Sri Lanka‘s government, elected in January 2015, ended the pervasive culture of surveillance and censorship and embarked on reforms aimed to undo years of increasingly authoritarian rule, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2016.

The Embilipitiya Magistrate today issued arrest warrants on the suspects over the clash and the death of a man in Embilipitiya.

The Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) yesterday urged the government to stop referring to the up-country Tamil community as “Indian Tamils” and in future to refer to them as “Indian origin Malayaga Tamils” in the New Constitution.

The Missing Persons Commission headed by retired Justice Maxwell Paranagama, has requested the government to extend its term by a year from February 15, 2016 as it still has thousands of cases to investigate, the New Indian express reported.

The Sri Lankan rupee was steady on Tuesday after the central bank kept its key policy rates unchanged and as dollar sales by a private bank helped offset importer greenback demand, dealers said.

Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera has been arrested after he surrendered to the Homagama police, a short while ago on Tuesday (26) morning.

“Whatever abuses, insults and allegations directed to me, I am dedicated to make a similar commitment like the valiant war heroes who made sacrifices to bring about an ever lasting peace in the country”, says President Maithripala Sirisena.

Lacunae in the law related to kidney transplantation in Sri Lanka helped the kidney racket kingpin Suresh Prajapathi to make fast bucks.

Sri Lanka’s central bank kept its key policy interest rates unchanged on Monday, saying the effects of previous adjustments are still trickling down into the economy while private sector credit growth will decelerate slowly.

The Homagama Magistrate today issued an arrest warrant on Bodu Bala Sena Secretary General, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara on charges of contempt of court and the disruption of court proceedings.

Former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa has asked for another day to appear before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI), its Secretary Lasil de Silva said.

Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama yesterday refuted the charges made by the Opposition that a framework agreement on the proposed India and Lanka Technological and Economic Participation Agreement is to be signed in February this year.

Sri Lanka has launched an investigation into allegations that a group of surgeons ran a racket trading human kidneys, the health ministry said on Saturday, two days after the authorities banned all kidney transplant surgery for foreigners.

President of the Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider-Ammann pledged his support to Sri Lanka, during bilateral discussions held with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama will be flying to China next month to kick off discussions to increase investments in Sri Lanka ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Sri Lanka banned kidney transplants for foreign nationals on Thursday following reports of an organised organ harvesting racket involving patients and donors from neighbouring India.