Nov 6 (TN) "Tamils have the right to keep demanding a separate State until their aspirations are adequately met, constitutionally entrenched and implemented. If this were done the demand would cease to be valid. more..

Nov 6 (SLA) Major General (Retd) A.K.Jayawardane, Governor for North & East with his officials arrived in Palaly on Wednesday (03) morning for a two-day visit to the Jaffna peninsula. Major General Sunil Tennakoon, Commander, Security Forces Headquarters Jaffna was at the airport to receive the Governor. more..

Nov 6 (SLA) The final display of the Inter-Regiment Drill Competition 2004 got under way today (05) at the Army Headquarters Ground after best regiments were adjudged for finale during their displays that took place at the Panagoda Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regimental Centre during 15-27 September 2004. more..

Nov 6 (SLA) Two women who were arrested and detained by the LTTE at the LTTE road block in the un-cleared area of KADUVAMADUWA on 04 November 2004 have been released by the LTTE the same day afternoon. more..

Nov 6 (SLA) A sixteen year old Tamil boy who was in the LTTE custody has been released by the LTTE on 04 November 2004 around 3.40 p.m. The victim, SOMANTHAN SIVAHARAN (16) of ICHCHANTHIVE, TRINCOMALEE has been released by the LTTE when the members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited the KILINOCHCHI LTTE office. more..

Nov 6 (SLA) One thousand two hundred and forty four (1244) lorry loads of food and other essential items had been dispatched to un-cleared areas in the northern province during the period between 29 October 2004 and 04 November 2004. more..

Nov 6 (LBO) Shell Gas says cylinder prices could spiral to Rs. 1020 levels by December, come winter, an accumulated price squeeze and a US$ 180 mn loss for the first nine months this year. Current global Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) prices have already overshot expected winter targets of US$ 400 a tonne, more..

Nov 6 (MG) The police have decided to increase security in Colombo following the spate of killings of army and police intelligence operatives, informants and those opposing the LTTE, sources said yesterday. more..

Nov 6 (MG) The Society for the Protection of Unity, Peace and Human Rights of Sri Lanka (SPUR) writing to the leader of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera urged the JHU to act immediately to prevent the Japanese envoy, Yasushi Akashi promoting direct donor interactions with the LTTE. more..

Nov 6 (Gulf) Tamil guerrillas continued their killing spree as the Norwegians revived their efforts to continue with the peace process without much expectations. An ex-Parliamentary candidate of a Tamil party was shot dead on the outskirts of the capital on Thursday night by Tamil guerrillas following allegations that he was providing information to the security forces. more..

Nov 6 (IANS) Over 3,000 monks from 30 countries will attend a convention of Buddhist youths in Bihar Sunday to be inaugurated by Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga. The three-day meet is being held in Bodh Gaya, the place where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. more..

Nov 6 (DN) The Sri Lanka Mission in Kuwait is trying to locate the journalist who reported the possible release of Dinesh Rajaratnam, 36, taken hostage by an Islamic militant group identifying themselves as Anzar Sunnah, Foreign Ministry sources said yesterday. more..

Nov 6 (AP) Sri Lankan allrounder Sanath Jayasuriya says his team is gradually shedding its image as a side that struggles to win away from home. "Winning outside is a big thing for Sri Lanka cricket," Jayasuriya told The Associated Press in an interview. more..

Nov 6 (KT) India and Sri Lanka have agreed "in principle" to enter into a defence cooperation pact following talks between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Indian leaders here yesterday, official sources said. more..

Nov 7 (HT) I consider it my privilege to participate in this most interesting event - The Leadership Initiative, organized by the Hindustan Times Group. I wish to thank Madam Shobhana Bhartia and the organising committee for the warm welcome and the hospitality extended to us. more..

Nov 7 (TN) Two days of relative calm in Kattankudy, a large Muslim town in Batticaloa torn by religious rioting since 31 October, was shattered Saturday when a man suspected to be a member of an armed Islamic group lobbed a grenade at a Sufi home. more..

