Heritage Kites Sri Lanka soar high at Telangana Int’l Kite Festival 2024

Heritage Kites Sri Lanka in a vibrant display of colour, skill and tradition marked their presence at the Telangana Kite Festival 2024, a spectacular event organized by Telangana Tourism and the Telangana Government in India. This marked their fourth consecutive participation in the festival, which was held at the Parade Ground in Hyderabad from January 13 - 15, hosting around 40 international professional kite flyers from around 15 different cou

STF seize Rs.1.1Mn worth counterfeit fags

A large stock of counterfeit cigarettes worth over Rs.1.1 million, which is suspected to have been smuggled into the country through sea routes, was seized by the Police Special Task Force (STF) from Ampara bus stand yesterday. The STF on a tip off searched the vendors and kiosks at Ampara bus stand and found 115 cartons of the foreign brand of cigarettes ‘Business Royal’, of which the sale and consumption is prohibited in Sri Lanka. Accordi

50% of girls, women do not include sanitary napkins in their expenses: Advocata Institute

Due to the affordability of sanitary napkins, half the number of girls and women in Sri Lanka do not include sanitary napkins in their household expenditures, the Advocata Institute said. They said the affordability of sanitary napkins and its significant impact on the welfare of girls and women in Sri Lanka has become more pronounced in recent years. This is particularly evident due to the decline in their purchasing powers stemming from the

SLPP expresses concerns over President’s direct dealing with individual MPs

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is reported to have reiterated its concerns with President Ranil Wickremesinghe over his direct dealings with individuals of the party bypassing its hierarchy. It was communicated to the President when he met with SLPP leaders Mahinda Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa last week. Such concerns were reiterated in the wake up of some MPs and electoral organizers siding with the President. Currently, a sediment o

Ottawa community gathers at vigil to mourn victims of mass killing

More than 300 people gathered in the suburban Ottawa neighbourhood of Barrhaven Saturday for a community vigil following what police have called one of the worst mass killings in the region’s recent history. Ottawa Police Service said Thursday that the homicide unit was called in after six people — four children and two adults — were found dead inside a home in the city’s west-end suburb on Wednesday night, the Global News reported.

New Pakistani PM hopes for closer ties with Sri Lanka

Whilst thanking Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe for his recent message of felicitation, new Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif yesterday expressed his confidence on good having relations between the two nations. “Grateful to the President of Sri Lanka, H.E. Ranil Wickremesinghe for his message of felicitation on my assumption of the office of Prime Minister. I am confident that relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will co

Prime Minister to head off to China later this month

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena will undertake an official tour of China later this month and hold talks with his counterpart Li Qiang, Daily Mirror learns. The visit is likely to start on March 25. During the visit, China and Sri Lanka are expected to sign half a dozen of MoUs related to bilateral cooperation in key areas. However, details related to the agreements were not yet available. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reportedly ins

Sri Lanka ranks second in a global mental well-being index

Sri Lanka ranks second in a global mental well-being index, way ahead of even the developed western countries such as the United Kingdom, according to a news report published in the UK’s The Telegraph newspaper. Sri Lanka is second only to the Dominican Republic. According to the news report, “The results suggest that despite living through an unfolding humanitarian disaster, Yemeni’s are functioning better in relative terms than not only B

Sajith listening to outsiders and ignoring SJBers: Ranil

Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa is ignoring those in his own party and listening to outsiders. This is why he decided to not to participate in the debt restructuring process, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. President Wickremesinghe told a UNP rally in Kuliyapitiya that Mr. Premadasa had actually begun ignoring and sidelining his own party men such as Dr. Harsha de Silva. “Dr De Silva requested me to involve the oppositi

SJB formally informs Prez it will boycott today’s all party meeting

Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa in a letter addressed to President Ranil Wickremesinghe through his secretary said his party will not participate in the discussion on the debt restructuring programme which is scheduled to be held today. Mr. Premadasa is of the view that, the invitation extended to him is clearly disingenuous and lacking in good faith. Therefore, the Hon. Leader of the Opposition wants to convey the message that he will n

Over 250 Jaffna youths apply to join Sri Lanka Air Force: Sagala

More than 250 youths from Jaffna have applied to join the Sri Lanka Air Force during the ‘Air Tattoo 2024’ educational and technological exhibition, which was held in Jaffna in commemoration of the SLAF’s 73rd anniversary. The Sri Lanka Air Force conducted the ‘Air Tattoo’ from March 6 and concluded on a momentous note, marking a potential turning point in relations between the SLAF and the Jaffna community. The event, held at the Muttraw

Arrested for misbehaving at birthday bash

A group of young men and women including 17 students of a private university who attended a birthday party of a fellow student were arrested by Kahatuduwa Police for consuming drugs and for misbehaving. Police said three young women were suspected of engaging in prostitution. The party had been organized at a residence which belonged to a housing scheme in Uduwana in Homagama. The house had been rented for Rs. 45,000 by a university student fr

SL juggles support for Palestinian cause while deepening ties with Israel

Sri Lanka is navigating a delicate balance between its support for the two-state solution in Palestine and its efforts to strengthen ties with Israel, as evidenced by recent developments such as the opening of a Honourary Consulate in Haifa , participation in Red Sea operations and opening a fund for children affected by the conflict in Gaza.

Over Rs. 2.5 bn annual rent paid for vehicles by public institutions: Finance Ministry

It was revealed in parliament that more than Rs. 2.5 billion is paid annually as rental for vehicles acquired by government agencies.

