Nov 30 (AT) Anti.dumping laws would be necessary in Sri Lanka to prevent redundant cheap products flooding the market from countries like China said Dr Saman Kelegama, Executive Director, Institute of Policy Studies, speaking as the Chief Guest at the 44th Annual General Meeting of the Ceylon Natonal Chamber of Industries, more..

Nov 30 (AT) President Mahinda Rajapakse told that the Government is taking every possible step to fast-track the process of post-tsunami reconstruction. He admitted that the resettlement process has taken much longer than expected more..

Nov 30 (AT) A main witness in the Udathalawinna murder case was abducted from Athamalawela town last 28'th and later shot him near the Madawala junction. The victim Mohommed Shehan had been critically injured in his leg by the shooting, he claims that an unidentified group who arrived in a van abducted and later shot him and fled. more..

Nov 30 (Hindu) Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on Wednesday. On his first overseas visit after assuming office last week, Mr. Samaraweera will be accompanied by Foreign Secretary H.M.G.S. Palihakkara and other officials. more..

Nov 30 (IE) In the urgency that has set in after the LTTE ultimatum to the new Sri Lankan government to get its act together, the new foreign minister, Mangala Samaraweera, will be here tomorrow to discuss the matter with India. President Mahinda Rajapakse is likely to visit in the second week of December. more..

Nov 30 (AT) Quoting official sources from the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, Ny Tid (New Times) newspaper revealed yesterday (November 27, 2005) that the Norwegian government has handed 25 million kronors (Norwegian Currency) to the Tamil Tigers, a terrorist group in Sri Lanka, during the last four years. more..

Nov 30 (AT) If Wickremesinghe won the presidential election he would have hailed Prabhakaran’s self-serving ”wait and observe” attitude as a personal victory for his rapport with the LTTE. He and his backers in the Churches and NGOs (is there a difference between the two?) would have crowed that his pro-peace policies (other call it appeasement) had staved off another round of war. more..

Nov 30 (IANS) The growing belligerence in Sri Lanka, marked by a dramatic regime change in Colombo and the Tamil Tiger chief's conditional threat to step up armed conflict, is worrying India. more..

Nov 30 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka's new President Mahinda Rajapakse is to present the budget of his new government in parliament on Dec. 8, the state owned Independent Television Network (ITN) said Tuesday. more..

Nov 30 (PSL) Ministry of Science and Technology, the Coconut Research Institute and the Bio Energy Association of Sri Lanka have recently developed a sustainable system to grow Gliricidia wood locally and to use it to replace fossil fuels. more..

Nov 30 (LT) Construction work of power stations scheduled to be built at Upper Kotmale and Norichchole will be quickened said Minister of Power Mr. W.I.M. Seneviratne. Minister of Power further says that projects that are important on a National scale should not be stopped for the benefit of a few. more..

Nov 30 (LT) President Mahinda Rajapakse says the ministers have been asked to present a report on the programmes of work they intend implementing from their ministries before the 15th December. He revealed this addressing trade union officials who had assembled at Temple Trees to wish him. more..

Nov 30 (LT) Steps will be taken to make available an identity card of international recognition to the fishermen in Sri Lanka. Minister of Fisheries Mr. Felix Perera said this in a ceremony held at the Fisheries Ministry. more..

Nov 30 (TN) International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), an international non-governmental organization devoted to the promotion of the understanding and observance of the rule of law, expressed concern over the raids by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) on the homes of Sri Lankan Tamils more..

Nov 30 (SLA) TWO PISTOL-CARRYING MEN, introduced themselves as Tamil Tigers threatened a civilian in MAVADIVEMBU, VANDARAMULLA and got away with his cash and gold jewellery worth over Rs. 150,000 (US$ 1,500) on Monday (28) night around 10.30 p.m. more..

