July 20 (TP) Sri Lanka’s government has prepared an agenda to revive stalled peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels and was awaiting a response from the guerrillas, President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s office said yesterday. more..

July 20 (AT) What is happening to the direct broadcast of programs transmitted by the London based Tamil Broadcasting Corporation? Usually the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation daily use to broadcast them live? Since 17th Saturday, the direct broadcast has not been relayed through the SLBC? more..

July 20 (AT) The Indian government has provided a loan of 250 million dollars to Sri Lanka. 100 million out this amount will be spent for the development of rural areas and highways. more..

July 20 (AT) LTTE is always prepared to face a war in case the Government of Sri Lanka would disrupt the present peaceful climate in our country and thrust a war on us,” said S. Paramu Thamilchelvan head of the Political Division of the Tamil rebel outfit. more..

July 20 (AT) Democratic Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is the name finalized by Muralitharan Venayagamoorthy alias Colonel Karuna Amman’s group for the new political party for which they have already made necessary legal arrangements to launch shortly. more..

July 20 (LBO) Ports and Aviation Minister Mangala Samaraweera will tackle enforcement of several security deals with the US while in Washington this week. The Minister is on a five-day visit to Washington to attend the International Summit on Aviation Safety and Security hosted by the George Washington University Aviation Institute. more..

July 20 (LBO) State petroleum giant Ceypetco is lobbying Treasury officials to up fuel prices in July and hold it steady for about three months thereafter to allow consumers to absorb the shock. more..

July 20 (LBO) The telecom industry could see a major shift in policy, with the Minister hinting of a technology neutralized licensing regime. Post & Telecommunication Minister D M U Jayaratner told an initiative was under way to remove the technology restrictions in current telecom licenses to cut back on waiting lists and speed up technology roll out in rural areas. more..

July 20 (TN) Japanese Government funded new Intensive Care Unit (ICU)was opened at the Kilinochchi Hospital Tuesday, sources from Vanni said. Dr. Yugi Miahara from the Economic Division of the Japanese Embassy unveiled the name plate and opened the new building during the opening ceremony. more..

July 20 (SLA) Relatives of an LTTE detained Muslim firewood cutter from KORONGUPANCHAN in TRINCOMALEE area were forced to buy and deliver ten bags of cement to the LTTE in exchange of release of the firewood cutter. more..

July 20 (SLA) The normalcy in the eastern township of KINNIYA, about 10 km southwest of TRINCOMALEE town came to a virtual standstill on Monday, after Muslim civilians in KINNIYA and its suburbs declared a day of protest (hartal) against LTTE atrocities being perpetrated on Muslims. more..

July 20 (SLA) A member of Tamil clergy carrying one 7.60 x 39 mm live round of ammunition was apprehended at MAHINDAPURA Entry/Exit point, about 33 km southeast of TRINCOMALEE town on 19 July 2004 around 10.30 a.m. while he was on a state bus proceeding towards MUTTUR from VERUGAL area. more..

July 20 (SLA) Two women devotees were killed, one Buddhist monk and two other devotees were badly injured when an unidentified motor cyclist threw a hand grenade at them during observance of religious rites inside a temple in the general area of CHADAYANTALAWA in AMPARA area on 19 July 2004 around 7.30 p.m. more..

July 20 (SLA) The foundation stone of the proposed Court Complex in JAFFNA, which was removed on Saturday (17) by an alleged Students Organization, believed to be an organ of the LTTE was re-laid by the Police on 18 July 2004 around 5.00 p.m.

July 20 (SLA) A group of about 12 LTTE men in civvies were seen constructing a fence about 35 m. ahead of the existing LTTE fence at the Forward Defence Line (FDL) at NAGAR KOVIL on 19 July 2004 around 5.45 a.m. This has been observed by troops on duty in the area. more..

