Sri Lanka

Colombo, Aug 5 (PTI) Sri Lankans, wearing face masks, on Wednesday started voting in the twice-postponed parliamentary election which is expected to be won by the powerful Rajapaksa family-run party.

Polling stations opened at 7 AM and would be open for voters until 5 PM local time.

The election, which was postponed twice due to the coronavirus, is to elect a 225-member Parliament for a 5-year term.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankans started voting Wednesday to elect a new Parliament that is expected to give strong support to the powerful and popular Rajapaksa brothers.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected last November projecting himself as the only leader who could secure the country after the Islamic State-inspired bombings of churches and hotels that killed 269 people.

His older brother, the charismatic former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is seeking a majority of the 225 seats in Parliament to return as prime minister.

COLOMBO, June 2 (NNN-SLNEWS) – Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Dinesh Gunawardena, on Monday, voiced his country’s continuous support to China’s sovereignty over its Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

“Sri Lanka expressed continuity of its support on sovereignty of China (over) its territory and national security in relation to Hong Kong,” Gunawardena wrote, on his Twitter account.

“All Sri Lankans will continue to enjoy usual work and business in Hong Kong,” Gunawardena added.

Colombo, May 24 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has requested India to provide a special USD 1.1 billion currency swap facility to boost the country's draining foreign exchange reserves in view of the economic slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rajapaksa's office said that the new request is in addition to the USD 400 million amount Sri Lanka has sought from the Indian government under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) framework.

Colombo, May 13 (PTI) An all-party meeting convened by Sri Lanka's election commission to decide whether to hold parliamentary polls in June remained inconclusive, party members said on Wednesday.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa dissolved the opposition-controlled Parliament on March 2, six months ahead of the schedule, and called a snap election on April 25 to elect a new 225-member House.

COLOMBO, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan Police said Monday that over 46,000 people had been arrested from across the country for violating a curfew in several districts which has been in place since March 20.

In a statement, the Police said 46,284 people have been arrested for loitering on the roads, gathering and consuming alcohol at public grounds, traveling by vehicle on the roads, keeping restaurants open, behaving in an unruly manner on the roads while intoxicated and engaging in trading, defying curfew rules.

Colombo, Apr 21 (PTI) Sri Lanka's Election Commission has postponed the parliamentary elections for nearly two months in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed seven people and infected 295 others in the country.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on March 2 dissolved the Parliament, six months ahead of schedule and called a snap election on April 25.

A gazette notice signed by the three members of the National Election Commission announcing June 20 date of the election was issued on Monday.

COLOMBO, Apr 12 (NNN-SLNEWS) – Sri Lanka’s iconic Lotus Tower, in the capital, Colombo, was lit in red on Saturday evening, to honour medical workers, the armed forces, police and all other officials, who are in the front line, to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

The red lights were switched on at 6.45 p.m. local time, illuminating a bright light in the dark sky, and it was shown live on national television, as well as, on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s social media accounts.

(AP) --- The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

TOP OF THE HOUR:

— China reports 30 new coronavirus cases, mostly from new arrivals

— President Trump warns of “toughest” weeks ahead

— France's death toll passes 7,500 from coronavirus.

— Italy’s Lombardy region requires people to wear masks outside.

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COLOMBO, Feb 27 (NNN-SL NEWS) – Sri Lanka’s Transport Ministry, today (Thursday) said, it will construct the country’s first electric rail track, in the central highlands of Kandy, to ease traffic and further develop the island’s transport sector.

State Minister of Transport, Dilum Amunugama, told media that, the new electric rail track had been planned to be constructed between Rambukkana, around 78 km away from the capital, Colombo, to Kandy, to make railway commuting easy and effective.