A group of Buddhists headed by a monk destroyed a Christian church in the North West Province of Sri Lanka earlier this month, leaving worshippers to now conduct their prayers under a tree.

The Kithu Sevana prayer centre in  Paharaiya was attacked by the mob on January 5, said a leader of the Christian community in the region, Kamal Wasantha.

"First, they threatened us verbally,” he said. “Then they came with wooden sticks, iron bars and knives and destroyed everything."

"The Lord's house was pulled down in front of our eyes, as we asked God to forgive them," he added.

The Voice of America is to close its broadcasting station in Puttulam and transfer the land back to the Sri Lankan government. 

"Without the support of Sri Lankan governments over many years, Voice of America could not have succeeded in its mission of telling America’s story to the world. Over time, however, the audience for shortwave broadcasts has diminished," the US embassy said in a statement. 

The appeal made in the case of the assassination of the Tamil politician Raviraj was dismissed on Thursday by the Court of Appeal. 

The appeal filed by Mr Raviraj's widow, Shashikala Raviraj, after the five men accused of killing the former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP were acquitted.

According to the Daily Mirror, the appeal was dismissed as the complainants were not present in court.  
 

The Sri Lankan army has vacated several acres of Omanthai, while the checkpoint will move to a different location in the town.

Lands in the Nanthikadal area of Mullaitivu will not be released, reports Uthayan.

Military officials told Mullaitivu villagers that land around the Nanthikadal lagoon is needed by the Sri Lankan military and any appropriated land will not be returned.

The lagoon and its banks, close to Mullivaikkaal, are known for being the location of mass atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan army during the final stages of the war.

In 2012, the Sri Lankan army completed construction of a luxury hotel on its shores to cater to 'war tourists'.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe stated that Sri Lanka would soon have access to four major markets at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. He requested that local and international investors start ventures in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan products will have market opportunity in Europe once GSP plus concessions are reestablished added Minister Malik Samarawickrema.

Sri Lanka is expected to launch a number of economic reforms in the coming months. 

Sri Lanka has signed a US$125 million credit with the World Bank in order to modernise its agricultural sector.

“Sri Lanka aims to make the sector more efficient and attractive as a modern business, more responsive to consumer demand, and more environmentally sustainable and resilient to climate change,” says the World Bank.

It is estimated that over the last decade 30 percent of the population has continued to be employed in the agricultural sector, although the sector’s share in national GDP has declined to 10 percent.

Tamils in Jaffna held a protest against the ban of Jallikattu in Tamilnadu.

Showing support to thousands of protestors across Tamilnadu, demonstrators gathered in front of Nallur temple.

The proposed ban of Jallikattu, a traditional form of bullfighting, has caused demonstrations across Tamilnadu as well as in Tamil-speaking communities across the globe.

The former army commander, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka on Tuesday said there was no grouses between the Sinhalese and Tamils over the 13th Amendment. 

“We have given that message to the majority community in the south also. There are no grouses with the majority community with the people in the north now. We didn’t want to make the same mistakes,” Fonseka told ANI in an interview. 

"The present government is considering all aspects to go ahead with the 13th amendment taking care of the legal and political issues," he reportedly added. 

Drought in the North has resulted in drinking water shortages for over 12,000 families in Kilinochchi.

Research presented at a political meeting on tackling the ongoing drought, found that around 12,200 families will suffer from a lack of clean, drinking water.

Families in several districts across Kilinochchi lack access to wells and tanks, and also lack the resources to import clean water from other areas.

Continual drought in the North has already resulted in damage to thousands of acres of crop fields across the region.