July 24 (TN) USAID Mission Director Carlo Becker will attend a sport, music and dance Festival for Disabled Individuals in Jaffna. The Festival will be convened on July 24, to celebrate the 17th Anniversary of the Jaffna Jaipur Centre for Disability Rehabilitation (JJCDR), sources said. more..

July 24 (AT) Now Sri Lanka Police personnel can participate in peace missions in Haiti. A special team of police personnel will be sent to Haiti for a period of one year. An interview in this connection will be held at the police headquarters soon. more..

July 24 (RSF) A dozen police without a warrant searched the Colombo home of Dharmaratnam Sivaram, editor of the news website tamilnet.com, for the second time in three months on 23 July. Reporters Without Borders deplored the post-midnight raid as unjustified and said it was worried about his safety. more..

July 24 (USE) USAID Mission Director Carol Becker will attend a sport, music, and dance festival for disabled individuals in Jaffna. The festival will be convened on July 24 to celebrate the 17 th Anniversary of the Jaffna Jaipur Center for Disability Rehabilitation (JJCDR). more..

July 24 (Reuters) Norway dampened hopes of any quick fix to stalled peace talks in Sri Lanka on Friday, warning that escalating violence could shatter a fragile ceasefire and throw the island back into civil war. more..

July 24 (AT) In a letter addressed to the Minister of Buddha Sasana, The National Patriotic Front has expressed deep concern over the recurring incidents of attacks on Buddhists Temples in many parts of the country. more..

July 24 (LBO) Sri Lanka and India will meet in mid August for another round of hard bargaining on the Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISLFTA). The three day meetings starting on August 16 will end with exploratory talks on the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). more..

July 24 (LBO) The Colombo bourse did not stop to take directions from the economy, but steamrolled to another all time record on Friday. Despite inflation and interest rates fringing at the boarder of control, a lack of progress in the peace front, a string of assassinations in the East and a recent bomb in Colombo, the All Share Index at the Colombo Stock Exchange set a new high at 1440.7. more..

July 24 (GNA) Mr Alan Kyerematen, Minister of Trade, Industry and President's Special Initiatives, is leading an 11-member Ghanaian business delegation to Sri Lanka to explore business opportunities in the garment industry in that country. more..

July 24 (MD) Latest casualty figures for Sri Lanka’s worst-ever dengue epidemic indicate that nearly 60 people have died and almost 9,500 affected. According to Health Ministry officials, the heavy widespread monsoon was intensifying the breeding of the dengue mosquito. more..

July 24 (TP) A man who walked into a posh Colombo hospital for surgery to remove stones in the kidney returned home — sans his kidney. The man has now filed a damages claim against the Apollo hospital for Rs15.5m for medical negligence. more..

July 24 (TP) Sri Lankan government and opposition parliamentarians, virtually at each others’ throats in recent weeks, have come together for the first time since the April 2 general elections — agreeing to do away with subsidised meals at the parliament cafe. more..

July 24 (SLA) A civilian has been abducted by two LTTE cadres from the general area of KORALLAIMADU, KIRAN about, 06 km south of VALAICHCHENAI on 22 July 2004 around 3.00 p.m. The victim has been identified as KRISHAN PULLAI DAYABARAN (23) of KORALLAIMADU, KIRAN. more..

July 24 (SLA) One thousand five hundred and eighty four (1584) lorry loads of food and other essential items had been dispatched to un-cleared areas in the northern province during the period between 16 July 2004 and 22 July 2004. more..

July 24 (SLA) Sri Lanka’s High Commisioner for Australia Mr David Binns toured Jaffna Wednesday, 22 July in an attempt to get an update of the current situation in the peninsula. Major General M. D. S Chandrapala welcomed the visiting delegates at his office, Security Forces Headquarters (Jaffna) more..

July 24 (SLA) Mr. Wouter L. Wilton of the European Union (EU) paid a courtesy call on the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General S.H.S. Kottegoda on Thursday (22) afternoon at the Army Headquarters Colombo. more..

July 24 (BT) The Coir Board has urged the Centre to allow duty free imports of 20,000 tonne of coir fibre from Sri Lanka in a bid to tide over its shortage. According to a senior Coir Board official, the country produced around 13,000 million coconut husks a year. more..

