Some 100 rehabilitated former LTTE combatants saw a different battle in parliament today with government and opposition parliamentarians trying to outsmart each other with their oratory skills during the committee stage of the budget debate.

Justice Minister Rauff Hakeem said today he would consider appealing to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to pardon former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka if such a request was made by Mr. Fonseka’s family members.

A separate court will be established to hear the legal cases of Bhikkhus very soon, Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne said in Parliament today. The Prime Minister said that the bill drafted in this regard had been referred to the Cabinet at the moment.

The National Anthem is continually sung in Sinhala in the north and the east, and it should be allowed to be sung in Tamil in those areas, TNA MP for the Batticaloa District S. Selvarajah said today.

The police said today that they have detected a tendency in killings of isolated elderly women in the country. Similar incidents have taken place in the recent past in Wellampitiya and Medawachchiya, the police said

A group of thieves took away cash worth Rs.6.6 million by breaking the ATM machine belonging to a state bank branch in the Kantale town

The government has completed the ground work for the introduction of a new electoral system to elect members to local government bodies, Deputy Minister Indika Bandaranayake said in Parliament today

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne said today that some economically backward persons had chosen themselves to be prisoners because of good meals served to them inside prisons

The death toll at the Amri (Dhakuria) Hospital has risen to 73. The multi-storeyed private hospital, turned into a towering inferno in the wee hours of the morning. VIDEO

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa today advised UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake to admit his mistakes and correct himself accordingly

The Anti Narcotics Force Punjab claimed to have seized 10.5 tonnes of narcotics worth Rs.500 million during one week. “Narcotics cannot be controlled by only the law enforcement agencies,” ANF Commander Brig Shaid Afzal said

Qatar investors have shown keen interest in participating in Sri Lanka's on going development activities, Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani said

Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa yesterday asked Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage to be more sensitive to the needs of farmers who would be affected by a government plan to set up a 1,435-acre sports village with the filling up of six tanks in Suriya

 UNP Colombo District parliamentarian Sujeewa Senasinghe speaking to Daily Mirror online  stated that the lack of UNP MPs today to speak in parliament was due to a clear lack of organisation and handing of responsibilities within the par

Virender Sehwag broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record (200 n.o.) that of, the highest individual score in a One Day International, in the fourth ODI against the West Indies, a short while ago

A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of murder over the death of a shop assistant on Merseyside

Two persons were killed and 26 passengers were injured when a CTB bus plunged down a 200 metre slope in the Udupussellawa area this morning, the police said

Parliamentary proceedings came to an abrupt end at 2.35pm today because some UNP MPs listed to speak during the committee stage debate on the Petroleum Ministry were absent UPDATE

A traffic jam has been reported in the Town Hall area as a large number of University student are seen marching towards Ward Place on Dharmapala Mawatha VIDEO

The release of the GCE A/L results are expected to be further delayed as the Examinations Department is still to finalise the Z-score formula on the marks obtained by candidates, an examination department spokesman said today.

A man committed suicide after he allegedly shot and killed three persons in Kotawehera Mankada, Udawalawe last night. Another person has been hospitalized, sources say.

Former Member of Parliament and entrepreneur Dr. Tilak Karunaratne has been appointed as the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and he is expected to assume duties today, Daily Mirror online learns

The parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) will summon ministry secretaries including presidential secretary Lalith Weeratunga and treasury secretary P.B. Jayasundara to discuss its recommendations to minimise losses by introducing bett

A Colombo Court yesterday revoked travel restrictions imposed on well-known Sri Lankan racing driver Dilantha Malagamuwa after his counsel’s assurance to court that Mr. Malagamuwa would appear in court on December 14. Mr. Malagamuwa is currentl

The High Court on Tuesday (6) issued a warrant for the arrest of LTTE Leader Kumaran Padmanthan’s (KP) aide Ananda Rajah alias Aiya for allegedly collecting funds and for funding the LTTE movement

Some private companies are known to use stale milk mixed with hydrogen peroxide in their products despite health risks for consumers, Deputy Livestock Development Minister H.R. Mithrapala told parliament today

An army lieutenant attached to the Ratmalana Army Transit Camp was indicted in the Colombo High Court on charges of having provided defence secrets to the LTTE and thus help carry out its attacks

The UNP said today that it would hold a working committee meeting in ten days time to decide on how the new committee members will be appointed and other formalities concerning the posts in the party

The British High Commission (BHC) today launched a new fast track visa pilot scheme for selected Sri Lanka companies doing regular business with the United Kingdom

A wild elephant entered the premises of the Deliwala School in Walapane today which created a tense situation in the area