Sep 13 (AP) Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels lobbed grenades and fired at the office of a satellite TV relay centre, but no casualties were reported, Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday. The attack on the relay centre, run by an ethnic Tamil group that opposes the Tigers, took place on Monday night, more..

Sep 13 (Reuters) A rift in Sri Lanka's ruling party widened on Tuesday when the foreign minister openly berated the prime minister, presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa -- a public scolding analysts say could hurt his election bid. more..

Sep 13 (Xinhua) Prime Minister and the ruling party's presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse has vowed to find a solution to the country's armed separatist conflict based on the unitary state concept. He was addressing media after formally sealing a deal with the all Buddhist Monk Party toward his candidature in the forthcoming presidential election. more..

Sep 13 (GT) The SLFP was never obsessed with a war mentality, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse has said. Addressing the All Island Youth Convention at his official residence ‘Temple Trees’ under his patronage, the premier said the opposition is accusing the SLFP of inviting war. The truth, he said was that his party was never obsessed with a war mentality. more..

Sep 13 (GT) The Special Task Force (STF) warned the LTTE not to test its patience. The warning follows the rebel ambush on September 8, in Manmunai in which an STF soldier, a policeman, six STF/police personnel and two civilians were killed. The STF said it did not retaliate following the attack in compliance with the ceasefire. more..

Sep 13 (AFP) Nationalist political parties in Sri Lanka said that an upcoming presidential election had become a referendum on the peace process as talks remained on hold with Tamil Tiger rebels. more..

Sep 13 (AFP) Norway's government-elect will offer to keep up peace mediation efforts in Sri Lanka "in whatever manner the parties want," top peace envoy Erik Solheim told AFP. "After the new government is formed by mid-October, it will formally contact the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers offering to continue its services in whatever manner the parties want," more..

Sep 13 (Reuters) South Africa's A squad escaped injury after a road accident in central Sri Lanka on Tuesday. The squad were travelling back from team practice in Dambulla to their hotel in Kandy when a timber truck crashed head-on into the team bus. more..

Sep 14 (TN) The Norwegian Labour Party led three-party Red-Green coalition has won the public elections in Norway. The change of Government will not directly impact the peace process in Sri Lanka although the ministerial portfolios are expected to change in about a month, sources in Oslo said. more..

Sep 14 (AFP) At least three workers were killed Tuesday in explosions at a fireworks factory outside the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, police said. Fire engines were rushed from the nearby international airport to douse the flames, said a police official at Negombo, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the capital. more..

Sep 14 (LT) UNP has forwarded two letters to the Commissioner of Elections and the Police Commission. UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya and Deputy Secretary Tissa Attanayake and a team of UNP members have forwarded these letters alleging that state property is being used for the Prime Minister's election campaign. more..

Sep 14 (LT) A programme should be implemented which is acceptable to all said Mahanayake of Malwatte Chapter to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. This was stated when Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse visited the Mahanayake at Malwatte Maha Viharaya. more..

Sep 14 (LT) Is the concept of unitary state accepted even by president J.R. Jayawardhana by his 1978 constitution retained? Or else the concept of a united country in a federal system that abets the separatist terrorism adopted? - the JVP queries Ranil Wickramasinghe. more..

Sep 14 (LT) The UNP has distorted her speech made at the 54th celebrations of the SLFP and use it for their advantage says President Chandrika Kumaratunga. Participating in an interview with 'Lakhanda' radio she further said she would work with all her might to bring victory to the candidate put forward by the SLFP. more..

Sep 14 (AT) Yogarajah Balasingham, the LTTE agent who was hoping to get a seat in the Norwegian Parliament as a candidate of the Labour Party, did not come anywhere near the winning margin. The LTTE was hoping that he would win but he lost as he was at the bottom of the list of Labour Party candidates headed by the Labour Party leader, Jens Stoltenberg. more..

Sep 14 (AT) Erik Solheim is not likely to get the post of the Foreign Minister even though he is the spokesperson on foreign affairs of his party, Socialist Left (SV) ( Sosialistisk Venstreparti or SV), -- one of the partners in the centre-left coalition of Jens Stoltenberg, the Labour Leader and the next Prime Minster. more..

Sep 14 (AT)First she and her brother, Anura Bandaranaike, the Foreign Minister, attacked the presidential candidate of their party (SLFP), Mahinda Rajapakse, after endorsing him as their nominee. Anura Bandaranaike said that he has been hijacked by the “extremists” – i.e. the JVP. more..

