Photographs: Shalin for Tamil Guardian

Sri Lankan soldiers will begin construction on a new home for the family of a Tamil student shot and killed by police last year.

Sri Lanka’s treasury has released funds to distribute dry food rations amongst drought affected people in 15 districts, reports Colombo Page.

The President’s office has also issued instruction to the Army to produce a performance report on how dry aid is distributed by the Divisional Secretaries across the island.

China’s Ambassador pledged to help Sri Lanka's south reach development standards of Shanghai reports Colombo Page.

Speaking at an event celebrating the 70^th anniversary of China and Sri Lanka's friendship Ambassador Yi Xianliang said China will help establish a technology university in the South and also initiate a housing project for fishing communities in the area.  

Sri Lanka's prime minister told the president on Tuesday to expel the country's justice minister, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, accusing him of deliberately preventing the investigation of corruption and fraud committed by the previous government. 

Officers from Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have continued to harass Mariyasuresh Easwary, who is one of the key figures of the Mullaitivu protest against disappearances which passed 150 days. 

Special Task Force troops have been deployed in Thunnalai again since Sunday, recreating a tense situation in the Vadamaradchi area.

STF motorcycle teams patrolled Thunnalai and surrounding villages throughout Sunday and Monday as well as carrying out checking activities on the streets.

In a previous operation in early August, over 40 Tamil youths were arrested in search and round-up operations and dozens of motorcycles and other vehicles seized.

Sri Lanka’s cabinet ministers are planning to curtail powers of the independent Auditor General to hold those responsible for fraud accountable warned anti-corruption organisation Transparency International.

The anti-corruption organisation called on the government to keep in line with international best practices and maintain the powers vested to the Auditor General, and expressed concern at the attempts by Sri Lanka’s cabinet to edit key parts of the National Audit Bill.

Sri Lanka is hoping to complete steps towards accession to the Madrid Protocol, and international trademark registration system by next August, LBO reports. 

The system would allow Sri Lankan brands to register their trademarks across jurisdications through a single process, providing greater protection internationally to the brands. 

Twenty-seven Indian nationals were arrested on Sunday during a special raid in Jaffna by the Intelligence and Investigation Unit of Sri Lanka's Immigration and Emigration Department for allegedly violating their visa conditions. 

The 22 men and 5 women were reportedly engaged in employment whilst on tourist visas, Colombo Page reported. 

Sri Lanka's proposed Inland Revenue bill woudl be presented to Parliament on August 25th, the finance minister, Mangala Samaraweera was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying on Monday.  

The announcement follows a similar announcement last week, however the bill was not presented. 

The European Union on Monday reiterated its support for credible justice and full implementation of the UN Human Rights Council resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka. 

"There is no change in the EU support for the full implementation of the UN HCR resolution #EU4HumanRights #lka," the EU's delegation to Sri Lanka tweeted this morning. 

Sri Lankan Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa stated that lesbianism “equals sadism” and advocated the rape of lesbians by convicted sexual offenders to “cure” them, reports Economy Next.

Referring to a landmark May 2000 ruling, when Mr Rajapaksa was head of the Press Council of Sri Lanka, the current justice minister stated that homophobic hate mail that had been published in The Island had been done so in “good faith”.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena called on all people on the island to come together and “build a society in this Buddhist country,” during a religious ceremony in Matara last week.

Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa called on Buddhist monks to lead a campaign against the current Sirisena unit government for political change, reports island.lk.

Speaking at a public meeting in Anuradhapura, the Justice Minister criticised Prime Minister Ranil WIckremesinghe and President Maithripala Sirisena, stating,