Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka’s ICT sector can attain the status of a $5 bn industry effectively with the right funding and appropriate investment and support which are now adequately available.

Co-cabinet spokesperson, Minister Rajitha Senaratne yesterday stated that the vote against Dr. Sudharshani Fernadopulle was not personal and that it was the split within the Joint Opposition that had led to her loss.

Sri Lanka’s cabinet has approved a proposal for Singapore-based urban planning consultancy Surbana Jurong Pvt Ltd, owned by state investor Temasek Holdings Ltd, to draw up a plan for a Chinese investment zone in the country’s southern port city of Hambantota, a government spokesman said on Wednesday.

Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) says that action was taken to shut down TNL’s illegal transmission in Polgahawela due it causing interference to other government channels and causing a loss to the government and that there is no other undue ambition behind the action.

State Minister Palitha Range Bandara’s son has been hospitalized due to a motor accident in the Kottapitiya junction, on the Chilaw-Puttalam road.

The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) has warned that it will have to shut down the Lakvijaya Coal Power Station, Norochcholai if the environmental protection license (EPL) is not granted by next Tuesday.

Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday in Parliament promised to investigate the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission’s action to shut down TNL’s repeater station at Polgahawela.

The transmission tower of TNL TV at Polgahawela was sealed by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) today.

Speaker informs Parliament that since only a portion of the Bond Commission report has been received, he will table the full after other sections are also presented to him.

Popular television presenter, compere and journalist Hema Nalin Karunaratne has passed away at the age of 55.

Sections C350 to C360 of the bond commission report which had not been made public thus far, was handed over to the speaker of parliament by the Presidential Secretariat a short while ago.

President’s former Chief of Staff I. H. K. Mahanama and former State Timber Corporation (STC) Chairman P. Dissanayaka who were arrested for accepting a bribe of Rs.20 million from an Indian businessman, were further remanded till June 19 by Colombo Chief Magistrate Ranga Dassanayake today.

Rs. 80 billion has been allocated to the “Gamperaliya project” which is focused on village development, Minister Mangala Samaraweera said yesterday.

The 100-day programme was not a part of the UNP manifesto but a policy document which was prepared and marketed by those who supported the common candidate Maithripala Sirisena for the presidency, UNP Spokesman and Publicity Unit Chief Harin Fernando said today.