Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will address the nation in a special statement tomorrow (25), the Presidential Secretariat said.

Duminda Silva was set free from the Welikada Prison today after he received a presidential pardon from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Basil Rajapaksa, who left for the United States on 12th May 2021, arrived in the country this morning.

The Government is considering increasing the current Rs 5,000 fine up to Rs 50,000, for those who regularly violate health guidelines put in place to control the spread of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi warned.

The Government is preparing to face the eventuality of the European Union withdrawing GSP+ tariff concessions from Sri Lanka, State Minister of Finance, Capital Markets and State Enterprise Reforms Ajith Nivard Cabraal said yesterday but assured that diplomatic efforts to avoid such a situation were being pursued.

There was no other Government in Sri Lankan history that granted more tax relief than the current Government to provide a cushion to the entrepreneurs and the public who had been heavily taxed by the former UNP led Good Governance Government, said Trade Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena yesterday.

Veteran dancer Kulasiri Budawatta passed away this morning at the age of 71 at his residence. Officials from the Budawatta School Of Performing Arts confirmed his death.

Solitary UNP MP Ranil Wickremesinghe who made his maiden speech in the current Parliament today called for a debate on vesting the responsibility of controlling COVID 19 pandemic with the cabinet as the COVID task force has failed in accomplishing it properly.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) staged a protest in Parliament this morning opposing the recent fuel price hike.

The European Union is directing over Rs. 48 million (€200,000) in humanitarian funding to provide crucial assistance in response to serous oil and hazardous chemical spills triggered by the fire that broke out on a ship carrying hazardous substances in May.

Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as a national list MP of the United National Party (UNP) a short while ago.

Nearly a hundred carcasses of turtles with throat and shell damage, as well as a dozen dead dolphins and a blue whale, have washed ashore in Sri Lanka since a container ship burned and sank, raising fears of a severe marine disaster.

Eleven more localities were isolated with effect from 6.00 am today (June 23), Army Commander General Shavendra Silva said.

The Committee on Public Finance granted approval yesterday (June 21) to issue Rs. 1,000 billion Treasury Bills, under the Local Treasury Bills Ordinance which is scheduled to be presented to Parliament for approval by the Minister of Finance.

The no-confidence motion filed against Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) was handed over to Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.

Following the lifting of travel restrictions, eleven deaths have been reported in fatal road accidents in various parts of the country within a period of the last 24 hours, police said.