- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is currently on an official visit to India, arrived in Bodh Gaya. He paid homage at the Mahabodhi Temple and the Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi tree, the site where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment, and received blessings. Bodh Gaya is one of the four main sacred sites associated with the life of Gautama Buddha, holding immense significance for Buddhists.
- Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya says the opposition is focusing on looking into the qualifications of ruling party MPs due to their inability to find corruption within the National People’s Power (NPP) government. Speaking in Parliament, the Prime Minister remarked that in the past MPs and Ministers of previous governments were primarily probed over corruption and fraud charges.
- Sri Lanka’s restructuring of $12.55 billion in international bond debt is set to lead to the launch of a series of new, as-yet-untested instruments linked to economic growth and governance. Observers say it is one of the most complex set of instruments ever arranged in a restructuring. The bonds aim to give the country additional debt relief if the economy falters and to encourage it to improve its governance.
- Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath yesterday said that Sri Lanka and India should work together on global issues. “Sri Lanka and India should work together on global issues such as terrorism and climate change for which regional and multilateral approaches are required,” he said. He said that both Sri Lanka and India will continue to work together in taking forward our close partnership, demonstrating the highest level of cooperation.
- The newly-appointed Speaker of Parliament, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, says he will have to take on a challenging role in fulfilling his responsibility as a legislator for the greater good. He stated this after assuming duties as the new Speaker of Sri Lanka’s Parliament.
- The tri-forces personnel assigned to provide security to former presidents will be withdrawn from next week and only police security will continue to be provided, Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala said. Speaking during parliamentary session, the Minister highlighted that the police protection will be provided to each former President in accordance with the outcomes of the security assessment conducted every 06 months.
- The Court of Appeal yesterday directed the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) to assess the air quality in the Jaffna area and present its findings to the Court. A two-judge Bench of the Court of Appeal, comprising Justices Nissanka Bandula Karunaratne (President) and Shashi Mahendran, directed the relevant authorities to explore the possibility of preparing a programme to inform the public about adverse air quality conditions in Jaffna, based on the investigation’s results.
- The year-on-year GDP growth rate for the third quarter of 2024 has been reported as 5.5 percent of positive growth rate, the Department of Census and Statistics indicated. Accordingly, the GDP for the third quarter of 2024 at constant price (2015) has increased up to Rs. 3,151,941 million from Rs. 2,987,544 million which recorded in the third quarter of 2023.
- The first batch of brand-new vehicles for Tourism Sector has been successfully imported to Sri Lanka following government approval, marking a significant step in supporting the country’s tourism industry.
- Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage said that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports would provide the maximum support to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) to resolve the internal crisis and urged the National Olympic Committee to act in accordance with the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee from now on.
