The Sri Lankan government yesterday took pains to defend its decision to sign an agreement with India and Japan to develop the East Container Terminal at Colombo Port. 

Sri Lanka's chief of national intelligence, Sisira Mendis resigned today just days after he told the parliamentary select committee investigating the Easter Sunday bombings that the attacks could have been prevented. 

The Indian premier, Narendra Modi today visited Sri Lanka for four hours, becoming the first foreign leader to do so since the Easter Sunday bombings by Islamist extremists. 

Tamil families of the disappeared protested the Sri Lankan president’s visit to Mullaitivu on Saturday.

The families, who have been protesting for over two years for answers on their forcibly disappeared relatives, criticised President Sirisena for failing to fulfil any of his promises made during his meetings with them.

<p>The Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka today warned that "Jihadi ideology" was a threat to both countries.&nbsp;</p> <p>Describing India as "first responder to Sri Lanka's needs and priorities", Taranjit Singh Sandhu said that the Indian premier Narendra Modi had offered all possible assistance to combat this threat to regional security and global peace.&nbsp;</p> <p>Singh's comments came just before Modi's visit to Sri Lanka - the first visit by a foreign leader since the Easter Sunday bombings by Islamist extremists.&nbsp;</p>

The Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) today called for judicial action against those responsible for anti-Muslim violence following the Easter Sunday bombings by Islamist extremists supportive of Islamic State. 

Students at the University of Jaffna this week remembered Ponnuthurai Sivakumaran, the first Tamil to die in the liberation struggle. 

Local journalists were removed from a meeting about development of the Mullaitivu District, at the the behest of the Northern Province governor.

A broadcast journalist attached to a private Tamil media firm was stopped from filming a confrontation between the governor Suren Raghavan and TNA MP Shanthi Sriskantharajah, and made to leave.

Eight Muslim traders have been handed suspended jail sentences for selling replica Sri Lankan army uniforms for children.

The traders, all hailing from Kattankudy, Batticaloa, were arrested on May 14 during a police search of Point Pedro town, for displaying the replica uniforms in their stores.

They were all convicted of illegally selling replica army uniforms by the Point Pedro magistrate’s court and handed suspended sentences.

The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, is to visit Sri Lanka from June 8 - 9 along side the Maldives, the country's External Affairs Ministry said today.