Category: Local News

Claiming that cannabis is a ‘God-given gift’ to Sri Lanka, MP Diana Gamage yesterday (16) proposed to make it a commercial crop in Sri Lanka and start exporting products made with cannabis to uplift the country’s hard-hit economy.

The Central Bank yesterday denied speculations that worker remittances will be forcibly converted into Sri Lankan rupees under the proposed Securitised Financing Arrangement (SFA) as being unfounded.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) held a rally under the slogan ‘People’s Power against the Cursed Government’, yesterday (16) at the Galle Face Green roundabout.

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal submitted by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the Technology Minister of to publish the gazette notification pertaining to the Private Data Security Bill and subsequently submit it to Parliament.

Day three of the debate on the second reading of the 2022 Budget will commence this morning.

Sri Lanka will commence administering the Pfizer vaccine as the booster dose to those over the age of 60 starting from tomorrow (17), State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said.

The section of the Central Expressway between Mirigama and Kurunegala will be opened this month, Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said in Parliament yesterday (15).

A Tunisian national was arrested with a stock of cocaine worth Rs. 180 million by the Customs Narcotics Division at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

Sri Lanka COVID-19 Technical Committee has granted approval for the use of oral antiviral pill ‘Molnupiravir’ in Sri Lanka.

Riyaj Bathiudeen, the brother of MP Rishad Bathiudeen, has been released from the detention order under strict conditions by the Supreme Court.

The government has decided to reopen all the remaining grades in government schools from next week, Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardane says.

The Ministry of Energy has decided to shut down operations at the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery from today (15) for the first time in history due to a shortage of crude oil.

Reverend Father Cyril Gamini Fernando arrived at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) this morning (15) to record a statement in connection with a complaint filed by the country’s intelligence chief.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) condemns the insult to public servants after the Finance Minister stated that the public service has become a burden to the country.

Parliament will have to formulate strict new laws to evacuate the people from the natural disaster prone areas permanently, Irrigation Minister and National Security Disaster Management and Home Affairs State Minister Chamal Rajapaksa told Parliament on Saturday.

Sri Lanka is confident of not defaulting on its debt repayments and will work on gradually improving the quality of its foreign exchange reserves, finance minister Basil Rajapaksa said on Saturday, a day after presenting the 2022 annual budget.