Nov 5 (LBO) Finance Minister K N Choksy says the farmer community could loos a hike in fertiliser subsidies and other relief measures slated in the UNF government’s budget for 2004 due the Presidents actions on Tuesday. more..

Nov 5 (LBO) The SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem says his party will back the UNF government only on conditions put forward by his party. Condition include that the Muslims are recognised as a separate and independent participant and that the party’s proposals for an interim administration are considered at peace talks with the LTTE. more..

Nov 5 (SLA) Two Muslim civilians taken away by LTTE from the general area of AKKARAIPATTU failed to come back home, claimed two complaints made to AKKARAIPATTU Police station by their next of kin. more..

Nov 5 (SLA) Troops on duty in the general area of TRINCOMALEE found an unidentified dead body of a young man from the sea-shore on 04 November 2003 around 7.15 a.m. The remains of this young man were delivered to TRINCOMALEE hospital for further investigations. more..

Nov 5 (LBO) A top-rung tourism taskforce is already grouped together to monitor the ongoing political situation and step in with contingency plans in the event of a crisis. “We had a meeting in the trade today and what we have decided for the moment is to allow normal operations to continue. So far there is no serious cause for worry as far as tourism is concerned”, more..

Nov 5 (TN) Tamil and Muslim MPs and the Sinhala nationalist JVP are set to play a key role as frantic efforts by President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s PA and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s UNF to cobble together a majority in Parliament before 19 November gathered momentum in Colombo Wednesday. more..

Nov 5 (TN) Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar, advisor to President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s and former foreign minister, slammed the Liberation Tigers’ proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority at a press conference in Colombo Wednesday to explain his party’s reaction to the LTTE’s suggestions. more..

Nov 5 (SLA) The Sri Lanka Army (SLA), in its humanitarian efforts to help the needy and the sick in the war-affected peninsula, recently launched a mobile Medical Welfare Camp at Malalkadu village in Jaffna. more..

Nov 5 (DJ) Sri Lanka's business chambers Wednesday expressed "deep concern" over the possible economic effects of political turmoil in the country. Nine chambers and business associations in Sri Lanka held a joint meeting earlier Wednesday to discuss the implications of the country's political woes. more..

Nov 5 (TN) The Liberation Tigers wednesday denied reports in Colombo that the A-9 road has been closed. Mr. Daya Master, the Media Co-ordinator of the LTTE told TamilNet that "the A9 road remains open, there is no truth in the reports that we have closed the road".

Nov 5 (TN) The TNA Wednesday urged President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge to respect the verdict of the people at the parliamentary election held in December 2001. “Violation of democratic rules of Governance will inevitably lead to a situation of chaos and anarchy in the whole country,” the TNA said in a press release. more..

Nov 5 (PSL) “The sovereignty of Sri Lanka is not negotiable”, Presidential Adviser Lakshman Kadirgamar told a media briefing today. The SLFP rejecting the recently revealed LTTE proposals in a 14-page document, highlighted areas that affect the sovereignty of the Republic of Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 5 (PSL) “I am specifically authorized by President Kumaratunga to state that the Ceasefire Agreement stands and will stand. There is no question about that”, assured Senior Advisor to the President, Lakshman Kadirgamar speaking to the media today. more..

Nov 5 (AFP) Sri Lanka's tiny stock market plunged a record 15.38 percent Wednesday after President Chandrika Kumaratunga sacked key ministers and triggered a delay in the presentation of the government's budget. more..

Nov 5 (FM) British Prime Minister Tony Blair has voiced concern over the political turmoil in Sri Lanka, where a state of emergency was declared today. It is feared that the ceasefire in the troubled nation's long-running civil war may end. more..

Nov 5 (AFP) Japan, which plays a major role in providing financial support to rebuild war-ravaged Sri Lanka, voiced concern at the political crisis in the country Wednesday after President Chandrika Kumaratunga sacked three ministers and suspended parliament. more..

Nov 5 (BBC) The decision of Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga to impose a state of emergency is the latest incident in the bitter rivalry between here and Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe. more..

Nov 5 (BBC) President Chandrika Kumaratunga gave a televised address on Tuesday explaining her decision to suspend parliament and take control of key areas of Prime Minister Wickramasinghe's government. Here is the text of her address: more..

Nov 5 (DJ) Sri Lanka's planned budget for 2004 will contain reliefs and benefits that will be catered to the low- and middle-income segments of the population, said Finance Minister K.N. Choksy Wednesday. more..

Nov 5 (AFP) India has expressed concern over developments in Sri Lanka where President Chandrika Kumaratunga sacked three ministers and suspended parliament, and urged dialogue to avoid a constitutional crisis. more..

Nov 5 (AFP) England's cricket team will tour Sri Lanka from next week as scheduled despite a state of emergency being declared in the South Asian nation, team officials said. "As far as we are concerned the tour is going on," said England's media manager Andrew Walpole. more..

Nov 5 (AFP) Sri Lanka's government will go ahead with direct talks with Tamil Tiger rebels despite the political crisis following the sacking of three ministers, the top peace negotiator said Wednesday. more..

Nov 5 (BBC) Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has declared a state of emergency in Sri Lanka amid a growing political crisis. The move comes a day after she sacked three ministers, suspended parliament and sent troops on to the streets. more..

Nov 5 (AP) Sri Lanka's political crisis deepened Wednesday when the president declared a state of emergency, but officials insisted she wouldn't restart a bloody 20-year civil war and would honor a shaky cease-fire with Tamil Tiger rebels. more..

