Apr 20 (DM) The Health Ministry today said it will take stringent action against pharmacists if medicine is sold without a medical prescription or if medicine that is not been prescribed is sold to customers at higher prices. Ministry officials said that if pharmacy owners do not adhere to the new rules a Rs.300,000 fine or a one year jail term will be put into force. The Cosmetic Devices and Drugs Act will be amended to this effect. more..

Apr 20 (Reuters) A U.N. report alleging tens of thousands of civilians were killed and war crimes committed at the end Sri Lanka's war in 2009 drew widespread political reaction on Tuesday, but left many ordinary Sri Lankans bemused at what purpose an investigation would serve. The U.N. panel found "credible allegations" of civilian deaths, which it blamed mostly on the government, and more..

Apr 20 (DM) The price of a loaf of bread will be increased by Rs. 3 or Rs. 4 soon, the Chairman of the ACBOA N.K. Jayawardena said. �We will increase the price of bread by Rs. 3 or Rs. 4, and the Association will meet in the next few days to finalize on a new price for a loaf of bread,� Mr. Jayawardena added. A day after stating the bread prices will not be increased the Association announced that they are forced to increase the prices since the Prima Ceylon Pvt Ltd increased more..

Apr 20 (IANS) Having crushed the Tamil Tigers, Sri Lanka holds tremendous trade and investment potential, a Sri Lankan minister has said. Senior Minister Sarath Amunugama highlighted the growing trade and investment appeal of Sri Lanka to a group of leading US entrepreneurs whom he addressed over a luncheon meeting here Monday. 'The war is a thing in the past, and Sri Lanka now ranks as one of the most stable and safest places to do business,' he added. more..

Apr 20 (LBO) Sri Lanka's international airport is to acquire 100 hectares of land to build a parallel runway required to handle growing aircraft traffic that could soon saturate existing capacity, an official said. A post-war economic and tourism boom has led to an increase in the number of airlines flying to the island as well as in the frequency of flights. Increasing traffic made the need for a parallel runway at the island's sole more..

Apr 20 (LG) I read much about the UN�s report on the last stages of the battle against the LTTE in 2009. To me much of it is about �what happened�. To my mind, there are three levels at which we receive experiences. At the surface level it is like majority vote � the summary of �what happened�. On its own they are just the body of the experience. At the bottom is Truth � which is part of us and connects us to others who also feel that Truth as part of themselves. more..

Apr 20 (DM) The government is attempting to develop self employment schemes especially in marginalized areas. The divisional secretariats through their Grama Niladaris and Samudri coordinators are seeking to identify marginalized families who do not have any type of sustainable livelihood and giving them seedlings, day-old chicks or monies amounting to 10,000 rupees at the initial stage to embark on programmes whereby they can develop viable self-employment projects for themselves. more..

Apr 20 (LG) The UN panel of experts to advise Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on matters relating to human rights violations in the last phase of Sri Lanka�s war finally issued its long delayed report on the eve of the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year. The timing of the release of the report may have been strategic. The entire country shuts down on the week of the New Year with families traveling either to their home villages to be with their relatives, more..

Apr 20 (NS) The commentary on the Pagnamakkanuvattanasutta (�First on the turning of the wheel�) in the Raja Vagga (discourses referring to kings) of the Anguttara Nikaya (Numerical Discourses) that I began a few weeks ago was once again interrupted by the need to respond to certain ill-advised and obnoxious comments made by Sonia Gandhi, leader of the Congress Party, India. I return this week to the fourth attribute that a Chakravarthi or �Universal King� is endowed with, more..

Apr 20 (DM) The most ubiquitous and striking poster along the boulevards of Paris these Spring days is of a movie called �Detective Dee�, the full title of which is �Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, made in China, directed by Tsui Hark and starring Andy Lau, with fight sequences by Sammo Hung. Between the time I saw it in Singapore last year and its appearance in Paris cinemas, it has picked up critical acclaim and awards at Western film festivals. more..

Apr 20 (SO) With the ending of the humanitarian operation and establishment of territorial integrity following 30 years of conflict, Sri Lanka was seen to be turning its focus on resolving crimes and drug abuse, while extending attention towards economic, social and cultural development with peace among all ethnic groups. Drug-related social issues have become a topic of discussion not only in media, but also among individuals in more..

Apr 20 (DM) The UN expert team report on alleged "war crimes" castigates Sri Lanka, lightly raps the knuckles of the LTTE, ignores vital history, intrudes into contemporary issues outside its mandate, castigates the very UN that appointed it, off-handishly interprets Sri Lankan social reality which even professional social scientists would shun from, uses terminology straight from NGOs like "triumphalism" and "ethno nationalism", and praises more..

Apr 20 (LG) In October 2010, the Parliament of Sri Lanka passed a Bill on civil aviation which was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 15 September 2010 to be presented in Parliament for enactment. It pertained to an Act to make provision for the regulation, control, and related matters of civil aviation and to give effect to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention); and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto. more..

