Tempers flared at yesterday's Cabinet meeting when Trade Minister Rishad Bathiudeen vehemently shot down a proposal by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera to close down the Sri Lankan diplomatic mission in Baghdad. Tension flared as arguments were flung to and fro by the two ministers for almost an entire hour as Bathiudeen told President Sirisena, who chaired the proceedings, to place on record his opposition to the Foreign Minister's proposal to close down our mission in Baghdad. Bathiudeen argued that Iraq had been supportive of Sri Lanka throughout the secessionist war and also continued to buy Sri Lanka tea in support of the Government of Sri Lanka.

He added instead of considering this step it would be more beneficial in every way to expand trade ties with Iraq because many markets in the Middle Eastern region were collapsing. Cabinet Ministers Thalatha Athukorale, Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Anura Yapa Abeywardana, Mahinda Samarasinghe, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, Faizer Musthapa and Anura Priyadharshana Yapa also opposed the closure of the embassy in Iraq.According to Trade Ministry reports total trade between the two countries in 2013 stood at 90mn USD of which 89.9% was in exports to Iraq. Sri Lanka had been benefiting from Iraq consistently, the minister told the President.The opposition mounted by Bathiudeen resulted in the Cabinet Paper being tabled but subject to further review Ceylon Today learns.

Sri Lanka has reached a final restructuring agreement for $5.8 billion of debt with its bilateral lenders' Official Creditor Committee in Paris. According to the President’s Media Division, the agreement was finalized a short while ago.

Foreign Minister Ali Sabry is scheduled to undertake an official visit to Japan from July 1, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said. They said the visit will be made on an invitation extended by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa,

A fatal accident on Tuesday night resulted in the deaths of three persons and left two others injured when a lorry collided with a parked bus on the A9 road in Mankulam, according to police.

Police fired tear gas and used water cannons at the teachers’ and principals’ union members who staged a protest near the Lotus roundabout, Colombo.

A sailor sustained fatal wounds and a Navy Dora damaged due to the aggressive maneuvering of a poaching Indian bottom trawler during a pre-dawn operation by the Sri Lanka Navy to seize the intruding vessel in the seas off Delft Island in Jaffna yesterday, the Navy said.

The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) has announced that the trade union action launched by teachers and principals will continue tomorrow as well.

Speculation is rife within the political circles of an imminent cabinet reshuffle in the coming weeks, the Daily Mirror learns.

A total of 946 people belonging to 432 families have been affected by the drought, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said. They said the people in the Karachchi divisional secretariat of the Killinochchi district in the Northern Province have been affected.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena appointed four new district secretaries for the Colombo, Kalutara, Jaffna, and Kilinochchi districts.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) observed that Members of Parliament should not interfere with the functions of the judiciary or the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) by making statements under the protection of Parliamentary Privileges.

The Cabinet gave approval for the signing of the debt restructuring agreements with the relevant parties, a Minister said. President Ranil Wickremesinghe briefed the Cabinet at its meeting held on Monday evening.

A Special Parliamentary Sitting has been scheduled for July 2, 2024, at 9:30 AM, at the request of the Prime Minister, according to the Communication Department of Parliament.

The results of the 2023 (2024) GCE Ordinary Level Examination will be released within the next 10 days, the Department of Examinations announced.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) is to take disciplinary action against its Chairman Sarath Fonseka this week, Party General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara said yesterday.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe will address the nation on Wednesday, June 26, to brief on the country's economic challenges and provide an update on the foreign debt restructuring efforts.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Gampaha District organisers made a formal request from the party hierarchy to remove Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka from the party with immediate effect.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Sathasivam Viyalendiran was sworn in as the State Minister of Trade and Environment. The ceremony took place at the Presidential Secretariat, with President Ranil Wickremesinghe administering the oath of office.

While refuting claims that the National People's Power (NPP) has a deal with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, NPP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said the real deal is with Wickremesinghe and the Rajapaksas.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe will resend his recommendation, to extend Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam’s term of office, by another six months, a senior official at the President’s Office confirmed. The President is planning to do this, as per powers entrusted to him by the Constitution, the official clarified.

Sri Lanka has once again declined to accept the external evidence-gathering mechanism established by UN Human Rights Council resolutions 46/1 and 51/1, emphasizing significant legal and political implications for all nations involved.