First elephant breeding ground, hospital opened in Habarana

The first private elephant breeding ground and hospital for domesticated elephants was opened on Thursday in Habarana area. This project h

Leaders in the opposition to meet IMF delegation

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has convened a pivotal meeting with leaders of accepted political parties to discuss the proposals put forth by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with its high-level delegation, a statement from the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

Vajira to reveal how Ranil became President in another book

UNP Chairman and Member of Parliament Vajira Abeywardene yesterday announced that he will launch another book shortly which relates how the incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe became President of Sri Lanka after the ‘ Aragalaya’(

Horror in Barrhaven Sri Lankan family slain by 19-year-old Sri Lankan student in Ottawa

A 19-year-old student from Sri Lanka has been charged with stabbing six Sri Lankans living in Ottawa, Canada, killing five of them including a two-and-a-half-month old infant, in Ottawa, Canada. Ottawa

Commander inspires schoolgirl’s aviation dream at “Air Tattoo’’

The “Air Tattoo - 2024’’ educational and technical exhibition, held in conjunction with the 73rd anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air Force, was inaugurated on Thursday at the Muttraweli Ground in Jaffna. Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa, Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, presented a symbolic aircraft souvenir to a schoolgirl, inspiring her dream of becoming an aviator.

Rohitha new COPE Chairman; Lasantha heads COPA

SLPP MP Rohitha Abeygunawardane was elected chairman of the Committee on Public Enterprises with majority votes at the inaugural meeting held at the parliament Complex yesterday. The name of MP Abeygunawardane was proposed by MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage and was seconded by MP Sanjeeva Edirimanna. Opposition MP Gamini Waleboda was proposed by MP Hesha Vithanage and was seconded by MP Dilan Perera. MP Abeygunawardane was elected the Chairman with m

Instalment payment scheme for new power connections

Steps are being taken to introduce a mechanism to pay the connection charge for new electricity connections through an instalment payment scheme, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said yesterday. He told Parliament that the proposal to introduce the instalment payment scheme has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and that it will be announced by next week. Responding to an oral question r

Paid Rs. 3,000 electricity re-connection fee: MP contradicts Kanchana

Contradicting the Power and Energy Minister’s claim that the electricity re-connection fee was reduced to Rs. 800 this year, newly appointed Anuradhapura District MP M.C. Muthukumarana said he has paid Rs. 3,000 as reconnection fee two months ago. MP Muthukumarana told this in Parliament after Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that the reconnection fee which was Rs. 3,000 earlier was reduced to Rs. 1,300 last year and that it was further reduce

Sri Lanka hosts largest-ever International Gita Mahotsav

Cultural event at the Mahotsav Sri Lanka concluded the fifth edition of the International Gita Mahotsav on March 4, 2024, marking the largest iteration of the event ever held outside of India. The four-day celebration, held in Colombo, aimed to promote the message of peace, fraternity, and harmony enshrined within the Bhagavad Gita. This collaborative effort involved the Kurukshetra Development Board of Haryana (India), Sri Lanka’s Ministry

IRD targeting High Wealth Individuals

As part of its efforts to restore fairness and confidence in Sri Lanka’s tax administration, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) will intensify scrutiny of tax compliance among high-net-worth individuals in the country, IRD Commissioner General W.A. Sepalika Chandrasekara said. She said the programme aims to ensure that the affluent contribute their fair share and fulfil their tax obligations accurately. “The IRD has established a High Wealth Ind

Deshabandu’s appointment as IGP challenged in Supreme Court

A Fundamental Rights petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking an order preventing Deshabandu Tennakoon from functioning as the Inspector General of Police. The Anti Corruption Movement affiliated to the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) filed this petition further seeking a declaration that newly appointed IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon is unfit to hold public office including any post in the Sri Lanka Police Force. Convener of Anti Corrupti

Shavendra and Kamal villainsc in GR’s new book

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has acknowledged his shortcomings in appointing key defence personnel, including General Shavendra Silva and General (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne in his tell-all memoir “The Conspiracy to Oust Me” launched yesterday (March 7). Rajapaksa recounts the dramatic circumstances which led to his ousting in 2022, describing it as a first-hand experience of an internationally-sponsored regime change operation. Rajapaks

President, and opposition to discuss debt restructuring process on Monday

President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday announced that he will meet the opposition parties on Monday to discuss Sri Lanka’s engagement with the IMF and the creators on the debt restructuring process. “I have heeded the request made by Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Harsha de Silva who has made a very good proposal. He requested that I get the opposition involved in the negotiations with regard to debt restructuring. Therefore I will meet op

Ottawa: Four children among six found dead in house

BBC News, Toronto - Canadian police are treating the deaths of four children and two adults at a house in Ottawa as homicides. Officers were responding to an emergency call placed at approximately 22:52 local time (03:52 GMT) on Wednesday when they found the six people. Ottawa police chief Eric Stubbs has described the incident as a ’’mass shooting’’.

Prez, MR, Basil talks end with no decision on alliance

The meeting among President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) leaders Mahinda Rajapaksa and Basil Rajapaksa ended with no final decision on the formation of an alliance ahead of the pending national elections, Daily Mirror learns . The three leaders met yesterday to discuss outstanding political matters ahead of the presidential elections slated to be conducted later this year . Daily Mirror learns that the two SLPP lea

Sri Lanka sees uptick in HIV/AIDS cases in 2023

Sri Lanka has experienced a significant surge in HIV/AIDS cases in 2023 recording close to 700 cases. According to the National STD/AIDS Control Programme, Sri Lanka has logged 694 cases reflecting a 13 per cent increase compared to the year 2022, which saw 607 cases. Out of the cases reported in 2023, 91 males and five females fall within the age range of 15-24, while the remaining cases are individuals above 25 years old. The male-to-female ra