British Tamils in London marched in protest on Saturday against the attacks, intimidation and arrests of Jaffna University students.

Carrying placards and shouting out, "Sri Lankan army - get out of Tamil Eelam", "self-determination - for the Tamil nation", and "Let us remember - our heroes", over 100 British Tamils marched from Temple to Downing St, on a very wet winter's day in London.

The Jaffna Army commander, Maj. Gen Hathurusinghe, warned families of detained Jaffna University students, "don't even dream" of getting them released on Friday at a meeting between the army and the university's representatives at Palaali military headquarters.

A doctor working at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital was attacked with a sword as he left work on Thursday night.

The doctor is currently admitted in a critical condition at the hospital.

According to reports, the attack took place at around 9.45pm, by an unknown individual.

Updated 14:45 GMT

British Tamil university students handed over a statement to the British Prime Minister’s residence on Thursday afternoon, condemning the attacks by Sri Lankan state forces on Jaffna university students and call for the immediate release of detained students.

The deeds to shops in a newly built shopping complex were handed over to prominent Sri Lankan ‘war heroes’ at an event organised by the Ministry of Defence on Thursday. Secretary of Defence and Urban Development, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, bestowed the legal documents to the new owners of the Ranajayapura shopping centre.

Condemning the on-going detention of Jaffna University students, the US based human rights organisation, HRW, called on the Sri Lankan government to "immediately release" or "credibly charge" the detained students.

HRW's Asia director, Brad Adams said:

The chief of the Indian army, General Bikram Singh, commences his four day tour of Sri Lanka today.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, the Indian army said that the visit was in light of ongoing defence cooperation between the two armies.

Sri Lanka’s GDP has grown by 4.8% in the third quarter of 2012, compared to 8.5% during the same period last year.

The growth is the slowest since the end of the armed conflict in 2009.

The industry sector grew by 7.3%, a decrease from last year’s 10.8%, while agriculture contracted by 0.5%, compared to 6.5% growth last year.

British Member of Parliament Simon Danczuk has stated that the Sri Lankan government may be covering up the case of a British tourist who was murdered in Sri Lanka on Christmas Eve last year, and called on Prime Minister David Cameron to boycott the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Global pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has invested $11m in expanding its Sri Lankan operations.

The investment will be welcomed by the government and its struggling economy.

Sri Lanka is facing difficulties in financing the upkeep of its military, proportionally one of the largest in the world.