7
Former Chairman of the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation, Prasad Harshan De Silva, was arrested today by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption in connection with the alleged misappropriation of Rs. 27.6 million.
6
The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka has provided state-of-the-art radiation and chemical detection equipment valued at $1 million (299 million LKR) to the Sri Lanka Navy, significantly boosting the country’s capacity to detect and respond to nuclear, radiological, and chemical threats in its maritime domain.
34
Referring to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s statement on forming administrations in local councils, former MP M.A. Sumanthiran remarked that ’’power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’’
1
Neither Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky nor Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the first direct Ukraine peace talks since 2022, dampening hopes for a breakthrough. Putin first proposed direct negotiations for May 15 over the weekend, but the Kremlin later announced he would not be attending.
15
Leadership issues will not arise in the collective approach which is to be adopted by opposition parties to govern local bodies where the NPP has become a minority, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Mujibur Rahman said today.
19
Vehicle sellers in Sri Lanka are currently grappling with an overwhelming demand for new vehicles, despite the persistently high prices of imported units, the Vehicle Importers’ Association of Sri Lanka (VIASL) President Prasad Manage said.
80
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday said the government will amend laws if someone challenges and tries to disrupt the mandate, while claiming that National People’s Power (NPP) has the right to form councils in local bodies where the NPP has secured a majority as per the mandate.
29
Several opposition party leaders, including those from the SLPP and SLFP, met with former President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday to discuss forming joint administrations in local government bodies and they have agreed in principle to collaborate moving forward.
4
Residents of Barwatta yesterday staged a protest against using a 14 year child to pluck coconuts and offering him a drink of illicit liquor as his wage and compelling the police to take action against the illicit breweries and liquor dens in the area.
3
Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa today invited members of the local media fraternity and trade unions to actively participate in creating a much anticipated National Media Policy, hence not postpone it for another couple of years.
20
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa today welcomed the government’s move in summoning the Canadian High Commissioner to the Foreign Ministry to express its objection over Canada’s false genocide allegations during Sri Lanka’s war against the LTTE and the Canadian government’s move in unveiling a Tamil Genocide monument.
5
A two-day vehicle tuning dansala will be held tomorrow (15) and the day after (16) in front of the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) head office in Narahenpita, to mark Vesak Poya day. The event was inaugurated by DMT Commissioner General Kamal Amarasinghe.