Concerned over reports that the Sri Lankan Government was considering the removal of land and police powers from the provincial councils prior to the elections in the Northern Province, India has asked the Government not to deviate from its own...

In a tragic incident, three young children were killed when their mentally challenged mother jumped into a well with them yesterday morning in the Thandikulam area in Vavuniya. According to the Vavuniya police the residents had heard the noise when...

Impeached Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayke who appeared before the Bribery Commission issued a lengthy statement denying the charges levelled against her. Sources close to Dr. Bandaranayake said she gave a detailed explanation on how she obtained...

Dickwella police said they had taken into custody on suspicion an individual who had sent an SMS under the name of Minister Dullas Alahaperuma, to a PS Council member inviting him for a New Year gettogether.

The People's Movement against Increased Electricity Tariffs yesterday urged the people to wear a black wrist band on May 21 to show their support for the struggle against the increase in electricity tariffs. The movement which comprises a large number...

Five University Colleges will be set up in the country to train the youth in Information Technology and other technology sectors that are not available in the national university system to train the youth for the local and global job markets, Skills...

In a tragic accident yesterday morning two people waiting for a bus at a bus-halt near the Talangama Government Hospital were killed when an oncoming bus crashed into the halt running over those who were standing there. Police said the Colombo bound...

The Military said the country would showcase its military might at today’s National Victory Parade to mark the fourth anniversary of the end of the Eelam War against the LTTE. The parade will consist of some 550 officers and 6600 soldiers of the Army,...

The China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) was awarded a US 229.5 million dollar contract for a massive water project funded by China to supply water to the Gampaha District. It is a 100 per cent Chinese funded project and funds are by way of a...

The scheduled one day general strike on Tuesday by the combined opposition demanding the withdrawal of the power tariff increase, received a further boost yesterday with the left alliance partners of the UPFA government also pledging their support to...

The main opposition UNP yesterday said it had rejected a request made by Velayutham Dayanithi alias Daya Master and his supporters to contest the Northern Provincial Council election on the UNP ticket.

The United National Party (UNP) yesterday charged there was a large scandal behind the stoppage of work at the Sapugaskanda refinery. UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake told a news conference that the work of the refinery had been stopped to enable the placing...

A man who allegedly possessed a foreign made hand grenade was arrested by the Mirihana special operations unit during a raid carried out in the Batawala area of Hanwella. The 33-year-old suspect was arrested after the unit received a tip-off from the...

Police arrested 17 persons who were wanted for a number of criminal activities in the Badulla district during a search operation which was carried out on Thursday night. They were wanted for possessing drugs, distilling kasippu, carrying out robberies...

The vice chairman of the Laggala- Wilgamuwa Pradeshiya Sabha was arrested by the Wilgamuwa police for allegedly entering the house of a widow and attempting to sexually abuse her. The wife of a deceased soldier had been living in Naminigama Wilgamuwa,...

Two men on a motorbike snatched two gold chains worth more than Rs.200,000 belonging to two women in the Rillawa area of Rathgama. They were walking along the main road at the time of the incident on Thursday evening. They had screamed but the two...

A person who was wanted for more than 16 robberies in the Sapugaskanda area was arrested during a search operation. The Sapugaskanda police arrested him after they received a tip-off from the public about his whereabouts. He had managed to escape from...

The UNP said yesterday it would implement a Social Market Economy system aiming to devolve the economic power of the people. “The present neo liberalist economic policies only allow less than 1 per cent of the people to enjoy the economy. We have...

A soldier was killed and 18 others injured when the lorry they were travelling in toppled near the Settikulam Railway Station on the Vavuniya-Settikulam main road yesterday morning. The lorry was heading for Madhu at the time of the incident and the...

The Ceylon Teachers Union yesterday said they had not yet decided about their participation at the massive protests on May 21. The General Secretary of the Union, Joseph Stalin said the Union had discussions with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)...