Nov 5 (DM) The UNF cabinet and Parliamentary group went into marathon emergency meeting yesterday and decided on a counter strategy, including a motion to impeach President Chandrika Kumaratunga. more..

Nov 5 (AT) The firing by President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Tuesday of three ministers and subsequent declaration of a state of emergency have triggered a major uproar, but even these dramatic events are unlikely to upset the peace process and a 20-month long ceasefire with the LTTE, analysts say. more..

Nov 5 (IANS) Sri Lanka may be inching towards a war no one wants. Rightly or wrongly, President Chandrika Kumaratunga has precipitated a needless political crisis whose only logical outcome will be a resumption of the military conflict in Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 5 (Reuters) President Chandrika Kumaratunga declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, giving herself more powers in a bare-knuckled political fight with the prime minister that is threatening the peace with Tamil rebels. more..

Nov 5 (wsws) President Chandrika Kumaratunga precipitated an acute political crisis yesterday when she used her substantial executive powers to summarily strip three UNF ministers of key responsibilities and prorogue the parliament until November 19. more..

Nov 5 (Reuters) Sri Lanka said on Wednesday there was no timetable for the presentation of island's budget as the country was gripped by a political crisis after the president declared a state of emergency. more..

Nov 5 (AFP) Norway, the official mediator in the Sri Lankan peace process, said Wednesday it was following developments there closely but refrained from commenting on the government's decision to declare a state of emergency. more..

Nov 5 (BBC) Tourism officials in Sri Lanka are downplaying the possible effects of the island nation's political crisis, as an important cricket tour looms. The England team is due in Sri Lanka on 13 November and thousands of fans are expected to arrive both on organised tours and as solo travellers. more..

Nov 5 (AFP) President Chandrika Kumaratunga once said she wanted to scrap the Sri Lankan constitution, which borrows elements from the British, French, US systems, but it has allowed her to deliver a stunning blow to the government. more..

Nov 5 (AFP) Microsoft Corp announced a multi-million dollar tie-up with Sri Lanka, which will provide education and training and see the software giant set up a local subsidiary in the country. The deal, announced with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in town for talks with President George W. Bush, will provide Microsoft investment over a five-year period. more..

Nov 5 (TN) Noting that the present alarming crisis in Sri Lanka is an end result of joint failure by both the opposition (PA) and UNF, the National Peace Council (NPC), a Colombo based Sri Lankan peace group, in a media release issued in Colombo today warned that the "situation of political turmoil will prevent progress being made in the peace process." more..

Nov 5 (AFP) Sri Lanka's minority Muslims who hold the balance of power in parliament Wednesday pledged their support to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe amid a deepening political crisis. more..

Nov 5 (AFP) The White House said Wednesday that it strongly supports democratic institutions in Sri Lanka, just hours before US President George W. Bush meets privately with its prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe. more..

Nov 6 (SMH) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers guerillas are renowned for ruthlessly eliminating their enemies. So it comes as a surprise to learn that the movement has decided to abolish the death penalty. more..

Nov 6 (TN) The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Thursday decided to support the motion of vote of confidence in the UNF government, led by its Prime Minister Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, in Sri Lanka's parliament when it meets after prorogation. more..

Nov 6 (BBC) The Prime Minister, Ranil Wickramasinghe, has held talks in Washington with President George Bush, as his country grapples with a deepening political crisis. After the meeting Mr Wickramasinghe reaffirmed that he had a mandate to bring peace to Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 6 (PSL) President Kumaratunga on 21st of October 2003 sought the opinion of the Supreme Court on two questions: [1] Whether the powers vested in the minister of defence pursuant to the assignment of the subject of defence and the Departments of the Army, Navy and Air Force under Article 44(1) more..

Nov 6 (Island) The President’s move to take over the Ministries of Defence, Interior Affairs and Mass Communication was welcomed by the JVP, which said that it was a strategic and timely move, which would not only protect the national security but also the internal security of the country. more..

Nov 6 (AFP) Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday pledged to sort out the constitutional crisis consuming his country, after emerging from talks with President George W. Bush. more..

Nov 6 (AFP) Switzerland on Wednesday urged the Sri Lankan government and Tamil rebels to hold talks to resolve an escalating political crisis and save the peace process. Switzerland, which is home to the largest foreign community of Sri Lankans in the world - some 30,000 people more..

Nov 6 (AP) Sri Lanka's prime minister received a pledge of support Wednesday from President Bush and dismissed the crisis threatening his government as typical of the "ups and downs" of Sri Lankan politics. more..

Nov 6 (Hindu) The External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, today called on Sri Lankan leaders to resolve differences among themselves through dialogue, even as the country's President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, cancelled her scheduled visit to New Delhi from Friday. more..

Nov 6 (DN) The IUCN Asia Regional conservation Forum will be held at the BMICH Colombo from December 10 to 13. 'Growing Together: Ecosystems and Livelihoods in Asia' is the theme for the upcoming Regional Conservation Forum, a premier event to address sustainable development issues in this dynamic and biodiversity-rich region. more..

Nov 6 (PTI) The MDMK on Wednesday described the declaration of emergency in Sri Lanka by President Chandrika Kumaratunga as an attempt to suppress Tamils in the island republic. more..

Nov 6 (AFP) President George W. Bush on Wednesday praised Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's "leadership," a day after President Chandrika Kumaratunga exploited the premier's absence to ignite a constitutional crisis. more..

Nov 6 (TS) The President, Ms Chandrika Kumaratunga, has called off her visit to New Delhi, earlier scheduled between 7 and 11 November. During the “essentially private” visit, she was scheduled to participate in a High Level Group meeting on “Education for All” beginning on Monday. more..