May 6 (DN) The three member committee appointed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to probe the spate of killing of Army informants will meet Inspector General of Police T. E. Anandarajah this morning prior to finalising their report. more..

May 6 (DM) Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday appointed a high powered committee to probe the allegations of corruption against some ministers of his government. The Committee appointed during the Working Committee meeting at Sirikotha will be chaired by Power and Energy Minister Karu Jayasuriya more..

May 6 (PRIU) In the wake of the slaying of another member of its party on Saturday, the fourth in as many weeks, the EPDP head has written a three page letter to the President. Douglas Devananda has bitterly complained to the President that the lives of his members are at grave risk. more..

May 6 (Dawn) The LTTE has submitted to the Norwegian Embassy a proposal for four amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Lankan government. more..

May 6 (AFP) Norwegian peace brokers are seeking to bridge a gulf in perceptions in Sri Lanka, as donors try to woo Tamil rebels back to negotiations with the prospect of massive aid in exchange for ending their war on the government. more..

May 6 (PTI) Asserting that India had a crucial role to play in the success of Sri Lankan peace talks, Norway has said that New Delhi's warning that the dialogue would be a long haul is proving true. more..

May 6 (IANS) Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Tuesday emphasised Sri Lanka's commitment to peace while saying that his government was looking to India for support on security issues related to the Tamil Tigers. more..

May 6 (Reuters) India and Sri Lanka are seeking a broad economic deal to free up services such as tourism and aviation and pave the way towards possibly sharing electricity, officials from both sides said on Tuesday. more..

May 6 (HNS) President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and First Lady Nasreena Ibrahim arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday on an official visit at the invitation of President Chandrika Kumaratunga. more..

May 6 (AP) Sri Lanka's injured bataman Marvan Atapattu defied medical advice and went into bat Tuesday in the second test against New Zealand, but could only manage 10 minutes at the crease before retiring hurt. more..

May 6 (TN) Japan’s special envoy to Sri Lanka, Mr. Yashushi Akashi held discussions with Tamils and Muslims in Muttur and with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and the Peace Committee in Batticaloa Tuesday. more..

May 6 (TN) An operative of the paramilitary, Razeek Group, was wounded in a grenade attack Monday night in Batticaloa town, Police said. The wounded operative is employed as a soldier of the Sri Lanka army’s National Guard (SLNG). more..

May 6 (HT) The Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, told parliament on Tuesday that Vice Admiral (Rtd) PJ Jacob, former Vice Chief of the Indian Navy, would be advising the Sri Lankan government on issues relating to the ceasefire in the sea. more..

May 6 (AFP) Sri Lanka called for a "road map" for ending the island's drawn-out ethnic conflict amid stepped-up international diplomacy to revive stalled talks with Tamil Tiger rebels. more..

May 6 (HT) The Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has assured parliament that his government will consult all political parties on the question of devolving power to settle the ethnic conflict in the country. more..

May 6 (HT) The Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament today that the international community is putting pressure on the LTTE to abandon its boycott of the peace talks, which, it had announced on April 21. more..

May 6 (AP) Skipper Hashan Tillakaratne fell seven runs short of a century and Sri Lanka finished seven runs shy of New Zealand's first innings total as the second test headed for draw on the penultimate day. more..

May 6 (ABC) Sri Lankan troops have found a boat packed with explosives off the island's northern Jaffna peninsula. Security forces found the abandoned boat following information from local residents. more..

May 6 (CW) Sri Lankan women's cricket made the sports pages internationally for a short while at the end of March. The story of the "Three women cricketers gone missing" started in the March 27 edition of Colombo's "Daily News" and found its way to the mainstream wire services. It was, of course, a distortion. more..

May 7 (UNI) Sri Lanka proposes to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state government for joint tourism promotion, taking into account the huge potential in the region, Sri Lanka's Tourism Ministry Secretary P Ramanujam said today. more..

May 7 (Hindu) SriLankan Airlines is in the process of repositioning itself with more destinations and focusing on high revenue yielding traffic, according to its chairman, Daya Pelpola. more..

May 7 (Hindu) Sri Lanka today sought yet another Indian input to Sri Lanka's peace process with the sensitive issue of the balance of forces between its Navy and the LTTE referred to the retired Vice-Chief of Naval Staff, P.J. Jacob. more..

May 7 (Island) An EPDP delegation on Monday met the Norwegian Ambassador and special envoy Erik Solheim to report the LTTE activities against their members which have so far claimed around five lives after signing the MoU since February 22 last year. more..

May 7 (LBO) Sampath Bank said Tuesday it has finalised a negotiations and due diligence study to recapitalise and restructure Union Bank. Sampath said its was infusing Rs. 600 mn to Rs. 700 mn to bail out the troubled Union Bank. more..

May 7 (SLA) Soldiers on routine patrol in the general area of TALLADI, about 5 km. south of MANNAR had come across a dead body of a male washed ashore on 06 May 2003 around 11.30 a.m. MANNAR Police are making investigations.

May 7 (SLA) Two bakeries and a few shops in the general area of TOPPUR, about 17 km. southwest of TRINCOMALEE had been looted by an unidentified group on 05 May 2003. However the Police had managed to arrest one person on suspicion in connection with incident. TOPPUR Police are making inquiries.

May 7 (SLA) The Fiber Glass Boat with several items which had been forcibly taken away by armed LTTE cadres had been handed over to its owner by the LTTE on 05 May 2003 around noon in the general area of UPPARU Beach, about 13 km. south of TRINCOMALEE. more..

