Gunmen opened fire on a holiday party on Wednesday at a social services agency in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 people and wounding 17 others before fleeing, authorities said.

The second reading of the 2016 Budget was passed in Parliament today with a majority of 107 votes. A total of 159 members voted in favour while 52 voted against.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday warned that ISIS actions could trigger economic instability in the Middle East in 2016 with adverse repercussions on Sri Lanka’s economy emerging from it.

Sri Lanka will set up a special court in the next few weeks to examine alleged war crimes committed in the final phase of its 26-year conflict with Tamil rebels, a top official in charge of reconciliation said on Tuesday.

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said today the budget proposal to impose a levy on cash withdrawals was meant to encourage the use of bank drafts and cheques for the transferring of cash.

DMK chief M. Karunanidhi today urged the Indian government to get in touch with the Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, now in Sri Lanka, to facilitate talks with that government so as to end problems faced by Indian fishermen.

President Maithripala Sirisena said that he loved Sri Lanka as much as or even more than any other Sri Lankan and wowed that he would never compromise of national security under any circumstance.

Refugee advocates are concerned for a Sri Lankan asylum seeker on Nauru who has been jailed after he attempted to commit suicide at the detention centre there.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate action on the release of eight Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.

President Maithripala Sirisena arrived in Paris last morning, to attend a critical global climate meeting commonly known as COP 21.

British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed deep appreciation for the steps taken by President Maithripala Sirisena in the last 10 months to strengthen democratic values, human rights and reconciliation.

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera says the LTTE terror did not represent the hopes and aspirations of the majority of the Tamil community.

A resolution has been tabled in Parliament by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to place the pension entitlement of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on par with the entitlement enjoyed by her successor Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The government is faced with the task of paying Rs. 400 billion for construction projects undertaken by the previous government, said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday.

Sri Lanka said on Friday it was calling on Saudi Arabia to pardon a domestic worker sentenced to death by stoning after she admitted committing adultery while working in the Arab nation.

Six suspects including former DIG Vass Gunawardena and his son Ravindu have been sentenced to death after being found guilty for the abduction and murder of businessman Mohamed Siyam by the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar.