Dec 3 (Island) There has been an alarming increase in the incidence of non communicable diseases (NCDs) which account for 71% of deaths in this country, according to data. People living in urban and semi-urban areas are more prone to these ailments than others owing to their sedentary lifestyles and food habits. They consume sugar and oil in huge quantities as if they had a death wish. Greedy eaters are said to dig their graves with their teeth; most Sri Lankans are busy doing that! more..

Dec 3 (SO) Western Region Megapolis Development Plan, the flagship development project of the new administration to put the island's western region on the world map as an attractive destination with solid infrastructure, is now in the planning stage, supervised by keen-eyed Singaporean experts. Expert team is in Colombo at present, on a second visit, to assist the Sri Lankan team, in the preparation of a master plan. more..

Dec 3 (Island) The new James Bond thriller, Spectre, was released in India much later than in Sri Lanka. Okay, we can say Sri Lanka first! But, despite the navel controversy created by an innocent Chief Minister of Western Province who just hates navels and may be the Navy we Sri Lankans could be very proud. We are not like the Indians. We love to kiss; we are tolerant of long kisses and we let James Bond kiss as long as feels like on our screens! more..

Dec 3 (CT) Coconut importation to cater to an export market is not a solution as proposed in the 2016 Budget, Coconut Growers' Association of Sri Lanka (CGASL) in a statement said. The village grower is dependent on coconut prices to keep his home fires burning. The risk of coconut palm getting infected with virus and predators are high and could destroy the entire industry. The brand name Sri Lanka Coconut Product will be diluted. The benefit is only for a few industrialists. more..

Dec 3 (Island) Sri Lanka Karting Circuit, Bandaragama was abuzz with one of the most looked forward to events on the karting calendar taking place on 22nd November 2015. The fourth and final round of Kart Fight Championship 2015 was worked off to a rapturous audience, eager to see their favourites book a place on the podium. The championship was held in Novices and Senior categories with three classes under each category, in addition to an open event for ladies. more..

Dec 3 (EN) Sri Lanka will work with Harvard University's Centre for International Development, with key policy development units already in place, PM Ranil Wickramasinghe said. A Sri Lanka economic forum next year with investor George Soros will also include the Harvard centre to help us along Wickramasinghe said. Centre's chief Ricardo Hausmann is due to visit Sri Lanka later this month, ahead of the economic forum next year, he said. It is part of Harvard's Kennedy School of Govt. more..

Dec 3 (TOI) Seven convicts undergoing life term imprisonment for assassinating former PM Rajiv Gandhi are to remain in jail as the Supreme Court said that the TN govt cannot unilaterally remit their sentences. A constitution bench headed by CJ H L Dattu said that consent of central govt is a must in cases probed by a central agency and TN must take consent of the Centre before remitting their jail term. more..

Dec 3 (DN) Royal Ceramics Lanka, signed an agreement with Pakistan's leading premium brands retailer SFnZ & Co to expand into the Pakistani market. Royal Ceramics Managing Director Nimal Perera and SFnZ & Co, Chairman, Nadeem Ansar inked the agreement in Colombo. Joint venture agreement covers the export, trade and retail of Royal Ceramics products in Karachi and Lahore. Two parties collaboratively opening flagship stores in Karachi & Lahore in the coming year. more..

Dec 3 (DN) Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) is planning to launch infrastructure bonds in the immediate future, said Vajira Kulatilaka, Chairman of CSE at a ceremony held to mark its 30th anniversary. The CSE is also planning to set up a separate trading board for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and it is slated to be launched in the immediate future. The CSE is also extending its reach beyond borders to cooperate commercially with its peer exchanges in the region, more..

Dec 3 (CT) Sangakkara and Dilshan were named in the ICC ODI Team of the Year which was chosen by a specially appointed Selection Panel Chaired by the ICC's Committee Chairman Anil Kumble. This year's selection process is the fact that none of the Sri Lankan players have been named in the ICC Test Team. In contrast, last year ICC Test Team of the Year included three Sri Lankans namely Sangakkara, Mathews & Herath. more..

Dec 3 (EN) Sri Lanka's middle class should own more shares but transparency and governance at the capital markets should also improve, PM Ranil Wickramasinghe said. "I wanted to see an expansion in the shareholding in this country," he said at a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of Colombo Stock Exchange. "The middle class must have a stake." PM said, he was not satisfied with the current situation. Over the last five years, there has been a concentration of wealth, he said. more..

Dec 3 (DN) The 11th Annual General Meeting of SLASSPA (Sri Lanka Security Service Provider Association), under the theme Thinking Beyond Borders was held on Nov 28 at the Taj Samudra. Delivering the welcome address, Major Tissa Aluwihare, President of SLASSPA, said that the presence of Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Karunasena Hettiarachchi was a great boost for the entire industry and a motivating thought for all stakeholders in quest to uplift the industry. more..

