The Asian Development Bank pledged to allocate up to US $5 billion over the next five years in efforts to move Sri Lanka to an upper middle income country reports sundaytimes.lk.

The bank’s Country Director Sri Widowati told press that the assistance would aim to strengthen drivers of growth and improve the quality Sri Lanka’s growth.

A senior economist at the ADB Tadateru Hayashi said,

“We feel that the basic infrastructures is developed and the road density is the best in South Asia.”

The chief minister of the Northern Province, C V Wigneswaran said on Thursday that the NPC would not back the proposed 20th Amendment to Sri Lanka's constitution. 

He said the amendment was aimed at concentrating Provincial Council powers within the parliament.

The amendment which aims to hold all the Provincial Council elections on the same day was last month approved by the Cabinet and tabled in parliament on Wednesday. It would be discussed by the NPC on September 4th, the chief minister said.

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) on Thursday called on the Sri Lankan government to "swiftly operationalise" the Office on Missing Persons.

The statement which came on the one year anniversary of the enactment of the OMP bill said, the ICJ "also urged the Government to set up other transitional justice mechanisms it committed to in the context of a key 2015 UN Human Rights Council resolution, without further delay." 

The ICJ said: 

Sri Lanka's new navy commander said "the navy uniform is not a license to kill, steal or commit any other crime", stating that those found guilty of commiting a crime would be punished. 

"No one will be pardoned if someone within the Navy is found guilty of any crime even if the person is a war hero," he was quoted by Colombo Page as saying. 

"A war hero cannot be a murderer but no naval personnel will be allowed to go free if found guilty," he reportedly added. 

Sri Lanka's health minister is the third minister in weeks to face calls for his resignation, after a no-confidence motion was handed over to the Speaker. 

The motion against Rajitha Senaratne was signed by 39 Joint opposition MPs, the Daily Mirror reported. 

This week, the justice minister was expelled from parliament after UNP MPs accused him of stalling investigations into corruption and fraud by the previous government. 

The finance minister was earlier forced to resign over allegations of corruption. 

A former Sri Lankan diplomat who is wanted for questioning over financial irregularities in relation to a military aircraft deal has had an appeal rejected by a court in Colombo this week.  

Lawyers for Udayanga Weeratunga, a former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia, called for a recall of his arrest warrant and a restoration of his diplomatic passport.

Mr Weeratunga, a relative of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, is alleged to have personally acquired almost US$ 14 million, as part of a Sri Lankan military deal for four Ukraine-built MIG-27 aircraft in 2005.

Amnesty International urged the UN Human Rights Council to ensure Sri Lanka implements a resolution calling for an accountability mechanism with international judges, in a submission to the council this week.

The human rights organisation said it recognised Sri Lanka “has taken some important steps,” however added that it was “disappointed by the lack of progress, and in some cases backsliding” by the current government.

Areas that were highlighted include Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s pledge to release a list of all those who have been detained by the armed forces in June. “That list has yet to be made public,” said Amnesty.

Money allocated for resettlement is being funnelled to the Sri Lankan army, a Northern Provincial Council minister said on Wednesday. 

Women’s affairs minister Ananthy Sasitharan accused the Sri Lankan government of diverting funds, including international aid money, meant for resettling Tamil war victims to the military, under the guise of relocating camps.

Citing the recent announcement that the Sri Lankan army would receive around 178 million rupees compensation for releasing civilian-owned land in Keppapulavu, Ms Sasitharan said disproportionate amounts of money were still being spent on the army while the Tamil people’s pressing concerns remained unaddressed.

Sri Lanka’s Defence Ministry Secretary Kapila Waidayaratne said Sri Lanka is interested in Russian arms and ships during a visit to a military exhibition in Russia reports Colombo Gazette.

Speaking to Russian News outlet Sputnik, Mr Waidayaratne said the Sri Lanka’s delegation had arrived at Russia’s military forum to see the expertise and technology available.

Heading the Sri Lankan delegation to Russia, Mr Waidayaratne, said,

Two new appointments were made to the Northern Province on Wednesday in health and agriculture. 

Dr G Gunaseelan appointed as the province's new Minister of Health, Indigenous Medicine, Probation and Childcare Services. Mr K Sivanesan was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture, Agrarian Services, Animal Husbandry, Irrigation, Fisheries, Water Supply and Environment.

Both men were sworn in before the Northern Province's governor, Reginald Cooray in Jaffna.