A group of Danish tourists were provided the opportunity to enjoy Sri Lankan new year dishes at Ahangama. Local dishes of red rice, fish and pickle and sweetmeats prepared specially for the New Year meal were served to them. It was followe
Possible delays in reaching an agreement (in principle) with private bondholders is unlikely to impact the disbursement of the third tranche under IMF’s US$ 3billion bailout package, given negotiations are moving ahead in good faith, Former Governor of Central Bank (CB) and renowned economist, Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy said.
A request by some MPs across the political divide for concessionary vehicle permits is likely to be shot down by the party leaders given the dire economic situation of the country, Daily Mirror learns. Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Eran Wickramaratne brought to the notice of the Business Committee last week that a letter is being signed by the MPs for such a request.
The respondent parties in the first application filed before Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court under the newly enacted Online Safety Act, today raised objections challenging the maintainability of the application.
Sri Lanka is facing an imminent threat in its health sector with high chances of substandard medicines like human immunoglobulin entering the market in the near future, as the law enforcement body of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has diminished to just a single officer since this week.
Mage Rata organization president Sanjaya Mahawatta yesterday, lodged a complaint with the Illegal Assets Investigations Division, calling for an inquiry into model Piumi Hansamali using the Range Rover vehicle previously used by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
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 now, the Daily Mirror learns.
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 Easter Sunday attack and mete out justice to the victimized families.
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 maximum transparency within the norms of such negotiations. Sections of the political and business community yesterday expressed disappointment in the government not being as open as it should be about the
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 entities, including residences in Colombo city, will be linked to the police’s camera network.
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 key questions unanswered once again. Previously, three such debates took place in the House, but failed to leave the question regarding the mastermind behind the attack unanswered. People, mostly the
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 Anula Cheiththiya that comes under Mihintale Rajamaha Vihara, Ven. Mahanayake Thera has pointed out that Anula Cheithiya, which is considered the site of the founding of the Bhikkuni Sasana in Sri Lanka
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 allocates quotas to each country in order to manage the influx of pilgrims . Sri Lanka had been allocated 3500 pilgrims this year which had been allocated to different travel agents. The Court of A
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 after being admitted to the Nagoda Hospital. Born on 3 May 1960, Thewarapperuma was elected to Parliament from the UNP. He was appointed Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Wayamba Development and Cultur
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 traditionally charge parents for activities such as wall and desk painting, sports events and functions as there is insufficient funding allocated by the Education Ministry.
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 do wonders in tracking down drug smugglers, the Daily Mirror learns. This came to light when the Customs officials intercepted a female Madagascar national arriving in Sri Lanka during Avurudu holid
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 total of Rs 665,000 with all allowances. The age limit of the officer should be 65 years. Any eligible person should possess at least 15 years of experience in the government budgeting, financial poli
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 official YouTube channel, the American visitor to Sri Lanka embarked on a culinary exploration of the country’s street food scene five days prior, aiming to familiarize himself with local cuisine. Du
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 school, secondary education at Mahinda College, Galle, and his higher education at Vidyodaya University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and an Honorary Doctorate of D.Litt. He star
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 bondholders did not agree on restructuring terms, Sri Lanka said in a regulatory filing to the London Stock Exchange. The restructuring of the debt, amounting to over US$ 12 billion, is a mandatory requirement
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.
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.
More countries issue travel advisories
Sri Lanka Tourism invites global travellers for upcoming season
Russian embassy urges citizens to stay vigilant in Arugam Bay
US Embassy issues travel warning for Arugam Bay
India-Sri Lanka ferry service operates smoothly