Nov 7 (TN) Liberation Tigers� Political Strategist and Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, and his wife Adele are scheduled to arrive in Colombo Tuesday morning and will be taken to Kilinochchi in Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopter the same day afternoon, more..

Nov 7 (AT) I was part of that global majority which according to opinion polls was hoping for a Kerry victory. John Kerry is not an inspiring political leader but there was a sense that anyone, absolutely anyone, would be better than George W Bush. more..

Nov 7 (AT) So far Sri Lanka and Bangladesh diplomatic missions located in the Middle Eastern countries - Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar and United Arab Emirates has failed to locate the whereabouts of the two lorry drivers, Abul Kashem Faruk of Bangladesh and Dinesh Dharmendra Rajaratnam of Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 7 (AT) Douglas Devananda, an ally of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, is on a mission these days. And it is to position his Eelam People�s Democratic Party (EPDP) as the right party to do business in Northern Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 7 (AT) Former United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka Teresita C. Schaffer told "Asian Tribune" that she �continues to believe that the main factor deciding whether the U.S. will stay involved in Sri Lankan peacemaking is the judgment about its likelihood of success.� more..

Nov 7 (AT) Major General (retired) Ashok K Mehta who commanded IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) South in Sri Lanka from 1988 to 90 is today a man for conferences. Mehta has convened two conferences on vexed Sri Lankan issue (one last month), is organizing one on India-Nepal and helping a German agency to organize still one more. more..

Nov 7 (BBC) President Chandrika Kumaratunga met Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam on Saturday. The Sri Lankan President arrived in the Indian capital on Tuesday and met several dignitaries including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and chair person of ruling congress Sonia Gandi. more..

Nov 7 (SO) Scandinavian truce monitors will this week meet LTTE political chief S.P. Thamilselvan to demand the LTTE pull back from Nagarkovil Forward Defence Lines. SLMM's acting chief Hagrup Haukland said the head of the mission, Trond Furuhovde would meet Thamilselvan next week. more..

Nov 7 (TN) Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) through its Pre School Educational Development Council (PSEDC) Saturday honoured about forty three Sinhala pre-school teachers in the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Division at the invitation of Sinhalese parents and residents of Mihindupura, a Sinhala settlement located about three km off east port town, more..

Nov 7 (TN) "Leader of Ceylon Workers Union and Minister, Arumugam Thondaman, who is one of the signatories to the Collective Agreement signed between the Estate Unions and Employers Federation has recently said that the Trade Union Leaders have to protect the workers and also Employers Federation. more..

Nov 7 (TN) Traffic on the main artery of Mannar Island was blocked from early morning Sunday as hundreds of Tamil and Muslim fishermen piled their boats across the road to protest against large scale poaching by Indians in the waters off Pesalai and against the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) for taking no action to stop it. more..

Nov 7 (Rupavahini) The government's programme of providing public sector jobs for 30,000 GCE Ordinary Level and Advanced Level qualified persons has been launched. Deputy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said that the recruitments for clerical, nursing and other services have already been commenced. more..

Nov 7 (TP) Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday congratulated US President George Bush on his re-election and said it was with his steadfast support and personal encouragement that a successful ceasefire was negotiated in Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 7 (TP) The government on Friday introduced a fresh tax on about 100 items including imported fruits, vegetables, potatoes, garments, meat, fish, biscuits, butter, cheese, margarine, jams, jelly, juice, talcum powder, perfumes and shampoo. Customs officials said this tax would be imposed in addition to the already prevalent import tax of 51 per cent. more..

Nov 7 (TP) A national school in Balangoda, southwest of Colombo, was shut down on Friday after eight students were injured in fierce clashes between two groups over the alleged abduction of two girls, police said. The police were summoned by the principal and they were forced to use tear gas to disperse the belligerent schoolboys more..

Nov 7 (TP) The two children of Velupillai Prabhakaran, Sri Lanka�s ruthless and elusive Tamil guerrilla leader who has been accused of killing hundreds of kids or forcing them to join his army, are eligible to join a local university after passing a university-entrance exam, a newspaper said. more..

