Lanka News – Lanka Gazette – Sri Lanka News Portal

After aid and investment from China and India, Sri Lanka is now turning to Singapore’s biggest investment arm, Temesek Holdings, to bail out state entities like SriLankan Airlines and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), through equity investments, official sources said. Continue Reading

A ball-by-ball account of an accidental sighting of a woman that led to the arrest of one of the most wanted alleged fraudsters of the country
Continue Reading

The South West monsoon is set to begin mid next week and several parts of the country will experience heavy thunder showers accompanied by strong winds, a senior official said today.

The Deputy Director of the Meteorology Department, S. R. Jayasekera said that the monsoon will hit the Western, Central, and Sabaragamuwa provinces, while the districts of Galle, Matara, Puttalam and Kurunegala will also experience heavy showers.
Continue Reading

Two farmers were killed and three others injured when lightning struck them while working in a paddy field in HabaraluWewa, Sevanagala at 2.00pm today.

Forty five year old G. Chandrathilake and 44-year-old Jayantha were the unfortunate victims of the lightning strike.

The injured were rushed to the Embilipitiya hospital. Continue Reading

Deputy Minister Mervyn Silva a short while ago announced his resignation as Deputy Media Minister and said he was doing so on the advice of a panel of professors.

“They advised me that I cannot handle the work of two ministries as the deputy and that I could to a better service as the Deputy Highways Minister”, he said.

Mr. Silva said that the panel of professors were appointed before the elections.

The Asgiriya Mahanayaka thera, Ven Udugama Sri Buddha Rakkitha thera expressed disappointment about the handling of foreign affairs during the past few years and that some of the Lankan diplomats failed in their duties of briefing leaders of the respective countries and the people where they served.

The Mahananayaka thera made the comments when the External Affairs (Foreign) minister G.L.Peiris visited him last morning. Continue Reading

Two women pedestrians were killed and another person injured when they were hit by a speeding truck at Bentota this afternoon.

The driver and his assistant had fled the area soon after wards having abandoned the vehicle, Police said.

Investigations are underway to track them down, Continue Reading

The ruling party United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will not hold its May Day procession this year but a meeting will take place at the Colombo Municipal Council grounds where President Rajapaksa is expected to address the gathering.

The opposition United National Party (UNP) also has decided not to hold a May Day procession.

The Democratic National Alliance will hold its first May Day gathering at Campbell Park at 3.00pm today.

Meanwhile the Ceylon Estate Staff Union will be celebrating its May Day rally in Kotagala Town. Continue Reading

The JVP alleged today that that there was widespread displeasure among the members of the newly appointed Cabinet of President Mahinda Rajapaksa over the allocation of Cabinet portfolios.

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva told a press conference that the best ministries such as Ports and Aviation and Highways have been taken over by the President and would soon be handed over to his brother Basil Rajapaksa who was named Minister of Economic Development last Friday.

He added that the issues have also caused problem with the constituent’s parties of the UPFA such as the CWC whose leader A.Thondaman was not among those allocted a ministerial post.

Amitabh Bachchan usually has his co-stars in awe of him but the Bollywood megastar was Tuesday all praise for budding actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who is a former Miss Sri Lanka.

Bachchan and Jacqueline had worked together in fantasy film “Aladin” and it was then that the 24-year-old impressed the star.

“From the very first day when we started working on this film ‘Aladin’, Jacqueline has been an inspiration of how your attitude should be on sets. She was a picture of grace, of dignity, of humour, of togetherness,” Bachchan told reporters here.

“Never throughout the making of the film did I ever notice a frown on her face. She was always with a beautiful smile and she mingled with everyone. She was a source of great inspiration in the sense of what being together is,” he said. Continue Reading