Apr 26 (SAMN) As the crisis over the western provincial council came to a climax Monday, President Chandrika Kumaratunga warned the JVP that if it wanted to remain in the UPFA would have to vote against the UNP-sponsored no-confidence motion against Western Province Chief Minister Reginold Cooray. more..

Apr 26 (SAMN) In a stunning disclosure, it has been revealed that as many as 16 percent of children under the age of five in tsunami-affected districts are suffering from short-term malnutrition and 35 percent are underweight. more..

Apr 26 (SAMN) Police Terrorist Intelligence Unit specialist Inspector P. Jeyaratnam who was allegedly abducted by the LTTE last week was reportedly transferred to Colombo recently from the Wanathawilluwa Police due to an LTTE plot to slay him. more..

Apr 26 (LNP) The proposed joint mechanism between the government and the LTTE, to handle tsunami relief and reconstruction, is running into stiff resistance from the Muslim political parties and the Sinhala organisations in the Eastern Province. more..

Apr 26 (LNP) The UNP imagination of one horse race for their leader under Ranil Wickremesinghe to become President is only a miscalculation because the `Sandhanaya` knows better calculations, Mahaweli Basing Development and Rajarata Development Minister, General Secretary SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena said more..

Apr 26 (AP) Sri Lanka's economic growth will slow by one percentage point this year because of the vast destruction caused by last December's tsunami, a U.N. study said Tuesday. The waves killed more than 31,000 people in Sri Lanka and devastated a third of the coastline, dealing a severe blow to fishing and tourism. more..

Apr 26 (DJ) Sri Lanka is targeting revenue of $4.5 billion in 2007 from garment exports, helped by a long-term strategy that will offset the effects of the expiry of a preferential trade agreement with the U.S., an industry official said Tuesday. more..

Apr 26 (DN) Schools countrywide opened without any sign of violence yesterday, as demonstrations planned against the interdiction of several principals turned out to be an utter flop due to security measures adopted by the Police. more..

Apr 26 (AFP) A key member of Sri Lanka's ruling coalition Tuesday warned that a proposed deal with Tamil rebels to jointly handle tsunami aid with the government would lead to the creation of an ethnic homeland. more..

Apr 26 (HT) A leading UK-based Tamil businessman, who was recently incarcerated and 'mentally tortured' by the LTTE in an extortion case, feels that renegade commander Karuna, is not an alternative to Prabhakaran as the leader of the group. more..

Apr 26 (HT) According to a recent study commissioned by Save the Children Fund, 83.5 per cent of kids in non-government orphanages in Sri Lanka are not orphans at all. In the 67 non-state orphanages studied in-depth, it was found that only 6.5 per cent of the inmates had lost both their parents. more..

Apr 26 (TN) Mr.Alavi Mowlana, Governor of Western Province Tuesday by extra ordinary gazette notification suspended the functions of the Western Provincial Council (WPC) till May 17th to avert a major political crisis between the constituent political parties, SLFP and the JVP of the ruling UPFA government, more..

Apr 26 (AP) A political party led by several of Sri Lanka's powerful Buddhist monks has opposed a government move to give partial control of foreign tsunami aid to the Tamil Tiger rebels, a news report said Tuesday. more..

Apr 26 (GM) Once a supporter of the LTTE, she left the movement and, under extreme risk, began collecting evidence of human-rights tragedies suffered by Tamils at the hands of both Tamil insurgents and government-aligned forces. Her murder has made her the face of the underground human-rights movement in the region. more..

Apr 26 (AP) Tamil Tiger rebels took over a government-run health center in northeast Sri Lanka and turned it into a political office, the military said Tuesday. Military spokesman Brig. Daya Ratnayake said the health center, near the northeastern port of Trincomalee, was closed when two rebels demanded the key from a guard and then set up their office. more..

Apr 26 (AP) The International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday it has written to the Tamil Tiger rebels requesting information on a missing Sri Lankan intelligence officer alleged to have been abducted by the guerrilla group. more..

Apr 27 (TN) Twenty eighth-death anniversary of late Mr.S.J.V.Chelvanayakam (1898-1977), prominent leader of the Tamil people for more than three decades of his life and fondly called as "Thanthai (Father)" was observed in Trincomalee, Jaffna and several parts of the northeast province Tuesday, sources said. more..

