Foreign Minister Samaraweera visits Brussels

foreign minister brussels2015

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, concluded a two day official visit to Brussels today.Foreign Minister Samaraweera met Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Didier Reynders and members of the European Parliament. He also held talks with the European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, Mr. Karmenu Vella, and the European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Mr. Neven Mimica.

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Interim Budget 2015 brings an array of relief

The Interim Budget 2015 presented in Parliament today offering an array of relief to all sections of the society.

Ravi Karunanayake, in his capacity as Finance and Planning Minister presenting said the government believes in uplifting and developing the lives of every citizen of this country - not just a selected few.Salaries of state sector servants will be increased by Rs. 10,000 - Rs. 5000 will be given in February and remaining Rs. 5000 in June. Thereby state sector employees' salaries increased by 47%.Senior citizens with Rs. 1 million in their bank accounts will be given 15% interest rate.

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Foreign Minister Samaraweera calls on Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi

pm modi greets ministersamaraweera 19jan2015


Hon. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India welcomes Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka on 19th January 2015 at the Official residence of the Prime Minister in New Delhi.

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Foreign Minister Samaraweera meets Indian counterpart

Hon Minister Samaraweera visit to india jan2015

Hon. Sushma Swaraj  Minister of External Affairs of India, warmly welcomes Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka on 18th  January 2015 at Nehru Bhawan in New Delhi.

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Mrs Chitranganee Wagiswara appointed as the new Foreign Secretary

mrs chitranganeewagiswara

Mrs. Chitranganee Wagiswara has been appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the President Maithripala Sirisena. She received her letter of appointment from President Sirisena today (19th January 2015) at the Presidential Secretariat. Thereafter, Mrs Wagiswara assumed duties at the Ministry Office at a simple ceremony.
 

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For reconciliation & rebuilding process to succeed all must work together - Pope

pope blessing atarrival 10jan2015

“I am convinced that the followers of the various religious traditions have an essential role to play in the delicate process of reconciliation and rebuilding which is taking place in this country”, said His Holiness Pope Francis speaking at the Bandaranaike International Airport upon his arrival, today (13).
 
“For that process to succeed all members of society must work together; all must have a voice”, he further said.
 

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President welcomes blessings from the Pope

president popearrival13jan2015


The visit of Your Holiness gives me an opportunity to receive your blessings as I commence my term of office, said President Maithripala Sirisena welcoming the Holy Father at Bandaranaike International Airport this morning (Jan. 13).

The President, wishing the Pope a most fruitful and memorable journey in Sri Lanka sought the blessings of the Holy Father on the people of Sri Lanka and requested his prayers for the peace progress and prosperity of the people.

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Holy Father arrives in Sri Lanka

pope arrival sl
 
His Holiness Pope Francis arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport this morning (Jan. 13). The Holy Father was welcomed by President Maithripala Sirisena.
 
The special aircraft carrying Pope Francis and the Papal delegation touched down at the Bandaranaike International Airport.
 
The main event in the Papal itinerary will be to declare Sri Lanka’s First Saint, Blessed Joseph Vaz, the Apostle of Sri Lanka, a Saint of the Universal Church at the Pontifical High Mass concelebrated with the Sri Lankan Cardinal and Bishops along with other clergy invited to participate at the special ceremony taking place for the first time in the annals of Sri Lanka. A stamp and a first day cover will be issued in honour of the Papal visit. A special gold coin is also to be issued.
 

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New Cabinet of Ministers sworn in :27 Cabinet Ministers, 10 State Ministers and 8 Deputies

The new Cabinet of Ministers was sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (12 January).

27 Cabinet Ministers, 10 State Ministers and 8 Deputy Ministers were sworn in.

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President Maithripala Sirisena pledges: A crusade for socio-economic and political transformation

president sirisena address 9jan2015

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday announced that he will crusade for an economic, social and political transformation in the country as pledged in his election manifesto.

