Galle Election Dispute Centre suspends former Minister’s dinner party

Over 500 attendees had arrived from various parts of the district

Female principal arrested over bribery in Ragama

Allegedly demanded bribe to admit student to Grade 1

Schools close for elections from Nov 13, reopen on Nov 18

Schools used as counting centres be closed only for the specific periods necessary

Complaints on election law violations surpass 2,000

A total of 149 fresh complaints related to the upcoming General Election were received, pushing the total number of complaints to over 2,000. The Election Commission said the complaints were received during the period from September 26 to November 07.

NMRA clarifies misinformation on pharmacy licence rejections

In response to recent reports suggesting a potential wave of pharmacy closures across Sri Lanka due to alleged rejections of licence renewal applications, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) clarified that these reports are inaccurate.

Investigations reveal defective brakes caused fatal bus crash in Badulla

Witnesses report the driver warned of brake failure moments before the crash

Indian High Commissioner distributes aid, reviews Housing Project in Uva Province

High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha recently visited one of the sites of the Indian Housing Project (IHP) Phase - III at Narangala Division in Uva Province in a bid to extend multi-sectorial assistance.

Rotary Pink Pledge Affair Month-long Breast Cancer awareness campaign launched

Hilton Colombo hosted Rotary Pink Pledge Affair on October 29 —the culminating event of Rotary District 3220’s month-long Rotary Pink Pledge campaign – Rotary’s fight against breast cancer, led by the Women in Rotary initiative. This evening brought together over 150 participants, including Rotary members and supporters, all united in a shared mission to champion breast cancer awareness, resilience, and empowerment.

Supreme Court halts attempt to release illegally held elephants to suspects

The Supreme Court yesterday issued several interim orders, including staying and suspending all proceedings in the impugned Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court case, where an order to release elephants to suspects in those proceedings, had been made by the Magistrate.

Ask Grandfather if you don’t know how to manage finances: RW

Taking a swipe at the name he is often referred to by some of his opponents, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said the government hierarchy should seek advice from the ‘grandfather’ if they do not know how to handle government finances.

Dr. Shafi lodges complaint over his arrest

Dr. Shafi Sihabdeen, who was recently acquitted of all charges related to illegal sterilisation surgeries, lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Public Security yesterday.

Cannot fulfil promises in five weeks; manifesto meant for five years: Vijitha

Claiming that some opposition politicians are alleging that the government has failed to fulfil its promises, Minister Vijitha Herath said the manifesto of the National People’s Power (NPP) was presented to be completed within five years and not within five weeks.

Rice shortage caused due to increased use in beer production: Mill Owners

The Small and Medium Scale Rice Mill Owners’ Association claimed today that the growing rice shortage in the market is due to increased use of raw rice for beer production.

Accurate weather forecasting soon: Meteorology Department

The Meteorology Department will be able to provide more accurate weather forecasts from 2026, following the installation of two Doppler radar systems by the end of this year.

Govt. responds to Daily Mirror report

In response to Daily Mirror lead story headlined ‘Govt. goes strict on Galle Face, the government’s information department referred to the Cabinet decision.

In a classic case of human smuggling Man arrested for attempting to transport woman to Italy with wife’s passport

In a classic case of human smuggling, a man attempting to transport an unknown woman to Italy with his wife’s travel documents was stopped by the Immigration and Emigration Department officials at the airport.

trump wins

Donald Trump has been elected to return to the White House as the 47th United States President, foreign news agencies reported. Results showed Trump beating Vice President Kamala Harris in a race far less tight than expected as he triumphed in key battleground states.

CID launches probe into false health rumour targeting President

The Chief Colombo Magistrate’s Court ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) yesterday to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident of publishing false information about President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s health condition during the last Presidential election.

Govt. refutes curtailing CBK’s security; says 57 officers assigned

The government yesterday refuted claims of curtailing the security detail of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga while stating that she had been provided with a security detail of 57 officials.

President should make a public statement on his Financial policy : RW

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake should make a public statement and inform the nation whether his government is following “A rich country and a bright future” which is his party’s policy or “Sri Lanka can” policy which is ours, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday.

Ill-fated KDU bus driven by driver with suspended license

The driver of the bus which was involved in the fatal accident in Badulla had driven the bus with a fake license after his license was suspended by the Galle Magistrate over an accident. It was revealed that the license had been suspended three months ago and the suspect driver had obtained a temporary license after producing fake documents.

Acquittal of Hemasiri and Pujith- from Easter Sunday attack case Supreme Court orders resumption of trial

While setting aside the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar judgment which acquitted former IGP Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando of charges related to the Easter Sunday attack case, the Supreme Court yesterday ordered the Trial-at-Bar to proceed with the trial and to call upon the accused to present their defence.

Debt restructuring could collapse amid court case: RW

Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring process could be in tatters if it loses the court case which has been filed by Hamilton Reserve Bank, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday.

Nawalapitiya villagers confront Pastor Jerome

A tense situation arose between security officers of Jerome Fernando and villagers of Nawalapitiya yesterday (05) when Jerome arrived in the area to oversee the construction of a rehabilitation centre for children.

Sri Lanka welcomes tourists from Iceland

A group of tourists from Iceland arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) last morning. The group includes 24 tourists who plan to stay in the country for 14 days. After a 24-hour journey, the group arrived at the Katunayake Airport at 8:33 am on November 5 via Emirates Airlines flight EK-650. They plan to visit Colombo,

Controversy over security detail CBK fears of assassination like her husband Vijaya

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga raised alarm over a significant reduction in her security detail to 30 personnel, warning of the potential for a targeted assassination, similar to the politically motivated killing of her husband, Vijaya Kumaratunga.

Customs launch online tracking system for CusDec and containers

Sri Lanka Customs announced the launch of its new tracking system for Customs Declarations (CusDec) and containers, which is available for the public online from November 6th. Customs Spokesperson Additional Director General Seevali Arukgoda said the initiative is part of Sri Lanka Customs’ ongoing commitment to streamline services and support the efficiency of the nation’s trading ecosystem.

Appeal Court upholds Four-Year Jail Term for Ex-Deputy Minister

The Court of Appeal yesterday upheld the four-year rigorous imprisonment sentence imposed by the Colombo High Court on former Deputy Minister Shantha Premaratne for soliciting and accepting a bribe in 2007.

Lighting of crackers at election meetings a disturbance?

A recent incident which took place during an election meeting suggested that lighting crackers has become a disturbance. This incident seemed to have made the candidates contesting this year’s General Election to think that it is a disturbance.

Confusion reigns over potential attack in Arugam Bay: Ruwan

There is confusion regarding the situation in Arugam Bay as there seemed to be two schools of thought as to who was planning to stage an attack, UNP Deputy Leader and National Democratic Front (NDF) Ruwan Wijewardene said yesterday.