Dec 3 (Island) Minister Mangala Samaraweera brought in some photographs of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Chamber yesterday as evidence to prove his allegation that the previous regime had secret deals with the LTTE and Tamil Diaspora. Holding up the photographs during his speech at the second reading debate on budget proposals Minister said: "I would like to give these photographs to my friend in opposition, more..

Dec 3 (Kyodo) Police arrested three Sri Lankan and four Japanese men Wednesday on suspicion of kidnapping a Sri Lankan man living in Kanagawa Prefecture to force his brother to pay the victim�s debt. The seven include Salihu Muhammadu Hassan, a 28-year-old Sri Lankan company executive and acquaintance of the victim, and Tomokazu Iwasaki, a 36-year-old Japanese national associated with the crime syndicate Yamaguchi-gumi. 30-year-old victim was allegedly taken more..

Dec 3 (FT) Minister Karunanayake took a swipe at former President Rajapaksa, saying he was drawing two salaries. He said Rajapaksa had drawn both his MP salary and his full pension benefits as former President since he won a seat in parliamentary election. �Including his pension of Rs 97,000 and a Rs 50,000 fee for keeping a secretary he withdraws Rs 397,000/- on a monthly basis as a part of his pension benefit. On the other side he continues to enjoy benefits as an MP,� more..

Dec 3 (DM) Not a single elephant birth has been reported and no elephant registration had taken place from 2009 to 2013, Wild Life Conservation Department (WLD) said. Consequently, WLD officials are not aware of the number of calves that were born during the past six years. Director general of WLD, Dr. H.D.Ratnayake said it was mandatory for elephant owners to inform dept when a female elephant got pregnant more..

Dec 3 (EN) Sri Lanka is in talks with Marubeni, Honeywell and Fluor for a US$ 2.5 billion refinery in Hambantota, an official said. Board of Investment Chairman Upul Jayasuriya said the refinery would be given tax concessions competitive with those offered by Singapore. The refinery would target exports markets or sell domestically on a competitive basis. The refinery did not want any guaranteed purchases or power purchase contracts with state-run power grid, he said. more..

Dec 3 (CT) NFF Leader MP Wimal Weerawansa will be summoned by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges, PRECIFAC sources said. PRECIFAC wanted to question Weerawansa about alleged irregularities at the Ministry of Construction during his tenure as Minister. PRECIFAC has also questioned a sister of Weerawansa regarding a house at Kahathuduwa. more..

Dec 3 (Hindu) Cautioning the people of Sri Lanka of an unpredictable world scenario, politically and economically in the near future, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said his govt might have to approach the IMF for a standby agreement. IMF stand-by arrangement is an economic program of Fund involving financial aid to a member state in need of financial assistance. He said the ongoing war against Islamic State in Syria and more..

Dec 3 (DM) A feeble 71 year-old woman - mother of two daughters - was taken into custody by the Meetiyagoda Police yesterday after it was discovered that she was kept locked up in a toilet in her eldest daughter�s home in Diddeliya, Meetiyagoda. Her eldest daughter was working abroad; and the woman, Karunawathie was being looked after by her son-in-law and two of her granddaughters. Residents of the house had said she was kept locked up as she was of more..

Dec 3 (CT) National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection (NMCRP) has warned of slapping a Court injunction against the Govt Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) if it carries out its threat of walking out on strike demanding duty free vehicle permits for doctors. Chairman of NMCRP, Ranjith Withanage said they would seek Court intervention against GMOA citing the enormous inconveniences to which thousands of poor patients will be subjected to in the event of such strike action. more..

Dec 3 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's finance minister said on Wednesday restrictions on foreigners buying freehold land would also apply to a suspended Chinese-backed real estate project, in a move seen as addressing India's concerns about China's growing clout in the region. Chinese developers were due to buy 20 hectares of freehold land under the $1.4 billion port city project in Colombo agreed with SL's previous govt. more..

Dec 3 (DM) Commenting on a case filed against former solicitor general and President Counsel Rienzie Arsakularatne, whose mobile phone had reportedly rung inside Galle High Court, Hultsdorp High Court Lawyers� Association (HCLA) affirmed that when a phone rings inside a Court room it could not be considered a Contempt of Court as the occurrence was an involuntary act. Secretary of HCLA, Mohan Sellapperuma, explained that it was unreasonable to bring contempt of court more..

Dec 3 (Island) Deputy Minister Ajith Perera requested President Sirisena in Parliament to bring in new laws to remove the MPs including former President Rajapaksa from their positions for not participating in parliamentary sittings. President was in Parliament from 10 am yesterday and the request by Deputy Minister Perera was made when the President came into the chamber and took his seat. He said MPs could not serve the people without participating in parliamentary debates. more..

Dec 3 (Island) GMOA announced that it would join over 18 other professional unions to stage a countrywide token strike today to force the govt to abandon plans to downgrade the public service. The GMOA decision follows Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne�s abortive bid to sort out the issue through negotiations. General Secretary of GMOA, Dr. Nalinda Herath said steps would be taken to maintain emergency and accident services more..