An infant succumbed to its injuries when a fire started inside the room he was sleeping in on Thursday night. The unfortunate incident was reported in the Muhunuwatawana area of Madampe. The victim was identified as Sameera Dias. Police said the fire...

A 60-year-old farmer succumbed to his injuries when he was attacked by a wild elephant in the Sirisarawatta forest area of Saliyawewa. He was near his paddy field at the time of the incident. The victim was identified as Herath Banda Punchirala who...

QUITO, A ring that smuggled immigrants from India and Sri Lanka into the United States through Ecuador has been broken up with the arrest of six people, Ecuadoran authorities said yesterday. Three Indians and two members of Ecuador's immigration...

Despite the Matara Lawyers’ Association deciding to boycott yesterday’s welcoming ceremony for new Chief Justice Mohan Peiris in the Matara Courts Complex, the association’s secretary Indika Gamachchi and several members were present at this event. At...

The United National Party (UNP) said yesterday it would engage in protests against the electricity tariff hike inside Parliament on Tuesday. Moneragala District UNP MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara told a news conference that the UNP had urged public...

The Peradeniya Students’ Union (PSU), the largest student union at the Pradeniya University yesterday charged some unidentified people claiming to be CID officials had threatened to kill the PSU president. Union spokesman Mahesh Prabashwara said PSU...

A pointed iron rod which was being used to knock on an iron plate to announce the change in school sessions had pierced the head of an year-9 student of the Digampatuna Junior School in Sigiriya yesterday. The year-9 student was standing close to the...

Government’s decision to deviate from its earlier plan of holding the Northern Provincial Council elections together with North Western and Central Provincial Council elections has aroused suspicion, UNP parliamentarian Karu Jayasuriya said...

There won’t be a bus strike on Monday, National Transport Board Chairman Roshan Gunaratna said yesterday. He said most private bus owners did not justify the abrupt and arbitrary strike planned by some bus operators. Mr. Gunaratne said police...

Kandy High Court Judge Amendran Seneviratne reserved his order in the case where former Embekke Devale Basnayake Nilame Sudantha Rasika Punchi Bandara Sennayake had filed a petition seeking a revision in a case that was dismissed by the Kandy...

The Naula Regional Development Coordination Committee has turned down an environmental assessment report (EAR) with regard to the proposed hotel complex to be constructed in close vicinity of the ancient Naula Wemeddilla Tank by the secretary of a...

In a letter addressed to President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) led National Trade Union Centre (NTUC) complained that the Government was planning to use innocent people to sabotage Tuesday’s general strike. NTUC...

Land owners, whose lands were to be taken over by the government as these lands came under the area designated as the Dambulla Sacred Area, held a protest yesterday (17) asking that they be given alternative land by the government. They proceeded to...

Two persons who had been indicted and remanded for killing 29 people including former opposition leader of the North Central Provincial Council, Major General Janaka Perera using a suicide bomb, were further remanded till July 19 by the North Central...

The country’s oldest and pioneering electronic media institution - the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) which is reeling under the impact of heavy losses, has started fragmenting its regional services and leasing them out. The SLBC’s‘Ruhunu...

The JMO who had examined the skeletal remains that were found in an abandoned well in Kalutara had ruled that were not human but those of an animal. Police officials who launched investigations into the discovery of skeletal remains that were found in...

The visiting Canadian Commissioner of Official Languages, Graham Frazer, said that 80% of Sri Lankans who migrated to Canada were supportive of the language policy of the Government. “Each and every migrant who lives in Canada is more eloquent and...

Kandy High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatilleke sentenced and fined the two accused a total of rupees three hundred and fifty thousand (350,000/=) with suspended jail terms on charges of procurement, aiding and abetting for procurement of a woman for...

A dagoba of historical importance that was located in a forest in Thirukkovil in Ampara had been violated by treasure hunters, sources revealed. When police along with the secretary of the Akkaraipattu Sinhala Organisation reached the area after...

The bodies of two persons, a man and a woman, who were said to have died as a result of the floods that were experienced in the Nuwara-Eliya District, were recovered by the police yesterday. The woman, 40-year-old Kamaleswari of Dickoya, had allegedly...

