Sri Lanka’s president is facing fresh legal challenges in his attempt to end a 43-year moratorium on capital punishment and start executing drug convicts, officials said Sunday.

The mother who was receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital, Colombo after a family drowned in Yala beach, Kirinda, has passed away, last night (29).

A police constable of the Ministers’ Security Division (MSD) has been injured after being assaulted by a son of a parliamentarian.

President Maithripala Sirisena claims to have been duped into approving the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, but the UNP says that it is the first step towards abolishing the Executive Presidency which Sirisena has failed to take.

A T-56 rifle has been recovered from Dalupotha area in Negombo when the notorious underworld figure and drug kingpin “Makandure Madush” was escorted to find hidden weapons.

Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday he had always been against the implementation of the death penalty and had refused to sign any of the death warrants during his term as President.

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday disclosed that he had spoken with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres over the telephone on Thursday night and explained the reasons for implementing the death sentence in Sri Lanka.

Former Minister of Industry Rishad Bathiudeen told Parliamentary Select Committee probing the Easter Sunday carnage yesterday that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, former Minister of Industry Piyasena Gamage and former Minister Prof GL Peiris had known Yusuf Mohamed Ibrahim, the father of two suicide bombers who carried out attacks.

The Department of Railways has lodged a complaint against the trade unions for resorting to a token strike despite Sri Lanka Railways being declared an Essential Service, says the General Manager of Railways Dilantha Fernando.

UPFA MP Kumara Welgama said that he will not support Gotabhaya Rajapaksa if he contests the next Presidential Election.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) told the Kurunegala Magistrate’s court yesterday that so far no evidence was available to prove that Dr.Mohammed Shafi had performed illegal sterilisation on women who had undergone caesarean child birth or that he had links with any terrorist organisation.

Sri Lankan torture victims have filed 10 new claims for damages in a U.S. court against wartime defense chief Gotabaya Rajapaksa, lawyers for the plaintiffs and a rights group said, possibly jeopardizing his plan to run for president.

Canada, yesterday, condemned President Maithripala Sirisena’s announcement that he would resume judicial executions after a lapse of several decades.