The Bhutanese government has issued a circular to medical students in Sri Lanka to return home should the ongoing strikes continue beyond October this year.

The circular called for Bhutanese students from the Universities of Colombo, Kelaniya and Peradeniya should return home in October and “wait in Bhutan until the situation in Sri Lanka improves or some alternative arrangement is made.”The statement further added that payments to the universities would be suspended until classes resume.

Sri Lanka's National Police Commission said it did not have the legal power to investigate the Inspector General of the Police over a video showing him assaulting two junior members of staff. 

"The NPC can investigate and take action only on the police service but not the IGP," the Commission's secretary Ariyadasa Cooray told the Sunday Leader, adding that it did not have the legal power to do so. 

The video shows IGP Pujith Jayasundara manhandling and making threatening gestures to the two junior officers outside a lift at the police headquarters. 

Over 36,000 Sri Lanka Army deserters are still at large said Military Spokesperson Brigadier Roshan Seneviratne.

Speaking to the media, following an island wide raid that saw 777 deserters arrested on Friday, the army spokesperson added 4377 army deserters had been taken into custody to date.

Sri Lanka’s army has heightened effort to locate and detain members of the tri-forces who are considered Absent Without Leave.

The search operation come after the military conducted a year long general amnesty which saw 8800 military deserters present themselves for a legal discharge from the military.  

Eight foreign companies, including from India and Singapore have expressed interest in oil and gas exploration in the Mannar basin, the former Director General of the Petroleum Resource Development Secretariat, Saliya Wickramasuriya said. 

If the bids were successful "Sri Lanka stands to benefit", Mr Wickramasuriya was quoted by the Sunday Leader as saying. 

Cairn India stopped natural gas exploration in Mannar in 2015 after the petroleum price dropped internationally. 

Three former LTTE cadres currently being held in remand at Anuradhapura prison launched a hunger strike on Sunday in protest at the length of time it has taken for their cases to be hear at court. 

“The three detainees had refused to take breakfast and urge the authorities expedite their court cases filed in the Vavuniya Court to be taken for hearing,” a prison official was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying. 

Four Indian Army officers including the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command visited Jaffna on Saturday to remember IPKF soldiers killed by the LTTE.

Sri Lanka topped the global torture referrals list for a sixth year running in a summary report by Freedom From Torture.

The organisation listed the top ten countries from where it received referrals to victims of torture in 2016. Sri Lanka topped the list of countries which included Iran, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Sudan.

Freedom From Torture received over 230 referrals in 2016 alone, with many more in 2017.

Commenting on the ongoing torture in Sri Lanka, the organisation said,

Sri Lanka's president, Maithripala Sirisena said he set up the National Economic Council in order to strengthen the country's economy. 

The NEC would be aimed at increasing export income and developing local industry, Colombo Page reported. 

Stating there is a need to develop the agricultural sector in the country, Mr Sirisena said, "the National Economic Council was established after the discussions with the representatives of World Bank, International Monetary Fund, local and international economic specialists and also Sri Lankan specialists, working abroad."

The body of a man in his 60s has been recovered from a river situated by Lloyds Avenue, Batticaloa on Friday evening.

Local police retrieved the body on Friday evening and transferred it to Batticaloa hospital, reports Batti News. 

The police are reportedly investigated the death. 

Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena on Friday assured locals that his government would enter into any free trade agreements internationally which would be detrimental to local industry. 

“The government will only enter into any free trade agreements with foreign countries by protecting local industries,” Mr Sirisena was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying.