Although Hindu devotees traditionally celebrated the Thai Pongal festival during previous years by preparing Pongal rice with red rice, this year they have to celebrate it by using Korra rice or Nadu rice, Jathika Paribhogika Peramuna (JPP) president, Asela Sampath said.

Addressing the media, he expressed gratitude to the renaissance government for enabling people in the country to enjoy milk rice on January 1, made possible by importing rice from India.

"The renaissance government has now altered the tradition of the Thai Pongal festival by encouraging the preparation of Pongal rice using Korra or Nadu rice," he stated.

He added that the JPP strongly objects to the government's actions, accusing them of making grand promises in front of microphones but failing to fulfill even a single one.

A shortage of tamarind in the local market has caused the retail price to soar above Rs. 2,000 per kilogram in the Hatton area, sellers said. They said previously the retail price of a kilogram of tamarind ranged from Rs. 350 to Rs. 400. However, the price has now significantly increased. According to traders, the shortage is attributed to a poor tamarind harvest this season.

The main suspect in the abduction of a girl from Gampola has been arrested alongside the victim in the Ampara area, police said. Police Spokesman SSP Buddhika Manathunga said that three police teams have been investigating the case after the girl was abducted by a group of individuals who arrived in a van in Daulagala.

The ongoing red rice shortage has particularly impacted the Hindu community, which is struggling to obtain the essential ingredient needed for upcoming Thai Pongal celebrations.

Four newly appointed Supreme Court Justices took their oaths of office before President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (12) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has announced that a decision regarding the electricity tariff reduction for 2025 will be made before Friday (17).

The Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) revealed that a 20% excise tax increase on alcohol last year led to a staggering reduction of 8.3 million litres in alcohol consumption while boosting government revenue by Rs. 11.6 billion.

The Vehicle Importers’ Association of Sri Lanka has warned that import taxes on vehicles, currently about 300%, could rise further, with some luxury vehicles potentially seeing tax rates as high as 600%.

Singapore and Japan break away from the group of six countries that shared top spot last year to secure gold and silver, respectively, on the 2025 Henley Passport Index, which ranks all the world’s 199 passports according to the number of destinations they can access visa-free, and is based on exclusive Timatic data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Senior Professor of Forensic Medicine at Karapitiya Hospital U.C.P Perera said it was a matter of serious concern that the fatalities in road accidents have been increasing at a large proportion every year and that 118,240 road accidents had occurred in Sri Lanka for the last five years up to December 2024 claiming 12,140 human lives.

In a bid to address the salt shortage, chairman of National Salt Limited Gayan Wellala said plans are underway to fully activate the saltern including one in Elephant Pass in the north by March, this year to increase production of salt in the country