Attack on Chad’s presidential palace leaves 19 dead

An attack on Chad’s presidential palace left 18 assailants dead and six in custody, with one soldier killed and three wounded, state media reported Thursday.

Rice shortage not linked to free distribution: Wajira blames poor governance

United National Party (UNP) Chairman Wajira Abeywardena said that it is fallacy that free distribution of rice among low income families during the time of the last government lead to the current shortage in market supply.

CEJ urges to halt haphazard elephant drives

The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) has requested the Director General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation to immediately halt all unsystematic elephant drives as a measure to address the human-elephant conflict (HEC).

NPP MP Nishantha Samaraweera elected chairman of COPE

NPP MP Nishantha Samaraweera has been elected Chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) today.

President appoints two new judges to Court of Appeal

Two newly appointed Court of Appeal judges were officially sworn in by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat this morning.

Metal piece from lighter found in bun

A metal piece from a gas lighter was found in a fish bun purchased from a food stall in Panadura yesterday.

Justice Minister apologises to Speaker for addressing him ‘Your Honour’

Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara extended an apology for inadvertently addressing the Speaker as ‘Your Honour’ in Parliament today.

Experts warn of rising influenza cases, stress importance of hygiene

The seasonal influenza is making a return, with an increasing number of cases being reported across the country.

’Johnny', the dog follows trail for 4 kilometres to find battery thief

In a thrilling pursuit, a police sniffer dog named ’Johnny’ followed a scent trail for nearly four kilometres through Wariyapola to track down a suspect who had stolen batteries from vehicles parked as case evidence materials at the Wariyapola District Court.

IMF has no objection to public sector salary increment: Deputy Minister

Claiming that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has not made any objections to the proposed public sector salary increment, Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe said today the government will go ahead with the proposal and provide a significant salary increment in the upcoming budget.

No HMPV case detected in Sri Lanka, 20 locations assigned for testing: Nalinda

Claiming that no HMPV cases have been detected in Sri Lanka recently as reported by certain media, Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said today that the Health Ministry is on alert and assured to inform the people if any person infected with the virus was detected in the country.

Vehicle prices to shift with changes in import tax limits: Importers

If the current tax limits on vehicle imports are changed, the selling prices of vehicles in the market will also be affected, according to vehicle importers.

Appropriation Bill 2025 presented to Parliament

The Appropriation Bill for 2025 was presented to Parliament by Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya a short while ago.

President’s Secretary prohibits Ministers meeting foreign diplomats: Dayasiri

While Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekera alleged that the President’s Secretary had issued a circular prohibiting Ministers from meeting heads of foreign missions without the permission of Foreign Affairs Minister, Leader of the House Bimal Ratnayake denied the claim and said he had met a diplomat yesterday.

Six killed, several injured in Tirupati stampede

As many as six people died and several other were injured in a stampede that occurred at Vishnu Nivasam in Tirupati during the distribution of Vaikunta Dwara Sarva Darshan tokens on Wednesday.

Gnanasara Thera sentenced to 9 months imprisonment

General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) organization, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera has been sentenced to 9 months simple imprisonment by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court for insulting the religion of Islam.

President of three-wheeler association injured in shooting

A man was injured in a shooting by two unidentified individuals who arrived on a motorcycle at Anungalle early this morning.

Concrete mixer truck pushes car at Orugodawatta, injures two

A video of a concrete-loaded mixer truck pushing a car at the Orugodawatta junction has gone viral on social media, showing two people injured and damage caused to signal posts and a safety fence.

Emirates on track to become world’s 1st Autism Certified Airline

Emirates, one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced it is all set to officially become the world’s first ‘Autism Certified Airline’.

Rohingya arrivals: UNHCR seeks continued compassion, hospitality from Sri Lanka

The UNHCR or the UN Refugee Agency, which commended the life-saving actions taken by the Sri Lankan authorities and people to rescue and safely disembark Rohingya people who were distressed at sea, asked for continued compassion and hospitality from the Sri Lankan authorities.

Los Angeles wildfires: 5 dead in California as Palisades fire rages

A massive wildfire whipped up by extreme winds has swept through a Los Angeles hillside dotted with celebrity homes - with a state of emergency declared.

Sri Lanka aims for ‘transformative acceleration’ in post-crisis growth

As Sri Lanka has managed to brave through what was the worst economic crisis faced in history and moving towards normalcy, the island nation’s financial sector regulator yesterday said that its focus this year would be on achieving a “transformative acceleration” in the growth trajectory.

Kiwi blaster Guptill retires from international cricket

New Zealand’s leading run-scorer in T20I cricket, Martin Guptill, has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 38, New Zealand Cricket announced on Wednesday.

Controversy swirls over unauthorized Israeli religious, culture centres

Controversy swirls around the unauthorized construction of Israeli religious centres at different locations in the country with an opposition MP raising concerns that the presence of Israeli intelligence service called ‘Mossad’ will pose a threat to national security.

100,000 illegal migrants could arrive in Sri Lanka in the coming days: Public Security Minister

In the wake of over 100 Rohingya entering Sri Lanka recently, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said today that the intelligence services have revealed that there was a plan to bring down some 100,000 illegal migrants to Sri Lanka in the coming days.

Clean Sri Lanka programme will bring vast social reforms: Prime Minister

The Clean Sri Lanka programme will bring vast social reforms and a positive change to certain media institutions, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament today.

Govt. not against free trade agreements: Chaturanga Abeysinghe

Claiming that the government is not against free trade agreements, Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chaturanga Abeysinghe said today the government will negotiate with the Indian government on how to rectify the concerns raised against the Economic and Technology Co-operation Agreement (ETCA) which was originally proposed in 2018.

Acting IGP directs action against over 1,000 candidates, party leaders for election expenditure violations

The Acting Inspector General of Police has directed senior officers to initiate investigations into over 1,000 candidates from the previous General Elections who have failed to submit their income and expenditure reports.

Unregistered medicines sold near National Hospital Colombo and countrywide

Magen Ratata’ organization chairman, Sanjaya Mahawatte, claimed today that illegal medicines are being sold in front of the National Hospital in Colombo and across the country.

Pod of Common Bottlenose Dolphins found dead near Wilpattu

The Wildlife Department today confirmed that a pod of Common Bottlenose Dolphins was found dead on the sea border of the Wilpattu National Park.