The government was contemplating to hold Presidential poll or General election and the elections to all nine provincial councils in one day within this year, senior cabinet Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said yesterday.

The United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) will raise the question of the government delaying the conducting of provincial council (PC) elections in Parliament this week, a party official said yesterday.

A former LTTE member was arrested with four firearms and a stock of ammunition by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in Palei, Kilinochchi yesterday, Police said.

The Philippines to send a specialist team to Sri Lanka to inquire on the technical expertise that can be provided to eradicate drug smuggling.

Leave off all agriculture officers and employees engaged in the Agrarian Services had been cancelled with effect from January 21 until further notice in order to control the Sena caterpillar (Army Worm) which had spread to all parts of the country, Director General of Agriculture Dr W.M.W. Weerakoon said.

Six people were killed and three others were injured when a car they were travelling in collided with a lorry near the Nainamadama Bridge in Wennappuwa on the Colombo- Chilaw Main Road early this morning, Police said.

President Maithripala Sirisena arrived in the country last night after concluding his visit to the Philippines.

One suspect has been arrested along with a pistol in connection with the shooting incident at the Kudawella Fisheries Harbour, where four people were killed and eight injured.

Veteran film actor Mark Samson passed away yesterday at the age of 63. Thelge Samson Marcus Peiris who was born on February 29, 1956 had acted in a large number of films.

Gold jewellery and cash worth nearly Rs. 189,000 had been stolen from the family of veteran actor Satischandra Edirisinghe at a hotel in Ella, Badulla during the weekend, while the family was engaging a trip.

The SriLankan Airlines audit division had not looked into the loss of USD 12.5 million or Rs.1.72 billion incurred when re-delivering the 14 leased aircraft; it was revealed at the PCol on irregularities at SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka yesterday.

The Foreign Employment Bureau (FEB) yesterday said that most of the Sri Lankan expatriate workers who were being held in jail in the Middle East had committed drug related offences.

Six China-led companies have qualified for the execution of three light rail projects in Colombo, it is learnt.

UPFA MP Duminda Dissanayake said yesterday he was confident that the President would release Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) general secretary the Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera on February 4 .

Six Bangladeshi Drug Regulatory Authority officers including two policemen arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday to investigate the arrest of three Bangladeshi suspects in possession of Rs.4,500 million worth of heroin and cocaine, Police Headquarters said yesterday.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa said yesterday a acceptable decision would be taken about the symbol of the future political coalition led by the SLPP, which would contest upcoming elections.

The CID yesterday obtained a three-month detention order from the defence secretary to interrogate the four suspects who were found in possession of some 100 kilos of explosives and 100 detonators at Lacktowatta in Wanathawilluwa, Puttalam.

A defense-related pact to be signed shortly between Sri Lanka and the United States will seriously impact on the national security, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka, SLFP general secretary and MP, Dayasiri Jayasekera said yesterday.

Fairly cold nights and mornings are expected over most parts of the island during next few days and there is a possibility for ground frost at some places in the Nuwara-Eliya district during early hours of the morning, the Department of Meteorology said yesterday.

Twenty-six Chief Inspectors were today promoted to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) by IGP Pujith Jayasundara with the approval of the National Police Commission (NPC).

President Maithripala Sirisena said he would take steps to increase the welfare of Sri Lankans living in the Philippines while resolving their concerns with the assistance of improved Sri Lanka-Philippines relations following his state visit to the Philippines.

The Minister of Agriculture should resign as he and his government had failed to control the ‘Sena’ caterpillar which has spread to all parts of the country, MP Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said today.

The Sri Lanka Police Department will award cash prizes to police officers who successfully carry out operations and to people who provide information about illegal firearms during the three-month-long special operation, Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said.

The Opposition Leader’s office was previously used to represent a particular group of people and a region, Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa said today.

Human rights groups have expressed alarm at President Maithripala Sirisena for praising Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his ‘bloody war’ on drugs as an “example to the whole world”, Reuters said today.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe acceded to a request made by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to change the name of the Northern Province Development Ministry (NPDM) to reflect the Eastern Province as well, Jaffna District TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran said yesterday.

A 67-year-old Italian man died after being hit by a Railroad inspection train near a hotel in De Seram Road, Mount Lavinia last evening, Police said.

The first women from Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka Air Force) will graduate from the Army School of Ceremonial in Catterick, in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom, this week.

Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed duties at the Opposition Leader’s office at No 30, Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Colombo 07, after a religious ceremony, this morning.

Former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the matter of dual-citizenship was something personal to him and he did not think the US could block individual rights. He said this in response to journalists at the Special High Court premises when they asked him about renouncing his dual citizenship and reports that he may not be allowed to do so.

SriLankan airlines has incurred a loss of US$12.5 million or Rs.1.72 billion between 2006 and 2018 because of its failure to re-deliver 14 leased aircraft to the lessor before the deadline, the PCoI on irregularities at SriLankan, SriLankan catering and Mihin Lanka was told yesterday.

Acceding to a prosecution request in the case filed against former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Special High Court today directed the Court Registrar to notify the 18 prosecution witnesses attached to the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (LRDC) not to leave the country without prior permission from the Court.  

A future UPFA government would amend the recently introduced carbon tax and implement a single tax for all motor cars, buses, vans, motor cycles and trishaws in a manner that will not be a burden to the tax payers, UPFA MP Bandula Gunawardana said today.

German authorities have arrested an LTTE suspect alleged to have been involved in the 2005 assassination of foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, foreign media reports said.

The Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) today requested Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to recognize the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs as government MPs and to allocate seats in parliament accordingly.