With just six days more for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, business was brisk with people thronging to buy new clothes and gifts as this picture taken at House of Fashion, a leading departmental store in Colombo shows.
(Pic by Jude Denzil Pathiraja)

• New AG named after famous Bengali lawyer
  Mr. Chitta Ranjan de Silva, Sri Lanka's new Attorney General, reputed for his independence and sense of justice, was named after the famous Indian lawyer, Chitta Ranjan Das, by his father, Justice K.D. de Silva.De Silva was sworn as the country's 28th Attorney General by President Mahinda Rajapakse at Temple Trees last morning in the presence of members of his family.
   

• Poultry producers agree to trim chicken prices as ‘goodwill measure’
  Notwithstanding a four-tier VAT burden and escalating production costs, the All Island Poultry Association last week agreed to reduce the price of chicken to Rs. 260/- per kilo during this month more as a measure of seasonal goodwill than a viable business proposition.The decision to trim prices which have zoomed to an unprecedented Rs. 350/- per kilo, follows two rounds of talks Consumer Services Minister Bandula Gunawardena held with the Association in a bid to settle on an Maximum Retail Price (MRP).
   

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• Amnesty International stages Hamlet - without the Prince
  Last week, a lot of heat was generated by Amnesty International’s (AI) campaign  in the Caribbean where they distributed foam rubber balls with the slogan "Sri Lanka: Play by the Rules" to the spectators who thronged to watch the world cup series.  This campaign  elicited several furious statements from the JVP, and the government. Wimal Weerawansa raised this issue in Parliament last week with even the UNP supporting him. The UNP’s position was that the human rights issue should not be mixed up with cricket.
   

• Counter Insurgency Operations - Wellawaya April 1971
  Bravo(B) Company of the First Battalion of the Gemunu Watch (King Dutugemunu’s Own) consisting of about 120 all ranks had just arrived from Mannar to their highland home 4500 feet above sea level in the green hills of Diyatalawa (DLA) after a routine tour of Anti Illicit Immigration (II)duties in March 1971. We had handed over to the RCyAF who made their maiden sortie in II duties(on land) We were not to know that very soon afterwards we would be the first rifle company to be deployed after the insurgents (JVP) attacked Wellawaya police station on the morning of April 5, 1971.
   

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A Time to Rethink
The LTTE is the first terrorist organisation in the world to develop its own air wing. An example has been set which will be studied and (wherever possible) emulated by other terror outfits worldwide. In this sense Air Tigers constitute a potential security threat extending well beyond the shores of Sri Lanka. The LTTE, after all, has a history of being a terrorist trend-setter. As Col. Soosai proudly claimed, the terrorists who blew up the USS Cole emulated Black Sea Tiger methods: "I think in Yemen they used our strategy of suicide attack to blow up an American ship" (Tamil Tigers Reveal their Secrets — BBC). The LTTE’s acquisition and successful use of aerial capacity will thus serve as an example and a stimulant for other major terrorist organisations.

• Emerging regulation and legal tussle throws question up in the air
  Money back for shareholders if DFCC must reduce CommBank stake
  The DFCC Bank has indicated the possibility of returning to shareholders funds attributable to them if the bank is required in the future to divest all or part of its holdings in the Commercial Bank of Ceylon (CBC) which may result in a surplus of regulatory capital.Such return of funds will be to the extent that these resources are not required for the projected medium term business expansion plans of the DFCC Bank, shareholders have been told.
   

• Ensure continuity while merger talks with CommBank continue
  SK persuaded to defer retirement for further "short period’’
  Mr. S.K. Wickremesinghe, Chairman of the NDB Bank, who had given one year’s notice of his retirement effective from the end of March 2007 has been persuaded by his fellow directors to continue in office for a further short period.Wickremesinghe has told shareholders in the bank’s annual report that he had been prevailed upon to continue in office a little longer to ensure continuity until completion of the initial negotiations with the Commercial Bank of Ceylon on the possible merger of the NDB and the Commercial Bank.

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• Fulfilling a dream…
  Sri Lankan born former Australian Beauty Queen, now a high powered public relations consultant and passionate charity worker for Sri Lanka was here last week with the goodies for 700 Tsunami devastated children in Southern Dickwella with more to follow...Every now and then over the years past and present many Sri Lankans who have migrated to find pastures new in lands beyond the oceans, and have achieved various goals return to give something back in a number of ways to the people and land of their birth.
   

• My Island in the Sun
  Prisoners of War
  Having served in my time as an officer in both the Sri Lankan Army and the Australian Army, I have always had sympathy for, and an empathy with, the men and women who serve in the armed forces of their countries.So it was with relief that I read the news on Thursday of the Iranian government releasing the 15 British service personnel (seven Royal Marines and eight sailors, including one female, from the British Navy frigate HMS Cornwall) who were captured on March 23rd .
   

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• Moody's star rising as Fletcher's sadly wanes
  During the inquest following England's palpitating World Cup defeat by Sri Lanka, evidence was quickly called about the bearing it might have on the head coach's position. It was not the first time this testimony had been aired in a long winter of disenchantment but it had never had such pertinence. Should Duncan Fletcher's day be done when and if England depart this tournament, one of the men being touted as a successor is Tom Moody, the current coach of Sri Lanka. Moody's star as an international coach able to get the best out of his players is rising as fast as Fletcher's is waning.
   

• Australia is ready to tackle a desperate England, says Hussey
  ST JOHN'S, Antigua (AP) - Michael Hussey says Australia is eager to emphasize its superiority over England, its oldest international cricket rival, in Sunday's World Cup Super 8s match.Although Australia regained the Ashes with a 5-0 test series triumph, England hit back unexpectedly to win in a one-day competition. But Hussey and his teammates now face an England side on the brink of going out of the World Cup.
   

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  Yes, Sri Lanka do play by the rules…
  Amnesty International was said to have been getting ready to stage a campaign against Sri Lankan Government, under the tag "Sri Lanka; Play by the Rules!," at the numerous cricket venues that are holding the Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean at present. This picture shows a daring and sensible reaction to that campaign from some ‘spirited’ Sri Lankans who are living abroad. Yes, Sri Lanka cricket team is a good example to show that the people in this island are open to accept ethnic and religious diversity. The email that was doing the rounds yesterday (See Picture) generates a wonderful feeling of unity and humanity, the ultimate norms upheld in sports.