A group of Tamil political parties have endorsed the former Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) parliamentarian Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran to be a common candidate in next month’s presidential elections.

A group of Tamil political parties have endorsed the former Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) parliamentarian Pakkiyaselvam Ariyanethiran to be a common candidate in next month’s presidential elections.

Sri Lanka’s cricket players are reportedly fearing for their security, as they prepare to tour England later this month, after far right riots flared across the UK this week.

"Most of the issues seem not to be close to where we are but everyone is still a little concerned," one player who is already in England told ESPNcricinfo. 

A Sri Lankan police officer shot dead three people, include a constable from the same police station, before turning his rifle on himself and committing suicide.

According to the Sri Lankan police, the 42-year-old shot dead killing a 33-year-old policeman, before going on to kill a 54-year-old woman and her 17-year-old daughter in the Eastern Province.

The police officer later returned to the station where he turned the gun on himself. He was pronounced dead upon admission to the hospital.

Investigations are reportedly ongoing.

The Sri Lankan security forces in Jaffna paid their respects to Denzil Kobbekaduwa, marking his 32nd death anniversary at the memorial in Jaffna. Jaffna District Commander Chandana Wickramasinghe and other high officials of Sri Lanka's tri-forces participated in the event. This memorial is one of several built by the Sri Lankan military across the Tamil homeland. A statue of the commander also stands in Vavuniya.

After weeks of deliberating on who the presidential candidate would be for the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, the party was forced to make its announcement following the withdrawal of business tycoon Dhammika Perera who voluntarily backed out. 

Sri Lanka’s president Ranil Wickremesinghe undertook a visit to Jaffna last week, where he told an audience of Tamils that “the majority Sinhalese and Buddhist people hold a prominent position” on the island, as he continued electioneering ahead of next month’s polls.

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has set October 14 as the date to hear petitions against the Indian backed Adani wind power project case in Mannar.

This week Sri Lanka’s Navy arrested 22 Indian fishermen deepening the rift between the two nations over the illegal fishing row. 

Civil society in Mannar has called upon the Sri Lankan authorities to expedite a swift investigation into the untimely death of a 27-year-old pregnant woman who bled to death, adding that most investigations in the North-East have been swept under the carpet with no accountability and arrests. 

The issues faced by the people in Mannar due to the occupation of land has left thousands feeling helpless, said Fr. S. Marcus, President of the Mannar Citizens Committee.

“For the last five years, there has been much effort by various private companies to lay claim for a stake in lands in Mannar for Ilmenite and sand mining, despite putting up stiff opposition, one company will begin its work on the 14th of this month,” Fr. Marcus told reporters.