July 24 (TN) Sri Lanka army Saturday turned down a request by displaced residents of Eluthumadduval North in Jaffna to reclaim their homes occupied by troops since 2000. The area was taken over by the SLA after the fall of the Elephant Pass base in April that year. more..

July 24 (PD) Sri Lanka will see more tourists from China than any other country by 2010, visiting Anura Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment Promotion, said at a press conference Friday in Beijing. more..

July 24 (CI) A solid 91 from Mark Wallace in Glamorgan's 451 helped to set up an intriguing final days' play tomorrow at Swansea, with Sri Lanka A needing another 225 runs to win with nine wickets left. more..

July 24 (Gulf) Intense manoeuvres are being made to ensure a working majority in the parliament. But, despite this, the political stalemate set in ever since the election of the minority Freedom Alliance of President Kumaratunga in the April 2 parliamentary elections continues with no end in sight. more..

July 24 (LBO) Ending months of denial and suspense, the government raised petrol prices by Rs. 8.00 with effect from midnight Friday. Petrol at the pump would now cost Rs. 65.00 per litre. But the government shot down a suggestion by Ceylon Petroleum Corp to raise prices of diesel by Rs. 6.00 to Rs. 32.00 per litre and kerosene by Rs. 2.00 to Rs. 27.50 per litre. more..

July 24 (Dawn) New Zealand will host Australia and Sri Lanka in separate Test and One-day Internationals this summer as part of a revamped international schedule. Sri Lanka will play two Tests and five One-day Internationals in December and January while the Australians will play three Tests and five one-dayers in February and March. more..

July 24 (AT) Tamil National Alliance emphasized that a solution to the ethnic problem should be found within the united Sri Lanka. It should be a federal solution and peace talks should be resumed immediately, TNA MP Raviraj expressed these views at a media briefing held yesterday at the parliament more..

July 24 (LBO) The World Bank has come forward with a US$ 64.7 mn loan to finance agro and community development projects in the North & East. The funds will be channeled through the International Development Association (IDA), while the government will chip in with US$ 13.72 mn and local communities US$ 2.72 mn, more..

July 24 (DN) The nine Bhikku MPs of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) yesterday threw in their lot with the Government in opposing the statement made by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna District Parliamentarian S. Gajendran on Tuesday which was expunged from the Hansard due to its inflammatory nature. more..

July 24 (AT) Anura Bandaranaike denies any connection with renegade leader V.Muralitheran alias Colonel Karuna Amman. This was stated in a hard hitting statement released by him from Bejing who is at present on an official visit to China. more..

July 24 (PSL) President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday made an emotional and unqualified apology to the Tamil people of Sri Lanka on behalf of the State of Sri Lanka and the Government on the 21st Anniversary of ‘Black July’. more..

July 24 (TN) A youth was found shot dead Saturday morning in Pandiruppu, 40 kilometres south of Batticaloa. Police identified him as Mr.Sithamparapillai Thushyanthan, 25, of Mandur, about 32 klometres southwest of Batticaloa. The youth appears to be a supporter of the Liberation Tigers, Police sources in Kalmunai said. more..

July 24 (Gulf) The head of the Scandinavian monitors has met with the Tamil guerrilla political wing leader in northern Sri Lanka to discuss measures to protect the truce as fresh allegations poured in about guerrillas building up around a northeastern port city. more..

July 24 (SL) Sri Lanka A held on to their unbeaten tour record with a four-wicket victory over Glamorgan at Swansea. Though this was the tourists' eighth win out of nine on tour they were made to fight for the result against a Glamorgan team who until this game had not lost a first-class match this season. more..

July 25 (TN) "Our leader's emphasis on developing the needs for our medical division from early days of our struggle, laid the firm foundation that saved the lives of our people and our fighters during the dark periods of war," said LTTE Head of the Political Wing, S.P.Thamilchelvan, more..

July 25 (AT) DIG eastern province Neville Wijesinghe said that action has been taken to ensure the security of EPDP activists. The security in the area has been beefed up after the assassination of chairman of the Alayadivembu Pradesheeya Sabha in Akkaraipattu, Velaudan Ravindran. more..

