The Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) said it will continue to undertake civilian flights across the island, despite a suspension over airworthiness of some of its aircraft.

The Sri Lankan military continued to exert its presence in Tamil schools in the North-East, declaring open a computer laboratory at the Sri Ganesha Maha Vidyalaya in Pungudutivu, Jaffna.

The Sri Lankan government announced that it managed to “convince” the European Union (EU) to ensure the LTTE is kept on a list of banned terrorist organisations, despite a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling last year.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) said it hoped to build ties with the former Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa and his new party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). 

The CPC's Vice  Minister of International Development, Guo Yezhou met with Mr Rajapaksa and the SLPP chairman, G. L. Peiris yesterday, the Daily Mirror reported. 

Sri Lankan police yesterday arrested eleven Tamil youths, accused of being involved in 'Aava gang' violence. 

The youths, aged between 18 to 20, who were due to sit their A Level exams this year, are understood to be from Chavakachceri, Sarasaalai and Maravanpulavu. 

Four swords, a motorbike and other weapons were found in their possession, police said. 

The Office of Missing Persons (OMP) has said it would fund the excavation of Mannar mass grave site "as long as necessary". 

The OMP has faced fierce criticism from Tamil families of the disappeared and civil society organisations for its lack of independence however, with mothers of the disappeared boycotting OMP hearings. 

"There is no transparency adopted in the selection of the Commissioners for the OMP. Selections were made by the Constitutional Council in which Sinhala Politicians are also members, who repeatedly said that they will not allow any members of the Security force to face justice. Can OMP guarantee that alleged perpetrators will be brought to justice," mothers of the disappeared said in a letter last month. 

Sri Lankan police have failed to take any action on three Sinhala fishermen who were caught engaged in illegal fishing methods in Mullaitivu, local fishermen told Tamil Guardian. 

The three from Trincomalee were caught by the Mullaitivu fishermen using prohibited light machines, and handed over to the police on August 4. All three were released without any charge however. 

Sri Lanka’s Central Bank Governor said his government would be seeking a waiver from the International Monetary Fund after it missed a June forex reserve target.

Indrajit Coomaraswamy said that the forex reserve target was set last year, but “external conditions had since changed,” according to Economy Next.

Sri Lanka will not seek a waiver of the performance criteria, he added.

A demonstration by fishermen in Mullaitivu has entered its third day, as they continue to protest illegal fishing by Sinhala fishermen.

A United Nations report has accused Sri Lanka of continuing to accept imports of North Korean textiles, despite a ban being in place.

The report, written by a group of independent experts examining the implementation of UN sanctions and submitted to the Security Council, found that North Korea had not stopped its nuclear and missile programs.

The US Secretary of State has announced plans to provide almost $300 million in security assistance to improve security relationships across the Indo-Pacific region, which will include funding to cover projects in Sri Lanka.

On August 4th 2006, Sri Lankan troops lined up and summarily executed 17 aid workers with the French NGO Action Contre la Faim (ACF) in Muttur. Sixteen of the aid workers were Tamil, one Muslim. Twelve years on, no one has been held to account for this crime.

The lawyer and TNA MP, M A Sumanthiran has represented a petitioner challenging the appointment of the TNPF national organiser, V Manivannan to the Jaffna Municipal Council, who is currently opposition leader within the Council. 

The chief minister of the Northern province, C V Wigneswaran reiterated the Tamil people's demand for autonomy and self-rule at an event of the Office for National Unity & Reconciliation in Jaffna on Thursday. 

"Give us autonomy [and] let us rule ourselves," Mr Wigneswaran told the event, which was presided by Sri Lanka's former president, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. 

"The government must give us this," he stressed.