Category: Breaking News

AFP- Donald Trump claimed victory and pledged to “heal” the country Wednesday as results put him on the verge of beating Kamala Harris in a stunning White House comeback.

His exuberant speech came despite the fact that only Fox News had declared him the winner, with no other US networks having made the call so far.

As jubilant supporters cheered and chanted “USA”, Trump took to the stage at his campaign headquarters in Florida along with his wife Melania and several of his children.

“We are going to help our country heal,” the Republican former president said.

“It’s a political victory that our country has never seen before.”

US networks have called the swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina for the 78-year-old, and he led the Democratic vice president in the others although they have not been called yet.

Gloom swiftly descended on Harris’s camp.

“You won’t hear from the vice president tonight but you will hear from her tomorrow,” Cedric Richmond, Harris campaign co-chair, told a watch party in Washington as supporters left.

In a further blow to Democrats, Trump’s Republican Party also seized control of the Senate, flipping two seats to overturn a narrow Democratic majority.

A Trump victory threatens to cause shockwaves around the world, as US allies in Europe and Asia fear a return of his nationalist policies and his praise of autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

But the US dollar surged and bitcoin hit a record high while most equity markets advanced as traders bet on a victory for Trump as the results rolled in.

– Mood shift –

Polls for weeks had shown a knife-edge race between Harris and Trump, who would be the oldest ever president at the time of inauguration, the first felon president and only the second in history to serve non-consecutive terms.

Trump also faces sentencing in a criminal case over hush money payments on November 26, while the controversy over his denial of his 2020 election defeat by Joe Biden still persists.

But in the end victory came surprisingly quickly.

The mood shifted sharply at Harris’s watch party in Howard University — her former college and a historically Black university in Washington — as the results came in.

“I am scared,” said Charlyn Anderson. “I am anxious now. I am leaving, my legs can barely move.”

In contrast, the celebrations intensified at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and the watch party nearby.

Tech tycoon Elon Musk, who has backed Trump and stands to lead a government efficiency commission under him, posted a picture of himself with the Republican.

“Game, set and match,” Musk said on X, the social media network he owns along with the Tesla electric vehicle firm and the Space X company.

Millions of Americans had lined up throughout Election Day — and millions more voted early — in a race with momentous consequences for the United States and the world.

They were deciding whether to either hand a historic comeback to Trump or make Harris the first woman in the world’s most powerful job.

In a stark reminder of the tension — and fears of outright violence — dozens of bomb threats were made against polling stations in Georgia and Pennsylvania.

The FBI said the threats appeared to originate in Russia, which is accused by Washington of trying to meddle in the election. The threats were all hoaxes but succeeded in disrupting proceedings.

– Dark rhetoric –

Harris, 60, had aiming to be only the second Black and first person of South Asian descent to be president.

She made a dramatic entrance into the race when Biden dropped out in July, while Trump — twice impeached while president — has since ridden out two assassination attempts and a criminal conviction.

She hammered home her message that Trump was a threat to democracy and her opposition to Trump-backed abortion bans.

Trump has vowed an unprecedented deportation campaign of millions of undocumented immigrants, in a campaign full of dark rhetoric.

The election is being watched closely around the world including in the war zones of Ukraine and the Middle East. Trump has indicated he will cut aid to Kyiv’s battle against the Russian invasion.

In the wake of concerns raised by some parties over the government’s stance on the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Minister Vijitha Herath said today the government had not changed its stance on the need to amend or abolish PTA while stating that the PTA will be taken up for discussion in the new parliament.

He told the Cabinet briefing that he was misquoted by some media on an earlier occasion where he explained the matter and said the government had not adopted a double standard on the matter as claimed by some politicians in the north.

The Minister stressed that the PTA will not be amended or abolished at this juncture but, it will be taken up for discussion on the new parliament is convened.

High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha and Secretary, Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka, Dr. Palitha Mahipala jointly inaugurated the newly constructed surgical unit at the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital on 04 November 2024.

Government Agent Batticaloa, Muralidharan; Eastern Provincial Health Secretary and Municipal Commissioner Batticaloa, Sivalingam; Director, Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, Dr. Kalaranchane Ganeshalingam; senior officials from the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka, Eastern Provincial Council and Batticaloa District Administration; and staff of the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, among others, attended the event.

The need for a new surgical ward was identified at the hospital around 2015 due to the escalating number of patients admitted to wards, and the growing number of surgeries performed.

At the time of the proposal, approximately 1280 patients were on waiting lists for surgeries.

