News

Litro Gas Lanka Limited has confirmed that the prices of its domestic LP gas cylinders will remain unchanged throughout August 2026.

The company said it had opted against increasing prices despite pressures from higher international gas prices and ongoing exchange rate challenges, with the decision aimed at easing the burden on consumers.

As a result, customers will continue to pay the current rates during the month.

The price of a 12.5 kg domestic cylinder will remain at Rs. 4,465, while the 5 kg cylinder will continue to be sold at Rs. 1,792. The price of the 2.3 kg cylinder will also stay unchanged at Rs. 835.

India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri called on Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday (05) during his official visit to Colombo.

The Opposoution leader's Office said the discussions focused on key regional developments and ways to further strengthen the longstanding relationship between Sri Lanka and India.

Both sides reaffirmed the importance of continued engagement and close cooperation in advancing the mutual interests of the two neighbouring countries and promoting regional stability.

The discussions also explored opportunities to expand cooperation in a range of sectors, including trade, investment, technology, development cooperation and people-to-people ties.

A total of 21 people have died from heat-related illnesses in South Korea so far this year as the country grapples with intense heat, health authorities said Wednesday.

A total of 2,441 patients have visited emergency rooms for heat-related conditions as of Tuesday since mid-May, when authorities launched the heat-related illness surveillance system, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Although fewer people suffered heat-related illnesses this year than during the same period last year, more people died this year, with the death toll surpassing last year's total of 20.

One of the latest fatalities was a 60-year-old man, who was working outside on a farm in the county of Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, on Tuesday.

Among the patients reported this year, heat exhaustion accounted for 61.7 percent, followed by heat stroke at 16.8 percent and heat cramps at 11.5 percent.

The state weather agency issued additional serious heat wave warnings for the greater Seoul area earlier in the day, placing 43 percent of the region under the highest alert level.

Temperatures in Seoul are expected to reach up to 39 C on Thursday, according to the agency.

A second-year student of the North Western University was fined Rs.410,000 by Kuliyapitiya Magistrate Mihil Chiranthana Satharasinghe after pleading guilty to charges related to possessing and selling hashish and smuggled cigarettes.

The suspect, a resident of Balangoda, was charged with possessing 254 grams of hashish and 500 foreign cigarettes smuggled into the country, and selling them in violation of the Tobacco Tax Ordinance.

Police informed the court that the illegal items were recovered during a search of the university hostels conducted by a marshal. During subsequent investigations into the incident, the suspect was arrested and was found to have allegedly been involved in the activity for some time.

Investigations were carried out by Kuliyapitiya Police Headquarters Inspector Chief Inspector Kamal Ratnayaka and Sub Inspector Ekanayaka, who arrested the suspect.

Opposition lawmaker S. M. Marikkar has warned Parliament that the government's proposed Investment Protection Act will fail to secure foreign direct investment without deep structural reforms to the legal system.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday (04), the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP emphasised that statutory guarantees alone cannot generate genuine international investor confidence or persuade foreign capital to enter the country.

Marikkar said that foreign entities scrutinise the stability of host country legislation and court impartiality before committing resources to overseas markets.

He noted that commercial disputes are inevitably resolved under local laws, making an uncorrupted and independent judiciary a fundamental prerequisite for mitigating financial risk.

Without structural guarantees ensuring zero political interference in judicial proceedings, predictable policy enforcement, and a stable legal framework, new legislation would remain mere words on paper that fail to attract major investments.

He further urged the administration to safeguard judicial independence as a means to sustain democratic institutions alongside its legislative agenda.

He stressed that institutional integrity, rather than statutory declarations in isolation, forms the true foundation for securing long-term economic stability and commercial trust.