The Sri Lankan Army has expanded into yet another previously untouched market in the North; yoghurt production, with the opening of a new yoghurt factory in Jaffna.

The newly opened factory in Kankasanthurai (KKS) will add to the army’s previous two yoghurt factories in  Anuradhapura and Panagoda, and, as the army put it “thereby saving a fair chunk of expenditure that can be used for erection of wellness resorts for disable War Heroes in the Army.”

The President's son, Namal Rajapaksa, Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya and Jaffna Commander Major General Mahinda Jathurusinghe were 'distinguished guests' at the Elephant Pass Thai Pongal event organised by the Sri Lankan security forces.

The Jaffna Security Forces handed out gift parcels to those present.

Addressing a conference on youth and reconciliation, the president's son, Namal Rajapaksa explained his 3 R's programme - Rebuilding, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation:

"The 3 R's approach has enabled us to build bridges among different ethnic groups,"

Speaking out about the alleged discovery of explosives at his Kilinochi office, TNA MP Sritharan accused the government of spinning a charade.

In a statement to Uthayan on Monday Sritharan also claimed that the raiders of his office did not have a court order or a police warrant to search his office.

After weeks of controversy over an impeachment motion and Supreme Court rulings, Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake was sacked today by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse. A letter signed by Rajapakse was delivered to Bandaranayake's office.

In a statement, the Presidential office said:

"The president has said in the removal statement that he was in agreement with the request for the removal of the chief justice from office made in the said address of parliament."

Several protestors, who have been demonstrating for a boycott of Sri Lanka’s cricket team, have said that they are being ‘stalked’ by individuals, suspected to have links with the Sri Lankan embassy, reported SMH.

Former sports journalist Trevor Grant said he had written to Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr about the stalking.

Mr Grant added that fellow Tamil protestors said that the men were connected to the Sri Lankan government.

The Sri Lankan state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation is set to purchase refined crude oil from Singapore’s PetroChina International, after a deal received cabinet approval.

The six-month tender looks set to last from December 2012 until May 2013, with Sri Lanka receiving 180 days credit.

See the report from Lanka Business Online here.

15000 Tamil graduate students were left disappointed after a conference promising appointments turned out to be a film screening of Sri Lankan state propaganda, reports Uthayan.

Up to 50,000 graduates were told that the conference in Colombo was essential for academic appointment, although the students were expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs.

The Sri Lankan Minister for Health, Maithripala Sirisena, has suspended all drug imports from an Indian company called Biomet Pharmaceuticals of India.

The decision was taken in response to the discovery of a fragment of glass in an intravenous Cloxacillin vial at Colombo South Teaching Hospital.

Six hundred vials of the drug were subsequently removed from hospitals and an inquiry ordered by the Ministry of Health.