A wild elephant that had fallen into a well meant for cultivation at the Hulannuge 13th Mile Post, coming under the Lahugala Wild Life Office had been rescued by the Wild Life Officers. Villagers and police officers of the area had been on hand to...

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian for the Wanni District, Sivasakthi Anandan, had been requested by the CID to present himself for an investigation to be held on Tuesday (21) at the CID Headquarters. MP Anandan said that although he had...

In our story “Diplomatic immunity voided” on May 16, we had stated, “following a ‘forensic audit’ the Norwegian government had terminated the contract…” The plaintiff party in the relevant story, written based on a court proceeding, had wanted it...

Early last morning custom officers of the bio-diversity unit at the BIA foiled an attempt by a Sri Lankan businessman to export 669 small live lobsters packed in eight cartons to Vietnam in contravention of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ordinance...

An accused who stood indicted with the murder of his wife by assaulting her and pushing her into a well was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years’ RI and fined Rs.25,000 by the Kegalle High Court Judge Menaka Wijesundara. He was sentenced to further a...

A deer that had been the pet of soldiers in an army camp in Medirigiriya during the war years roams into the Wadigawewa village where the villagers feed it. The deer lost its soldier friends after the army camp was shut down. The deer, without any...

A young man who allegedly clubbed to death his ailing father was arrested by the Balangoda police. The victim, W.G.Dionoris (70) of Kumaragama in Balangoda had been a bedridden paralytic for a long time. On the night of the incident he had developed a...

Triplets delivered by two mothers at the De Soyza Hospital for Women recently that had been under intensive care were transferred to the ward yesterday. The triplets were delivered through Caesarian section. A spokesman for the hospital said the two...

A farmer of Puliyankulama in the Saliyawewa police area was trampled to death by a wild elephant that roamed into his chena in the early hours of last morning. Police said the farmer who was watching the chena from a hut on a tree had fallen down when...

Being kicked upstairs is nothing new and has been around for quite some time in this country. Indeed it is just the required tactical measure to handle what is referred to as belligerence or non - conformism. An obedient student is the teacher’s...

Amid allegations of large-scale corruption, waste, mismanagement and price manipulation by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), we heard the blazing news that the European Union is probing alleged price fixing by the biggest oil companies in the...

A writer in a weekend newspaper of 12th May has very appropriately drawn the attention of the public to the slow but deliberate attempts at encroachment of the military on civilian life in Sri Lanka. It is a dangerous trend which can greatly strengthen...

The proposal to issue the NIC in Tamil and Sinhala should have been implemented many moons ago, but nevertheless should be of assistance to a large segment of people of all communities. A Tamil Officer functioning in any capacity will have occasions to...

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) regarded as the premier political formation of the Tamils of Sri Lanka has been very much in the news lately due to what could be termed as an internal crisis. The TNA that has in recent times been contesting...

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - The New Zealand pace attack bowled with great discipline as England crawled to 160 for four on a tense and absorbing opening day of the first test at Lord's on Thursday. No England batsman reached 40 and no partnership...

Trinity and Dharmaraja two teams from the hill capital Kandy are dominating the Singer Division 1A under 20 inter-schools rugby tournament after the completion of the sixth round of matches which were played last weekend. The two teams are unbeaten...

Three seventh round matches are down for decision in the metropolis with only one team, table leaders Trinity College, making the trip to Colombo where they will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten record when they clash with St Joseph’s Colombo at...

Mabima Jayalanka SC Gampaha and Pattiwila SC won their respective events at the “Ruwan Wijewardene” Challenge Trophy Elle tournament held recently at the Wakkadawela ground. Sixteen teams participated in the event organised by the Thalwatta Eksath...

In a match which turned out to be what could be called “shadow ruby” Vidyartha College drubbed Kegalu Vidyalaya 163 points (14 goals, 13 tries) to 3 (1 penalty) in their schools under 20 Division two segment A rugby tournament match played at the...