Apr 20 (NS) The opening of the state-of-the-art fish market complex at Peliyagoda at a staggering cost of Rs. 1,700 million and the hullabaloos that followed thereafter were the highlights of last week. The entire country witnessed a defiant group of fish Mudalalis along with a few underworld elements attempting to scuttle the government�s exercise in opening the ultra modern fish market in Peliyagoda. more..

Apr 20 (SL) The recent, much publicised, initiatives to gentrify our capital city have generated some negative responses from a few civic-minded individuals among the intelligentsia. Their objections have been based on the blatant injustice that is in the process of being visited upon residents who are being evicted � �temporarily re-located, pending permanent re-location,� as the bafflegab merchants would have it. This terminology is typical of the double-speak more..

Apr 20 (DM) Some foreign media were of the view that the Sri Lanka (SL) Government had trapped Ban Ki moon in relation to the UN war crime panel. They presumed, like how the SL Govt. which is very adept at manipulating International politics, it had won over moon too via the RR Company. It was their belief that, as there existed a cordial and close relationship between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and moon, these ties may have been availed of to soft pedal anything obnoxious against more..

Apr 20 (SL) It is a hot, dry day as we speed past the salt pans in Puttalam. The road is bumpy and rough in parts. Here and there we pass reservoirs, flat expanses of water shimmering in the heat. On their banks, fishermen are hauling in their nets. Some have set up shops to sell their fish. For those working in the reservoirs, it is business as usual. But those engaged in deep sea fishing find their livelihoods encroached upon by a foreign threat. more..

Apr 20 (Island) The TNA has not only welcomed the Moon Panel report but also found Sri Lanka's political and military leaders guilty of war crimes even without a trial, as it were. It has, in a statement to the media issued on Monday, listed a host of offences which it claims the security forces committed during the final stages of the war. But, in its indecent rush to pledge solidarity with the Moon Panel, the TNA has apparently forgotten that the report at issue also more..

Apr 20 (DM) Recently the media reported that a leading prelate had made a strong plea to the main opposition UNP to support the government in development and other projects. This plea raised two vital issues � the relationship between religion and politics and the working relationship between the government and the opposition. As for the second issue Sri Lanka�s political history shows that the failure of successive governments and the opposition parties to work together more..

Apr 20 (FT) Recording a boom year for vehicle imports 2010 saw a whopping increase of 215% totalling Rs.117 billion of new conveyances on Sri Lankan roads. The vehicle import market is experiencing rapid growth following the revision of import duty structure. It noted that in 2010 the value of imports recorded an unprecedented growth of 215% increasing from Rs. 37 billion in 2009 to Rs.117 billion in 2010. India continues to dominate the Sri Lankan vehicle import market more..

Apr 20 (DN) The Sri Lankan Government and the Czech Republic signed several key mutual agreements related to environment projects at the Environment Ministry premises last Monday. These agreements were reached as a result of a series of discussions between the Environment Ministries of both countries. The agreements were signed to strengthen the co-operation between the two countries on environment related issues. These include air resource management, more..

Apr 20 (DN) The government has drawn up a plan to launch an islandwide program to cultivate 10,000 lands in temples throughout the country to mark the 2600 Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi. This program which is implemented under the guidance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa will commence at the Wadduwa, Pothupitiya temple, on April 23 at 10.00 am along with the Divi Neguma Programme. By now the Buddhist Affairs Commissioner's Department has informed all the temples to more..

Apr 20 (TC) Eminent Tamil theologian and academic Father S.J. Emmanuel can count five bishops among those he has educated in his distinguished career - but he is much prouder of five special priests who attended his lectures in Kandy. President of the Global Tamil Forum, Fr Emmanuel once told the State Department in Washington that he was "father" to these priests. The five were among 10 priests killed in the final bloody battle between more..

Apr 20 (TN) Personnel of the paramilitary group led by Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pilliayan, chief minister of the Eastern provincial Council, have been involved in several robberies in the province, sources in the east said. On April 13, members of this group had robbed jewelry worth 1.5 million rupees from a house at Aaraiyampathi West Kaaddumaavadi area in Kaaththaankudi police division in Batticaloa district after brandishing knives and threatening residents. more..

Apr 20 (TN) Teachers from the eastern province are being transferred contrary to the islandwide transfer policy but according to a political agenda of the Colombo government, the All Ceylon Teachers Union (ACTU) and All Ceylon Government Workers Union (ACGWU) have alleged. ACTU President Joseph Stalin said transfer of teachers in the eastern and western provinces are carried out according to the Mahinda Chinthanaya policy. ACGWU President S.Loganathan has more..

Apr 20 (UCAN) Caritas-SETIK (Social and Economic Training Institute, Kandy), the social arm of Kandy diocese, organized a program of first-aid training for young volunteers from poor families working on tea estates, in a three day course that finished yesterday. The 40 participants learned how to use primary health care in first aid. �It takes more than one or two hours to take someone to hospital, possibly on foot,� said Dinesh Kumar, 17, explaining the importance of more..

