Everything you need to know today

COLOMBO (News 1st)

1. Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that he has begun the process of relinquishing his US Citizenship to contest for the presidential election in 2020. 2. Customs Personnel have stepped away from their stations as a mark of protest against the decision taken to appoint a Retired Navy Officer to the post of Customs Director General. 3. Experts note that by the end of the first quarter of this year losses incurred by SriLankan Airlines would amount to about Rs. 40 Billion with a possibility of hitting the Rs. 50 billion mark. 4. The fundamental rights petition filed by MTV/MBC Private Limited against intimidating the Sirasa Media and obstructing media freedom will be taken up for argument by the Supreme Court on the 24th of October. 5. Sand-mining permits in Trincomalee district have been temporarily suspended in order to stop illegal mining and to bring the perpetrators of the Kinniya incident to justice. 6. 18 people who had engaged in illegal gem mining in the Seethawaka river taken into custody by the Police Special Task Force. 7. The inaugural flight of the Thai Lion Air carrier arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport, yesterday (January 30). 8. Fallen UN Sri Lankan peacekeepers Captain H.W.D Jayawickrama and Corporal S.S Wijekumara were posthumously promoted to the ranks of Major and Sergeant. 9. Rakitha Jayawardena appointed as the Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board. 10. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka notes that as at the end of November 2018, Gross Official Reserves were estimated at USD 7 Billion, equivalent to 3.7 months of imports.

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