Golden Stars Sports Club, Kandy surprised the strong Kandy York Sports Club when they scored a 3 - 1 penalty shoot-out win to emerge champions of the Kandy Association Football League’s inter club ‘A’ division finals played in Kandy yesterday. The...

TREVISO, Italy, May 16 (Reuters) - Britain's Mark Cavendish racked up the 100th win of his career on stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia on Thursday but Bradley Wiggins's hopes of overall victory were in tatters when he lost time on the main bunch. Tour de...

May 16 (Reuters) - Defending champion Rafa Nadal recovered from losing the opening five games against Ernests Gulbis to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters on Thursday. The Spaniard, looking for his seventh Rome title, was shaken...

The second limited over cricket encounter between Arethusa College and T.B. Jayah Zahira College is scheduled to be played at the Moors SC ground in Braybrooke Place today. The encounter between the schools which began last year ended in a convincing...

Asela Bandara won the half marathon while Ajantha Sanjeewani won the 10 kilometer race for women at the world Red Cross Day runs which were held at Matara on Wednesday (08th). P G C Lakshan won the 10 kilometer race for boys under 20 years of age. The...

PARIS, May 16, 2013 (AFP) World number one Ding Ning coasted into the round of 16 at the World Table Tennis Championships in Paris on Thursday, taking another step towards defending the title she won two years ago in Rotterdam. The Chinese top seed...

WELLINGTON, May 17, 2013 (AFP) - All Blacks great Dan Carter on Friday backed calls to overhaul global rugby's playing calendar, saying the off-season is too short under the existing schedule and risks player burnout. Carter, the reigning IRB player...

BERLIN, May 17, 2013 (AFP) – With two Bundesliga clubs in the Champions League final, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund supporters are clamouring to get to London for the Wembley showdown on May 25 with England's capital set to be painted black, red...

BUENOS AIRES, May 16 (Reuters) Argentina's 2011 World Cup captain Felipe Contepomi, who has just retired from profesional club rugby, was named on Thursday in Argentina's squad to face England and Georgia in the June test window. Contepomi, who plays...

SILVA - MATARA CORR. Team ' 2007 Rahula Super Friends' walked away with the trophy and Rs 25,000 in cash at the Rahula Super Six Cricket Fiesta held at the Sanath Jayasuriya grounds Matara. Team '2002 Rahula Max' was the runners-up and received Rs...

St. Peter’s College, Colombo with four wins under their belt should go out favourites when they take on Kingswood College in their schools under 20 Division one segment “A” rugby tournament match to be played at the Bogambara grounds, Kandy today at...

MIAMI, May 16 (Reuters) - Landon Donovan has been left out of the United States squad for next month's block of World Cup qualifiers, but remains hopeful he can make it to the finals in Brazil next year if the team qualifies. Donovan, the U.S's...

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Gus Poyet was suspended from his duties as manager of Brighton and Hove Albion on Thursday, the English second tier club said. “Brighton and Hove Albion has confirmed that it has suspended its manager, assistant manager, and...

ROME, May 16, 2013 (AFP) - World number one Serena Williams comfortably made the Rome Masters quarter-finals on Thursday with a 6-0, 6-1 mauling of Slovakia's 14th seed Dominika Cibulkova. Williams will face Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro for a spot in...

Two more records were eclipsed, one each in the boys and girls categories, on day two of the Junior National Athletics Championships which was held at the Diyagama Stadium yesterday. The record in the girls event was in the under 20 discuss where...

– When Alex Ferguson wakes up on Monday morning without a Manchester United team to manage he will not be putting his feet up and settling into a quiet retirement. The 71-year-old Scot takes charge of his 1,500th and final United game at West Bromwich...

SYDNEY, May 17, 2013 (AFP) - Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait has strongly denied any link to the arrest of three Indian teammates allegedly involved in spot-fixing during an Indian domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament. Test player Shanthakumaran...

