Elon Musk likely to visit Sri Lanka next month

Elon Musk is likely to arrive in Sri Lanka next month to launch his Starlink satellite-based internet service in Sri Lanka, an official said yesterday.

Charith Asalanka set to lead Sri Lanka in T20s and ODIs

Charith Asalanka, Vice-Captain of Sri Lanka’s white-ball cricket team, is poised to take over the captaincy for both T20 and ODI formats, the Daily Mirror learns.

PAFFREL slams Govt. over machiavellian attempts to retain power

The People’s Action for Free & Fair Elections (PAFFREL) has urged the government, not to introduce any amendments that would necessitate a referendum at this time.

Rossouw and Mendis steer Jaffna Kings to fourth title win

Rilee Rossouw and Kusal Mendis made the chase of 185 runs look easy and losing the first wicket in the first ball did not deter the pair or put them back as they steered Jaffna Kings to coast to a convincing nine wicket win over Galle Marvels in the final of the fifth Lanka Premier League tournament played under floodlights at R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday.

Shippers’ Council slams successive governments for policy failures

The Sri Lanka Shippers’ Council strongly criticised successive governments for their inconsistent....

IMF to review SL’s economic progress next week

A delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka next week to assess the country’s economic progress.

Kataragama Perahera ends

The final day of the Ruhunu Kataragama Maha Devalaya perahera was held with the participation of thousands of devotees from various faiths and ethnicities who united in worship as they paid reverence to God Kataragama. The perahera paraded the streets from 16 to 21 July. Pix by Nisal Baduge

Joe Biden steps down from election race

U.S. President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on Sunday after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump, leaving the presidential race in uncharted territory, the foreign media reported.

‘Ekwa Jayagamu’ in Gampaha

During today’s ’Ekwa Jayagamu’ rally in Gampaha, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga proposed that President Ranil Wickremesinghe should contest the next Presidential Election. Over 250 local government representatives from Gampaha, along with 26 SLPP Ministers and MPs, have pledged their strong support for the President.

Beyond Biden, Democrats are split over who would be next

As Democrats churn over whether President Joe Biden should stay in the 2024 race, the party turmoil is deepening over whether his Vice President Kamala Harris is next in line for the job or if a “mini primary” should be quickly launched to choose a new nominee before the party’s August convention.

22A needs to be approved by referendum costing Rs. 10 billion: Anura Kumara

Claiming that the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution is required to be passed by a referendum which costs Rs. 10 billion, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today President Ranil Wickremesinghe is plotting to bring in such an amendment at this juncture to create confusion among the people.

Prasanna urges Ranil to declare candidacy promptly

During a spirited rally in Kadawatha today, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga passionately urged President Ranil Wickremesinghe to promptly announce his candidacy for the presidency within the upcoming week.

Bangladesh court scraps job quotas after deadly unrest

Bangladesh’s top court has scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs that had sparked violent clashes across the country that have killed more than 100 people.

Asanga Abeygunasekara arrested at BIA over open warrant

Former Director of the Institute of National Security Studies, Asanga Abeygunasekara, was arrested this morning at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA).

Government repays Rs. 129 Bn more debt than raised in bonds & Treasury bills

In the first half of 2024, the government has managed to pay off its debt of Rs. 129 billion more than the amount of debt obtained through bonds and Treasury bills, State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe said.

CCD arrests 16 suspects including woman in crackdown on organized crime

The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) arrested a total of 16 suspects, including a woman, in connection with their alleged involvement in organized criminal activities.

Scam warning as fake emails and websites target users after outage

Cyber-security experts and agencies around the world are warning people about a wave of opportunistic hacking attempts linked to the IT outage.

Goa cargo ship fire kills one, firefighting efforts underway

Fire-fighting operations continued for the second straight day Saturday to contain a major fire that broke out on the Panama-flagged cargo merchant vessel ‘MV Maersk Frankfurt’, with the Indian Coast Guard confirming that one crew member had been killed.

Silver Chariot festival held in Colombo

The Silver Chariot Festival at Sri New Kathireashan Temple in Colombo took place yesterday. The festival featured two cows pulling a silver chariot carrying a statue of a Hindu god. A significant number of Hindu devotees participated in the colorful event, which also included traditional Kavadi dancers, showcasing Hindu culture.

Travel companies ordered to pay Rs 1 crore to man who lost family in Sri Lanka trip

The Delhi Consumer Commission directed travel companies Thomas Cook and Red Apple Travel to pay Rs 1 crore as compensation to Yogesh Saigal for the death of his family members in a road accident during a vacation in Sri Lanka.

Ali Sabri Raheem released on bail

Puttalam District MP Ali Sabri Raheem, who surrendered to the police this morning, was released on bail by Puttalam Acting Magistrate Indika Tennakoon.

It is regretted that President places blame on me for current constitutional error - Jayampathi

Dr. Jayampathi Wickramaratne , the former MP who played a key role in drafting the 19th Amendment , said the upper limit of the term of President and Parliament as mentioned in Article 83 of the Constitution was not touched at that time only to avoid a referendum, and therefore it is regretted that President Ranil Wickremesinghe placing the blame solely on him for the constitutional error.

MP Ali Sabry Raheem surrenders to Police

Kalpitiya police have arrested Puttalam District MP Ali Sabri Raheem after he surrendered to the police this morning.

Tusker Agbo shot in the eye with catapult, youth arrested

An individual who shot the tusker Agbo frequenting Tirappane area, in its eye with a catapult, was taken into custody by Tirappane Police yesterday. The suspect was a resident of Akkara Panaha in Ethungama, Tirappane in the Anuradhapura District.

Fire breaks out on cargo ship en route to Colombo off Goa

A major fire broke out on a container cargo merchant vessel about 102 nautical miles southwest of Goa, causing explosions on the front part of the ship on Friday evening. The vessel was on a passage from Mundra port in Gujarat to Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Charmed conflict...

President Ranil Wickremesinghe is seen engaged in a light conversation with Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe at the function to mark the opening of the new court complex in the Galle Beligala area, featuring modern technical facilities, built at a cost of Rs. 1.6 billion. It was inaugurated by the President yesterday. (Courtesy: President’s Media Unit)

Trade Minister warns suppliers; lower prices or face price controls

Whilst the government issued a stern warning to suppliers of essential goods emphasising that they must promptly pass on the cost reductions resulting from its recent policy decisions by next week, some producers said it is not possible to reduce prices due to the high cost of raw materials.

Bangladesh imposes curfew, deploys army as job quota protests continue

Bangladesh has announced the imposition of a curfew and the deployment of military forces after days of clashes at protests against government job quotas across the country.

Imthiaz to be appointed new SJB Chairman

In what seemed to be a significant change in Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), the party is slated to appoint national list MP Imthiaz Bakeer Markar as its new chairman in place of Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka.

Bus carrying pilgrims overturns in Muttur, injuring 52

A bus carrying a group of pilgrims from Jaffna to Kataragama ran off the road and overturned this afternoon in the Muttur area resulting in 52 pilgrims being injured.