Oct 16 (NZH) Chris and Bruce Martin have bowled New Zealand A into a strong position after the third day of their tour cricket match against Sri Lanka A at Colombo. Resuming at 69 for two yesterday in a game plagued by bad weather, the Sri Lankans were quickly dismissed for 165 and New Zealand A had reached 161 for five by stumps after a full day's play. more..

Oct 17 (LM) National leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Rauff Hakeem addressing massive rally held in support of opposition leader and presidential candidate Ranil Wickremasinghe at Addalachenai yesterday said, that those who opposed the CFA and came to power to tear off and nullify the agreement, still continue to rule with it. more..

Oct 17 (TN) Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe, presidential candidate of the UNP Sunday addressed two election rallies, one in Trincomalee town and other in Kinniya in support of his candidature. Mr.Rauff Hakim, Leader of the SLMC also addressed these meeting along with Mr. Wickremasinghe. more..

Oct 17 (TN) Sri Lanka Army soldiers exchanged gunfire with a group of unidentified gunmen who launched an ambush on their convoy in Sunkankerny in Valaichenai, 30 km north of Batticaloa town Sunday. The clash was reported near Sunkankerny Pillayar temple for 30 minutes from 6:30 p.m. more..

Oct 17 (AT) Douglas Devananda, the leader of the EPDP, is campaigning to re-activate the Provincial Council system which has been put on hold since 1990. Pin-pointing that there are two key problems facing the Tamil community more..

Oct 17 (AT) In a phone-in program conducted by the London based Tamil Broadcasting Corporation (TBC), numerous callers condemned the recent killing of the two college principals of Jaffna and urged that in the future, Tamils should not tolerate any more killings. more..

Oct 17 (AT) The Ministry of Tourism and the Sri Lanka Tourist Board have come forward to develop and preserve Trincomalee as a tourist centre of a unique natural attraction. A comprehensive action plan has been formulated to develop Trincomalee, the natural port city, as the centre for Whale watching - the island’s Whale capital. more..

Oct 17 (TW) Twenty years after former St. Johns College Principal Charles Anandarajan was killed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, school principals have become targets of gun toting assassins again. Tuesday Oct 11th saw Kopay Christian College principal Nadarajah Sivakadatcham (54) being gunned down at his residence. more..

Oct 17 (TW) Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse's decision to sign agreements with the JVP and JHU who take a hardline nationalist position on the peace process was viewed with dismay by those who believe in the necessity of the peace process. more..

Oct 17 (TW) The Presidential Election campaign appears to have peaked even before the filing of nominations by the candidates, which is scheduled for this week. Barring a switch at the last moment, the issues that are being placed before the electorate by the key contenders more..

Oct 17 (PBS) In this year of natural disasters it's become clear that recovery from what earthquakes or tsunamis do can be seriously set back by human nature. Our correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro recently returned to Sri Lanka, devastated by last December's tidal wave. more..

Oct 17 (TW) As the presidential campaigns officially get going, the issue of a free and fair election surfaces. Elections being the basic mechanism for choice and change in a functioning democracy, the integrity of the electoral process is therefore vital. more..

Oct 17 (TN) About 33 000 international and local monitors are to be deployed on the presidential election day in all parts of the Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the Centre For Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) is holding discussion with the Department of Election to request international monitors of SAARC countries, sources said. more..

Oct 17 (TN) A group of seven unidentified men, armed with batons and swords, entered the printing press of the English weekly, the Sunday Leader, published from Colombo at around 8:00 p.m. on Sunday and threatened the employees. The intruders set fire to bundles of papers. more..

Oct 17 (SLA) A group of unidentified persons, suspected to be Tamil Tigers, threw a hand grenade at troops on duty with the intention of causing physical injuries to them in the general area of GANDINAGAR, ANURADAPURA junction on Sunday (16) around 7.40 p.m. more..

Oct 17 (SLA) Six Tamil Tigers repeated their terror tactics in the general area of MEERAVODAI, KINNIYADI Sunday (16) evening around 6.25 p.m. by firing thirty T-56 rounds at troops when they were returning to KINNIYADI camp. Two female civilians who received injuries during the incident have been admitted to the VALAICHCHENAI hospital. more..

Oct 17 (SLA) Tamil Tigers have thrown a hand grenade and fired a few shots towards the troops providing security to an Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) centre in the general area of WATTAVAN, about 25 k.m. north west of BATTICALOA town, on Sunday (16) around 9.25 p.m. more..

