High drama in house over Geetha’s remarks

Parliament sessions came alive with amusement when UPFA MP Geetha Kumarasinghe spoke during an adjournment debate last evening with the MP making some sarcastic remarks on the government and the ruling party MPs heckling her.



Import of three-wheelers should be controlled – Transport Minister

Considering the large number of the three-wheelers on the road at present, the import of the three-wheelers should be controlled in the future, opined the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva.



Sri Lanka seeks to expand trade ties with China

The Sri Lankan government will look to expand trade ties with China in the future, the Sri Lankan president’s office said.



Sri Lanka’s cash-strapped airline may lease four planes to Pakistan

Sri Lanka’s cash-strapped national airline is in talks to lease four of its Airbus A330 planes to Pakistan International Airlines Corp, a government minister said on Thursday, months after cancelling an order for four Airbus A350 aircraft.



Malaysian Deputy PM to visit Sri Lanka today

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs of Malaysia Dato Seri Dr. Ahmed Zahid Hamidi, will pay an official visit to Sri Lanka from 21 to 22 July 2016.



Appoint commission to probe Jaffna clash: Vigneswaran, Thavarajah

Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran, and S. Thavarajah, Leader of Opposition in the Northern Provincial Council (NPC), have together asked the government to set up a “full-fledged” Commission of Inquiry to conduct an in-depth probe into last Saturday’s clash between Tamil and Sinhalese students in Jaffna University.



Ranil urges tri-nation economic convergence

Improving on his 2003 idea of converting south India-Sri Lanka sub-region into a single market, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is now for economic collaboration among his country, Singapore and the five southern States of India.



What the public did not know about VAT

The ‘National Unity’ government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is finding out the hard way that governing in a coalition of the two major political parties, the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), is no walk in the park.



Government to obtain US$ 1 billion loan from AIIB

The government is to obtain US$1 billion from the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for various projects, Finance Minister Ravi Karunayake said yesterday.



Media giving a ‘criminal experience’ to people

Defence Secretary and engineer Karunasena Hettiarachchi called for a radical change of the media culture and stressed the local media should focus on news which does not give its readers a ‘criminal experience.’



Indian MPs seek Govt intervention to get fishermen released

Members in India’s Rajya Sabha today sought government intervention in ensuring the release of a large number of Indian fishermen, arrested by the Sri Lankan navy in the recent past.



All educational institutions, including universities & vocational training centers should act as reconciliation centers – President

President Maithripala Sirisena has stated that all the educational institutions, including the universities and vocational training centers should act as reconciliation centers as well as the field of reconciliation should be included in the school curriculum as a subject.



Basil Rajapaksa arrested by FCID

Former Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa, was arrested once again by the Police Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID).



Namal Rajapaksa released on bail

UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa, who was arrested on charges of misappropriating Rs.70 million , was today released on bail by Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne.



Singapore launches talks for free trade deal with Sri Lanka

Singapore and Sri Lanka have started talks for a free trade pact, including measures to free up trade in goods and services as well as investments, the city-state’s trade minister said on Monday.



‘No Phobia’ on Taking Chinese Money, Sri Lanka’s Premier Says

Sri Lanka is agnostic about what countries it accepts foreign investment from, including China, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.