Postal voting on Tuesday and Wednesday

The Elections Secretariat has registered 541,131 voters for postal voting which begins Tuesday for the January 8 presidential election, a senior official of the Elections Secretariat said today.

Found hanging in police cell

A 22-year-old youth was found hanging in a cell at the Embilipitiya Police and pronounced dead upon admission to the Embilipitiya Base Hospital today.

Armed men rob jewellery shop in Homagama

Four armed men who arrived in a car, robbed a jewellery shop at Athurugiriya Road in Homagama this morning, the Police said.

SL maid commits suicide in Saudi

A Sri Lankan housemaid has committed suicide in the bathroom at her employers’ house in Saudi Arabia.

Opposition attacked at Hambantota protest

Several UNP local government members, including Opposition Leader of the Hambantota Municipal Council Auyb Khan were attacked by a gang at protest campaign held at the Hambantota bus halt this morning.

Six alleged Lankan sex workers detained in Malaysia

The Johor police in Malaysia have conducted 10,300 raids to tackle prostitution in the state and arrested 2,986 women including six Sri Lankan from January until now.

M’gama’s MSD men arrested

Three Ministerial Security Division (MSD) officers attached to Deputy Minister Nishantha Muthuhettigama had been arrested last night for attempting to forcibly remove suspects from the Police custody, the Police said.

Ayurvedic Centre raided: seven women arrested

Seven women and the manager of an alleged brothel, which had been operating as an Ayurvedic medical centre at Nawala, Walikada, were arrested by the Mirihana Police last night.

UPFA-UNP clash in Haputale: Five UNP supporters injured

At least five UNP supporters were injured during a clash between supporters of the UNP and UPFA during a political meeting in Haputale in support of presidential candidate, Maithripala Sirisena, this afternoon.

India to export two warships to SL

India will now export two warships to Sri Lanka after delivering a warship to Mauritius for the first time, Minister of State for Defence Production Rao Inderjit Singh has stated.

Kelaniya undergrads surround admin building

Kelaniya university undergraduates have surrounded the administration building at present, to express their objection to the administration’s inaction towards the dengue menace that is spreading through the university.  

Attack on SL cricket team: mastermind executed

Two terrorists including a former soldier of the Army’s Medical Corps, Dr Usman who was the mastermind behind the attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009 were hanged in Pakistan after the government ended a moratorium on the death penalty earlier this week.

Maithri pledges war crime inquiry

Opposition Common Presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena said the country cannot be charged with war crimes in the International Criminal Court, but he will launch a domestic inquiry if he wins a January election.

Kumbichchankulam bund at risk of collapsing

Residents living in low-lying areas of the Anuradhapura Kumbichchankulam tank have been asked to evacuate as the tank bund is at risk of collapsing, Anuradhapura Municipal Commissioner Sampath Rohana Dharmadasa said.

Heavy rains exceeding 150 mm: Met. Dep.

The Meteorology Department said today heavy rain falls exceeding 150 mm could be expected over most parts of the country specially in the Central, North-central, Eastern, Uva and Southern provinces.

Positive response on relief for SF: Ketagoda

Parliamentarian Jayantha Ketagoda who was a member of the Democratic Party led by former army commander Sarath Fonseka said today that both President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had responded positively to his request to grant relief to Fonseka.

SL govt. orders 1.25 lakhs bikes from India

Bajaj Auto has bagged an order for 1.25 lakh units of Discover-125M motorcycles from Sri Lankan government.

Video: Show any factory promised in the Mahinda Chinthanaya: UNP

UNP MP and National Youth Front President Ruwan Wijewardene said today the upcoming presidential election would be a crucial one that changes the next decade and would be decisive particularly for the youth because they had been neglected by the present government.

SL 89th in Forbes’ Best Countries for Business

Sri Lanka is placed 89th out of 146 nations in the Forbes’ Best Countries for Business 2014 ranking, Forbes announced.

Muthuhettigama tries to take away arson suspects

Deputy Minister Nishantha Muthuhettigama had reportedly attempted to forcibly take away the suspects, arrested in connection with the arson attack on the stage put up for the opposition’s propaganda rally at Wanduramba, when they were being brought to Court under police custody this monring.

Two killed in earth mound collapse

A 31-year-old woman and her six-year-old daughter were killed when an earth embankment collapsed on their house at Hasalaka this morning, police said.

Dhanuna surrenders, granted bail

Colombo High Court Judge Irangani Perera this morning granted bail to former army Commander Sarath Fonseka’s son-in-law Dhanuna Thilakaratne on Rs 400,000 cash with two sureties for Rs 5 million on each of them in the HiCorp case.

Video: Maithri launches manifesto

Common opposition candidate Maitripala Sirisena launched his manifesto titled, ‘A Maithri Administration and a Stable Country’at the Colombo Vihara Maha Devi Park a short while ago.  

Hokandara plane crash survivor dies

Leading Aircraftman Lance Corporal Chaturanga, who survived in the An-32 plane crash in Hokandara last Friday (13), succumbed to his injuries last night at the National Hospital.  

Bodies of mother and daughter found in Padiyathalawa

The bodies of a 30-year-old woman and her six-year-old daughter were found last night near the 51st milepost at Padiyathalawa in Mahiyangana, police said.  

Church cannot withdraw invitation to Pope: Cardinal Ranjith

The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka is not in a position to ask Pope Francis to cancel his visit to Sri Lanka next month, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said yesterday.

Canvassing at state institutions forbidden -- EC

It is forbidden, at any of the offices owned by the state or the provincial councils, government schools, local authorities or any institution owned by any state corporation or board, to  canvass for presidential candidates in any manner – such as by the distribution of handbills or leaflets or conducting meetings, Elections Chief Mahinda Deshapriya announced yesterday.

Petrol, diesel levies anulled after Jan. 8-Champika

The petrol and diesel levies will be annulled after the January 8, 2015 under the government of Maithripala Sirisena, said Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) General Secretary and former minister Champika Ranawaka.

Muthuhettigama asks Rajitha to show the video

Deputy Minister Nishantha Muthuhettigama today denied allegations that he was behind Wednesday morning’s attack on the stage set up for common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena’s rally at Wanduramba, Galle and challenged Dr. Rajitha Senaratne to show the video of the attack if he had one.

BASL asked to locate illegal cutouts

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) was today directed by the Court of Appeal to prepare a list containing the locations of unauthorized hoardings and cutouts and hand it over to the respondents by 1.30 pm today (19).