Second term begins with 110 commitments ‘pending’ on Sri Lanka’s IMF programme: Verité Research

The second term of the IMF review began with 110 commitments ‘pending’ on Sri Lanka’s IMF programme with Sri Lanka and the IMF adding 75 new commitments to the programme, the Verité Research said. The International M

Crocodile threat looms at Wellawatte beach !

Those who visit Wellawatte beach have been adviced to be vigilant after a crocodile was spotted in the sea recently. A warning sign was seen on the beach asking people to be vigilant. People are visiting the

Yukthiya operation I am not ready to listen to international community; Tiran

Whilst highlighting that the UN has requested the government to halt the Yukthiya operation, Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles yesterday said he is not ready to work in accordance with the advice given by the international community.

Issuing TIN not disrupted, necessary facilities will be provided to IRD: Minister

14 social groups identified as earning various incomes

Sanath Nishantha goes on his last journey teaching a lesson on life and death

State Minister Sanath Nishantha who met with a tragic death was laid to rest with the lesson for everyone including the politicians that everyone in this world will have to face death in an unexpected moment.

India-Sri Lanka passenger ferry service to begin on February 15

One-way trip costs SL Rs. 26,750, round trip is SL Rs. 53,500

A/L candidate, Uni. student arrested for question paper scandal

A private candidate, who was appearing for the GCE Advanced Level examination at an examination centre in Mutur, took a photo of the Information Technology question paper with his smartphone. He then sneaked it out to a student at South-Eastern University and obtained the answers. Both the private candidate and the university student were produced before Mutur Magistrate Thasneem Mohamed Fauzan and remanded until February 02.

Colombo Port cargo vessel arrivals increase due to crisis in the Red Sea

A total of 193,000 containers were handled in these two terminals in January, which is a 70% increase

Rajitha takes pro-government stand?

Claims Sri Lanka will be the fastest nation to recover, surpassing Greece, Argentina, and Lebanon

Court releases 12 Indian poachers after suspended sentences

A group of 12 Indian poachers arrested by the Navy during a search operation in the Sri Lankan waters off Karainagar in Jaffna on January 13, were sentenced to 18 months imprisonment suspended for five years and released after severely reprimanding by Jaffna Magistrate J. Gajanidhibalan on Saturday (27).

Mahanayaka Thera calls for visionary leader

Mahanayake of Malwatta Chapter Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera said was with great difficulty that a patriotic and people’s friendly politician could be found nowadays and that the majority of the politicians, after coming into power, forget what they had professed to the people. During a meeting with a gro

Lorenzo Putha 4 hijacked, still no contact, all communications on standby: Fisheries Dept.

Measures are being taken with the support of the Foreign Ministry and the Sri Lanka Navy to release the ‘Lorenzo Putha 4’ - a Sri Lankan multi-day fishing trawler which was hijacked by Somali pirates yesterday, Director General of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Department Susantha Kahawatta said. He said the Somali pirates who hijacked the multi-day trawler have not made any communication with the Fisheries Department or any other responsibl

Bribery Commission sets deadline for asset declarations

Politicians, media heads among the compliant

Sanath Nishantha; will he be remembered?

Forty eight year old Sanath Nishantha who hailed from Puttalam, left his house late on Wednesday to attend two weddings, one in Kurunegala and another in Chilaw. While wishing his wife and four children goodbye, little did he know that he would never return. At approximately 1 a.m. on Thursday morning, while he was returning home on the Katunayake Expressway, his Land Cruiser met with a fatal accident as it rammed into a moving container truck. H

Police bust suspect selling organ to buy drugs

In a grim tale of addiction and desperation, Kattankudi Police nabbed two suspects yesterday, uncovering a significant stash of the illegal drug ICE and a shocking story of organ trafficking fuelled by addiction. The raid, led by OIC G.Gajanayake, netted a 32-year-old man caught with nearly 3 grams of ICE. During interrogation, the suspect revealed a chilling truth: he had allegedly sold one of his own kidneys to fund his drug habit. Addi

Laws in the offing to institute raping of male children as criminal offence

The government is in the process of introducing amendments to the Penal Code to institute raping of male children as a criminal offence, amend laws on constitutional rape of females mentioned in the Penal Code and to correct the shortcomings in the law of raping of females. The approval had been granted at the meetings of the Cabinet of Ministers held on January 18, 2021 and on June 28, 2021 to introduce amendments to the Penal Code to amend l

Sanath Nishantha’s sudden death; great loss to the party and nation: MR

The sudden death of State Minister Sanath Nishantha was a great loss to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and the nation, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa paid a visit to the state minister’s official residence at Wijerama Mawatha in Colombo and conveyed his condolences to the late minister’s wife and children.

