Sep 6 (SLBC) The Colombo National Hospital will begin today a fitness and survival improvement programme for heart patients. Dr. Sepalika Mendis of the hospital's Cardiology Unit said that patients would be given guidelines for physical exercises. more..

Sep 6 (SLBC) People affected by the prevailing drought will begin receiving relief in the form of dry rations this week. The Department of Social Services said that each affected family member would get dry rations worth 1,460 rupees. According to the department, 636,000 families in 19 districts are set to receive the relief. more..

Sep 6 (Rupavahini) This was the largest heroin detection made by the police during the past eight months. Police officers who were engaged in checking vehicles at Kottangas Junction in Horana seized the stock of heroin when it was transported in a three-wheeler. more..

Sep 6 (Reuters) The Sri Lanka rupee strengthened on Monday as importers settled fewer bills with dollars and more exporters cashed in their foreign currency earnings for rupees, dealers said. The rupee closed at 102.95 against the dollar, compared to Friday's close of 103.03. more..

Sep 6 (LBO) Local gas consumption is expected to slide further following recent price hikes, but market mover, Shell, says it is still loosing millions of rupees each day. Shell Gas Lanka Ltd., Sri Lanka's dominant LPG supplier upped prices by Rs. 96.00 to Rs. 789 for a 12.5 kilo cylinder from Monday. more..

Sep 6 (G2L) Dr. Kumar Rupesinghe has played many roles in his life, most of which has been in marketing his punditry that has seldom yielded the desired results. One of his noted exploits in political meddling resulted in him being thrown out of Sierra Leone. more..

Sep 6 (DN) Secretary, Education Ministry, University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Vice Chancellors met at the Education Ministry Office on Saturday, to discuss the current situation regarding the trade union action launched by the Non-Academic Staff Trade Unions. more..

Sep 6 (PIS) The LTTE had prevented SLMM from inquiring into heightened Tiger activities in the government controlled Seelawathurai area in Mannar. In an earlier incident, the Tigers had prevented the Monitors from inquiring into the presence of suspicious boats in the Chalai coast off Mulaitivu. more..

Sep 6 (AT) An all party consultative meeting is scheduled to be held on 15th of this month at the President’s secretariat to evolve a common strategy regarding the reconvening of the stalled peace talks between the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 6 (LT) The former minister of tourism MP Gamini Lokuge told this today at a press briefing held at Sirikotha, the UNP headquarters. He also said that his party would its support for the development plan of the government and expressed support with the government if they commence peace talks with Wanni Tigers based on the ISGA. more..

Sep 6 (LT) The JVP says that giving permanent jobs to 41,000 unemployed graduates is not only a fulfillment of an election pledge of the Alliance Government, but also being courageous to enlist the services of the youth for building the motherland. more..

Sep 6 (LT) The president of the Federation of All Island Workers Union, Minister K D Lalkantha says that the police has embarrassed the UPFA government by attacking the peaceful agitations based on just demands of the working people. more..

Sep 6 (Sun) Addressing a public meeting in Gingee, Vaiko, who is currently on a renaissance march from Tirunelveli to Chennai, stated emphatically that even if it was a crime to raise one’s voice for the cause of Tamils in Sri Lanka he would continue to do so until his death. more..

Sep 6 (HT) Virakesari, the Tamil daily with the single largest circulation in Sri Lanka, has appealed to the new Indian High Commissioner, Nirupama Rao, to make India the protector of the embattled Tamils of the island. more..

Sep 6 (HT) Sri Lankan Muslims have, with one voice, rejected a recent suggestion by a Muslim political leader from Tamil Nadu, that they should consider themselves part of the Tamil community of Sri Lanka because their mother tongue is Tamil. more..

Sep 6 (LBO) Sri Lanka state has been given 90 days to respond to a landmark decision by the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The decision has opened the way for victims of human rights violations to go beyond the Sri Lankan legal system. more..

Sep 7 (TN) The headquarters of the Tamil Students Federation (TSF) was opened in Jaffna Monday morning. The headquarters is located along Kovil Road in Nallur."The headquarters will bring to the notice of the international community the violations of fundamental and human rights of Tamil students in the northeast," more..

