More than 130 Sri Lankan sportsmen and officials left for India today to participate in the 19th Commonwealth Games.

However, a controversy erupted as Colombo additional district judge R.M.R. Marikkar issued an injunction preventing the 4X400 meters relay team leaving Sri Lanka.

The team had reportedly reached the airport as the court order was issued and it was reportedly delivered to officials over the phone. Read more »

Sri Lanka’s rate of inflation, on a year-on-year basis, rose to 5.8 percent in September 2010 for the second month in a row as consumer spending in the country has increased with rising prices.

Figures released Thursday by the Central Bank’s Statistics Department showed that the annual average inflation increased marginally to 5.0 percent in September from 4.5 percent in the previous month.

The Consumer’s Price Index increased nearly a percent to 220.7 in September from 218.6 in August. Read more »

Sri Lanka cabinet spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella today denied media reports that Colombo Municipal Council would be converted to an state authority instead of a local government elected by the citizen.

Rejecting the media reports on the issue, Minister Rambukwella said that the government had not taken a decision to convert the Colombo Municipal Council as an Authority. Read more »

Sri Lanka’s prime IT university, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) has planned to open a branch in Jaffna in the Northern Province.

The SLIIT already has opened branches in Colombo (Metropolitan Branch), Kandy in Central Province and Matara in Southern Province. Read more »

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa who toured the United States for over a week arrived in the country Wednesday morning.

President Rajapaksa was mainly in New York to attend the 65th United Nations General Assembly sessions.

On the sidelines of the UN sessions, the President met several world leaders and held bilateral discussions to promote business investments and tourism industry in Sri Lanka. Read more »

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka is to and implements a mandatory deposit insurance scheme from tomorrow and reduce its loan loss provision requirement from December 2010.

Under the provisions of the Monetary Law Act it is mandatory for all licensed banks and registered finance companies to provide the Sri Lanka Deposit Insurance Scheme (SLDIS) for eligible depositors.

The initial capital of the Scheme of approximately Rs. 1.1 billion will be provided by the Central Bank. Read more »

Four new Ministers took oaths before President Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning. They include new Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, Minister of Higher Education S.B. Dissanayaka, Livestock Minister Arumugam Thondaman and Technology and Research Minister Tissa Witharana. Read more »

The Government will hold the Victory Parade at the Galle Face Green in Colombo on May 18 every year to mark Sri Lanka’s victory over terrorism. The Victory Parade will be held on May 20 only this year, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said.

The Defence Secretary made this observation after the ceremonial
opening of the monument erected at Elephant Pass in memory of war
heroes. Read more »

The Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration has taken steps to initiate a new program to teach Sinhala, Tamil and English to 1.2 million public servants, Newly appointed Minister of National Languages and Social Integration S.B. Nawinna said.

While addressing invitees and staff after assuming duties, he pointed
out that measures will be taken to set up language training centers in
each province with the assistance of Provincial Councils and this
program would benefit public servants to get their salary increments
and promotions in the future. Read more »

President Mahinda Rajapaksa was warmly received by the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Jigme Y. Thinley on his arrival at the Paro International Airport in Bhutan to attend the 16th Summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Read more »