Dec 14 (Reuters) A marathon hundred by captain Michael Vaughan helped England salvage a draw in the second test against Sri Lanka on Sunday. Vaughan resisted over seven hours for his 105 from 333 balls to help England survive a torrid final day, just as they did in the drawn first test in Galle. more..

Dec 14 (AFP) Sri Lanka's squabbling president and prime minister have told their supporters to prepare for a snap election as talks due Monday to end their dispute were unlikely to yield a breakthrough, party sources said. more..

Dec 14 (SLA) A Tamil civilian had been shot dead by an unidentified gunman while he was traveling in a motorcycle in the general area of VAVUNIYA on 13 December 2003 around 8.00 a.m. more..

Dec 14 (SLA) Five Army soldiers were injured following an accidental short ranging of an artillery fire in the general area MADURU OYA Field Firing Range (FFR), about 35 km. southeast of POLONNARUWA on 13 December 2003 around 7.45 a.m. more..

Dec 14 (SLA) On an information received from a fishmonger, troops at VALLAI roadblock in the general area of UDDUPIDDI, about 22 km. northeast of JAFFNA town found an unidentified dead body lying near a scrub on 13 December 2003 morning. more..

Dec 14 (Gulf) The ever increasing government debt continues to remain a heavy burden though the business friendly United Front Government has been taking numerous measures to uplift the island's economy. more..

Dec 14 (IB) Peace negotiations are rarely just about politics. When Tamil Tiger rebels in April halted what had until then been mostly cordial peace talks with the Sri Lankan government, the reasons were economic. more..

Dec 15 (TN) Speaking at the inaugural event of the UNICEF's campaign on child protection in Trincomalee district, UNICEF Child Protection Officer Ms Christina Torsein Saturday appealed to the people to create an environment that ensures children are free from all forms of violence and abuse. more..

Dec 15 (TN) The Trincomalee White Pigeon Technical Institute of Prosthesis Sunday hurriedly organized a mine risk education awareness campaign in the village of Kumburupiddy which is located in the north of Trincomalee district, more..

Dec 15 (TN) TNA parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan Sunday said Tamil people should rally round under one banner to increase their parliamentary strength if the current crisis between Sri Lanka's President and the Prime Minister precipitates a snap election. more..

Dec 15 (TN) "Tamil people are grateful for the services rendered by Professor Mounaguru to the growth of Tamil arts and culture, and it is fitting that we are today celebrating his reaching 60th year," said E.Mounaguruswamy, Government Agent for Batticaloa district more..

Dec 15 (TN) Due to negligence of officials attached to the Valaichenai district secretariat six prospective families in Koralaipattu, Valaichenai in Batticaloa district, lost the opportunity to own houses under the housing lottery scheme run by the Samurdhi Ministry, sources said. more..

Dec 15 (Gulf) Sri Lanka and India have reached an accord on greater defence co-operation to ensure security in the Indian Ocean region, Sri Lanka's Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Lt. Gen. Lionel Balagalle disclosed. more..

Dec 15 (AT) Miracle can only save the country from avoiding a snap poll, but in case the poll is held, it would be the third election within a two-year period, but the second parliamentary general elections, though the present parliamentary term could last up to December 2007. more..

Dec 15 (FT) Sri Lanka believes that its free trade agreement (FTA) with India has resulted in a win-win situation for both. There is no problem with the tea industry on the either side. India’s Tea Board also concurs with the view that Indo-Sri Lanka FTA has not yet been a problem to the domestic industry. more..

Dec 15 (DM) A Norwegian newspaper was quoted as saying that the SLMM chief Tryggve Tellefsen continues in the same position but operating from Oslo, Norway at present. He has expressed his frustration and had observed that he believed President Kumaratunga was trying to exercise greater influence on the peace process. more..

Dec 15 (Island) The UNF wants to end the ongoing power struggle with President Chandrika Kumaratunga before responding to the LTTE’s disputed proposals on the setting up of an Interim Self-Governing Authority. more..