Apr 27 (TN) The main opposition United National Party (UNP) said Tuesday that a provincial governor under 13th amendment to the constitution has no power to suspend the functions of a provincial council. Instead he has power to dissolve or extend the term of the council. more..

Apr 27 (TN) Mr.Somawanse Amerasinghe, leader of the Marxist JVP, a major constituent of the ruling UPFA government said Tuesday at a press briefing in Colombo that the proposed Joint Mechanism with the LTTE will be a stepping-stone for the ISGA for NorthEast, more..

Apr 27 (CT) Parliament is expected to vote this week on two anti-conversion laws presented by the Jathika Hela Urumaya party (JHU). Even though the same proposition was taken to the Supreme Court last year in August 2004 and two of the clauses of the bill were found to be unconstitutional, more..

Apr 27 (AT) The Food and Agricultural Organization seeks assistance of the local food processors, resource personel and the scientists to increase the food security level and increase the production of the processed food. more..

Apr 27 (AT) Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna declared on Tuesday that it would launch a massive campaign to oppose the proposed Joint Mechanism between the LTTE and the UPFA government led by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to distribute Tsunami aid. more..

Apr 27 (BBC) The International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC) says it is awaiting for a reply from the LTTE with regard to the abducted Inspector T.Jeyaratnam. ICRC has written to S.P.Thamilchelvan, leader of the political wing of the LTTE and asked whether they knew about the missing inspector. more..

Apr 27 (LT) In a search conducted by the Kalawanchikudi Police an abducted vehicle, currently in possession of the Wanni Tigers, has been taken into custody. The vehicle number was WPC-1718 and at the time of the arrest Daya Mohan of the s Organisation was traveling in the vehicle. more..

Apr 27 (BBC) Trade Union Centre for the Right of Rebuilding the Country(TURRC) says JVP should not make the "proposed tsunami relief joint mechanism" a problem. JVP has not clarified why they opposed to it. However, this mechanism is to provide for the people who have been victimised by the tsunami disaster, more..

Apr 27 (AT) Sri Lankan police may detain two Tamil militants who were in detention in India in connection with the assassinations of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and rival militant leader K. Pathmanabha on arrival in Colombo airport. more..

Apr 27 (RSF) Reporters Without Borders is very concerned about incitement to murder and other threats against independent Tamil journalist Sethurupan Nadarajah, who is living in Norway. Fearing for his own and his wife's safety, the journalist appealed to the worldwide press freedom organisation more..

Apr 27 (AFP) Officials refused to release the white balls ahead of an unofficial tri-nations tournament in Abu Dhabi. Sources said Sri Lanka Cricket refused to release the balls, identical to those to be used in the tournament from Friday, after its recognition as a national sports body was suspended by the government. more..

Apr 27 (RW) A Sri Lankan Parliamentary Select Committee is expected to be established by May to investigate the activities of local and international NGOs. The Royal Netherlands government has sponsored the publication of Sinhala and Tamil language versions of the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights. more..

Apr 27 (RW) Amid concerns among the Muslims at being left out in the joint mechanism to coordinate post-tsunami relief and reconstruction, President Chandrika Kumaratunga has written to the Muslim Peace Secretariat assuring to consult Muslim opinion before concluding any deal on the proposed mechanism. more..

Apr 27 (Hindu) Sri Lanka's ruling ally, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), has said it was opposed to the proposed joint mechanism between Colombo and the LTTE as the rebel group had neither given up its separatist agenda nor taken the path to democracy. more..

Apr 27 (AT) Over the past few decades contemporary irrigation projects have abused the long-standing Sri Lankan tradition of freshwater management that once sustained robust irrigation-based civilizations. more..

Apr 27 (AT) Sri Lankan experts have raised several environmental and other issues on the proposed Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project. These queries were made at a bilateral discussion held on the proposed US$ 400 million project aimed at deepening the narrow Palk Strait separating India and Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 27 (ANN) Diplomats are those who, it is said, will tell someone to go to hell in such a way that he or she will really look forward to the trip. Mr. Erik Solheim is a diplomat and has said just that. Political leaders of Sri Lanka are in Over Drive mode, preparing for the trip. more..

