Veteran teledrama, film script writer, novelist and journalist, Somaweera Senanayake has passed away at a private hospital in Colombo.

State Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe, who was accused of receiving monies from the W.M. Mendis Company affiliated to the Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. (PTL) said today that he would donate the three million rupees his campaign team had obtained to social welfare if Speaker Karu Jayasuriya or a Chief Prelate asked him to do so.

The price of kerosene will be reduced by Rs. 25 to Rs. 30 per litre with effect from next Monday, State Minister Dilip Wedaarachchi said.

Three months after Sri Lanka was rocked by deadly anti-Muslim riots fuelled by online vitriol, Facebook is training its staff to identify inflammatory content in the country’s local languages.

State Minister for International Trade Sujeewa Senasinghe had received Rs. 3 mn from W. M. Mendis Company, a subsidiary of Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL), the Criminal Investigation department (CID) informed Fort Additional Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne, yesterday.

Police have arrested Yasodha Range Bandara, the son of State Minister Palitha Range Bandara, over the offences of drunk driving and misuse of public property.

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.