The ‘No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka’ documentary was one of 5 documentaries to win a BRITDOC Impact prize on Friday.

The Sri Lankan government has questioned the credibility of the UN Human Rights Council, over its decision to pursue an independent inquiry into mass atrocities in Sri Lanka, despite its objections, reported Colombo Gazette.

Permanent Representative to the UN in New York Palitha Kohona said at the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly that the UNHRC is increasingly politicised and warned that it was losing its credibility.

The US Ambassador for Sri Lanka, Michele Sison, has been confirmed as the deputy representative of the United States to the UN and the UN Security Council, and the representative of the US at the UN General Assembly.

President Barack Obama had nominated Ambassador Sison to the post, along with several other key appointments, in July.

Sirisena and Kumaratunga (2nd and 3rd from right) at press conference announcing his candidateship for presidency/ColollmboMirror

The general secretary of President Rajapaksa’s SLFP, Maithripala Sirisena, announced on Friday that he would contest the presidential election as the opposition’s common candidate.

“I thank all political parties and political groups for selecting me as the Common Candidate,” Sirisena, who is also the minister of health, said at a special press conference in Colombo, flanked by former president Chandrika Bandranaike Kumaratunga and other officials who have left the government.

The minister said a catastrophe had befallen the country and vowed to bring change, pledging to abolish the executive presidency within 100 days of being elected as president.

“One family is creating a soft dictatorship,” Sirisena told reporters today in Colombo. “There is corruption, injustice and rule of law has broken down. We have taken a decision to change the situation.”

Sirisena expressed his gratitude to the UNP and said he would appoint UNP leader Ranil Wickramasinghe as the prime minister, if elected.

The Sri Lankan presidential elections will be held on January 8, according to the country’s election commission.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will contest the poll for an unprecedented third term, against the common opposition candidate announced earlier today, his former health minister Maithripala Sirisena.

The poll will take place five days before the visit by Pope Francis.

Relatives of the fishermen outside Jaffna prison (Uthayan)

Relatives of three Tamil fishermen, who remain on death row, have staged a protest outside Jaffna prison, calling on the Sri Lankan state to release the men, reported the Uthayan.

A total of 8 fishermen were sentenced to death over drug trafficking charges, however the 5 Indian Tamil fishermen were released after protests in Tamil Nadu and subsequent intervention by the Indian government.

Tamil Nadu politicians who called for the birthday of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader, to be celebrated were threatened with calls for arrest under the National Security Act, on Friday.

India’s Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) politician in Tamil Nadu, Subramanian Swamy, urged India’s Home Minister to issue a directive to the Tamil Nadu government to ban the celebration of Vellupillai Prabhakaran’s birthday, reports Colombo Page.

The Sri Lankan navy has acquired 66 acres of private land in Mathakal, Jaffna reports the Uthayan.

The latest acquisition by Sri Lanka's military comes after a protest earlier this week. Villagers in Mathakal prevented the Sri Lankan navy from surveying lands, which were to be acquired by the military this week.

See our earlier post: Protest prevents Sri Lankan military land grab attempt in Jaffna  (18 November 2014)

The chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and his Sri Lankan counterpart at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, signed a memorandum to enhance partnerships between business circles in the two nations.

On Thursday, a Belarusian delegate accompanied by representatives of the business community took part in a Belarusian-Sri Lankan business forum organised at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, reports Belarusian News.