Nov 22 (DM) Education Minister Karunasena Kodituwakku has directed the principals of National Schools to be on the alert to pre-empt attempts by certain political elements to enrol children in a so-called student organization with ulterior motives. more..

Nov 22 (NK) A Sri Lankan daily has vociferously protested the visit of a top European Union (E.U.) official to this country next week because of his plans to meet Tamil Tigers leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. more..

nov 23 (TN) President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Saturday said she would try her best to unite the two major political parties, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP) despite challenges. more..

Nov 23 (TN) In a recently released book in Tamil, Viduthalai ("Liberation"), Mr. Anton Balasingham, theoretician for LTTE explores in depth theories from ancient philosophers to seek meanings for Human Life, History and Liberation. more..

Nov 23 (TN) Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe Saturday said the current ceasefire agreement with the LTTE should be strengthened to avoid another war. "Negotiated political settlement could be found for the national conflict without war," said Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe more..

Nov 23 (SL) With the peace process on hold and the donor funding precariously poised following President Chandrika Kumaratunga's decision to vest three ministries, it was a case of confusion worst confounded within opposition circles in the midst of all out attempts by different factions to strike deals with the JVP and the government for an alliance. more..

Nov 23 (SL) The government has rejected a demand by the President to allocate two portfolios for members of the People's Alliance as a compromise settlement to the political impasse. The demand was made by the President's nominees appointed to the four member officials committee tasked to arrive at a formula to break the current political deadlock. more..

Nov 23 (Island) The on-going PA-UNF talks aren’t restricted to a way out of the political crisis triggered by President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s disputed decision to take over three key ministries resulting in Norway’s temporary withdrawal from the peace process, more..

Nov 23 (SO) A government proposal in the recent budget to transfer a sum of Rs. 4.5 billion lying in dormant accounts with the Employees' Provident Fund maintained by the Central Bank is very unlikely to materialise as the Central Bank does not have any dormant accounts, more..

Nov 23 (ST) Reports of a non event in Sri Lanka - the declaration of a state of emergency - continue to have its sequel. Media reports worldwide have been overwhelmingly hostile over something President Kumaratunga wanted to but did not do - sign a proclamation under the Public Security Ordinance to invoke emergency rule. more..

Nov 23 (Telegraph) Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga was the wiliest street-fighter in world cricket, so it comes as no surprise to discover he is still as blunt as ever. Taking time out from his new career as a politician, he says "this is the weakest-looking England side he can remember", more..

Nov 23 (TS) SRILANKAN Airlines, which won several coveted awards for its service, has increased frequency of its flights to Malaysia by adding two more beginning this month. The airline’s country manager Prasanna Subasinghe said the increasing demand by tourists from the Middle East and India to visit Malaysia prompted it to add two more direct flights more..

Nov 23 (Independent) Bollywood's hottest young director, Amit Saxena, is filming on location in Colombo, helping to confirm that Sri Lanka's seaside capital is now officially trendy. Since fighting stopped in the civil war between Tamils and Sinhalese, "Coolombo", as it's dubbed, has become the place to be seen. more..

Nov 23 (CI) "You can't get many days like this," I venture, as the harassed Aussie manageress takes a breather before burrowing back into the scrum. She looks back at me with hollow eyes. "Every day is like this," she retorts in the politest possible terms. "And it doesn't get any easier." more..

Nov 23 (SLA) Three soldiers injured due to an accidental discharge of a weapon when they were in an attempt to remove an unauthorized LTTE pandol which constructed across the road hindering the smooth traffic movements on the JAFFNA– PALALY main road on 22 November 2003 evening. more..

Nov 23 (SLA) Two teenaged-conscripted minors fled LTTE and sought protection from troops at MUTTUR, KADDAPARICHCHEN, about 13 km south of TRINCOMALEE on 22 November 2003. These teenagers were abducted and forcibly taken to the LTTE office at TRINCOMALEE town by unknown men on 28 August 2003 more..

Nov 23 (TN) Tamil parliamentarian from the hills, Mr.V. Puthirasikamany, who quit the People's Alliance protesting against the Deepavali day march organized by the PA, spoke in Sri Lanka's parliament using the time allocated to the TNA during the debate on budget, more..

