President Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday said the decisive defeat of separatist terrorism is a symbol of country’s yearning for independence, unity, territorial integrity and national security.

No public tax funds would be used for the construction of the proposed international standard cricket stadium to be built in Homagama and it will be funded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, said Minister Bandula Gunawardena.The minister said this in response to a question raised by a journalist during a media briefing held at the Government Information Department yestarday  (18).

Total number of Corona patients 981

The Cyclonic storm ”AMPHAN” ( pronounced as UM-PUN) over south east Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood, has intensified into a Severe Cyclonic Storm and lay centred at  08.30 a.m. of (17th) near latitude 11.4°N and longitude 86.0°E, about 610 km North-east of Trincomalee. It is very likely to intensify further into a Very Severe Cyclonic  Storm during next 12 hours. It is very likely to move North wards during next 24 hours and then re-curve north-northeastwards towards west Bengal coast during 20th May.