Iran helicopter crash: President Ebrahim Raisi dies

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has not requested President Ranil Wickremesinghe to hold a general election first but only conveyed the opnion of the SLPP to the President, SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam said today.

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A person was arrested in Dehiwala for facilitating over 100 individuals to go to Russia on tourist visas, police said.

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The businessman from Colombo 7 who was arrested and remanded over the alleged assault on Iranian Ambassador Dr. Alireza Delkhosh at the Colombo City Center (CCC) car park, has been further remanded till May 22.

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Claiming that 82 MPs have requested vehicle permits, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said they would take possible steps to stop the move.

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Responding to speculations made on the political platform that a general election will precede a Presidential election, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Harshana Rajakaruna today urged the authorities to hold the Presidential and General elections simultaneously.

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Sri Lanka is deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian and other senior Irani officials, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said in a messege on X.

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Elon Musk has accepted an invitation by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to visit Sri Lanka this year to launch his Starlink satellite internet service, the Daily Mirror learns.

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Recognising the efforts of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galaboda Atte Gnanasara Thera in promoting national unity and social support, the Chief Prelates of the Malwathu, Asgiri, Ramanna Nikaya, and the Amarapura Maha Sangha Sabha have appealed to the President to grant Ven. Gnanasara Thera a pardon on Vesak Poya day.

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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister died when their helicopter crashed as it was crossing mountain terrain in heavy fog, an Iranian official told Reuters on Monday.

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Iranian President Raisi and the officials accompanying him are feared dead after the Red Crescent says it has found “no signs of the helicopter’s occupants being alive” at the crash site.

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A total of 10,299 people from 3,518 families have been affected, while two have been injured due to the prevailing weather conditions, Disaster Management Centre Deputy Director Thusitha Waidyarathne said.

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None of the rivers have reached flood level so far due to the heavy rains yesterday, according to the data collected by the Irrigation Department, Irrigation (Hydrology) Director Eng. S.P.C. Sugeeshwara Bandara said.

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Outstanding credit card balance of the licensed commercial banking sector has little changed in March from February despite an uptick signaling the trend that would follow as the consumers grow more optimistic about the economy. The interest rates have fallen to single digit levels.

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The revenue to the government, including the grants, rose by a staggering 61.8 percent in January 2024. This is a result of the government raking in billions of rupees out of people’s pockets to appease the International Monetary Fund’s revenue targets.

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In the wake of the tragic incident involving Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Ali Sabri have extended their heartfelt prayers to the Iranian people.

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Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha in a letter addressed to National Peoples Power (NPP) Executive Committee Member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has suggested new dates for the proposed debate between its leader Sajith Premadasa and NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the party’s economic experts.

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All schools in the Puttalam district will be closed tomorrow, May 20, due to adverse weather conditions, Governor of the North-Western Province said.

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One of Sri Lanka’s senior cricketers looks set to retire from white ball cricket at the end of T20 World Cup 2024 in USA and West Indies, Daily Mirror reliably learns.

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A fire has broken out near the port of Colombo. It is reported that the fire broke out in a lodging of employees working on the expressway near the Colombo port premises.

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Iran’s state television reported that one of the helicopters in the convoy carrying President Ebrahim Raisi was involved in an accident.

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A businessman from Colombo 7 has been arrested over the alleged assault on Iranian Ambassador Dr. Alireza Delkhosh at the Colombo City Center (CCC) car park last evening.

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President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is on an official visit to Indonesia, met Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

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The Sri Lanka All Union Alliance of the Board of Investment (BOI) has issued a stark warning against the proposed Economic Transformation Bill, set to be submitted to Parliament on May 22.

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President Ranil Wickremesinghe met Elon Musk in Bali and spoke about Sri Lanka being connected to the starlink network.

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A 42-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder of three individuals from the same family at Maladeniya in Nalla, Gampaha early this morning.

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Over 280 kgs of narcotics were destroyed using a new high-powered incinerator built at a cost of over Rs. 11 million at Vanathavilluwa in Puttalam yesterday.

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President Ranil Wickremesinghe has directed to resume the ’’Suraksha’’ student insurance programme, which was temporarily halted due to economic issues.

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The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued landslide warnings for seven districts due to the ongoing heavy rainfall.

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Sri Lanka’s Defence Ministry has received over 400 complaints from family members of citizens recruited by mercenary companies to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war.

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A total of 114 officers and 1,395 other ranks in the Sri Lanka Army have been promoted in view of the 15th Victory Day Anniversary.

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The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday urged the Sri Lankan Government to take decisive action to uncover the fates and locations of tens of thousands of individuals subjected to enforced disappearances over the years and to hold those responsible accountable.

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The Colombo Air Show and Defence Exhibition (CADE 2024) which was scheduled to be held from May 29 to June 2 at the Galle Face and Colombo Port City, has been postponed to next year, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) said.

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Sri Lankan actress Dinara Punchihewa is among the prestigious Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30 Asia” entertainment and sports list.

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Despite a recent dip in infections, ongoing showers are likely to drive a rise in Dengue cases, health officials predicted.

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The report of the committee appointed to inquire on increasing the interest rates of the bank accounts of senior citizens will be handed over to the President next week, Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said.

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People living in low-lying areas along the river basins of Kala Oya, Deduru Oya, Maha Oya, Attanagalu Oya, Kelani Ganga, Kalu Ganga, Gin Ganga, Nilwala Ganga, Bentara Ganga, Kirama Oya and Uruboku Oya are requested to be vigilent over possible floods with the continuous rain during the next few days, the Irrigation Department said.

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