A Sri Lankan minister has said an Indian article regarding a US$5 billion road-and-rail link connecting India to the North-East was “misleading” after claiming “off the record” remarks were used to claim the agreement to construct it was in the “closing stages”.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs Secretary, Aruni Wijewardane, is set to address the upcoming BRICS Outreach and BRICS Plus Summit in Kazan, Russian Federation, as the country awaits a decision on its request to join BRICS and its new Development Bank.

In a landmark judgement, a three-member committee, headed by retired High Court Judge Aadambaragay Nilanthi Jayaki de Alwis, claimed that information of the Easter Sunday bombings, which killed over 280 people, had not reached former Sri Lankan president Mathiripala Sirisena prior to the attack. 

Tamil asylum seekers who rallied in Melbourne, Australia, earlier this week to mark 100 days of continuous protests to demand permanent visa protection were disrupted by a group of neo-Nazis. 

Tamil asylum seekers have been camped outside the Department Home Affairs since July 15, to call on the Australian government to grant them permanent visas. Many of the protesters have been on short term visas for over a decade. 

Tamils gathered in many cities across Europe last weekend to mark Tamil Eelam Women's Uprising Day, which falls on the anniversary of the death of the first female Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighter 2nd Lieutenant Maalathy. 

Sri Lanka’s security forces continue extending heavy militarisation of the North by extending its influence in the form of healthcare programmes, food donations and religious ceremonies. Predominantly Tamil-speaking areas in the Northern provinces are subject to the integration of the military in their lives.

Jaffna

The Australian government has donated a Beechcraft King Air 350 surveillance aircraft to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) this week, in a move that signals increasing defence ties between Canberra and Colombo.

This donation, made on a gratis basis, is reportedly intended to bolster Sri Lanka's aerial maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

The Australian Government said the gifting of the plane reinforced “their joint commitment to combat human smuggling and enhance regional stability”.

An illegally assembled luxury BMW in Colombo belonging to former Sri Lankan minister Johnston Fernando is suspected to have been reported stolen in England, confirmed Sri Lankan police.

Former Minister Johnston Fernando was arrested over the vehicle this week; which police believe may have been smuggled into the island illegally.

^{File photo}

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has demanded the release of more than 100 Indian fishermen from Sri Lankan custody, after the Sri Lanka navy once again apprehended fishermen from Tamil Nadu this week.