The United States on Friday launched a US$ 2 million programme to end AIDs in Sri Lanka. 

The programme - HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance Partnership - aims to end cases of AIDs in the island by 2025.

"USAID Sri Lanka has been working closely with the Government of Sri Lanka on a number of social and economic development efforts. This partnership is very important as Sri Lanka moves down the path to ending the spread of AIDS," the Mission Director of USAID Sri Lanka, Dr. Andrew Sisson said.

The Sri Lankan navy arrested 27 Tamil Nadu fishermen on early Tuesday morning for allegedly poaching off the coast of Neduntheevu. 

The fishermen, from Pudukottai in Tamil Nadu, were taken to Kangesanthurai port along with five boats.

According to the Rameswaram Fishermen Association, over 3000 fishermen were chased away by Sri Lanka navy by opening fire. 

The targetting of Tamil journalists in the North-East contradicts the Sri Lankan government's claims of media freedom, the Jaffna Press Club has said.

Releasing a statement on Sunday, the press club condemned the detention and questioning of a group of journalists by Sri Lankan soldiers in Mullaitivu this weekend.

"On one hand Tamil journalists are forced to work in an unsafe environment," the organisation said. "On the other hand those behind the attacks and threats are never put before the law."

The chief of India's air force arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday for a four day visit which include discussions on regional security. 

Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa is expected to hold meetings with Sri Lankan air force officials, as well as visiting the army and navy headquarters. 

"The visit of the Indian Air Chief would provide impetus towards increasing defense cooperation between the two Air Forces and pave the way for greater interaction in the future," the Sri Lankan ministry of defence said. 
 

Sri Lanka's Constitutional Assembly debate was postponed after the ten MPs who were tasked with discussing the Interim Report of the Constitutional Assembly failed to arrive. 

The debate was scheduled to take place on Monday, reported Ceylon Today.

It has been postponed until the third week of January 2018. 

India's Congress party elected Rahul Gandhi as its new president on Monday, to replace Sonia Gandhi - his mother - as the party leader. 

Mr Gandhi was voted in unopposed with 89 nominations in his favour and no other contenders. 

Ms Sonia Gandhi, who has held the position for 19 years, will hand over power on December 19. 

Protestors in Jaffna and Batticaloa staged a rally on Sunday to mark International Human Rights Day and demand answers to the whereabouts of their disappeared relatives.

Eight Tamil journalists gathering research on Sinhalisation in Mullaitivu were detained by Sri Lankan soldiers and police on Saturday.

The journalists were questioned about their identities by a soldier who approached them on a bicycle. When told that they had come from Jaffna, the soldier left and returned with another solider who detained and questioned them further.

Despite identifying the journalists, the soldiers detained them for over half an hour and called the police to the scene.

Sri Lanka's prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe asserted it is the government's responsibility to spread the message of Buddhism across the world. 

"Sri Lanka has always acted as a beacon of Theravada Buddhism for devotees across the world," Mr Wickremesinghe was quoted by the Ada Derana as saying. 

Mr Wickremesinghe made these comments whilst visiting a Buddhist vihara on Saturday. 

A Catholic shrine in Jaffna was attacked by unknown persons during the early hours of Sunday morning. 

The glass casing which housed a statue of St Anthony was smashed.