Latest Sri Lanka News and Top Stories

The Sri Lankan authorities continue negotiations with Russia on the provision of a loan to buy Russian fuel, Sri Lankan Minister of Transport and Highways and Minister of Mass Media Bandula Gunawardena said on Saturday in an interview with Sputnik.

Seven Sri Lankan citizens who had been held by Russian forces since March were rescued in the liberated territories of the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said Friday.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe left for the United Kingdom this morning (September 17) to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Free Trade Agreement would be revived and upgraded into a comprehensive economic and technological partnership.

Building on the USAID Administrator Samantha Powers’s recent visit, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung announced today that the United States, through USAID, will provide an additional estimated $65 million (more than 23 billion Sri Lankan rupees) in assistance to Sri Lanka over a five-year period.

Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court issued a notice today (September 16) to former President Maithripala Sirisena to appear in court on 14th October to present facts regarding his failure to prevent the Easter Sunday Attacks while being the Defence Minister.

Unloading of a petrol (92 Octane) cargo of 37,000 metric tonnes and a crude oil cargo of 100,000 metric tonnes will commence today (September 16), Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said.

Sri Lanka’s Immigration and Emigration Department said although September 19 (Monday) has been declared as a government holiday, passports will be issued only to those who have made appointments.

Services of the Verification and Attestation units of the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo 01 and its Regional Offices in Jaffna, Trincomalee, Matara, Kandy, Kurunegala, will be suspended until further notice, due to a computer system breakdown.

Sri Lanka’s economy shrank 8.4% in the quarter through June from a year ago in one of the steepest declines seen in a three-month period, amid fertiliser and fuel shortages during the nation’s most severe financial crisis in more than seven decades.

India does not plan to provide fresh financial support to Sri Lanka on top of the nearly $4 billion it has extended this year, two sources told Reuters, as the island’s battered economy starts to stabilise after a preliminary loan agreement with the IMF.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Indian Ocean region should be opened to all to ensure freedom of navigation for commercial viability, President Media Division said.

Ven. Medagamuwe Mahanama Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the Vatthewa Nandarama temple in Seeduwa was killed by an 18-year-old Buddhist monk yesterday (September 14) at the temple.

Leading U.S. senators, including the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez have introduced a Senate resolution calling for a comprehensive international approach to address Sri Lanka’s current political and economic crisis, including challenges related to poor governance and economic policy under the Rajapaksa family’s rule.

A preliminary round of discussions was held between Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Australian High Commissioner Paul Stephens to explore the opportunities for investment in the renewable energy sector in Sri Lanka.