Katunayake expressway in the dark

It was recently reported that it was impossible to turn on the lights of the Katunayake express way as thieves have cut and removed the high-voltage electricity cables. It was reported that the robberies had taken place around six months ago. It was also revealed by the officials that the removal of copper wire from concrete covers of the new “Kalyani” Bridge, which was built with a Japanese loan and the removal of cables of the Katunayake ex

Revision of electricity tariffs 2024: PUCSL tells CEB to submit proposal before Feb. 12

After considering the favourable hydroelectric storage and profits earned during the year ending December 2023, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) was directed by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) to submit a tariff proposal. Accordingly, the end user and bulk supply tariff proposals by the CEB for January to March 2024 were received by the PUCSL on January 16, 2024. Subsequently, though the Commission had requested certain

Sri Lankans with forged Italian resident cards nabbed at BIA

The Immigration and Emigration Department officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) searched two Sri Lankan men bound for Dubai on suspicion yesterday and found forged Italian resident visa cards in their possession. The immigration officials stationed at the BIA departure terminal detained two males who were about to leave for Dubai last evening and handed them over to the Border Surveillance Unit (BSU) for further inquiries.

Duruthu Perahera held in Kelaniya

The Duruthu Perahera festival in Kelaniya was held on Wednesday night. The event is celebrated annually in January with the participation of elephants, dancers, drummers and musicians. Pic by Pradeep Pathirana

High speed Crash kills Sanath Nishantha, constable

Police suspect that high speed and loss of control of the vehicle may have caused the pre-dawn fatal accident yesterday on the Katunayake Expressway, where state minister Sanath Nishantha and his security officer died. The jeep heading towards Colombo from Katunayake collided with a container vehicle when trying to overtake it, and swerved off the road crashing onto the safety fence with state minister Sanath Nishantha, a police constable on

Online Safety Bill: Meta, Google, Apple etc. refute Minister’s claims

Asia’s leading tech alliance states not privy to amendments

Minister under fire for bringing South Indian actresses for Thai Pongal

Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) General Secretary Minister Jeevan Thondaman is in the centre of controversy over the presence of South Indian actresses Aishwarya Rajesh, Aishwarya Dutta, Samyuktha Menon, and Meenakshi (Pinky Sarkar) in national Thai Pongal celebrations conducted in Hatton last Sunday. He is under fire from his political opponents who question him whether these South artistes were sponsored using tax payers’ money despite the gove

SJB to spend more than Rs 20 Mn for planned protest on Jan. 30: Range Bandara

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) is to spend more than Rs 20 million to be paid for the people who are to be brought to Colombo for its protest on January 30 2023, UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara alleged yesterday.

Chinese research vessel: Sri Lanka Says No, Maldives Says Yes

Chinese research and survey vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 which was barred entry into Sri Lankan waters over a policy decision is now on its way to the Maldives after permission was given by its pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu.

Sri Lanka Navy says ready for Red Sea deployment

Although a date has not been fixed, the Sri Lanka Navy said yesterday that it is now prepared to send a deployment to the Red Sea to assist in defending shipping lanes from Houthi activi

Police identify 125 traffic offenders through CCTV

A total of 125 motorists who violated traffic rules received warnings following the launch of a pilot project aimed at identifying offenders through the CCTV system in Colombo.

Selling MRP drugs for exorbitant rates Private hospital pleads guilty in advance when case summoned yesterday

A leading private hospital in Colombo that stirred controversy by selling government price controlled drugs for exorbitant rates, had reportedly pleaded guilty in advance when the case was scheduled

Buddhist monk shot dead at temple in Gampaha

A 45-year old Buddhist monk Kalapaluwawe Dharmarathana Thera has been shot dead with a T-56 weapon at a temple at Malwathu Hiripitiya in Gampaha yesterday. Police said four unknown persons who arrived in a car claiming that they were officers of the Criminal Investigation Department carried out the shooting. The incident