Bomb hoax passenger jailed for three years

A passenger who made a bomb hoax on board a plane has been jailed for three years. Alan Patey, 49, admitted making threats on a Sri Lankan Airlines plane, which had to be diverted to Stansted Airport on September 20 last year

Use valid criteria in making appointments to Apex Courts -- BASL

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) the premier body that represents the country’s legal fraternity yesterday said proper and valid criteria should be used when appointments are made to the apex courts and that this should be transparently evident for all to see

‘Thanha Rathi Ranga’ wins best film award in India

Nilendra Deshapriya’s debut movie "Thanha Rathi Ranga” [BETWEEN YESTERDAY & TOMORROW]  clinched the award for the Best Film at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival in New Delhi a short while ago

Lorry on fire on SE

A small lorry had caught fire at Kananke on the Southern Expressway a short while ago, the Police said.

Court allows CBEU to use Hyde Park

Following a dispute between the Joint Trade Union Alliance (JTUA) and Ceylon Bank Employees’ Union (CBEU) over the allocation of the Hyde Park grounds to organise May Day rallies, the Colombo Fort Magistrate today issued an order preventing the JTUA from entering or organising May Day related activities at the Hyde Park grounds and the streets in the vicinity from 6am - 10pm tomorrow.

Moulana’s WPC policy statement turns sour

Western Province Governor Alavi Moulana’s Policy Statement presentation ceremony turned chaotic after the Governor’s speech today, as UNP members of the Western Provincial Council and members of the ruling UPFA clashed over several issues.

Train services on Northern Line likely to be resumed tomorrow

The Railway Control Room said today several long distance trains on the Northern Line have been cancelled because of the train accident which occurred at Potuhera this morning

Man climbs tree for dues

A man climbed on to a tree in front of the Labour Department Narahenpita for not giving him arrears from the private company that he worked despite the Court ruling to grant the arrears to him

Over 33 kg of gold seized, 2 held

Gold weighing 33.453 kg and worth Rs. 10 crore were seized on Tuesday by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in a raid on an apartment at Triplicane, here. Two youths were arrested. The gold was smuggled from Sri Lanka

68 injured in train accident

At least 68 passengers were injured in the train accident at Pothuhera, Kurunegala this morning, the Police said. Four of the injured were in serious condition, hospital sources said

ISI agent, linked to Pakistan official in SL, held

Central intelligence agencies and the Tamil Nadu police claim to have busted a major terror network with the arrest of an ISI suspect in Chennai on Tuesday

BASL concerned over new SC appointments

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) while expressing concern over the impending appointments to fill Supreme Court vacancies will send a top-priority letter instructing regional branches of the Bar Association to send an immediate response on the intended appointments to the Supreme Court.

Mahela sees no big deal in Farbrace exit

Mahela Jayawardene does not agree with a lot of hypothetical theories that have been flying around in the past few days on how Sri Lanka cricket team would be adversely affected during the forthcoming tour of England after national team coach Paul Farbrace suddenly changed camp and joined England without warning

Pope may visit Sri Lanka in January

While some media reports said Pope Francis is expected to visit Sri Lanka on January 13 next year on an invitation from the local church and the Sri Lankan Government, the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka said the dates were not fixed though the pope was expected in Sri Lanka in January 2015

Video: Massive vehicle racket busted by STF

The elite Special Task Force (STF) busted a massive vehicle racket today when it seized seven vehicles valued at Rs.11 million and arrested the main suspect who was allegedly behind it ???

Interpol issues red notice on PETS treasurer

Interpol has issued a Red Notice for the arrest of the former Parliament Employees’ Thrift Society (PETS) Treasurer who is wanted by the CID over a massive fraud worth millions of rupees reported to have been committed with the assistance of two other office bearers.

Heavy traffic reported in Colombo

Heavy traffic is reported in most of the city roads including Pettah, High Level Road, Galle Road due to rain, the Police said

Vaas wants intimidation case mediated

Ex-DIG Vaas Gunawardena, who is alleged to have threatened three CID officers when being questioned in connection with the killing of businessman Mohamed Shayam has requested that the matter be resolved through mediation, the ex-DIG’s counsel told Court today

Look out; heavy rains on the way

The Department of Meteorology today warned of severe weather conditions resulting from a sudden increase in the wind speeds countrywide

Video: BBS wanted the unit a year ago

The Bodu Bala Sena requested President Mahinda Rajapaksa to establish a special Police unit to prevent anti-Buddhist activities more than one year ago, General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara Thera said today ???

MH370: Aus exploration co claims jet may be in Bay of Bengal

An Australian marine exploration company has claimed that it has found the wreckage of the crashed Malaysian plane in the Bay of Bengal, 5,000 km away from the current search location in the Indian Ocean

‘Buddha Bar’ in Italy sparks opposition

Sri Lankans in Italy urged the Sri Lankan Embassy to take immediate action to remove the name of the ‘Buddha’ which is being used on the name board of a Bar’ located at Sala Baganza in Parma, Italy

A father’s inhuman cruelty towards his daughter

A Madampe resident was arrested today on charges of having tied his seven-year-old daughter to a tree and throwing a nest full of ants on her, police said

Seven soldiers injured in accident

At least seven soldiers were injured when their truck skidded off the road and crashed into a Kitul tree at Bulagala in Dambulla in the early hours today, police said

NPC wants ban on overseas groups withdrawn

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) - controlled Northern Provincial Council yesterday passed several resolutions demanding that the ban of 16 overseas Tamil groups be withdrawn forthwith, the Daily Mirror learns

UK's Swire meets NGOs on SL

British Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire held discussions with representatives of several NGOs on Monday to discuss the follow-up to the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka passed in Geneva last month

Video: Existing laws sufficient to tackle religious disputes: SF

The special police unit established to deal with religious violence is not necessary as there are provisions in the existing laws to deal with such incidents, Democratic Party Leader Sarath Fonseka said today

Heavy showers; landslide warning

The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has asked the residents of the Kegalle, Ratnapura and the Matale District to be vigilant as continuous heavy showers in these areas could trigger landslides

One dead fifteen injured in bus accident

One passenger was killed and at least fifteen people were injured when a bus skidded off the road and toppled over near Ihala Halpa in Demodara, Badulla this evening, the Police said

MR awarded with Bahrain’s Khalifa Medal

President Mahinda Rajapaksa was today awarded the prestigious Khalifa Medal, the highest honor in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Presidential Media Unit said.