May 4 (LNP) The Union for Protecting University Students Rights said the University Grants Commission had not as yet been able to transfer some students who were sent to the Medical Faculty of the Jaffna University, although those students needed to be attached to other universities due to prevailing insecure situation in the Jaffna University. more..

May 4 (LNP) Ananda College, Colombo was shut down indefinitely on Monday since situation was not conducive to continuing the academic activities, education ministry sources said. The academic activities cannot continue due to the parents and old boys protesting against the suspension of the Principal D. E. Abeyratne, more..

May 4 (LNP) In view of a settlement, the Supreme Court yesterday terminated the fundamental rights violation petition filed against the installation of a statue of Jesus Christ at Telwatha Junction, Negombo. The Bench comprised Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva and Justices Shiranee Tilakawardane and Saleem Marsoof. more..

May 4 (DN) The Colombo Crime Division (CCD) probing the killing of Dharmaratnam Sivaram, editor of the pro-LTTE TamilNet website and columnist for 'Daily Mirror' under the pseudonym Taraki, had questioned seventy persons and had recorded their statements, CCD Director Senior SP Sarath Lugoda said. more..

May 4 (PTI) The banned LTTE continues to use Tamil Nadu as a base for carrying out smuggling of essential items like petrol, diesel and drugs to Sri Lanka, says the annual report of the Union Home Ministry. more..

May 4 (ET) While last December’s tsunami washed away tourism from her most popular beaches, there are still plenty of great reasons to visit Sri Lanka. Literally meaning “Lanka the Blessed,” this teardrop-shaped island nation off of the southern tip of India is blessed with an impressive pedigree of cultural relics situated inland, far from the devastated coasts. more..

May 4 (AP) A Sri Lankan court on Wednesday ordered that a government-appointed committee remain in control of the Sri Lanka's cricket board offices, rather than a recently elected committee. The order by a two-judge bench came a day after police raided the Sri Lanka Cricket premises, more..

May 4 (LM) The feared Island wide Power Blackout had not materialized five minutes after the 12 noon Island wide token strike launched by the nearly 14,000 strong Lanka Viduli Sevaka Sangamaya protesting the governments re-structuring attempts deemed by the union as a cover for de-facto privatisation of Sri Lanka's Power and Energy Sector. more..

May 4 (AFP) President vowed to reach a deal with Tamil rebels on the distribution of aid after the December tsunamis despite the risk it could see her shaky coalition collapse, state-run media said. The government led by President Chandrika Kumaratunga needs an agreement to distribute foreign aid to rebel-held areas, more..

May 4 (LBO) Amidst a strike by power sector unions, Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha said the government will withdraw a controversial cabinet memo to restructure the loss making Electricity Board. In a balancing act between unions, the Minister said on Wednesday that the Cabinet paper would be replaced with a new reform plan, more..

May 5 (TN) The Social Development Centre (SDC), headquartered in Killinochchi signed an agreement with the Assembly of God (AG) to construct 76 houses for tsunami-affected families in Soodaikuda, a remote village in the Muttur east in the Trincomalee district. more..

May 5 (TN) Parliament Wednesday adopted the Tsunami (Special Provisions) Bill and the Disaster Management Bill. Mr.John Seneviratne, Minister of Justice and Judicial Reforms and Ms Sumedha Jeyasena, Minister for Social Services and Women Affairs moved the Tsunami (Special provisions) Bill and Disaster Management Bill respectively, more..

May 5 (PE) A pregnant woman suffered a miscarriage four days after she was allegedly tortured by the police in the Southern town of Embilipitya, a human rights group reported today. K.A. Ganga Kalpani was tortured along with her husband, Walakadage Gamini Senadeera, by officers of the Embilipitiya Police Station, more..

May 5 (AME) Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) Director General Mr Seenivasagam Kalaiselvam expressed his confidence in Sri Lanka's recovery at this week's Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the Middle East's leading travel industry event. more..

May 5 (LM) Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem assured a delegation of leaders of the National Christian Fellowship in Colombo yesterday that he stood firmly against "legislating against any man's sacred right to the unfettered exercise of a free conscience." more..

May 5 (LBO) Central Bank is to shortly allow primary dealers to short sell government securities, in an attempt to add some liquidity to the market. Primary dealers – an elite group appointed by the Central Bank to exclusively access primary treasury bill and bond auctions more..

