Apr 2 (TV) In a major demonstration of confidence in the future of Sri Lanka tourism, leading international hoteliers recently announced plans to develop new properties in the capital, Colombo. more..

Apr 2 (BBC) Many turtle conservation sites and hatcheries along Sri Lanka's southern and western coasts were wiped out in last December's tsunami. With thousands of turtle eggs disappearing in a few minutes, conservationists feared that it could be a death knell for the critically endangered sea turtles. more..

Apr 2 (LBO) Public health experts say �the right to health� is unaffordable for Sri Lanka because the government health service can�t afford to pay damages if more people sue. Civil rights groups in Sri Lanka want Constitutional changes recognising the right to health, for Sri Lankan citizens, but doctors are not jumping for joy. more..

Apr 2 (BBC) Colombo magistrate ordered the police to arrest workers of a maternity ward on charges of negligence. The magistrate issued the order to Borella police following an inquest into the death of a one � day old infant. more..

Apr 2 (BBC) Voluntary teachers protesting in front of Sri Lanka�s education ministry demanded authorities not to discriminate against them. All Ceylon Voulntary Teachers' Association said the authorities are yet to respond to their 10 days of �Satyagaraha� in front of Isurupaya (Education ministry). more..

Apr 2 (AT) A powerful cabinet Minister of the Government Mr.Athauda Senaviratne has decided to file a defamation case against his colleague and a deputy Minister of Power and Energy Mahindananda Aluthgamage, seeking millions of Rupees in compensation. more..

Apr 2 (AT) The Popes visit to Sri Lanka is expected to provide a test of relations between the Catholic Church and the Sangha and Buddhist clergies following comments about Nirvana in his recently-published book. more..

Apr 2 (LM) The Hambantota district will be provided with more than double the number of houses which were affected by Tsunami. 1485 houses were completely destroyed while 1043 houses were partially destroyed in this area which makes it a total loss of 2528 houses. more..

Apr 2 (LT) Paying of compensation for the houses that were completely and partially damaged in the tsunami catastrophe on the 26th will begin tomorrow (3rd) says Dr, Sarath Amunugama, Minister of Finance. It has been decided to pay Rs.250, 000 for a completely destroyed house and Rs.100,000 for a partially damaged house. more..

Apr 2 (LT) Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksha says that the country will not be betrayed in the name of peace. The objective of the Alliance Government is to find lasting and stable peace for Sri Lanka. The Prime Minister emphasised that under any circumstance no one will be allowed to divide the country. more..

Apr 2 (BS) Sri Lanka's government has invited a Baptist agency to shape the country's first child protective services program, and the man who got Texas Baptists involved in tsunami relief will lead the effort. more..

Apr 2 (AP) A Sri Lankan court Thursday issued an order preventing the sports minister from taking over assets of Sri Lanka Cricket, which was suspended last week over allegations of mismanagement, an attorney said. more..

Apr 2 (N24) Minnows Sri Lanka beat South Africa by 32 runs in their Women's Cricket World Cup match at the Tshwane University of Technology Oval on Friday, to move ahead of them on the league table. South Africa now have to beat New Zealand on Sunday to qualify automatically for the next World Cup. more..

Apr 2 (TT) Jo Williams and Steve Ainsworth wanted a memorable wedding - and they got it, though not quite in the way they had planned. The idea had been to celebrate with a romantic sunset ceremony on one of Sri Lanka's loveliest palm-fringed beaches, and then to dance the night away against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean. more..

Apr 2 (LT) Vavunia police says that an 18 year old woman Tiger cadre disgusted with the Tigers Organization committed suicide at a Tiger camp in Kilinochchi by swallowing a cyanide capsule. The deceased woman Tiger is one Nagamma resident at Punthottam in Vavunia. more..

Apr 2 (LNP) Govenment Spokesman and Information and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday scoffed a report in an English daily that President Chandrika Kumaratunga was intending to dissolve Parliament and go for an election. more..

Apr 2 (SAMN) The Kotmale reservoir main dam constructed under the accelerated Mahaweli project has reportedly developed a crack. A horizontal cleft that appeared in the dam had been patched up with a cement concrete mixture but it has served little or no purpose according to sources. more..

