Two fishing vessels intercepted with 200 kg of heroin, ICE off southern seas

Two multi-day fishing craft were intercepted with more than 200 kg of heroin and ICE by the navy off the Southern seas.

Court refuses to lift travel ban on Sanath Nishantha

Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage today rejected a request made by State Minister Sanath Nishantha that his travel ban be temporarily lifted enabling him to go abroad.

Elections must go ahead regardless of delimitation exercises: Deshapriya

Elections must be held regardless of the activities to demarcate wards for local authorities, Chairman of the National Delimitation Committee Mahinda Deshapriya said.

Thilini Priyamali released on bail

Owner of Thico Group Private Ltd Thilini Priyamali, who was remanded in connection with alleged financial fraud, was released on bail by Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage today.

France in talks with creditors

France, which is part of the Paris Club, is in talks with Sri Lanka’s creditors in an attempt to ensure a solution is reached for the financial crisis sooner than later.

Sri Lanka further sinks into recession as economy contracts 11.8% in 3Q

The Sri Lankan economy further sank into recession after its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the third quarter gave up as much as 11.8 percent of its output, bringing the nine-month contraction in the economy to 7.1 percent.

SLPP local heads tell prez they are ready for LG polls

A group of heads of local authorities held by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe and informed him that they were ready for local polls at the appropriate time, a party official said.

Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery operations resumes today

As earlier announced by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) the operations of the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery will resume today (16) after receiving another 90,000 MT of crude oil for refining at the facility.

Twitter appears to ban journalists, critics of new CEO

Twitter appeared to suspend the accounts of at least half a dozen journalists late Thursday — including some who had been critical of Elon Musk and his $44 billion dollar takeover of the social media platform.

Three-member Election Committee appointed to elect new office bearers

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said today that it has appointed a three-member Election Committee to conduct the forthcoming election of SLC Office Bearers, scheduled to be held in May 2023.

UPDATE - Businessman, Dinesh Schaffter dies after being found in critical state at Borella cemetery

Fifty two year old businessman, Dinesh Schaffter, a director of Janashakthi Group, who had been found tied inside a car at the Borella General Cemetery with serious injuries earlier this evening has died while receiving treatment at the National Hospital in Colombo.

Laws required to remove underperforming officials: Kanchana

Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said although the people have the power to remove politicians in an election, there are no specific policies to take action against officials and institutions that do not show the required performance levels.

500 IT scholarships to study in the Philippines

A ceremony to award 500 scholarships to study Information Technology at a Philippine State University was held today with the participation of Sports and Youth Minister Roshan Ranasinghe and Rotary International President Jennifer Jones. The event was held at the Ministry of Sports this afternoon with the participation National Youth Services Council President Dr. Thiran De Silva and several other dignitaries.

Govt. MPs seek probe against Shavendra Silva, IGP and others

Filing a writ petition in Court of Appeal, 22 government Parliamentarians representing SLPP and several others have sought an order directing the authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation in order to ascertain as to whether former Army Commander General Shavendra Silva...

Champion boxer beaten and abducted over conflict between two gangs over drug trafficking

Police investigation into the assault and abduction of champion boxer M.S. Dinusha Lakshan had revealed that the incident was a result of a conflict between two gangs over drug trafficking.

Mindfulness pilot programme to be launched in schools from Jan.4: Minister

The Education Ministry will launch the ’’Mindfulness’’ program as a pilot program for schoolchildren on January 4 in all schools, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said.

Cement prices can be decreased by another Rs.1,000

The recent drop in cement prices proves that prices are decided by a mafia of cement importers, Chairman of the National Construction Association Susantha Liyanaarachchi charged.

SL poverty line touches Rs 13,810 per person per month

The official poverty line of a Sri Lankan citizen has been determined for October at Rs. 13,810 per month, a report issued by the Census and Statistics Department (DCS) said.

Speaker endorses certificate on VAT (Amendment) Bill

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana endorsed the certificate on the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill yesterday, Communications Department of Parliament said.

’’First read the book’’: Cabraal says distributing copies of his book

Former Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal was seen distributing several copies of his new book ’’Among economic killers’’ to journalists.

Sri Lanka’s worst power cuts predicted in March and April 2023

Sri Lanka’s worst power cuts may come as early as March and April, as the country has failed to secure sufficient coal stocks required for thermal power generation, Nihal Weerarathne of the the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Engineers Union said.

UN to work with Prisons Dept. to enhance inmates’ agricultural practices

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are working with the Department of Prisons in Sri Lanka to enhance the skills of inmates in modern agriculture practices.

Indian Navy Chief calls on General Silva

Chief of Naval Staff of Indian Navy Admiral R Hari Kumar who is in Sri Lanka called on the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Shavendra Silva.

Diana Gamage’s travel ban temporarily lifted

The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today ordered to temporarily lift the travel ban imposed on State Minister Diana Gamage for a period of five days.

WHO chief hopes COVID will no longer be emergency next year

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday he is ’’hopeful’’ that the COVID-19 pandemic will no longer be considered a global emergency some time next year.

Retirement age for medical officers revised; Gazette issued

The age limit of retirement for medical Consultants Doctors, Government Medical Officers, Dental Surgeons, and Registered Medical Officers have been revised through an extraordinary Gazette Notification.

Indian EV scooters launched in SL

While traditional combustion engines are becoming obsolete, fully electric 2-wheelers are rapidly replacing them. The OCAYA electric, in partnership with Douglas and Sons, was launched as Sri Lanka’s first-ever fully electric bike yesterday

Those who worked to defer PC polls, talking on 13A is hilarious, says Namal

It is hilarious that the same people who worked to postpone the Provincial Council (PC) elections are talking about a 13th Amendment to the Constitution today, Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa said.

Social media activist Dilan Senanayake injured in attack

Social media activist Dilan Senanayake has been hospitalised after being attacked by two people with a sharp weapon.

First-ever mobile app for tourism in Wilpattu National Park launched

A mobile app dedicated to self-guiding tourist information, navigation and virtual tours was launched for the first time in Sri Lanka at the Wilpattu National Park, yesterday.