REUTERS - Sri Lankan shares yesterday hit a new 18-month high on foreign buying, with market heavyweight John Keells Holdings leading the rally, while the rupee ending weaker on corporate dollar demand. The main stock index rose 1.49 percent, or 93.70...

Sri Lanka’s industry growth rate (10.3 percent) has exceeded the growth rate of its own GDP in 2012. “The country’s i ndustry sector growth has surpassed even the national GDP growth rate-in that, the industry ‘value addition’ to the GDP in 2012, is...

International sanctions have piled up against SyrianAir but the carrier is operating at full capacity as civil war has made domestic road travel perilous and Syrian expatriates have few alternatives to get home to see family. The US Treasury imposed...

The global luxury market will grow by a relatively modest 4-5 percent in turnover this year compared to the 10 percent expansion seen in 2012, a study released on Thursday by research consultancies Bain & Company and Fondazione Altagamma showed. “We...

US computer giant Dell said Thursday its quarterly profit plunged 79 percent from a year ago, as a shift away from PCs hammered the company’s bottom line. The net profit for the first fiscal quarter slumped to $130 million, as the Texas-based group...

Eight Chinese and two Indian airlines face fines of up to several million euros for not paying for their greenhouse gas emissions during flights within the bloc, the European Commission said yesterday. It said member states could fine the firms, among...

Fitch Ratings Lanka has affirmed HSBC Sri Lanka branch’s (HSBCSL) National Long-Term Rating at ‘AAA(lka)’.The Outlook is Stable. The affirmation of HSBCSL’s rating follows the affirmation of its parent The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation...

Sri Lanka Army, for the first time in military history, has recruited professional farmers to the army. They commenced agricultural operations in Kandakadu Agriculture Farm in Welikanda on May 12. The group comprising 139 males and 61 females...

During the week the All Share Price Index (ASPI) gained by 130.70 points to close at6,380.70 while the S&P SL20 gained by 58.36 points to close at3,589.26. The daily average turnover was Rs.1.2bn compared to Rs.2.1bn reported during the previous week,...

CleanCo Lanka Limited, initiators of the DriveGreen emission testing centres, conducted a demonstration for the media to illustrate how vehicle emission testing can benefit motorists, the environment and society in general. The event dealt with the...

Blue Chip Technical Services (Pvt.) Ltd, a total IT solutions provider, announces its expanded partnership with Infor (software principal for Blue Chip) to sell Infor M3 in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Blue Chip boasts a decade-long partnership...

Under the unified strengths of its experienced and dedicated staff, both academic and administrative, Mercury Institute of Management has been achieving great success - consistent output of world prize winners and high achievers in ACCA and CAT...

McDonald’s has launched its internationally famous Hot Cakes in Sri Lanka. An exclusive, scrumptious delicacy of McDonald’s, its Hot Cakes have thrilled the taste buds of millions of cake lovers the world over. McDonald’s Hot Cakes are served hot from...

The pioneer and the premier industry chamber in Sri Lanka the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI) will be organising the ever popular and highly acclaimed Achiever Awards 2013 for industrial and service excellence for the 12th year in Sri...

One of Australia’s leading universities, the University of Southern Queensland, which has shared a rich history counting to over a decade with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka), recently received high accolades in the...

The Knowledge Conglomerate (TKC) has decided to repeat the executive-education programme on ‘Conducting Job Interviews – To Select The Best-Fit Candidate’, due to many requests from those who missed the initial programme and very positive feedback from...

REUTERS: The percentage of global investment that goes to developing countries should triple in the next two decades as emerging economies catch up to richer nations and become more integrated into financial markets, the World Bank predicted in a...

Troubled Bangladesh’s economy is forecast to have grown at a four-year low of 6.03 percent in the fiscal year to June, more than a percentage point below the government target, officials said yesterday. Analysts have said that a crisis in the...

REUTERS: The European Central Bank (ECB) could use its new supervisory role from next year to single out weak banks and make it harder for them to get its financial support, people familiar with the matter say. Such a hardening of approach would keep...

