The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court has granted bail to Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former Sri Lankan president and accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa, following his arrest by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.

Yoshitha Rajapaksa was released on three personal sureties of Rs. 5 million each. Colombo Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva also imposed a foreign travel ban on him.

The Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna has become the largest ever uncovered on the island, with the number of skeletal remains identified at the site rising to 387, surpassing the toll recorded at any other mass grave that has been uncovered so far.

Sri Lankan authorities carried out an excavation in the Eastern district of Amparai on Wednesday in search of weapons and gold allegedly buried by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but no items were recovered.

The search took place on a privately owned paddy field in the Thoyyum Vattai Keel Kandam area, within the Sammanthurai police division.

A new English-language print magazine has been launched in the Tamil homeland, with events in Jaffna and Batticaloa timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Vaddukoddai Resolution.