Apr 2 (SAMN) The Government will begin the Rs.1 million loan scheme for public servants from Saturday, the Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry said Friday. The loan will be granted at a concessionary interest rate of four per cent. more..

Apr 2 (SAMN) The National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) Friday expressed its concern over the increases of BTT for certain goods from 1% - 5% by certain Provincial Councils with effect from April 1 and wanted it revoked. more..

Apr 2 (LNP) The Highways Ministry will shortly call tenders to improve and modernise the Colombo-Galle highway. Ministry Secretary S. Amarasekere told the Daily News yesterday that the Road Development Authority (RDA) is preparing the designs for the reconstruction of the 155 km highway. more..

Apr 2 (TN) A person believed to be close to the EPDP was shot dead in Kommathurai, 17 kilometres north of Batticaloa, Friday evening around 6.30 by unidentified gunmen. The man identified as Mr. Puththirasihamani Kuhathasan, 23, was walking along Uma Mill Road in Kommathurai when he was gunned down, Police said. more..

Apr 2 (TN) The second phase of the four-day workshop on finding solution to problems confronting the victims of two-decade-old war and tsunami in the northeast province in proving their land ownership to obtain financial assistance and other related compensation from World Bank (WB) funded more..

Apr 2 (TN) Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in Trincomalee Friday handed over tents to about 120 Muslim families affected by December 26 tsunami in the Jamaliya coastal suburb of the eastern port town. These families have been living in temporary makeshift structures, sources said. more..

Apr 2 (TN) Mr. Danny K. Davis, Democratic Congressman from Chicago, Illinois and his Director of Services, Mr. Danny F. Cantrell, visited the LTTE's Political Headquarters in Kilinochchi on Saturday and met with Mr. P. Nadesan, Head of Thamil Eelam Police, sources in Kilinochchi said. more..

Apr 2 (LM) The Parliamentary select committee on Natural Disaster Preparedness that was appointed after the Tsunami devastation is aimed at creating awareness & preparedness on natural disasters for the future. more..

Apr 2 (LM) The Parliamentary select committee, on Natural Disaster Preparedness, visited the earth slip areas of Pooliyadda, in the Pahathahewaheta division, in the District of Kandy. This trip was made on the recommendations of Prof. Kapila Dahanayake. more..

Apr 2 (LT) Instead of criticizing and lamenting saying they don�t have power, the UNP leader should get the party to contribute in the reconstruction work undertaken in the country says Mr. Sajith Premadasa, UNP Member of Parliament for Hambantota District. more..

Apr 2 (SN) The National convention of the JHU was held in Colombo on 30th march 2005. Seven new office bearers were appointed, notably the post of secretary earlier held by Mr. Champika Ranawake was announced as abolished. He is now appointed as the policy maker of the party. more..

Apr 2 (Jang) In a rain-hit, two-day warm-up match, Pakistan A drew with a Sri Lanka Cricket Academy XI here at the Tyronne Fernando Stadium on Friday. Play had to be abandoned on either day well before closing time. more..

Apr 2 (SLA) An abortive attempt by the LTTE to abduct two civilians in the general area of VANDARAMOOLAI, BATTICALOA has been in vane when those two victims fled from the LTTE and surrendered to the troops on duty at the SITTANDY roadblock on 01 April 2005 around 8.30 a.m. more..

Apr 2 (SLA) LTTE has reportedly abducted a Hindu Priest from the general area of CHENKALADY, BATTICALOA. According to information, NAGARASA CHANDRAMOHAN (25), the priest of the NAGA KOVIL, KALUVANKERNI, had been threatened at gunpoint while he was in the CHENKALADI town before he was abducted by the LTTE. more..

Apr 2 (SLA) A civilian has been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the general area of CHENKALADI, BATTICALOA on 01 April 2005 around 6.30 p.m., says a complaint made at the Police. According to the complainant, THASIS SUSAIDASAN, two unidentified gunmen who arrived on a push bicycle had shot the victim at close range using a pistol in front of a video center and fled the location. more..

Apr 2 (SLA) A sixteen-year old boy who had been abducted from the general area of MUTTUR and detained under LTTE custody for four days has escaped LTTE detention and surrendered to the Police seeking protection on 01 April 2005 around 5.00 p.m. more..

