Two Sri Lankan army personnel who were deployed for peacekeeping in Mali were killed on Friday morning when their armoured vehicle came under attack, a statement from the Sri Lankan army said. The army said the armoured vehicle which carried Sri Lankan Peacekeeping troops on patrol in the trouble-torn area of Mali came under a remote-controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack. The statement said the attack killed one Sri Lankan Army Captain and another Sri Lankan army trooper. Besides, three more Sri Lankan military personnel were injured in the incident. They were rushed to a hospital in Mali.

The samples of the skeletal remains from the mass grave in Mannar were taken to a laboratory in Florida for examination by Judicial Medical Officer of the Mannar Hospital, Dr. Saminda Rajapakse. The samples were taken there to determine how old they were. He left the country yesterday from the BIA. The JMO was accompanied by a member of an organisation looking into the disappearance of persons and two lawyers.

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF), yesterday, welcomed Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando

TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran was elected to the post of Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance in Parliament, yesterday. The committee comprises MPs Susil Premjayanth, Bandula Guanwardena, Keheliya Rambukwella, Susantha Punchinilame, Bimal Ratnayake, Lakshman Wijemanne, Mailwaganam Thilakaraja, Mayantha Dissanayake, Mujibur Rahaman, Wijepala Hettiarachchi, Ashu Marasinghe and Mohamed Ismail.

The Sri Lankan government yesterday strongly protested against British legal action in respect of Brigadier Priyankara Fernando, one-time defence attache with the Sri Lankan High Commission in the UK.

Concerns were raised in Parliament today over the United States using the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to transfer military cargo. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Parliamentarian Bimal Ratnayake asked the Government if there was an agreement with the US to conduct such transfers. He also asked if the Government was taking steps to ensure there is no threat to Sri Lanka by the US using a commercial airport to transfer military goods.

The UK and the TNA, on Tuesday, decided to take all action necessary to ensure the full implementation of the Geneva resolution within a given timeframe. The discussion in this regard was held at the Westminster House with the participation of Fergus Auld, Head of South Asia Department and India Coordinator, and the High Commissioner for Great Britain James Dauris and the Political Section Head Paul Green along with TNA leader R. Sampanthan, MP, and TNA spokesman M.A. Sumanthiran, MP,The next Geneva sessions are scheduled for March 2019.

Amnesty International has written to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe over the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda. Today marks nine years since Prageeth Eknaligoda was reported missing. Amnesty noted with disappointment that very little information has been made available to investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the last four years.

The government is to allocate Rs.two billion to develop the Palali airport runway in Jaffna as an initial step of using it for flight operations to regional destinations, particularly those in India, it is learnt. The Northern Development Ministry is presently working out the Cabinet memorandum to be submitted for approval. The airport was widely used during the time of war to transport soldiers and military supplies.

Concerns were raised in Parliament today over the United States using the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to transfer military cargo. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Parliamentarian Bimal Ratnayake asked the Government if there was an agreement with the US to conduct such transfers. He also asked if the Government was taking steps to ensure there is no threat to Sri Lanka by the US using a commercial airport to transfer military goods.

President Maithripala Sirisena has been absent in Parliament for over three months, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) told Parliament today. JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the last time the President was in Parliament was on October 12th. Under the Constitution the President shall by virtue of his office attend Parliament once in every three months. However, since he has not been in Parliament for over three months, the JVP questioned what action the Government hopes to take. Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella said that the Government will inform the President over the concerns raised.

Security Forces, investigating the former LTTE cadre, arrested with a gas pistol in Kilinochchi and the former LTTE cadre, who left a package bomb in Vavuniya, had discovered that the two suspects maintained links with each other. The Security Forces said the former LTTE cadre, identified as Ananda Raja, who had fled having left behind a parcel containing a bomb at Putur in Puliyankulama, Vavuniya had been remanded on charges of possessing a stock of bombs back in 2002.

For the fourth year in a row, Canadians have reason to celebrate, as the country was just ranked number one in the world for quality of life, and the third best country overall. U.S. News & World Report publishes its ranking of 80 different countries each year based on a variety of metrics.

Former Chief Minister of the Northern Province, CV Wigneswaran said that he did not establish the Tamil People

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has alerted the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom (FCO, UK) that the arrest warrant on former Minister Counsellor Defence of the High Commission of Sri Lanka, Brigadier Priyanka Fernando, issued by the Westminster Manchester Magistrate

UPFA MP Namal Rajapaksa was questioned by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) today over the VIP assassination plot. In a tweet, Mr. Rajapaksa said he was questioned by the CID for few hours on the assassination plot against the President based on the information provided by the Indian national who is in custody.

Two former LTTE personnel have been sentenced to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment over the killing of eight army soldiers at the Wilpattu National Park during the war. The order was issued by the North-Central Province High Court when the case was taken up for hearing today (Jan 22). It is reported that the accused had pleaded guilty to five charges out of nine which were filed by the Attorney General.

The first phase of the 34th Convocation of the Jaffna University was held at the Kailasapathy Auditorium yesterday (22). The Convocation was presided over by the Chancellor of the University Prof. S. Pathmanathan. He handed over certificates and scholarships to undergraduates.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday (22) assumed duties at the Opposition Leader

A UK court has found Sri Lankan Brigadier Priyanka Fernando, guilty of violating the Public Order Act. The Westminster Magistrates Court ordered his arrest over his behaviour during a protest staged outside the Sri Lankan High Commission in London last year.

The United States embassy said yesterday there was no truth in reports that the United States intends to establish a military base in Sri Lanka. An embassy spokesman told the Daily Mirror that these reports are categorically false.

The new political party of former Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, held its first Central Committee Meeting. Wigneswaran told the Colombo Gazette the Thamizh Makkal Kootanii held its first Central Committee Meeting at his Jaffna Residence.

Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando said a case will be filed, within next two weeks, against 11 military personnel who were involved in a brutal murder that shook the country in the recent past. The Defence Secretary made this revelation during a felicitation ceremony held at his Alma-Mater, Nalanda College Colombo last morning (21).

Army Spokesman Sumith Atapattu said Sri Lankan authorities had not been informed regarding an arrest warrant issued against Brigadier Priyanka Fernando by a UK court. "If a warrant has been issued then the relevant authoritites must follow the due proceedure in order to inform us formally" he told Times Online.

UNP MP Hirunika Premachandra said today she had received information that there was a plan to grant a presidential pardon death row inmate Duminda Silva on February 4. She told parliament that a group of people were signing a petition in Kolonnawa calling for the release of Duminda Silva through a presidential pardon and it appears that President Maithripala Sirisena had given his consent to do so.

WhatsApp messenger service would globally limit the number of times a user can forward a message to five, in a bid to fight

A major and a corporal were killed while four others were injured in an accident at Oddusuddan in Mullaitivu this afternoon, the Army said. Police said the army jeep, in which the army personnel were travelling in, skidded off the road near the 29th mile post and crashed into a tree at around 1.30 p.m. The injured were admitted to the Vavuniya Hospital and the corporal and the major were pronounced dead on admission to the hospital.

A rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadre had been arrested by the security forces in the Killinochchi, Palai area with a stock of ammunition and two guns. The arrested 40-year-old suspect had been arrested in the Palai, Karanthai area by the Vavuniya TID officers. Two guns, around 150 ammunition and several other weapons were seized from the suspect in the raid carried out by the TID officers based on a tip-off received. The TID is carrying out further investigations.