A 59-year-old Sri Lankan passenger who was on-board the UL 230 SriLankan flight from Kuwait to Sri Lanka, has died due to sudden illness.

The Customs’ work-to-rule reached its seventh day today as attempts to meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe failed last evening.

Lakdhanavi Ltd, a local power company, objects to fresh moves by the Power and Energy Ministry to award the contract to a Chinese company for the execution of 300-megawatt LNG power plant in Kerawalapitiya despite it being a higher bidder, it is learnt.

The controversial sugar containers, detected with cocaine in 2016 and 2017, were not destined for Sri Lanka, Customs Assistant Supdt. Nuwan Abeynayake said.

Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Qatar  Mr.  A S. P Liyanage has been recalled, government sources today said.

UNP MP  Dr.  Kavinda Jayawardene and former Speaker Joseph Michael Perera who is also an UNP  organizer, engaged in a verbal clash at a function held in a church recently.

Sri Lankan Ambassador to Qatar A.S.P. Liyanage yesterday denied reports of being recalled by President Maithripala Sirisena, claiming instead that he had resigned.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had invited all MPs outside the UNF to join in the Government.

The Government was planning to get the assistance of the three Armed Forces to eradicate the Sena Caterpillar menace, Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara said.

President Maithripala Sirisena said that the common enemies of the progress of national revival were poverty and corruption.

Those who aspired to contest under the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) at forthcoming elections must be subjected to a DNA test to ascertain that they did not have qualities of jumping and flying, TNA MP G. Srinesan said yesterday.

Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa called on the Government on Saturday to be honest and say that that it wanted to increase the number of Ministers without hoodwinking the people by talking about a National Government.

Four Maldivians were arrested for operating a drone camera and video-graphing the Katunayake Airport in the high-security zone last night.

SriLankan airlines is paying Rs.110 million a month for a grounded A330-200 aircraft which it acquired during the cancellation of the lease on three A350-900 airbuses in 2016/2017, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into irregularities at SriLankan airlines was told yesterday.

The remains of the two Sri Lankan Peacekeepers, Major H.W.D Jayawickrama and Sergeant S.S Wijekumara, who were killed in Mali, would not be flown down to Sri Lanka on Saturday as earlier scheduled, the Army announced yesterday.

The Opposition yesterday criticized the UNP for making a proposal to form a national government and urged President Maithripala Sirisena not to appoint any more cabinet ministers.

An arrest warrant issued for former Sri Lankan military attache Brigadier Priyanka Fernando for violating public order after making cut-throat gestures at protesters, has been revoked without a court hearing following UK Foreign Office involvement, the Guardian reported today.

The United National Party (UNP) is expected to move a resolution in parliament on February 7 calling for the formation of a national government and thus increase the cabinet of ministers to 48 and the number of deputy, state and non-cabinet ministers to 45.

The Computer Emergency Readiness Team and Coordination Centre  (CERT|CC) had received complaints with regard to 15 incidents where ransoms were demanded via Facebook, Information Security Engineer Ravindu Meegasmulla said yesterday.  

One should go into the field to develop the nation without depending on propaganda, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. The Prime Minister expressed this sentiment at a ceremony organized to distribute lands in Nikaweratiya last evening.

There are no wild animals, wild trees or wild forests as such but only wild politicians and wild people, President Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday.

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said yesterday the proposed resolution by the United National Party (UNP) to form a national government was only a shameful ploy to increase the cabinet of ministers.

Yesterday’s proposal made by the UNP to form a national government was not only illegal but also outrageous, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) alleged.

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) said today there was an attempt to bypass the Customs Department when handling foreign firearms brought down to the country and this was why Customs Director General P.S.M. Charles had been removed.  

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had agreed to delay the issuing of a gazette notification pertaining to increasing the daily wage of estate workers upto Rs. 700 to allow negotiations to continue on the issue until a solution is found.

JVP MP Vijitha Herath said today what the country needed at this juncture was not a presidential election or a provincial council election but a general election to set up a new parliament by rectifying the current disarray.

The work-to-rule campaign by the Customs Trade Unions is continuing after today's discussions with Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera on the removal of Customs Director General P. S. M. Charles had failed, the CTU Alliance said.

The Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development is set to establish Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the future administrative city, as a Megapolis, Minister Champika Ranawaka said.

According to the 2021 policy decision, the number of students in a grade-one classroom should not exceed 35, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said. However, he said the number of students in such a classroom could accommodate up to 37.

Twelve new foreign Ambassadors and High Commissioners accredited to Sri Lanka presented their credentials to President Maithripala Sirisena at the President’s House in Colombo today.

President Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday it was not good for the country’s sovereignty If certain groups obtained the help of foreign powers to rule the country and take decisions they wanted. He said this at a function held at the Olaboduwa Rajamaha Viharaya in Horana yesterday.

The Court of Appeal today fixed for support on February 12, the Quo Warranto petition against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s parliament membership.

Queen Elizabeth II in a message on Sri Lanka’s Independence Day has extended her best wishes for the good fortune and happiness of the people of Sri Lanka in the coming year.

Minister and Leader of the House, Lakshman Kiriella today submitted a resolution to the Parliament Secretary General on the formation of a national government thus enabling it to increase the Cabinet of ministers to 48 and the deputy, state and non-Cabinet ministers to 45.

A shipment of illegal cigarettes worth over Rs.20 million had been seized by the officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) while transporting them in a container lorry near the Wimaladharma clock tower, Colombo yesterday, Police spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera said.