Nov 30 (FMSL) W.B. Ganegala has been appointed Acting Chairman and Managing Director of the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, in addition to his duties as Secretary to the Ministry of Media and Information. Ganegala, an economics graduate of the University of Colombo, is an experienced Sri Lanka Administrative Service Officer more..

Nov 30 (FMSL) The new Chairman of the Independent Television Network, Anura Siriwardhana said he will strive to give pride of place to all talented and skilled programme producers, news persons as well as the staff their pride of place in the TV station in accordance with the policy of President Mahinda Rajapakse. more..

Nov 30 (LBO) Sri Lanka's inflation rate for November eased marginally to 12.1 percent, despite price hikes in cigarettes and alcohol, the Census & Statistics Board said Wednesday. The government uses the 12-month average – as measured by the Colombo Consumer Price Index – to calculate the country's inflation data. more..

Nov 30 (LBO) European Commission (EC) makes € 39.4 million grant to Asian Development Bank (ADB) for tsunami rehabilitation in Sri Lanka. The Euros will go into the ADB's Tsunami-Affected Areas Rebuilding Project (TAARP), to rehabilitate 270 kilometers of national roads between the towns of Matara on the south coast and Batticaloa on the east coast, more..

Nov 30 (SLA) Mr. V.S. Thakar, Commander of Southern Command of the Indian Army arrived in Sri Lanka today. He had discussions with Admiral Daya Sandagiri, Head of Joint Command and Lieut. Gen. Shanthe Kottegoda, of Sri Lanka Army this morning. He is expected to have discussions with the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence. more..

Nov 30 (LT) Ex-President Chandrika Kumaratunga is ready to leave the Presidential House with a bag full of perks. Approved by the former cabinet of Ministers she is gifted with 4 bullet proof limousines and another 32 vehicles for herself and the staff during her retirement. more..

Nov 30 (ANN) President Mahinda Rajapakse has promised to rid Sri Lanka of narcotics within one year. The police have been galvanised into action and IGP Chandra Fernando tells us that his men are all out to crack down on the drug Mafia. more..

Nov 30 (ANN) Jayantha Dhanapala, who will cease to lead the government’s peace secretariat from Wednesday (Nov 30), confirmed this week that he had left the job in order to pursue his quest for the post of UN secretary-general. more..

Nov 30 (ANN) It was time for all parties in the south to openly discuss and work out a united stand on the solution to the Tamil-separatist problem in the north-east, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka said after assuming his new duties at the Prime Minister's Office. more..

Nov 30 (AT) In memory of the slain principal of Jaffna central College, Mr 'Kalviman' Kanapathy Rasathurai, the former students of Jaffna central college living in USA,Canada, Australia and other countries and present students had recently jointly established the "Kanapathy foundation". more..

Nov 30 (DJ) Sri Lanka's consumer price index rose 12.1% in the 12 months to end-November, decelerating slightly from a 12.5% rise in October due to a decrease in some food prices, the Census and Statistics Board said Wednesday. more..

Nov 30 (LM) Mounting pressure on President Rajapakse to slash the jumbo-size Cabinet and non-cabinet ministerial team from the key ally JVP Rajapakse is said to be summoning a meeting of all 25 non-cabinet ministers and 30 deputy ministers where the ministers and deputies will be requested to voluntarily resign from their posts. more..

Nov 30 (LM) The Healthcare Ministry has ordered a high level investigation into the unfortunate incident where the hand of an 83-year-old woman was amputated as a result of an alleged medical misadventure at the Colombo National Hospital. more..

Nov 30 (LM) Post-tsunami reconstruction will be carried out equitably in the South and North-East, President Mahinda Rajapakse told visiting former US President Bill Clinton at 'Temple Trees' yesterday. The President said where post-tsunami reconstruction is concerned much has been done in Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 30 (BS) If Udaya Nanayakkara is brimming with enthusiasm, it’s because statistics suggest the chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Board has been able to pull off one of the most amazing turnarounds in the history of global tourism. After a tsunami had devastated parts of Sri Lanka, the tourism industry looked set to take a financial beating. more..

