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COLOMBO (News 1^st) 1. President Maithripala Sirisena who is on an official visit to Georgia meets President Giorgi Margvelashvili to discuss on improving bilateral relations. 2. The Joint opposition decides to write to the Speaker of parliament requesting him to officially recognize them as the main opposition party in Parliament. 3. Speaking at the National Export Strategy (2018-2020), PM assured that the FTA signed with Singapore would not apply for the free movement of people and that none of the domestic enterprises would be adversely affected. 4. The beneficial owner of Perpetual Treasuries Limited Arjun Aloysius and CEO Kasun Palisena further remanded until the 2^nd of August after being produced before Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne. 5. The former Divisional Secretary of Akurana who had been accused of bribery was sentenced to five years in prison by High Court Judge Gihan Kulathunga. INTERNATIONAL 1. Israel passed a law to declare that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country, something members of the Arab minority called racist and verging on apartheid. 2. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Abu Dhabi for a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). SPORTS 1. Four-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton ended months of speculation about his future by signing a new two-year deal keeping him at his Mercedes team until the end of 2020.