Photographs Ranil Wickremesinghe's Facebook page

Sri Lanka's new prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday sought blessing from the high influential Buddhist clergy and at the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth.

The Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department has questioned four army officers over the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda.

Sri Lankan media reports indicate that two Lieutenant Colonels, a Sergeant and a Corporal were being questioned over the January 2010 disappearance of the cartoonist.

Eknaligoda disappeared after his wife claimed he had uncovered evidence of the Sri Lankan Army’s use of chemical weapons against the Tamil people.

Speaking to the BBC in 2010 she said,

“In 2008, Prageeth wrote and informed the diplomats about the Sri Lankan government’s usage of chemical weapons against the people in the north.”

“I think he was abducted by people who did not like the truth.” 

Former defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was questioned in relation to the misuse of state funds earlier today.

Mr Rajapaksa, who is thought to be responsible for mass atrocities of Tamils during the armed conflict, was questioned by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry for more than 5 hours, over allegations he misused Rs 6mn in state funds and that he used 500 employees from the state-owned security firm Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Limited for the presidential election campaign at the end of 2014.

Britain's former prime minister Tony Blair said on Monday he would speak on behalf of Sri Lanka to help "negate misconceptions being spread" the country.

Mr Blair, who is on a private visit to the island, along with his wife Cherie Blair and his two children, met with President Maithripala Sirisena today and praised his efforts at holding "peaceful" parliamentary elections and work done towards reconciliation.

The Sinhala hard line National Freedom Front said it will take legal action against the UPFA's former general secretary, Susil Premajayantha, for preparing the coalition's nomination list. Another coalition member, the Front Line Socialist party also expressed it objections to the agreement to form a national unity government by the UPFA and the UNP-led UNFGG.

The NFF, which is led by Wimal Weerawansa, and won 5 parliamentary seats, also opposed the agreement signed by the two main parties.

Mr Weerawansa, who is a close ally of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, received the highest number of any UPFA candidate in Colombo’s 16 polling divisions, with 313,801 preferential votes, second behind Ranil Wickremesinghe who won 500,566 preferential votes.

Four Indians were arrested in Kalmunai on Saturday, after they violated their visa conditions, according to local police.

The Indians engaged in business activities, contrary to what they were permitted under their visa.

Kalmunai police said the suspects will be produced before the town's magistrate's court on Sunday.

The Sri Lankan Army’s report in response to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has been delayed said the Army Media spokesperson Army Brigadier Jayanth Jayaweera.

The Army report was expected to respond to accusations by the HRCSL that Sri Lanka’s army misused powers in dispersing protestors who engaged in a demonstration in Rathupaswala demanding clean water.

The Tamil National Alliance will serve as the main opposition in Sri Lanka, said the TNA MP Selvam Adaikkalanathan, after the UNP and SLFP decided to form a unity government following Monday's election, reports the Daily Mirror.

The UNP last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the SLFP on forming a unity government for the next two years, after it failed to win a simple majority, obtaining 106 parliamentary seats.