May 7 (TN) The Chairman of the Consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations, Mr.T.Thavasilingam, said that there was an urgent need for rehabilitating all infrastructure destroyed in the twenty-year-old war in the northeast province simultaneously with the resettlement of internally displaced persons. more..

May 7 (TN) The Japanese special peace envoy Mr.Yasushi Akashi arrived Killinochchi Wednesday morning by a special helicopter of the Sri Lanka Air Force to meet leaders of the LTTE and was received by deputy political secretary of the LTTE Mr.S.Thangan, sources in Vanni said. more..

May 7 (PSL) President Chandrika Kumaratunga has sent a congratulatory message to Prof. Malik Peiris a Sri Lankan scientist, who led a medical team that first discovered the SARS virus. The President says that the international acclaim he has earned in connection to this most important discovery in health science in recent times, has done Sri Lanka proud. more..

May 7 (IL) The World Bank has allocated Rs. 1000 million for the development of 80 selected schools in the North and East. This programme is implemented under the Second General Education Project (GEP2). more..

May 7 (IL) Parallel to various programmes conducted by one hundred and eighty countries commemorating the international Red Cross Day, Red Cross Society of Sri Lanka has taken steps to launch various programmes symbolizing peace throughout the country including the North an East from May 8 to 31. more..

May 7 (DN) Several areas in the city and suburbs went under water yesterday amid heavy rains accompanied by strong winds. The heavy downpour which lasted nearly two hours inundated several main roads leading to Colombo bringing traffic to a halt. more..

May 7 (DM) Reiterating the SLMC's position regarding the peace process, SLMC leader and Minister Rauff Hakeem has sought the intervention of Norwegian peace facilitators to persuade the LTTE to accede to a demand by the Muslims for separate representation at peace talks. more..

May 7 (Reuters) Muttiah Muralitharan has taken his 450th test wicket and a five-wicket haul for a world record 37th time as Sri Lanka bowled out New Zealand for 183 on the final day of the second test. more..

May 7 (Reuters) Stocks ended at seven-month highs on Wednesday, fuelled by optimism a peace process with Tamil Tiger rebels could be restarted and by expectations of solid corporate results. The key Colombo all-share index closed up 1.11 percent, or 9.29 points, at 848.62, a level last seen in October 2002. more..

May 7 (DJ) The World Bank said Wednesday it has approved a $39.8 million grant to Sri Lanka that will fund a project to provide better access to drinking water and sanitation. The project is expected to benefit over 900 villagers in the war-battered north and east of the country, more..

May 7 (GD) President Chandrika Kumaratunga ordered Sri Lanka's military to protect political opponents of Tamil Tiger rebels, who are accused of killing suspected government informants and other foes. more..

May 7 (Dawn) High Commissioner of Sri Lanka General C. S. Weerasooriya has said that the framework for free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries has been signed and now the details are being worked out. more..

May 7 (AP) A senior US official will visit Sri Lanka next week for bilateral talks, including on the stalled peace process between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tiger rebels, a US official said on Wednesday. more..

May 7 (AFP) President Chandrika Kumaratunga has blamed the "international community" for the impasse in the island's peace bid with Tamil Tiger rebels. The president's spokesman Harim Peiris said Kumaratunga believed the cohabitation government was misguided in counting on an "international safety net." more..

May 7 (HT) The President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, feels that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's faith in the ability of the "international safety net" to prevent the LTTE from partitioning Sri Lanka is misplaced. more..

May 7 (AP) Chasing 191 runs in 38 overs to clinch the series, Sri Lanka ambled to 72 for one before stumps Wednesday as the second test against New Zealand ended in a draw. Ace spinner Muttiah Muralitharan snared five wickets to raise Sri Lanka's hopes of clinching a dramatic triumph, more..

May 7 (TN) “Participation of the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE in the International Aid conference to be held in Tokyo next month is crucial for obtaining much needed funds to develop both LTTE controlled areas in the Northeast and Sri Lanka south. more..

May 7 (AP) Sri Lanka A all-rounder Kaushalya Weeraratne snared six wickets as Pakistan crumbled to 187 all out Wednesday in the rain-interrupted tour match in Colombo. Weeraratne returned 6-18 to contain the Pakistanis, more..

May 7 (PTI) Tamil Tigers, who suspended Norwegian-brokered peace talks with the Sri Lankan government, today said they could come back to the negotiating table if the government took some "positive action" this week. more..

May 7 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's biggest aid donor Japan said on Wednesday it had not been able to convince the island's Tamil Tiger rebels to return to the negotiating table but added efforts had not ended. more..

May 7 (AFP) Japan's special envoy Yasushi Akashi said he failed to end a deadlock in peace process despite talks with the top leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels. Akashi said Wednesday that he tried to persuade the LTTE to end their boycott of Norwegian-backed peace talks, but failed to secure an immediate agreement from them. more..

May 7 (AP) Right-handed batsman Mahela Jayawardena has been named Sri Lanka's vice captain for the upcoming tri-nation limited-overs tournament starting Saturday, a cricket official said. Chief selector Lalith Kaluperuma said Wednesday that a 15-member squad has been named for the tournament also featuring Pakistan and New Zealand. more..

May 8 (TN) Defence minister Mr.Tilak Marapone Wednesday said his government has decided to relocate about one hundred fifty two Sri Lanka Army units in the northeast province and the relocation would take place in a manner that will not endanger the national security of the country, more..