Sep 7 (TN) Vavuniya is on the verge of a big stink as its Urban Council struggles to find a place to dispose the northern border town's garbage and waste. "We have had to completely stop collecting garbage for the last three days. There are more than fifteen tons of garbage from the town to be disposed daily", more..

Sep 7 (TN) Subramaniam Park located in Jaffna town close to Jaffna Fort, is to be renovated and opened shortly for public after about fourteen years. UNICEF provided 2 million rupees as initial expenses for the renovation of the park, Jaffna Municipal Council sources said. more..

Sep 7 (LBO) Tamil Tigers said Monday that they were repaying part of funds raised via public to fund their Ealam struggle. The LTTE's Finance Division did not disclose how much of public debt they had borrowed from people of Jaffna, Mannar, Mullaithivu and Vavuniya. more..

Sep 7 (LBO) Sri Lanka is losing money to a lack of coordination down the value chain, with producers churning out goods and services that do not meet end user expectations. The German technical assistance agency the GTZ with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) will implement a project this month to strengthen the value chains more..

Sep 7 (LBO) The government is trying to sell its watered down electricity sector reform plans to lending agencies and top up sector funds this month. "The government will meet with the ADB and JBIC sometime in the middle of this month to discuss future reforms," said a senior Power & Energy Ministry official more..

Sep 7 (AT) The Hong Kong based Asian Human Rights Commission has pointed out that there are not enough criminal investigators in Sri Lanka and consequent to this dearth there prevalent increase of crime and the widespread use of torture. more..

Sep 7 (LT) UNP will come to power again through multi-party democracy says Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe addressing the 58th anniversary of the party. The 58th anniversary of the founding of the UNP was held ‘Sirikothe’, the UNP party head office at Kotte. more..

Sep 7 (SN) Although Sri Lankan foreign minister Mr Kadiragamar has appealed the world community to stop the campaign launched by Christian Fundamentalists to insult the Buddha, the author of the Buddhism and the great philosopher, the western world still continue the campaign hurting the feelings of world Buddhist community. more..

Sep 7 (SN) Police was able to uncover a plot planned by the LTTE to murder Brigadier Kapila Hendavitharana, Intelligence Chief of Sri Lanka Army in their investigation into the murder of Tissaveerasingham Surendran alias Suresh. more..

Sep 7 (Rupavahini) Opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe says that the UNP is the only revolutionist party built in Sri Lanka. He made this observation at the 58th anniversary ceremony of the UNP held at the party headquarters at Sirikotha in Kotte today. more..

Sep 7 (AT) The meeting fixed between Sri Lanka Army and the LTTE scheduled to be held today has been postponed without fixing any new dates in the near future. According to the SLMM, LTTE has conveyed their inability to attend the meeting, but it was revealed that LTTE has not given any reason for their inability to attend the meeting. more..

Sep 7 (AT) LTTE and its proxy party TNA have expressed their anger and condemnation over Ceylon Workers Congress suddenly expressing their willingness to give unconditional support to the UPFA Government led by Chandrika Kumaratunga. more..

Sep 7 (LBO) The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) plans to take legal action against Shell and Laugfs for prematurely increasing gas prices. The CAA says the gas retailers jumped the gun on a one-month waiting period, as required by law, before any price changes. more..

Sep 7 (LBO) The ADB is planning to lend US$ 570 m to Sri Lanka over the next two years, according to a Country Strategy and Program (CSP) Update for 2005-2006 endorsed by ADB's Board of Directors. more..

Sep 7 (TN) The Nelliady Police Monday commenced investigation into the discovery of a skeleton suspected to be of a young woman in the Vallaiveli area in Vadamaradchchi division on the orders of the Point Pedro Magistrate Mr.K. Ariyanayakam, legal sources said. more..

Sep 7 (TN) The body of a man reported missing since Monday was found in a deserted spot in Nayanmaarkaddu on the eastern outskirts of Jaffna town Tuesday morning, Police said. The man, identified as Mr. Navaratnarajah Premkumar, 25, of Kattapirai in Kalviankaadu near Jaffna town, was hacked to death, according to Police. more..

