Luxury bus on fire

A luxury bus plying between Colombo and Jaffna was destroyed by a fire in the Madampe area last night due to a mechanical failure. 27 passengers who were onboard when the fire broke out had however managed to escape unhurt.??? Pix by Jude Samantha

MR declares open Colombo- Katunayake expressway

The Colombo- Katunayake expressway was declared open by President Mahinda Rajapaksa a short while ago

Pakistan to sell JF-17 fighter jets to SL-report

Pakistan has decided to start sale of state of the art JF-17, Thunder combat planes developed by the collaboration of China to several other countries including to Sri Lanka from next year, Pakistan’s The Nations news agency reported.

Khurshid will attend CHOGM

India's External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will represent India at the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) summit, though the Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging boycott of the meeting because of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.

SriLankan Golf Classic 2013

The 14th Annual SriLankan Golf Classic is currently underway at the Victoria Golf and Country Resort course in Digana, Kandy. Over 170 amateur golfers from 15 nations across the globe have flown into Sri Lanka to participate in the event. Pictures by Pradeep K Pathirana

HR violation takes place in every country-Envoy

“Human rights violation takes place in every country in the world. We have our share of it and we are making effort to correct them,” Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Prasad Kariyawasam said in New Delhi said.

BCCI terminates 'Pune Warriors'

The Indian Premier League's 2014 season will see eight instead of nine teams competing after the BCCI on Saturday terminated the Sahara Group-owned Pune Warriors India (PWI), sources told CNN-IBN.

Fatal accident

Three persons including an infant were killed and five others injured in a lorry- van collision at Karuwalagaswewa on the Puttalam-Anuradhapura main road early this morning. Pictured here the wreckage of the van. Pix by Jude Samantha

SL ranked 55th in Global Gender Gap report

Sri Lanka is ranked 55th among 136 countries across the world in terms of gender gap, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2013 released by the World Economic Forum on Friday

Accident kills three in Puttalam

At least three persons including an infant were killed and five others injured when a van carrying the victims had collided with a parked lorry at Karuwalagaswewa on the Puttalam-Anuradhapura main road in the early hours today, police said.

Perseverance

A grade-5 student of Namalanga Maha Vidyalaya at Gokarella in Ibbagamuwa, she lives in this wattle and daub house and with a score of 171 marks at the scholarship examination. she has in her own little way proved that poverty is no barrier to reach greater heights. Pix by Pushpa Weerasekara

CHOGM: No comments by SL on TN resolution

While stating that Sri Lanka is looking forward to hosting the Indian Prime Minister at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November, the External Affairs Ministry yesterday declined to comment on the resolution passed by Tamil Nadu urging him to cancel his visit.

Sri Lanka’s first public Wi-Fi zone opened

Western Province Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, MP Duminda Silva and SLFP Kotte Organizer and former Minister Rohitha Bogollagama in conversation with Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Mayor Janak Ranawaka at the opening of the public Wi-Fi zone at ‘ Siri Parakumba Sama Udyanaya  in Rajagiriya this evening. Pic by Kushan Pathiraja

Video: Govt. not disclosing CHOGM expenditure: UNP

United National Party (UNP) Badulla district parliamentarian Harin Fernando today accused the Government of not revealing the funds allocated for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and urged the government to reveal this to the people.

Seminar on Post-conflict reconciliation

A joint seminar on ‘South Africa - Sri Lanka joint dialogue non post-conflict reconciliation’, held today at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies. Pix by Nisal Baduge

Video: Lessons to be learnt from SA on reconciliation: GL

At the South Africa-Sri Lanka joint dialogue on reconciliation, External Affairs Minister G.L Peiris said lessons on reconciliation could be learnt from South Africa because the country successfully went through a transition beyond apartheid

Lieutenant injured in freak accident

A lieutenant was hospitalised when he was injured after a mortar struck his spine at the Special Forces (SF) training school in Maduru Oya. Pictures

Inaugural gathering of NPC

The first gathering of the Northern Provincial Council and the opening of the new building for the Provincial Council held today with the participation of Northern Province Governor G.A. Chandrasiri and Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran. Pix by Romesh Madushanka and Prasanna Pradeep

Opposition backs Jayalalithaa's resolution

In a show of solidarity, political parties in Tamil Nadu Assembly and outside supported Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s resolution against India’s participation in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka, The Hindu reported

Tamil people have rejected separatism- Wigneswaran

Northern Provincial Council (NPC) Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, in his inaugural address today said the Tamil people had rejected separatism and violence in any form and this should be clearly understood by people in the South.

Polish national arrested with 200,000 Saudi Riyal

Customs officers arrested a polish national at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this morning allegedly having in his possession Saudi Riyals 200,000 worth Rs.7 Million

3 arrested for running brothel

Three suspects were arrested on charges of operating a brothel under the pretext of it being Ayurvedic Massage Clinic at Udahamulla area in Mirihana, police said

Water-cut in parts of Colombo and Rajagiriya

Due to maintenance work, a 12-hour water-cut in some parts of Colombo and Rajagiriya will come into effect from Friday 8 pm to Saturday 8 am, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) said

Elections Commissioner’s dead letter

A mason’s assistant received a disturbing warning letter from the Commissioner of Elections instructing him to furnish a declaration of assets before October 31, 2013 for having contested the recent central provincial council elections as a candidate of the New Democratic  Party.

BMICH reopened after renovation

President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared open the renovated Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) this evening. The BMICH was closed for more than a year for renovation, sponsored by the government of China. It was built in the mid 1970s as a gift of the government of China in memory of late Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike. Pix by Gayan Amarasekera

Free-walk on Expressway

People are seen walking freely on the newly constructed Katunayake-Colombo expressway as it was opened for public viewing last Tuesday.  The expressway is scheduled to be declared open on October 27 for public transportation. Pix by Pradeep Pathirana

Inquiry on alleged sexual misconduct in Haiti begins

The five-member Court of Inquiry (CoI), convened by the Commander of the Army to investigate into a recent alleged sexual misconduct by a member of the Sri Lankan UN Peace Keeping Mission contingent  in Haiti (MINUSTAH), has begun in close co-operation with UN Military Police in Leogane, Haiti

Video: Elephant parade on Expressway

An Elephant parade was held today on the newly constructed Katunayake-Colombo expressway as it was opened for the public viewing on last Tuesday.  The expressway is scheduled to declare open on October 27 for the public transportation. Pix by Pradeep Pathirana ???

Video: India will be isolated if PM skips CHOGM-SL

Sri Lankan High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam has said that India will be isolated if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh doesn't attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting ???

Conspiracy to kill me- Mangala

Following a complaint by UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera about a plot to assassinate him, Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa ordered the IGP to provide security to all MPs in an impartial manner