Category: Local News

Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka says the country will face an economic crisis if it fails to honour international debt repayments due in September this year.

Sri Lanka has enlisted French major Total and Norway’s Equinor to study the hydrocarbon potential of two blocks, saying it aims to start oil production in the island nation in 2023.

INTERPOL Secretary General, Jurgen Stock, has presented the INTERPOL Medal to President Maithripala Sirisena at the President’s Office in Colombo, yesterday (27).

A 3.5% levy is to be slapped on all foreign purchase transactions with credit or debit cards. The Government has Gazetted an amendment to the Finance Act of 2018 last week to impose the ‘Foreign Commercial Transactions Levy’ on every transaction through a card payment for purchase any goods or services from outside the country.

Non-Cabinet ministers Sujeewa Senasinghe and Ajith P. Perera had not violated the UNP constitution, party Chairman Kabir Hashim said, yesterday.

The United National Party (UNP) has decided to launch disciplinary inquiries against ministers Ajith P. Perera and Sujeewa Senasinghe for criticizing the party’s leadership and its decisions.

The 7th round of talks between the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna pertaining to forming a common alliance held at the office of the Leader of the Opposition in Colombo.

Islamic clerics in Sri Lanka are asking Muslim women to continue to avoid wearing face veils until the government clarifies whether they can wear them again now that emergency rule has ended four months after the Easter attacks.

A man fatally shot Tuesday night in the Uptown area, possibly during a robbery, was identified by police Thursday as Janath Liyanage, 32, of Garden Grove.

The Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) yesterday informed Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratna that more than Rs. 4 billion had been received from foreign countries and credited to one account of a state bank in Sri Lanka on behalf of the university being constructed in Punani area in Batticaloa by Batticaloa Campus (Pvt) Company which is said to be owned by the former governor of Eastern Province, M.L.M.Hizbulla. But, the amount now lying to the credit of that account is said to be Rs. 36,000.

Simmering ethno-religious tensions in Sri Lanka require urgent action by the authorities to strengthen respect for freedom of religion or belief in Sri Lanka, says UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Ahmed Shaheed.

Since the tragic Easter Sunday attacks, the country celebrated Vesak, Poson, Esala Perahera, and Madhu festivals without any terrorist or anti-social incident, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe pointed out yesterday after inaugurating a major new irrigation and water resources project in the lower Malvathu Oya region, near Tantirimalai.

How many families living in this country have become debtors now? Housing, Construction and Cultural Affairs Minister Sajith Premadasa queried at a public event yesterday adding that this situation would change once he is elected President by December this year.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya had informed the United National Party (UNP) that he will contest the upcoming Presidential Election with the aim of abolishing the Executive Presidency, if the Presidential candidacy is given to him with the unanimous agreement of the UNP.

Joint Opposition lawmaker MP Shehan Semasinghe, yesterday, apologised for preventing the media from covering SLPP Youth Convention held at the Nelum Pokuna theatre, on Saturday (24), in support of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidential candidature.

Chennai: Five persons, including a woman, have been detained for questioning as the police in Tamil Nadu and Kerala continued their close screening of people and places in the hope of securing clues relating to the reported infiltration of six Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists through the sea route from Sri Lanka.