A group of five Tamil National Alliance (TNA) supporters were arrested after putting up posters in support of the Vavuniya District candidate, M.M Rathan.

The campaigners were arrested and interrogated for nearly three hours before being produced in front of the magistrate.

The Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister GL Peiris said that the country’s hosting of the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is a triumph for Sri Lanka’s foreign policy.

Defence Secretary,Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, challenged the United Nations to provide evidence used in the reports that found that at least 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed during the final stages of the war. 

The Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs is goig to introduce a law to outlaw the publication of the “original teachings and traditions” of major religions.

The first step will be the establishment of a Buddhist Publications Regulatory Board with authority to “regulate any publication that is in violation of Buddhism, its philosophy or traditions”, reported the DailyMirror.

 Magistrate Namal Perera ordered that a sign board erected in front of a mosque that reads, ‘Mosque ahead – Keep silence’ be removed within 14 days.

The order comes after local police authorities pleaded to the court that the notice be removed , in order to avoid an uprising of Sinhala Buddhists in the area.

Residents from a village in the District of Mannar have raised concerns, this week, over a ‘special resettlement’ programme under which 1,300 Sinhalese families from Anuradhapura are to be resettled in Mannar, reported Sri Lankan news sources.

Speaking at the 67^th Indian national day celebrations, Indian High Commissioner Y K Sinha, highlighted India’s aim to double bi-lateral trade with Sri Lanka to $10 billion within the following 3 years.

The UK is Sri Lanka’s second biggest trade partner by volume after India. 2012 saw Sri Lanka export £907m worth of goods to the UK, 13% higher than the previous year, while imports from the UK were worth £146m.

John Rankin, the British High Commissioner in Colombo said the trade balance was largely in favour of Sri Lanka and he would like to see that change.