Nov 23 (TN) Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army Saturday night deliberately destroyed a decorated structure constructed by the students and civilians at the Parameswara junction along the Jaffna Palaly trunk road in connection with Great Heroes Day celebration by crashing their heavy vehicle against the structure. more..

Nov 23 (LT) French Navy have expressed its willingness to train SL Navy says Vice Admiral Daya Sandasiri, commander of SL Navy. Vice Admiral Richard Wilmot Sales, Commander of Indian Ocean region who arrived in the battle ship “Mern” has made this offer at a discussion he has had with Commander of SL Navy. more..

Nov 23 (LT) News and special features should be manipulated to prevent the establishment of the alliance between the SLFP and the JVP and to highlight the good points of the budget of the UNF government is a directive sent by Kumar Abeysinghe, former secretary of the Ministry of Mass communication to private electronic media. more..

Nov 23 (Gulf) Tamil guerrillas have begun celebrating the Heroes Week to commemorate the death of their cadres as the armed forces have been given instructions not to hinder the events in government-controlled areas. more..

Nov 23 (Xinhua) The Committee of National Consensus appointed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has agreed that the latter should take charge of the peace process and that the peace talks should proceed without any further delay, more..

Nov 23 (GL) Calling Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s demand to hand back the three Ministries including that of Defense a “toothless” one, the main organ of the LTTE, The Tamil Guardian said , “as time goes on it is becoming increasingly clear that Mr. Wickremesinghe is simply unable to roll back Mrs. Kumaratunga’s constitutional coup.” more..

Nov 23 (IE) Sri Lanka’s tea – famed as some of the world’s best for more than a century, and still the country’s top export earner – now has keen competition from frothy cappuccinos, milky lattes and dark espressos. more..

Nov 23 (UNI) Bolstering its position as a bold overseas player, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has bagged recently the job of setting up of a 300 MW gas based power project in the island nation of Sri Lanka apart from a host of ventures already undreway in West Asia and gulf region. more..

Nov 23 (DH) Inside the Congregational Unitarian Church in Woodstock Saturday, burning incense and candles fused into a sweet patchouli scent, wafting off an altar adorned with fresh flowers and ripe fruit. On the altar sat a 4-foot-tall statue of Buddha, brought to Woodstock by a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka who now calls Cary home. more..

Nov 23 (HD) Serendib Express, one of the youngest but fast growing Sri Lanka’s domestic airlines, received approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka to operate International Cargo operation. more..

Nov 23 (Telegraph) England lost the one-day series in Sri Lanka 1-0 after today's final match was abandoned. Midday sunshine promised better prospects of play than on Friday when heavy overnight rain left areas of the outfield muddy and prevented a ball being bowled in the second game. more..

Nov 23 (AFP) Sri Lanka's sparring president and prime minister have toned down their posturing amid international pressure to revive peace talks with Tamil rebels, political analysts said. more..

Nov 23 (Reuters) Sri Lanka urged government employees on Sunday to take up an offer for voluntary retirement, as the island seeks to make good on budgetary plans to scale back its bloated public sector. more..

Nov 23 (HT) President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who staged a constitutional coup against Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's government on November 4, is still to gain the confidence of the domestic business community and the West, who continue to frown on her. more..

Nov 23 (AFP) At least one soldier was wounded in a shooting in northern Sri Lanka as Tiger rebels honoured more than 17,000 of their war dead, putting new pressures on an already uneasy truce, officials said Sunday. more..

Nov 23 (TN) Tension between civilians and Sri Lanka army troops over arches and decoration for the Great Heroes’ Day continued in Jaffna Sunday. SLA pulled down a hardboard arch that local residents constructed at the Windsor Theatre Junction in Jaffna town Sunday morning. more..

Nov 23 (AP) Government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels -who are in a fragile truce - squabbled in northern Sri Lanka on Sunday after the Tigers set up a ceremonial arch to honor more than 17,500 rebels who died in the country's two-decade civil war. more..

