The homes for Tamil IDPs which are due to be built by Indian giant Arcelor Mittal, after a controversial deal with the Sri Lankan government, have come under fire by experts from Moratuwa University.

Engineers Prof. Priyan Dias and Dr Rangika Halwatura and architect Varuna de Silva published a preliminary report of their study, which found that the homes for the Tamil war affected people have inadequate foundations, insufficient roof support, are at risk of corrosion, are poorly ventilated and have no hearth and chimney, The Sunday Times reported.

Meanwhile the TNA has attacked the government over the housing scheme.

Spokesperson M.A. Sumanthiran accused the Ministry of Resettlement of adopting a disorganised approach in selecting the beneficiaries to provide the homes, The Nation reported.

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Fisheries Aquatic Resources Development retracted an announcement that the EU fishing ban will be lifted, in a statement made on Tuesday.

In a statement issued after the in response to an announcement made by the ministry spokesman WMD Wanninayake, the Ministry said that a high level discussion between government officials and the European Union is scheduled for April 21 to discuss the lifting of the ban.

Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena on Monday announced that he opposed the planned increase in Value Added Tax (VAT), LBO reported.

At a public address in his hometown of Polonnaruwa, Mr Sirisena said the "new government is people friendly" and the increase on VAT would burden the people.

The prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe had earlier announced that VAT would increase to 15% on May 2nd.

Sri Lanka’s military occupies over 67,427 acres of Tamil land found the British Tamils Fourm in a desk study conducted using field data from sources in the North-East and official government statistics.

In a statement released on Monday, the BTF said,

Sri Lankan police officers attempted to arrest Tamil protestors in Jaffna on Monday, after they entered land which has been illegally taken over by the government's Coconut Development Board.

Demonstrators, including Tamil National Alliance MP Sritharan, entered the 51-acre patch of land in Palai, Jaffna on Monday, demanding it be returned to its rightful owners. A decision had been granted in favour of the Tamil villagers by the District Development Committee, yet the Sri Lankan authorities continue their occupation.

The Sri Lankan government's claim on a continental shelf has raised objections from India, Bangladesh and the Maldives, reports the Dhaka Tribune.

Sri Lanka has made a submission before the United Nations that claims a portion of a continental shelf, an underwater land mass that extends from the seabed of a country, which Bangladesh also laid claim too.

A trishaw driver in Sri Lanka fled after he attempted to abduct and abuse two Scottish tourists who are currently visiting the island, reports the Daily Mirror.

The driver had reportedly picked up the women in his trishaw from Kandy, before driving to an abandoned building in Hantane, where he attempted to sexually abuse the women.

The leader of the Tamil National Alliance R Sampanthan is facing controversy over his 'disrespectful' treatment of two former political prisoners during a meeting in which he accused them of disrupting processes in getting them released.

Video footage shows Mr Sampanthan flicking through a newspaper while the two Tamil men speak about the plight of remaining political prisoners.

The former prisoners, Komahan Murugiah and Jeneevan Sivarasa can be seen telling Mr Sampanthan that they have not come to meet him for personal reasons, but that they were asked to meet him by the remaining Tamil political prisoners, while the TNA leader leafs through his paper.

Mr Sampanthan, barely lifting his eyes off the paper, then tells the men that the release of the political prisoners is an important issue for the Tamil people.