Showers forecast in southwest regions

Showery conditions are expected to intensify to some extent in the south-western part of the country today and in the next few days, the Metrology Department said.

Special intercity express train to Kandy every weekend from tomorrow

A special luxury intercity express train will run between Colombo Fort and Kandy every weekend from tomorrow (Oct. 1), Transport and Mass Media Minister Bandula Gunawardena said.

Demand for alcohol to weaken amid economic contraction, roaring inflation: Fitch

Fitch Ratings expects demand for spirits to weaken in the coming months amid the projected contraction in the Sri Lankan economy in the next 12 months, unprecedented inflation and the erosion of purchasing power of consumers due to deterioration in the local exchange rate.

SL ranks 85th in 2022 edition of Global Innovation Index

Sri Lanka has been successful in jumping up the ranking on the 2022 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII), securing the 85th position in the world ranking and fifth in the regional ranking.

Soar in chicken prices increases demand for game meat

The poaching of wild animals in national parks has been increased because of the increase in chicken prices in the market, Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Officers’ Association (SLWCOA) said.

USA to help SLs to realize their dreams- US Ambassador

United States of America (USA) yesterday stretched its hands to Sri Lankans to realize their dreams with the opening of a new American Centre in Colombo and assured a friendship of joy.

Putin to begin annexation of 4 Ukrainian regions on Friday

President Vladimir Putin will begin formally annexing four Ukrainian regions to Russia on Friday in a move that the United Nations warned would mark a ’’dangerous escalation’’ of the conflict and which should be condemned.

Two fuel dispensers at a filling station in Colombo sealed

Two out of three Octane 92 fuel dispensers at a fuel filling station in Colombo were sealed today due to a short delivery of fuel, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) said.

Govt. to ease import restrictions

The government will ease the import ban on some goods that have been temporarily suspended due to the prevailing economic crisis, Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said.

Court orders to pay Rs.30 million as compensation to disabled child

In a landmark verdict, the Colombo District Court today ordered the government to pay a compensation of 30 million rupees to a disabled child due to the negligence of a medical team.

SL to step up efforts on climate change - Ruwan

Sri Lanka is to launch a national program to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change, Presidential Advisor on Climate Change Ruwan Wijewardene said today.

Aragalaya protesters could be further harassed through Rehabilitation Bill: Lawyer files petition in SC

A lawyer in a petition before Supreme Court today alleged that the bill titled ’Bureau of Rehabilitation’ has been brought with an ulterior motive of further harassing Aragalaya protestors as this Bureau is vested with powers to send persons to rehabilitation without a judicial order.

Taxi driver’s leave to appeal over delisting LTTE as terrorist group rejected

The Federal Court in Malaysia today dismissed a taxi driver’s application to obtain leave to proceed with his appeal in a bid to delist the Liberation of Tigers Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist group.

Controversial Indian politician meets Gota

Senior BJP leader Dr Subramanian Swamy on Thursday met Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo, becoming the first foreign visitor to call on the ousted Sri Lankan president, following his return to Colombo after fleeing the country amidst unprecedented protests against his government’s mishandling of the island nation’s economy.

No short term solution for brain drain situation, must stop early: Foreign Minister

There is no short-term solution to the brain drain situation in the country, but we must stop it as soon as we can, Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry said.

RW meets Philippine President

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the long-standing friendship between Sri Lanka and the Philippines would be promoted by developing Asian regional cooperation.

Court of Appeal directs AG to draft contempt of Court charges against Sanath Nishantha

The Court of Appeal today ordered the Attorney General to draft contempt of court charges against State Minister Sanath Nishantha in connection with two contempt of court cases filed against him by two lawyers.

Debate on 22A fixed for October 6,7

Party leaders have agreed to take up the debate on the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution in Parliament on October 6 and 7, Communications Department of Parliament said.

EU releases €1.5 Mn to respond to growing humanitarian needs in SL

The European Union (EU) has released €1.5 million in humanitarian aid to respond to the ongoing socio-economic crisis affecting millions of people in Sri Lanka.

Police to quiz some politicos over secret plot to overthrow govt.

The police have launched extensive investigations over the involvement of some politicians who had encouraged some ‘protester’ groups to overthrow the government by forcefully occupying Parliament and preventing a vote to elect a new President following the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July.

Spot tender advertised to receive 300,000 MT of coal: Power and Energy Ministry

A spot tender has been advertised by the Power and Energy Ministry to receive a quantity of 300,000 MT of coal from local or international coal suppliers to be supplied to the Lakwijaya power plant.

China has been our closest buddy in recent decades: PM

China has the honour of being Sri Lanka’s closest buddy in the past decades Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardana said yesterday while heaping his praise on the 73rd national day of the People’s Republic of China.

SJB alleges large scale scam involving the purchasing of oil

Alleging that there is a large scale scam involving the purchasing of oil, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday said it will file complaints with the Bribery Commission and with the CID.

Indian court dismisses bail pleas of Sri Lankan fishers

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday dismissed the bail pleas of six Sri Lankan fishermen arrested by the Indian Coast Guard on the charge of carrying narcotic drugs.

UK supports SL to tackle the impacts of climate change

The United Kingdom is fully committed to supporting all countries including Sri Lanka to tackle the impacts of climate change, a senior UK government minister said.

First consignment of glyphosate for tea and rubber expected in December

The first consignment of popular weedicide glyphosate for tea and rubber crops is expected to arrive this December, Plantation Industries and Industries Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana told Mirror Business.

Economic crisis plunges pandemic’s ‘new poor’ below poverty line

While the pandemic in the last two years created a segment of people identified as ‘new poor’, who were on the brink of poverty, the economic crisis, which soon followed, tipped them down below the poverty line, sending the country’s official poverty levels at least multiple levels higher than what was prior to the pandemic.

PM invites France to invest in fishery, agriculture, IT, renewable energy, electronics, tourism sectors

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said he is hopeful that French investors would enter into new areas of investment such as fishery, agriculture, information technology (IT), renewable energy, electronics and tourism sectors.

President Media gets new unit to counter disinformation

In parallel with the International Day for Universal Access to Information which falls today, a new unit “Counter Disinformation Unit” was launched by the President Media division.

2hr 30min power cut approved for tomorrow

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) today approved the two hour and 20 minutes power cut for tomorrow (29).