India beat Sri Lanka in their one-off T20 on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Virat Kohli starred with the bat, making 82.&nbsp;

India lost both their openers early, but their ship was steadied by skipper Kohli and Manish Pandey who made 51 not out.&nbsp;

Kohli and Pandey put together a 119-run partnership.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka had earlier put up a competitive total of 170 for 7.&nbsp;

The Lankans have now been beaten 9-0 across all formats.&nbsp;

They lost the Test series 0-3, the ODIs 0-5, and they have now lost the one-off T20.&nbsp;

The Lankans have now been whitewashed 9-0 across all formats

India beat Sri Lanka in their one-off T20 on Wednesday. Virat Kohli starred with the bat, making 82. India lost both their openers early, but their ship was steadied by skipper Kohli and Manish Pandey who made 51 not out. Kohli and Pandey put together a 119-run partnership. Sri Lanka had earlier put up a competitive total of 170 for 7. The Lankans have now been beaten 9-0 across all formats. They lost the Test series 0-3, the ODIs 0-5, and they have now lost the one-off T20.

T20: India beat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets

Sri Lankan security and police forces are reportedly still committing rape and torture, and the country must investigate and prosecute those involved as well as those implicated in past wartime atrocities, the United Nations said on Friday.

The U.N. and rights activists have accused the Sri Lankan military of killing thousands of civilians, mostly Tamils, in the last weeks of a 26-year civil war with Tamil separatists that ended in 2009 and have demanded redress.

In its latest report, the UN said Colombo must set a clear timeline for prosecuting crimes by all sides during the civil war, adding that offences are still being brought to the authorities.

&quot;Cases of excessive use of force, torture, arbitrary arrests and failure to respect due process during arrests by the police also continue to be reported,&quot; it added.

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The lack of accountability risks derailing the momentum towards lasting peace, said the report by the office of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein.

&quot;I urge the government and people of Sri Lanka to prioritise justice alongside reconciliation to ensure that the horrors of the past are firmly dealt with, never to recur,&quot; Zeid said.

&quot;The authorities at all levels, from the head of State to military, police, intelligence and local-level leaders, need to publicly issue unequivocal instructions to all branches of the military, intelligence and police forces that torture, sexual violence and other human rights violations are unequivocally prohibited and will be punished,&quot; Zeid said.

&quot;OHCHR received credible information from a well-known human rights organisation according to which &#39;white van&#39; abductions, and torture and sexual violence, by the Sri Lankan security forces persisted. These allegations must be properly investigated,&quot; the report said.

The U.N. and activists have also demanded that Sri Lanka include foreign judges in a credible inquiry, which President Maithripala Sirisena has opposed.

A task force appointed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, however, said in January the country should bring in international prosecutors and judges.[nL4N1EV4A4]

Addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said the government &quot;maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards torture&quot;.

He said he expected draft legislation on a truth-seeking commission to be presented to the cabinet &quot;within the next two months.&quot;&nbsp;

(Reuters)

'A number of serious human rights violations... are reportedly continuing to occur in Sri Lanka,' it said in a statement