Due to the hospital’s limited facilities, patients had to face excessive waiting times.

At the request of the Government of Sri Lanka, the Government of India agreed to extend assistance for construction of the new surgical unit.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in February 2016, for grant assistance from India of SLR 275 million towards the project.

Subsequently, the Government of India infused additional funds, taking the total Indian commitment to SLR 302 million for the project.

The scope of the project encompassed construction of a two-story building with an approximate total floor area of 1464 square meters, with four state-of-the-art operation theatres and ten ICU beds, along with essential infrastructure such as IT works, mechanical works, electrical work, water supply and drainage systems.

Though the Covid-19 pandemic and economic difficulties in the country posed some challenges over the course of the project, the original scope of work was recently completed, which was followed by testing and commissioning of the facility.

In addition, based on requests from the hospital authorities, Government of India approved and executed several additional elements such as integrating components including generators, medical gas, and electrical systems from the neighbouring renal care unit into the new surgical unit.

At the inauguration ceremony, Secretary, Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka, Dr. Mahipala conveyed the gratitude of the Government of Sri Lanka to the Government of India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of India for the project, which fulfills a significant requirement in unimpeded provision of critical medical services by the hospital.

In this regard, Director, Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, Dr. Kalaranchane Ganeshalingam highlighted that the newly built surgical unit is expected to reduce 50% of the waiting lists for surgeries, and benefit 3,000 to 5,000 new patients each year, thus considerably improving access to quality healthcare services in the region.

High Commissioner Jha highlighted various proposed, planned and ongoing bilateral projects—both, investment-led and grant assistance-based—in Sri Lanka, particularly in the Eastern Province.

On the investment front, he cited the development of tank farms, solar power plant in Sampur and the multiproduct pipeline.

On the development assistance front, he recalled the construction and renovation of 4000 houses in the Eastern Province under the first two phases of the Indian Housing Project, which encompassed a total of 46,000 houses; treatment at Indian emergency medical units to thousands of patients in 2009-10 in the aftermath of the armed conflict; livelihood sustenance assistance extended from time to time to the fishing community of the Province; rail-bus service set up between Trincomalee and Batticaloa; projects for infrastructure upgradation and equipment supply carried out at over 500 educational centres, including the Eastern University and vocational training centres at Vantharamullai and Onthachimadam; support provided to empowerment of women through livelihood activities; financial assistance being extended to students at Eastern University from economically weaker sections of society; among other salient initiatives.

The High Commissioner also underscored that last year, India has committed to a new package of multi-sectoral grant assistance of around 2.35 billion Sri Lankan Rupees for the Eastern Province.

A framework for cooperation on 33 livelihood sustenance projects is close to being finalized under the package.

The newly inaugurated surgical unit at Batticaloa Teaching Hospital adds to a long list of development cooperation initiatives of India in Sri Lanka in the health sector, a few salient examples of which include the island-wide 1990 Suwa Seriya ambulance service; medical assistance rendered in the wake of the armed conflict as well as, more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic; construction of 150-bed multi-specialty hospital at Dickoya; and infrastructure creation and upgradation, as well as equipment supply at, Jaffna Teaching Hospital and District Hospitals at Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, among others.

The National Election Commission says that all official ballot papers have been directed to district returning officers by now.

The Commission’s Chairman RMAL Ratnayake says that the ballot papers have been deposited in vaults located in the Divisional Secretariats.

A total of 17,140,354 ballot papers have been printed for the 2024 general election

The People’s Republic of China has agreed to provide the total amount of around 11.82 million meters of fabric required to be provided for schoolchildren as uniform materials for the year 2025.

Thus, after testing the sample sent to the Ministry of Education in relation to the relevant stock of fabric by the Sri Lanka Textile and Garment Institute (SLITA), it has been recommended that the fabric is suitable for use by school students.

Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Prime Minister as the Minister of Education, Science and Technology to accept the Chinese Government’s grant for providing uniforms to all school students for the year 2025.

District Returning Officers and Assistant Election Commissioners have been summoned to the Election Commission today (06) to discuss preparations for the upcoming parliamentary election.

The Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake, stated, “A discussion is scheduled this morning regarding the parliamentary election to be held on November 14, 2024, with the participation of District Returning Officers, District Deputy and Assistant Commissioners.”

He added that the meeting would be chaired by the Chairman of the Election Commission and with the participation of all Commission members, as well as senior officials including the Commissioner General and Additional Commissioners, at the commission’s main office.

“It is expected to inform about the activities related to the election to be held in the coming days. All relevant officials will participate for that,” Ratnayake said.