The President while stressing that he does not have any intention to contest for the second term of office, added that he is committed to build a society where freedom, democracy, people’s sovereignty and law and order reign.

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New President sworn in

President Maithripala Sirisena sworn in as the 6th Executive President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

 

Mr. Maithripala Sirisena was sworn in as the seventh Executive President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka at Independence Square this evening.

He was sworn in before Justice K J Sripavan of Supreme Court.

United National Party leader Ranil Wickremasinghe was sworn in as the new Prime Minister.

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Maithripala Sirisena elected as President of Sri Lanka

maithreepala sirisena


Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya has announced that following the Presidential election held yesterday that the Common Candidate of the opposition Maithripala Sirisena has been elected as the new President of Sri Lanka.

The newly elected President is to take oaths this evening.

All Island Final Result
 

Voting for the presidential elections concludes and counting begins

ballot box


Sri Lanka's 7th presidential election which commenced at 7am this morning concluded at 4pm.  According to the Election Secretariat the election was held in a free and fair manner.  Counting of postal votes has commenced and. the ballot boxes are now being dispatched to relevant counting centers.

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Sri Lanka looking forward to warmly welcoming His Holiness Pope Francis

popefrancis

On the invitation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, His Holiness Pope Francis will pay a State Visit to Sri Lanka from 13th to 15th January 2015. The Government and people of Sri Lanka are looking forward to warmly welcoming His Holiness and his delegation.

All arrangements for the visit are in place and the required constructions are progressing on schedule including the altar at Galle Face Green where the Special Mass and the canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz, which will take place on Wednesday 14thJanuary.

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Tourist arrivals exceeds 1.5 million in 2014

tourist arrival


Statistics released by Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Tuesday showed that Sri Lanka had met its tourist arrival target of 1.5 million for the year 2014.

According to SLTDA figures, Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals rose 16.1 percent in December last year compared to the same period in 2013 with the arrival of 178,672 tourists compared to the 153,918 arrived in December 2013.

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Elections Commissioner says all arrangements are in place for a free and fair election

ballot box
Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya says that all arrangements are in place to hold a free and fair presidential election on the 8th of this month.
 
According to the Commissioner, ballot boxes will be handed over to the distribution centers today and the transfer of ballot boxes from the distribution centers to the counting centers will commence Wednesday morning.
 

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Safeguard the Motherland we have built, and take it further to heights of world -winning achievements - President Rajapaksa

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President Mahinda Rajapaksa said the wish in this New Year is a commitment to work with determination and patience to safeguard the Motherland we have built, and take it further to heights of world-winning achievements.

In a New Year message he said that his wish is that the people will have strength and courage to make this a year of victory for the nation.

Distancing from the politics of hate that gives strength to separatism, should be high among our New Year resolutions, the President said.

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Iconic Yal Devi train to travel to Kankasanthurai on January 02

yaldevi

Sri Lanka's famous north-bound Yal Devi train will begin services to Kankasanthurai, the last station of the Northern Line, on January 02, Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) says.
 
The iconic train resumed carrying passengers to Jaffna in October this year after a 24-year lapse and the 21-km long Jaffna to Kankasanthurai segment was still under construction when the train resumed plying to Jaffna.
 

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President instructs relief for flood victims

sri-lanka-flood dec2015

President Mahinda Rajapaksa instructed officials to reconstruct the houses destroyed by floods and landslides with the assistance of Army personnel.
 
The President who postponed his election propaganda work, visited Anuradhapura and Badulla yesterday and Saturday to inspect the relief measures to the flood and landslide affected people.
 

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Sri Lanka welcomes 1.5 millionth tourist in 2014

tourism1jan2015

Sri Lanka yesterday welcomed the arrival of German tourist Torrance Jimmy as the 1.5 millionth tourist arrived in Sri Lanka for the year 2014.
 
The German national and his wife arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake on a Sri Lankan Airlines flight UL 558 from Germany.
 

