Japanese warships in Colombo

Two Japanese naval ships, arrived at the Port of Colombo for logistics requirements yesterday, the navy headquarters said

Four Night Clubs in Colombo raided

The Excise Department yesterday raided four Night Clubs in Kollupitiya, Bambalapitiya and Thimbirigasyaya where they were allegedly selling liquor on Poya Day, Spokesman Prabath Jayawickrema said

Railway strike from midnight Sunday

Railway unions today announced they would launch a 48 hour strike countrywide from midnight April 28 (Sunday) in protest over the authorities’ continued failure to rectify the salary anomalies of railway employees

Australia continues to send back illegal SL immigrants

Australia says it would continue to send back illegal Sri Lankan asylum seekers if their claims are not covered by the refugee convention

Tense situation outside Moratuwa MC

A tense situation prevailed at the Moratuwa Municipal Council this morning when a group of people including Buddhist monks staged a protest when the Council’s Vice Chairman Sujith Pushpakumara attended a Council meeting on a Court order. He was remanded on charges of having been involved in the killing of a Buddhist monk.

PS member’s cab hits two pedestrians

A mother and her daughter were injured when they were knocked down by a cab driven by a member of Udubaddawa Pradeshiya Sabha at Atiyawala last night, police said

Animal fodder imported for human consumption

Stocks of substandard food commodities such as green gram and lentils, meant for animal fodder, have been imported and released to the market for human consumption, Parliament was informe

Judge’s house burgled

A house in Mirihana belonging to Appeal Court judge Rohini Marasinghe was broken into this morning and a pair of ear rings and a wallet had been stolen, police said

Tariff hike not needed if govt. followed IMF pact: UNP

UNP MP Ajith Perera told today that had the government followed the agreements of the International Monitory Fund (IMF) in a more realistic manner when covering up losses in the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), increasing tariffs would not have been required today

Hailstorm at Nochchiyagama

A hailstorm lasting ten minutes was experienced at Nochchiyagama, in Anuradhapura this evening following heavy rains, police said

Arrested for selling flowers

Nine people including seven women were arrested while selling flowers illegally along the pavement near the Kalutara Bodhiya today, Police said

SL refugees saved by UAE find new home in US

Eleven Sri Lankan refugees have arrived in Los Angeles  to begin their new lives after receiving care in the UAE for six months

Two PCs, Vice Chairman hospitalised

Two policemen and the Buttala Pradeshiya Sabha Vice Chairman were hospitalised after they were injured in an attack last night in Buttala, police said

Seven deaths on Expressway so far

Seven people have died in six fatal accidents so far on the Southern Expressway from the time the expressway was opened, Police said.

Retrieve lands in Tamil areas: PMK

PMK founder-leader Dr S Ramadoss on Wednesday urged the United Nations and the Union government to immediately intervene in retrieving 7,000 sqkm of Tamil areas and prevent heavy militarisation of the Tamil provinces in Sri Lanka

Partial lunar eclipse visible tonight

This year’s first lunar eclipse could be seen in Sri Lanka tonight at 11.34. The partial eclipse takes place as the Moon traverses the Earth’s penumbral shadow

DMK tells CMAG members to keep out of SL meet

A delegation of Members of Parliament of the DMK on Tuesday gave a memorandum to several member countries of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) in Delhi urging them to not hold the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo slated to be held from November 15 to 17

Accident kills Puttalam PS Chairman

Chairman of the Puttalam Pradeshiya Sabha Diluk Susara was killed in an accident this morning in Sittamadama, Deduru Oya, police said

All UK visa applications to be made on online

The British High Commission in Colombo yesterday said that from Monday May 6, 2013, applicants and their dependents who are applying for a UK visa will need to make their applications online. From this date, manually completed application forms will no longer be accepted

Without UNP’s hydro power projects situation may be worse: Karu

UNP parliamentarian Karu Jayasuriya said today if not for hydro power plants constructed by the UNP which generates about 30%-40% hydro power free of charge, the situation would have been worse today

Govt. website hacked

The government Information Department’s official website www.news.lk was hacked by a group identifying itself as Sultan Brain this afternoon

Parliament tripped

The Parliament sittings has been suspended for five minutes after UNP MPs staged a protest holding candles against the electricity tariff hike announced by the government.

Video: Bangladesh building collapse kills at least 70

An eight-story building in Bangladesh that housed several garment factories collapsed on Wednesday morning, killing at least 70 people, injuring hundreds of others, and leaving an unknown number of people trapped in the rubble, according to Bangladeshi officials and media outlets ???

Video: Let’s produce the equipment needed to defend SL

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said even though we faced a 30-year war, we still import weapons and the equipment needed for defending the country.???

Audio: Govt. molly-coddling former terrorists: SF

The Government has permitted separatists and terrorist leaders to contest the upcoming elections, DNA Leader Sarath Fonseka said today. ???

Saudi donation frees jailed SL maids

A Saudi national has offered to pay 22,000 Saudi riyals (Dh21,539) to rescue two Sri Lankan domestic helpers from prison and leave Saudi Arabia

Duminda granted bail

Parliamentarian Duminda Silva, the eleventh suspect in the killing of former Presidential Advisor Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and three others at Mulleriyawa on the local government elections day on October 8, 2011 was granted Rs 50,000 cash bail with two sureties for Rs 500,000 each by the Colombo High Court today

ICU closed at Castle Hospital

The Intensive Care Unit at the Castle Street Hospital for Women, Colombo is currently closed following a patient’s death due to infection.

Police officers threatened by Mayor transferred

The two police officers alleged to have been threatened by the Mayor of Gampaha had been transferred to Peliyagoda Special Investigation Unit on their request.

'Doorstep' similar to SL's moonstone auctioned in UK

A moss-covered old 'doorstep' similar to Sri Lanka's moonstone (Sandakada pahana) found in a garden was sold for £553,250 at an auction in UK yesterday, the Sun reported