Apr 21 (Reuters) Sri Lanka stocks fell on Thursday, retreating from new life highs as foreign and institutional investors skimmed profits across the board after recent gains, brokers said. The key Colombo all-share index fell by a provisional 0.12 percent, more..

Apr 21 (GDN) A PREGNANT Sri Lankan woman was beaten with a plastic hose by her Bahraini husband, after she refused to abort the baby. The 34-year-old woman was extremely lucky not to lose the baby, said doctors at Salmaniya Medical Complex. more..

Apr 21 (FT) A scheme to make the shallow strait between India and Sri Lanka navigable has upset environmentalists and the port of Colombo. To its supporters, it is a dream project, no less than the “Suez of the east”; to its opponents it is an environmental catastrophe. more..

Apr 21 (LT) Army intelligence unit reported that clashes between Krarun Prabha factions flared up at Kanchikuda Aru, Wembadi Aru this morning. Wanni tigers are reported to have suffered in this attack and five of their carders have been killed and seve wounded. more..

Apr 21 (DN) The Education Ministry yesterday interdicted the principal of D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo on the recommendation of the Presidential Investigation Unit investigating into malpractices in the admission of students to Grade One. more..

Apr 21 (Reuters) Sri Lanka has secured most of the $1.8 billion (938 million pounds) worth of aid it reckons it needs to rebuild towns and villages razed along its tsunami-ravaged coastline -- what it needs now is land to build them on. more..

Apr 21 (IANS) A prominent Sri Lankan Tamil politician ended a visit to India Thursday calling upon New Delhi to play a pro-active role to end what he said was the growing stranglehold of the Tamil Tigers in his country. TULF leader V. Anandasangaree said in an interview that it was time the Indian government stopped being indifferent to the LTTE. more..

Apr 21 (AP) Five Tamil Tiger rebels and a civilian were killed Thursday in separate incidents in Sri Lanka's volatile east, police and military officials said. Five guerrillas were killed and seven others wounded in a pre-dawn attack by a breakaway faction of the mainstream rebel group in Kangikudichiaru, more..

Apr 22 (KH) For many people, this teardrop-shaped tropical island at the southeastern edge of India did not come up in conversations until the devastating Dec. 26 tsunami. It left at least 30,000 dead and more than 1 million homeless in Sri Lanka, which suffered the second highest toll among countries hit by the disaster. more..

Apr 22 (KT) A good Samaritan, running from pillar to post for the repatriation of a runaway Sri Lankan housemaid, who escaped from the clutches of a prostitution racket two months ago, has accused the Sri Lankan Consulate officials of dilly-dallying. more..

Apr 22 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka's main opposition Thursday reiterated its call to hold a presidential election, accusing the government of gross inefficiency. G. L Peiris, spokesman for the UNP, said "the country has reached a state of paralysis, the government is in gridlock." more..

Apr 22 (LBO) Soaring inflation has tightened purse strings, with tipplers finding that beer just isn’t flowing the way it used to, unless of course you count the cheaper, underground varieties. The country’s tiny beer industry shrunk six percent last year, more..

Apr 22 (LBO) The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says its will cost some US$ 10 mn for the agriculture sector to recover after December’s tsunami which swept salt water upto three kilometers inland. more..

Apr 22 (LBO) Railway authorities are looking for Rs. 15 billion from donors to lay a second track between Kalutara and Matara, improving its current service. The second track will cut down delays currently faced in the coastal service where trains between Kalutara and Matara have to wait their turn to use the track. more..

Apr 22 (TN) Large number of civilians participated in two protest marches held in Sandilipay in Valigamam division and Velanai in Kayts Division in the Jaffna district Thursday morning separately putting forward four demands including the establishment of the ISGA more..

Apr 22 (TN) "Courageous" naval vessel donated by the US government to Sri Lanka was renamed "Samudra" at an event held Thursday in Colombo harbour with Mr.Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, acting Defence Minister, as the chief guest. Mr.Wickremanayake, Minister of Buddhist Affairs, more..

