Video: Gota regrets ending war

Former defense secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said yesterday he now regretted to have finished the war because he had to undergo lots of trouble as a result of doing so.

Two arrested over Seya’s murder

A seventeen year old schoolboy and another man aged 33 were arrested on suspicion by the Kotadniyawa police in connection with the rape and murder of Seya Sandevmi of Akarangaha, Kotadeniyawa.

Prison Dept. ready to carry out death sentence

Prisons Commissioner Rohana Pushpakumara said yesterday the Prisons Department was in a position to implement the death penalty within three months if the government decided to re-activate it.

Body of the infant thrown into sea recovered

The body of the two year-old infant girl who was thrown into the sea by her father at Mahapelena in Kosgoda yesterday has been recovered by the police this morning.

I’ll throw the book at the book mafia: Ranil

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremeisnghe yesterday pledged to confront the text book mafia which prevented students from gaining access to quality text books.

UNHRC report Milder than expected- President

President Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday the report on Sri Lanka presented at the ongoing UNHRC sessions in Geneva was 100 or even 1,000 times less harmful than the report that would have been presented at the UNHRC if not for the change that took place on January 8.

Video: Gota summoned before PCoI again

Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi giving evidence before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed to investigate serious acts of fraud, corruption and abuse of power, state resources

IMF says Sri Lanka likely to miss fiscal deficit target

Sri Lanka's fiscal deficit is likely to be in the 5.5 per cent to 6 per cent range in 2015, the IMF said on Friday, higher than the official target of 4.4 per cent because of falling government revenues.

Two women cut ribbon meant for expressway opening

Two Mahara SLFP women’s association members were arrested yesterday after they were alleged to have forcibly cut the ribbon tied across the Kadawatha- Kaduwela expressway minutes before the official opening.

Thajudeen’s body reburied

The exhumed body of Rugby player Wasim Thajudeen was reburied today at the Jummah Mosque Cemetery, Dehiwala 38 days after it was exhumed. Ruggerite Thajudeen’s body was exhumed on August 10 as per the order of Colombo Additional Magistrate Nishantha Peiris.

Body found on Ramanayake Mawatha

Decomposed body of a 60-year-old man was found inside a house on the W.A.D. Ramanayake Mawatha in Colombo this morning, police said.

Man, who threw wife, infant into the sea, arrested

The 35-year-old man who is alleged to have thrown his wife and infant daughter into the sea at Mahpelena in Kosgoda has been arrested, Police said.

Video: Death penalty from next year: President

President Maithripala Sirisena said today the Death Penalty would be introduced from next year with the approval of Parliament.

UN Chief encouraged by SL response to war crimes report

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has noted that he was encouraged by the response of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) towards the recently released UN report on the country as well as the commitment expressed by the Government to implement effective measures to address issues of accountability.

​Court orders private hospital to release the body

A Colombo court yesterday ordered the management of Lanka Hospital Corporation PLC that a body of a deceased person be immediately released to the close relatives, which was reportedly retained under hospital custody for seven days until the hospital bill was settled.

Lalith Weeratunge, Anusha Palpita noticed

Colombo High Court today issued notice on former Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunge and former Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Director General Anusha Palpita to appear before court on October 07 in connection with a criminal misappropriation of Rs. 600 million belonging to the TRC from 2014 October 30 to 2015 January 05.

Father throws wife and daughter into sea

A father has allegedly pushed his 27-year-old wife and 2-year-old daughter into the sea at Mahapalena beach in Kosgoda last night, police said.

Seya’s murder: schoolboy taken into custody

A seventeen year old schoolboy living in the vicinity has been taken in for questioning by the CID over the abduction, rape and murder of Seya Sandevmi of Akarangaha, Kotadeniyawa.

UNHRC resolution should be turned in SL’s favour: Ranil

The United Nation Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) resolution should not be publicised but rather diligently turned in Sri Lanka”s favour, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday.

​No hidden agenda - Chinese official

Senior Colonel Li Chenglin, the Military, Naval and Air Attaché of the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka yesterday (17) said that there was no hidden agenda behind the military training taking place between the two nations.

​Govt. should probe charges anyway-SF

While rejecting a majority of the war crimes charges in the UNHRC report, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka called upon the government, yesterday, to probe the charges anyway; asserting that there could be isolated incidents which had led to the charges levelled against Sri Lankan security forces personnel.

Video: One-sided report;Wimal

Leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF) Wimal Weerawansa questioned whether the Sri Lankan people were going to allow a Hybrid Court, a branch of the International Criminal Court, to be established here and allow our the war heroes who brought peace and freedom to the country to be taken to the guillotine.

Port City Project agreement further extended

The Cabinet on Wednesday gave the nod to extend the agreement for the controversial Colombo Port City Development Project for a further period of six months, Cabinet spokesman and Minister Rajitha Senaratne said.

Zeid to visit SL before end of the year

Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera today said they are expecting UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein to visit Sri Lanka before the end of the year.

Video: Mangala confirms int'l role in domestic mechanism

Although a definitive response was not expressed concerning the OHCHR recommended ‘hybrid special court’ to deal with accountability issues, Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera today confirmed an international role in the domestic inquiry mechanism and added the government plans to conclude the proposed processes within 18 months.

Video: Ranjan to bring in death penalty

While condemning the statement made by the Chairman of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) Natasha Balendra,  the Deputy Minister of Social Empowerment Ranjan Ramanayake said he was taking measures to implement a motion in Parliament on  September 22 to execute the death penalty again in the country.

NFF MP Gunasekera suffers heart attack

National Freedom Front (NFF) Parliamentarian Padma Udhaya Shantha Gunasekera, who suffered a heart attack during a protest in Monaragala this morning, has been transferred to the Colombo National Hospital from the Monaragala Hospital a short while ago.

Kadawatha- Kaduwela Expressway opened

The Kadawatha- Kaduwela segment of the Colombo Outer Circular Expressway was declared open a short while ago by Minister of Highways Lakshman Kiriella.

JVP calls for immediate implementation of political reforms

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake today alleged that the government had begun a process of carrying out their personal objectives rather than taking steps to implement peoples’ aspirations.

UN Members Should Back Hybrid Court

The call by the United Nations’ top human rights officer for a domestic-international hybrid court to address allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka should receive strong endorsement by members of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, Human Rights Watch said today.