Sri Lanka’s new president has ended the parliamentary session and has set the opening of a new one for Jan. 3.

United National Party Parliamentarian Lakshman Kiriella says the good governance government was able to strengthen independent commissions through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

India’s Q Branch police seized around 700kg of ganja, worth millions of rupees, from three men near Mannargudi in Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu in the early hours of Sunday. The cannabis was to be smuggled to Sri Lanka through the sea route.

DMK leader M K Stalin expressed shock at Sri Lankan President’s response to demands for devolution of political powers to the island nation’s Tamil minority in his recent media interviews and promise to instead focus on the development of areas inhabited by them.

Major (Rtd.) Attorney-at-Law Ajith Prasanna commenced a protest outside the Swiss Embassy in Sri Lanka a short while ago urging the victim of the alleged threatening incident to give a statement to police.

The government is not going to remove or relocate any military camp according to anybody’s whims, Defence Secretary Retired. Major General Kamal Gunaratne yesterday said.

Former President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday said his political career was not over yet and he would be ‘reborn’ in politics.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says he will revoke the 19th Amendment to the Constitution if he receives a two-thirds parliamentary majority on it.

Sri Lanka’s new president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has warned India and Western nations that his country will be forced to seek finance from China again if they do not invest in the island.

The Finance Ministry has entered into a much-delayed contract with Theekshana, the research and development unit of the University of Colombo, to design and implement an electronic Government procurement (e-GP) system to replace paper.

With last week’s appointment of a special committee to probe alleged corrupt practices of the former State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) Chairman, the procurement of questionable Russian-made oncology drugs at enormous cost during the then Health Minister’s tenure will come under the microscope, health officials said.

India’s MDMK leader Vaiko on Saturday criticised the Centre’s move to give Sri Lanka Rs 2,800 crore development assistance and Rs 350 crore for counter-terrorism activities.

Parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa says the alleged abduction of a local staff member attached to the Embassy of Switzerland in Colombo has left a black mark on the country’s history of diplomacy.

Reaffirming commitment to the Ottawa Convention, Canada yesterday announced $8.3 million to support mine-affected communities including $2 million for landmine clearance in northern Sri Lanka.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said he was awaiting a report on the alleged detention and questioning of a staff member of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo recently.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, MP, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Constitutional Council has advised Chairman of the Election Commission (EC) Mahinda Deshapriya to remain in office. Speaker Jayasuriya asserted that Deshapriya’s services were required to conduct the forthcoming crucial parliamentary and Provincial Council polls.