Democratic Party Leader Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka is expected to join the United National Front (UNF) tomorrow. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Harsha De Silva said today that the details were being finalized at discussions between the Field Marshal and the party general secretary.

Transport Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva today called government to disban Finanacial the Crime Investigations Divission(FCID) saying that it has not been set up legaly, Mr de Silva adressing a news Conference at the Information Departmeent said that it was similar to bringing judges from over seas to hear our cases.

The Tamil People

Home Affairs Minister Vajira Abeywardana today said singing the National Anthem at the 68th Independence Day celebrations at Galle Face in Sinhala and Tamil was not an issue because the Constitution clearly states that Sinhala and Tamil are national languages and as such it could be sung in both languages at any State function. He told the media at the Prime Minister

The Colombo Special High Court today removed the arrest warrant and 'Red Notice' issued on former LTTE top ranked leader Emil Kanthan after he assured to surrender to the Court within two weeks.

A group of activists affiliated with the Rajapaksa group have planned to stage a protest in Colombo on February 3, a day before the Independence Day ceremony. The protest is expected to be staged near the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo 1 against the arrest of BBS General Secretary Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera and action taken by law enforcement authorities against some top - notch members of the previous regime.Initial discussions in this regard had taken place last week at the Abayaramaya in Colombo with the participation of some Buddhist monks supporting the former President. Abhayaramaya Temple Head Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thera was also seen at the discussion, political sources said.

A Sergeant Major and a Corporal arrested in connection with journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda

Yoshitha Rajapakse and five others who were arrested on Saturday have been given additional security but no additional privileges, Prisons Spokesman Thushara Upuldeniya said. Making a statement to the media, Prison Commissioner Upuldeniya said the suspects were in normal prison cells, except for Kavishan Dissanayake who was admitted to the Prisons Hospital for treatment.The Department has however taken measures to reduce unnecessary visitors to the premises.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the remand prison at Welikada to see his son Yoshitha Rajapaksa.Yoshitha Rajapaksa and four others were remanded yesterday over allegations of fraud at Carlton Sports Network. Rajapaksa is being kept in Ward J of the remand prison.Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the prison with MPs Namal Rajapaksa, Lohan Ratwatte and Johnston Fernando.Visitors are not allowed in the remand prison on Sundays. However, Members of Parliament have the right to visit the prison at any time of the day without prior approval.

Following the arrest of his brother Yoshith Rajapaksa, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's third son Rohitha Rajapaksa warned the 'Yahapalana' government with a Facebook post."Dear Yahapalanaya..... You just stood on the tail of THE lion, now don't expect the lion, not to rip u in to parts" he said on Facebook, sharing a picture of Yoshitha Rajapaksa in handcuffs. Meanwhile, he updated a profile picture which shows him with his two brothers, Namal and Yoshitha. Yoshitha Rajapaksa was remanded yesterday over alleged fraud at Carlton Sports Network. He was charged under the Money Laundering Act.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith

President Maithripala Sirisena is due to visit Berlin and Vienna on a tour that will begin on February 23. An advance security team of seven members, including Protocol Chief Rizvi Hassen, is in Berlin. They have become guests at the residence of Sri Lanka Ambassador Karunatilleke Amunugama. Probably they want to save the Sri Lankan tax payers

The Attorney General

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra

Yoshitha Rajapaksa, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa

UN Chief Ban Ki-moon recalled that the Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka, co-sponsored by the current Government, affirms the importance of a credible justice process and international participation in the judicial mechanism. His spokesman St

In a Talk to Al Jazeera interview, the Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena appears to contradict key findings from a UN investigation into the country's civil war, released in September last year. The report from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) investigated atrocities committed by both the Tamil separatists and the Sri Lankan Army during the 26-year-long conflict. In the final stages of the war, attacks carried out by the Sri Lankan Army were so bloody and aggressive that as many as 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed.

While cross examining the crown witness in the non-summary inquiry into the killing of former TNA Jaffna District MP Nadaraja Raviraj, Defense Counsel who appeared for the second suspect, alleged that the crown witness, Sampath Prithiviraj, and his accomplices from Karuna

Former Army Chief, Field Marshall Sarath Fonseka will be sworn in as a Member of Parliament on 9 February, on the United National Party list, Daily FT learns from authoritative Government sources. Fonseka will take the UNP

Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's Spokesman and CSN Chairman Rohan Weliwita was arrested by the FCID this morning in connection with alleged financial irregularities taken place at the CSN

Opposing the release of a Tamil film based on the life of slain former LTTE television broadcaster Isaipriya, titled

The British war ship HMS Defender is paying a routine visit to Colombo to take on stores and fuel before continuing with her duties in the Indian Ocean. This is the first time in four years that a RN warship has visited Sri Lanka, a country with which the United Kingdom shares a long military history, the British High Commission in Colombo said. The British High Commission said the Ship

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today denied reports that -- at an interview with Channel Four -- he had said the Sri Lankan Government had not ruled out a foreign judicial inquiry on alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka. Mr. Wickremesinghe said in Parliament he had never told such a thing during the interview he gave to Channel Four. Mr. Wickremesinghe said some media including Daily Mirror and Island are unnecessarily concerned about the probe on alleged human rights."What is the pain Daily Mirror and Island have on an international probe," he asked.

State intelligence services have uncovered information to the effect that money has been deposited in special accounts in the names of government's defence services during the tenure of the previous regime, to finance several extremist organizations to carry out plans to create socio-political destabilization in the country. A senior security services officer told this newspaper that this information had come to light following a discussion between top level State intelligence agencies concerning the current emergence of certain extremist groups in society and their ability to provoke public unrest and violence.

Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya yesterday ordered the CID to launch a probe into the discovery of skeletal remains in the underground prison named 'Gunside' located within the Ocean Science Faculty premises of the Naval Command in Trincomalee, during the visit there of an overseas monitoring group that was probing disappearances in the East. The CID also told Court that a Dolphin Mitsubishi vehicle bearing number 6021 had also been discovered in the underground prison. Inquiries carried out on the chassis number had revealed that the vehicle had belonged to John Reed of Kotahena from whom it had been stolen.

Senior Superintendent of Prisons Anura Ekanayake, who was in charge of the Welikada Prison, had been transferred to the Prisons Headquarters with immediate effect, Prison officials said today. Sources said Mr. Ekanayake was transferred due to allegation of providing special treatment to the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena Ven. Galagoda Atthe Gnanasara Thera, who is in remand custody at the Welikada Prison Hospital on charge of contempt of court. The Thera was transferred to the Welikada Prison Hospital from Colombo Remand Prison due to a sudden illness on Wednesday (27) evening.

The United States discussed the issue of missing persons in Sri Lanka during an informal meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC). During a UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting on the Global Challenge of Accounting for Missing Persons, the Permanent Representative of the US to the UN, Samantha Power spoke about her visit to Sri Lanka and the missing persons issue.She said that in recent months, she had the opportunity to visit two countries afflicted by huge numbers of missing and disappeared: Sri Lanka and Mexico.

'Speculation' is rife that Lieutenant Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa would be summoned before a military court in connection with the abuse of his position in violation of the Navy Act, authoritative defence sources said. The Navy conducted a full scale investigation into the charges leveled against Rajapaksa and the investigation report has already been referred to the President. Navy sources added that further action would be taken against Rajapaksa based on the President's decision.