President Maithripala Sirisena expressed his dismay at the delay in taking legal action against those who embezzled public money. Speaking at a rally held in Aralaganwila yesterday, he added that he will use his powers and appoint a special presidential commission to investigate alleged corruption.

Four people were killed and thirteen injured when a lorry toppled at the Ehelagahawanguwa on the Medawachchiya — Vavuniya road this evening, police said.

Self-Employed Persons Federation’s President Mahinda Kahanda Gamage has been arrested by the Fraud Investigation Unit of the Wellawatte police, this afternoon.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday that Parliament would be dissolved straightaway if the government failed to defeat the no-confidence motion against Public Order, Disaster Management and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga.

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, in a startling revelation, said that the Northern expressway, for which the bids from the five contractors had been estimated at Rs 245 Billion, during the previous regime had overnight reduced by Rs 60 Billion!

A former BBC television producer is raising money to fund a film promoting reconciliation in Sri Lanka after decades of civil war. Chris Langdon, who lives in Lambolle Road, Belsize Park, recently returned from Sri Lanka having shot a trailer for Healing The Wounds, a film exploring the relationships between the country’s different communities since the war ended in 2009.

Sri Lanka’s Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) vows to continue pushing the new government to permanently halt the controversial Chinese funded Colombo Port City project.

Malik Samarawickrama, a onetime General Secretary of the UNP has been appointed as the new Chairman of the party today.

The Presidential Secretariat, under the previous UPFA Government, paid a staggering Rs. 1.39 billion to a middleman and two public relations agencies in the United States to promote Sri Lanka and lobby on behalf of the former Government.

Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala De Silva said his party would not support any hasty electoral reforms before the next parliamentary elections as there was barely any time to effect comprehensive changes to ensure fair representation in Parliament, electorate-wise.

Democratic National Alliance Leader, MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake alleged in Parliament yesterday that the newly imposed Hybrid vehicle tax was unfair on individuals buying Hybrid vehicles for personal use through small scale car dealers.

Second Reading of the Budget 2015 was passed with a majority of 163 votes with only one member voting against it.

While expressing hope that China would assist Sri Lanka in its development endeavors in the future too, President Maithripala Sirisena invited Chinese government as well as private companies to increase investment in Sri Lanka when the Chinese President’s Special Envoy and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Liu Jianchao called on the President yesterday (06).

Two Sri Lankans convicted over a major VAT scam case have been brought from Malaysia to Sri Lanka last night, the Police said.