Apr 22 (TN) Ms Helene Fors, acting head of the SLMM in Trincomalee Thursday evening held discussions with Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE, about the recent incidents affecting the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) in the district, more..

Apr 22 (AT) Some leading NGOs of Sri Lanka said that the government authorities are still blocking allocation of lands to construct houses for the tsunami victims. However, the local Deputy Fisheries minister and the Premier also inspected devastated areas and understood the present situation of the proposed projects. more..

Apr 22 (CT) The Parliament of Sri Lanka may soon vote on legislation for the Protection of Religious Freedom - an anti-conversion law proposed by Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, the Minister of Buddhist Affairs. more..

Apr 22 (RW) According to statistics gathered by the Office of the Transitional Accommodation Project (TAP), the number of temporary housing units constructed to relocate tsunami-affected families has risen to over 15,468 by 15 April. more..

Apr 22 (BBC) UNP has condemned the way the government suspended the work of some principals from popular schools in Sri Lanka. UNP spokesman GL Peiris in a news conference said that his party would not have protected any wrongdoer but would have taken appropriate action against them by proper channels. more..

Apr 22 (AN) Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar proposed the formation of a `Bandung Group` during bilateral meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda here Thursday, a government spokesman said. more..

Apr 22 (GCN) Shantha Pandige watches silently from his brother’s home as his new house goes up next door. To get to this part of Morampitigoda, a village near the southern city of Galle in Sri Lanka, you have to cross a makeshift bridge of narrow wooden planks from the dirt road that gets you only so far. more..

Apr 22 (LM) The administrative officers in Amparai district staged a protest in front of the Government Agent's office against the recent killing of the Thirukovil divisional secretary Thavaraja yesterday (20' Th). more..

Apr 22 (LNP) Acting Defence Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake yesterday warned the LTTE not to provoke the security forces. Addressing the security forces top brass onboard the newly commissioned 'SLN Samudura', Wickremanayake said that the forces would have no option but to retaliate if the LTTE continued to `make things difficult for us. more..

Apr 22 (NST) WHEN our guide told us that we had to visit the Royal Botanical Garden in the hill capital Kandy, I must admit that I had some reservations. It had been the fifth day of quite a whirlwind of a tour around Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 22 (IHT) In the weeks following the tsunami, some of the staff at the Lighthouse Hotel in Galle would flinch at the sight of guests laughing and enjoying themselves at the bar or by the newly renovated pool. Many from Galle, lost family and homes when the waves struck, and initially the tourists' lack of sensitivity to their grief was hard to bear. more..

Apr 22 (SAMN) The Small and Rural Industries Ministry has set up a textile products manufacturing village at Kahahena, Hanwella as part of the Guru Pehayen Ran Pehayata a program to develop 1000 industrial villages in the country. The total investment of the project is Rs. 2.5 million. more..

Apr 22 (SAMN) Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka has warned that any attempt to curb or restrict religious freedom of conscience by legislation could result in harmful consequences both locally and internationally. The full statement: more..

Apr 22 (LT) Patriotic National Movement says in a communiqué that Erik Solheim has no right whatsoever to declare the establishment of a joint mechanism if it were ever to be set up at all. This communiqué goes on to say…. more..

Apr 22 (LT) Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksha arrived in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia yesterday morning (21) to participate at the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Afro-Asia summit. Ninety heads of State including the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka are due to take part in this Golden Jubilee commemoration ceremony. more..

Apr 22 (LT) UPFA pledges, once again, that it will dedicate itself for a lasting peace that would protect territorial integrity and unitary state of Sri Lanka. It will never allow any threat to national security. This is stated in a joint statement issued with the signatures of Mangala Samaraweera and Wimal Weerawansa, more..

Apr 22 (LT) The campaign carried out by the UNP that the suicides committed in Polonnaruwa are due to the failure of the Government’s paddy buying scheme is totally false says Mr. Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation. more..

