Category: Local News

Sri Lanka’s main minority Tamil political party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), on Monday said it will push for a permanent political solution to issues faced by the Tamils, following the August 17 parliamentary election.

Former President and UPFA candidate for the Kurunegala District Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday rejected the idea of forming a national government post-election, vowing that the fractured alliance would obtain 117 seats and rule alone.

Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka on Sunday said that those who had left the former government to usher in good governance had proved that they were not power hungry.

Gold prices have dropped to a record low in global markets. Foreign media reported that this marks the lowest price recorded for gold in five years.

The radical Sinhalese-Buddhist party, the Bodu Jana Permuna (BJP), has refused to give an election ticket to Wijemuni Vijitha Rohana de Silva, who had hit Rajiv Gandhi with his rifle butt when the then Indian Prime Minister was reviewing a Guard of Honuor at Colombo on July 30, 1987

Former Parliamen-tarian Sajin de Vaas Gunawardena who is currently in remand custody for the misuse of 16 State owned vehicles was ordered to be removed from Prison Hospital and relocated into a normal prison ward by the Colombo High Court Justice Ranawaka Gunatileke.

The government is in the process of identifying and releasing more private land from the High Security Zones in the Northern Province, according to a top official of the Defence Ministry.

A relative of LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran has entered the fray for Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election to be held in August 17 to challenge former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake says that the party will build a regime which will be a force in the government which the people will elect on August 17.

A karate master from Galewela, Kandy who has been reportedly killed in Syria in an air strike last week is said to be the first Sri Lankan member of the ISIS, international and social media reports said.

Drug dealers, ethanol dealers, bar owners, thugs and various other miscreants involved in anti-social activities have been included in the UPFA nomination list, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

Sri Lankan shares hit a six-week high on Friday, heading for a seventh straight session of gains, on hopes of political stability after the Aug. 17 parliamentary elections.

Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that India’s National Security Advisor had requested the former Sri Lankan government to stop the Chinese-funded Colombo Port City project as it would pose a threat to that country’s security.

The cabinet approval was granted to the proposal made by President Maithripala Sirisena as the Mahaweli Development and Environment Minister to promote the exportation of Gyrinopswalla (Wallapatta) plant and cultivate the plant based on its commercial value, Cabinet spokesman and Minister Rajitha Senaratne said yesterday

Additional District Judge of Colombo Sumith Perera yesterday issued an enjoining order, restraining the defendants, D. E. W. Gunasekera, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, Rosy Senanayake, Lasantha Alagiyawanne, Arjuna Ranatunga, Susil Premajayantha and a few others, from publicising the report published by the Committee on Public Enterprises on the investigation into the Treasury Bond issue of the Central bank.

Dr Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Eric Prasanna Weerawardena of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party have decided to resign from their respective Deputy Ministerial portfolios.