A Buddhist monk, a Sri Lankan judge and several other wealthy businessman may be cleared of keeping illegally captured elephants and may even get the animals returned to them after recent changes in Sri Lankan law, reports the Associated Press.

Sri Lanka’s Housing and Construction Minister Sajith Premadasa declared plans to establish model villages named after Sri Lankan soldiers, reports The Island.

Sri Lankan soldiers escorted a group of students from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura on a tour of Mullaitivu this week, showing them around the ‘Final Battle Zone’.

Sri Lankan soldiers organised a clinic this week, where Tamil civilians had their vision checked by Southern optometrists and surgeons.

The former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was defiant about his role in the armed conflict which ended in 2009, saying "if eradicating the LTTE terrorist organisation is a crime which needs punishing, then he has no problems with going to prison", Adaderana reported. 

Tamil Nadu fishermen have condemned Sri Lanka's new fishing law which bans bottom trawling as "draconian", and urged Delhi to put pressure on Sri Lanka to repeal the law.  

Jaffna University has signed a collaboration agreement with the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences  worth over US $900,000, reports Colombo Page.

Sri Lanka will immediately import 200,000 metric tons of rice from India, Pakistan and Myanmar confirmed the Ministry of Industry and Commerce on Friday.

The Sri Lankan government has also commenced government level talks on the possibility of purchasing rice from Thailand.

The latest announcement comes after the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen on Monday said that the country was not facing any shortage in rice stocks.

Sri Lanka’s navy is set to receive its largest vessel in a longstanding agreement with India.

Sri Lanka’s navy officials are currently in India to learn to operate a new Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) ahead of an official handover in August.

A spokesperson from Sri Lanka’s navy said the officials were in India to validate that the ship met their requirements.

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The Government of Sri Lanka and Japan have agreed a concessionary loan of approximately $273 million was reports Colombo Page.

The agreement was signed with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a water supply expansion project in the Western Province.

The Chief Representative of JICA Sri Lanka Fusato Tanaka, told press said the “project will contribute to improve the water situation in Western Province in line with rapid urbanisation.”

The 54 acres of land around Myliddy harbour which were announced for release from military occupation have not entirely been released.

In particular a historic tuberculosis clinic, built by British colonialists, based in around 6 acres of land announced for release remains occupied by military forces.

Further, the released lands do not comprise any residential lands but only crop field lands, along with the land of two Saiva kovils.

Sri Lankan troops took part in a military exercise on Vaharai beach in Batticaloa this week.

Over 100 Sri Lankan Marines, 30 commandos and 30 Special Forces personnel took part in the exercise, which according to the Daily News was held to “amplify the operational readiness, in collaboration with allied forces, to withstand any form of threat posed by an enemy both from the sea and land”.

Several senior members of the Sri Lankan army have been summoned to appear before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Serious Acts of Fraud (PRECIFAC), over the theft of metal in Kankesanthurai in Jaffna.

PRECIFAC has called for Former Army Commander General Daya Ratnayake and other senior military members, including from the Defence Ministry, to appear before the commission on July 13.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe assured his parliament that any new constitution for the island will continue to grant Buddhism “first and foremost” place, pledging that amendments would not be implemented.