The Government sold US$ 109.82 million (Rs 13,920 million) on Friday (14 July) to the Central Bank, interpretation of CBSL’s Open Market Operations (OMO) press releases showed.

Former Defence Secretary Gotabahya Rajapaksa has stated that he never approved the dismantling of the Kankesanturai (KKS) Cement Factory and cement company and sale of its machinery and equipment as scrap iron.

About 600 Metric Tonnes (MT) out of 700MT of garbage collected in Colombo on a daily basis can be recycled or reused provided the public supported such efforts, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said.

The United Nations criticized Sri Lanka on Friday for slow progress in addressing war crimes and past human rights abuses and said the international community was running out of patience.

’Bangladesh will not hesitate to provide whatever the possible assistance or help to Sri Lanka as we have an extremely cordial relationship’, said the Bangladesh Foreign Minister A. H. Mahmood Ali when he met with President Maithripala Sirisena.

Sri Lanka announced on Thursday a long-awaited investigation into the massacre of 27 prisoners that became a symbol of the rights abuses allegedly perpetrated by the war-era regime.

Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse, PC, had a heated argument with visiting UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter Terrorism Ben Emmerson, QC, over UN intervention here as regards promotion and protection of human rights.

The World Bank has decided to entrust Sri Lanka a loan worth USD 1,340 million as aid to enhance financial and technological stability, for a period of three years, in effect from July 1, this year, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

Sri Lanka’s prime minister said on Wednesday Buddhism will remain paramount in the bitterly divided island, seeking to head off protests led by the powerful Buddhist clergy against proposed changes to the constitution.

Reiterating its stand on Katchatheevu, the Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday strongly opposed the recent legislation passed by the Sri Lankan government, which restricts certain fishing practices, and asserted that it would retrieve the ceded islet from the neighbouring island nation.

The Sri Lankan rupee recovered from early falls to close slightly firmer on Tuesday as dollar selling by a foreign bank and exporters outweighed importer demand for the U.S. currency, dealers said.

Dozens of groundsmen at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota cricket stadium have complained that they were ordered to give back their uniforms before being paid — even though they were wearing them at the time.

Two Policemen have been interdicted following Sunday’s killing of a youth in Vadamarachchi East and a tense situation prevailed in the area yesterday.