Category: Local News

President Maithripala Sirisena will appoint a new Cabinet of Ministers today (1), at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo. The Government yesterday (30 April), announced that all current Cabinet Members had been summoned to participate in the ceremony.

The number of people affected by drought in Sri Lanka has increased to 613,326, the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said in its situation report on Monday.

Former Minister S. B. Dissanayake yesterday said that 16 SLFP MPs who quit the government would join the Opposition on May 8, when the new session of Parliament is scheduled to be inaugurated.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday promised further reforms to the United National Party (UNP) structure.

Internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan film producer and film director Dr. Lester James Peiris has passed away at the age of 99.

Dhamma or the teachings of Buddha is a purifying factor for the human mind propelled by lust, hate and violence. The pious festival of Vesak reminds us the virtues of practising four focuses of mindfulness in order to dwell with Dhamma as no other refuge.

Buddhists all over the world celebrate the Vesak Festival with much religious fervour and enthusiasm to commemorate the important events that took place in the life of Gauthama Buddha on this day, namely the birth of Siddhartha Gauthama, Siddharta Gauthama’s supreme attainment of Buddhahood and the Mahaparinibbana.

President Maithripala Sirisena says the school is the best medium to carry forward the message of national reconciliation to the society.

State Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs Dr. Harsha de Silva yesterday ruled out the possibility of introducing measures to contain the devaluation of the rupee, in the wake of the local currency hitting record lows against the U.S. dollar.

Improved monitoring of high-end transactions, including car and property sales, would reduce tax evasion, the Central Bank said in its latest Annual Report, recommending that such transactions be matched with income declarations.

Speculation is rife in political circles that the government is planning to accommodate former finance/foreign and justice ministers, Ravi Karunanayake and Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, respectively, in the Cabinet.

The price of Litro and Laugfs domestic gas cylinders (12.5kg) will be increased by Rs. 245 with effect from midnight today (27).

The Wattala branch of a bank has been robbed by an individual who arrived on a motorcycle at around 2.30 PM today (27).

Sri Lanka has climbed 10 spots to 131 in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The island nation has a score of 41.37.

The Central Bank projects Sri Lanka’s economy to pick up to 5.5 percent in 2019 from an estimated 5 percent this year.

The JVP has stated that they will be presenting the motion to abolish the executive presidency as a private member’s Bill next month. Even though they have said that they will agree to electoral reform, too, if that is deemed to be a prerequisite for the abolition of the executive presidency, they have not given any indication that they will be including provisions for electoral reform as well in their draft 20th Amendment.