Sri Lankan security and police forces are reportedly still committing rape and torture, and the country must investigate and prosecute those involved as well as those implicated in past wartime atrocities, the United Nations said on Friday. The U.N. and rights activists have accused the Sri Lankan military of killing thousands of civilians, mostly Tamils, in the last weeks of a 26-year civil war with Tamil separatists that ended in 2009 and have demanded redress. In its latest report, the UN said Colombo must set a clear timeline for prosecuting crimes by all sides during the civil war, adding that offences are still being brought to the authorities. "Cases of excessive use of force, torture, arbitrary arrests and failure to respect due process during arrests by the police also continue to be reported," it added. The lack of accountability risks derailing the momentum towards lasting peace, said the report by the office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein × The lack of accountability risks derailing the momentum towards lasting peace, said the report by the office of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein. "I urge the government and people of Sri Lanka to prioritise justice alongside reconciliation to ensure that the horrors of the past are firmly dealt with, never to recur," Zeid said. "The authorities at all levels, from the head of State to military, police, intelligence and local-level leaders, need to publicly issue unequivocal instructions to all branches of the military, intelligence and police forces that torture, sexual violence and other human rights violations are unequivocally prohibited and will be punished," Zeid said. "OHCHR received credible information from a well-known human rights organisation according to which 'white van' abductions, and torture and sexual violence, by the Sri Lankan security forces persisted. These allegations must be properly investigated," the report said. The U.N. and activists have also demanded that Sri Lanka include foreign judges in a credible inquiry, which President Maithripala Sirisena has opposed. A task force appointed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, however, said in January the country should bring in international prosecutors and judges.[nL4N1EV4A4] Addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said the government "maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards torture". He said he expected draft legislation on a truth-seeking commission to be presented to the cabinet "within the next two months." (Reuters)

Sri Lankan security forces still committing rape, torture: UN

The Sri Lankan&nbsp;Attorney General today indicted former Sri Lankan minister Basil Rajapaksa, brother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and three others on charges of misappropriating Rs&nbsp;33 million ($226264) belonging to the Divi Neguma Development Department during last year&rsquo;s &nbsp;presidential election, Sri Lanka&#39;s&nbsp;Daily Mirror&nbsp;reported. 
 
Other members of&nbsp;Mahinda&nbsp;Rakapaksa&#39;s family are also facing police investigations for alleged financial crimes. They include Rajapaksa&#39;s brother, Gotabaya, and his wife, Shiranthi. 
 
The Rajapaksas claim that the investigations are a political witch-hunt against them and their sympathisers believe these allegations were brought to tarnish his name after he led Sri Lankan forces to victory over the LTTE rebels in 2009, ending a&nbsp;three-decade civil war. 
 
The Colombo High Court fixed the next hearing on August 30. 
 
Meanwhile, the financial crimes division (FCID) of the Lankan police today also&nbsp;sought&nbsp;order from the court for assistance from Interpol to arrest Udayanga Weeratunga, former Sri Lankan ambassador to Russia and a cousin of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa,&nbsp;on corruption charges. The Colombo magistrate, however, deferred issuing the order till Monday. 
 
Weeratunga, a Ukranian resident faced corruption charges during the purchase of fighter aircraft for the Lankan army, after his cousin Rajapaksa was defeated in presidential elections in January last year. 
 
The FCID wanted him in the country for questioning. 
 
Weeratunga has denied all charges levelled against him in a press statement issued recently. 
 
President Maithripala Sirisena, who came to power on a pledge to eradicate corruption, is under pressure to act on the allegations against Rajapaksa and those who served in his administration. 
 
(WION and agencies)

Other members of former president Mahinda Rakapaksa's family are also facing police investigations for alleged financial crimes

The Sri Lankan Attorney General today indicted former Sri Lankan minister Basil Rajapaksa, brother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and three others on charges of misappropriating Rs 33 million ($226264) belonging to the Divi Neguma Development Department during last year’s presidential election, Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror reported. Other members of Mahinda Rakapaksa's family are also facing police investigations for alleged financial crimes. They include Rajapaksa's brother, Gotabaya, and his wife, Shiranthi. The Rajapaksas claim that the investigations are a political witch-hunt against them and their sympathisers believe these allegations were brought to tarnish his name after he led Sri Lankan forces to victory over the LTTE rebels in 2009, ending a three-decade civil war. The Colombo High Court fixed the next hearing on August 30. Meanwhile, the financial crimes division (FCID) of the Lankan police today also sought order from the court for assistance from Interpol to arrest Udayanga Weeratunga, former Sri Lankan ambassador to Russia and a cousin of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, on corruption charges. The Colombo magistrate, however, deferred issuing the order till Monday. Weeratunga, a Ukranian resident faced corruption charges during the purchase of fighter aircraft for the Lankan army, after his cousin Rajapaksa was defeated in presidential elections in January last year. The FCID wanted him in the country for questioning. Weeratunga has denied all charges levelled against him in a press statement issued recently. President Maithripala Sirisena, who came to power on a pledge to eradicate corruption, is under pressure to act on the allegations against Rajapaksa and those who served in his administration. (WION and agencies)

