Category: Local News

Sri Lanka’s parliament approved on Friday a raft of tax concessions for a Chinese-led joint venture which will handle the southern port of Hambantota under a $1.1 billion deal that has sparked public anger and concerns in India and elsewhere.

A Sri Lankan man who threatened to set off a bomb onboard a flight from Melbourne is facing a maximum 20 years’ jail after pleading guilty to attempting to take control of an aircraft.

Richard Pieris & Company PLC plans to invest between Rs 15 to 20 billion in several unique projects in the next three years that will see electric cars, lithium batteries and Oud perfume manufactured in Sri Lanka

The IMF Executive Board completed the third review of Sri Lanka’s Extended Fund Facility arrangement on Wednesday (6), enabling the disbursement of US$ 251.4 million to the country.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will make a special statement tomorrow (8) morning in Parliament on the increased cost of living and the Government’s decision to import rice and coconut as a temporary measure to provide relief for consumers.

Sri Lanka has continued to receive a number of achievements for its recognition as a compact travel destination across the globe, and received another endorsement recently becoming one of the emerging destinations and one of the most popular global destinations from the key findings of the 2018 Virtuoso Luxe- Australian edition report.

The US State Department Special Project has made provision for a Resident Legal Advisor in Colombo to provide anti-corruption and asset recovery training and also support the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC).

Sri Lanka and China will jointly conduct “the First Chinese Enterprise Job Fair in Sri Lanka,” organised by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training, an official said Tuesday.

Sri Lanka will hand over commercial activities in its main southern port to a Chinese company on Saturday (9) and receive around $300 million out of a $1.1 billion deal soon after, Ports Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.

A fourth prominent member of the National Freedom Front (NFF) is challenging the party leader Wimal Weerawansa.

LONDON – Lawyers and activists representing a group of Sri Lankan women who were subjected to female genital cutting as children will meet the justice minister on Wednesday to urge a ban on the ritual.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID), on Monday, began investigations into the killing of Galgamuwa Tusker or Galgamuwe Dala Poottuwa.

President Maithripala Sirisena said a comprehensive drug prevention programme would be initiated, adding that the government does not intend to increase state income through cigarette and alcohol sales, adding that based on the government’s drug policy, it is not suitable to grant concessions to any form of alcohol, cigarette or any other intoxicant.

The Sri Lankan Government on Monday said it remains firm in its commitment to work with the international community, to work towards ending impunity for crimes against journalists, and to uphold the rights of journalists around the world who place themselves at risk every day, to give voice to the voiceless.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the present government in 2015 put a definitive end for crimes against the media and there since being no journalist abductions, murders, attacks, or intimidation.

A Sri Lankan family who spent five years in Canada was deported Sunday despite appeals to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale to issue a reprieve.