13,421 polling stations across the island. The Election Commission announced that the first results, reflecting the postal votes, will be released before midnight.

The recently concluded presidential election will go down in history as the most peaceful ever held in Sri Lanka, according to the Election Commission. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake stated that no incidents of violence were reported during the voting period.

The first result of the 2024 Presidential election can be released by midnight today, Election Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake said. He told the media that the release of the first election result, whether from postal or polled votes, depends on the efficiency of the officers at the counting centres.

A curfew will be imposed if the need arises and it will be enforced strictly if violence erupts, Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles told journalists today.

A sixty-eight-year-old person who was an observer representing the Samagi Jana Balawega (SJB) at the Sivali Central College polling centre, Ratnapura died of a sudden cardiac arrest, Ratnapura police said.

Election monitoring body, People’s Action for Free & Fair Elections (PAFFREL) says voter turnout for Sri Lanka’s 2024 Presidential Election was reported at 75-80%.

Final preparations are underway for the Presidential elections tomorrow to elect the 9th Executive President of the country. Ballot boxes are being dispatched to polling stations along with election officers to 13,421 polling centres across the country.

Founder of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and former Minister Basil Rajapaksa left for Dubai from the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this morning, the airport Duty Manager said. He left for Dubai on Emirates Airlines (EK-649) at 03.05 a.m.

The scrutiny of answer scripts for the 2024 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination has been suspended due to the ongoing investigations into the leak of the first paper in Anuradhapura, Education Ministry Secretary J.M. Thilaka Jayasundara said.

The Commonwealth Election Monitoring delegation, led by former President of Seychelles, Danny Faure, met President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Presidential Secretariat this morning, the President's Media Division (PMD) said. The delegation discussed the progress of their current tour, including their deployment plan around the country.

A 45-year-old man was shot and killed this morning near the Nedimala Cricket Ground in Dehiwala by two unidentified men on a motorcycle.

The Sri Lankan Mission in Lebanon has issued a safety alert for Sri Lankans residing in the country following a series of blasts targeting Hezbollah militants' communication devices, resulting in numerous casualties.

The National Security Council, chaired by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, held a meeting today (19) at the Presidential Secretariat to discuss preparations for the 2024 Presidential election.

Canada announced Wednesday it was slashing international student permits next year, and tightening foreign worker rules to further bring down the number of temporary residents in the country.

Three persons, including the invigilator, who were on duty at the examination centre of the Rathmale Thissa Maha Vidyalaya in Anuradhapura were to be suspended over the leakage of a Grade 5 Scholarship Examination question paper, North Central Provincial Education Director S.M.W. Samarakoon said.

The Examinations Department and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have launched an investigation into concerns raised over the first paper of the recently held Grade 5 Scholarship examination.

Sri Lanka has reached agreements with external commercial creditors to restructure approximately USD 17.5 bn of external debt, achieving a 40.3% Net Present Value (NPV) concession, the President’s Media Division said.

The Education Ministry today announced the closure of all schools tomorrow (20) as requested by the Election Commission. The schools will reopen on Monday (23).

The Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) has announced a trade union action tomorrow (18), targeting hospitals across the country, GMOA spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said.

Six teachers, including a school principal in an examination centre in Anuradhapura, who had allegedly shared the first question paper of the Grade Five scholarship examination using a mobile phone, were taken into custody by the officials of the Examinations Department.

Over the past 76 years, politics in the country has turned into a massive business, causing widespread hardships, Presidential candidate Janaka Rathnayaka said.

SJB presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa, addressing a rally, pledged to provide targeted fuel subsidies to essential workers, including farmers, fishermen, three-wheeler drivers and school van/bus operators.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the presidential candidate of the National People’s Power (NPP), has pledged to completely remove VAT on essential sectors such as food, education, and healthcare.

PAFFREL has received reports from the Nuwara Eliya area over a group distributing boxes of matches featuring a Presidential candidate's picture and election symbol on either side. Executive Director of PAFFREL, Rohana Hettiarachchi, said he has informed the Assistant Commissioner of Elections for the Nuwara Eliya district about this issue.