May 28 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka and the United States will co-host a three-week multinational peacekeeping operation exercise in southwest Sri Lanka early next month, the US embassy here said in a statement. more..

May 28 (IL) The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) has decided to contest the forthcoming Provincial Council Election on the UNP ticket, CWC MP Muthu Sivalingam said. Accordingly, the CWC will contest the Uva, Central and Western provinces under the UNP banner, but will go it alone in the Sabaragamuwa province. more..

May 28 (TN) Mr. Sivanathan Kishore, the TNA MP from the Vanni, who visited the Kalutara prison Thursday, said that the Tamil youths at the prison have put off their planned fasting campaign, following assurances that the TNA would take up their plight with Attorney General and the Minister of Justice. more..

May 28 (AT) The stalled peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, up to date, continues to remain stalled, despite Norway’s shuttling diplomatic efforts to put the process in place. more..

May 28 (LBO) A delegation from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) will be in town next week, to weigh Sri Lanka’s eligibility for assistance from the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). A delegation from MCC will visit Sri Lanka from June 1- 5, the US Embassy said Friday. more..

May 28 (LBO) The government is expected to come out with a detailed economic plan in the coming weeks, which will set the tone for donors and policymakers. Top officials had intimated the plan to visiting team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), more..

May 28 (LBO) Mixing the correct partnership with world-class standards, is a tricky recipe for any emerging country. But Sri Lanka’s apparel legend says local firms should develop a passion for perfection, if they want to stay on top. more..

May 28 (LBO) The Labour Minister will start a workers trade union school to change attitudes of employers and employees to foster better working relations. Sri Lanka lost around 87,000 man-days to strikes during 2003, while a number of strikes have already taken place within the five months of this year, more..

May 28 (LBO) The Government went into emergency mode last night adding flour to its list of essential goods, days before Prima’s deadline to increase prices comes up. The midnight drama was mooted to stop Prima from raising prices to Rs. 29.00 a kilos from the current subsidised Rs. 22 a kilos levels more..

May 28 (SLA) Two vehicles of UNHCR and UNDP, which refused to undergo routine checking at MADHU Entry/Exit point on 25 May 2004, were turned away by Security Forces without permitting them to enter into cleared areas. more..

May 28 (SLA) A joint effort by both Indians and Sri Lankans to smuggle cannabis into Sri Lanka was bared on 26 May 2004 around 5.00 p.m. when naval troops on duty in the general area of TALAI MANNAR pursued a suspicious dhow proceeding towards the east. more..

May 28 (SLA) A vehicle with five passengers proceeding towards MADHU church from VAVUNIYA was taken into custody on suspicion at MADHU Entry/Exit point on 26 May 2004 at about 9.45 a.m. since its engine number appeared to have been changed. more..

May 28 (SLA) Two soldiers, who went missing from the general area of KAMBILIWEVA, WELIOYA on 26 May 2004 around 10.30 a.m. after they had entered into the jungle for some timber to repair their bunkers, reported back to their detachment this morning (28 May 2004). more..

May 28 (TN) President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge Thursday evening held two hour long discussion with the visiting Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim on the prospects of holding peace talks. more..

May 28 (ANI) Do stones float in water? The answer would be a certain no. But in the island of Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, stones, it seems, do float in water. Difficult to believe-but it's a reality. Floating stones of Rameshwaram have a mythological twist to it. more..

May 28 (Reuters) Sri Lanka will announce plans in June to reform the electricity and financial sectors, the IMF said, in a move which could pave the way for a key loan programme from the international lender. more..

May 28 (IANS) Myanmar will host an international summit on Buddhism in December. The three-day World Buddhist Summit will be held in the capital city Yangon from Dec 9. The global meeting of Theravada Buddhists is organised once every two years. more..

May 28 (PRIU) President Chandrika Kumaratunga was today awarded the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) prestigious Ceres Award in recognition of her efforts to foster rural development and peace in Sri Lanka, as well as for her personal collaboration with FAO in the 1970s. more..

May 28 (DN) The Ministry of Education is in the process of finalizing the comprehensive plan to address issues relating to school admissions (Grade 1-13) for 2005. The Ministry has primarily taken into consideration the welfare and educational needs of young students in this connection. more..

May 28 (KT) Over a hundred garment factory workers, including 34 Sri Lankans and 56 Bangladeshis, are stranded in Sharjah, following the closure of the factory last month, and the non-payment of salary to the workers for over seven months. more..

May 28 (OW) The murder of a university don in eastern Sri Lanka this week following a spate of killings in clashes between the two factions of the Tamil Tiger guerrillas has rekindled fears of ethnic warfare in the country. more..

May 28 (AFP) A Norwegian envoy met Sri Lanka's prime minister in fresh diplomacy despite failing to clinch a deal on reopening peace talks between the island's new government and Tamil rebels, officials said. more..

May 28 (Reuters) He came looking for a breakthrough, but after a week of talks Norwegian peace envoy Erik Solheim leaves Sri Lanka on Friday empty-handed. President Chandrika Kumaratunga surprised everyone by inviting Norway to resume its facilitator role more..

May 28 (NT) The activities of the LTTE continues to pose threat to, and are detrimental to, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India as also public order, according to a notification issued recently by the Union Home Ministry, extending the ban on the outfit. more..

May 28 (HT) In the late 1980s, when JN Dixit was the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo, Sri Lankans across the political and ethnic spectrum saw him as an abrasive pusher of 'Indian hegemony' over them. more..

May 28 (Reuters) The Asian Development Bank will use the policies of Sri Lanka's new government and its commitment to a peace process with Tamil rebels to re-adjust its aid strategy for 2004, senior ADB officials said on Friday. more..