Heroes of 1818 rebellion to become patriots today

The historic ceremony to declare about 82 heroes of the 1818 Uva-Wellassa Rebellion, who were sentenced to the capital punishment and were expatriated, as patriots will be held today (1st Mar.) in Kandy under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena.



KALUTARA PRISONER KILLINGS

The vehicle believed to have been used by the gunmen in Monday’s shooting in Kalutara was yesterday found abandoned in Moragahahena, Police said.



Draft legislation on Truth Commission to Cabinet within next two months

Draft legislation on the Truth-Seeking Commission is to be presented to Cabinet within the next two months, said Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera at the High-Level Segment of the 34th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva yesterday.



Tamils hold protest in Sri Lanka as UNHRC begins session

Colombo: Hundreds of Tamil people, mostly relatives of those who disappeared during Sri Lanka’s civil war, on Tuesday held protest outside the missions of India



Government takes every action for war heroes’ welfare – President

“After being elected, the current government has taken several steps to provide welfare facilities and grant benefits to the war heroes throughout the last two years. With that the government will not be complacent and will continue to take every possible action for their welfare in the future too”, says President Maithripala Sirisena.



Kepapaulavu and Pudukuduirippu: President assures release of lands within 2 days

President Maithripala Sirisena has assured that the lands in Kepapaulavu and Pudukuduirippu will be handed over to the people in the area within two days, Opposition Leader R Sampanthan said yesterday.



Sri Lanka seeks higher bids for ailing airline

Sri Lanka is seeking higher bids to restructure its state-owned loss-making airline, the finance minister said on Monday, after three short-listed firms failed to give “sizable” bids.



CAA continues raids against rice price violation

Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) according to the complaints received regarding the violation of MRP for rice has carried out 159 raids island-wide during the last 48 hours.



Seven dead after gunmen open fire at prison vehicle

Seven people, including Aruna Udayasahnatha Pathirana alias ”Samayan’, the’ leader of an underworld gang, have been killed in a shooting that occurred in Kalutara.



Rajapaksa vows legal action against those who tried to ‘frame’ him

Ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday condemned what he called a diabolical attempt by the government to frame him for the bond scams, and vowed to take legal action against those responsible for it.



Man shot dead in Mawathagama

A man has been killed after an unidentified gunman had opened fire at him in Mawathagama on Monday morning, police said.



FCID recovers Rs. 1 billion in ill-gotten assets

The Financial Crime Investigation Division (FCID) which completes two years today (February 26) has recovered nearly Rs.1 billion worth of State and unduly earned assets of politicians through its investigations



Namal slaps CBK with defamation

Hambantota District SLFP MP Namal Rajapaksa has sent a letter of demand to former President Chandrika Kumaratunga demanding a sum of Rs 250 million for defamation of character by the latter.



White House blocks news organizations from press briefing

CNN and other news outlets were blocked from attending an off-camera White House press briefing that other reporters were hand-picked to attend, raising alarm among media organizations and First Amendment watchdogs.



New law to standardize degrees from state, non-state unis

Amid the continuing controversy on the quality of higher education offered by private sector educational institutions, the Higher Education Ministry is to introduce legislation in Parliament to standardize the degree courses offered by State and non-State institutions, Minister Lakshman Kiriella said yesterday.



New Zealand-bound boat people arrested in Negombo

Eighteen Sri Lankans who attempted to migrate to New Zealand illegally were arrested in Negombo in a combined operation carried out by the Navy and the police last night.