The Government’s attention has been drawn to reduce the number of participants at the National Day Parade by 30 per cent compared to last year, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Sri Lanka’s eighth Parliament went down in the history yesterday by becoming the first to have appointed three leaders of opposition throughout its term.

The Cabinet yesterday approved the withdrawal the Counter-Terrorism Bill, Cabinet spokesman, Minister Bandula Gunawardana said yesterday.

The seal which was seen resting among the rocks in the sea off Bambalapitiya has gone missing since December 18, the Wildlife Conservation Department said.

Foreign Relations Minister Dinesh Gunawardane will visit India on January 9 as his first official visit abroad and would be there only for a couple of days.

A young male leopard, with its limbs and several teeth missing, was found dead close to the 14th-milepost outside the Udawalawe National Park on January 1, Udawalawe National Park Warden R.G.R.S. Ranathunga said.

A two-day debate will be held on the policy statement made by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Parliament starting from January 7, Chief Opposition Whip Gayantha Karunatilleke said yesterday.

The Opposition today urged Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to table the reports of the forensic audit on the Central Bank bond scam without delay.

State Minister Defense, Chamal Rajapaksa said today an in-depth investigation would be carried out into the crash of the Sri Lanka Air Force Y-12 aircraft at Haputale and that he would present a report in Parliament soon.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said today he stood for the philosophy symbolised by the Kurahan Satakaya (maroon shawl) though he did not wear it as his other family members did.

Priyantha Liyanage, who was sworn in as new MP for Ratnapura District before Speaker Karu Jayasuriya sat in the opposition in Parliament today.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya today announced UNP MP Sajith Premadasa as the Opposition Leader. In early December, UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe nominated MP Premadasa as the Opposition Leader of Parliament.

Changes should be made to the Constitution in order to safeguard security, sovereignty, stability, and integrity of Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said today.

Sri Lanka will have a lesser number of working days and more long weekends this year with fourteen out of 23 public holidays falling on Fridays and Saturdays and many public holidays falling on either Fridays and on Mondays.

General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force, has been killed by US forces in Iraq, BBC reported a short while ago.

Four airmen were killed when an Air Force fixed-wing Y-12 aircraft crash landed in Haputale this morning, Air Force Group Captain Gihan Seneviratne said.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will ceremoniously open the fourth session of the Eighth Parliament 10.00 a.m. today. The new Parliamentary session on the 3rd will commence with the arrival of the invitees at 9.00 a.m.

UNF Parliamentary Group which met yesterday had decided to support the progressive steps that are taken by the government for the betterment of the country.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was scheduled to undertake an official visit to China on Jan.14 to 15, has postponed his visit on China’s request, informed government sources told the Daily Mirror yesterday.

The Cabinet of Ministers yesterday decided to withdraw the Counter Terrorism Bill introduced by the previous rule to be enacted in place of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Daily Mirror learns.

Colombo District MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has worked a private member’s bill which, if enacted into law, will make it mandatory for political parties to get at least 12.5 percent of votes from a particular electoral district at general elections to

The Elections Commission (EC) has gazetted 157 symbols to be used by political parties at the forthcoming Parliamentary polls though there are only 70 registered political parties eligible to contest elections.

Railway Services State Minister C. B. Ratnayake yesterday launched the programme for providing a bag of vegetables and a bag of dry rations at a concessionary rate of Rs.500 each at the Maradana Railway Station to ease the commuters.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has directed parliament authorities not to hold the guard of honour at today’s ceremonial opening of the Parliament.

The drug menace devastating the country could be controlled only by identifying the big time drug peddlers, convicting and sentencing them to death, Justice, Human Rights and Legal Reforms Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva said.

The Public Administration Ministry is planning to submit a note to the Cabinet seeking clarification on action regarding the allocation of a government house by the former government for the lifetime use of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sam

An appointment that has been given against the decision taken by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa not to appoint persons charged with allegations of corruption has been canceled.

Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi has found that three imported x-ray machines placed at the Apeksha Hospital at Maharagama had not been even opened for the past five years, hospital sources said.

Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) said today that it has strengthened its surveillance operations to nab illegal migrants with the support of the Sri Lanka Air force (SLA) and the Australia’s Operations Sovereign Borders (AOSB).

The government will not sign the MCC agreement as it is but will see the possibility of signing it if the four member expert committee recommends amendments to ensure the agreement does not pose any threat to the national security and the economy, St