May 5 (IHT) In 2001, international investors effectively deserted Sri Lanka, which seemed locked in eternal conflict between the Sinhalese-led government and Tamil rebels. But as if to prove the market adage that it's time to buy when others sell, Sri Lanka's all-share price index began a sustained climb shortly afterward. more..

May 5 (IFRC) Chandra Mathi is heaving piles of rubble to clear away the remains of a house destroyed by the 26 December tsunami. It is well over 30°C in the midday sun, but the heat doesn’t deter this 29-year-old mother of three and the other nine men and women working with her. more..

May 5 (AT) Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran who concluded his 4-day visit to Sri Lanka denied that there was a conflict between India and Sri Lanka over the Sethusamudram canal project. The project is aimed at deepening of the Palk Strait between the two countries to enable large ships to sail. more..

May 5 (AT) Local entrepreneurs and big corporate organizations in Sri Lanka are appealing for their Value Added Tax rebates, from the government tax arm - Inland Revenue Department (IRD). But the Inland Revenue Department says that they did not receive the required funds from the Treasury to refund the Value Added Tax (VAT) rebates. more..

May 5 (IE) Even as the BCCI looks around for a committee to select the next coach, the crisis-ridden Sri Lanka looks ready to sneak in and snatch one of the prospective candidates. A couple of Sri Lanka’s top players now in England have done their own recruiting and hope that former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody will agree to terms. more..

May 5 (TOO) The crème de la crème — the best and the most outstanding students of the Sri Lankan School Muscat — have been rewarded for their academic achievements at the Annual Prize Distribution Ceremony 2005 held with much pomp and glory. more..

May 5 (LT) A subsidy worth Rs. 8000mn to be paid for Prima Company in order to control price for the wheat flour, was proscribed by the Minister of Consumer affairs Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. This money was to be given to the company according to the agreement between the government and Prima company to maintain a lower price. more..

May 5 (TN) Discipline is breaking down in Sri Lanka’s police force, the Asian Human Rights Commission warned Wednesday, citing assaults and shootings of civilians by officers. “The cause of this collapse in discipline [is] the politicisation of the police force,” the Hong Kong-based group said. more..

May 5 (LT) Despite of several requests 26 Sinhala and Muslim students who have been selected for Jaffna University were not transferred, UNP in astatement accuses. There have been 4 Sinhala students and 22 Muslim students among those who were selected for the Jaffna University. more..

May 5 (LT) JVP parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa making a special statement in the parliament yesterday requested the ministry of foreign affairs to conduct a special investigation about the jeep taken into custody at the Uiyankulama Army check point in Vaunia. more..

May 5 (LT) JVP ministers walked out from the cabinet meeting in protest against the cabinet paper presented yesterday (05) on restructuring the Electricity Board. When the cabinet met last night, the minister of Power and Energy Resources Susil Premajayantha presented a new cabinet paper for restructuring the Electricity Board. more..

May 5 (BBC) The president has assured religious leaders that the proposed Joint Mechanism with the LTTE to reconstruct the tsunami affected northeast will not lead to the separation of the country. A media release from the Presidents Office on Wednesday stated that, "she is confident working with the LTTE on tsunami reconstruction will provide a foundation to further our peace efforts." more..

May 5 (AT) The new Sri Lankan High Commissioner designate to Australia Kumarasiri Balapatabendi assumed duties today replacing Major General Janaka Perera who has been posted as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Indonesia. more..

May 5 (AT) President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Tuesday addressed the Religious Committee of the National Advisory Council for Peace and Reconciliation (NACPR). The NACPR is the President’s key mechanism for a consultative process regarding the peace and reconciliation process. more..

May 5 (TN) The train service in Sri Lanka came to a standstill Thursday with the strike of engine drivers entering the second day. No passenger or goods train left from Fort Railway Station in Colombo Thursday morning. more..

May 5 (TN) Five Tamil youths detained in Batticaloa prison for more than 6 months, Thursday, began protest fast on the roof of the prison demanding that the Sri Lankan government should either expedite legal action against them or release them on bail. more..

May 5 (SLA) As Mahatma Gandhi once quipped that ‘ there is no other book greater than the book of humanity,’ our set of human values largely influenced by religious and cultural ethos see no boundaries, ethnicities or any other component whenever and wherever adversities strike. more..

May 5 (SLA) One more Toyota Land Cruiser jeep fraudulently registered under ambulance category with the Registrar of Motor Vehicles (RMV) in Sri Lanka was arrested with two Tamil suspects at UYILANKULAM Entry/Exit point in MANNAR by the Police at about 7.15 a.m. Thursday (5) morning. more..

