Families of Tamil political prisoners at special prayers for the detainees at Nallur Kandasamy Kovil.

^{Photo: Hamsan for Tamil Guardian}

Tamil civil society and political organisations have called for businesses and institutions to remain closed on Friday, October 13, in solidarity with Tamil political prisoners and their demands.

On Monday, Amparai residents remembered 7 Tamils shot dead by Sri Lankan Special Task Force Troops in Thirukkovil in 2002.

More than 1,000 Sri Lankan troops took part in a dengue cleanup program at schools across Kilinochchi and Vavuniya last month, declared an official military website

The commander of Sri Lanka’s 591 Brigade oversaw a military ceremony to donate books to a children’s school library in Mullaitivu last month.

The National Audit Bill was approved by Sri Lanka's cabinet on Tuesday after key amendments were made, Adaderana reported. 

Both the UNP and the SLFP had opposed powers given to the Auditor General in the previous draft. In the current version, the Auditor General has no power to impose financial responsibility or surcharges on any individuals or institutions. 

Sri Lankd and Finland issued a joint declaration this week agreeing to closer cooperation on developing clean and renewable energy sources. 

The declaration comes as the Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe visited Finland, meeting with his counterpart on Tuesday. 

Sri Lanka and India will hold joint military exercises in Pune between October 13 - 25. 

Officials from the army were quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying, "the aim of the joint training is to exchange the best of military practices of the two countries and build a strong military-to-military relation between the two armies."

Sri Lanka's foreign ministry on Wednesday rejected reports the government would be bound by recommendations made by the UN Special Rapport on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence, Mr Pablo de Greiff who is due to visit the country this month.

Womens organisations in Mullaitivu paid tribute to 2nd Lt. Maalathy on Tuesday.

Maalathy, the first female LTTE fighter to be killed in the Tamil armed struggle, was remembered in her hometown of Aandankulam in Mannar on Tuesday.

The vice president of India's Congress party, Rahul Gandhi said he felt "sad and guilty" at the "murder" of the leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran in 2009, as well as his 12 year old son, Balachandran. 

His comments were made this week when he spoke in Gujurat as part of a campaign tour on what he described as a "humilitating defeat in 2014" that had "drilled sense into us." 

Over 200,000 Chinest tourists visited Sri Lanka from the beginning of the year till now, Xinhua quoted Sri Lanka's tourism ministry as saying. 

The figures put China behind India in the largest number of tourists arriving in the island. 

Over 18,000 Chinese tourists arrived last month alone. 

Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department told the Colombo Fort Magistrate on Wednesday that the Sri Lankan navy had provided "false and fake" information regarding the former navy spokesperson's involvement in the disappearance of 11 Tamil youths in 2008-2009. 

The former Sri Lankan navy spokesperson Commodore DKP Dassanayake was arrested earlier this year by the CID over the disappearance of 11 Tamil youths in 2008-2009. 

A further six people have been arrested by Sri Lankan police over protests outside the Indian consulate in Hambantota, the Daily Mirror reported. 

Twenty-eight people were arrested previously for allegedly behaving in a violent manner at the protest. Four people were arrested yesterday, and a further two were arrested today.