Photograph www.dailynews.lk

The government owned Sri Lankan Airlines has sought S$175 million of external funding after posting a record loss last year.

The cash strapped airlines posted a Rs.2.6 billion loss, and is turning to both the government and external funders in order to keep the company running.

Initially, the Civil Aviation Ministry of Sri Lanka sought an allocation of US$500 million over a period of three years for the airline from the budget. The Ministry also asked for US$20 million each over a period of three for Mihin Lanka, a wholly government owned enterprise which has made a loss of Rs.7 billion since its founding in 2007.

Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Media Ministry's plans to ensure all wesbites covering news and information on Sri Lanka register with the ministry, on Friday. 

The ruling came during a case filed by the website, www.srilankamirror.com, who had been blocked by the government since 5th November.

The Sri Lankan Government has banned all forms of commemorations of the Tamil National Remembrance Day.

Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said today, Sri Lanka will urge other countries to follow suit.

The ban comes as the Tamil people in the North-East defiantly commemorated the National Remembrance Day in the face of increased militarisation and threats by Sri Lankan security forces.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, asserted that Sri Lanka must take accountability for alleged war crimes seriously, and highlighted the "growing authoritarian trend".

Addressing the Commons foreign affairs committee on Thursday, Baird said,

"Two years after the civil war we've seen no meaningful attempt at reconciliation with the Tamil minority."

"We've also seen a growing authoritarian trend by the government in Colombo."

Sri Lanka has purchased two Bell 412 helicopters which were delivered to its storage facility in Piney Flats, Tennessee, adding to their growing fleet of aircraft.

The helicopters, bought of the US-based Bell Helicopter company have been modified for “VIP travel”. The Air Force recently purchased 14 military transport helicopters from Russia and two aircraft from China to add to it’s expanding commercial arm, Helitours.

Previously, Bell helicopters were modified with weapons and used for attack missions during the war.

Sri Lanka's armed forces announced the release of a new report, by the country's security forces, as a response to the report by the UN panel of experts.

Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya said.

Mahinda Rajapaksa granted presidential "permission" for displaced Tamils from Talaimannar to return to their lands, following a dispute over the lands.

Displaced Tamils from the Talaimannar area had been evicted from their homes by Sri Lankan security authorities who accused the 550 displaced families of "squatting on State land".

In an article, entitled "MR intervenes to resettle evicted IDPs", the pro-government newspaper, The Island, stated that the matter was only settled after the Industry and Commerce Minister, Rishard Bathiudeen, raised the issue with Rajapaksa.

According to The Island, "those evicted had been given permission to return to their land as President Rajapaksa had intervened."

President Mahinda Rajapakse unveiled Sri Lanka’s first motorway on Sunday, linking Colombo to the Southern city of Galle.

Rajapakse hailed the construction a "revolution" and declared,

"Separatist tendencies will fade away when we have better road connectivity."

Japan, one of Sri Lanka's largest donors, has reiterated the importance of accountability in Sri Lanka during talks with President Mahinda Rajapakse and called for a probe into human rights abuses in the country.