Apr 22 (SAMN) A proper education is a sine qua non for anyone aspiring to climb the ladder of success in the present global context and in this respect Prof. G. L. Peiris Foundation has stepped forward to provide that to several youths in the Colombo District who otherwise might not be able to acquire it due to economic and social factors. more..

Apr 22 (LNP) The Sri Lanka Association of Medical Laboratory Technologists warned the Helth Ministry against issuing a circular that would stop the salaries of medical laboratory technologists, who are covering all duties assigned to them. more..

Apr 22 (SLA) On information received from a civilian, Security Forces have recovered three T – 56 weapons, 03 magazines and 90 live rounds in the general area of TALVUPADU, MANNAR on 20 April 2005 around 6 .00 p.m. more..

Apr 22 (SLA) Another LTTE attempt to abduct two civilians from the general area of PUDUR , POLONNARUWA failed on 21 April 2005 around 12.30 p.m. since, the victims managed to take to their heels after observing suspected LTTE cadres approaching them. more..

Apr 22 (PIS) THE leader of the Kanchikudichchuaru LTTE base in Ampara sought the protection of the Special Task Force as his base has been reportedly overrun by Karuna faction cadres in the early hours of yesterday, STF Chief DIG Nimal Leuke told the Daily News. more..

Apr 22 (Jang) The 14-member dance troupe from Sri Lanka, comprising of young boys and girls, gave an entertaining performance at the open air stage of the Lok Virsa to amuse a good crowd at the on-going ‘Yekjehti Mela’ on Thursday. more..

Apr 22 (AFP) The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday it would continue to provide aid to victims of the recent tsunami and earthquakes in Indonesia and Sri Lanka until reconstruction efforts "produce results". more..

Apr 22 (SLBC) The government decides to provide housing loans up to one million rupees to members of the EPF and the ETF at five percent interest rate. The Commissioner General of Labour Mahinda Madihahewa says five commercial banks have agreed to disburse the loans under this scheme. more..

Apr 22 (SLBC) Chief Executive of the Army Major General Ranjith Silva says that the military strength of the Army is at its maximum level. Measures have been taken to enhance the military strength and the training process for the soldiers. more..

Apr 22 (G2L) Established in 1998 to foster a climate supporting human rights and tolerance among various nationalities, ethnicities, and religions, The International Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance has been encouraged by the government of Sri Lanka to participate in the care for Tsunami victims. more..

Apr 22 (DN) THE UPFA Government will not act in an irresponsible and arbitrary manner regarding the future of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the UPFA said in a statement issued yesterday. more..

Apr 22 (Reuters) Cricket officials in Sri Lanka have confirmed that the Galle International Stadium will be rebuilt after it was destroyed by last December's tsunami. The affirmation ended fears that one of the world's most picturesque sports venues would be lost forever, more..

Apr 22 (LM) Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauf Hakeem slammed the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) for over stepping its mandate and making political statements which the party considered as injurious and harmful to the reputation of the Muslims in Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 22 (AFP) Sri Lanka has offered to drop court martial proceedings against 70,000 military deserters as part of a drive to overhaul the security forces, the defence ministry said. The latest amnesty was aimed at 70,000 men and officers who had left the armed forces without permission over the past 25 years, more..

Apr 22 (HT) Violent conflicts cost Sri Lanka $4.4 billion in just five years between 1983 and 1988, says Professor John Richardson, who teaches International Development at the American University. more..

Apr 22 (AP) Deadly foes for two decades, Sri Lankan troops and Tamil rebels worked together after the tsunami, helping one another with relief efforts in the thick of the disaster. But their leaders found little room for agreement, though the waves devastated both the Tamils of the north and the Sinhalese of the south. more..

Apr 22 (BBC) Muslims refugees at the the Norochcholai Alamkudah Mullaitivu B refugee camp are doubtful of a fresh start of a new life in Wanni. MS Abdeen, a refugee in Puttalam camp, said there future is uncertain as there is no civil administration in LTTE-controlled areas. more..