Former Sri Lankan minister Basil Rajapaksa indicted on charges of misappropriating funds

Sri Lanka today announced that it had raised $1.5 billion through a bond issue which was nearly four times oversubscribed despite volatility triggered by Britain&#39;s to leave the European Union (EU). 
 
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka said orders totalled $5.5 billion for the $1.5 billion bond issue on Monday. Sri Lanka offered $500 million in bonds with a tenure of 5.5 years and $1 billion for a period of 10 years. 
 
The shorter term debt was priced just below 6.125 per cent while the longer tenue was at 7.125 percent, the bank said, adding that the rate was well within its anticipated interest rate. 
 
&quot;Despite the high volatility in the global financial markets following the historic United Kingdom referendum in June regarding their membership of the European Union, the bonds saw strong interests from a wide range of high quality investors,&quot; the bank said. 
 
Sri Lanka has already appointed a high-powered panel to study the effects of Brexit on its $82 billion economy as 10 per cent of its exports to Britain are under European Union trade concessions. 
 
Sri Lanka&#39;s new government secured a $1.5 billion IMF bailout last month to address its balance of payments crisis after a spending spree to increase public sector salaries last year. 
 
President Maithripala Sirisena&#39;s administration sought an IMF bailout immediately after taking power in January last year, but the fund turned down the request, saying Sri Lanka&#39;s reserves were at a comfortable level then. 
 
However, the government faced a balance of payments crisis after it implemented its election pledges of lower fuel and utility prices. 
 
Sri Lanka enjoyed impressive economic growth rates averaging more than 8.0 percent for two years after a prolonged civil war ended in 2009. 
 
But the pace has since slowed, falling to 4.8 percent in 2015, down from 4.9 in the previous year, according to official data. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

Sri Lanka has already appointed a high-powered panel to study the effects of Brexit on its $82 billion economy

Sri Lanka today announced that it had raised $1.5 billion through a bond issue which was nearly four times oversubscribed despite volatility triggered by Britain's to leave the European Union (EU). The Central Bank of Sri Lanka said orders totalled $5.5 billion for the $1.5 billion bond issue on Monday. Sri Lanka offered $500 million in bonds with a tenure of 5.5 years and $1 billion for a period of 10 years. The shorter term debt was priced just below 6.125 per cent while the longer tenue was at 7.125 percent, the bank said, adding that the rate was well within its anticipated interest rate. "Despite the high volatility in the global financial markets following the historic United Kingdom referendum in June regarding their membership of the European Union, the bonds saw strong interests from a wide range of high quality investors," the bank said. Sri Lanka has already appointed a high-powered panel to study the effects of Brexit on its $82 billion economy as 10 per cent of its exports to Britain are under European Union trade concessions. Sri Lanka's new government secured a $1.5 billion IMF bailout last month to address its balance of payments crisis after a spending spree to increase public sector salaries last year. President Maithripala Sirisena's administration sought an IMF bailout immediately after taking power in January last year, but the fund turned down the request, saying Sri Lanka's reserves were at a comfortable level then. However, the government faced a balance of payments crisis after it implemented its election pledges of lower fuel and utility prices. Sri Lanka enjoyed impressive economic growth rates averaging more than 8.0 percent for two years after a prolonged civil war ended in 2009. But the pace has since slowed, falling to 4.8 percent in 2015, down from 4.9 in the previous year, according to official data. (AFP)

Despite Brexit volatility, Sri Lanka raises $1.5 billion

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