Apple on Thursday announced that the number of mini-programmes downloaded from its App Store has blasted past the 50 billion milestone and celebrated the moment with a US $ 10,000 prize. The California-based maker of iPads, iPhones, iPods and...

PTI: Google on T hursday launched its highend smartphone with Quad core processors Nexus 4 with LG in India priced at Rs.25,999. “LG Electronics is pleased to partner Google on the release of the Nexus 4 in India,” LG Electronics India Managing...

REUTERS: World number two truck maker Volvo said yesterday shipments of its trucks eased 2 percent year-onyear in April as booming business in South America took most of the sting out of moderating declines in Europe and the United States. Including...

MOSCOW, May 16, 2013 (AFP) - Iran should take part in an international conference agreed by Moscow and Washington to help broker an end to the Syria conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted in an interview broadcast Thursday. Lavrov...

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 16, 2013 (AFP) - Gunmen on Thursday opened fire on NATO supply trucks passing through northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border, killing two drivers, local officials said. The first driver was killed in the Jamrud area of...

Russia has sent sophisticated antiship missiles to Syria, US media report. The New York Times quotes unnamed US officials as saying the missiles could be used to counter any potential future foreign military intervention in Syria. Without confirming...

Protesters have taken to the streets in various parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, angry at the killing of a pro-independence Kashmiri leader. Sardar Arif Shahid was shot dead by unidentified men near his home in Rawalpindi on Monday night. It...

NEW YORK, May 16, 2013 (AFP) - Local media claimed Thursday, Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wrote a note before his capture in which he called the victims “collateral damage” for US action in Afghanistan and Iraq,. “When you attack one...

VATICAN CITY, May 16, 2013 (AFP) - Pope Francis on Thursday called on world leaders to put an end to the “cult of money” and to do more to help the poor, warning that insecurity was rising in many regions of the world and the “joy of life” was...

KANO, Nigeria, May 16, 2013 Nigeria's military said Thursday that it was ready to launch air strikes against Boko Haram Islamists as several thousand troops moved to the remote northeast to retake territory seized by the insurgents. “The entire...

Brazilian police say they have identified a gang specialising in trafficking Bangladeshi nationals into the country. About 80 workers have been lured by their own countrymen with promises of earning up to $1,500 (£985) a month. But they ended up as...

TUNIS, May 16, 2013 (AFP) - Tunisia's hardline Salafist movement Ansar al-Sharia vowed on Thursday to go ahead with its annual congress at the weekend in defiance of a government ban on the controversial gathering. “We are not asking permission from...

MASERU, Lesotho, May 16, 2013 (AFP) - Lesotho's top court on Thursday upheld a law that bars princesses from succeeding their fathers as traditional chiefs, a decision activists say dealt a “serious blow” to women's rights and gender...

UNITED NATIONS, May 16, 2013 (AFP) - Syrian rebels seized three UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights in the third abduction in two months in the ceasefire zone between Syria and Israel, the UN said Thursday. The abduction of the three observers came as...

When her five-year-old daughter began complaining that her legs hurt, her GP put it down to growing pains. But when the pain became so terrible that weeks later her mother had to carry her around the house, it became clear that something was terribly...

Anew technique for IVF which takes thousands of photos of embryos to monitor their growth could treble the chance of pregnancy, claim its creators. They have hailed the method as the ‘most exciting development in fertility treatment in 30 years’. The...

One McDonald’s fan did not have a very Happy Meal after he became stuck in a baby high chair. The customer needed to be rescued by police when he could not free himself from his uncomfortable seat this week. Three officers were pictured helping the...

Ahuge diamond unearthed in Botswana commanded an unearthly price of $26.7million from Christie’s auction house on Wednesday, amid the spring ritual of wellheeled bidders flocking or phoning in to Geneva’s luxury sales. The pear-shaped gem, purchased...

There's always been an unwritten rule that, if in a committed relationship, thou shalt not play tonsil-tennis with another person or allow them to put their hands or tongues on your body. But now 'cheating' has taken on a whole new meaning, and it's...