The Sri Lankan cabinet has decided to suspend the ban on the use of white asbestos on state run institutions which was approved earlier this year. 

The suspension of the ban comes amid Russia's ban of imports of Sri Lankan tea, which government officials believe was a retaliatory move over the asbestos prohibition. 

A full ban will continued on blue asbestos, which will come into effect on Janaury 1, 2018. 

The Indian and Sri Lankan navy on Tuesday completed the second phase of their joint hydrographic survey of the south western coast of Sri Lanka, to map the maritime boundary.  

The survey began on October 26 and follows on from phase 1 which took place in May 2016. 

The survey charts were handed over to the commander of the Sri Lankan navy.  

The mapping exercise takes place amid ongoing tensions between the two countries over the arrest of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan navy personnel for allegedly crossing the maritime boundary. 

A Tamil asylum seeker who had fled Sri Lanka is to be deported from Australia, The Guardian reports. 

The man whose identity is being protected for fear of reprisal on return to Sri Lanka was handcuffed this morning at Villawood detention centre in view of deportation tonight. 

He is being deported without his asylum claim being processed as he failed to meet the October 1 deadline, the paper reported. 

Despite repeated criticism for the Sri Lankan military to cease its involvement in civilian activities, the army intensified its presence in Tamil schools in the Vanni this month.

The Malaysian prime minister and his Sri Lankan counterpart agreed on Tuesday to start negotiations towards a Free Trade Agreement. 

Meeting with Sri Lanka's prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib, who was on an official visit to Sri Lanka agreed cooperation in the fields of technology, science and innovation, as well as the digitalisation of official documents. 

Sri Lanka's foreign minister, Tilak Marapana met with the deputy foreign minister of Malaysia, Dato Sri Reezal Merican, with both representatives signing a Memorandum Of Understanding on field training of diplomats. 
 

The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena said this week that he was not convinced by some of the suggestions for appointments to top posts made by the Constitutional Council. 

Local media reported that when questioned about differences in opinion between Council members and himself, he was very reluctant to talk, but acknowledged that he did not always agree with them. 

The Malaysian government is to send a mission to Jaffna in order conduct an assessment to see what assistance is required. 

The announcement came as the Malaysian prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak visited Sri Lanka, and met with the chief minister of the Northern Province, C V Wigneswaran. 

"Had a very fruitful meeting with His Excellency C.V. Wigneswaran, Chief Minister of Sri Lanka's Northern Province. We have agreed to work together towards supporting the redevelopment of the province and uplifting the Tamil community there," Mr Najib tweeted. 

Moody's Investors Service said that Sri Lanka’s government liquidity and external vulnerability risks will remain elevated and that it would continue to face “material credit challenges” ahead, in a report published this week.

The report on Sri Lanka’s fiscal reforms, stated that in particular “persistently high government liquidity and external vulnerability risks will maintain pressure on the sovereign's credit profile, as large external payments come due in 2019-2022”.

“High general government debt levels, very low debt affordability, and fragile external payments position continue to present the sovereign with material credit challenges,” the report added.

Sri Lanka’s Election Commission announced that Local Government elections across the island will be held on February 10^th, 2018.

Chairman of the Commission Mahinda Deshapriya announced that the date would be the same for all 341 councils across the island at a media briefing on Monday.

Whilst nominations have closed for 93 local government bodies, a further are accepting nominations until 21 December. Amended elections laws mean that the number of local government bodies increased from 336 to 341 while the number of councilors will increase from 4,486 to 8,356. At least 24 percent of all fielded candidates by a political party or group must also be female.

A widely criticised Sri Lankan army food festival failed to draw local crowds in Jaffna.