Category: Local News

A court Wednesday ordered the arrest of Sri Lanka’s top military officer in connection with the abduction and murder of 11 people during the island’s civil war.

Five Brigadiers of the Sri Lanka Army had been promoted to the rank of Major General while 25 Lieutenant Colonels had been promoted to the rank of Colonel by President Maithripala Sirisena.

President Maithripala Sirisena left Colombo this morning (Aug 29) to attend the 4th Summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), which will be held from tomorrow until 31 August in Kathmandu.

The government is keen to sign Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with other countries in order to position Sri Lanka as the largest trading market in the region, State Minister of Finance and Mass Media Eran Wickramaratne said.

President Maithripala Sirisena says there is no differentiation or discrimination in the development of the country and the responsibility of delivering development benefits for the people living in the Northern and Eastern provinces will be fulfilled.

The police in Kottayam, Kerala were alarmed as a caravan of trucks bearing flags similar to that of the Tamil terrorist group LTTE arrived there with flood relief material, reported Indian Media.

The ailing SriLankan Airlines has paid the Bank of Ceylon (BoC) over Rs 4.25 billion and around USD 5.8 million, till 31 January 2018, for the outstanding loans since December 2014, it was revealed at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on irregularities at SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka yesterday.

The Special High Court today issued notice on former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and six others to appear before the court on September 10 over the alleged misappropriation of public funds for the construction of the D. A. Rajapaksa memorial museum at Weeraketiya.

One passenger has died and at least 27 more passengers were injured when a bus skidded off the road and toppled into a precipice at Alugolla in Badulla this morning.

He was speaking at a public meeting in Pliyandala. MP Wimal Weerawansa added:

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has earned over Rs.110 million during the past year (2017) by carrying out raids on power pirates, the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy said.

A 31- years-old woman had been shot dead at the Jumma Junction in Maligawatte a short while ago, the Police said.

President Maithripala Sirisena today visited Medamulana in Weeraketiya to pay his last respects to the late Chandra Tudor Rajapaksa, the brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

China wants to build houses and roads in Sri Lanka’s north, much of which is in a state of disrepair nearly a decade after the end of civil war, Chinese and Sri Lankan officials said, in a bid to expand it influence beyond the island’s south.

Sri Lanka’s Epidemiology Unit on Friday said 41 people had died and over 36,000 patients infected by dengue across Sri Lanka till August this year.

The Report of the Delimitation Committee for the Delimitation of Electorates in Provincial Councils was defeated in Parliament yesterday with 139 votes against.