Dec 3 (DM) Sri Lanka joins the world community today in marking the International Day of People with Disabilities, with the theme being Inclusion matters: Access and empowerment for people of all abilities. UN in a statement to mark the event reveals that an estimated one billion people living with disabilities worldwide face many barriers to inclusion in many key aspects of society. As a result, people with disabilities do not enjoy access to society on an equal basis with others. more..

Dec 3 (DM) Govt in the 2016 budget proposed to promote all people to open bank accounts for their salaries and pensions, and due to increasing security threats, discourage transportation of cash and increase the use of ATM Machines. However, like most of the essential day-to-day needs and facilities - including ATMs in residential areas - marginalisation, discrimination and denial of rights for education and employment is escalating for the majority of the 20% of the population more..

Dec 3 (DM) A well-known South African scholar has made the perceptive comment that It may be more damaging to establish a fundamentally flawed Truth Commission than to pursue an alternative strategy (Paul van Zyl, Dilemmas of Transitional Justice: The Case of SA). As I write this, there is considerable discussion in the public domain about South Africa�s Truth & Reconciliation Commission more..

Dec 3 (DM) If the original proposals were altered in conformity with the demands made from within and outside the government, it would be a new phenomenon experienced by the National Unity Govt. No other govt had been forced to make changes in budgetary proposals in recent years. The hike to have a vehicle emission test done, the cancellation of duty-free vehicle permits to MPs and professionals and tax increases on vehicles more..

Dec 3 (SL) A well known mobile service provider in the country is currently embroiled in a controversy with law enforcement authorities over the company�s alleged failure to cooperate in ongoing investigations of several high profile cases. The Sunday Leader learns that the authorities are contemplating bringing criminal charges against the respective company over its alleged failure to cooperate in investigations. more..

Dec 3 (ST) Sri Lanka will soon embark on groundbreaking heart and lung transplants with support from British medical experts, ending an era where such life-saving surgery was only available abroad at high, prohibitive costs. No heart transplant has taken place ever in Sri Lanka but they will become a reality after Wednesday�s formation of the Sri Lanka Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, more..

Dec 3 (LBO) Sri Lanka�s fixed and mobile telco operator Dialog Axiata said on Thursday that it has not entered into an agreement with any party to merge or acquire Airtel. �Dialog has been a consistent proponent of market consolidation and in the normal course of business evaluates opportunities, both organic and inorganic, to accelerate its growth strategy, and consolidate the strength and viability of the industry at large,� more..

Dec 3 (Island) EPDP Leader Douglas Devananda condemned the TNA for trying to gain political mileage by provoking the youth in the North. Making a special statement in Parliament, the EPDP leader accused the TNA of playing politics with the Tamil prisoners� issue: "They earlier said they were having discussions with the govt to get the prisoners released and obtain lands acquired by the military and the govt. more..

Dec 3 (DN) Minister Mano Ganeshan said that his ministry's role related to fostering national reconciliation with preventing recurrence of violations and abuses rather than supporting judicial mechanisms. Ganeshan said this in response to a question as to how he and his ministry was planning to support national reconciliation once the proposed war crimes courts have been established in the country before the end of January next year. more..

Dec 3 (DN) A women's activist filed a public interest litigation seeking an order to suspend the Family Background Report Circular, which is a requirement for all women migrant workers. The petitioner, Priyadharshani Ariyarathna stated that she is a women's activist and a human rights activist and filed this writ petition as she is concerned about the rights of the women and discrimination of women due to their gender, age and marital status. more..

Dec 3 (Island) Customs Superintendent Sudeera Jinadasa, Assistant Superintendent Upali Gunaratne & Dy. Superintendent Jagath Gunathilaka arrested, remanded for accepting a bribe of Rs. 125 million and recently released on bail, had been sent on compulsory leave. Asked whether they had been interdicted or an inquiry had been launched, Spokesman Leslie Gamini answered in the negative. more..

Dec 3 (CG) Govt insisted that there are no new secret detention centers operating in Sri Lanka. Minister Mangala Samaraweera told Parliament that if anyone has information related to new secret detention centers then the Govt will investigate those claims. He said thatGovt is also taking very seriously a report by the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances following its recent visit to SL. more..

Dec 3 (CT) Climate change is happening, humans are causing it and it is perhaps the most serious environmental issue we, as a race of self conscious intelligent species, are facing at the moment. As an island country, Sri Lanka has a larger risk of becoming a victim to being swallowed up by the oceans as a result of global warming. The risk has been identified. However, no one has bothered to take any action to seek solutions on a large scale to prevent the matter of going extinct. more..

Dec 3 (CT) As citizens of Sri Lanka we know only two facts about the Nameless Dying Woman in Saudi Arabia. One, that she is a Sri Lankan. Two, that in a few days she will die a horrific, gruesome death as stones are hurled at her head (informal news going around is that the execution is to take place on 4th of Dec). All the rest that we have been told by the media and the Ministry of External Affairs of SL are mere crumbs of information that we are supposed to uncritically accept as real story. more..