General Secretary of the UNP, former Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam yesterday said the UNF under no circumstances, would give the Ministries of Law and Order and the Media and Information to President Maithripala Sirisena.

SriLankan Airlines had incurred a loss of Rs. 539.7 million, in 2017 due to its failure to return a leased A-320 aircraft to the lessor before the deadline, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on irregularities at SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka was told, yesterday.

Three lawmakers from Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s party defected to the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday after a dispute between the two leaders.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has informed the Parliament that UPFA MP Mahinda Rajapaksa had been appointed as the Opposition Leader replacing Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Leader R Sampanthan a while ago.

MPs Wijith Wijayamuni Zoysa, Lakshman Seneviratne, Indika Banadaranayke and Piyasena Gamage have crossed over to the Government side.

The parliamentary group of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has decided to nominate former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the position of Opposition Leader.

The United States on Monday praised the restoration of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe — controversially replaced by a former strongman in October — and voiced eagerness to work with him.

After saving a woman, 90, from a burning house in North Gyeongsang Province last year, a Sri Lankan migrant worker in South Korea has been awarded permanent residency status.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe vacated Temple Trees and moved to his private residence in Kollupitiya several hours after his swearing in on Sunday.

SLFP Vice President and Kalutara District MP Kumara Welgama says that President Maithripala Sirisena should resign from his post immediately.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today said that they will form a new political alliance by the name of “National Democratic Front” (NDF) which will be registered as a political party to contest the next general election.

The new Cabinet of Ministers are expected to be sworn in today.

The Delegation of the European Union today welcomed the peaceful and democratic resolution of the political crisis in Sri Lanka in accordance with the constitution.

The remains of an elephant believed to have been shot and killed by poachers has been uncovered in the Rathmale forest reserve, said Ada Derana reporter.