Bus falls down precipice, one killed, 30 injured

An elderly woman was killed and 30 others were injured when a passenger bus fell into a precipice in the Ulpotha area of Meegahakivula, Badulla, this morning, the police said.

SL offers training and expertise to Congolese armed forces

Sri Lanka has extended an offer to share its expertise in peacekeeping missions and provide training to the Congolese armed forces, in a move aligned with Sri Lanka’s defense diplomacy, according to a statement from the Sri Lankan mission in Nairobi.

PUCSL increasing electricity tariff to IMF’s, not independently

With the latest increase in the electricity tariff for the third time, it is clear that the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) is not independent and the commission is dancing according to the tune of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the government, said Samagi United Trade Union Force (SUTUF) convener and media spokesman Ananda Palitha.

Sri Lanka aims to fill IT workforce gap by equipping high school graduates

Annually, there are 20,000 IT job openings, with Sri Lankan universities producing only 10,000 IT graduates

Bribery Commission member has accepted a bribe: Minister

A member of the Bribery Commission has accepted a bribe for filing legal action against the newly enacted Anti-Corruption Bill, Minister of Justice Wijedasa Rajapaksha told Parliament today.

Asian Para Games begins tomorrow

The fourth Asian Para Games will start tomorrow in Hangzhou China featuring 22 sports and is scheduled to continue until October 28.

Justice Minister, Aluthgamage resorting to unconscionable conduct: Speaker

Minister of Justice Wijedasa Rajapaksha and MP Mahindananda Althugamage have resorted to unconscionable conduct by calling for mob aggression and agreeing to participate in such aggression against the Constitutional Council, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena ruled today.

China’s Xi offers to help Sri Lanka, buy more of its exports

China is willing to offer assistance to Sri Lanka without political conditions and buy more of its exports, President Xi Jinping told his Sri Lankan counterpart during a meeting in Beijing on Friday, state media said.

CEB increases electricity tariffs from today

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has received permission from the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) to increase electricity tariffs from today (20).

Ranil meets Xi Jinping

President Ranil Wickremesinghe met Chinese President Xi Jinping a short while ago during his visit to China, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

Chinese Finance Minister reaffirms support for Sri Lanka’s debt optimising strategy

Chinese Finance Minister Liu Kun has reaffirmed China’s commitment to extend comprehensive support for the implementation of a medium-term and long-term programme that is mutually beneficial to both parties and aimed at optimising Sri Lanka’s debt, a statement from President’s Media Division said.

Panic-stricken SLPP MPs in opposition plead for innocence

Following the Supreme Court ruling that led to the loss of the parliamentary seat of former Minister Naseer Ahmad, some Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs who joined hands with the opposition have pleaded with the party hierarchy not to proceed with disciplinary action against them lest they will lose their seats in the House, Daily Mirror learns.

Unusual ground sounds in Hedunuwewa linked to underground water pressure: Geological Expert

Asserting that the most potential reason for the unusual sound heard by people as originating from the ground in the Hedunuwewa areas in the Nuwara Eliya District could be due to pressure in the underground water table, a geological expert said the exact reason could be ascertained only after a proper geological investigation or research under available methods.

Passenger facilities at Palali Airport to be expanded at estimated cost of Rs.200mn

In a bid to meet the growing demand for international and domestic air travel, Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Aviation, Nimal Siripala de Silva, has given the green light for a significant upgrade to passenger facilities at Palali Airport.

SL secures staff-level deal with IMF on first review

Sri Lanka and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have successfully reached a staff-level agreement regarding the first review of Sri Lanka’s US $ 3 billion, 48-month, Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

David Cameron criticised for role in Chinese-backed project in Sri Lanka

David Cameron is facing criticism for promoting a Chinese-funded port city in Sri lanka amid concerns that it will give Beijing a significant foothold in the Indo-Pacific, The Times reported.

Pilots’ Guild denies Minister’s comments over engaging in industrial actions

While claiming that they have not resorted to any industrial actions, the Airline Pilots’ Guild of Sri Lanka (ALPGSL) stressed in a statement that they actively engage with the management and the relevant authorities, including the Minister, to seek solutions to the matters affecting the airline throughout this entire time.

SL has health policy for students, education administrative structure parallel to Health Ministry: Minister

Sri Lanka has a health policy for students and the education administrative structure is parallel to the Health Ministry’s structure, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said.

US advises all Americans overseas to exercise increased caution’ in worldwide alert

The US State Department on Thursday advised all US citizens worldwide “to exercise increased caution” due to “increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.”

Notable upswing in dengue infections

With the prevailing rainy conditions, Sri Lanka is witnessing an uptick in dengue cases as compared to the previous month.

Suspension from Parliament a blessing in disguise : Mannapperuma

SJB MP Ajith Mannapperuma who was suspended from Parliament for four weeks today said the suspension is a blessing in disguise as he was planning to boycott sessions.

Rugby legend Navaratnam dies aged 98

Former Sri Lanka Rugby star Sumanthiran (Summa) Navaratnam passed away today, (19) aged 98.

SL Parliament to debate Gaza conflict

The Sri Lankan Parliament will take up a debate on the Gaza conflict tomorrow as per a decision by the party leaders.

Northern train time table to be revised from Saturday

The timetable of the Northern railway line has been revised with immediate effect as of October 21, the Railways Department said.

Seetha taken home after three weeks

The female elephant ’Seetha’, who was injured following a shooting incident by a Wildlife officer, was taken to Maharagama to its residence in a lorry on Tuesday (18) afternoon, Peradeniya University Veterinary Medicine & Animal Science Faculty Prof. Ashoka Dangolla said.

Tamil parties deny writing to ’Thalapathy Vijay’

Tamil parties in Sri Lanka denied a fake letter purportedly sent by them to Tamil Nadu actor Vijay Chandrasekhar alias ’Vijay’ asking him to stop the screening of one of his films as otherwise they would not be able to bring people for a mass agitation planned for the same day.

Denied wheelchair after landing, disabled flyer seeks Rs 10cr payout

Vistara business class passenger with limited mobility has taken the airline to the consumer court seeking a compensation of Rs 10 crore for the difficulties she had to face on a recent Colombo-Mumbai flight over wheelchair-related issues, the Times of India reported.

Angelo, Chameera to join World Cup squad

Veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews and seamer Dushmantha Chameera have been called up by the national selectors to join the World Cup squad in India as traveling reserves.

Alleged statement on LTTE resurgence: Vijayakala released from case

Jaffna District former Parliamentarian Vijayakala Maheshwaran was released by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s court from a case relating to a controversial statement she had made in 2018.

US vetoes UN resolution calling for humanitarian pause in Israel-Hamas war

The United States has vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel while calling for a pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian assistance into Gaza.