May 24 (NDTV) U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage will attend an international donor conference in Tokyo next month to raise money for the reconstruction of Sri Lanka, the U.S. Embassy said Saturday. more..

May 24 (NDTV) Pryadarshani Malkanthi came here two years ago seeking a better life.What she found was a nightmare. Made to work long hours for hardly any pay, forced to listen to damning accusations against her, and forbidden to speak to anyone outside of the household environment, Malkanthi lived the life of a slave. more..

May 24 (Reuters) Sri Lanka geared on Saturday to treat the sick among nearly 180,000 people affected by floods and landslides in the island's south as floodwaters receded. The worst rains in half a century killed more than 260 people and hundreds were being treated for diarrhoea, scabies, and respiratory illnesses a week after the disaster. more..

May 24 (Reuters) President Chandrika Kumaratunga has rejected calls by the Tamil Tigers to set up an interim body to inject life into a stalled peace bid and said the government was unprofessional in dealing with the rebels. more..

May 24 (HNS) Maldives has given relief aid to Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the torrential rains which have caused extensive damage, the President’s Office said. The government gave a contribution of three million Sri Lankan Rupees as relief aid to Sri Lanka, the President’s Office said in a press release. more..

May 24 (DM) The main Opposition People's Alliance yesterday warned Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that President Chandrika Kumaratunga would use her executive powers to prevent any moves by him to grant the LTTE's demand for a interim administration beyond the parameters of the constitution. more..

May 25 (TN) The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has suspended its construction work on new camps at Jaffna Fort, Mallakam old railway station and court buildings and at Chunnakam junction, civilian sources in Jaffna said. more..

May 25 (TN) The Consortium of Trincomalee District Non-Governmental Associations Saturday appealed to its member organizations to channel all relief materials collected in the district through it to the victims of recent flood in the south of the country. more..

May 25 (SO) The Ministry of Education on Friday ordered that all schools in the Matara District be closed for an indefinite period. The order comes in the wake of an outbreak of diarrhoea in the district following the devastation caused by the floods. more..

May 25 (Island) The JVP yesterday played down reports that it was pushing for the powerful position of secretary of a new alliance with the SLFP which sources from both parties said was nearing finality. more..

May 25 (HT) In a move which will further internationalise the Sri Lankan conflict, a British military consultant to the Sri Lankan government, Gen. Sir Michael Rose, has recommended that Sri Lanka get an international team, preferably from the European Union (EU), to "supervise" the peace process, more..

May 25 (AFP) Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga's party was making its first major step towards toppling the cohabitation government by forming an alliance with Marxists, party officials said Sunday. more..

May 25 (AFP) A Norwegian peace envoy arrived here in a bid to revive Sri Lanka's stalled peace bid, two days after President Chandrika Kumaratunga slammed Norway and Japan over their efforts to get the talks back on track, diplomats said. more..

May 26 (LBO) The lawmakers are starting to take the mushrooming finance and investment companies seriously. A high-powered committee looking at financial sector reforms is now trying to widen the regulatory net to cover all companies collecting public funds. more..

May 26 (TN) The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), a constituent of the UNF government, Sunday declared that it would wholeheartedly support the interim council proposal put forward by the LTTE, CWC said in a press release. more..

May 26 (TN) More than a century old St Lourdes’ Mother Shrine in Palaiootu village, about two km. off west of Trincomalee town Sunday celebrated its annual festival. A large number of devotees attended the festival, which commenced on May 16 with flag hoisting ceremony, sources said. more..

May 26 (TN) The remote villages in the Trincomalee district have not been provided with proper medical facilities and people undergo untold hardships in getting prompt medical treatment, said TNA parliamentarian Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham more..

May 26 (TN) Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader and a minister in the UNF Government Mr.Rauff Hakim Sunday left for Norway. Meanwhile Norwegian special envoy Mr. Erik Solheim arrived in Colombo the same day, government sources said. more..

May 26 (PTI) Petroleum Minister Ram Naik will leave tomorrow on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka to launch State owned Indian Oil Corporation's maiden entry into the country's petrol and diesel retail market. more..

May 26 (SLA) Three civilians, who went for firewood cutting on three bicycles have been abducted from the general area of 118 Km POST at BATTICALOA on 25 May 2003 by a group of armed LTTE men and later released after detaining their bicycles. more..

May 26 (SLA) An LTTE member (22), who gave up LTTE has approached the VAVUNATHIVU Army camp, about 6 km southwest of BATTICALOA on 25 May 2003 seeking protection and safety. The LTTE member, who joined the LTTE on 27 May 1997 was from KAYATHIRA, KIRAMA, THIRUKKOVIL and belonged to the LTTE batch no.33. more..

May 26 (SLA) On information given by some parents to the effect that a group of LTTE cadres were using three Internal Communication Sets (ICOM) inside a private tuition class on 25 May 2003 around 5.00 p.m. in the general area of NELLIADY, about 5 km southeast of POINT PEDRO, the Police was dispatched to the location for investigations. more..

May 26 (SLA) An assistant of the Canter (42-6093) lorry, who was abducted by the LTTE on 22 May 2003 around 9.00 a.m. from the general area of WILGAMVEHERA, about 9 km northwest of TRINCOMALEE town has managed to escape from the LTTE camp and returned home after three days. more..

May 26 (Jang) Expo Aviation is the very first airline in Sri Lanka to be certified as an Airline Operator under International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidelines, said a press release here on Saturday. more..

May 26 (GL) Tamil plantation workers account for 8% of Sri Lanka's population. Their ancestors were brought to the island from India by the British in the 19th Century to work in the tea, coffee and rubber estates. more..

