Security in North-East tightened after unearthing assassination plot

Security in North and East has been tightened since last Thursday following the arrest of six prominent former LTTE cadres on charges of planning to assassinate a prominent Tamil politician in the North, informed sources said.

Hashim, Rahaman deny any ties with extremists

A former UNP MP and a former minister yesterday denied the reports citing proceedings of the PCoI on the Easter Sunday attacks which alleged that they had been associated with extremists.

Correct decisions at correct time: Sajith

The correct decisions will be taken at the correct time, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader Sajith Premadasa said today in response to a suggestion by former MP Kumara Welgama who called for a joint opposition alliance.

Lankadeepa wins most popular newspaper award

Our sister papers Daily Lankadeepa and the Sunday Lankadeepa won the most popular newspaper award for the fourteenth consecutive year at ‘SLIM-Nielsen People’s Awards 2020’.

President grants power to Treasury Secretary to incur all expenditures

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa today (06) granted the legal authority to the Secretary of the Treasury to incur all the expenditures of the government including the cost of Election for a period of three months beginning March 6, 2020.

Foreign Minister briefs envoys on COVID- 19 preventive measures

Minister of Foreign Relations Dinesh Gunawardena has briefed the Diplomatic community on the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic and the preventive measures the Government of Sri Lanka contemplates taking, the Foreign Relations Ministry said.

SriLankan Airlines suspends flights to China due to current market conditions

SriLankan Airlines has temporarily suspended its services between Sri Lanka and China from March 10 to April 30, 2020 due to current market conditions driven by significant reduction in worldwide travel to and from China.

Formulate scientific mechanism to contain Covid-19: President instructs officials

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed members of the special task force set up to monitor and discuss preventive measures against Covid – 19 virus in Sri Lanka to formulate a scientific mechanism to prevent the disease entering the country.

SriLankan Airlines cancels flights to Jeddah from March 15 -April 30

SriLankan Airlines today announced that it had cancelled its flights to Jeddah from March 15 - April 30 following restrictions being set in place by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia on the entry of foreign nationals into Saudi Arabia, in view of the present Coronavirus pandemic.

Arrest warrant issued on Ravi

Colombo Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake issued arrest warrants on MP Ravi Karunanayake and nine others over the Central Bank bond scam.

Special HC Trial-at-Bar issues warrant to arrest PCoI secretary

The Special High Court Trial-at-Bar today issued a warrant to arrest the Secretary of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into incidents of political victimization for not appearing in Court.

General election: SLFPers ask MS not to contest

Several senior SLFP leaders who met at the official residence of a Cabinet minister at Mahagamasekara Mawatha in Colombo have decided to request former president Maithripala Sirisena not to contest the general election but enter Parliament through the SLPP national list.

Decision on issuing arrest warrants on Ravi, others at 2.30pm

Colombo Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake postponed the court session till 2.30 p.m. today to deliver the decision whether to issue arrest warrants on MP Ravi Karunanayake and 11 others over the Central Bank bond scam.

Clinton reveals he had sex with Lewinsky to manage anxieties

Former US President Bill Clinton has said that his affair with Monica Lewinsky was one of the ’things I did to manage my anxieties’, Daily Mail reported yesterday.

China has made eating wild animals illegal after the coronavirus outbreak

A strict ban on the consumption and farming of wild animals is being rolled out across China in the wake of the deadly coronavirus epidemic, which is believed to have started at a wildlife market in Wuhan.

Special quarantine team for Katchatheevu feast

As many as 3,000 pilgrims from India are scheduled to attend the annual Katchatheevu feast, a special quarantine team of the Health Ministry has been sent as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Navy said yesterday.

Heavy traffic in front of Leprosy Hospital, Hendala

Heavy traffic was reported along the road in front of the Leprosy Hospital in Hendala, Wattala due to a protest organised by the residents against the government’s move to declare the hospital as a quarantine centre for coronavirus.

President questions EC’s move to stop graduate training programme

President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday said that the directive by the Elections Commission to stop the training programme for graduate recruits to the government service was wrong.

SJB invites UNP to sign MoU

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) General Secretary Ranjith Maduma Bandara yesterday invited the UNP to sign an MoU with the alliance and to contest the general elections in uniformity.

Gota and EC locked horns over the suspension of appointments

With the suspension by the Election Commission the Government appointments given to 45, 585 graduates, a serious crisis situation is now emerging between the Government and the Commission. This crisis situation has resulted with the Government leveling severe criticisms at the Commission for suspending the appointments to Graduates.

Talks to end misunderstandings between UNP factions

Negotiations are on to end the misunderstanding between the two groups in the UNP and to contest the general elections in uniformity, informed sources said yesterday.

Govt. infected with COVID-19: NBF

The present Government has lost its popularity by fifty per cent within the first hundred days, like a man infected with Coronavirus (COVID-19), National Bhikkhu Front (NBF) General Secretary Ven. Wakamulle Uditha Thera said.

This era is witnessing end of western dominance: RW

Former Prime Minister and Chief Guest of WION Global Summit, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has said that this is an era which is witnessing the end of western dominance.

Scheduled train strike called off: LEOU

The 24-hour token train strike to be launched by the Locomotive Engine Operators’ Union (LEOU) since tonight over certain offensive statements by Minister Wimal Weerawansa, was called off with immediate effect when Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa intervened the matter this evening.

Govt. to discuss with EC

The government will speak to Elections Commission chairman Mahinda Deshapriya about his ruling that the government must not proceed with issuing appointment letters to unemployed graduates for job training, now that an election has been declared, cabinet spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardana said today.

I’m not behind it

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) leader Sajith Premadasa today refuted the claims made by the government that he had got the election commission to cancel the appointments given to 44,000 unemployed graduates in the state sector and said he will provide employment to them within a week if elected as the Prime Minister.

Don’t vote for anyone linked to Maithripala: Prasanna

People should not cast their vote for anyone, who has any connection with former President Maithripala Sirisena, who is contesting the forthcoming general election from the ‘Pohottuwa’, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said.

“Wonder Crystal” by Sybil Wettasinghe sets World Record

The book “Wonder Crystal” authored by veteran children’s book writer and illustrator Kala Keerthi Sybil Wettasinghe has set a new Guinness World Record for the most number of alternate endings.

Hot weather to continue till Mid-April: Met. Dept.

The prevailing hot weather condition, which was forecast to disappear by mid-March with the onset of the Inter monsoonal rain, would last until mid-April, Director General of the Department of Meteorology Athula Karunanayake said.

113 Sri Lankans given Indian citizenship since 2014

India has granted citizenship to nearly 19,000 people from five neighbouring countries including 113 Sri Lankan citizens, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.