Sri Lanka offers $1 mn bonus to win T20

The Sri Lankan team will be handed a million dollar bonus if they can shake off their reputation as chokers in the final of the World Twenty20 this weekend, the country's cricket board announced today.

Lankan indicted in US over Andhra mining scam

A United States Grand Jury this week handed down an indictment to six persons including a Sri Lankan, Periyasamy Sunderalingam, in $18.5-million titanium mining scam

Social Progress Index: SL ranked 85

Sri Lanka is ranked 85th out of 132 countries on the Social Progress Index 2014, a measure of human wellbeing that goes beyond traditional economic measures such as GDP or per capita income, becoming the top performers for the region, a global index released Thursday.

Probe on the entire period will be good for SL: U.S.

The United States on Thursday said that although the recently passed resolution on Sri Lanka at the Geneva session wanted to investigate incidents between 2002 and 2009, ‘an independent and credible investigation into all actions, by all parties, for the entire period of the conflict would be good for Sri Lanka’

Prasanna and Shan take oaths as Chief Ministers

Prasanna Ranatunga was sworn in as the Western Province Chief Minister while Shan Wijeyalal de Silva was sworn in as the Southern Province Chief Minister by President Mahinda Rajapaksa a short while ago, presidential media reported.

WHO commends Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has made remarkable progress in controlling malaria by bringing cases down from 203,000 in 2000 to zero locally acquired cases in November 2012, the World Health Organization said

Sun shines directly above SL

With the temperatures rising significantly, the sun will come directly above Sri Lanka between April 5 and 15 and will be above Colombo and the suburbs on April 7

Sirisena says he comes from a strong UNP family

Health Minister and SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena says that he comes from a staunch UNP family and once almost got hammered by his father for supporting the Communist Party as a student

MSD police inspector interdicted

A Police Inspector attached to the Ministerial Security Division (MSD) of a deputy minister was interdicted following a charge that he had attempted to extort money from a businesswoman by threatening her.

Video: SL beat West Indies, enter T20 final

Sri Lanka defeated the West Indies by 27 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method on Thursday to enter the World Twenty20 final in Dhaka Full Match Highlights

SL set 161 target for West Indies

Sri Lanka scored 160 for six against West Indies in the first semi-final of the ICC World T20 Championships

Arangala and Nilame as Opposition leaders

The United National Party (UNP) working committee which met today decided to appoint Manjusiri Arangala as the Opposition Leader of Western Provincial Council and Thennekoon Nilame as the Opposition Leader of Southern Provincial Council

World T20 1st semi-final: SL elected to bat

Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga won the toss and elected to bat first against defending champions West Indies in the first semi-final of the ICC World T20 Championships at Dhaka

MR meets O/L top rankers

President Mahinda Rajapaksa met the best students who excelled at the GCE O/L examination at Temple Trees a short while ago and shared his happiness by presenting them with gifts, the Government Information Department said.Pictures

Menushika, Thapodha top O/L island rankings

K.A. Menushika Jayani Kariyawasam of Rathnawali Balika Vidyalaya, Gampaha and Thapodha Harindi Gangodawila of Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo topped the island rankings at the GCE O/L examinations held in 2013

Road closure at Dematagoda

Police advised motorists travelling on the Baseline Road to use alternative routes from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. tomorrow because of repairs to the upper section of the railway crossing near the Dematagoda Railway Station

Video: We’ll work with other opposition parties in PCs - UNP

The United National Party (UNP) said today anti- government votes had been recorded as 46% in the Western Province and 41% in the Southern province and said itwould work with other opposition parties in the twoprovincial councils.

Khuram case: Four suspects granted bail

Four suspects, except the former PS Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Sampath Chandrapushpa Vidanapathirana, were released on bail today when the inquiry into the killing of Khuram Shaik was taken up for hearing

Video: Disciplinary action against guilty army instructers

The Army said it had identified the instructors, who areseen in the video footage as punishing several female army soldiers in an unacceptable manner and that disciplinary action would be taken against them.

Malinga to lead SL in semi

Lasith Malinga, who skippered the team in Sri Lanka's last group match against New Zealand, will captain the team at the semi final, media reports said

26 Tamils on illegal ferry journey nabbed

Twenty-six Sri Lankan Tamils were nabbed by Indian Coast Guard while on an illegal voyage to Australia in a ferry off Andaman coast and deported to their country today.

Counterfeit notes: suspect granted bail

The factory Managing Director arrested on charges of having printed counterfeit currency notes equivalent to Rs.2.2 million was today granted bail by Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya

O/L results released

Results of the GCE Ordinary Level examination- 2013 have been released by the examinations department a short while ago. The results could be accessed through www.doenets.lk

Water supply to certain areas to be interrupted

The Water Board announced that the water supply would be interrupted in some areas in Colombo and its suburbs on Friday and Saturday for essential maintenance work to be carried out

Naval exercise off Trinco seas

A Naval exercise is currently underway off the Trincomalee seas to enhance the professionalism of the Sri Lanka Naval fleet units and to provide training exposure to the Officer under Trainees at the Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA)

Schoolboy falls off cliff and dies

A 14 year-old schoolboy from a school in Hungamuwa, Bandaragama died after he fell off a 200-ft cliff in Pahala Kadugannawa during a school trip this evening, police said.

I don’t mind being called a scarecrow: EC

Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said today he did not mind being compared to a scarecrow made of straw by Democratic Party Leader Sarath Fonseka because a scarecrow had the power to at least scare aware birds

Alas! The efforts of vigilant bank staff….

A trio of alleged Iranian nationals has been doing their rounds scheming and scamming bank tellers and cashiers of other establishments in a spate of broad daylight robberies ???

Resort manager feels faint during cross examination

The manager of the Nature Resort at Tangalle today, while being  further cross examined by the Counsel for the first accused in the Khuram Shaikh murder case felt faint and the cross examination was adjourned and postponed for today

Video: De-mining: only 82 sq km remain

While claiming that more than 1 million land mines had been unearthed so far in the de-mining process, the Army said today the lands with landmines in the North had been reduced to 82 square kilometers from 2,064 square kilometers