May 5 (TN) The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has launched a full-scale investigation into the sudden explosion in its armoury located in Thanankilappu in Thenmaradchchi division in the Jaffna district Wednesday morning around 11 a.m where four SLA soldiers were seriously injured and an artillery gun was destroyed, more..

May 5 (PTI) A 61-year-old Sri Lankan woman was found strangulated at her residence at Azhagappan Nagar here, police said. Arunadevi was found strangled to death with a telephone wire last night, police said. Arunadevi, who had returned here last month from Sri Lanka where her sons lived, wanted to sell her property, police said.

May 5 (PIS) President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday held one to one talks with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse to brief him on the progress of talks on the Joint Mechanism for tsunami rehabilitation in the northeast and also on the government's proposed restructuring programme on state institutions incurring losses, more..

May 5 (PRIU) December 26, 2004 - a day seared in the minds of millions ranging the globe, when the normally placid ocean waves which lap the Southeast Asian beaches suddenly reared and charged over its shores in a fit of unsuspected ferocity leaving within minutes scenes of colossal devastation more..

May 5 (Dawn) Sri Lanka on Tuesday confirmed that tons of aid for stricken tsunami survivors had been stranded at the country’s main port here after import duties were reintroduced. About 200 shipping containers of old clothes and bottled water would soon be cleared for distribution to make room at the terminal, more..

May 5 (LBO) Sri Lanka raises prices of fuel by up to 18 percent to satisfy lending agencies and ease strain on balance of payments. Petrol at the pump will go up by Rs. 4.00 to Rs. 74.00 (for 90 octane) and Rs. 77.00 (for 95 octane). Auto diesel goes up by Rs. 2.00 to Rs. 46.00 more..

May 5 (Reuters) Duleep Mendis has reversed his decision to resign as Sri Lanka Cricket's chief executive in the latest twist in the crisis surrounding the administration of the sport on the island. Mendis, a former Sri Lanka captain, coach and manager, resigned last week after being called in for questioning by the CID. more..

May 5 (SAMN) Velupillai Prabhakaran's cadres operate in the Eastern Province mainly because of the security provided by the Army, the JHU said in Parliament yesterday. Making a statement to the House, JHU group leader Ven. Athuraliye Ratana Thera said it was apparent that there was dissension within the LTTE. more..

May 5 (AP) Police charged 800 traffic offenders in a one-day campaign mainly targeting errant bus drivers in northwestern Sri Lanka, a senior police official said Thursday. The road safety clampdown was launched in the wake of two deadly accidents in the area involving buses that sparked concerns about the safety of Sri Lanka's private bus industry. more..

May 5 (SAMN) The Air Traffic Controllers Association of Sri Lanka yesterday warned that it would be forced to resort to stern trade union action if the government failed to introduce the Air traffic Controllers Licence Allowance. more..

May 5 (LNP) Disgruntled Sri Lankan World Cup winning hero Aravinda de Silva expressed his deepest concerns over the latest developments in Sri Lanka cricket administration and said that it is time for him to take a break if the country does not want his services in cricket. more..

May 5 (LNP) Labour Minister Athauda Seneviratne yesterday said plans were underway to increase the number of persons in foreign employment to two million in the next two years. `The number of persons engaged in foreign employment at present is about 1.2 million. Steps have been taken to increase it up to two million within next two years. more..

May 5 (TP) The crisis over alleged corruption among school heads and the interdiction of several principals worsened on Tuesday when another state agency overturned the decisions of the Education Ministry and reinstated the principals. more..

May 5 (DN) The Government will not hesitate to do the correct thing on the request of majority of parents of the country who have to face injustices when admitting their children to national schools, Information and Media Minister and Deputy Education Minister Mangala Samaraweera told Parliament yesterday. more..

May 5 (PTI) Sri Lanka's main petroleum company has said it has begun drawing on a 150 million dollar Indian credit line and has already imported 44 million dollars worth of products this month. Main petroleum company has said it has begun drawing on a 150 million dollar Indian credit line and has already imported 44 million dollars worth of products this month. more..

May 5 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka's main opposition has blamed the alleged breakdown of the law and order situation in this Indian ocean island for last week's abduction and murder of a top Tamil minority journalist, Dharmaratnam Sivaram. more..