Three Tamil political prisoners out of the 16 that are fasting unto death fainted and were admitted to prison hospital on Thursday.

J Sebastian, T Manoharan and S Thayaparan were all admitted to their prison hospitals after fainting reports Tamil Diplomat.

Reports have surfaced that the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture is likely to visit Sri Lanka this year.

According to the Sri Lanka director at the International Crisis Group (ICG) Alan Keenan, Special Rapporteur Juan Mendez may visit Sri Lanka in the near future.

Mr Mendez was formerly the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and Special Adviser to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce reiterated its support towards the proposed Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India in a statement issued on Friday.

The Chamber noted concern at the level of opposition to the trade agreement with India surfacing in Sri Lanka’s press.

Sri Lanka's first annual partnership dialogue with the United States concluded in Washington DC earlier today.

In a media release, the US State Department said,

"Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon led the U.S. delegation for discussions on democratic governance, development cooperation, people-to-people ties, economic cooperation, security cooperation, international and regional affairs, and other issues of mutual interest.

Sri Lanka’s finance minister Ravi Karunanayake announced that a newly proclaimed ‘Colombo International Financial Centre’ will be governed by British law.

Speaking at a Business forum in Colombo, Mr Karunayaka said,

The Northern Province came to a standstill on Wednesday as a mass hartal was administered in support of protests against the rape and murder of a school girl in Vavuniya last week.

Torture and ill-treatment of detainees, including sexual violence, continued in 2015 found Amnesty International

Noting that Tamils continued to be detained, the Sri Lanka section of Amnesty International’s report, added that “suspicious deaths in police custody continued to be reported.”

Sri Lanka signed a transaction advisory services agreement with the Asian Development Bank to develop a section of the Colombo Port project, reports Colombo Page.

Speaking after the signing of the agreement, which was witnessed by Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Ravi Karunannayake, the ADB country director for Sri Lanka Takehiko Nakao, said,

The new Sri Lankan government appointed governor to the Northern province, Reginold Cooray said mixed marriages between Tamils and Sinhalese people would be a way to reconciliation.

Iran will look to re-visit a Preferential Trade Agreement which was agreed with Sri Lanka in 2005, said Iran’s Energmy Minister Hamid Chitchian during his visit to Sri Lanka.

Speaking in Colombo at the opening of the Joint Commission for Economic Co-operation (JCEC), Mr Chitchian said,