District Judge orders count of sealed ballot papers

District Judge Ranga Dissanayake, today ordered the Puttalam police through the Registrar of Courts to inform the officers who conducted investigations into the marked ballot papers found at St. Andrew’s College Puttalam, to open the sealed packets containing marked ballot papers and subject them to a recount

Leaflets to highlight 21 demands

The Trade Unions Coordinating Centre launched a leaflet distribution campaign at the Fort Railway Station to highlight their 21 demands which includes a salary increase for state employees. Pix Nisal Baduge

Video: ‘School children addicted to sexual enhancement drugs’

The Cosmetics Devices and Drugs Control Authority said there was a high tendency of school children getting addicted to sexual enhancement drugs to merely get a kick out of such drugs, which has become a serious issue

Video: Fruitful results

A cheerful Dayasiri Jayasekara arriving at the Hunupitiya Gangaramaya Temple today just after taking oaths before President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as the North Western Province Chief Minister. Pix by Kushan Pathiraja

Protest against appointment of CP Chief Minister

A protest was held in Kandy town against the appointment of Sarath Ekanayake as Chief Minister of the Central Province by supporters of Anuradha Jayaratne who obtained the highest number of preferential votes in the Province

Namal appointed new rugby captain

Namal Rajapaksa replaced his brother Yoshitha as Sri Lanka’s national rugby captain ahead of the Serendib International Cup 2013 to be played in Sri Lanka later this month, as preparation for next years Asian Five Nations tournament

SL wants Nepal to stop screening three films

The Sri Lankan Government has pressurised the Nepali authorities to stop the screening of all three documentaries from Sri Lanka selected for the Film Southasia (FSA) 2013.

Tissa Attanayake’s resignation accepted

UNP media spokesman Gayantha Karunathilaka said today that UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake’s resignation as the Kunadasale organiser has been accepted by party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe today

Navy operation to rescue 65 on-board stranded vessel

The Sri Lanka Navy has launched an operation to rescue 65 individuals on board a vessel stranded between the Maldives and Sri Lanka, the Navy said.

Undergrads clash in Sammanthurai; 23 injured

At least 23 undergraduates attached to the South Eastern University in Sammanthurai were injured and 41 undergraduates were arrested by the police following a clash between two students factions of the Science Faculty a short while ago, police said.

Video: New Chief Ministers

Chief Ministers of North Western and Central Provinces and other Provincial Council Ministers were sworn in at the President’s Secretariat this morning.  Pix by President’s Media

Two Sri Lankan refugees, ferry operator held

Two Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and a ferry operator from the island nation were on Thursday nabbed by customs officials when the trio were moving in suspicious circumstances, police said.

Cobra girl pleads guilty; fined Rs. 100

Nirosha Wimalaratne, known as the Cobra girl, who was arrested for keeping a snake in her possession at a night club in Kollupitiya today pleaded guilty of the charges and was sentenced to three months imprisonment suspended for five years by the Colombo Court Magistrate

UNP: Tissa resigns as organiser

The General Secretary of the United National Party (UNP) Tissa Attanayake said today that he would not hesitate to step down from his position of the party if there was a necessity

Dayasiri and Ekanayake sworn in as Chief Ministers

Dayasiri Jayasekara and Sarath Ekanayake were sworn in Chief Ministers of the North Western Province and the Central Province respectively before President Mahinda Rajapaksa a short while ago at the Presidential Secretariat.Pictures

Queen Victoria statue to be given a facelift in Colombo

A statue of Queen Victoria in Sri Lanka's main city, Colombo, has been taken off its plinth for renovation ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held there next month

Sri Lankan team attack: Alleged mastermind’s bail challenged

LAHORE: After an anti-terrorism court granted bail to the primary suspect in the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, the decision was challenged by the Punjab government.

Lankan held at Danushkodi

The Danushkodi police have arrested a Sri Lankan Tamil who clandestinely landed at Arichal Munai off Danushkodi on Wednesday morning

Fire at Himbiliyakada forest reserve

A fire broke out yesterday at the Godaulpatha mountain area in the Himbiliyakada forest reserve in Wilgamuwa destroying hundreds of acres of forest area, police said

Police on lookout for Africans

Police are on the lookout for a large number of Africans alleged to be overstaying in Sri Lanka, following arrests made in the Katunayake, Negombo and Seeduwa areas recently.

Disneyland tour for first in scholarship exam

The Education Minister of the Southern Provincial Council on Wednesday promised that the student who had obtained the highest marks in the island at the grade 5 scholarship examination would be sent on a trip to Disneyland in the United States.

Ranil ready to take any step for UNP’s progress

In a new development with regard to the future of the United National Party (UNP) its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed the members of the United Bikkhu Front that he was ready to take any step for the betterment of the party

I couldn’t meet MR due to the time factor-Indian PM

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he couldn’t meet Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in New York as the dates given were not convenient to him, India Times reported.

Drought hits Polonnaruwa

More than 5,500 people had been affected by the prevailing drought in the Polonnaruwa District, Asst. Director of the Disaster Management Centre Upul Nanayakkara said

Lankan national sneaking into Rameswaram held

Despite the claim of tight vigil by naval and coast guard personnel following an alert about possible infiltration of terrorists through the sea, a Sri Lankan Tamil managed to sneak into the island by a high-speed boat early on Wednesday morning

UN top post for Kohona

The United Nations General Assembly elected the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka, Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona, as Chair of the Sixth Committee, the top legal body of the General Assembly, for its 68th Session

Court reprimands CID for not arresting suspect

The Colombo Fort Magistrate while questioning the Criminal Investigation Department as to why a suspect alleged to have defrauded his son and stormed a newspaper office was not arrested yet, ordered the immediate arrest of the suspect

Video: Case against TNA manifesto at SC

The petition filed by the Sri Lanka's Patriotic National Movement appealing to declare the election manifesto of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) contravenes the Constitution was taken up at the Supreme Court today. Pix by Pradeep Pathirana

No liquor on World Temperance day

The Excise Department said today that all the liquor shops in the island will be closed tomorrow (October 3) due to World Temperance day

Four Lankans held for murder of Chennai youth

Eight months after an unidentified youth was found dead in a well in Austinpatti, the district police on Tuesday said they had solved the case and arrested four Sri Lankan nationals in this connection