A wage rise of Rs. 2,500 for the state sector in two stages of Rs. 1,300 and Rs. 1,200 is expected to be a highlight of the budget that President Mahinda Rajapaksa will present in Parliament tomorrow as Minister of Finance.

The Government has told the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to shut down its operations in the Northern Province, a spokesperson said yesterday.“We have been told by the government to cease all operations in this region at the earliest but no explicit time frame or deadline had been provided,” ICRC Information Officer Ms. Sarasi Wijeratne said.