Sri Lanka’s prime minister and accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are “very active” and poses a “great threat to the national security of any country,” as he called on British authorities to ensure a ban was kept on the organisation after a ruling found that the decision was “flawed” and unlawful.

Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who has previously campaigned for Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2014, expanded his interests in Sri Lanka this week, by purchasing the Kandy Tuskers cricket franchise in the Lanka Premier League.

In 2014 the Bollywood actor Salman Khan and Sri Lankan actress Jacqueline Fernandez campaigned for Rajapaksa as he sought re-election as president on the invitation of Rajapaksa's son Namal. It was the first time that a Bollywood actor promised to campaign for a Sri Lankan leader. When Salman was asked about his views of Mahina Rajapaksa at the time, he stated "the president is an amazing man and he is one of the most humble people that I have met."

India and Sri Lanka’s navies conducted a three-day military exercise off the coast of Trincomalee from the 19-21 Oct as part of the 8^th anniversary of the bilateral agreement known as SLINEX.

Ahead of US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo’s, visit to Sri Lanka, the country’s opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has urged the government to push for a repeal on the US travel ban imposed on Sri Lankan army commander, Shavendra Silva, and his immediate family.

A senior education official, who was arrested for sexually harassing a married woman, was released on bail by Jaffna Magistrate Court on Thursday.

Sri Lanka’s parliament passed the 20^th Amendment to the Constitution on Thursday, a move that will see the presidential office currently occupied by Gotabaya Rajapaksa significantly strengthened, as Opposition parliamentarians were amongst those joining the regime to vote in favour.

Amnesty International have called on the US Secretary of State to address the 'deteriorating human rights situation' in Sri Lanka during his visit next week.

The 33^rd anniversary of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) massacre was marked at the Jaffna Hospital, with staff and family members holding a commemorative ceremony on Wednesday, in memory of the dozens killed.

Several Tamil fishermen in Mullaitivu have set sail in search of two missing colleagues, as the district's Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Sri Lankan Navy failed to take action on the disappearances.

Tamil parliamentarians from the TNA (Tamil National Alliance) and the TNPF (Tamil National People's Front) spoke out against the 20th Amendment today as it passed with a two-thirds majority needed. 

The latest count states that 156 parliamentarians voted for the amendment with 65 votes against.

The intelligence wing of the Sri Lankan government has arrested two people, including a former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), on allegations of illegally manufacturing firearms in the Thirukovil region of Amparai district.

Sri Lanka’s parliament has voted to pass the controversial 20^th Amendment to the Constitution, in a move that president Gotabaya Rajapaksa hopes will strengthen his office and remove several constitutional checks and balances on his power.

Students at Jaffna paid tribute to two of their peers who were shot dead by Sri Lankan police four years ago, and whose murder still has not been brought to justice.