Dec 15 (wsws) The fourth round of talks to resolve the six-week standoff between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the government failed last Wednesday to reach any compromise. As a result, the deadline set by Kumaratunga for a deal on December 15, that is today, appears unlikely to be met. more..

Dec 15 (Guardian) There is much to admire about Nasser Hussain but the former England captain got it badly wrong in the latest Test against Sri Lanka. Whatever he may think about Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling action, for the good of his team and cricket in general he would have been better advised to keep his lips buttoned. more..

Dec 15 (DN) "Prajathanthra", the Movement for social Democracy and Foundation for Freedom of Expression, in a statement issued yesterday condemned the ban on Government advertisements in the State Media as a violation of the fundamental rights of the citizen and the relevant state media organisations. more..

Dec 15 (TN) The 181st birthday of the champion reformer of the Hinduism (Saivaism) Sri Arumugam Navalar falls on 18th December 2003 but the Saivites and Hindu societies in the northeast province in Sri Lanka remembered him by holding his ‘guru pooja’ Sunday (December 14). more..

Dec 15 (TN) Two suspected LTTE men armed with a T-56 weapon robbed a motorcycle worth Rs 66,000/= (US$ 688) on 14 December 2003 at MALKAMPITIYA junction along NAINAKADU Rd, SAMMANTHURAI, a complaint lodged at SAMMANTHURAI Police said. more..

Dec 15 (SLA) Explosion of a grenade inside a house in the general area of SALIYAPURA, about 5 km. north of ANURADHAPURA killed one child and injured three more persons on 14 December 2003 around 11.30 a.m. Circumstances that led to this explosion are still not known. more..

Dec 15 (SLA) A civilian was stabbed at THARANIKULAM, about 9 km. northwest of VAVUNIYA town on 13 December 2003 around 3.00 p.m. by an unidentified person, who was riding a stolen motor bicycle. The victim, S. CHANDRA ANANDAN (29) of No. 139, THARANIKULAM, had received minor injuries. more..

Dec 15 (KT) A rare species of parasitic 11cm long worm was recently extracted from the eye of a Sri Lankan national by doctors at Welcare Hospital. The patient, a technician, arrived at the hospital complaining of redness in the eye, irritation and discomfort. more..

Dec 15 (PTI) The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (DMRC) has been approached by the Government of Sri Lanka for examining the feasibility of metro rail system for Colombo, Minister of State for Urban Development Bandaru Dattatraya informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. more..

Dec 15 (TN) At a press briefing held at the office of the Thamileelam Police at Pallai Sunday morning, Head of the Financial Division of the LTTE, Mr. Thamilenthi, announced that a list of essential materials would be exempted from tax with effect from January 1st next year, more..

Dec 15 (Reuters) Stocks closed at their lowest level in more than three months on Monday on selling in the two largest listed stocks, as political uncertainty caused by a feud between the island's president and prime minister weighed. more..

Dec 15 (MO) SURVIVAL expert Gareth Batty believes all the pressure is on Sri Lanka for the final Test of the three-match series beginning later this week. more..

Dec 15 (OW) The US is championing the rights of the Muslim minority in Sri Lanka, where a new registry by nongovernmental organization, the Muslim Rights Organization (MRO), alleges LTTE rebels have forcibly occupied 62,000 acres of land belonging to 14,674 Muslims in the Eastern province. more..

Dec 15 (TT) They are looking for nirvana by practicing the teachings of Buddhism. The religion, or philosophy, is more than 2,500 years old, yet a new wave of curious thinkers is wandering into dharma centers and temples in the Inland Northwest at a steady pace as people latch on to the beliefs of Gautama Siddhartha, known as Buddha. more..

Dec 15 (BT) Tri Star Apparel Exports and Hidramani have confirmed their participation from Sri Lanka at the largest apparel trade show "Magic" to be held in February 2004 in Las Vegas. more..

Dec 15 (HT) Perhaps for the first time in history, India and the Sri Lankan Muslims are coming together politically. No doubt, Sri Lankan Muslims have had centuries of religious, cultural, linguistic and trade contacts with India through Tamil Nadu and Kerala. But there has been no known political contact in the past. more..

