Sri Lankan refugee, found unconscious on Tamil Nadu shores, dies

A 71-year-old woman refugee, who had fled crisis-ridden Sri Lanka along with her 81-year-old husband on a boat and was found unconscious on the shore at Dhanushkodi on June 27, died at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai on Saturday night.

Army launches probe after Lt. Col. assaulting civilian at fuel shed goes viral

An internal investigation had been initiated by the Sri Lanka Army in connection with the incident at a petrol shed at Yaggahapitiya in Kurunegala where an Army officer attacked a civilian went viral on social media.

Prevent a tragedy and go home : Kirella

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) said Sri Lanka does not want an ‘Arab Spring’ which would sink the country into a hell on earth and called upon President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to quit forthwith preventing a possible tragedy of untold proportions as anger, detest and rejection of him by an entire nation was gathering momentum by the day.

Fuel shortage hits Suwa Seriya ambulance service

The Suwa Seriya 1990 emergency medical service announced yesterday that its patient transfers would be delayed due to lack of fuel.

Main suspect in Bastian Mawatha shooting killed in police confrontation

The main suspect in the recent shooting incident at Bastian Mawatha in Pettah, in which a man was shot to death and another injured, has been shot dead by police during a shootout at Bemmulla.

500 buses to be purchased under Indian line of credit

The government is planning to import 500 buses under the Indian line of credit to be deployed under ‘the park and ride system’ in Colombo, a Minister said.

Airlines cut seat capacity by 53% to Sri Lanka over fund repatriation issues and jet fuel shortage

Driven by the jet fuel shortage and fund repatriation issues as a result of the foreign exchange crisis, airlines have halved air seat capacity to Sri Lanka by 53 percent over the past couple of months presenting another challenge for the country’s struggling tourism industry.

SriLankan braces for potential flight cancellations amid jet fuel shortage

Operating on a zero-fuel schedule as the country’s jet fuel reserves have run out, the national carrier SriLankan Airlines is bracing for potential flight cancellations until 18th of this month.

Private credit collapses as rates go through the roof

Banks have virtually stopped lending to private borrowers as interest rates climbed to restrictive territory and the economic conditions turned from bad to worse prompting them to tighten credit conditions to contain any more damage to their asset quality.

Elephant reportedly not seriously injured – officials

Following the elephant-cab accident at Thalawa in Anuradhapura, injuring three persons including veteran artiste Jackson Anthony, the elephant has not reportedly been seriously injured due to the accident, a wildlife official confirmed today.

Yupun first Sri Lankan to run 100m under 10 seconds

Olympic sprinter Yupun Abeykoon set a new Sri Lanka Men’s 100m record, with a time of 9.96secs at the Resisprint International competition held in Switzerland.

Suspect arrested for illegal possession of fuel including 6,400 litres of diesel in Kilinochchi

A 25-year old man had been arrested for the illegal possession of fuel including 6,400 litres of diesel during a raid in Kilinochchi this morning.

Any company or industry can pay in US Dollars to obtain weekly guaranteed fuel quota

Any company or industry that can pay in US Dollars can open a consumer account at Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) to obtain a weekly guaranteed fuel quota, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera today.

3 hours power cuts for next two days

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has approved 3-hour power cuts from July 4 and 5.

Deepening fuel crisis; No schools next week too

The Education Ministry has decided to declare next week (July 4 to July 8) as a holiday week for all government and state-approved private schools owing to the current fuel crisis.

Four fuel shipments to reach SL this month

Four fuel shipments including three diesel shipments are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka this month, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said.

Parliament sessions limited to 3-days due to fuel crisis

The Essential Public Services Act will be approved by Parliament without debate on Wednesday, the Parliament media unit said today.

Another 51 persons attempting to migrate to Australia illegally arrested

Fifty-one people who were suspected to be on an illegal migration attempt to a foreign country were taken into custody by the Sri Lanka Navy during a search operation carried out in the eastern seas this morning.

Low-lying area residents of Gin Ganga warned of possible floods

The Irrigation Department requested the residents who are living in the low-lying areas of Gin Ganga and the motorists driving through those areas to be extremely vigilant of possible minor floods.

US Senate says IMF agreement with SL must depend on key reforms

The United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee said yesterday that any IMF agreement with Sri Lanka must be contingent on independence of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, strong anti-corruption measures, and promotion of the rule of law.

SLTDA Chairman complains to IGP over incident involving a Police Officer and a tourist

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) yesterday lodged a complaint with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over an incident involving a Police Officer and a tourist at the petrol shed in Galle on Friday.

Update: Jackson Anthony hospitalised

Three persons including popular Sinhala cinema artiste Jackson Anthony were injured after the cab they were travelling in, hit a wild elephant at Thalawa in Anuradhapura.

16 Sri Lankans let out of Special Camp in Tiruchi

Sixteen Sri Lankan Tamils, lodged at the Special Camp in Tiruchi, were allowed to go home on Saturday on the condition that they would continue to face trial in the cases booked against them, while residing outside the camp.

LIOC says three ships carrying fuel due here

Three ships containing petrol and diesel are scheduled to reach Sri Lanka, the Lanka IOC said.

Two soldiers, two Airmen arrested over Kandakadu inmate’s death

Two Sergeant grade officers of the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Air Force were arrested in connection with the death of an inmate at the Kandakadu Rehabilitation Centre.

Vatican paying close attention to Sri Lanka

Vatican is closely following the current situation in Sri Lanka and on the developments pertaining to investigations on the Easter Sunday attacks, it is learnt.

CPC quizzed why fuel shipment not ordered before July 22 as fuel runs out

The senior management of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has been quizzed by the President and Finance Ministry as to why a fuel shipment has not been ordered before July 22 even after being informed that the funds are ready to be released by the treasury, the Daily Mirror learns.

Customs seize Rs.60mn worth booze, fags, cosmetics sent from abroad

A large stock of foreign spirits worth of Rs.60 million accompanied with cosmetics, turmeric and cigarettes sent in several large UPBS (Unaccompanied Passenger Baggage) from Dubai seized by the Sri Lanka Customs were exposed to the media yesterday.

Govt. to offer Rs.7,500 allowance to worst-hit citizens from WB, ADB fund

In a bid to support the people from the worsening economic crisis that has made it challenging to access food, fuel and gas, the government yesterday said it is gearing up to provide a fresh round of assistance to those severely impacted.

BOI launches five-year residence visa to entice foreign investors

In an effort to step up the nation’s game in luring in foreign direct investments (FDI), Sri Lanka’s investment promotion agency, the Board of Investment (BOI), launched yesterday the five-year residence visa programme dedicated to investors.