Nov 23 (TS) Sunil is the only thing in the room that isn't moving. His wife, pregnant and due in two weeks, chases the kids, kicking toys across the floor. Five-year-old Deepika teeters on the back of a couch taping a drawing to the wall. more..

Nov 24 (TOO) A four-wicket haul by speedster Amit Bhandari of India A team restricted the visiting Sri Lanka-A team to 243 for eight on the opening day of the three-day cricket match at Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera here yesterday. more..

Nov 24 (TN) President Chandrika Kumaratunga said Sri Lanka’s current crisis cannot be solved even if all parties are brought together because "the malaise runs deep in the country’s body politic," in a speech to businesspersons and academics telecast on state run TV Sunday night. more..

Nov 24 (TS) Politics in the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka is rarely dull. But the developments since 4 November have thrown it into political turmoil, adding further excitement. more..

Nov 24 (TN) The Jaffna University Students Union (JUSU), in a statement released Sunday evening, warned that grave repercussion would follow if the Sinhala dominated Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police continued their hostile activities against Tamil students and civilians in the Jaffna district with the assistance of their quislings. more..

Nov 24 (IL) A high powered delegation comprising some of the top names in the Asia pacific region including Isao Matsuhashi, Executive Director of the Japanese Tourist Board, Robert Bentlley, Director, Sustainable Tourism Development Associates from Madrid, Berger Backam, CEO, more..

Nov 24 (DN) Acting IGP Indra de Silva has issued a communication to Officers-in-Charge of all police stations to prepare a comprehensive list of all known lawbreaker's in their areas to combat the increasing crime rate. more..

Nov 24 (Island) The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) condemns the ten-year Health Sector master plan. Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama, a committee member of the GMOA, addressing a news conference, was vociferously critical about the ten-year Health Sector Master Plan prepared by the Health Ministry jointly with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JAICA) and the World Bank. more..

Nov 24 (VOA) The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration says countless thousands of people in Sri Lanka are putting their lives at risk by using smugglers to help them emigrate to find work abroad. more..

Nov 24 (Sky) Sri Lanka skipper Marvan Atapattu believes his side's 1-0 win in the ODI series will boost their confidence ahead of the three-Test series against England. Atapattu will hand over the captaincy to Test skipper Hashan Tillekeratne after winning the first ODI and seeing the next two games rained off. more..

Nov 24 (AP) Sri Lanka's cricket team captain for the one-day matches, Marvan Atapattu, poses with the winners trophy for the one-day series against England at Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Sri Lanka won the series against England, 1-0. more..

Nov 24 (Independent) Since becoming England's captain in July, Michael Vaughan has been able to get at least one hand on each of the trophies his side have competed for. This run of success came to a soggy and frustrating end here yesterday when England's third and final one-day international against Sri Lanka was abandoned without a ball being bowled. more..

Nov 24 (TS) Mercy Malaysia and the Sri Lanka High Commission will hold a dinner here to raise funds to rebuild homes wiped out during the recent floods in the South Asian country. Sri Lanka High Commissioner Rosy Senanayake said the money would go towards the reconstruction of the village of Deniyaya, south of the country. more..

Nov 24 (Guardian) "I would first like to make them all go a little crazy," Muttiah Muralitharan says as his shy slip of a voice suddenly gives way to a high-pitched giggle. The great Sri Lankan spinner then starts to cackle in mischievous delight as he imagines his English victims slowly losing their minds - and then their wickets. more..

Nov 24 (AT) Bill Waddington, the Tea Man of St. Paul's Highland Park, sipped from the cup of family history on a recent international tea-buying trip. A quest for new and interesting leaves led the modern-day tea merchant to Sri Lanka, where his great-grandfather, Augustus Waddington, had worked in the 1860s, more..

Nov 24 (LBO) The Treasury put away its books on Colombo International School (CIS) Monday, after selling its 49 percent stake for Rs. 86.7 mn to Ceyko Projects Ltd. The sale went through on a Cabinet decision earlier in November to sell the entire minority shareholding in CIS to Ceyko Projects Limited for Rs. 86,729,465. more..