Agriculture and Livestock Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne participated in the launch of the ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ programme at the Agriculture Ministry premises in Battaramulla on Wednesday.

The Deputy Minister duly hoisted the national flag at the ceremony and addressed the staff at the start of the first working day of the New Year. He also spoke briefly to the media afterwards.

However, what caught the attention of eagle-eyed onlookers later was that the national flag hoisted by the deputy minister was facing the wrong way due to a left-right mix-up, with the Lion with a sword on the flag hanging by its tail. It had been incorrectly fastened onto the flagpole. The deputy minister was obviously blameless for the whole fiasco since he only hoisted the flag that had been attached to the flagpole. But it does raise serious questions about the officials who organised the ceremony.

An eight-month-old baby in Bengaluru is suspected to have tested positive for Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), marking the first suspected case in India.

The Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith specifically urged the government to introduce a new Constitution which brings in national unity.

The expenses for the tea party hosted during the inauguration of the 10th Parliament was higher as the cost of the goods and services had gone up in the market, Parliament said while clarifying reports on expenses for the tea party hosted during the inauguration.

The Sri Lanka Navy has reported significant achievements in its 2024 operations, seizing over 622kg of heroin, valued at Rs. 15.55 billion and more than 1,211kg of Crystal Methamphetamine (ICE), worth Rs. 11.5 billion.

The government is aiming to increase the quality in the tourism sector just as quantity in order to attract high-end tourists to the country, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath said.

Exams Chief Amith Jayasundara yesterday said the 2024 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination paper marking meeting had been scheduled for tomorrow. The marking process is expected to conclude within 40 days, with the aim of completing it by the first week of February.

The Constitutional Council (CC) has approved the appointments of High Court Judges K.M. Sarath Dissanayake and Pradeep Hettiarachchi to the Court of Appeal. The nominations were submitted by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for the CC's approval. Judges Dissanayake and Hettiarachchi, the two most senior serving High Court judges, are set to take their oaths as Court of Appeal Judges next week.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Mujeebur Rahuman has appealed to President Anura Dissanayake to reconsider the government’s decision to deport 103 Rohingya refugees, including over 40 children, who were rescued off the Mullaitivu coast on December 19.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Harsha de Silva has criticized the government for its contradictory stance on withholding tax (WHT) policies. In a tweet, de Silva questioned why the National People’s Power (NPP) policy document, endorsed by President Anura Dissanayake, did not mention plans to increase WHT on interest.

It is a known secret in the state bureaucracy circles that the transfer process of government employees is highly politicised. It is said that those who encounter problems in receiving transfer postings near their hometowns or resist transfers outside the home turf or their preferred locations often use political influences ‘at whatever cost.’