Attorney General C.R. de Silva Friday tendered his retirement papers with effect from October 8 although he had been extended beyond the age of 60-years till February next year by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.De Silva said yesterday that he submitted his papers because his extension has been challenged and he believed that it was not in the interest of the office he holds for him to be at the center of a controversy.

Security forces nearing Tiger HQ: army chief
Sri Lanka’s army chief said Saturday his troops are on the verge of capturing the key northern headquarters of the Tamil Tigers in Kilinochchi.Army forces had advanced to within two kilometres (1.25 miles) of the rebel stronghold, Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said in a speech at a Buddhist ceremony in the north central town of Anuradhapura. Wresting control of Kilinochchi would be a major military and psychological blow to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).