Category: Local News

China reiterated its commitment to Sri Lanka’s economic development, with its investment and association with the major economic, infrastructure and socio-cultural development projects in the country, when visiting Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang was hosted to a breakfast meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Janadhipathi Mandiraya Saturday. […]

Sri Lanka and China signed six agreements to enhance co-operation in the fields of technology, industry, information technology and construction at the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday. The signing of agreements took place in the presence of Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang. […]

The United Notational Party (UNP) said that it will oppose moves to any constitutional amendment that would pave the way for President Rajapaksha to contest for another term in office. The general secretary of the UNP, Tissa Attanayaka pointed out that president Rajapaksha who promised to abolish the executive presidency has now gone back on […]

A special off peak tariff will be offered to electricity consumers who consume electricity during the off peak hours, Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said. The Minister added that the cost on electricity for industrial, commercial and domestic electricity consumers will be reduced substantially if they adhere to the given guidelines. The Minister […]

President Mahinda Rajapaksa met Tamil Nadu Parliamentarians yesterday during his visit to India and the Parliamentarians expressed their willingness to cooperate with Sri Lanka in raising the standards of living of the people of the North including the resettled Internally Displaced Persons, a press release from the Presidential Media Division said yesterday. […]

India and Sri Lanka yesterday agreed to further harness the enormous potential available for consolidating and strengthening the bilateral partnership by building on shared values and principles of democracy and pluralism. […]

BBC News – By Charles Haviland – (Pix by AP) The former armed forces chief in Sri Lanka, General Sarath Fonseka, has denied being a liar or committing treason in speaking of the possibility of war crimes having been committed on the island. He was speaking to the BBC Sinhala service a day after the […]

Sri Lanka may increase public spending in 2010 as the government builds roads, ports and power plants after the end of almost three decades of war on the South Asian island. Government expenditure, including debt repayment, is forecast to total 1.78 trillion rupees ($15.7 billion) this year, according to the Appropriation Bill tabled in parliament […]

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on a three day State visit to India. President Rajapaksa will meet Indian President Pratibha Patil and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The discussions are expected to cover the rehabilitation of Tamils and the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement […]

Trust me, and together we can find a solution to the problems faced by all our people, President Mahinda Rajapaksa told representatives of the Tamil political parties when they met him at his office in the Presidential Secretariat last evening (June 07). The President had meetings with members of the EPDP led by Minister Douglas […]

The Pallekele Cricket Stadium in the central provincial district of Kandy pictured in November, 2009. COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s new venues for next year’s World Cup are on track but the refurbishment of an existing stadium is behind schedule, the International Cricket Council said on Monday. Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament with […]

Sri Lankan born Indian actress Jacqueline Fernandez jointly won the Best Debut Female Actor award with Mahie Gill at the 11th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards which concluded at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium Saturday. Jackie won the award for her debut movie Aladin while Mahie bagged the award for her role in Dev D. […]

President Mahinda Rajapaksa would never hand over State enterprises to the private sector, but make every attempt to make them profitable ventures, Minister of Housing and Construction, Minister, Wimal Weerawansa, said after an official visit to the Government Factory at Kolonnawa. Addressing the employees at the Government Factory, he said that the best example was […]

Veteran actor Anupam Kher today said that the Sri Lankan government has requested him to open a branch of his acting school, ‘An Actor Prepares’ in the country. The 55 year-old-actor, who was felicitated with the CNBC-IIFA global leadership award for his contribution to the field of art by President Mahinda Rajpaksha here at the […]

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Bollywood stars and Sri Lanka’s cricketers hit the pitch for charity Friday to help rehabilitate child soldiers and build homes for families affected by the country’s civil war. India’s Hindi language movie stars Sunil Shetty, Hrithik Roshan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Sri Lankan national team captain Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, batting […]

COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s cricket captain Thursday applauded the “courage” of stars attending the annual Bollywood film awards being held this year in Sri Lanka despite a boycott call by the Tamil cinema industry. Kumar Sangakkara said the Bollywood celebrities who have already arrived in Colombo for Saturday’s glitzy Indian International Film Academy (IIFA) […]