Nov 25 (PIS) Top diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala, who recently resigned from the post of Secretary General of the government�s Peace Secretariat, has agreed to continue as the adviser to the peace process. Cabinet spokesman and Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said yesterday Dr. Dhanapala would remain in a consultant capacity to advise the new President on peace. more..

Nov 25 (PIS) Wednesday�s unprecedented action against the LTTE, based in Australia, comes four years after the Australian government pledged to freeze assets of over 200 individuals and organisations including the LTTE. This was revealed ahead of Biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Coolum, Brisbane in early March 2002. more..

Nov 25 (SAMN) The JVP Thursday said they were not opposed to Norway�s role in the peace process but were against their unnecessary interference with the country�s affairs. They added that it was up to President Mahinda Rajapakse to decide whether Norway was wanted or not. more..

Nov 25 (SAMN) Six Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) members refrained from voting at the election of the Central Provincial Council�s Chairman, yesterday (24). United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) member Y. M. Yasamana and United National Party�s Nandimithra Ekanayake contested for the chairmanship. more..

Nov 25 (SAMN) Twenty five members of the Central Provincial Council�s opposition including the Opposition Leader Wasantha Aluwihare and Chief Opposition organiser Ms. Chithra Shreemathie Mantilake have urged the headquarters of the UNP to retain Ranil Wickremesinghe as the party leader and opposition leader. more..

Nov 25 (LNP) WE CAN Campaign Alliance will launch a 16-day drive today (25) emphasising the need to end violence against women. The campaign will take place in Colombo, Matara and the northern and eastern provinces including LTTE-held areas. more..

Nov 25 (LNP) At the Elections Secretariat on Friday afternoon after Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake had formally announced the official results of the 2005 Presidential elections (raising a few eye-brows from the old-school public servants when he asked for a personal favour from the new President), more..

Nov 25 (LNP) Several of the country`s captains of industry, top businesspersons and economists were among Sri Lankans who were conferred national honours by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, in one of her last official engagements, last week. more..

Nov 25 (Hindu) The government has released Rs. 7 million for emergency services in the flood-affected districts that were hit by recent rains. More than three lakh persons were affected by floods in 11 districts following heavy rains earlier this week. more..

Nov 25 (DN) A Reconstruction and Development Authority is to be established immediately for the acceleration of reconstruction programmes in the country. Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told the media that all State institutions set up after 1983 for reconstruction and development will be brought under the new Authority. more..

Nov 25 (AN) The words are those of Reverend Upul Fernando of Christ Church in Hambantota, a town 240 kilometers southeast of Sri Lanka's capital Colombo. And he knows what he�s talking about. Since the tsunami hit his country almost a year ago, hundreds of people have come to his church asking for assistance. more..

Nov 25 (RW) The Asian Development Bank said Friday that the European Commission has contributed 39.4 million euros (46.45 million dollars) to its efforts to rehabilitate tsunami-affected areas in Sri Lanka. "This contribution marks the beginning of a broader and long-lasting co-financing cooperation with the European Commission," more..

Nov 25 (Xinhua) One soldier was killed while six others were injured in separate attacks carried out in Sri Lanka's Northern and Eastern provinces, defense officials said Friday. In the first attack which took place at around 7:15 p.m. local time Thursday (1315 GMT) a bomb was thrown at a military check point in the eastern port town of Trincomalee. more..

Nov 25 (DPA) Sri Lanka�s newly installed President Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday vowed to seek the support of India and other countries in the region to assist in re-starting the stalled peace process with Tamil rebels. Rajapakse, making his first address as president to Parliament, said his aim was to follow a new approach in the peace process. more..

Nov 25 (GSN) More than 1000 Japanese surfers will ride the waves of Hikkaduwa in southwestern Sri Lanka from November 25-29, at the annual Japan Professional Surfing Association tournament, organised by SriLankan Airlines for the fourth year. more..

Nov 25 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's rupee closed a touch lower on Friday with state bank intervention preventing further falls, while uncertainties over economic policy and the peace process with Tamil Tiger rebels undermined stocks. The rupee closed at 101.94/101.97 to the dollar a touch lower from Thursday's 101.93/101.96. more..

Nov 25 (Reuters) New Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said on Friday he would amend a ceasefire with rebels to halt "terrorist acts", saying he did not believe minority Tamils should have their own separate homeland. more..

