Sri Lanka closes second newspaper

The Sri Lankan authorities have shut down a second newspaper for violating the tight censorship regulations which were introduced earlier this month after heavy military losses.

The chief editor of the paper, the English-language Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunga, condemned the six-month closure.

The BBC Colombo correspondent says the publishers - who are seen to be close to the main opposition United National Party - angered the government by using innovative ways of covering the fighting in Jaffna.

On Friday, the only Tamil-language paper in Jaffna, Uthayan, was the first paper to be shut down under the new regulations.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service