Suspected drug dealer shot dead in Borella

A man who was suspected to be a drug dealer was shot dead inside a saloon by an unidentified gang at Sahashrapura in Borella last night, police said.

157 asylum seekers transferred to Nauru

The 157 illegal maritime arrivals (IMAs) who were transferred to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection facilities in Curtin earlier this week have been transferred to Nauru overnight for offshore processing, the Australian government said.

Fishermen firm on ‘sail to Katchatheevu’

The Rameswaram fishermen have resolved to go ahead with their ‘sail to Katchatheevu’ agitation on Saturday, pressing for the release of all arrested fishermen with boats.

US gunning for Gota?

{jcomments off}Attempts are being made by some quarters in the United States to frame war crimes charges against Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa in respect of the incidents that had allegedly taken place during the last lap of the war against the LTTE.

Video: Kidnapped child rescued

Four-year-old Damindu Yasen Ekanayake who was alleged to have been kidnapped on Sunday, has been rescued by a special Criminal Investigation Department team from the Galgamuwa area this evening, police said.

Remand of 20 TN Fishermen Extended by Lankan Court

The judicial remand of 20 fishermen from this island, arrested by Sri Lankan Navy on July 22, was today extended till August 8 by a court in Mannar in the island republic.

Teacher-Kneeling case witness found dead

The body of the witness, who gave crucial evidence in the case in which Wayamba Provincial Councillor Ananda Sarath Kumara was convicted of ordering a teacher to kneel down, was found inside an abandoned well at Nawagaththegama today. Pictures

Article critical of Jayalalithaa in SL Army website creates furore

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister urges Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek an unconditional apology from the Sri Lankan government over the article.

Vaas case: Suspect refused bail

Colombo Additional Magistrate A.M. Shahabdeen refused to release on bail the fourth suspect Priyantha Sanjeewa who is alleged to have connived with former DIG Vaas Gunawardena to transport weapons and explosives to a hideout at Kalagedihena from his residence.

Govt. mud-slinging boomerangs: JVP

The naming of a Colombo Road after popular radio personality the late Premakeerthi de Alwis as part of the Government’s campaign of slinging mud at the JVP boomeranged on the Government, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said today.

Thundershowers expected in drought hit areas

The Meteorology Department said today thundershowers were expected during the afternoon or evening in the drought prevailing Northern and Eastern parts of the country  while monsoonal showers were expected in the southwestern parts of the country.

Wife and mother-in-law of ‘Wele Suda’ arrested

Police yesterday arrested the wife and mother-in-law of notorious drug trafficker “Wele Suda” who had fled to Pakistan.

Confidante of “Wele Suda” arrested

A man who was suspected to be a confidante of notorious drug smuggler “Wele Suda” was arrested in Panadura yesterday while he was delivering heroin in a car with another woman who is claimed to be a law student, police said.

‘S/India shouldn’t become hub for people smuggling’

Reiterating that Australia was firm on not allowing illegal immigration, Australian High Commissioner to India Patrick Suckling cautioned that South India should not be allowed to become a hub for “people smuggling.”

Ebola virus not a threat to SL

While maintaining that the possibility of a tourist carrying the deadly Ebola Virus entering Sri Lanka was slim, Government Epidemiology Unit (GEU) Director Dr. Prabha Palihawadana said Sri Lanka was capable of tackling such an emergency.

36-hour water cut in Colombo and its suburbs

A 36-hour water cut will be imposed in several areas in Colombo for two days (August 2 -3) due to construction work that is being carried out at the Battaramulla-Polduwa Bridge, the National Water Supple and Drainage Board said

UNP tells govt. to find abducted boy

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) yesterday urged the government to take immediate action to find the four year old boy who had been abducted from Meegalawa.

BASL President hounded again

The President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) complained to the police again about continual intimidation by men in plainclothes at his office in Colombo 3 yesterday.

Khuram murder convict appeals

The first convict O.A.Lahiru Kelum in the Tangalle Resort British tourist murder case yesterday petitioned to the Court of Appeal against the Colombo High Court Judge’s  verdict of sentencing him to  twenty years rigorous imprisonment

Swiss man swims to Matara beach after yacht crashes

A Swiss national sailing around the world alone in a yacht had a narrow escape when the yacht collapsed after hitting a rock close to the Kamburugamuwa beach in Matara

Train collision averted

A fatal head-on collision between two passenger trains was averted yesterday afternoon after railway authorities realized the danger in the nick of time and took measures to stop the two trains

Rajiv’s SL policy led to his death- Natwar Singh

Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s Sri Lanka policy led to his assassination, former India’s external affairs minister Natwar Singh has said

Tamil migrants 'never ever be resettled in Australia'-Morrison

Australia was working with India for the return of Tamil migrants among 157 asylum seekers currently being held at a detention centre in the country, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has said.

Govt. rebuts US Embassy

The Government today charged that the US Embassy in Colombo was selectively upholding fundamental rights in Sri Lanka, depending on who is exercising them and criticized the Embassy of questioning the media freedom in Sri Lanka

10 schools closed for A/L paper marking

The Examinations Department announced today that 10 schools used for Phase one paper marking of the 2014 Advanced Level examinations will be closed from August 30 to September 15, while several classrooms will be closed in 11 other schools.

Video: Go for better salaries, says Ethera Api organisation

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Parliamentarian Sunil Handunnetti today charged that the Government was making the groundwork to curtail the salaries of Sri Lankans employed abroad by sending two employees to work for the salary of one.  

JHU urges Pillay to reveal stance on Palestine HR breach

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) said today that the High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay should reveal her stance regarding the violation of international military law and international human rights in Palestine.

Seven sentenced to death

Seven suspects produced in the Panadura High Court were today sentenced to death on charges of murdering a man at Pinwatte in Panadura on August 14, 2005.

17 STF personnel injured in accident

Seventeen Special Task Force (STF) personnel were hospitalised following an accident at the Palugaswewa Junction in Kantale this morning, police said.

Waiting for information about trafficking of SL refugees

The new police chief in Puducherry, Praveer Ranjan, IGP, said he was awaiting some information conveyed through official channels from Australia on the illegal trafficking of Sri Lankan refugees to Australia from Puducherry