June 6 (TP) Agriculture Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle will tour the rice-growing Polonnaruwa district tomorrow to look into the rice stock situation in the region, the Daily News said. more..

June 6 (IANS) Sri Lanka's ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has launched an all-out campaign to win a working majority in parliament, according to a media report. Ports and Aviation Minister Mangala Samaraweera heads the campaign, codenamed "Ops 113", more..

June 6 (IANS) In a potentially significant development, Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger guerrillas have started a special campaign to raise money in Europe and North America, saying they are sick and tired of the peace process. more..

June 6 (AFP) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels announced plans to use their proxies in parliament to press for self-rule in the island's embattled regions amid failure by peace broker Norway to revive negotiations. more..

June 6 (LBO) Sri Lankans who get into pyramid schemes simply because they are ‘not illegal’ would find themselves in a legal vacuum with no help from the system, a top legal luminary points out. more..

June 6 (LBO) The Customs Department investigators are probing whether Gold Quest customers defrauded the state of revenue, by undervalueing imported Gold coins to the country. GoldQuest customers or Tracking Centre Owners, paid only Rs. 3,000 in duty and taxes for the Rs. 80,000 plus priced gold coins purchased from the company's website. more..

June 6 (LBO) Sri Lanka is noted for its tea and Tamil Tigers, but the tropical island is banking on a lesser known product -- lacy lingerie -- to save a garments industry threatened with extinction. more..

June 6 (IANS) Former US president Ronald Reagan has died at the age of 93 at his home in California after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for a decade. His eldest son, Michael Reagan, issued a statement confirming his father's death Saturday afternoon. more..

June 6 (Rupavahini) Several trade unions strongly protested against the proposed strike of the registered and assistant medial officers association and the health services trade union alliance. These unions said that they would not extend any assistance for the trade union action. more..

June 7 (TN) The Trincomalee District Development Association (TDDA) under its Integrated Rehabilitation Programme (IRP) with the funding of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has provided infrastructure facilities to the resettled Tamil village, Swamimalai, in Thampalakamam Divisional Secretariat division. more..

June 7 (CT) The Ministry of Labour Relations and Foreign Employment has decided to increase the compensation package for workers who are killed or wounded while on duty. Minister Athauda Senaviratne said that he received approval from the cabinet of ministers for the new package. more..

June 7 (AT) Tamil Tigers are in a dilemma and unable to come to terms with emerging political scenarios in the country. War or peace – leadership of the outfit is carefully weighing the options, but it seems that they are unable to come to grip with reality, as for either of the choice takers within the rebel outfit divided. more..

June 7 (AT) The Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, said today that India would examine the proposals put forth by the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, before arriving at a decision on defence cooperation with Sri Lanka. more..

June 7 (Rupavahini) The administrative division of the Sri Jayawardenapura University Says that academic sessions of the university would be continued without any interruptions. The university students have extended their fullest support towards this end. more..

June 7 (TN) Chief Justice of Colombo Supreme Court, Sarath N.Silva has appointed five High Court justices to hear the appeals of the five accused, including police officers, Senaka Karunasena and Roger Ratnayake, and three civilians from Bandarawela who were convicted of the massacre of 27 inmates more..

June 7 (TP) The Sri Lankan government, worried over world oil prices that hit record highs last week, is preparing a “still confidential” plan to cushion poorer segments of the population and local manufacturers against a fuel hike here, a senior minister said. more..

June 7 (TP) Alarm bells are ringing and morale is very low at the Board of Investment (BOI), Sri Lanka’s premier investment promotion arm, after two senior officials were sacked by Investment Minister Anura Bandaranaike while some 20 others including three top officials may face the axe. more..

June 7 (TP) The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry is probing a controversial scheme to allow large quantities of fish exports through Colombo to the lucrative Japanese and EU markets. Fisheries Minister Chandrasena Wijesinghe called for a report on this, a senior ministry official told the Sunday Island. more..

June 7 (HT) The LTTE chief, Velupillai Prabhakaran, is keen on re-establishing links with Chennai and New Delhi in order to secure India's support for the cause of the Sri Lankan Tamils as represented by him. more..

June 7 (SLA) Two LTTE cadres were arrested from the general area of AKKARAIPATTU while they were abducting a 29-year old civilian on an unregistered motorbike around 8.30 p.m. on 03 June 2004. more..

June 7 (SLA) Uniform-clad three LTTE men had fired two rounds of ammunition in the general area of KADJUWATTE on 04 June 2004 around 8.45 p.m. for reasons best known only to the LTTE. These LTTE cadres after firing had however fled the area. more..

June 7 (SLA) An unidentified pistol man has shot dead a three-wheeler driver in the general area of KOOMANKULAM, about 7 km northeast of VAVUNIYA town on 05 June 2004 around 10.00 p.m. more..

June 7 (SLA) Thousands of school children from JAFFNA, CHANKANAI and NELLIADY areas have been made to participate in LTTE’s “Tamil Eelam Students Day” held on 05 & 06 June 2004 inside respective school premises. more..

June 7 (PRIU) Sri Lanka signed a Readmission Agreement with the European Community (EC) June 4, in Colombo. This is the first formal Agreement Sri Lanka has entered into concerning the combating of illegal immigration. more..

June 7 (PRIU) President Kumaratunga will join the families of war heroes this evening at the National Remembrance Park in Mailapitiya, Kandy. The President will take part in an ‘aloka pooja’ the lighting of oil-lamps organised by the RanaViru Seva Authority( RVSA) to honour the members of the Sri Lanka Armed Services and the Police. more..