Sep 7 (TN) “The TNA would strongly urge the Government to commence talks with the LTTE without delay, on the basis of the Interim Self-Governing Authority proposals of the LTTE. and thereby implement the position enunciated by the President on 10 June, when she met the TNA delegation”, more..

Sep 7 (TN) "We are perturbed by the absence of any signs or efforts for strengthening peace. Instead we only see increasing violence in all parts of Sri Lanka. We have assembled here to pray for peace," said Rev.Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannar, addressing the youth, more..

Sep 7 (SLBC) The Minister of Local government Janaka Bandara Thennakoon has said the agriculture contribute massively to strengthen the economy of the country. The minister made these comments at the inauguration ceremony held in Matale district under the programme of rehabilitating ten thousand tanks. more..

Sep 7 (SLBC) A development programme is to be launched island wide from next month under the direction and the guidance of the President. Around 60 projects have already been identified by the government in various sectors, that should be given the priority. more..

Sep 7 (Rupavahini) A draft bill aimed at recovering 100 billion rupees from large scale businessmen is to be presented in parliament tomorrow. The previous government took measures to write-off this money which should be recovered from these businessmen. more..

Sep 7 (IOL) Chaminda Vaas is set to play in South African first-class competition - probably for Gauteng. The world's premier left-arm swing bowler, who played a major part in South Africa's recent destruction in Sri Lanka, confirmed yesterday he would like to play in South Africa in the 2005-06 season. more..

Sep 7 (Sify) The Sri Lankan unit of Indian Oil Corp has postponed to October the sale of 24 per cent stake through an initial public offering because of commercial reasons. Lanka IOC, the Indian firm's Sri Lankan subsidiary, would now issue 100 million shares in October at Rs 20 each more..

Sep 7 (DN) The Government has decided to recruit 2,500 personnel to the Special Task Force (STF) to fill existing vacancies in this elite unit, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security and Law and Order Tilak Ranaviraja said. more..

Sep 7 (SLA) LTTE cadres during a ceremony at NALLUR on 06 September 2004 hoisted the LTTE flag in contravention of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The LTTE flag has been raised at about 10.45 a.m. during the ceremony held on the Temple Rd, NALLUR. more..

Sep 7 (SLA) Sri Lanka Army’s differently-able soldiers, now geared to fly to Athens, Greece for 2004 Para-Olympics games met Army Commander Lt. Gen S. H. S Kottegoda in his office this morning to receive his blessings for their arduous undertaking at international level. more..

Sep 7 (SLA) Lieutenant General S.H.S.Kottegoda, Commander of the Army on his first official tour to Jaffna during this weekend after his recent assumption of office met a cross section of the Army troops deployed in the peninsula and shared his thoughts with them. more..

Sep 7 (Gulf) Tamil guerrillas are seeking security guarantees from the Sri Lanka military enabling them to engage in political activities in government controlled areas. The issue is to be taken up at a meeting between the LTTE and the army to be held shortly more..

Sep 7 (Hindu) While rejecting the LTTE's proposal of an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA), the JVP Polit Bureau member and Minister for Culture and National Heritage, Vijitha Herath, has said that talks with the separatist group could revolve around an interim administration. more..

Sep 7 (AT) Today evening, a Ceylon Workers Congress delegation led by Arumugan Thondaman will be meeting Sri Lanks’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga and they are expected to finalize the number of the ministerial slots to the CWC, at this the meeting. more..

Sep 7 (AT) The media blitzkrieg launched by vested interest groups who claims themselves as media pundits belonging to the LTTE has suddenly awoken R. Sampanthan, the leader of the TNA to release a long statement urging the Government to come foreword for talks with the LTTE. more..

Sep 7 (AFP) Tamil Tiger rebels have agreed to repay a "huge public debt" raised to finance their war against government forces, a pro-rebel website reported. The LTTE published the names of 3,000 individuals who will be given back their contributions to the "fund to liberate the soil," the Tamilnet website said on Tuesday. more..

Sep 7 (Xinhua) Head of the US Department of State's Office of Counterterrorism Ambassador at Large J. Cofer Black, is scheduled to visit Colombo this week, the US embassy here said in a statement on Tuesday. While in Colombo, Black will meet with officials from the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry and representatives of the country's police and military. more..