Sep 14 (AM) Journalists converged in central Sri Lanka this weekend to discuss freedoms and social responsibilities in provincial news media and explored the possibility of creating the country's first all-inclusive journalists' trade union. more..

Sep 14 (AFP) A rift in Sri Lanka’s ruling party widened yesterday when the foreign minister openly berated the prime minister, presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse — a public scolding analysts say could hurt his election bid. more..

Sep 14 (Jang) European cease-fire monitors on Tuesday accused Tamil Tiger rebels of violating Sri Lanka’s fragile truce by detaining three policemen and refusing them access to the men. "This is a very serious matter," said Helen Olafsdottir, a spokeswoman for the team monitoring the cease-fire agreement more..

Sep 14 (TN) The construction work of a pre-school for Sinhala students in Vijithapura, a suburb in Trincomalee town, began Tuesday with funding from Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), an NGO that works exclusively in the NorthEast. more..

Sep 14 (TN) The leader of the Razeek Group, Mr. Sivaguru Navaratnarajah, 38, known as 'Kanthy', was killed in a grenade attack by unidentified attackers Wedensday morning. The attack took place at 6:25 a.m. inside the high security zone in Batticaloa town where Razeek group's well fortified military camp more..

Sep 14 (TN) Fire erupted at the third floor of the Police Headquarters located at Colombo Fort around 11:20 a.m. Wednesday. The third floor which houses offices of eight Deputy Inspector Generals (DIG) sustained major damages, Police said. more..

Sep 14 (SLA) The VALAICHCHENAI Police station was among the latest Police installation that came under hand grenade attack of the Tamil Tigers late night on Tuesday (13) around 11.45 p.m. but explosion caused no injuries or damages to property since it has fallen in the backyard. more..

Sep 14 (SLA) Tamil Tigers repeating their vicious circle of terror against members of the Armed Forces and the Police claimed the life of one more soldier today (14) morning around 6.15 a.m. in BATTICALOA town when he was proceeding for his morning ablutions. more..

Sep 14 (SLA) A shopkeeper in the general area of JAFFNA was gunned down by a suspected Tamil Tiger gunman on 13 September 2005 around 3.30 p.m. while he was returning home for lunch. The deceased, BALASINGHAM SIVANESHAN (37) of MANIPAY ROAD, INUVIL, was returning home from his shop at MANIPAY ROAD, UDUVIL more..

Sep 14 (PRIU) The 2005 World Summit opens in New York City today which the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has described as "a once-in-a-generation opportunity ... to take action on grave global threats that require global bold solutions." more..

Sep 14 (wsws) Even before the date of the Sri Lankan presidential election has been announced, the issue of war has been put at the centre of the campaign. Mahinda Rajapakse, the candidate for the ruling SLFP and current prime minister, signed a pact with the JVP last week, more..

Sep 14 (SN) A well attended Multi-Faith Meeting with participants from all of the ethnic communities making up the Sri Lankan fabric was held at the North York Civic Centre’s Council Chamber on Saturday to Commemorate the Life of the Late Honorable Lakshman Kadirgamar more..

Sep 14 (LBO) Ceylinco Developers Ltd, promoters of the Millennium City township development project, is raising Rs. 100 million in debt to meet its ongoing expansion plans. The unsecured, unquoted subordinated three-year issue comes with an option to redeem after one or two years, more..

Sep 14 (ANN) The two burning issues of the day are the national question and the economy. Which would be given more weightage by the people of Sri Lanka, and their perception as to which of the two Presidential candidates, Mahinda Rajapakse or Ranil Wickremesinghe, is better equipped to deliver on these issues, would decide who would be the next President of Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 14 (SLBC) The G.C.E Ordinary Level Examination is scheduled to begin on the 12th of December and will continue till the 23rd. Over 500 thousand candidates will sit the exam this year. Commissioner General of Examinations Anura Edirisinghe says the applications are in the process of being computerized. more..

Sep 14 (PIS) Senior Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka and Secretary-General, Peace Secretariat, Jayantha Dhanapala has emphasised the potential role that can be played by the Sri Lankan Diaspora- both Sinhala and Tamil, in promoting peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, more..

