News

Cabinet takes decision following SC order on IGP

Published

11 months ago

July 24, 2024

editor

During a special Cabinet briefing today (July 24), it has been decided to announce its response to the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the Inspector General of Police (IGP) within the next two days after studying in depth the legal aspects of the matter.

The special cabinet meeting chaired by President Ranil Wickramasinghe was held this evening at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

The Cabinet of Ministers had been of the opinion that since the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the IGP was received only this afternoon, adequate time is needed to conduct an in-depth study of the related legal issues.

Accordingly, it was unanimously decided that it would be most suitable to announce the response of the Cabinet in the next two days.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court issued an interim order preventing Deshabandu Tennakoon from performing duties and functioning in the position of the IGP.

BIZ

Starlink now available in Sri Lanka – Elon Musk

Published

3 minutes ago

July 2, 2025

editor

Billionaire businessman Elon Musk has announced that the Starlinksatellite internet service is now available in Sri Lanka.

“Starlink now available in Sri Lanka!” Elon Musk said in a post on ‘X’.

Starlink now available in Sri Lanka! 🇱🇰 https://t.co/37X5hNOEfL
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 2, 2025

News

Govt. to begin paddy purchasing for Yala season

Published

6 minutes ago

July 2, 2025

editor

The procurement of paddy for the Yala season will begin tomorrow (July 03).

The paddy purchasing initiative will be rolled out in Ampara, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and parts of the Northwestern and Southern regions.

The announcement was made by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock – Namal Karunaratne, in a statement to media.
The Paddy Marketing Board has allocated Rs. 600 million for the procurement process. As per the announced prices:

Nadu paddy will be purchased at Rs. 120 per kilo
Samba paddy at Rs. 125 per kilo
Keeri Samba at Rs. 132 per kilo

Prices for wet paddy have also been fixed:

Wet Nadu at Rs. 102 per kilo
Wet Samba at Rs. 105 per kilo
Wet Keeri Samba at Rs. 112 per kilo

However, the Deputy Minister has noted that only properly dried and standardized paddy will be accepted by government warehouses and urged all stakeholders to ensure fair treatment for farmers. He also highlighted that wet paddy cannot be accepted by the government warehouses, emphasizing the importance of proper drying to maintain quality standards.

News

New laws planned to tackle organized crime

Published

20 minutes ago

July 2, 2025

editor

Minister of Public Security – Ananda Wijepala says that new legislation will be introduced to tackle organized crime as the government moves to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

He explained that organized criminals are currently detained and questioned under the PTA, but with its repeal, new legal provisions are needed to handle such cases.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Justice is drafting a new Bill to ensure law enforcement retains the authority to detain and interrogate those involved in organized crime under updated laws.