The National Committee of Astrologers has raised objections to the auspicious timing designated for performing Sinhala New Year rituals, alleging inaccuracies in the schedule. The committee took their concerns to the esteemed Anunayakas of the Malw
Ahead of the pending national elections, the government has made fresh attempts to bring about changes to the parliamentary election system by seeking to amend the Parliamentary Elections Act, a Minister said. Justice Minister Wijeyadasa
Light for Life Director, Hameed AL Hussaine College Old Boys’ Association member and Group of 97, Oxford Group of companies Director Al Hifaz Farook laid the foundation stone of building 15 classrooms, a four-storey building and a dormitory of Hameed Al Hussaine College Colombo 12 at his own expense.
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
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
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
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
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.
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 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, 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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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’(
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
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.
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
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
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
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
EU Ambassador meets new BOI Chief to discuss economic ties
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