A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Sri Lanka and Australia this week, as Sri Lanka's Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Kapila Waidyaratne led a delegation to Canberra on September 6. 

The MoU on People Smuggling and Transnational Crime was aimed at increasing cooperation between the two countries on smuggling operations and maritime crime. 

Sri Lanka's Minister of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs, D M Swaminathan introduced new regulations on Friday tightening inmates' access to medical services in hospital. 

Inmates requiring medical treatment will need the approval of three doctors in order to be admitted to the prison's hospital. Previously the recommendation of one doctor was sufficient. 

The US Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved the 2018 State & Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill, which includes new and harsher conditions on funds to be given to Sri Lanka.

The committee approved $51.35 billion in total for diplomatic and humanitarian programs that "strengthen U.S. national security and support American values abroad".

The sexual harassment of female employees by two administrative officers at Jaffna University resulted in a strike by staff and employees on Friday, causing the university to come to a standstill.

A group of 12 Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MPs have reportedly informed Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena of their intention to leave their posts, reports Dailymirror.lk.

The parlimentarians raised concerns over ongoing allegations of corruption and the current government’s move towards power devolution.

Sri Lanka's foreign minister, Tilak Marapana is on a 3 day visit to New Delhi will meet with the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi and his counterpart, Sushma Swaraj tomorrow. 

His visit comes just days after Ms Swaraj visited Sri Lanka for the Indian Ocean conference where delays in Indian projects was reportedly discussed.

Members of the Northern Provincial Council voted to reject the 20th Amendment to the constitution but decided that the Council would remain open to further debates if changes were made to the amendment.

The vote was taken at the Council’s 105th sitting on Thursday.

The 52 Division of the Sri Lankan army marked its 22^nd anniversary with a blood donation drive in Jaffna last month.

A military ceremony was held at a school in Jaffna last month, to mark the opening of toilets built by Sri Lankan soldiers.

A Sri Lankan government minister said LGBT rights and the right to have an abortion would not be allowed in Sri Lanka, and claimed to have reassurances that they would not be introduced from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Tourism and Christian Affairs Minister John Amaratunga said that both he and the prime minister would ensure such rights would not be introduced.

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called for the strengthening of the police force at a ceremony in Colombo today.

Residents of Padiyathalawa protested on Friday over the Sri Lankan government's plans to hand over land in Binthenna to a Singaporean company, Adaderana reported. 

Over 62,500 acres of land is to be handed over to Gazelle Ventures, which is based in Singapore. 

Updated 1120 GMT

The DUP MP, Ian Paisley Jr accepted holidays worth £100,000 from the Sri Lankan government while helping securing trade deals for the state, however, never disclosed the trips in the Commons register of interests, the Telegraph reported. 

Sri Lanka’s former military commander General Jagath Jayasuriya stands accused of overseeing a litany of crimes during the island’s armed conflict. The charges are grave. The lawyer who filed the case, renowned prosecutor Carlos Castresana Fernandez, said the evidence is more abundant than against Argentine General Jorge Rafael Videla and Chilean General Augusto Pinochet. However, Jayasuriya’s hasty retreat to Sri Lanka, where the government has offered him staunch protection from prosecution, serves as a stark reminder that the island remains a haven of impunity.