Sri Lanka's economy requires a substantial amount of foreign direct investment in order to sustain the current economic growth, said Minister for Investment Promotion Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, according to Ceylon Today.

Speaking at the World Investor Forum in Geneva, Abeywardena said Sri Lanka needed $5bn in FDI, in order to achieve anticipated economic gains by 2016, but that current projections show, only $4bn will be raised.

"Sri Lanka requires a substantial amount of investment to sustain the current growth momentum and embark upon its sustainable development goals successfully."

"The private sector plays a major role in financing investment projects, so long as they generate profits. The challenge before Sri Lanka is to motivate them to finance the investment that could fill the resource gap, as the private sector is mainly driven by profits; the national priorities of a particular country may not necessarily be the priorities for the private sector," he said.

In separate incidents, two dead bodies have been found in Kokkaddicholai and Oorani, in the Eastern Province this week, reports Batti News.

In Kokkaddicholai, 32 year old Arunasalam Kirubakaran was found hanging on Thursday, said the Eastern Province based website.

The Sri Lanka Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa is to meet with India's National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval, in New Delhi next week for "high-level" talks, reports The Hindu.

Sources in New Delhi, confirmed the meeting however did not "get into the details", the paper added.

The meeting follows talks between the two countries at the Second Annual Defence Dialogue held in Colombo earlier this month. See here for more.

The opposition party UNP denied that a deal had been reached between the TNA and the UNP, stressing that the party would not agree "to any conditions of any political party", the Colombo Gazette reports.

"There is an attempt to give the impression the UNP has reached a deal with the TNA which could be seen as unpatriotic," the paper quoted UNP MP Kabir Hashim as saying.

See related article:

UNP rejects any political solution beyond 13A (14 Oct 2014)

The Sri Lankan navy has reportedly damaged the fishing nets of some 20 Indian boats, who were fishing near Katchatheevu, reports PTI.

Fishermen Association president S Emerit stated that 535 boats had left Rameswaram to go fishing, when Sri Lankan navy personnel in 5 navy vessels approached them near Katchatheevu. The Sri Lankan troops then proceeded to snap the nets of 5 boats and threatened the fishermen at gunpoint, said Emerit.

The latest incident comes as the Sri Lankan navy handed over 94 Tamil Nadu fishermen to the Indian Coast Guard, releasing them from custody.

Earlier this week, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Paneerselvam wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the Sri Lankan navy's treatment of Tamil Nadu fishermen.

See our earlier post: Tamil Nadu CM seeks Modi intervention for release of fishing boats held by Sri Lanka (16 October 2014)

Teachers in Neduntheevu have been forced to pay thousands of rupees for festivities thrown during Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to the region earlier this week, reports Colombo Telegraph.

Rajapaksa had visited the Neduntheevu Maha Vidyalaya on the 14 October, where he opened the “Mahindodaya laboratory” at the school.

Teachers at the school have been ordered to pay Rs. 7000 each by the school administration, for the festivities thrown during Rajapaksa's visit.

The events thrown cost Rs. 108,000 over the Rs. 200,000 budget, said Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin.

The high court in Vavuniya has been without a judge since the retirement of the previous judge nearly two months ago, reports the Uthayan.

Due to the absence of a judge, several important cases, including a large number of cases under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) are being postponed, law sources told the daily.

Relatives of detainees held under the PTA say they are required to go back and forth from the court as a result of the continuous postponements.

Tamil Nadu’s former chief minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa has been granted bail by India’s Supreme Court.

Jayalalithaa was forced to resign her position as chief minister last month after being sentenced to 4 years in prison for corruption.

Her lawyers had argued for her release on bail due to her health condition and are appealing her conviction.

The Supreme Court ordered her to "complete all paperwork" relating to the appeal against her conviction within two months in the Karnataka high court, warning it would not give her "a day more" if she failed to complete the necessary procedures.

The Sri Lankan military inaugurated science lessons for 300 students in Mullaitheevu on Tuesday, reports the army.lk.

The student science course, to be taught in Tamil, was sponsored by Singapore.

Earlier this week the Sri Lankan army laid the corner stone for a new garment factory that would be constructed in Mullaitheevu.