Category: Local News

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has ordered an investigation of allegations that some members of state intelligence agencies knew and met with people who carried out Easter Sunday bombings in 2019 that killed more than 260 people, a government official said.

Directives have been issued to security units to promptly arrest the suspects involved in hurling rocks at religious places of worship in Mannar, The Secretary of Defence Rt. General Kamal Gunaratne said.

Sri Lanka has identified oil and gas deposits currently valued at US$ 240 billion, Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila said.

19 new COVID-19 patients with the highly-contagious Indian variant known as Delta have been detected in several areas in the country, Deputy Director General of Health Services Dr Hemantha Herath said.

The Chinese government decided to donate another 1.6 million doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to Sri Lanka, the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka said.

The JVP says Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa must provide an explanation over whether he will approach the International Monetary Fund to resolve the country’s economic crisis.

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) stated that if fully vaccinated foreign travellers test negative to a COVID test on the first day in the country, they will be able to travel anywhere in the country without undergoing quarantine.

It is doubtful whether there is any public concern about the coronavirus. However, the risk of the virus spread is gradually increasing, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) said.

United National Party (UNP) Leader, former Prime Minister, MP Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday (14) called for a Parliamentary debate on the current economic crisis in the country.

Health authorities say people diagnosed with COVID-19 are likely to develop depression and other mental health issues after recovering from the disease.

Sri Lanka has cut back on imports of farm chemicals, cars and even its staple spice turmeric as its foreign exchange reserves dwindle, hindering its ability to repay a mountain of debt as the South Asian island nation struggles to recover from the pandemic.

Three persons have been arrested for stealing money and gold jewellery from persons while posing as police officers.

Skyrocketing cost of living and rising unemployment are part of the Government’s legacy as they complete two years in office, main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) alleged yesterday.

The Government yesterday (11) criticised the principals and teachers who have stopped online teaching and called them a ‘worthless group.’ Addressing the weekly Cabinet Media briefing at the Department of Government Information, Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said the teachers refusing to teach the children should be taken very seriously.

President’s Secretary P. B. Jayasundera yesterday said that imports should be relaxed instead of imposing restrictions, in a manner that it would not be harmful to the government policy framework.

Sri Lanka will receive 1.5 million doses of Moderna vaccines this Friday (July 16), says State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana.