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20/02/2026

Lion Dance Sting: Thai Officers Disguise Themselves to Capture Elusive Burglar ‘Jojo’

(CNBC) U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday (19) that he would direct the Department of Defense and other agenci...
20/02/2026

(CNBC) U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday (19) that he would direct the Department of Defense and other agencies to make public government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life.

Trump said the files that will be identified and released will also concern unidentified aerial phenomena and unidentified flying objects, as well as “any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.”

In a Truth Social post, the U.S. president said his move was based on the “tremendous interest” in the subject, without providing additional details. This comes after he accused former U.S. President Barack Obama of leaking “classified information” on aliens.

“I don’t know if they’re real or not, but I can tell you he gave classified information,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

Obama said on Saturday in a podcast that aliens were real, “but I haven’t seen them, and they’re not being kept in ... Area 51.”

“There’s no underground facility, unless there’s this enormous conspiracy, and they hid it from the president of the United States,” Obama added.

Area 51 refers to a classified U.S. Air Force facility in Nevada, and has been the center of conspiracy theories saying the U.S. government has been conducting research and using the facility for storing extraterrestrial materials and technology.

Obama had previously said that the first question he wanted answered when he became president was “Where are the aliens?”

After the podcast on Sunday, the former U.S. president clarified his stance on a post on Instagram, saying that the universe was so vast that the odds are good that there’s life out there.

However, he said that he also saw “no evidence” during his presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with Earth.”

COLOMBO (News 1st); Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in N...
20/02/2026

COLOMBO (News 1st); Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in New Delhi, where the two leaders held a bilateral discussion on the sidelines of the Global AI Impact Summit.

The meeting took place in the Indian capital as both leaders participated in the high‑level summit focused on advancements, governance and global cooperation in artificial intelligence.

Their bilateral engagement hinted at the continuing dialogue between India and Sri Lanka as the region navigates emerging technological and strategic priorities.

20/02/2026

AKD Meets Modi In Delhi: President & Prime Minister Hold Bilateral Talks

20/02/2026

News Alert - 20.02.2026

20/02/2026

Police Discover 15 Rusted 9mm Rounds in Anuradhapura: Ammunition Found Near Basawakkulama Wewa

20/02/2026

Woman Slain in Neluwa After Domestic Dispute: Husband Surrenders & to Be Produced in Court

20/02/2026

Anusha Pelpita Released on Bail: Former Ministry Secretary Was Remanded Over Unexplained Assets

COLOMBO (News 1st); Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India Shri Ajay Kumar says Sri Lanka has rapidly emerged a...
20/02/2026

COLOMBO (News 1st); Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India Shri Ajay Kumar says Sri Lanka has rapidly emerged as a preferred destination for Indian tourists, with many travellers now choosing the island over India’s southern state of Kerala.

He said the ease of obtaining a visa for Indians, along with the waiver of visa fees, has contributed significantly to this trend. Sharing a personal experience, he added that he too had travelled to Sri Lanka without a visa during the time of the India, Pakistan match, after being informed that the system allowed visa-free entry.

Kumar also noted that a considerable amount of outward Foreign Direct Investment from India has 'found refuge' in Sri Lanka. While Indian investment is currently led by the government sector, he said there remains substantial potential for private-sector Indian investment to expand in the country.

He highlighted the strong demand in India for Sri Lankan products including tea, spices, natural rubber and textiles. Medical tourism from Sri Lanka to India is also growing rapidly due to the combination of cost efficiency and high-quality healthcare.

Kumar said Indian and Sri Lankan banks share significant financial and economic interests driven by bilateral trade, investment, tourism, and digital payment integration.

Reflecting on Sri Lanka’s balance-of-payments crisis, he said the Reserve Bank of India and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka worked closely together across several multilateral platforms. He emphasised that this collaboration plays a critical role in supporting regional financial stability in South Asia.

COLOMBO (News 1st); A Japanese city has received an extraordinary donation to help repair its ageing water infrastructur...
20/02/2026

COLOMBO (News 1st); A Japanese city has received an extraordinary donation to help repair its ageing water infrastructure: 21kg (46lb) of gold bars.

The gold, valued at 560 million yen ($3.6m; £2.7m), was donated last November by a person who wished to remain anonymous, Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama announced at a press conference on Thursday.

Osaka, home to nearly three million people and Japan’s third-largest city, is a major commercial hub in the Kansai region. But like many municipalities in the country, it faces increasing challenges from deteriorating water and sewage pipelines.