Nov 25 (AT) "I am not the master but the trustee of the country. I pledge to defend by all means the country you entrusted to me. I will act according to this pledge. From now on Mahinda Rajapakse as President will not be a leader that belongs exclusively to any single party or group. more..

Nov 25 (AFP) Sri Lanka's new President Mahinda Rajapakse has demanded a new ceasefire deal with Tamil Tiger rebels in the ethnically troubled island and "transparent" monitoring of the Norwegian-brokered truce. more..

Nov 26 (BBC) The Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka would not come to direct talks with the newly elected government, Tamil lawmakers said. R Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the TNA said the president Rajapaksa�s invitation for the LTTE to come to the negotiation table is �useless� without substance. more..

Nov 26 (NZH) An Auckland woman is embarking on a mission to put 100 fishing boats back into the waters round tsunami-devastated Sri Lankan fishing villages. Nearly a year after the Boxing Day disaster, the Welipatanvila community - three villages on Sri Lanka's south coast - is still struggling to get back on its feet. more..

Nov 26 (LBO) The bulk of management accountant fraternity is busy crunching numbers or working in unrelated fields rather than doing a job for which they qualified, a recent survey showed. Management accountants usually get involved with operational levels of a business besides chipping in to prepare statutory financial statements. more..

Nov 26 (LL) The work of a Sutton-based charity dedicated to helping victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka was celebrated at a special evening at the House of Commons last week.Help Lanka was set up by Carshalton businessman Sam Goonetillake after the wave devastated the country he considers his spiritual home, more..

Nov 26 (AN) A year ago, Reverend Anil Silva of the Methodist Church in Matara in the south of Sri Lanka could not have imagined what lay ahead in the future for him and his congregation. Nearly a year after the tsunami hit his country on December 26 last year, he has been faced with long queues of people outside the church. more..

Nov 26 (wsws) Foreign and local election monitoring groups have hailed the November 17 presidential election in Sri Lanka as �free and fair�, except in the North and East where the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) imposed an informal boycott. more..

Nov 26 (UNI) India and Sri Lanka recorded facile wins to set up clash in the final of the inaugural Afro-Asian Under-19 One-Day cricket tournament to be held here on Sunday. Both teams registered comfortable victories in the final Round Robin league matches today by defeating Pakistan and Zimbabwe, respectively to qyalify for the title round. more..

Nov 26 (AT) In opening the new session of Parliament yesterday President, Mahinda Rajapakse, outlined his new road map to peace. Rejecting the homeland concept of the LTTE and emphasizing "that the entire territory is the homeland of all communities" he stated that his road to peace is through "discussion instead of war". more..

Nov 26 (SC) We all know people who live at the cutting edge of cool. They eat in the newest restaurants, stay at the hippest hotels and go on holiday to glamorous destinations just slightly off the radar; enabling them to come back with a deep suntan and some seriously impressive adventures to report. more..

Nov 26 (TP) In a surprise move, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, exactly a week after the poll, held lengthy discussions at President�s House on Thursday, the Daily Mirror reported. more..

Nov 26 (PIS) President Mahinda Rajapakse yesterday declared that his Government would give highest priority to launch a "new peace process" to usher in lasting peace through a political solution to the country''s national question. "Our method is discussions instead of war," more..

Nov 26 (TW) "We are standing proud as people with a heightened awareness of our nationhood. We have rejected the chance to elect Sri Lanka�s head and have implicitly told them to elect their own head." So said the LTTE intelligence wing head, Poddamman, speaking at a Maveerar day event at Elephant Pass. more..

Nov 26 (TN) "The Tamil people, having dissociated themselves from the political choice of Sri Lankan nationalism, have unequivocally demonstrated their trust in their own leadership. They have categorically told the Sinhala people to take care of their own nationalism. more..

Nov 26 (LMD) The practice of impunity, where wrong has been done with no fear of consequence, has been one of the worst features of the ethnic conflict. There was a time when civilians were routinely massacred in the course of the war, with little or no punishment being meted out to the perpetrators. more..

Nov 26 (TN) President Mahinda Rajapakse�s first address to his Parliament had been keenly, albeit warily, anticipated by those concerned about the peace process. Elected on a hardline nationalist platform, Rajapakse�s speech curiously received the press coverage of a pro-peace candidate: that he wanted to hold "direct" talks with the Liberation Tigers. more..

Nov 26 (SLA) According to a complaint lodged at KINNIYA Police, a group of suspected armed LTTE cadres who stormed into the Government Agent�s (GA) Office at KINNIYA, TRINCOMALEE on 25 November 2005 around mid night. has forcibly taken the electricity generator away after threatening the security guard on duty in the premises. more..

