Seven new code share destinations added to SriLankan network

SriLankan Airlines extends its network in the Austral-Asian Region adding seven new codeshare destinations in Australia, Vietnam and Malaysia, expanding a long-standing partnership with Malaysia Airlines, the airline sai

Lankan Tamils lock Nigerian officials

A group of Sri Lankan Tamils in a special camp within the Central Prison campus in Tamil Nadu locked up the inner gate with three Nigerian officials inside on Tuesday.

Colombo-bound SriLankan flight makes forced landing

A high-octane drama unfolded at the international airport in Thiruvananthapuram  in Kerala on Tuesday when Customs and Central Excise enforcers forced a Sri Lankan Airlines plane, bound for Colombo, to land 20 minutes after it became airborne and arrested three passengers on board on the charge of attempting to smuggle red sanders, a fragrant wood, concealed in their check-in baggage.

Eight injured in bus-truck collision

At least eight people had been injured following a head on collision of a private bus and an navy truck in the Mirisgoniya Junction at Dambulla this morning, the Police said

Sinha vows to end fishermen row in 90 days

Senior BJP leader and former foreign minister Yashwant Sinha on Wednesday said concrete steps would be taken to solve the Tamil Nadu fishermen issue and the Sri Lankan Tamils issue within three months of the NDA forming the government at the Centre

Briton, Indian arrested for illegal overstay

A 73-year-old British national was arrested by the Alawathugoda Police yesterday for overstaying his visa and violating immigration laws, the Police said

Magistrate flags traffic police for not knowing traffic laws

Puttalam Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake reprimanded the police when a suspect who stood charged with a traffic offence successfully cross-examined the police and defended himself

A cache of buried weapons discovered

Five T-56 weapons and several other weapons were recovered by the army at the third mile post in Murugapuri in Trincomalee this evening, Media Spokesman Ruwan Wanigasuriya said

Video: Banning Facebook not practical: MR

Banning of social media network Facebook, is impracticable as modern technology needs to be used, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said at an event held at Keragala Pathmawathie Pirivena on Monday. ???

Ready to go

Final touches being added to the Outer Circular Highway that is to be declared open next month from Kottawa to Kaduwela. The11-kilometre long highway is the first phase of the 29-Km highway which will connect all highways in the country.  Pix by Nisal Baduge

Mannar: Skeletons reach 80

The skeletal remains of 80 bodies had been unearthed from a mass grave at Thiruketheeswaram in Mannar during the excavation work carried out so far, the Police said

Police spokesman playing politics: UNP

United National Party (UNP) in a statement said today that Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana was playing politics by making statements favorable to the ruling UPFA

Court to Skype evidence

The Colombo Fort Magistrate has decided to use Skype technology to record evidence from a witness in Italy regarding a theft of US$700 belonging to an Italian woman while she was staying at a hotel in Colombo.

Jayalalitha’s manifesto calls for Eelam referendum

The AIADMK's poll manifesto released by its general secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in Chennai on Tuesday has proposed to hold ‘a referendum amongst Tamils in Sri Lanka and displaced Sri Lankan Tamils across the world for formation of a separate Eelam,’ the Zee News agency reported.’

SL to open honorary consulate in Kerala

An honorary consulate of Sri Lanka will be opened in the Kerala capital on Wednesday by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Video: Suicides should not be blamed on Facebook: SYU

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) affiliated Socialist Youth Union (SYU) said Facebook should not be banned or restricted as it could not be blamed for the recent suicides.

Int'l community must act on SL-Amnesty

The international community must act on a robust new UN report calling for an international investigation into alleged human rights violations and war crimes in Sri Lanka, Amnesty International said

Sanjeewa quits; alleges SF a 'dangerous man'

Sanjeweewa Samarasinghe, the media coordinator of former Army Commander and the leader of Democratic Party Sarath Fonseka said he had decided to quit his post and party membership because of Democratic Party leader’s plan to withdraw from the Provincial Council elections

SL rejects criticism over ex-military officer at Manus Island

Sri Lanka's top diplomat in Canberra has criticised human rights activists for campaigning for the removal of the former military officer now running the Australian detention centre on Manus Island.

Robots to aid surgeons at National Hospital

Preparations to provide robotic assistance to surgeons, mainly in the area of prostate surgery had begun at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, hospital sources said

SL rejects Pillay's call

The Sri Lankan Government (GOSL) has rejected the call by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navnanethem Pillay's  'to establish an international inquiry mechanism to further investigate the alleged violations of IHRL and IHL and monitor any domestic accountability process in Sri Lanka', saying 'it gives scant or no regard to the domestic processes ongoing in Sri Lanka within the framework of the LLRC NPOA, and is polit

Two-year suspended jail sentence for Roger Seneviratne

The Avissawella Magistrate today sentenced popular film star and UPFA Western Provincial Council candidate Roger Seneviratne to two years rigorous imprisonment suspended for five years after he was found guilty of causing grievous injuries by fracturing the leg of the husband of his paramour by assaulting him with an iron rod in 2002.

Restore the status quo

A group of students who had failed to gain admission to Law College because of the reduction in the annual intake from this year staged a protest outside Sri Lanka Law College in Hulftsdorp today. During the protest one of the students climbed the college roof. Pix by Pradeep Dilrukshana

Now, Damitha demands Rs. 100 mn from Semini

Film and tele drama actress Damitha Abeyratne has demanded Rs. 100 million as damages from popular actress Semini Iddamalgoda for allegedly defaming her.

Reconsider the release of Rajiv assassins- Narayanasamy

Union minister of state for prime minister's office V. Narayanasamy on Sunday asked the Tamil Nadu government to reconsider its decision to release three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case

CTU hands over its findings

The Ceylon Teachers Union (TCU) today handed over its collected information to Bribery Commission against the Interim Board of the Education Cooperative Society (ECS). Pix by Nisal Baduge

Principal arrested over bribe

The Principal of the Matale Wijeya Vidyalaya and a security officer of the Matale main Post Office were arrested this evening for allegedly soliciting a Rs. 150,000 bribe from a woman to have her child admitted to the Grade 2 at the school

Ex-SL military officer in charge of Manus detention centre

Human rights and asylum seeker advocates are condemning a decision to employ a former Sri Lankan military officer as the acting operations manager of the Manus Island detention centre

Video: MR says opposition tarnishing Sri Lanka’s image

President Mahinda Rajapaksa charged that opposition parties were attempting to jeopardize the relationship between Sri Lanka and friendly countries by spreading disinformation about Sri Lanka.

Model School Principal arrested

The Matara Uyanwatta Model School Principal was arrested today on charges of having solicited a Rs.53,250 bribe from a woman to have her child admitted to the school, the Bribery Commission said