Sarath Fonseka, the former chief of the Sri Lankan army, has denied involvement in the murder of former Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunge, after facing five hours of questioning on the subject on Friday.

The current and former Sri Lankan presidents, Sirisena and Rajapaksa, congratulated the newly inaugurated US president, Donald Trump. 

The former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa welcomed what he described as Trump's 'non-interventionist foreign policy'. 

Mr Sirisena expressed his hope for stronger Sri Lankan and US relations. 

"Looking forward to working with you to strengthen the US-Sri Lanka partnership," he said in a tweet. 

Jaffna citizens have demanded an end to illegal settlements of Sinhalese people in the district.

The illegal appropriation of lands to create Sinhala settlement villages and army camps must cease, concluded a meeting of the Jaffna co-ordinating committee on Thursday.

The meeting’s attendants particularly condemned the building of houses in Navatkuli for 53 Sinhalese people.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) called on the Sri Lankan government to respond to the “clear demand for justice” laid out in the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms (CTF) and fully implement its recommendations.

Parliamentarians from the United National Party dismissed claims there were conditions attached to Sri Lanka regaining GSP+ and asserted what they described as "Sri Lanka's 2500 year old Buddhist culture" was "non-negotiable for whatever reasons". 

Sri Lanka’s security forces must stop harassing former LTTE cadres, the Northern Province Chief Minister has said.

Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran held talks with the EU’s Deputy Head of Delegation over a variety of topics but highlighted the problems especially faced by former fighters.

The Sri Lankan army has been intimidating Mullaitivu villagers ahead of a presidential visit.

Soldiers threatened Keppapilavu villagers against holding protests over land-returns during President Sirisena’s visit.

The villagers were told that if they protested and demanded their own lands back - instead of accepting the alternative lands or monetary compensation currently promised - they would be forced to remain in their displaced situations.

Sri Lanka’s military said that it will continue to occupy a military camp in Omanthai, contrary to earlier reports that the camp was to be dismantled and the land it occupied returned to its private landowners.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein met with Sri Lanka’s prime minister in Switzerland, to discuss the island’s human rights situation.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met with the UN human rights chief on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday .

China's Alibaba company is keen to invest in Sri Lanka said the finance minister on Thursday. 

The finance minister, Ravi Karunanayake met with the online company's chairman, Jack Ma at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week, the Colombo Page reported. 

The European Union in a statement reiterated that the only criteria by which Sri Lanka will be assessed to rejoin the GSP+ trade concessions are its ratification and implementation of 27 international conventions it has signed in the past.

The Sri Lankan government has dropped its own proposal to decriminalise homosexuality, which was included in its national human rights plan put forward to help regain the European Union’s GSP+ concession, reported the Deutsche Presse Agentur. Homosexuality is currently a criminal offence under Sri Lankan law.

A human rights lawyer and activist was questioned by the Sri Lankan army after speaking to refugees at a Jaffna camp.

Mr Ainkaran was questioned by military personnel from the Kankesanthurai division, after speaking to internally displaced people living in Konappulam camp in Mallakam, Jaffna.

The soldiers also questioned the refugees Mr Ainkaran had spoken to, enquiring about his identity and what he had talked about.

The Sri Lankan government in Colombo does not listen to the views of the Northern Provincial Council, the Chief Minister has said.

“The central government does as it pleases in the Northern Province, but does not consider our opinions when engaging in activities,” NPC Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran told journalists.