The former Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa is to form a new party, breaking away from the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP). 

The new party will hold consultations with other political parties in view of forming a 'Common Front', the Sunday Times reported. 

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, who is due to visit Sri Lanka on August 31, said he hoped Sri Lanka "fully implements the resolution" passed by the UN Human Rights Council, reiterating the reasons why resolution called for international participation in any accountability mechanism. 

Muslims protested on Saturday demanding resettlement into Jaffna. 

Holding signs the protesters urged the Northern Provincial Council chief minister, C V Wigneswaran to take action. 

The bodies of five men who died at sea at Camber Sands last week were formerly identified by the police yesterday as that of a group of five British Tamil men who had been childhood friends. 

Tamil IDPs from Vali North this week accused the Sri Lankan government of seeking to portraying a false image of resettlement to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon during his visit next week by rehousing them in different land instead of allowing them to return to their own homes. 

Three Tamil students involved in clashes at the University of Jaffna last month were granted bail on Thursday worth Rs 60,000 each. 

The Northern Provincial Council member K Jayanthan appeared as the students' lawyer. 

The trial will begin on September 22. 
 

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party demanded the government launch an inquiry into alleged “racist and separatist elements of the” Tamil National Alliance who have been protesting against the building of Buddha statues in the Tamil North-East.

The Sri Lankan military announced the opening of a newly constructed building at its Eastern Province headquarters last week, as it continued to expand its presence in the region.

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is to visit Jaffna next week, as part of a visit to Sri Lanka. 

The 3 day visit will include discussions with the Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena and prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe on August 31. 

A Tamil political prisoner, who was admitted into Jaffna Teaching Hospital, escaped from Sri Lankan police on Wednesday night.

The prisoner, identified as 37 year old Rasaiya Anantharaja, was admitted into Jaffna Hospital on 14 Aug, following a transfer from Anuradhapura prison hospital.

Sri Lanka’s president has denied reports that he demanded bribes for construction project contracts to be granted on the island, following the leak of internal emails and an ongoing Australian police investigation.

Maithripala Sirisena, said in an overnight statement that he had "no knowledge of the incident" and instead requested further details of the case.

A Red Cross officer was detained and interrogated by the Sri Lankan military after visiting the relatives of a missing person who was a high-ranking member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, reports IPS. 

Speaking to IPS anonymously, the officer was reported to have been "detained by the military for over three hours".