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Christian message of love & tolerance could greatly benefit to the World today - President

Merry-Christmas


The world today that faces the enormous challenges of economic imbalance, poverty, environmental threats and terrorism could greatly benefit from the Christian message of love and tolerance, which began with the Star over Bethlehem that heralded the birth of Christ,stated President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his message for Christmas.

“The life of Christ saw a total commitment to the liberation of people from the bonds of the beliefs held at that time, and showed the way to freedom from poverty and spiritual liberation through the spread of love, and the spirit of sharing and forgiveness that underlines the teachings of Christianity,” he further said.

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Sri Lanka’s proposal to establish a “World Youth Skills Day” adopted by the UN

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Yesterday, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus, a resolution, spearheaded by Sri Lanka, declaring 15th July as the World Youth Skills Day. Sri Lanka initiated this resolution, with the assistance of the G77 & China, to highlight at a global level, the importance of youth skills development. The goal is to achieve better socio-economic conditions for today’s youth, including as a means of addressing the challenges of unemployment and under employment. This is the only resolution promoted by Sri Lanka at the UN in New York since 1999.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa mooted the idea of a UN Youth Skills Day in his address to the 68th Session of the UNGA in 2013. The proposal to designate a day for youth skills development was endorsed by both the youth and the policymakers, including Ministers, at the World Conference on Youth held in Colombo in May 2014. The ‘Colombo Declaration’ which was adopted by consensus, after detailed debate, called upon the United Nations to designate a day to highlight youth skills development to draw attention to the critical need for marketable skills. The successful adoption of this resolution by the UN General Assembly is a fulfillment of a commitment that was made by Sri Lanka to all youth around the world.

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Sri Lanka vehemently condemns terror attack in Pakistan

pakistanattack 16dec14
The government of Sri Lanka vehemently condemned the terrorist attack yesterday at a school in Peshawar, Pakistan killing over 125 people including 84 children and injuring more than 100 others.

"This dastardly attack reflects the brutality of the perpetrators particularly targeting school children. The brazen and inhumane manner in which this heinous attack was carried out at a seat of learning is particularly shocking," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
 

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Another international expert appointed to Missing Persons Commission

President Mahinda Rajapaksa had appointed another international expert to advise the Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons.

The Japanese expert, a former international judge Motoo Noguchi has been appointed as the sixth foreign adviser to the Commission, Chairman of the Commission retired High Court Judge Maxwel Paranagama said.

Noguchi is a former International Judge of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims of the International Criminal Court.

Six experts from Western and Asian countries have been appointed to the Commission at several stages. They are Sir Desmond de Silva of UK (Chairman), Sir Geoffrey Nice (UK), Prof. David Crane (USA), Mr. Avdhash Kaushal (India) and Mr. Ahmer Bilal Soofi (Paksitan) and Judge Motoo Noguchi (Japan).

The Advisory Council was appointed in July 2014 to advise the Commission on matters pertaining to its work, including legal aspects.

The Missing Persons Commission has conducted eight public sittings up to now and 19,761 complaints had been received including more than 5,000 from the families of the Security Forces.

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President expresses concern over Sydney hostage situation

president-frontnews-1
 
President Mahinda Rajapaksa today expressed concerns over the hostage situation in Sydney and said Sri Lanka stands united with Australia in fighting terrorism.
 
In a Tweet this morning, President Rajapaksa said that he was deeply disturbed about the hostage situation in Sydney.
 

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Sri Lanka welcomes EU appeal on lifting of LTTE sanctions

Sri Lanka welcomes the decision of the Council of the European Union to appeal the judgement of the General Court of the European Union of 16 October 2014, which annulled measures taken by the Council to designate the LTTE as a terrorist organization and the freezing of LTTE funds.
  
The action taken by the Council of the European Union demonstrates commitment for the fight against terrorism at a time when this threat is increasingly posing a significant challenge to global peace and stability, necessitating a collective and vigorous international effort to counter.  
 

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