OTTAWA - The NDP is putting pressure on the Harper government to boycott this year's Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka as a protest against the country's human rights record. The Opposition says if the Sri Lankan government doesn't agree to an independent, international investigation into alleged war crimes there, Canada should refuse to attend the Colombo summit. MPs Paul Dewar and Rathika Sitsabaiesan say Canada has to take a principled stand on the issue. They are asking Canadians to sign an online position urging a boycott.

Sri Lanka had hoped to showcase its post-war revival at this year's Commonwealth summit, but observers say its biggest international event in decades is in danger of becoming a major embarrassment. Invitations have yet to be posted for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and with more than six months to go, several key leaders are expected to stay away as a mark of protest against President Mahinda Rajapakse's regime.

Sri Lanka's police have begun keeping track of foreign tourists to "ensure their own safety", officials announced on Monday. Hotels and guest houses have been told to submit weekly reports of their foreign guests as part of a new security plan for tourists, police spokesman Buddhika Siriwardena said. "Tourists are important to our economy. This is to ensure their own safety," Siriwardena told AFP. "This scheme will ensure officers will have details of tourists in their areas to protect them."

Sri Lanka auctioned a block of airwaves to become the first country in South Asia to roll out a full nationwide mobile fourth-generation (4G) network, a top official said Friday. Anusha Palpita, the Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, said he allocated the airwaves to Sri Lanka’s largest cellular operator Dialog Axiata for $26.25 million on Thursday. He said Dialog, the Sri Lanka unit of Malaysia’s Axiata, will roll out a 4G mobile network that will allow users to download content from the Internet at speeds four to five times faster than the curre