A karate master from Galewela, Kandy who has been reportedly killed in Syria in an air strike last week is said to be the first Sri Lankan member of the ISIS, international and social media reports said.

Drug dealers, ethanol dealers, bar owners, thugs and various other miscreants involved in anti-social activities have been included in the UPFA nomination list, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

Sri Lankan shares hit a six-week high on Friday, heading for a seventh straight session of gains, on hopes of political stability after the Aug. 17 parliamentary elections.

Former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that India’s National Security Advisor had requested the former Sri Lankan government to stop the Chinese-funded Colombo Port City project as it would pose a threat to that country’s security.

The cabinet approval was granted to the proposal made by President Maithripala Sirisena as the Mahaweli Development and Environment Minister to promote the exportation of Gyrinopswalla (Wallapatta) plant and cultivate the plant based on its commercial value, Cabinet spokesman and Minister Rajitha Senaratne said yesterday

Additional District Judge of Colombo Sumith Perera yesterday issued an enjoining order, restraining the defendants, D. E. W. Gunasekera, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, Rosy Senanayake, Lasantha Alagiyawanne, Arjuna Ranatunga, Susil Premajayantha and a few others, from publicising the report published by the Committee on Public Enterprises on the investigation into the Treasury Bond issue of the Central bank.

Dr Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Lasantha Alagiyawanna and Eric Prasanna Weerawardena of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party have decided to resign from their respective Deputy Ministerial portfolios.

President Maithripala Sirisena’s claim that he was opposed to giving nominations to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest upcoming polls is not acceptable, the JVP says.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, yesterday said his government would establish 45 economic development zones throughout the country and such a zone too would be established in Raigama, covering a part of Homagama, Eheliyagoda, Bandaragama, Horana and Avissawella electorates.

The Colombo District Court today issued an enjoining order preventing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Central Committee from holding meetings without the permission of Party Leader President Maithripala Sirisena.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived at the SLFP Headquarters a short while ago for a special meeting of the UPFA Executive Committee meeting. All leaders of the major constituent parties of the UPFA along with President Maithripala Sirisena is scheduled to be present at the meeting.

Sri Lanka’s former President Mahinda Rajapaksa will stand in parliamentary elections on 17 August as a candidate for the governing coalition, the Election Commission confirmed this week.

Former governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal yesterday told the media in Colombo that CB Governor Arjun Mahendran was only partly responsible for the controversial Bond-Issue scam and that there was a ‘mastermind ‘behind the scenes.

Following an invitation from the Sri Lanka authorities, the European Union has today started the deployment of an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Sri Lanka to observe the Parliamentary Elections scheduled for 17 August 2015.

Senior DIG Gamini Navaratne said Police had discovered plans by several powerful politicians contesting the forthcoming parliamentary elections to deploy underworld gangs to ensure their election victories.