Nov 7 (EN) The University of Alberta today named Dr. Indira Samarasekera as its 12th president. Samarasekera begins her five-year term in June. Samarasekera was introduced to media and members of the campus community at a news conference this afternoon, which was held after the university's Board of Governors unanimously approved her appointment. more..

Nov 7 (Dawn) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will embark on the second leg of his South Asian tour, covering Sri Lanka, Maldives and India, on Nov 21. The four-day tour will be part of his planned visits to six capitals of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) member states as the outgoing chairman of the regional body. more..

Nov 7 (LT) Electricity workers of Central province yesterday launched a strike protesting an attack to the Chief Engineer of Electricity Board Kegalle, and the inefficiency of Police to arrest the culprit of the incident. more..

Nov 7 (LT) The political parties based on Muslim community have decided to discuss matters pertaining to the Muslim representation in the peace talks for solving national crisis of Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 7 (CI) Thilanga Sumathipala, the former president of the Sri Lankan board, has reportedly acted as a mediator and brokered a truce between Marvan Atapattu, Sri Lanka's captain, and Asantha de Mel, controversial selection chief, after their angry public dispute during the Pakistan tour, more..

Nov 7 (AP) England claimed a crushing five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka today to win the Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes tournament for the second successive year. A superb bowling display by England restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 61 for four in the five eight-ball overs in the final. more..

Nov 7 (PTI) The Export and Import Bank of India has extended a $150 million loan to Sri Lanka for facilitating ONGC's export of petroleum products to the island nation. "A contract worth $150 million dollars has been signed between Exim Bank and Ceylone Petroleum Corporation for export of petroleum products from India," more..

Nov 7 (AFP) When a beach boy reaches the age of 14 he is already too old: foreign sex tourists are now being offered even younger children in this palm-fringed sandy-beached Sri Lankan paradise. more..

Nov 7 (AFP) Sri Lanka's influential Buddhist clergy appealed for the release of a truck driver taken hostage in Iraq, saying the island traditionally has had friendly ties with Baghdad. more..

Nov 7 (SLA) An unidentified person has lobbed a hand grenade at the house of a civilian in the general area of BATTICALOA town on 06 November 2004 around 7.00 p.m. The residence of the civilian, R.M. SELVARAJA of No. 02, VANNIYR ROAD, BATTICALOA however was not affected by its explosion.

Nov 7 (SLA) A hand grenade had been lobbed at the house of a civilian in the general area of KATTANKUDY on 06 November 2004 around 10.15 a.m. The residence of the civilian, A.I.M. MEERA SAHIB of No. 27, MEER MOSQUE ROAD, KATTANKUDY was not reported any damages or casualties due to the explosion. more..

Nov 7 (AT) For the first time since her arrival here on a �working visit�, President Chandrika Kumaratunga has spoken about the defence pact with India that has been in the works for a while. more..

Nov 7 (PTI) President Chandrika Kumaratunga, today offered prayers at Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya and meditated under the Mahabodhi Tree where Lord Buddha had attained enlightenment. On arrival here from New Delhi, Kumaratunga leading a 12-member delegation headed straight to the Bodh Gaya temple to offer prayers. more..

Nov 7 (Xinhua) A senior leader of rebel LTTE said it is ready to resume peace talks with the government if its self-rule proposal gets a positive response, a local newspaper reported Sunday. more..

Nov 7 (AFP) Norway will this week launch yet another bid to save Sri Lanka's tottering peace process amid fears for the Oslo-brokered ceasefire that went into effect in 2002 after three decades of ethnic bloodshed. more..

Nov 7 (HT) The Sri Lankan government is to erect a monument for soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), which saw action in the northeastern part of the island in the late 1980s, says The Sunday Leader. more..

Nov 8 (TN) Stating that, "Although India has unambiguously said that she will not become directly involved in Sri Lankan peace process, yet, the two main southern political camps as well as the Norwegian facilitators have never failed to brief Delhi on the status of the issue, and even Japanese Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi who was in Sri Lanka last week also flew direct to Delhi," more..

Nov 8 (TN) Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), a constituent of the TNA Sunday launched a project to assist Tamil medium students affected by the war in Trincomalee district by opening savings accounts in their names in the State run People's Bank, more..