July 25 (AT) M.K. Eelaventahn, National list Member of Sri Lanka’s Parliament from the ‘Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchchi’ and belonging to Tamil National Alliance, a proxy party of the LTTE was refused entry yesterday at the Chennai international airport and sent back to Colombo. more..

July 25 (GW) Ghana yesterday agreed to provide a large number of jobs for Sri Lankans. This was one of the main topics discussed at a meeting between Trade, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and Ghana's Trade and Industry Minister Alen Kyerematen more..

July 25 (HT) For reasons which will never be fathomed, the month of July has played an epoch-making role in the recent history of Sri Lanka. Almost all major events since independence have occurred in July, says the Melbourne-based Sri Lankan Tamil writer Sabesan. more..

July 25 (SL) Meeting after meeting after meeting is not a new thing in Sri Lanka. Even for the frivolous of matters, there is a meeting. Last week was one like that, one of useless jabbering, like what took place in parliament and others with ominous messages, like the few in Kilinochchi. more..

July 25 (SL) While the government has failed to hold regular parliamentary sessions as required under the standing orders, ministers have been busy globetrotting at state expense. According to available information, 21 ministers and deputies have made 21 overseas trips within three months. more..

July 25 (SO) Lives of about 200,000 families are in jeopardy due to the prevalent drought in the dry zones. Social Services Ministry will submit a proposal to the international community and other voluntary organisations, seeking urgent assistance more..

July 25 (TN) Tourism minister and brother of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Mr. Anura Bandaranaike, escorted the renegade LTTE commander, Karuna, to Singapore to address US officials on combating terrorism, The Sunday Leader reported this week, quoting government sources. more..

July 25 (TN) More than six key associates of the renegade LTTE commander Karuna were killed in a pre-dawn attack on their safe house in the outskirts of Colombo Sunday, well informed sources in the eastern town of Batticaloa said. However, a senior Police officer in Colombo denied knowledge of any such attack in the city. more..

July 25 (TP) A rare albino (white) elephant has been discovered in one of Sri Lanka’s national parks and wildlife experts here say it may be the world’s only record of an albino elephant in the wilds. more..

July 25 (AT) Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen is to arrive here today in a fresh bid to revive the stalled peace process in the country. Norwegian Deputy Minister arrives in Sri Lanka on an invitation extended by the Head of the Government’s Peace Secretariat Jayantha Dhanapala more..

July 25 (TN) Police Sunday afternoon found eight bodies of persons believed to be close associates of renegade LTTE commander Karuna in a safe house in the interior of Kottawa, an outer suburb of Colombo. The house in Kristal Terrace, Malabe Road, Kottawa, Pannipittiya, was rented by the persons believed to be key Karuna associates two weeks ago residents said. more..

July 25 (TN) The World Bank would not provide direct funding to the LTTE and would continue its stance that all funding would be channeled through the Sri Lankan government, the Sunday Times reported this week. The Bank was responding to concerns raised by Sinhala nationalists, the paper said. more..

July 25 (Gulf) The World Bank has reassured Sri Lanka that it would not provide direct funding to the LTTE, despite speculation that it was preparing to implement its proposed development plans in the uncleared areas with the Tigers. more..

July 25 (AFP) Sri Lanka is run by a shaky Marxist-backed minority government, the island's peace process is in tatters with Tamil Tiger rebels warning of war, but the country's stock market is racing. more..

July 25 (Gulf) The first round of matches in the last four stage are over and I must say that Sri Lanka are looking very hot, having won both their matches convincingly. After dumping Pakistan with a seven-wicket win, they thumped Bangladesh by 10 wickets and in this form it will take a lot by any other side to stop them from winning the final. more..

July 25 (AFP) The World Tamils Confederation today came out strongly against any move for a "defence pact" between India and Sri Lanka, cautioning that New Delhi was being lured into a "trap to use its army to crush" Tamils in the island nation. more..

July 25 (UNI) Sri Lankan cricket will witness a repeat of 1999 World Cup debacle in West Indies if selectors did not take hard decisions, a leading newspaper warned today. "Unless the present selection committee put its foot down hard and take decision in the interest of Sri Lanka cricket and not individuals, more..