July 20 (AP) The government said on Tuesday it will compensate more than 900 victims of violence committed against ethnic Tamils more than 20 years ago that sparked Sri Lanka's civil war. The move comes amid fears that a fragile ceasefire could soon break down and plunge the country back into the civil strife that followed the 1983 riots, more..

July 20 (KT) The Sri Lankan Consul-General in Dubai, P.D. Fernando, has assured that he will enforce stringent administrative measures in the future to safeguard the interest of Sri Lankan workers in the UAE, particularly those working in garment factories. more..

July 20 (IANS) India Monday extended to Sri Lanka two credit lines totalling $250 million to repair and improve the island's highways and to offset the impact of the rise in world oil prices. more..

July 20 (TP) The Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), citing increasing instances of attacks on Sri Lankans who make complaints of torture against the police, has urged the government and the judiciary to take action to protect victims and complainants. more..

July 20 (TP) The administrator and his wife of a top children’s care centre in Sri Lanka have been arrested over allegations of child abuse and remanded by a Colombo judge. Newspapers said the director of the SOS Village and his wife were sent to jail till July 23 when the case comes up again. more..

July 20 (Reuters) Sri Lanka will allow telecoms operators to offer both fixed-line and mobile services under a new licence aimed at expanding services to rural areas and reducing waiting lists for lines, officials said on Tuesday. more..

July 20 (IANS) After her first award-winning film "Khamosh Pani" (Silent Waters), Pakistani director Sabiha Sumar is scripting an India-Sri Lanka thriller. The film is set against the ongoing civil war in the island nation and its connections in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, more..

July 20 (OW) After battling nearly two decades of severe illnesses, 20,000 residents of six islands in northern Sri Lanka will finally get access to medical help courtesy a United Nations initiative to resume an ambulance boat service to the mainland. more..

July 20 (UNI) Indian coach John Wright today described the 12-run defeat at the hands of hosts Sri Lanka as a "great wake up" call for his side and hoped that the team will repeat the performance of World Cup and Pakistan series in the Indian Oil Asia Cup, which will enter second phase after a gap of two days. more..

July 20 (BBC) Sri Lanka's Asia Cup hopes are being hampered by illness with three players suffering from flu. Captain Marvan Atapattu, Tillakaratne Dilshan and bowler Chaminda Vaas are struggling to be fit for the super league match against Pakistan. more..

July 20 (AT) The Sri Lanka Government is awaiting to prepare the agenda for the recommencement of the peace process. President Chandrika Kumaratunga said that the government is looking forward the response of the LTTE in this regard. more..

July 20 (AT) The chief incumbent of the Sambodhirukkaramaya in Uhana, in the Ampara district, venerable Namalthalave Devananda thero was seriously injured and two female devotees were killed in a bomb attack on the Viharaya around 7.00 pm yesterday. more..

July 20 (AT) National State Assembly the unicameral Parliament of Sri Lanka is currently debating a motion on the media. Presenting the motion, opposition UNP member Lakshman Seneviratne said that the state media were currently engaged in a smear campaign against members of parliament. more..

July 20 (DN) The Cultural Affairs and National Heritage Ministry will shortly enforce new regulations to prevent foreigners from purchasing land and houses within sites declared as World Heritage Monuments. more..

July 20 (HT) Stepping up efforts to bring peace in the island nation, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse said he has no objection if India plays a pivotal role in the peace talks between his government and the rebel LTTE. more..

July 20 (AFP) Sri Lanka's government has prepared an agenda to revive stalled peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels and was awaiting a response from the guerrillas, President Chandrika Kumaratunga's office has said. more..

July 20 (TOI) India is all set to intensify its engagement with Sri Lanka once again. But this time it’s not just because of the complex security situation there, but also to try and neutralise the increasing influence of Pakistan and US in the strategically located island nation, say officials. more..

