Half-hearted film stars undermine politics: Ranil

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe today said that politics could be undermined by the entry of half-hearted film stars and sport stars who are not committed to a full-time political career

Protesting politicos want Baduraliya hospital reopened

UNP Parliamentarian Palitha Thewarapperuma and several local politicians together with more than 500 people are now staging a protest demanding that the Baduraliya district hospital that had been closed due to a strike be reopened immediately

Two held for smuggling gold to India

Two persons were arrested at the Chennai airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle gold worth Rs 3 million from Sri Lanka today

Pakistan Police Narcotics team in Sri Lanka

A team of three officials of the Pakistan Police Narcotics Bureau have arrived in Sri Lanka to help the investigations carried out by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) following the discovery of the largest ever heroin haul of 261 kg detected in Sri Lanka recently

SL fishermen expect talks with India in January

A meeting between fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka is likely in the second week of January, 2014, Indian media reported

Suspect arrested with counterfeit currency

An individual was arrested for possessing 24 counterfeit notes of Rs. 500 near the Holy Cross Church in Kalutara, Police said today.

IOC offers sops to SL to retain storage facility

To protect its economic interests amid growing strain in Indian ties with Sri Lanka, state-owned Indian Oil Corp. Ltd (IOC) has proposed to jointly develop a key storage facility in Trincomalee as a petroleum products trading hub that will cater to the demands of the region.

Pakistan to explore gas in SL

Pakistan has expressed its interest in oil and gas exploration in the seas off Sri Lanka, the Daily Mirror learns

“Multinational companies might be behind Milco strike”

The Milco Company said today that multi-national companies could be operating behind the scenes to foment the strike which had been launched by a trade union of the Milco Company staff in order to disrupt the company

Move to introduce fuel with less sulfur particles

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will introduce 92 Octane petrol to the market in January and 98 Octane diesel in April, Petroleum Minister Susil Premajayantha said today

SL lets Aussie hotelier back in after flag spat

The Australian owner of one of the world's most exclusive hotels was given temporary permission to return to his adopted Sri Lankan homeland Tuesday after being barred in a spat over the national flag

Alleged jumbo broker remanded

A man who allegedly posed as a broker who supplied elephants and tuskers to the President was ordered to be remanded till January 3 for allegedly cheating a businessman of Rs.3.3 million by promising to bring him a baby tusker from Myanma

Prathapasinghe resigns from seat

United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Southern Provincial Council Member D.W. Prathapasinghe resigned from his post after making a special statement in the Council today.

SLMC to go solo at PC polls

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), an ally of the government, will go solo at western and southern provincial council’s election as they did at the previous elections, party officials said today.

SL tops Google’s 2013 ‘sex’ search list

Sri Lanka topped the list of having searched for the word ‘sex’ in 2013, while India followed at the second spot, Google reported.

Sri Lanka bars Australian luxury hotelier in flag spat

Sri Lankan authorities barred the Australian owner of one of the world's most exclusive hotels from returning to his adopted homeland Tuesday for flying the national flag upside down, officials said.

Despite CHOGM, November tourist arrivals up only 3%

Tourist arrivals to the island grew only 2.8 percent in the month of November compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, the data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism showed

12 SSPs, SPs transferred

Twelve police officers, including eight Senior Superintendents of Police (SSP) and four Superintendents of Police (SP) had been transferred with effect from today, Police Media Spokesman said

Lankan accused of molesting teenage swimmer

A Sri Lankan lifeguard has been accused of molesting a 14-year-old teenage swimmer inside the women’s changing rooms at a residential tower in Jumeirah Village in Dubai

Official alleges Growth Rate massaged

A top official in a statement alleged that the Director General of the Department of the Census and Statistics had advised him to ‘massage’ Sri Lanka’s economic growth rate. 

I was labelled a ‘Kudda’-DM

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne alleged that he was labelled a drug dealer (Kudda) by some faction in robes, soon after he proposed to set up two Courts (Sanga Adhikarana) for Buddhist monks to act against errant Bhikkus.

Creator of AK-47 dies

Lt. Gen. Mikhail T. Kalashnikov, the arms designer credited by the Soviet Union with creating the AK-47, the first in a series of rifles and machine guns that would indelibly associate his name with modern war and become the most abundant firearms ever made, died on Monday in Izhevsk, the capital of the Udmurtia republic, where he lived. He was 94.

TISL wants Elections Judge

While claiming that the Elections Commissioner should be vested with more powers to take actions on election related malpractices, the Transparency International Sri Lanka recommended today that an Elections Judge should be appointed to investigate into election violations and malpractices with focus on misuse of public properties

Video: Govt. loans over the top: Ranil

The total amount borrowed by the Sri Lankan Government after the war ended in 2009 far exceeded the amount borrowed since gaining of independence to 2004, United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said today ???

Steps to be taken to ease Colombo traffic-Gota

Defence Secretary Goatabaya Rajapaksa said that studies being conducted with a view to easing traffic congestion in the Colombo city, with the introduction of a mass transit system being seriously considered as a solution.

India to file charge sheets against SL fishermen

The Thermal Nagar police in Tuticorin district, which had arrested 59 Sri Lankan fishermen on charges of illegal fishing in Indian waters during September-November, are all set to file charge sheet against the fishermen before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu.

RDA Provincial Chairman arrested

The Chairman of the Provincial Road Development Authority of the Western Province had been arrested on suspicion of stabbing a man following a brawl at a rest house in Horana.

Pakistan batsman Shehzad fined for pushing Dilshan

Matale Budget passed in a rush

The 2014 Budget of the UPFA-led Matale Urban Council was hurriedly passed under controversial circumstances with the participation of five members

Sponsor to pay SL driver SR 20, 000

A Sri Lankan worker who lost his leg on the job has accepted a compensation of SR20, 000 from his sponsor, officials from the Sri Lankan Consulate in Jeddah told Arab News Sunday.