Woman Police officers to go up to DIG rank: NPC

Measures would be taken to allow women to hold the post of Deputy Inspector General of Police, a higher rank than the current Senior Superintendent of Police, women are allowed to hold in the Police Department, the National Police Commission said today.

30 State, Private importers to get Green Channel at Customs

The Sri Lanka Customs Department would facilitate thirty Government and private sector institutes to clear their imports without checking, Customs Spokesman Dharmasena Kahandawa said.

President orders separate probes into nightclub din

Concerned over the linking of his son Daham Sirisena’s name to the brawl allegedly took place at the ‘Clique’ Night Club at the Union Place early Saturday morning, President Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the Police Chief and the Director of the Presidential Security Division (PSD) to conduct two separate and thorough investigations, Cabinet Spokesman Acting Media and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Karunaratne Paranawithana

Toyota recalls 3.4mn Prius hybrid cars for faulty brakes

Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Wednesday it was recalling around 340,000 of its latest Prius gasoline hybrid model in Japan and overseas to fix a parking brake issue.

Court re-issues notices to Ravi and 13 others

The Court of Appeal today re-issued notices to Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake and 13 others to appear in Court on November 7 in regard to a writ petition filed by Ven. Agulugalle Jinananda Thera against the decision of the Finance Ministry to exempt a beer manufacturer in Biyagama from paying the customs levy normally charged.

Student arrested for stealing phones

A 16 year old student and 30 year old man were arrested by the Ambalangoda Police for stealing smart phones worth Rs. 6 million.

Appropriation Bill - An estimated expenditure of Rs.1,819 Bn

The 2017 Appropriation Bill shows an estimated expenditure of Rs.1,819 billion with an allocation of Rs.283 billion, the highest as usual, in the budget for next year and Rs.242 billion for the Finance Ministry.

Water cuts likely if drought continues

The Water Resources and Drainage Board said yesterday it might be compelled to restrict the supply of water in the event that the drought continues.

New system to detect speeding vehicles on expressways

Steps were being taken to establish a speed detector system at the Southern and Katunayake Expressways so that the speeding drivers could be fined at the exit points, Expressway Operation, Maintenance and Management Division Director S. Opanayaka said today.

Night club attack: No arrests yet

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident where a group of people led by a VVIP's son are alleged to have assaulted security personnel at a leading nightclub last week.

Allocation for presidential expenditure up by 320%: NFF

The National Freedom Front (NFF) today claimed that the funds allocated under the heading of presidential expenditure had been increased by 320 per cent and the funds allocated for education was reduced by 57.6 per cent in the 2017 Appropriation Bill.

Ramith pleads guilty to the charges: fined Rs.29, 000

Keheliya Rambukwella’s son Ramith, who pleaded guilty to all the five charges of negligent driving, not avoiding the accident, driving a vehicle registered under another name, drunk driving and driving with a fake number plate was today fined Rs.29,000 by Colombo Additional Magistrate Chandana Kalansooriya.

Massive profits earned by Bond Trader: Monetary Board to decide on Friday

Acting Finance Minister Lakshmana Yapa Abeywardane said today the SLFP members in the Government were awaiting the decision of the Monetary Board (MB) on the phenomenal profits earned by bond trader Perpetual Treasuries for the year ending March 2016.

Samsung suspends worldwide sales of Galaxy Note 7

Samsung has withdrawn all of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones from sale globally after a spate of fires involving “safe” replacements.

Thilina Gamage's bail conditions amended

Former Colombo Additional Magistrate Thilina Gamage's bail condition directing him to report to the CID once a week was today amended by the Colombo High Court. 

Jeewan Kumaranatunga at PRECIFAC

Former Minister Jeewan Kumaranatunga arrived at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC) to give statement regarding alleged financial irregularities.

Lady doctor and another woman killed in road tragedy

A lady doctor and another woman were killed when the double cab they were travelling in crashed into a container parked on the roadside. The seriously injured driver was rushed to the Maho District Hospital and then to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital.

Chillie remanded till Oct. 25

Singer Chillie also known as Thilanka Vidusha was remanded till October 25 by Kaduwela Additional District Magistrate Dhammika Hemapala today.

Gammanpila granted bail

Colombo High Court today granted bail MP Udaya Gammanpila bail in connection with two indictments filed by the Attorney General over charges of illegally representing Australian citizen, Brain Shaddik, in 1995.

Fmr. Maj. Gen. Palitha Fernando permitted to travel to Doha

Former Major General Palitha Fernando, the third suspect for the inquiry conducted by the Bribery Commission regarding allegations of corruption connected to Avant Garde Maritime Services, was permitted to travel abroad by Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya today.

Chillie arrested for assaulting elderly man

Singer Chillie also known as Thilanka Vidusha was arrested by the Thalangama Police today for the alleged assault of a 57-year-old man last Thursday.

Aiyo! is now part of Oxford dictionary

The 'aiyo' word- a Sri Lankan and South Indian phrase that expresses distress, regret or grief, was included in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), last month as a part of the latest addition of words to its database.

Bell 212 deployed to Badulla

The Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) has deployed a Bell-212 helicopter, equipped with a Bambi bucket to help clear the smoke in Badulla.

Smoke shuts down 5 schools in Badulla

Five schools in Badulla District have been temporarily closed due to the smoke that has engulfed the area after a fire broke out at a garbage dump yesterday.

ISIS' territory has shrunk by 16% to the size of SL: Research

The amount of territory controlled by the Islamist militant group, the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), has shrunk by 16 percent so far this year, according to new research from IHS Markit.

President back from Thailand

President Maithripala Sirisena arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) last night after a four day official visit to attend the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) meeting at Bangkok, Thailand, President’s Media Division said.

Indian Ship "Samudra Paheredar" arrives in Colombo

The Indian Coast Guard Ship "Samudra Paheredar" arrived at the Colombo Port yesterday on a goodwill visit, the Navy said.  

CB establishes authenticity of leaked report on primary dealer

The Central Bank yesterday in a statement admitted that the report on the controversial primary dealer Perpetual Treasuries, which has been given widespread media coverage, was in fact a leaked internal document, establishing its authenticity.

SLC to reject ‘Big Three’

Ahead of the ICC Board meeting in Cape Town this week, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) chief Thilanga Sumathipala said they will not support any move to bring back the ‘Big Three’ module. Sumathipala will leave to South Africa today to attend the board meeting.

Constitution making -- Steering Committee to submit report soon

Dr. Jayampathi Wickramaratne, who is a member of the Steering Committee on Constitutional Reforms, said yesterday the 21-member Committee would submit a report to the Constitutional Assembly (CA) in two weeks outlining the progress in the constitution-making process.