MR’s astrologer hospitalised

President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Personal astrologer Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena was reportedly admitted to the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital following a heart attack yesterday.

TNA’s Sivajilingam too against party decision

TNA's NPC member M.K.Sivajilingam taking a different stance from that of the party said that he would ask people to vote for a candidate of their choice at the forthcoming presidential election.

​Colombo Uni distances itself from poll survey

The Colombo University yesterday distanced itself from the survey released by the Opposition Common candidate's office which showed 53% victory for Maithripala Sirisena.

TNA’s Ananthi opts to be neutral

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Northern Provincial Council (NPC) member Ananthi Sasitharan has defied the party's decision to support opposition common candidate Maithripala Sirisena and said she would not support either of the two main candidates, the Daily Mirror learns.

Maithripala wants to end free education-Bandula

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardana yesterday claimed that the proposed policies of the Common Opposition Candidate were a step towards the end of the free education system in the country. 

Malik demands 1bn from news paper

Former UNP Chairman Malik Samarawickrema yesterday sent a letter of demand claiming One Billion Rupees from a daily English language newspaper over an alleged defamatory article that had been published in it.

Puravasi Balaya

Stones pelted at Maithri’s Pelmadulla rally

An election rally of National Democratic Party presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena held at Pelmadulla had been reportedly pelted with stones a short while ago injuring several people.

SL displeased with EU statement

The Government of Sri Lanka today expressed its displeasure over the statement made by the EU Heads of Mission in Colombo on how the presidential election should be held.

Video: Govt. has to collect US$7 Bn from Cairn Energy: Champika

The Maithripala Administration will carry out an investigation into the failure by the present regime to collect a sum of US$7 billion which was owed to Sri Lanka by Cairn Energy which breached the contract to extract oil from the Mannar Basin, JHU General Secretary Patali Champika Ranawaka said today.

Pope, Vatican finalize trip arrangements

The Vatican on Friday said it was finalizing details for a trip mid-month by Pope Francis to Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

Police probe quadruple killing at Wennappuwa

Police said they were investigating yesterday’s quadruple homicide at Nainamadama in Wennappuwa where the bodies of two children and their parents were recovered from a pit behind a coir factory.

Fuel bowser catches fire at Nelumdeniya

A fuel bowser caught on fire while it was filling fuel at a cooperative filling station at Dedigama in Nelumdeniya, a short while ago.

Notice-of-vacation issued to ex-Wanduramba OIC

The vacation-of-service notice which was issued by the Police Superintendent’s office in Galle to former Wanduramba Police OIC Inspector P.L. Keerthisinghe has been delivered to his house in Dadella, Police said.

Achala joins Maithri

Artistes on Kurunegala attack

School closures for election

The Education Ministry said today all the schools except those being used as counting centres and for GCE O/L paper marking would be reopened on Monday (5).

EU calls for peaceful, transparent presidential poll

European Union Heads of Mission in Colombo expressed the importance of Sri Lanka’s Presidential election process being peaceful, credible and transparent.

Yal Devi to KKS from today

The Yal Devi express train travelled from Jaffna to Kankesanthurai (KKS) today after a lapse of 25 years, the Railway Department said.

Achala Jagoda joins Maithri

Former Tourism Minister and UPFA National List MP Achala Suranga Jagoda today pledged his support to Common Opposition Candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the presidential Election.

I will visit Sri Lanka again-Salman

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who visited Sri Lanka few days ago, said he expects to visit Sri Lanka again.

Refrain from campaigning through telephones: EC

Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya requested all the contesting candidates to refrain from campaigning through telephone networks without the consent of the subscribers.

Hakeem rejects govt. charges

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem said today his party neither demanded a separate administrative district nor had any secret agreement with the TNA to amalgamate North and East as alleged by the government.

Nandamitra’s son still supports MR

Deputy Minister Nandimithra Ekanayake’s son Chinthana Ekanayake, who is a Central Provincial Councillor, said he would remain with the SLFP and support President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Video: Gunaratnam says change won’t help

Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) politburo member Kumar Gunaratnam today vowed to continue politics in Sri Lanka and said replacing the Mahinda Rakapaksa Government with a Maithripala Sirisena Government would only provide temporary relief to the burning issues in this country.

F.R. Senanayake commemorated

Family of four killed in Lunuwila

A lady doctor of the Lunuwila Divisional Hospital, her husband and two children aged 15 and 13 had been found killed and their bodies dumped in a pit in an abandoned land behind a coir mill owned by the lady doctor’s husband, the Police said.

Video: Nandimithra Ekanayake for Maitri

Deputy Minister of Higher Education and UPFA Matale district MP Nandimithra Ekanayake has pledged support to Opposition Common Candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the forthcoming presidential election.

I will be more of a statesman than a politician-MR

President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an email interview with Daily Mirror spelt confidence of a victory at the January 8 polls while admitting that there still seems to be some areas such as foreign service and governance that needs improvement.

Blessings for the New Year