May 26 (Hindu) The President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, has ruled out giving the LTTE an interim council outside the Constitution and warned that she would sack the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration if it did so before the Tigers agree to decommission arms and accept a political settlement. more..

May 26 (DOI) The Government has decided to resume construction work on the Colombo-Katunayake expressway which has been temporarily halted due to the lack of funds. Chairman of the Road Development Authority (RDA) T.A.G Gunasekere said that they will adopt a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) system to complete the expressway. more..

May 26 (DOI) Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has given directives to reconstruct the Lankagama Primary School, Deniyaya, which has been completely destroyed by the recent floods. more..

May 26 (DM) In one of the most daring assassinations, exposing the weakness of the security arrangements in Colombo, Southern Provincial Minister M.K. Ranjith alias 'Chandi Malli' was shot dead last morning as he was leaving the CID office in Fort. more..

May 26 (PSL) President Kumaratunga is to felicitate Dr. P.R. Anthonis, in recognition of his uninterrupted service as Chancellor of the University of Colombo for 22 years. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and several eminent guests will be present at the President’s House, on May 28, to honour the multifaceted personality Dr P R Anthonis. more..

May 26 (DOI) Erik Solheim, the Norwegian Special Envoy arrived in Colombo yesterday to revive the stalled peace talks. This will be the third attempt by the Norwegians within two weeks to urge the LTTE to re-enter peace talks and to ensure their participation at the Tokyo Donor Conference. more..

May 26 (DN) Colombo High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya directed the Court registrar to lodge a complaint with the CID asking it to ascertain how the 126 grams of heroin kept in a sealed unit has been missing from the court production room. more..

May 26 (Island) Doleswelakande, in the Nivitigala electorate, is one of the worst affected of hamlets. This hamlet has been out of reach for several days. The villagers marooned there for days were starving without food and drinking water. more..

May 26 (DJ) Sri Lanka and India are expected to soon ink an agreement for a proposed passenger ship service between the two countries, an Indian government official said Monday. more..

May 26 (Reuters) The worst rains to hit Sri Lanka in half a century killed hundreds of people and will also cut into tea, rice and rubber output, industry officials said on Monday. more..

May 26 (OW) Thousands of Sri Lankans, particularly Muslims, eager to return home after over a decade of ethnic strife, can't take possession of their properties due to archaic laws, squatters and the fear of LTTE rebels. more..

May 26 (Reuters) Stocks edged lower on Monday on weaker blue chips as investors were concerned about domestic politics and the impact of floods on the economy. The key Colombo all-share index closed down a provisional 0.30 percent, or 2.54 points, more..

May 26 (Reuters) Sri Lanka and Norway launched on Monday what is expected to be the last effort to persuade Tamil Tiger rebels to attend a donor conference to raise aid to rebuild the island after two decades of civil war. more..

May 26 (AFP) A Norwegian peace envoy was locked in talks with Sri Lankan leaders in a bid to salvage the island's stalled peace process, official sources and diplomats said. more..

May 26 (PTI) The Sri Lankan government today offered greater powers to Tamil Tiger rebels over reconstruction work in war-ravaged areas of the northeast in a bid to break the impasse in peace talks. more..

May 23 (LBO) A pilot project to mine Sri Lanka’s seabed off the Western coast for offshore sand to sustain a flagging construction industry, has gone up for Treasury approval. Spearheaded by the Coast Conservation Department of the Fisheries Ministry, the initial project cost to the tune of US$ 5 mn, is to be funded by the Dutch Government. more..

May 27 (AP) In a bid to increase bilateral trade, joint ventures and investments, over 100 companies across diverse sectors of domestic industry are showcasing their latest technologies in the 'Made in India Show' in Sri Lanka, being organised by India's apex Chamber Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) from May 27-31 at Colombo. more..

May 27 (TN) The Jaffna University Students Union Monday decided to hold an upsurge movement in the peninsula, demanding the UNF government to fully implement the ceasefire agreement that the UNF signed with the LTTE, sources said. more..

May 27 (TN) The first De-mining Awareness Exhibition in Jaffna district for school students and public was declared open by UNICEF official Mr.B.Hanock at Chavakachcheri Hindu College in Jaffna district Monday morning. more..

May 27 (TN) The Sinhala hardliner Marxist JVP Monday declared that it would go all out to thwart the attempt by the UNF government to grant interim administration for the north east as demanded by the LTTE, sources in Colombo said. more..

May 27 (TN) Mr.R.Sampanthan Monday sent a letter to the Prime Minister urging him to act with “adequate clarity and certainty the commitment as stated in his 2001 general election manifesto that an Interim Administration will be set up for the northeast province and such a step will strengthen and consolidate the peace process.” more..

May 27 (TN) "Ruling parties in Sri Lanka have consistently described us as terrorists to the people of the South. We are only fighting to regain our rights, secession is not our main objective," said Anbarasan, head of political section of the LTTE more..

May 27 (SLA) Two LTTE men have set fire to a temporary rest room, built by Police at the PASIKUDAH beach in the general area of KALKUDAH on 25 May 2003 night. One of these LTTE men has been identified as RAJINI from PETHALE, KALKUDAH, according to the Police. more..

May 27 (SLA) The dead body of a soldier who went missing from 8.45 p.m. on 26 May 2003 while he was on duty in the general area of THANANKILAPPU, about 5 km. southwest of CHAVAKACHCHERI has been found this morning (27 May) from the general jungle area of THANANKILAPPU. more..

May 27 (PSL) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II sent a message of condolence yesterday, to the victims of the recent floods in Sri Lanka. The message reads, “We are shocked to learn of the terrible flooding which has afflicted Sri Lanka. Our thoughts are with those who have been bereaved, and those who are suffering as a result of this disaster.” more..