The Department of Meteorology has issued an “Amber” advisory for strong winds and rough seas in the sea areas extending from Kankasanthurai to Pottuvil via Mannar, Colombo, Galle and Hambantota.

A 40-year-old Chinese businesswoman has been arrested by Customs officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake, earlier today (29) for attempting to smuggle a large consignment of foreign-made cigarettes into Sri Lanka.

Rescue teams raced on Sunday to find more survivors ​of the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela this week, with signs of life bringing occasional relief to a grim quest to whittle down a list of tens of thousands missing.

Four people have been killed in four separate road accidents reported across the country, according to police.

More than 18,000 Dansals have been registered across the island for the Poson Poya festival, according to the Public Health Inspectors' (PHI) Union.

Oil prices rose on Monday following days of tit-for-tat ‌strikes by the United States and Iran in the Middle East that underscored the fragility of their interim peace deal and again slowed energy shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya in her Poson Day message emphasized that the Poson Full Moon Poya Day commemorates the Dhamma mission of Arahant Mahinda Thero, which established the Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka and serves as a reminder of spiritual awakening, wisdom, and social harmony.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasized that Poson marks the historic arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka through Arahat Mahinda Thera, an event that transformed the nation spiritually, culturally, socially, and politically.

Showers will occur at timesin Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts, today (29), the Department of Meteorology said.

Iran and the United States agreed to halt recent hostilities in the Gulf and renew talks regarding their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported on Sunday, a move that could end ‌tit-for-tat strikes that had threatened to unravel an interim peace agreement.

Europe's unprecedented early summer heatwave may be responsible for hundreds of excess deaths, according to the head of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Two 11-year-old boys have separately been rescued from the rubble of collapsed buildings within hours of each other, after powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela.

Final preparations are underway for the National Poson Festival, with authorities expecting between 1.5 million and 1.7 million devotees to visit the sacred city of Anuradhapura during the Poson holiday.

Bangladesh's fugitive former leader Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return to her country "this year", according to an interview published on Sunday (Jun 28), months after she was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity.

A digital guidance platform has been introduced to assist devotees travelling to Anuradhapura for the Poson pilgrimage, providing easy access to essential information and services during the festival.

Tamil Nadu is set to introduce duty-free retail facilities at the international passenger terminal at THE Nagapattinam Port, marking a major upgrade to strengthen maritime passenger services between India and Sri Lanka.

The government is committed to building a disciplined and civilized society where people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds can live together in harmony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath stated.

Iran says that a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon must be part of a final deal with the US, as fighting continues to strain the tentative US-Iran agreement.