Speaking at the 67^th Indian national day celebrations, Indian High Commissioner Y K Sinha, highlighted India’s aim to double bi-lateral trade with Sri Lanka to $10 billion within the following 3 years.

The UK is Sri Lanka’s second biggest trade partner by volume after India. 2012 saw Sri Lanka export £907m worth of goods to the UK, 13% higher than the previous year, while imports from the UK were worth £146m.

John Rankin, the British High Commissioner in Colombo said the trade balance was largely in favour of Sri Lanka and he would like to see that change.

Mahinda Rajapakse on Wednesday appointed a commission to investigate wartime abductions and disappearances, reports the Associated Press.

Rajapaksa's office said that the commission had the "authority to conduct inquiries and investigations necessary, and submit a report to the president within six months," with Rajapaksa reportedly stressing "the necessity to identify the persons responsible ... and to take legal action against those persons,"

A Sri Lankan official today outlined that the Sri Lankan government and the United States are not at odds with each other.

A statement from Sri Lanka’s ambassador to the US, Jaliya Wickramasuriya, read,

Several new African heads of missions to Sri Lanka pledged the support of their countries for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) taking place in Colombo this year, reported Sri Lankan news sources.

In an operation named PACANGEL (Operation Pacific Angel - Sri Lanka), the US military's engineers from the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps, has joined hands with its "Sri Lankan counterparts", to do a spot of DIY in Jaffna.

In a blog post by Staff Sgt Blake Mize, on the US Air Force's website, outlining how they were 'giving back to the Sri Lankan community', listed 'humanitarian' tasks undertaken by the US and Sri Lanka militaries, to avert disaster included the following:

- installing plumbing
- installing commodes, urinals and sinks
- repairing roofs
- painting buildings inside and out
- installing lighting and fans

The EU has added to a number of international voices calling for an independent investigation into the violence at Weliweriya.

The EU delegation in Colombo expressed concern over recent incidents including the Weliweriya shootings as well as the mob attack on a Colombo mosque.

In a statement, the EU said that justice should be ensured "through speedy, impartial investigations" and added:

The former Norwegian minister Eric Solheim has called on the international community to hold an investigation into the “tens of thousands” of deaths during the end of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.

Solheim, who used to be heavily involved during the peace process between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government, said in an email to Xinhua, that the Tamil diaspora can play a key role in Sri Lanka.