Apr 27 (ANN) The Health Ministry would hold a one day �Vitamin A,� mega dose supplementation programme on Saturday (April 30) in tsunami affected areas Research Institute, of the Medical Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle said Tuesday. more..

Apr 27 (ANN) The JVP Tuesday urged the international community to, instead of bringing pressure to bear on the government and its constituent parties to agree to a joint mechanism with the LTTE for the distribution of tsunami aid, produce a road map for peace in the country. more..

Apr 27 (SAMN) The country's private sector are up in arms over moves by the Government to announce a Rs. 1,000 wage hike on May Day. The Employers Federation of Ceylon (EFC) on Monday fired in a strongly-worded letter to Labour Relations Minister Athuda Seneviratne expressing its serious objection over Government's plans. more..

Apr 27 (SAMN) Police Intelligence Specialist, Inspector P. Jeyaratnam who was allegedly abducted by the LTTE is said to be detained at an LTTE torture house in the Wanni jungle for interrogation, latest military intelligence report reveals. more..

Apr 27 (SLA) A member of Eelam People�s Democratic Party (EPDP) escaped death with gunshot injures when two LTTE pistol men on a motorbike fired at the EPDP office in the general area of CHENKALADY Wednesday (27) morning around 8.30 a.m. more..

Apr 27 (SLA) Naval troops have rescued twenty one Sri Lankan refugees, stranded at KATCHCHATIVU area after they had been dropped by an Indian dhow on 26 April 2005 around 11.40 a.m. Preliminary investigations have revealed that each refugee had paid Indian Rs. 3000/= for their passage from India. more..

Apr 27 (SLA) It is once again soldiers, who volunteered to donate blood for Cancer patients at Thelippalai Cancer Hospital in Jaffna peninsula after an urgent appeal for blood was extended by hospital authorities to Major General S. D Tennekoon, Commander, Security Forces Headquarters, Jaffna during a recent visit the latter made to the hospital. more..

Apr 27 (SLBC) President Chandrika Bandaranaike reiterates the importance of taking into consideration the opinions of the intellectuals in deciding policies affecting the country. She made these remarks at the presentation of the National Icon Awards 2005 ceremony, held at the Presidents house, yesterday. more..

Apr 27 (LM) Prime Minister Rajapakshe is reported have told "Lankadeepa" Sinhalese daily that, he knows nothing about the Joint Mechanism, hence, he shall not comment on what he does not know. more..

Apr 27 (LM) While opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe has charged that by constructing new buildings within 67 metres from the sea coast in the city of Galle the UPFA government has violated its own 100 metre coastal buffer zone rule, more..

Apr 27 (LT) Thirty five people have died in a fatal accident that occurred this morning when a train crashed on to a private bus. The incident happened at Yangalmodera railway crossing at Alawwa. more..

Apr 27 (TP) The new Sri Lankan ambassador to Qatar S B Atugoda says that his top priority is to shift the focus from labour generation to tapping the great potential available in Qatar to promote investment, trade and tourism in Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 27 (TP) Parents of students and past pupils of Ananda and D S Senanayake Colleges in Colombo launched vociferous protests opposite the schools on Monday morning urging the authorities to reinstate the principals now under interdiction, the Daily Mirror said. more..

Apr 27 (TP) Sri Lanka�s first electric car, �Ceylinco REVA�, launched in Colombo on Monday, would initially be imported from Bangalore, India and later assembled in Sri Lanka. Lalith Kotelawala, Chairman of Ceylinco Consolidated � the group involved in the import and local assembly of the car, he said. more..

Apr 27 (AP) Sri Lanka will send 800 soldiers to Haiti as part of its continued commitment to the U.N. peacekeeping efforts there, a military spokesman said Wednesday. The contingent will replace the first one that is completing its six months term, said Brig. Daya Ratnayake. more..

Apr 27 (RW) When Sumitra Sumi heard on December 26 about the tsunami striking several kilometres from her home, she knew her skills would be needed. The 27-year-old mother works in a health centre supported by the Canadian Red Cross and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), more..