Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has described the visit of a parliamentary delegation to Sri Lanka as a public relations (PR) stunt aimed at creating an opinion in favour of the Island nation.

Shoppers are seen here in Vavuniya town, doing their last minute shopping before the dawn of the New Year. Pix by Romesh Madusanka

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was allegedly detained by US authorities for 90 minutes at White Plains airport, which serves New York.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a message greeting all SriLankans around the world for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year said thatit gives an opportunity to help build a democratic nation defined bytolerance and respect for human rights.

Former foreign minister and the Spokesman for the UNP Mangala Samaraweera said he believed the government was behind the spate of kidnappings, which he said were now being used to suppress any opposition or dissent, the Telegraph news agency reporte

A Sri Lankan MP has demanded that an Indian MPs' delegation, scheduled to visit the island nation for a week from April 16 to assess the resettlement and political process in war-torn areas, meet and talk to Tamils without any mediators.

Sri Lanka has denied that it brought up the issue of safety of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu because it is angry with India for voting against it at the 19th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in March.

The government said that there is no secret police operating in Sri Lanka as claimed by some sections. In an interview with an Australian newsagency Sri Lankan High Commission in Australia, Thisara Samarasinghe said "there's a police force a

Two Thai women travelling on a flight to Colombo from Doha were taken into police custody for the possession of 17 bags of cocaine which were found inside the iron bars of their baggage, Police Spokesman SP Ajith Rohana said

Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara has been chosen as both one of the Five Cricketers of the Year and the Leading Cricketer in the World for 2011 in the 2012 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, it was announced Wednesday

Pictures show the tremors felt in different parts of the country, as a result of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Sumatra Indonesia. The Metrology Department said evacuation warnings would be issued to coastal areas.

Sri Lanka lifted the tsunami alert and people could now return to their homes but are advised to not go to sea, the Met Department said

The Disaster Management Centre said that a 6.0 magnitude after-shock was recorded at Sumatra, Indonesia a short while ago. The DMC said that several aftershocks are usually felt for 30 minutes in the aftermath of a major quake

Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) says it has disconnected power supply to coastal areas and Railway control room says all train services in coastal lines stopped due to the current situation

Private buses in coastal areas stopped for three hours as a precautionary measure, Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA) President Gemunu Wijeratne said

Vehicles are allowed to use the Southern Highway free of charge today due to the current situation after the earthquake in Indonesia, Deputy Minister Nirmala Kothalawala said

Certain parts of Colombo felt slight tremors a short while ago as a result of  8.9 magnitude earthquake in Sumathra Indonesia. The department of metrology said that evacuation warnings would be issued to all coastal areas.

Tsunami warning issued for Sri Lanka’s coastal areas and the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) advices people in coastal areas to evacuate to safe areas, the Government Information Department said. UPDATED

Certain parts of Colombo felt slight tremors a short while ago as a result of  8.9 magnitude earthquake in Sumathra, Indonesia. The department of metrology said that evacuation warnings would be issued to all coastal areas

Propaganda secretary of the JVP Vijitha Herath commenting on the recent abduction of two Frontline Socialist Party activists, said that there are contradicting stories regarding the issue. “There are contradicting views given by all relevant pa

Cabinet spokesman Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena elaborately explained the factionalism of the JVP and insinuated that the factionalism might be a cause for the abduction. “ I don’t know who did it, but I can tell you for sure that it

People are pictured here rushing home in time to celebrate the new year. People from all parts of Colombo are seen gathered at the Pettah bus stand, leaving Colombo almost deserted. Pix by Kushan Pathiraja

The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) strongman Premkumar Gunaratnam who was abducted and released on Tuesday charged that a group connected to the defence sector seemingly well experienced in abductions took him away from his residence at Kiribathgoa

India and Sri Lanka were engaged bilaterally in nuclear technology-related issues High Commissioners of both countries stationed in New Delhi and Colombo have confirmed. There was no move to take nuclear safety of any other issue to any international

Former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga on Tuesday said that she was rather bewildered by India’s decision to vote against the country at a US-sponsored UN resolution seeking action against Lanka on the purported war crimes committed

An unidentified body was found this morning in a canal in Kirulapone, the Police said. The Police are currently investigating the incident and are looking to ascertain the identity of the body

The External Affairs Ministry informed all the diplomatic missions based in Colombo today that Kumar Gunaratnam was deported from Sri Lanka because his stay in the country was in breach of immigration laws.

Defense secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa speaking on the alleged abduction of Kumar Gunarathnam said that the Australian High Commission did not furnish him with any information regarding Gunarathnam when he requested for them a few months ago.

While confirming the departure of Frontline Socialist Party’s leader Kumar Gunaratnam’s from Sri Lanka, the Australian authorities today thanked the police and other agencies in Sri Lanka for facilitating his departure.

Dimuthu Artigala the member of the Frontline Socialist Party is pictured here hours after she was released by her captors. Artigala spoke at a press conference where she detailed her ordeal. Pix by Kithsiri de Mel