The Excise Department of Sri Lanka, one of the three main revenue generating arms of the country’s Ministry of Finance is struggling with a severe dearth of staff even to perform day-to-day duties, as the 17 top rung positions are vacant for months

The National People’s Power (NPP) said that a future NPP government will appoint a special Commission of Inquiry with full judicial powers to further investigate the facts unearthed through the special Commissions and other investigations into the

In a bid to set the record straight, State Minister Finance Shehan Semasinghe pointed out that authorities continue to engage all debt restructuring negotiations in good faith, within principles of equitable treatment among creditors, and with maximu

The Police department has decided to enhance crime detection by integrating public and private CCTV camera systems with the Police CCTV camera system, a senior police officer said. In the initial stage, around 2000 CCTV cameras from private entitie

Tax payers will have to cough up as much as Rs. 45 million as the cost of conducting yet another three-day parliamentary debate on the Easter Sunday attack for the fifth time, with uncertainty looming whether it will be a meaningless exercise with ke

Mahanayaka of Malwatta Chapter Ven. Thibbatuwewe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera has requested President Ranil Wickremesinghe to revoke the agreement signed between the Minister of Buddha Sasana and Cultural Affairs and a Buddhist monk to renovate Anu

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda The Court of Appeal has ordered the suspension of the previous allocation of Hajj pilgrim quotas for the year 2024 and to include an aggrieved travel agent for proper allocation . Each year the Saudi Arabian government all

Former Deputy Minister Palitha Thewarapperuma passed away yesterday at the age of 64. It was learnt that the former Kalutara District Parliamentarian had been electrocuted when he attempted to connect two electrical circuits at his home and died afte

The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU), alleged that government schools are collecting significant amounts of money from parents for various school activities. Addressing the media CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said that prominent schools traditio

The border surveillance agents will have to rely on traditional methods that enabled the recent arrest of a female Madagascar national with swallowed cocaine worth over Rs.34 million, whereas an Advance Passenger Information system at airport could d

Parliament is offering a total monthly salary of Rs 665,000 to a ‘budget officer’ which is a newly created post in the House. As per the official website the basic salary of the budget officer is said to be Rs 408,360 while it will come to a

Following a contentious verbal exchange involving YouTuber Emeka Iwueze, a Sri Lankan street food vendor accused of charging an excessive amount for a Kottu Roti dish was apprehended by the police. According to a video shared on Emeka Iwueze’s

The founder of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka, Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne passed away yesterday at a private hospital in Colombo. He was 92. Born November 5, 1931, Dr. Ahangamage Tudor Ariyaratne had his primary education in the village sch

Government officials continued to sound upbeat in striking a deal with the bondholders, however, authorities this week failed to reach a consensus regarding the terms of restructuring. Despite “constructive discussions”, authorities and the bondh

UNP Deputy Leader and Senior Presidential Advisor Ruwan Wijewardene met Chief Prelate (Mahanayake) of Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha of Siyam Maha Nikaya, Venerable Dr. Ittapana Dhammalankara Anu Nayake Maha Thera.

The effectiveness of the legal system in handling investment-related matters in Sri Lanka is often questioned due to perceived corruption and inefficiency, an official said.

Despite assurances from transport authorities that sufficient facilities would be provided to accommodate commuters during the festive season, people were highly inconvenienced due to inadequate public transport, resulting in them risking their lives

Claiming that only vehicle imports have been restricted by now, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said a committee is studying the possibility of permitting vehicle imports on a priority basis in the future.

Amidst reports that some ex-military men from Sri Lanka have joined the Russian military operations against Ukraine, Sri Lankan Ambassador in Moscow Prof. Janita Liyanage said she asked for details about them from the Russian military if any.

Health authorities have noticed a significant decrease in accidents, notably firecracker-related incidents, during the festive season.

In a tragic turn of events, a 42-year-old person was fatally stabbed on Sunday night at a residence in Galwala Junction, within the Serunuwara Police division. Hailing from Polonnaruwa, he had been residing there.

A group of MPs from both the ruling party and the opposition have urged the speaker and government officials to provide vehicle permits at lower prices if the previously issued duty-free licenses cannot be granted before the upcoming presidential ele

Chinese President Xi Jinping , in his recent meeting with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, has reportedly stressed the need for ‘fair and transparent’ environment for Chinese companies to invest in Sri Lanka . The Chinese leader had further m

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya The Sri Lanka Air Force is gearing up for the Colombo Air Show and Defence Exhibition (CADE 2024) to showcase air power and boost tourism and investment. Air Force Commander Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa announced tha

A nine-year-old child, identified as M.R. Rantharu, who was a fourth-grade student at Moratuwa Jana Jaya School and resided at Clovius Mawatha, Moratuwa, was hit and killed by a train while riding a bicycle near the Murawatta railway crossing in Mora

In the wake of SLPP (Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna) MPs airing contrasting views over the upcoming elections, the party hierarchy has barred all MPs from making comments on their support to any presidential candidate until a formal decision is taken, a

Air Force Commander Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa said the SLAF is very much worried about the civilians, weaponizers and providing free navigation for naval craft in the Indian Ocean and that they need to address those issues. In response to a med

India will remain Sri Lanka’s most reliable friend and a trusted and dependable partner, emphasized Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha. “Our bilateral cooperation is expanding and diversifying. It is buttressed by India’s growin

The testicles of a young man had been removed yesterday at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital allegedly as a result of a police assault. He is under treatment at present after the surgery on Tuesday (9). It is alleged that six officers of the Medaw

The Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) has confirmed that the Education Ministry’s website was hacked by a local individual on April 4. The Senior Information Security Engineer of SLCERT, Charuka Damunupola, stated that a repor