Nov 30 (Hindu) The 2005 Heroes' Day address by the LTTE supremo, Velupillai Prabakaran, might have nothing dramatic to communicate to Sri Lanka and the world, such as a decision to go to war or a unilateral declaration of Tamil Eelam. more..

Nov 30 (HT) President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s invitation to the LTTE for resuming peace talks is a good move, but may not achieve much. Mr Rajapaksa was responding to the LTTE’s threat to intensify hostilities if a political settlement to the strife wasn’t found within a year. more..

Nov 30 (PIS) Three months into the assassination of Lakshman Kadirgamar and just seven weeks into the EU travel ban, Velupillai Prabhakaran cannot afford to sound belligerent. And this is despite the new President of Sri Lanka being elected on a largely Sinhala-Buddhist mandate. more..

Nov 30 (KT) THERE is hope in Sri Lanka. Contrary to growing apprehensions that the election of Mahinda Rajapakse could derail the peace process, the island nation appears to be making a fresh attempt to resolve the Tamil question. more..

Nov 30 (SAMN) The armed services were yesterday put on alert to cope with any emergency situation following the bursting of the floodgate of the massive Ambatale reservoir. Throughout yesterday Air Force helicopters were flying over the Ambatale area monitoring the situation while hundreds of families in areas around Ambatale and Weliwita were leaving in fear of floods. more..

Nov 30 (SAMN) The government would have to find ways to ease the heavy burden of fuel subsidies it faces, Minister for Petroleum and Petroleum Resources A.H.M.Fowzie said yesterday. He said the government could not continue to subsidize petrol, diesel and kerosene oil to consumers at a cost of 20 billion rupees annually more..

Nov 30 (SAMN) Senior SLFP member cum Posts and Telecommunications Minister D.M. Jayaratne will shortly write to LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran, requesting for a one to one meeting. He said that that there was a lot of talk that the LTTE leadership is for a divide and rule policy. more..

Nov 30 (LNP) President Mahinda Rajapakse, welcoming former US President Bill Clinton, on his third visit to Sri Lanka yesterday (29), said Clinton`s personal involvement in the post-tsunami reconstruction of Sri Lanka had been a great source of strength. more..

Nov 30 (LNP) Peradeniya police are investigating a fire cracker explosion at midnight on Saturday at Peradeniya University`s Hilda Obeysekera Hall. The University Security Division is assisting the police to ascertain the reasons for the mysterious explosions and to establish whether it had anything to do with the LTTE`s Heroes` Day celebrations in the North. more..

Nov 30 (LNP) An advisory committee consisting of trade union members is to be appointed in every ministry following instructions given by President Mahinda Rajapakse after talks with union leaders recently. President Rajapakse came to this decision after several railway trade unions brought to his attention the sudden suspension of 450 casual labourers from the Railway Department. more..

Nov 30 (wsws) During a visit to Sri Lanka yesterday, former US President Bill Clinton praised the government for making “real progress” in assisting the victims of the December 26 tsunami. more..

Nov 30 (DN) Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said that under President Mahinda Rajapakse's Government the rights of the children of common masses for free education would be protected and English language would be taught to all children while Sinhala language would be taught to Tamil children and Tamil language to Sinhalese children in addition to English language. more..

Nov 30 (AP) The chief of the international mission monitoring Sri Lanka's uneasy cease-fire will meet on Thursday with the political chief of the country's Tamil Tiger rebels, a spokeswoman for the mission said. more..

Nov 30 (CBC) Members of Toronto's large Tamil community say they're being hit up for money by door-to-door fundraisers for the Tamil Tigers. Community members said they were told to make an immediate cash contribution of $2,500, and that those who didn't contribute would not be allowed to travel in Tamil-controlled parts of Sri Lanka when they returned for visits. more..