Apr 2 (ANN) Giving a different twist to the ongoing tug-of-war between the Sports Minster and Sri Lanka Cricket, the Court of Appeal on Yhursday, issued an order preventing the minister and his secretary from taking further action against Sri Lanka Cricket and ordered them to appear before the court on April 11. more..

Apr 2 (DN) RATA PERATA was the UPFA Government's main theme in the forward march to achieve our ends for the uplift of the masses, said Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse in a message to mark the first anniversary of the UPFA Government. more..

Apr 2 (AFP) Sri Lanka buried the bodies of 16 tsunami victims after extensive genetic fingerprinting failed to establish their identities, officials said. The bodies were buried Friday at the Jawatte cemetery here after the authorities took photographs and DNA samples from the victims more..

Apr 2 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka's all Buddhist Monk party is opposed to the moves to introduce a federal constitution to the country, a top official said Friday. Ven Dr Omalpe Sobhitha, general secretary of the JHU, said that a resolution was adopted at the party's first national convention held on Thursday that Sri Lanka must remain a unitary state. more..

Apr 2 (TP) A Sri Lankan farmer has pleaded guilty to killing a wild elephant by electrocuting him and was fined Rs. 100,000 and warned he would be jailed for two years if he failed to pay the fine, the Daily Mirror reported. more..

Apr 2 (TP) The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the government to pay Rs 300,000 as compensation and costs to a father who carried out a legal battle for some 15 years after the disappearance of his two sons who were arrested and detained by the Army. more..

Apr 2 (AP) Confrontation between Sri Lanka's elected cricket officials and the government over who should control the sport may threaten a tsunami charity program, according to news reports on Saturday. more..

Apr 3 (TN) Fifty-three health volunteers working in several government medical institutions in Kalkuda electorate in the Batticaloa district suspended their hunger protest Saturday on an assurance by the Provincial Governor Mr.Tyronne Fernando that they would be made permanent before the end of June this year. more..

Apr 3 (TN) North East Provincial Co-operative Employees Commission Saturday instructed all co-operative societies under its purview to pay a salary increase of 2,500 rupees per month to all employees with effect from April 1st, Commission Secretary Mr.S.Amirthalingam said. more..

Apr 3 (TN) An angry crowd set fire to a Sri Lanka army motorbike Saturday afternoon around 4.30 after it knocked down a girl in Sangarathanai, near Chavakachcheri town in Jaffna. Police rushed to the scene and dispersed the crowd following a tense stand off at Puliyadi on the A 9 road. more..

Apr 3 (Stuff) In horse racing parlance the Black Caps will "appreciate the drop in class" when they confront Sri Lanka in the two-test cricket series starting in Napier on Monday. Having been pummelled by world No. 1 Australia, how the Black Caps recover will be perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the series. more..

Apr 3 (LT) As done during the past year the Alliance Government will endeavour to protect unitary state and National security of the country in the future as well said Mr. Anura Bandaranayke, Minister of Tourism speaking at the media meeting held after the religious ceremonies held to mark the completion of the first year of the Alliance Government. more..

Apr 3 (AT) The peace negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil militants will not be resumed in the near future. Stating this Norwegian peace facilitator Erik Solheim said the �absolute priority now is to get the joint mechanism for tsunami relief established�. more..

Apr 3 (AT) The Congress Party leaders had warned Norway even before the party came to power at the Centre that India would never give any legitimacy or recognition to LTTE supreme Velupillai Prabhakaran or his group for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. more..

Apr 3 (AT) The East is the permanent periphery; from being part of theperiphery of Ceylon/Sri Lanka it became the periphery of the nascent state of Tiger Eelam. Development of underdevelopment is the inescapable Eastern reality. more..

Apr 3 (AT) Motorists panicked and flocked to petrol filling stations on Friday following a rumor that the price of petrol and diesel will be increased from midnight, amidst unconfirmed media reports of Power and Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha wanting to step down from the portfolio. more..

Apr 3 (AT) The tsunami-battered coastal communities in the south-east of Sri Lanka, the majority of whom are still living in temporary shelters three months after the calamity, are now faced with having to cope with another natural occurrence - torrential rain. more..