Sep 14 (PIS) The SLMM yesterday insisted on the immediate release of three Police officers in LTTE custody as the LTTE has detained the three Policemen in violation of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA), spokeswoman to Nordic Truce Monitors Helen Olaffsdottir told more..

Sep 14 (SAMN) The ‘Thulanathmaka Arthikaya’, that the JVP spoke of and presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse endorsed, has resulted in poor people being deprived of even three decent meals for the day, Kegalle District UNP parliamentarian Kabir Hashim said yesterday. more..

Sep 14 (LNP) The three policemen abducted by the LTTE will not be released, the group`s political wing leader Thamil Selvan is reported to have said, according to information received. Meanwhile, Mannar Bishop Rayappu Joseph told The Island yesterday he was still trying to his utmost to secure the release of the three policemen more..

Sep 14 (LNP) A Senior Vice Principal and two teachers of D.S. Senanayake College were yesterday jailed for two years for brutally beating an outstanding student of the school. Senior Vice Principal Gamini Edirisuriya and teachers Shanthi Kumara Perera and A.M. Ariyapala were sentenced by Colombo High Court Judge A.T. Ratnayake. more..

Sep 14 (LNP) The abolition of the P-TOMS agreement, major revisions of the ceasefire deal and the rejection of any self-governance or homeland concept are among the tough conditions in the agreement between presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse and the JHU. more..

Sep 14 (ES) Helen Olafsdottir has a frustrating job, trying to monitor fairness and peace amongst two sides in a 30-year dispute characterized by unfairness and death. Welcome to Sri Lanka, where the only daily certainty is uncertainty. more..

Sep 14 (AP) Thousands of children lined up at schools and health centers in northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday to receive de-worming medicine that kills the sometimes deadly parasites and protects against new infection, the International Organization of Migration said. more..

Sep 14 (PTI) Four men were shot dead today and their bodies dumped in a car parked inside a cemetery just outside the capital Colombo, police said. The bodies were found at Dompe, about 40 kilometres east of Colombo, police said. The victims were known underworld figures, police said. more..

Sep 14 (Bernama) Malaysian tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka rose to 6,792 in the first half of this year, a sharp 68 percent increase from the same period in 2004. Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) officials said Malaysian arrivals in Sri Lanka for 2004 totalled 10,132 in 2004 against 9,331 in the previous year. more..

Sep 14 (DN) The Agriculture Ministry has made arrangements to re-cultivate 700 acres of fallow paddy lands in the Kalutara district under the Government's nation building exercise which has targeted the renovation of 1310 tanks and anicuts by the end of this year. more..

Sep 14 (CI) Bangladesh crashed to their eighth innings defeat in their last 10 Test matches, losing before lunch on the third day to Sri Lanka by an innings and 96 runs. Muttiah Muralitharan was the chief destroyer, creating middle order mayhem with his doosra, to finish with 6 for 18 and the Man-of-the-Match award. more..

Sep 14 (AFP) A major fire broke out Wednesday at Sri Lanka's police headquarters in the capital Colombo and several officers were injured in a stampede to evacuate the five-storey building, police said. "We have ruled out sabotage and I think it was most probably an electric short circuit," police chief Chandra Fernando told AFP. more..

Sep 14 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's peace bid with the Tamil Tigers needs a fresh approach, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse said on Wednesday, vowing if elected president to invite his opponents to join forces to negotiate with the rebels. more..

Sep 14 (AP) A British man was detained Wednesday for allegedly sexually abusing several Sri Lankan children, officials said. The 51-year-old surrendered to police in the capital Colombo and remains in police custody, said Dimuthu Galapatti, spokesman for the National Child Protection Authority or NCPA, which is spearheading the investigation. more..

Sep 14 (AFP) Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu refused to join calls for Bangladesh to be stripped of Test status despite his team's emphatic victory against the outclassed minnows. "True, it was a two-and-a-half-day match, but we do not want to insult the opposition and deprive them of competing with the big boys," Atapattu said more..

Sep 14 (AFP) Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels shot dead a Hindu priest and killed the leader of a rival group in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, the defence ministry said. The priest, Sabhananda Sharma, 28, was murdered in his car in the northern Jaffna peninsula, ministry spokesman Daya Ratnayake said. more..

Sep 14 (AP) A spokesman for prime minister on Wednesday denied there were sharp differences between the premier and the president over proposed handling of the fragile peace process with the Tamil Tiger rebels. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse is also the ruling party's candidate for president in elections due by Nov. 22. more..