COLOMBO (News 1st)

1. President Maithripala Sirisena landed in Georgia yesterday (July 17) for a three-day official visit in order to attend the 5th session of the Open Government Partnership that focuses on discussions on civic engagement, fighting against corruption and public service delivery

2. Ministers of the opposition reveal that the Singapore Free Trade Agreement has been signed and entered into without it being constitutionalized.

3. JVP leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake states that they are prepared to expose cheque numbers and banks used to encash the cheques given for the Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s election campaign held in 2015.

4. Proposals to obtain reports from the NBRO for all public and state buildings over 25 years of age to be introduced by the Government as pre-preparation to face disasters in future – State Minister Palitha Range Bandara

5. Chief Minister-Northern Province, C.V.Wigneswaran accuses the military of holding back 60,000 acres of land in the Northern Province.

INTERNATIONAL

1. U.S. President Donald Trump tries to calm the storm over his failure to hold Russian president Vladimir Putin accountable for interfering in the U.S Elections, stating that he had simply misspoken earlier when he had initially accused Putin over such an act.

2. 13 civilians have been massacred in Oaxaca, Mexico over reported land disputes.

SPORTS 

1.  At the end of the first day of the First four-day test encounter between the Under 19 teams of Sri Lanka and India that started yesterday (July 17) at the at the NCC Grounds in Colombo the Indian team led by the son of legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar scored 92 -01.

• Activist Bruno Divakara arrested for publishing Natasha’s content
• Sri Lankan Govt’s proposed ‘Broadcast Act’ gets stiff reception
• Sri Lanka trying new ways to suppress media?
• Natasha is not the first ICCPR arrest on threat to religious and national harmony; desist with efforts to restrict fundamental rights. – CPA
• China reiterates steadfast support for Sri Lanka