Apr 20 (ST) The Attorney General�s Department has finalised the lease agreement for land owned in the Kuchchaveli Tourism Zone (KTZ), according to highly placed sources. �It was finalised last week and now anyone who pays Rs. 20 million an acre upfront can purchase the land,� a source told the Business Times. But prospective investors who were promised land in this area, are joining forces to battle the unfair treatment meted out to them and have written to the President hoping more..

Apr 20 (Island) The President of the Sri Lanka Money Broking Association Ashan Dassanayake says that Sri Lankan imports and exports have increased during March and April compared with the previous two months of the year, enabling the market to record a 40 percent increase in volumes. He said that during the last two months they witnessed a 40 percent growth in the business, which has increased the sector volume. more..

Apr 20 (Island) Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith says a controversial report by a three-member UN Panel on accountability issues in Sri Lanka is part of a conspiracy against the country. Responding to a query by The Island, Cardinal Ranjith said that the country was being harassed by those who couldn�t stomach Sri Lanka�s victory over terrorism. Sri Lanka should be wary of those hostile elements trying to destabilize post-war recovery, the leader of the Catholic community said. more..

Apr 20 (ST) Sri Lanka�s Board of Investment (BOI) has been directed -- as an immediate priority - to strengthen the management of its 12 Export Promotion Zones and industrial parks by fully utilizing its well developed infrastructure. Economic Development Ministry sources said the BOI has been told to set up a dedicated Zone Management Division freeing it from bureaucratic red tape. A senior official of the ministry said investors of each zone must be provided all facilities and more..

Apr 20 (PTI) Following allegations of war crimes against the Sri Lankan government, a top human rights expert has said that India needs to make public its position on the issue. "India will have to take a public position," Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said. He added that if India wanted to emerge as a leader on the global stage then the country's leadership would have to show its intention of "protecting the rights of people over government." more..

Apr 20 (PTI) Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam�s defence team have rested their case in the biggest hedge fund insider trading trial in the United States� history. Rajaratnam�s defence rested their case on Monday. The government and defence will present closing arguments on Wednesday before the jury begins deliberations. 53-year-old Rajaratnam is on trial in the U.S. for alleged insider trading. He is accused of making more than $ 63 million from insider tips passed on more..

Apr 20 (HT) The report to the United Nations on war crimes in Sri Lanka and an online magazine poll on the 100 most influential people kept the buzz alive in a mostly deserted Colombo this past week. The city had literally cleared out and traffic became a trickle as the country went in a holiday mode for the Sinhala and Tamil new year. For many politicians and diplomats, the auspicious holiday spirit was dampened by the very critical nature of the UN report; more..

Apr 20 (LBO) Sri Lanka's telephone density rose to 100.8 lines per 100 persons in 2010 showing that fixed and mobile connections had overtaken the population, in a telling demonstration of the results of ending a state monopoly. Telephone density rose from 86.6 in 2009 in a country with a population of 20.6 million, according to data published by Sri Lanka's central bank. Mobile phone users grew 20.9 percent to 17.2 million while fixed access more..

Apr 20 (DM) One person was killed and 35 persons injured, including a number of women and children, when the private bus that they were travelling in plunged down a 100 foot precipice on the Passara- Madulsima road yesterday evening. The private bus was bound for Roebri from Passara at the time of the incident, Madulsima Police said. The injured were admitted to the Metigahathenna Base Hospital by the residents of the area and were in a stable condition according to hospital authorities. more..

Apr 20 (DM) Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) secretary Lasitha Gunaratne said yesterday that the country was targeting to win three of the four games in the HSBC Asian Five Nations rugby championship that kicks-off on Saturday in Colombo between the host team and the United Arab Emirates. The event is a curtain raiser for the IRB qualifying round for the 2015 World Cup. �This is the first time that one country (Sri Lanka) will host three games in this newly formatted more..

Apr 20 (Hindu) A young engineer from a poor family of a sleepy hamlet in Tirunelveli district immolated himself on Monday, apparently as an expression of sympathy to Tamils in Sri Lanka. Though 23-year-old R. Krishnamurthy, an electrical and electronics engineer from Sundaresapuram under Kuruvikulam police station limits, had not discussed anything about the Sri Lankan issue with his friends, according to his cousin Suresh, more..

Apr 20 (PTI) Terming as "unfortunate" the killing of its four fishermen in Sri Lankan waters, India today said violence should not be used. "We have been in touch with the Sri Lankan government over last few months. We even had the meeting of Joint Working Group on fisheries...Under no circumstances violence should be a method of dealing with these fishermen," Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said today. She was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a book release function more..

Apr 20 (AT) Since Asian Tribune�s exclusive report on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa leading among global political leaders in much popular TIME Magazine�s �TIME 100� most influential people vote, now President Rajapaksa has reach the No.4 becoming the most influential leader in the 21st century. Mahinda Rajapaksa with over 151,000 votes naming him as the most influential person in 2011 has got more than 182,881 votes as total in which nearly 30,884 voters have more..