World Bank South Asia Region Vice President Annette Dixon arrived on an official visit on Monday, where she will travel to Jaffna to meet officials and examine projects supported by the global organisation.

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister told reporters that a domestic court will probe cases of human rights violations, following the conclusion of a series of consultations across the island.

Foreign judges will not be invited to participate in the process, declared the foreign minister, at a press meet at the foreign ministry in Colombo on Monday.

The leader of the Tamil National Alliance stressed that the construction of Buddha statues across the North-East was adding to ethnic tensions in the region, in a meeting with the Sri Lankan prime minister last week.

Meeting with Ranil Wickremasinghe, TNA leader R Sampanthan said that construction of Buddhist places of worship, alongside the resettlement of Sinhala people in the North-East, was causing panic amongst Tamils and his party “strongly condemns all such acts”.

Sri Lanka's foreign affairs minister, Mangala Samaraweera pledged the new draft constitution would be presented before the next budget, which is expected in mid-November. 

“We hope to be able to present that in parliament before the next budget,” the Daily Mirror quoted Mr Samaraweera as saying whilst addressing a gathering at Point Pedro on Sunday. 

Northern Province Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran has called on the Sri Lankan president to ensure the safety of Tamil students at the University of Peradeniya, following an attack on Tamil students

The parents of Tamil students who were attacked by Sinhalese students met with Justice Wigneswaran on Saturday. Many of the parents were still hesitant to send their students to classes, they said.

The USS Frank Cable is set to visit Sri Lanka on Monday, making it the third United States navy ship to visit the island this year.

The former Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa is to form a new party, breaking away from the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP). 

The new party will hold consultations with other political parties in view of forming a 'Common Front', the Sunday Times reported. 

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, who is due to visit Sri Lanka on August 31, said he hoped Sri Lanka "fully implements the resolution" passed by the UN Human Rights Council, reiterating the reasons why resolution called for international participation in any accountability mechanism. 

Muslims protested on Saturday demanding resettlement into Jaffna. 

Holding signs the protesters urged the Northern Provincial Council chief minister, C V Wigneswaran to take action. 

The bodies of five men who died at sea at Camber Sands last week were formerly identified by the police yesterday as that of a group of five British Tamil men who had been childhood friends. 

Tamil IDPs from Vali North this week accused the Sri Lankan government of seeking to portraying a false image of resettlement to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon during his visit next week by rehousing them in different land instead of allowing them to return to their own homes. 

Three Tamil students involved in clashes at the University of Jaffna last month were granted bail on Thursday worth Rs 60,000 each. 

The Northern Provincial Council member K Jayanthan appeared as the students' lawyer. 

The trial will begin on September 22.