June 7 (BT) With major international brands, such as Marks & Spencer, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Pierre Cardin, Gucci, Nike, Marmot and Calvin Klein, sourcing their products from Sri Lanka, the island-nation is fast turning out to be the fashion hub and shoppers' paradise of South-East Asia. more..

June 7 (LT) All CWE outlets in the island will be issued red raw rice at Rs.29.75 from today states Trade, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Ministry. Mr. Wiriththamulla, Secretary of the ministry says as a result of this there won’t be a shortage of rice in the open market. more..

June 7 (Rupavahini) The registered and assistant medical officers association is to Launch a country wide strike with effect from tomorrow. The Members of the union say that they will maintain emergency services at government hospitals during the period of their strike. more..

June 7 (CI) Reacting to the news that Muttiah Muralitharan was threatening to sue him, Bishan Singh Bedi was unperturbed. "I'm entitled to my opinion," he said. "In my opinion, he doesn't conform to the laws of the game and the ICC is squarely to blame for allowing him to get away with it," said Bedi, more..

June 7 (G2L) JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva yesterday claimed that the UNP was behind Saturday’s killing of Deputy Minister Sripathi Sooriya-arachchi’s bodyguards and an undergraduate of the Sri Jayewardenepura University. more..

June 7 (CT) The Sri Lankan embassy in Doha has urged Sri Lankan workers seeking benefits under the amnesty scheme to contact it for assistance. Sri Lankan ambassador A L Mohammed Yoosuf said yesterday that fellow countrymen wanting repatriation under the amnesty should come to the embassy for assistance instead of approaching amnesty officials directly. more..

June 7 (AT) Indian President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Monday spelt: “My government will support the peace initiative in Sri Lanka that fulfills the requirements of all sections of the people of Sri Lanka for a life full of dignity and self-respect and meets the legitimate aspirations of all linguistic and religious minorities, while respecting the territorial integrity and solidarity of Sri Lanka.” more..

June 7 (DN) The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) yesterday questioned six persons in connection with the slaying of personal bodyguards of Sports and Youth Affairs Deputy Minister Sripathi Suriyarachchi on Saturday. more..

June 7 (Gulf) Tamil Tiger rebels yesterday said it had instructed the group of Tamil parliamentarians backing them to improve relations with the new Indian government and seek their support for the proposals of establishing an Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) in the strife-torn north and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. more..

June 7 (TN) The Mahanayake Thera of Malwatte Chapter Most Venerable Rambukwelle Vipassi passed away Monday afternoon around 3.15 p.m. in the Kandy general hospital after a brief illness at the age of 89. He was born in the year 1916 and entered priesthood in 1930. He was appointed Mahanayake of Malwatte chapter in the year 1989. more..

June 7 (LBO) E-Channelling – a local pioneer at mixing electronic commerce with channelling a doctor – is hoping to show a profit next year by offloading some of its start up costs into this year’s balance sheet. more..

June 7 (LBO) Delays in appointing a Commission to the telecom watchdog is holding up Suntel’s next phase of network expansion. Costs per line are estimated to tumble down to about US$ 200 from the above US$ 1000 levels currently, with the new network expansion. more..

June 8 (HT) There is little or no chance of the peace talks between the Sri Lankan vernment and the LTTE resuming soon. At any rate, they are unlikely to be held before the elections to the Provincial Councils scheduled for July 10. more..

June 8 (PTI) Sri Lanka's former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today rejected allegations levelled by certain sections in the media that India's top envoy Nirupam Sen had worked behind the scenes to undermine his government. more..

June 8 (DN) President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday said that the Government was committed to take the country forward as a united and independent nation while holding discussions with a sessionist group to address their grievances. more..

June 22 (TN) Vice Chancellor (VC) of Jaffna Campus, Professor C.Mohanadas, Monday failed in his attempt to bring the eight-day-old strike of the Jaffna University Employees Union to an end. more..

June 22 (TN) A senior associate of the renegade LTTE commander Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan (Karuna) said Monday that she and other associates of Karuna stayed in a house provided and protected by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in a suburb of Colombo. more..

June 22 (TN) Prime Minister Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse Monday declared that his UPFA government would prove its majority in parliament when it meets on July 20 after elections to six-provicincial councils, scheduled to be held on July 10. more..

June 22 (Reuters) Sri Lanka stocks inched up on Tuesday, lifted by retail shares, but institutional investors stayed away from the market in the absence of fresh economic factors to determine direction, brokers said. more..

June 22 (LT) The United People’s Freedom Alliance Government has been able to present to the people many benefits and commence quite a few people friendly programmes during the short period it has been office said Minister Mangala Samaraweera. more..

June 22 (NW) The government yesterday denied LTTE charges that it was providing shelter to the rebel leader Karuna. Defence Ministry Secretary Cyril Herath told the Daily Mirror the LTTE charge was baseless. more..

June 22 (NW) Around 80,000 members of the Health Services Trade Union Alliance will launch a token sick note campaign today and stage a protest demonstration opposite the Ministry at noon, a HSTUA official said yesterday. more..

June 22 (SLA) An unidentified group of three armed persons who stormed teachers’ quarters at the MAANMPITIYA MAHA VIDYALAYA in POLONNARUWA has relieved the residents of their valuables to the worth of Rs. 90,000./= on 19 June 2004 around 10.30 p.m. more..

June 22 (SLA) Some civilians who reached the troops on duty at the road block in the general area of MANKERNI, about 38 k.m. north west of BATTICALOA town, on 21 June 2004 reported that the LTTE men harassed and forced them to hand over their daughters to the LTTE. more..

June 22 (LBO) Sri Lanka’s top trade chambers have asked the government to wake up to the realities facing the economy and for legislators to stop misbehaving in parliament. more..