newslanka.org

Source: Reuters COLOMBO, April 9 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka’s ruling alliance said on Friday it was confident of winning parliamentary elections but may miss a target of a two-thirds majority in the legislature.

" …

Source: Reuters * Turnout estimated near post-independence low

* President’s alliance seen headed to easy win

* Voting mostly peaceful amid heavy security

By Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, April 9 ( …

Source: Reuters * Low turnout for voting across island

* President’s alliance seen cruising to win

* Stock market climbs again to new record

* Voting largely peaceful amid heavy security (Updates with counting …

Source: Reuters By C. Bryson Hull and Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO, April 8 (Reuters) - Newly re-elected Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was expected to cement his dominance at parliamentary polls on Thursday, with …

Source: Reuters By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, April 8 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is aiming to get his ruling alliance a two-thirds majority in the 225-member parliament at polls on Thursday. [ …

Source: Reuters By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, April 8 (Reuters) - Sri Lankans vote for a new parliament on Thursday, with President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ruling alliance expected to win a poll that will …

Source: Reuters * Heavy security for voting across island

* President’s alliance seen cruising to win

* Opposition says on watch for voting fraud

By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, April 8 (Reuters) - Sri Lankans on …

Source: Reuters By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, April 7 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is aiming to get his ruling alliance a two-thirds majority in the 225-member parliament at polls on …

Source: Reuters * Almost 80,000 police and troops stand watch

* President’s alliance seen as near-certain winner

* Opposition says plan to change charter impossible

By Ranga Sirilal [...]

Source: Reuters JAKARTA, April 7 (Reuters) - A major earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck off the coast of Aceh on the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday, but there were no immediate reports of a tsunami or …

Source: Reuters * Parliament poll seen as last big uncertainty

* Rajapaksa alliance seen as near-certain victor

* Opposition vows to block plan to change charter

By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, April 6 (Reuters …

Source: Reuters * Opposition says governement can’t win two-thirds

* President wants two-thirds so he can change charter

* One killed in campaign-related shooting

By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, April 5 (Reuters …

Source: Reuters By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, April 1 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa campaigned in the northern city of Jaffna on Thursday, hoping to win support for his party from Tamil voters at …

Source: Reuters By N.Parameswaran

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, April 1 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday promised voters in the minority Tamil city of Jaffna a role in solving their own problems …

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International SILVER SPRING, Md.–In southern Sri Lanka, where many tsunami-affected communities have made significant strides toward finding long-term stability, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) …

Source: Reuters By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, March 30 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan voters elect a parliament on April 8 for the first time since the government defeated Tamil Tiger separatists’ three-decade insurgency last …

Source: IRIN The latest UN figures show that 160,000 houses in northern Sri Lanka have to be repaired or rebuilt as the conflict-displaced return to
their home areas.

Source: Reuters (Refiling to correct typo in headline)

NEW YORK, March 29 (Reuters Life!) - American children aren’t the only couch potatoes with nearly one third of children globally spending three hours a day or …

Source: AlertNet LONDON (AlertNet) - Surviving the Tsunami: Stories of Hope, an AlertNet multimedia documentary created for the fifth anniversary of the Indian Ocean …

Source: Reuters By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, March 23 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka said on Tuesday it would deny a visa to the Senegalese-American R&B singer and rapper Akon, whose plan to hold a concert there in April …

Source: Reuters By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, March 19 (Reuters) - Hundreds of people stormed the head office of Sri Lanka’s largest private broadcaster on Monday and hurled stones at the building, smashing windows and …

Source: IRIN Resettlement efforts are under way for thousands of displaced Muslims from Sri Lanka’s north who have been
languishing in refugee camps for nearly two decades, officials say.

Source: Reuters SINGAPORE, March 19 (Reuters) - Some jewellery shops in Singapore are illegally selling tiger parts, helping fuel the disappearance of the big cat from Asia, a local animal protection group said on …

Source: UNHCR Staff from UNHCR and
its partners take part in a simulated humanitarian crisis as part of a Workshop for Emergency Management hosted in chilly Sweden.

Source: Reuters * Rights groups want accountability for alleged violations

* Sri Lanka calls the move "interference "

By Patrick Worsnip

UNITED NATIONS, March 16 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary General Ban …

Source: ECHO Sri Lankan refugees living in India after fleeing the 26-year-long civil war are afraid to go home. For those that have been the victims of war - civilians sandwiched between the government and the …

Source: Reuters (Adds market close, foreign outflow)

By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, March 16 (Reuters) - Former Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka appeared before a military court on Tuesday on charges of engaging …

Source: Reuters (Adds court martial details)

By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, March 16 (Reuters) - Former Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka appeared before a military court on Tuesday on charges of …

Source: Reuters By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, March 16 (Reuters) - Former Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka was set to face a military court on Tuesday on charges of engaging in politics while in office in a trial …

Source: Reuters By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, March 15 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka dismissed a U.S. State Department report on Monday accusing it of violating citizens’ rights, saying the allegations were unsubstantiated and …

Source: Reuters March 11 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday released its annual review of the human rights situation around the world, singling out China and Iran among other countries for rights violations. [ …

Source: Reuters * Internet seen as new rights battleground

* New restrictions on civil liberties groups increasing

* Vulnerable groups, including women, remain targets (Adds details, quotes, …

Source: Reuters WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - Iran’s human rights record "degenerated" with a crackdown after its disputed June election while Sri Lanka and Tamil Tigers committed abuses against …

Source: IRIN The spread of Dengue fever has eased in Sri Lanka’s conflict-affected north, but health officials warn continued vigilance is necessary.