July 20 (HT) At a time when wearing the purdah (hijab) in schools is a major issue in some western countries, and a country like France has even banned it, the Sri Lankan government has decided to supply free cloth to Muslim students to enable them to make purdahs out of it. more..

july 21 (CI) After defeating India on Sunday, Marvan Atapattu, whose fever forced him to go off the field, expressed his thoughts on his flu, the game, and the lessons learnt in Australia. more..

july 21 (HT) The Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP), a Sri Lankan Tamil political party, has announced a contribution of Sri Lankan Rs 2 lakh for the relief of the families who had lost their children in the recent inferno in a school in Kumbakonam. more..

july 21 (PTI) Tamil Tiger rebels on Tuesday moved to break the ice with the Sri Lankan government by meeting a top official handling the peace process, marking the first such high-level contact in months, officials said. more..

July 21 (TN) “Journalist Nadesan was murdered because the government did not disarm paramilitary groups working with the military as it agreed to do under the cease-fire agreement. A paramilitary group in Batticaloa killed Nadesan and is threatening other independent journalists with death. more..

July 21 (TN) Two persons were shot dead by unidentified gunmen around 8.30 p.m. Tuesday in Eravur, 16 kilometres north of Batticaloa town. The gunmen came on motorbike and shot the two who were standing by the road in the Eravur Tamil division, Police said. more..

July 21 (AT) Indo-Sri Lanka relations have witnessed their highs and lows over the past decades. Presently they are on the mend, building on economic cooperation. Painstakingly the two nations have put behind them the irritants of the past and moved ahead to forge stronger ties. more..

July 21 (AT) The issue at stake in Sri Lanka today is the subject matter connected with the “crisis of confidence” and the problem appears to be intractable, said Panruti Ramachandran, erstwhile Minister of Tamil Nadu State and a confidante of Late M.G.Ramachandran, more..

July 21 (AT) Thilak Karunaratne, the lay leader of the party has condescended to remain with JHU and would continue to remain in the helm of the party. The Jathika Hela Urumaya leaders say that they have now succeeded in settling internal disputes within the party after lengthy discussions. more..

July 21 (AT) In a weekly tabloid published from Colombo, of 17 July under the caption "Police Commission Blame IGP for Inaction" by Shenan Moses, there appear several comments relating to the Constitutional powers of the National Police Commission made by the NPC Chairman Ranjith Abeysuriya. more..

July 21 (Rupavahini) Government and opposition MPs today stressed the need of an independent state and private media. This was reiterated by parliamentarians when the U.N.P's adjournment motion on the state media practice was taken up for debate in parliament today. more..

July 21 (Rupavahini) The leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya parliamentary group, the Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera vows to work with the government for a national stability if the Tamil National Alliance is working against parliamentary traditions and democracy. more..

July 21 (LBO) Did Sri Lanka just drop the ball in the game with potential investors when Bata got the boot from its employees? It might be Bata’s fault if it can’t go about its business inside its own premises after 53 years of operating in Sri Lanka, more..

July 21 (NZH) A spark can become an inferno if enough flammable material is thrown on to it. In the case of the young Sri Lankan woman who was deported from New Zealand in February, lawyers, sections of the media and some politicians created just such an inferno with little regard to the collateral damage to many people. more..

July 21 (TN) Six new parliamentarians were sworn in when the fifth session of the Sri Lanka's thirteenth parliament began Tuesday morning at 10 a.m with Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara in the chair. Three of the parliamentarians were from the UPFA and the rest were from UNF, more..

July 21 (TN) Major General Susil Chandrapala, Jaffna area commander of the Sri Lanka Army, has requested the Human Rights of Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) to take steps to stop students participating in events organized by the LTTE in future, sources said. more..

July 21 (TP) The Sri Lanka Postal Department is looking into the possibility of dispatching mail through air to the northern town of Jaffna instead of being transported by road. Mail to Jaffna is generally transported through the A-9 road. more..

July 21 (TP) President Chandrika Kumaratunga has said that members and ministers of provincial councils found guilty of bribery and corrupt practices, would be sacked from the party as well as any post they hold, the Daily Mirror said. more..