Opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday urged President Maithripala Sirisena to reconsider the decision to ban ‘Wadu Madu’ or carpenter-workshops and chainsaws.

President Maithripala Sirisena said he disapproves summoning State Intelligence officers before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) and revealing sensitive information.

In a dramatic turn of events, local Muslim leaders, who resigned from their Cabinet portfolios, are now preparing to internationalise the issues they are faced with. They will shortly be meeting the United Nations (UN) Resident Representative in Sri Lanka and also the powerful Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – the world’s second largest inter-governmental organization after the UN.

Three suspects including a Chinese national have been arrested after STF personnel raided a house at Eththukala in Negombo and discovered various telecommunication equipment including 17,400 SIM cards, over 400 iPhones and 60 internet routers.

The SriLankan Airlines has been named as the world’s most punctual airline with 90.75 per cent of its flights in May 2019 being ‘on-time’ throughout its route network, SriLankan Airlines said.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament yesterday morning that the letters of resignation of some of the Muslim Ministers, State and Deputy Ministers had already been submitted by then and all the others would follow during the course of the day.

Legal and administrative steps would be taken by the government shortly to prohibit the import of tree cutting machines, chainsaws, mechanical saws and the carpenter sheds popularly known as ‘wadu maduwa’, in a bid to protect the environment – in particular, the forest density of the country, President Maithripala Sirisena declared today.

British travellers are no longer being warned against travelling to Sri Lanka following a change in the UK Foreign Office’s advice.

The Education Ministry said there is no further need to summon parents to assure security of schools.

Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, yesterday, told the parliamentary select committee probing the Easter Sunday carnage that the President had specifically told him not to invite the Prime Minister, the State Minister of Defence and the IGP to National Security Council meetings from Nov 13, 2018.

One of the bombers at Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo on Easter Sunday, Mohammed Ibrahim Inshaf, has been identified as a main suspect in a case currently being heard before the Colombo Magistrates Court over the theft of a container with aluminum, brass and iron valued at 6.2 million rupees.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara testifying at the Special Parliamentary Select Committee stated that the President has asked him not to attend the National Security Council meetings.

Sri Lanka’s government will introduce five-year jail terms for those caught spreading fake news and hate speech on social media, the government said Wednesday, following a surge in online vitriol and disinformation after the Easter suicide attacks.

Former Minister Parliamentarian MHM Haleem says all Muslim Ministers representing the government signed one letter informing the President of their decision to resign of Ministerial portfolios.

Three persons have been electrocuted to death at around 7.30 a.m. this morning (06) due to an illicit electric cable near a field at Gonakamulla, Thalagahagama in Akuressa police division.