Category: Local News

United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) leaders decided yesterday to fast track an electoral reforms package for inclusion in the 19th Amendment so that President Maithripala Sirisena could dissolve Parliament after its passage and go for early polls.

The Most Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkhitha Maha Nayaka Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter passed away at a private hospital in Singapore on Wednesday. He was 85 years and was ailing for some time.

Sri Lanka has delayed a $1.5 billion sovereign bond issue originally scheduled for April, the finance minister said on Friday, days after parliament rejected his bid to raise government borrowing limits ahead of national elections.

Minister Arjuna Ranatunge has said that the loss incurred by the Hambantota Harbour in 2012 was 678 million rupees. Addressing the progress review meeting of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping, the Minister said that he is not ready to maintain the Hambantota Harbour oout of funds of the Colombo Harbour.

Several more UPFA Parliamentarians say they have been removed from the central committee of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).

The United States says that this Sinhala and Tamil New Year has been marked by the extraordinary positive change that has occurred in Sri Lanka over the past several months represents a renewed opportunity for the people of Sri Lanka.

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday called upon the SLFP Members of Parliament to vote in favour of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

Former Cheif Minister of the Uva province Shasheendra Rajapaksa is currently being questioned by the The Financial Crimes Investigations Division

A police constable serving with the Special Task Force (STF) was killed after being accidentally shot by another officer during a raid carried out in the Ridee Ella Reserve at Bakamuna, Dambulla.

President Maithripala Sirisena said the relevant clauses of 19th Amendment to the Constitution will be amended and it will presented to Parliament on April 20. He said Parliament will be dissolved after the passage of the 19th Amendment.

The Supreme Court has determined that the 19th Amendment is consistent with the constitution and that, however, certain sections require a referendum, Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa informed Parliament today.

Sri Lanka has opened the first electric car charging centre in Tickel Road in the island’s capital Colombo as part of a strategy to make 10 percent of all vehicles on the road driven by electricity.

Kalutara District MP Kumara Welgama yesterday said that Opposition would topple the government by bringing a no-faith motion in Parliament if it did not resign over the previous day’s defeat of the financial bill.

Winning a war or revolution, only to lose the subsequent peace, is one of the grim political truths of our time, says Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe.

Condemning the unparliamentary move to defeat the finance regulation, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake yesterday maintained that the government was not least affected by this but assured to continue with granting the already proposed concessions to the people.

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa told Parliament that he was still studying the submissions made to him about who should hold the post of Opposition Leader.