Category: Local News

The Sri Lankan rupee closed firmer on Friday due to heavy inward remittances and as a bank sold dollars for a stock-related transaction, dealers said.

The Tamil National Alliance(TNA) is genuinely involved in the processes of forming a new Constitution, said Opposition Leader and leader of TNA R. Sampanthan.

President Maithripala Sirisena says in order to make the National Food Production drive a success, the Government will remove all the taxes on imported Agricultural Technological Equipment.

One-time Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE) Dew Gunasekera yesterday declined to comment on state banks, Bank of Ceylon, the People’s Bank and the National Savings Bank receiving instructions twice in 2016 to make bids at the treasury bond auctions at lower interest (yield) rates as that particular matter hadn’t been investigated by his committee.

The famous slogan put forward by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his Presidential campaign trail in the North was “known devil is better than unknown angel”.

The National Food Production Battle implemented under the guidance of President Maithripala Sirisena, will commence today (6th Oct.)

Petroleum Resources Development Minister Arjuna Ranatunga said that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will not increase fuel prices despite continuous requests by the Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC) for both parties to increase the price of petrol and diesel prices evenly.

More than 32 vehicles used by former Chief Ministers and MPs of North Central, Sabaragamuwa and Eastern Provincial Councils have not been handed over to the councils yet, Executive Director of Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon said yesterday.

Chairmen and senior officials of three major state banks––the Bank of Ceylon, the People’s Bank and the National Savings Bank–– testifying before the presidential commission of inquiry probing the bond scams yesterday said that on two occasions in 2016, the then Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake had instructed them to make bids at the treasury bond auctions at lower interest (yield) rates

Sri Lanka has blocked a proposal by Chinese firms bidding to build the island’s biggest oil refinery to sell fuel locally, fearing a threat to domestic firms that dominate the small but growing market.

The US Embassy in Colombo announced the start of the 2019 Diversity Visa Lottery Program, also known as the “Green Card” Lottery.

Minister of Ports and Shipping Mahinda Samarasinghe stated that the government has been praised by local and international bodies for the manner in which it responded to the mistreatment of the Rohingya refugees by radical groups in the nation.

The indictments filed against Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader MP Udaya Gammanpila and another accused for allegedly misappropriating Rs. 21 million following their alleged fraudulent share transaction that took place in 2000 were read out at the Colombo High Court yesterday.

Suraksha, the launch of the health insurance scheme for students was seen as a historic occasion by President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday, as he hoped that it would help the 4.5 million school going children in the country.

A Sri Lankan court remanded a Buddhist monk in custody on Monday after charging him with leading hardline nationalists in a protest against 31 Rohingya Muslim asylum seekers last week, forcing the refugees to flee a U.N. safe house, police said.

The proposed new Constitution will not dilute the unitary status of Sri Lanka in any way. It will seek maximum devolution of power under a unitary state, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.