9 detained fishermen to be released SLN

Nine Indian fishermen who had gone missing and were taken into custody by the Sri Lankan Navy after they strayed into their waters due to a technical snag in their boats will be released today.

SF and Senaka plead not guilty for harbouring of Army deserters

An indictment was served today at the Colombo High Court on former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka and his personal assistant Senaka Haripriya de Silva for committing mutiny and insubordination to the government and for harbouring army deserters. The accused pleaded not guilty for the charges.

Stringent legislations on child rape

The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) is to propose stringent legislations including the death sentence to grave rape and molestation on minors and consider child abuse a non-bailable offence, a senior official of the NCPA said today

Govt. backtracking on promises made to India: TNA

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said today that the government is backtracking on it promises made to the Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna.

Prison escape bid fail, two inmates and three jailers injured

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Foreign Tabligh Jamaat members given grace period to leave

The group of 161 foreigners of the ‘Tabligh Jamaat’ movement who have been asked to leave Sri Lanka for violating visa rules will be given a one-week grace period to leave the island, Senior Minister A. H. M. Fowzie told the Daily Mirror

SL orders 161 foreign Islamic clerics out

Sri Lanka has ordered a group of 161 foreign Islamic clerics to leave the country, for flouting visa regulations by preaching to pockets of Muslims around the country, an official said Sunday

Chief ministers express mixed sentiments on “13 plus”

In the wake of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s assurance to India that powers would be devolved beyond the 13th Amendment, various chief ministers expressed mixed sentiments on the matter.

Hotline to deal with examinations problems

Consequent upon the recommendations of the committee that looked into the problems regarding the GCE Advanced Level results, the Education Ministry will introduce a new hotline from today for the public to make inquiries and complaints about matters pertaining to different national examinations

Two prison officers and four others arrested

Six suspects including a woman and two Prison Welfare Officers of the Welikada Prison were taken into custody for their alleged involvement in extorting money from businessmen in the Matara town under death threat

CPI condemns SL attack on TN fishermen

Condemning the latest attack on Indian fishermen allegedly by Sri Lankan Naval personnel, CPI leader D. Raja today said India should reopen the 1974 agreement ceding Katchatheevu to the island nation to find a lasting solution to the recurring mid-sea incidents.

Court acquits former UNP organiser

Former UNP organiser of Nawalapitiya and two others who were indicted for attempted murder of the Chairman of the SLFP branch in Nawalapitiya, Nuwara Paksha Gedara Amarasuriya during the 2001 General Election

Police mulls over arrest of 'mastermind' of attack on SLcricket team

The Pakistan police is mulling the arrest of Malik Ishaq, the chief of banned terror group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi who has been accused of masterminding the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team here and targetting the minority Shia community in the country.

Mahela, Sanga under political pressure: JVP

The JVP today charged senior Sri Lankan cricketers Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara were being subjected to undue influence by government politicians to accept the captaincy of the national team.

Police still probing petitions from Kelaniya

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) appointed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) N.K. Illangakone to investigate accusations such as extortion, mentioned in two petitions which were handed over by two parties representing Minister Mervyn Silva and Kelaniya PS Chairman Prasanna Ranaweera are still probing the accusations mentioned in the petitions

Two persons arrested by Navy

The Sri Lanka Navy arrested two persons including a former LTTE cadre when they crossed into Sri Lankan waters from India, Navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya said.

School vans to be strictly regulated: Police

The police have suggested school van drivers should be more than 30 years of age and that they should be provided them with a uniform. This was decided during discussions they had with 1,200 school van owners in a move to strictly regulate school vans

Nawgattegama DS arrested

The Nawgattegama Divisional Secretary was arrested for attempting to sexually abuse a woman and remanded till January 26, 2012.The victim was a mother of three from the Molwewa area. Police said they arrested the Divisional Secretary on a complaint of the woman concerned

Grievances of Tamils must be addressed: JVP

The JVP which expressed somewhat favourable sentiments on President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent pledge to convert Sri Lanka into a trilingual nation, called for its quick implementation while opposing the full implementation of the Indo Lanka accord and 13 plus.

Uni. of J'Pura to open tommorow

India raises educational aid to Lanka

India has promised Sri Lanka an increase in educational assistance amounting to LKR2.5 billion in grant to deserving students.Indian Minister of External Affairs S.M. Krishna who was in Lanka on a four-day visit announced that this was a substantial expansion in the scholarships currently being offered

Chinaman wins Asian literary prize

Chinaman, a novel by Singapore-based Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka, on Saturday won the 2012 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature which carries a cash award of $50,000

Arun Tambimuttu appointed Presidential Coordinator

Arun Tambimuttu son of former MP Sam Tambimuttu who was gunned down by the LTTE in the 1980s, has been appointed as the Presidential Coordinator for the Batticaloa District.

Inquiry on COPE

Officers of the Bribery Commission and the CID are to be summoned before the parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) shortly to inquire how investigations into alleged malpractices and financial misappropriation in state institutions are progressing.

Only three ministers had back bones to take pragmatic decisions

There were only three education ministers who had a spine to take pragmatic decisions and a vision for national education in Sri Lanka who were C.W.W. Kannangara, I.M.R.A. Iriyagolla and Richard Pathirana, Small Crops Exports Minister Reginald Cooray said.

Govt. - TNA talks at standstill

The political dialogue between the government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has come to an abrupt end over a row on the proposed Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) which is to be set up to evolve a solution to the national question, the TNA said today.

Panadura Magistrates's residence leased to run cafeteria

The official residence of the Panadura Magistrate and the land on which it is located has been leased out to a private institution to run a cafeteria, UNP Kalutara District MP Ajith P. Perera charged today.

Only a handful of bribery cases concluded in 2010

Only 23 bribery cases had been concluded in 2010 although the Bribery and Corruption Commission had received 1,637 complaints that year, Parliament was told recently.

Two Indian youth compelled to take U-turn

Two youth of Indian nationality who were deported from Sri Lanka a year ago for overstaying their Visas were nabbed by Immigration and Emigration officials at the Katunayake Airport early morning when they tried to re-enter the country and were sent back to India in the same aircraft they arrived in.

Man with counterfeit notes arrested inside a bus

A man who produced a counterfeit 100 rupee note to a bus conductor was caught by the passengers and was handed over to the Kalutara South police this morning.