Oct 17 (LBO) China's ZTE Corporation clinched a US$ 150,000 deal to deploy a low cost wireless technology system for Sri Lanka Telecom. CDMA or code division multiple access, is a cheaper form of mobile technology that is being adapted by fixedline carriers worldwide to provide telephony services to rural hamlets. more..

Oct 17 (CT) The major political parties are organizing mass scale rallies to attract the masses and educate them on party’s agendas to fulfill their aspirations. Broken promises are very common during this election fever, but local meteorologists warn of the possibility of heavy rains and thunder showers during these days. more..

Oct 17 (CT) Number of local NGOs and individuals call views and policies of the major political parties towards tobacco, alcohol, peace, economy and other urgent political issues. A leading king maker and businessmen of Sri Lanka Lalith Kothalawala is one of the front liners in these efforts. more..

Oct 17 (AT) “At the State Council in 1935, my father spoke about the power devolution among the minority parties and in 1958 while my father was the Prime-Minister when he was to implement the Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact, others including the UNP went against it more..

Oct 17 (SN) Yesterday JHU starts its regional presidential campaign from Kaluthara. The Campaign was held at Kaluthara Municipal Auditorium at 3.00 PM. Maha Sangha and over 100 JHU and Mahinda Rajapaksa supporters were participated for the meeting. more..

Oct 17 (LT) Mr. Anura Bandaranayake, Minister of Foreign Affairs challenged the Leader of the Opposition to put forward the programme to bring down the prices of essential commodities. He made this challenge in a rally held at Mirigama. more..

Oct 17 (LT) Another ship with a Sri Lankan aboard has been seized by an armed gang near the sea in Somalia. The captain of the ship at the moment of seizure was A.H.E. de Silva. The crew consisted of nine Kenyans as well. The ship was seized Salaman Port in Somalia. more..

Oct 17 (SLBC) The postal department says the distribution of polls cards will begin on the 26th of this month. The distribution will go on until the 10th of next month. An official of the department told SLBC that a special postal service will be effective from the 6th of next month. more..

Oct 17 (ANN) A report "Aid and Conflict and Peace Building in Sri Lanka 2000-2005" says the UNF government’s policy of LTTE appeasement in many respects, sent a signal to the international community to go easy on human rights issues and it was aimed at keeping the LTTE at the negotiating table at any cost, in order to prevent them from returning to the bunkers. more..

Oct 17 (Hindu) Since adopting a presidential form of government in 1978, Sri Lanka has voted in four rather unique presidential elections. There is a sense of déjà vu about the fifth in the series. The outgoing President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, who has served two rollercoaster terms, is barred by the Constitution from seeking a third. more..

Oct 17 (SAMN) Prime Minister and SLFP Presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse has appointed Lt. Col. Gotabaya Rajapakse as his defence consultant on a contract basis with a monthly salary of Rs. 100,000 and other perks normally entitled to an additional ministry secretary. more..

Oct 17 (SAMN) The LTTE said that candidates contesting the upcoming presidential elections were free to campaign in rebel controlled areas provided they obtained prior permission from the rebel political leadership. more..

Oct 17 (SAMN) Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse has promised Chilaw Bishop Frank Marcus Fernando that if Christians opposed the construction of Norochcholai coal power house, he could drop the project. This promise has been extended in a sudden telephone conversation the Prime Minister has had with the Bishop on Saturday. more..

Oct 17 (LNP) The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has opposed the idea of a human rights mechanism with international investigative capacities, proposed by visiting human rights expert Mr. Ian Martin, noting that the timing for such a mechanism at this juncture is not appropriate. more..

Oct 17 (LNP) The second edition of `Deshapalanaya saha Dharmaya written by Ranil Wickremesinghe will be presented to the Maha Sangha today at Devram Vehera, Pannipitiya during a ceremony organized to unveil the Brahmasheela Sutra inscription completed under the Thripitaka inscription project. more..

Oct 17 (IRNA) Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker WJM Lokubandara in Geneva on Sunday called for promotion of relations with Iran in all fields. WJM Lokubandara met with the head of the Council of Iran's Inter-Parliamentary Group and head of the Iranian parliamentary delegation to the 113th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Kazem Jalali. more..

