Vavuniya residents protested on Tuesday against attempts by Sri Lanka’s Archaeology Department to seize the lands of an ancient Tamil temple in the district.

MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A., the critically acclaimed documentary based on 22 years of archival footage from the career and personal life of international star M.I.A. will be screened at the British Film Institute next month.

A Sri Lankan navy ship left Trincomalee for Australia yesterday, to participate in a military exercise with 26 other countries, including the United States, Canada and China.

A Japanese navy ship arrived in Trincomalee yesterday as part of a goodwill visit to the island.

A 19-year-old Tamil youth has been arrested by the Sri Lankan police in Jaffna, accused of being involved in an attack on a doctor’s house earlier this week.

The youth is reportedly accused of attacking the house of Dr Emmanuel Santhakumar, a member of the surgical department at Jaffna Teaching Hospital. A gang on motorbikes broke windows and items within the property, situated in Kokkuvil, on Sunday.

The arrest comes amidst an increase in reported gang violence in the region, with Sri Lankan police stepping up security operations.

Sri Lanka's rupee fell to an all time low of 160.60 per dollar, Reuters reported yesterday. 

Foreign outflows, importer dollar demand as well as the absence of remittances and dollar conversions by exporters were blamed. 

The rupees fall comes as the country's prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe said he was hopeful of a strong economy. 
 

Doctors from Jaffna Teaching Hospital staged a protest today against increasing gang violence in the area after a doctor's house was attacked on Sunday. 

The house of Dr Emmanuel Santhakumar, who is a member of the surgical department at the hospital, was targetted by a gang on motorbikes. 

The Jaffna Municipal Council has condemned the intimidation of its workers by Sri Lankan military intelligence personnel.

The construction workers were harassed by intelligence officers last week while putting up a fence around the Thileepan monument in Nallur.

Members of the council said they condemned the intimidation and stood in solidarity with the workers.

Thenmarachchi residents have lobbied Jaffna’s parliamentarians to secure the release of a cemetery currently occupied by the Sri Lankan Army.

Soldiers occupied the Sempadu cemetery in Eluthumadduval in 2000 when the local population was displaced by the war.

Although the area was resettled in 2011, the army continued to occupy the cemetery, forcing locals to bury their deceased on private or church lands.

Sri Lanka's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he was hopeful of a strong economy after what he described as 'three difficult years'. 

"There was a mountain of debt when the government came into power, but, the government has been able to stabilise the economy and the people, who had to undergo many hardships during these three years will benefit from a strong economy," he was quoted by Colombo Page as saying at an event in Colombo today. 

His comments come despite concerns expressed internationally over Sri Lanka's heavy debt burden and falling share prices.