According to the city’s waterworks bureau, Osaka recorded more than 90 cases of water pipe leaks under its roads during the 2024 fiscal year. Mayor Yokoyama said addressing ageing pipes requires 'a huge investment' and expressed deep appreciation for the donation, calling the amount 'staggering' and saying he was 'lost for words.'

The same anonymous donor had previously contributed 500,000 yen in cash for municipal waterworks, the mayor said.

In a statement issued Thursday, the city’s waterworks bureau said it was grateful for the gold donation and would put it to use in tackling the deterioration of water pipes.

More than 20% of Japan’s water pipes have exceeded their legal 40-year service life, according to local media. Ageing sewage infrastructure has also contributed to an increase in sinkholes across the country.

Last year, a massive sinkhole in Saitama Prefecture swallowed the cab of a truck, killing its driver. The rupture of a sewage pipe was believed to be the cause. The tragedy prompted authorities to intensify efforts to replace corroded pipelines, though progress has been slowed by budget constraints.

Source: BBC

COLOMBO (News 1st); Fugitive organised criminal and drug trafficker known as Tutu has been identified as the individual ...
20/02/2026

COLOMBO (News 1st); Fugitive organised criminal and drug trafficker known as Tutu has been identified as the individual who directed the murder of a lawyer and his wife in Akuregoda, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament today (20) in a special statement.

The Minister revealed that extensive investigations have already begun, with 12 police teams deployed for the case.

He said the vehicle used by the gunmen, bearing registration KI 77 38, was found burned and destroyed in the Baddegama area and subsequently taken into custody. Another vehicle used to deliver fi****ms to the shooters, KS 89 87, was seized in Kottawa. A third vehicle, KW 87 33, used to bring the gunmen to nan accomadation before the attack, has also been identified, and investigations to take it into custody are underway.

The owner of this third vehicle has been identified as Wanniarachchige Sihina Dilsara of Parana Colony, Athkandura, Galle.

Minister Wijepala said Sanoj Kokila Liyanarachchi, who transported and supplied fi****ms to the gunmen, has been arrested. A second suspect involved in transporting and providing fi****ms has also been taken into custody.

A third suspect, Hapuwarachchige Don Dileena Pramodha Apuwarachchi, also known as Dila, had rented out a motor car to the first two suspects to support their transport operations and has now been arrested.

The gunman who carried out the shooting using a revolver-type firearm has been identified as Robert Suresh, residing at No. 102/9, Pansala Road, Meewala, Ruggawila. Extensive investigations are underway to apprehend him.

The Minister said the findings so far confirm that the crime was orchestrated by Uggalla Arachchige Tharidu Madhusanka, an overseas-based organised criminal and drug trafficker known by the alias Tutu.

He added that police teams are continuing wide-ranging investigations to arrest all gunmen connected to the crime.

More details: newsfirst.lk

COLOMBO (News 1st); Domestic policy missteps, combined with structural imbalances and successive external shocks, were k...
20/02/2026

COLOMBO (News 1st); Domestic policy missteps, combined with structural imbalances and successive external shocks, were key contributors to Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic collapse, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said.

He noted that Sri Lanka faced 'one of the most severe economic crises in its history,' marked by a severe shortage of resources, widespread social and political unrest, and a significant loss of confidence in institutions and policymaking. Structural weaknesses and external shocks 'further amplified by domestic policy missteps' formed the root causes of the dual crisis.

Dr. Weerasinghe said persistent fiscal imbalances had pushed the country toward unsustainable debt levels and mounting balance-of-payment pressures, made worse by limited foreign inflows and the loss of global market access.

Inflation surged to unprecedented heights as the Central Bank’s foreign resources 'dried up to critically very low levels.' By early 2022, he said, the government had 'no option' but to announce debt sanctions on selected foreign resource payments.

Despite the severity of the crisis, he said decisive policy measures that followed resulted in 'one of the fastest economic stabilisation turnarounds seen in the recent emerging markets in recent history.' The government and the Central Bank, with support from the IMF Extended Fund Facility, worked closely with creditors and the international community to implement a comprehensive and coordinated reform programme, including a sovereign debt restructuring process. These reforms focused on restoring macroeconomic stability, rebuilding institutional credibility and building buffers for a more resilient and sustainable economy.

More details: newsfirst.lk

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