Dec 15 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's feuding leaders agreed on Monday to press on with talks aimed at reaching a compromise on how to share power and restart a peace process with Tamil rebels despite the passing of a deadline for a deal. more..

Dec 15 (LT) Tomorrow (15th) all members of Health Sector Trade Union Alliance (HSTUA) will apply sick leave and join an agitation opposite the Parliament says HSTUA. more..

Dec 15 (TN) Miss Arunothini Arulsubramaniam of Trincomalee has received a prestigious award from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Ruud Lubbers, at the Geneva Headquarters on 5th December 2003 for Promotion of Gender Equality and Empowerment of Refugee women. more..

Dec 15 (TN) The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Sri Lanka is to open its Trincomalee Regional Field Office on December 17th morning. The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr.Jeffery Lunstead, will declare open the office, which is located at Kings Garden in Trincomalee town, USAID sources said. more..

Dec 15 (BBC) England have saved another Test match successfully but it hasn't only been Michael Vaughan and his men attempting to save things here in Kandy. In fact, whether in the cheap seats, the pavilion stand or even in the hills around the ground, there are plenty of people trying to save their rupees. more..

Dec 16 (TN) Members of LTTE led by Batticaloa-Amparai district Head of Political section, E.Kausalyan, met with a delegation from Sri Lanka's Special Task Force (STF) led by Senior Police Officer Upul Seneviratne in Akkaraipattu, in Amparai district Monday between 10am and 12noon, more..

Dec 16 (TN) The Amban hospital and agrarian services centre in southeast Jaffna, which the Sri Lanka army handed back to the public last month, continue to remain derelict inside the military’s high security zone in the area, residents said. Mr. R. Rajathurai, more..

Dec 16 (TN) The newly formed Kottiayarapattu People's (Farmers') Company Limited in the Trincomalee district was officially inaugurated Monday at a special event held at the provincial guesthouse auditorium in Uppuveli, a suburb of Trincomalee town. more..

Dec 16 (TN) Torre des homes (TDH), the International Volunteer Organization, donated medical equipment to the Baby care unit of the Maternity Section at the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital Monday, sources said. more..

Dec 16 (LT) TNA has decided to vote against the allocations of the Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry which the President took over a few weeks ago. The peace process was weakened as a result of the President taking over these ministries and if the peace talks are to commence these ministries have to be handed back to the government says the TNA. more..

Dec 16 (Telegraph) James Kirtley, England's only specialist fast bowler in the last Test against Sri Lanka, could be drawn into another chucking controversy just before the final Test in Colombo following a request by the match referee, Clive Lloyd, to see footage of Kirtley before remedial work on his bowling action in 2002 led to him being cleared. more..

Dec 16 (DN) The Sasana Sevaka Society of the Bhikkhu Training Centre, Maharagama expressing its concern at what it called "extreme suspicious" circumstances under which the death of Most Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thera had occurred in St. Petersburg, Russia, more..

Dec 16 (LBO) The United States on Tuesday pledged US$ 160,000 to develop six fishing societies along the Eastern coast from Pottuvil to Batticaloa. The project aims to uplift the livelihoods of around 5,200 fisherman and family members, more..

Dec 16 (LBO) Commercial Bank’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM) network disbursed a record Rs 300 million over the three-day weekend in December, the bank said this week. more..

Dec 16 (LBO) By end November this year, 445,000 tourists flocked into the country and hotels were running out of rooms, as Sri Lanka inched closer to the elusive half a million target. more..

Dec 16 (LBO) A new 210 unit, 21 floor apartment complex is in the making under a Rs. 5 bn Board of Investment (BOI) venture between Hong Kong based Sunshine (Far East) Ltd. and Premier Pacific in Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 16 (TN) "Neither the Central Bank of Sri Lanka nor the Ministry of Finance of Government of Sri Lanka has given approval for the functioning of the Tamil Eelam Bank, several branches of which are located in the Liberation Tigers controlled areas," said UNF government’s Finance Minister, Mr.K.N.Choksy, more..