A local politician, who is accused of murdering British tourist Kuram Shaikh Zaheer, has been released on bail, the Daily Mirror reported today.

The Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman of Tangalle, Sampath Vidanapathirana, was released by a court on Monday, along with seven other suspects.

Sri Lanka's first satellite will be launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Chinda on 22nd November, reports ColomboPage.

The announcement was made by none other, than the little less well known - Rohitha Rajapaksa - President Mahinda Rajapaksa's youngest son on Saturday.

Sri Lanka’s post-war boom may not be living up to economic expectations, reports Reuters; the island has failed to attract adequate foreign investment and home-grown businesses also not investing, with critics put down to the Rajapakse ‘dynasty’ keeping a tight grip on all economic and industrial institutions.

See here Reuter's full report.

Some extracts:

“The government reported $1 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) last year, a record, but even officials accept that is not enough. More worrying, because it raises questions about the reliability of official data, the United Nations put FDI at just $300 million last year, its lowest level since 2005."

“There are several possible explanations, but critics say that by making Sri Lanka something of a personal fiefdom and dragging his feet on reconciliation between the ethnic minority Tamil-dominated north and the majority Sinhalese Buddhist population, Rajapaksa shoulders some of the blame.”

Moody’s rating’s agency has said in a new report that Sri Lanka’s B1 rating outlook is looking positive, but is dependent on policy performance, including the “effective management of macroeconomic challenge”.

High taxes on cars and trucks have been placed on imports from India, reports Sri Lanka's Sunday Times.

According to the customs official who spoke anonymously, the taxes would meanwhile be an advantage to Japanese car imports.

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health has officially announced that around 65000 people in the North-East have been affected by some form of mental trauma or illness as a consequence of the three-decade long war.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been hailed by one of his Ministers as having “sparked a renaissance” on the island, reported the Daily Mirror.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa concluded a 3 day state visit to Uganda on Friday, aimed at strengthening the longstanding relations between the two nations.
 
The two delegations held bilateral discussions  regarding current developments in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan Army has been teaching Sinhalese to children in Kilinochchi, boasted the Ministry of Defence earlier this week.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon receives a copy of a report on the actions of the United Nations in Sri Lanka on Wednesday morning. Picture courtesy of Inner City Press.

A report detailing the “grave failure of the United Nations” in Sri Lanka has been officially handed over to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, on Wednesday morning and released publicly later in the evening.

The full report can be downloaded here.

In a statement, the UN Secretary General said,

"I am determined that the United Nations draws the appropriate lessons and does its utmost to earn the confidence of the world's people, especially those caught in conflict who look to the organisation for help,"

"transparency and accountability are critical to the legitimacy and credibility of the United Nations".

Some UN staff in Colombo expressed to the UNCT leadership their dismay that the UN was placing primary emphasis on LTTE responsibility when the facts suggested otherwise, and urged a more public stance.