Source: Reuters By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, March 11 (Reuters) - The court martial of defeated Sri Lankan presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka will begin next week on charges of engaging in politics while …

Source: Human Rights Watch (New York) - The Sri Lankan government should end its harassment of
journalists and activists and take steps against those making threats, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a joint …

Source: UNHCR The UN refugee agency launches a new push to reduce the number of stateless people in the world.

Source: Reuters COLOMBO, March 10 (Reuters) - China has agreed to lend $290 million to Sri Lanka for a new airport and to revive the country’s railway network, the island nation’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday …

Source: IRIN Rice producing Asian countries had to contend with poor rains in 2009, and now another season of low rainfall has been forecast for some of them, which
has prompted concern whether the price of the grain could go up later in 2010.

Source: Reuters COLOMBO, March 6 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka’s president has told U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon a proposed U.N. panel to look into possible human rights abuses in the country’s civil war was …

Source: Reuters By Edith Honan

UNITED NATIONS, March 5 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon plans to ask a panel of experts to advise the world body on "accountability issues" relating to …

Source: Reuters * Sri Lankan investigation, Iran visit urged

* Pillay calls on Egypt to stop killing migrants

* To discuss Italy’s treatment of Roma, migrants next week

(Adds Sri Lanka reaction)

By Jonathan …

Source: Reuters By Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO, March 4 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka will initiate tax and investment reforms in its next budget following a parliamentary election in April, a government official said on Thursday …

Source: Reuters * Small empty fuel tanker seized on Monday in Gulf of Aden

* Saudi operators receive $20 million ransom demand

* Deputy speaker urges release of British sailor couple

(Adds U.N. envoy, appeal …

Source: Reuters COLOMBO, March 2 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka’s president Mahinda Rajapaksa will reconvene the island nation’s dissolved parliament on March 9 to extend an emergency law by another month ahead of …

Source: Reuters By Shihar Aneez and Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, March 2 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka holds parliamentary elections on April 8 amid economic worries, not least the IMF’s decision to delay the third tranche of a $2 …

Source: Reuters By Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Opposition parties in Sri Lanka which backed former army commander General Sarath Fonseka in presidential polls last month have decided …

Source: IRIN The use of hazardous pesticides in Asian countries has exposed communities across the region to unacceptably high
health risks, according to a study conducted by the international Pesticide Action Network

Oxfam GB - UK
Exploring the daily dilemmas faced by aid workers delivering effective aid
to large numbers of people in a way that is safe and respects their dignity.

Source: IRIN Thousands of children have returned to school in northern Sri Lanka, where efforts are under
way to restore the area’s battered education infrastructure. The Government of Sri Lanka aims to have all children from the five districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Vavuniya and Mullaitivu
back in school by the end of April.

Source: Reuters * Justices wonder whether law violated free speech

* US govt. calls it vital weapon to fight terrorism

By James Vicini

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday …

Source: Reuters By Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka on Tuesday said it was prepared to face a European Union withdrawal of its preferential trade benefits that helped to boost the island nation’s …

Source: Reuters By Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is prepared to face a European Union withdrawal of its preferential trade benefits that helped to boost the island nation’s garment export to …

Source: Reuters By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Defeated Sri Lankan presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka, now in military custody, has filed a petition against what he alleges is vote rigging …

Source: Reuters BRUSSELS, Feb 15 (Reuters) - The European Union said on Monday it planned to withdraw preferential trade benefits to Sri Lanka because of concerns about the south Asian island’s human rights record …

Source: IRIN Sri Lankan government officials aim to resettle more than 100,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) by
April after missing a self-imposed deadline to move everyone out of camps in the country’s north by end-January.

Source: Reuters By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters demanding the release of defeated presidential candidate Sanath Fonseka clashed with Sri Lankan police on Sunday in a fourth day …

Source: Reuters By Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Sri Lankan lawyers staged a silent march in the capital on Friday in a third day of street protests aimed at …

Source: Reuters (Adds protest by govt supporters in para 4)

By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Sri Lankan lawyers staged a silent march in the capital on Friday in a third day of street …

MAG (Mines Advisory Group) PROGRAMME OVERVIEW:

At the start of the year MAG’s activities were based in Batticaloa District in the East of Sri Lanka.

However, with the Government forces defeating the LTTE in May 2009, MAG …