Sri Lanka's cricket team has refused to play the T20 tournament in Pakistan citing fears over the security situation in Lahore. 

The Sri Lankan military has arrested around 4500 deserters from the army, air force and navy in 2017, the military spokesperson Brigadier Roshan Seneviratne said. 

"Eight officers and 4410 other rank personnel have been arrested till yesterday [27th July 2017] since the end of the General Amnesty on midnight 31st December 2016," he was quoted by Adaderana as saying. 

The Sri Lankan government released 77 Tamil Nadu fishermen on Saturday, PTI reported. 

The fishermen had been detained over the past few months by the Sri Lankan navy accused of crossing over into Sri Lankan waters. 

"They will be handed over to the Indian High Commission," Nishantha Dhanasinghe, the commissioner general of prisons was quoted by PTI as saying. 
 

Sri Lanka signed on the US$1.1 billion Hambantota port city deal with the state owned China Merchant Port Holdings on Saturday following months of delays. 

The outgoing Canadian High Commissioner has paid a farewell call on the TNA leader as she prepares to leave her Sri Lanka posting.

The Nallur Kandasamy Kovil's annual Thiruvizha officially commenced on Friday with the inaugural flag-raising ceremony.

The historic temple's festival will last 25 days and traditionally sees thousands flock to Jaffna from across the Tamil homeland as well as around the world.

Sri Lanka would like to see much more Chinese investment said Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake to Xinhua.

Speaking to the Chinese news agency, Mr Karunanayake said Sri Lanka had strong ancient ties with china with the relationship being at its strongest level present.

“We appreciate the investments that are coming in from China, but we would like to see much more,” he added.

Sri Lanka will sign a $1.1 billion deal on Saturday to lease the southern Hambantota port to China on Saturday, reports the New York Times.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe confirmed that the deal would be signed this weekend, speaking at a press conference on Friday.

The Sri Lankan army is to receive Rs 148 million towards the construction of a new army complex in Mullaitivu as an incentive to release 100 acres of private land in Kepappilavu. 

The new complex is reportedly earmarked for 'state land'. 

The wife of the former Sri Lankan president, Shiranthi Rajapaksa on Thursday evaded a summons by the Criminal Investigation Department over the murder of the rugby player Wasim Thajudeen. 

Her son, Yoshitha Rajapaksa has been summoned to appear before the CID tomorrow, Colombo Page reported. 

Sri Lanka's local election monitors, PAFFREL and CaFFE on Thursday expressed concern over the Cabinet's decision to postpone Provincial Council polls from the agreed date of October 2017. 

A Canadian court on Thursday ruled that four Tamil men accused of people smuggling from Sri Lanka were not guilty, stating that the men were asylum seekers. 

Francis Anthonimuthu Appulonappa, Hamalraj Handasamy, Jeyachandran Kanagarajah and Vignarajah Thevarajah were accused of trying to organise the trafficking of asylum seekers via the MV Ocean Lady in October 2009. 

A Sri Lankan police officer has reportedly been assaulted by unknown persons in Jaffna, according to the Daily Mirror.

The police officer, identified as Sub Inspector Thinduraja, was reportedly assaulted by four unidentified people on his way home from the local police station.

No serious injuries have been reported as he was wearing a helmet.

The United States has announced $7.4 million will be provided to Sri Lanka through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) as part of a program to “reduce poverty and promote economic opportunity” on the island.

A visiting delegation from the MCC  led by Fatema Z. Sumar, Regional Deputy Vice President for Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America, visited Colombo this week to make the announcement.