Oct 17 (Xinhua) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a grant of 2 million US dollars to help restore electricity and water supplies in post-tsunami Sri Lanka. The ADB funded project will help poor households in Sri Lanka that cannot afford utility connections for their houses after rebuilding and repair work has finished, more..

Oct 17 (CI) Stuart MacGill scalped three wickets in five balls, finishing with fantastic match figures of 9 for 82, as Australia steamrolled the World XI by 210 runs to win the Super Test at the SCG. The decisive blows, though, had been landed by Shane Warne in the morning, with Rahul Dravid and Brian Lara - who added 49 for the third wicket more..

Oct 17 (HT) It cannot be denied that the November 17, 2005 Sri Lankan Presidential election is principally about finding a solution to the Tamil question without compromising the power and dominant status of the majority Sinhala Buddhist community in the island. But it is also very substantially about bread and butter issues which are not ethno-centric. more..

Oct 17 (DN) THE Business for Peace Alliance (BPA) held its 17th meeting in Jaffna recently. The Jaffna Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Yalpanam and the Jaffna Chamber of Small and Micro Industries jointly hosted the meetings at the newly reopened Jaffna Public Library. more..

Oct 17 (AP) A gang armed with swords and guns attacked the manager of a newspaper known for its critical stance against the government, police and employees said on Monday. The gang broke into the offices of The Sunday Leader in Ratmalana, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the capital Colombo, more..

Oct 17 (BNL) Officials of Sri Lanka's embattled Christian minority urged believers around the world to pray for them Monday, October 17, as Sinhalese Christians from several churches gathered in Colombo for a prayer walk to protest the alleged government backed persecution of religious minorities. more..

Oct 17 (LM) ‘Deputy Minister Anver Ismail, who continuously abused the SLMC and its leadership, is now criticising the agreement that had been signed between the UNP and the SLMC' said former deputy Minister Hisbullah who re-joined the SLMC this week. more..

Oct 17 (BBC) Norwegian peace mediator for Sri Lanka, Erik Solheim, was named minister of development aid in the newly formed center-left coalition government. Solheim helped broker a February 2002 cease-fire between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tigers. more..

Oct 18 (BBC) One Policeman had been killed at a shooting incident near a checkpoint in Puttalam. Chilaw Police Superintendent say the policeman was shot dead at a checkpoint near the Mariamman Hindu Temple on the old Mannar Road in Puttalam. more..

Oct 18 (BBC) The Free Media Movement condemns the arson attack on the printing press of the Sunday Leader and "Irudina" weeklies. "This attack threatened not only press freedom, but also free and fair election environment in the country," said the Free Media Movement (FMM). more..

Oct 18 (TN) ’Dengue Free City’ campaign was launched in Trincomalee and its suburbs by the Medical Officer of Health's office (MOH) and the Trincomalee Urban Council. The inaugural event was held at Trincomalee Town Hall during the weekend. more..

Oct 18 (LeN) Prime Minister and Freedom Alliance presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa has appointed his younger brother retired Lt. Col. Gotabaya Rajapaksa as his defence consultant. The appointment comes in the wake of step motherly treatment dished out to Rajapaksa by the Defence Ministry. more..

Oct 18 (LT) The statements made by UNP presidential candidate Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe in answer to a question asked by a journalist at a media meeting held on the 13th that as soon as he came to power he would hand over the JVP to the Army exposes the intention of the UNP and its leader to suppress progressive forces more..

Oct 18 (BBC) Minister of development aid in the newly formed center-left coalition government Erik Solheim says Norway will continue to be involved in the peace process of Sri Lanka. The chief Norwegian peace negotiator expects to restart negotiations to bring back the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers after the presidential election in Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 18 (LT) If he became the President he would largely develop Trincomalee town and to do this he would bring an end to war said Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe. He said this in a meeting held at Kanthale. Mr. Wickremasinghe said the largest harbour in the world now was the Trincomalee Harbour, he would develop this harbour and create many job opportunities he added. more..

Oct 18 (TN) Sri parliament Tuesday evening adopted a motion to extend the State of Emergency for another month by a majority of sixty-one votes. Eighty parliamentarians of the ruling party and the main opposition UNP voted for the motion. Nineteen MPs voted against. more..

Oct 18 (TN) Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse, presidential candidate of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) released his manifesto at an event held in the BMICH at an event held Tuesday morning in the Bandaranaike International Memorial Conference Hall (BMICH). more..