President Rajapakse has accused “people” of using the freedom of expression given to them to slander him. Speaking at an election rally, Rajapakse said that he could not understand how some could call him a dictator, as they were free to express those views in the country at the same time.

The United States have refused to include two Sri Lankan army generals in a military event that that is scheduled to be held in Auckland, New Zealand, reported Sri Lankan news sources.

Rating agency Fitch has said that Sri Lanka is showing strength in economic growth, however Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) remains modest compared with rated peers, leading to rising external indebtedness.

A statement by Fitch Ratings said that this could be a source of vulnerability as central banks in major economies tighten global funding conditions.

A Buddhist monk accused the Sinhala Buddhist extremist organisation Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) of assaulting him for preaching ethnic harmony among communities.

The attacked monk, , Watareka Vijitha, reportedly angered the BBS with a speech he delivered during Ramadan, calling for peaceful coexistence among different communities.

The US embassy in Sri Lanka has provided Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology with a $40,120 grant for the “conservation of archaeological materials”.

A statement by the embassy said that the project will “promote new and enhanced conservation standards by building physical and professional capabilities to preserve and manage public archaeological collections."

Speaking at the Jaffna Press Club last week, Tamil National Alliance’s candidate for the Jaffna district, Ananthy Sasitharan, expressed her desire to meet with Navi Pillay, and outline the harsh realities of the situation in the North-East, and reiterated that the Tamil nation was not defeated.

External Affairs Minister GL Peiris is due to arrive in India today to invite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the Commonwealth heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka later this year.

Tamil Nadu opposition leader M Karunanidhi has warned of protests and blockades if Singh does not declare a boycott of the event.

In a statement released on Saturday, the leader of the DMK said that Sri Lanka was attempting to water down the 13th amendment and has failed to prevent attacks on Tamil fishermen.