Two out of four of the Jaffna University students arrested by the Sri Lankan Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) in the Maveerar Naal protests are to be released on Tuesday, according to Vasanthy Arasaratnam, Vice-Chancellor of the University.

Out of the four, Bavananthan and Solomon will be released, after almost two months of detention at the Velikanda Rehabilitation Centre.

Sri Lanka’s ambassador to the US has said that ties between the two countries are improving.

Speaking to Ceylon Today, Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya said that the embassy has an “excellent working relationship” with the US State Department and that US investors are very positive about the country.

"I must emphasize the embassy has an excellent working relationship with the US State Department.

"Effective representations were made to the State Department by the embassy; the US Authorities lifted the adverse travel advisory on Sri Lanka. I must also stress that if not for the assistance of the State Department, the Embassy would not have been able to successfully convince the US authorities to remove Sri Lankan ports from the list of High Risk Ports as declared by the US Coast Guard.

"In today’s context, one of our major aims is to project Sri Lanka’s true picture in the sphere of economic development, reconciliation, rehabilitation and redevelopment.

In a letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the DMK party president, M Karunanidhi, urged action against the Sri Lankan government's "intensive and systematic programme of erasing the Tamil language, culture, religion and diluting the concentration of Tamils in areas where they had historically been predominant."

In an outlandish criticism of the UN High Commissioner, Navi Pillay, the Acting Secretary of the External Affairs Ministry, Kshenuka Senewiratne, said:

"The Government of Sri Lanka notes, with deep regret and concern, your statement delivered at the OHCHR Press Briefing on 18th January 2013 where reference has been made to Sri Lanka. At the outset, I wish to reject categorically the contents of this statement, as it lacks any semblance of objectivity, steeped as it is in bias, marred by erroneous facts and further compounded by the inappropriate tenor of its language, all of which are indicative of unequal and invidious treatment of Sri Lanka.

To me this is reminiscent of the action taken by MrHannyMegally following the visit of the OHCHR team to Sri Lanka in September 2012, when he deviated from the accepted practice, by de-briefing third parties, even before briefing you, in your capacity as High Commissioner, or the Permanent Representative of the country concerned.

Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has snubbed the United States, stating that China would be there to help replace any losses, reported Colombo Telegraph.

Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), R Sampanthan, spoke at his home on Saturday about the reassignment of local council borders and the 'current' political situation.

Sampanthan claimed that resolving Tamil grievances was not a government priority and that he hoped for a meaningful action at the UN Human Rights Council in March.

The leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Rauff Hakeem, has claimed that an increase in anti-Muslim incidents could be due to an international conspiracy against Sri Lanka.

The Justice Minister urged the government to put a stop to the “hate campaign”, which included protests against halal meat, organised by Buddhist monks.

The body of a young woman was found in Visuvamadu, Kilinochchi, reports Tamilwin.

The body, found badly burnt, was discovered by a passerby in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police state that they have no further details on the identity or circumstances of the corpse.

The Chinese government has donated $50million worth of sports equipment to the government, for distribution amongst children in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi.

An agreement was signed by China's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Wu Jianghao and External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris at an event in Temple Trees, reported ColomboPage.

Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister GL Peiris has criticised the raising of the impeachment of the former Chief Justice by countries like the UK, US and Canada, reported The Island.

The body of a young woman was found today washed up on the shore by the Kalmunai Vihara, reports Tamilwin.

The body, found at 6am this morning, is that of 34 year old Muslim woman called Aathampaavaa Risaanaa.

She was reported missing three days prior.

A former member of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group from 2010 to 2011, Sir Ronald Sanders, argues "it is time for the Commonwealth of Nations to suspend Sri Lanka from its councils", in an op-ed published in the Huntington News on Thursday.

See here for his full piece. Extracts published below:

"The Sri Lanka government has now seriously and persistently violated the principles to which every Commonwealth country has declared itself to be committed, and, according to the Commonwealth’s rules this is ground for suspension from its councils as a first step."

A central committee member of the Tamil National People's Front (TNPF), Kandeepan Thangarajah, has been threatened by Sri Lankan security forces and paramilitary group EPDP over his presence at protests against sand mining.