Nov 26 (SLA) The KINNIYA town and its suburbs came to a standstill on 25 November 2005 morning as Muslims in the area closed down their business protesting against the murder of four Islamic devotees inside a mosque at AKKARAIPATTU recently and condemned Tamil Tiger atrocities against them. more..

Nov 26 (SLA) Naval troops on duty in the general area of PODUWAKATTU, TRINCOMALEE were fired upon by a group of Tamil Tigers on 25 November 2005 around 8.15 a.m. LTTE fire, prompted Security Forces to open up with their weapons in self-defense compelling LTTE to flee the area. more..

Nov 26 (SLA) A Tamil businessman who ignored LTTE cadres was shot in the general area of KOOLAVADI Colony, BATTICALOA on 25 November 2005 around 4.00 p.m. The victim, K. KANDASAMI (46) of No. 07, 5th CROSS STREET, KOOLAVADI, BATTICALOA succumbed to his pistol shot injuries after admission to BATTICALOA hospital. more..

Nov 26 (SLA) EIGHT HUNDREDAND EIGHTY FOUR (884) lorry loads of food and other essential items had been dispatched to un-cleared areas in the northern province during the period between 18 November 2005 and 24 November 2005. Those consignments had reached areas in KILINOCHCHI and MULLAITIVU districts via OMANTHAI and UYILANKULAM Entry/Exit points. more..

Nov 26 (wsws) In the wake of the Nov 17 presidential election, the LTTE has been compelled to issue a statement denying that it organised a boycott of the poll. LTTE political wing leader S. P. Thamilchelvan told that the low turnout in the North and East of the island was �a reflection of prevailing Tamil sentiment towards Sri Lankan leaders� and had not been instigated by his organisation. more..

Nov 26 (WS) A battle royal is developing in the UNP with Ranil Wickremesinghe refusing to relinquish all his positions, while Karu Jayasuriya and his backers too are not willing to accept just the position of the Leader of the Opposition. more..

Nov 26 (WS) Up-country People's Front Leader P. Chandrasekaran is now likely to support the Government. Mr. Chandrasekaran told the Weekend Standard that, "If President Mahinda Rajapakse is going to do anything constructive for the up-country people, then my party will certainly support him." more..

Nov 26 (WS) National regulatory watchdog of private buses has banned allowing beggars and vendors from passenger coaches from December 1 and tough action will be taken against drivers and conductors for any violation of the condition. National Transport Commission Chairman Amal Kumarage says that this is part of performance criteria for bus drivers and conductors. more..

Nov 26 (WS) Speculation is rife among Sri Lankans living in the United Kingdom as to the consequences of the recent Presidential elections. News that only one man was brave enough to flout LTTE warnings against voting in Killinochchi and had his hand chopped off in public. more..

Nov 26 (AT) The customary annual speech of Velupillai Prabhakaran, which is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow (November 27), is expected to reject direct talks with the Sri Lankan government, or to deviate from the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) whilst beating the war drums to end the violence on the terms dictated by the LTTE. more..

Nov 26 (LeN) Ranil Wickremesinhe and Karu Jayasuriya have reached an accord not to discuss the leadership issue at the UNP working committee meeting scheduled for Monday. The controversy surrounding the party leadership is to be resolved through a separate discussion. more..

Nov 26 (LeN) President's Counsel Wijedasa Rajapaksa who did not take oaths as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Minister on the day the Cabinet of Ministers and Deputy Ministers were sworn in, took oaths before the President last evening as the non cabinet Minister of State Bank Development and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. more..

Nov 26 (LeN) Nirupama Rajapaksa was sworn in this evening as a Member of Parliament before speaker W.J.M.Lokubandara. A vacancy was created for the Hambantota district with the election of Mahinda Rajapaksa for Presidency and Nirupama was the next in the list of preferential votes. more..

Nov 26 (LM) The government extended the state of emergency by a further one month with a majority of 69 votes in Parliament yesterday. The extension of emergency regulations was taken up for debate in the House and 84 MPs voted for it while only 15 MPs opposed the extension. more..

Nov 26 (LT) TNA Parliamentarian Sivajilingam said they would support President Mahinda Rajapakse�s peace process unconditionally saying Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim people didn�t want war. He added even tiger cadres abhor war and a peace initiative begun by the new President would be supported by all those who disliked war. more..