The battle for control over Mackwoods Securities (Pvt) Limited intensified with Dr. Chris Nonis, Chairman of the Mackwoods Group filing an action against the Nominees who unsuccessfully sought to be appointed as Directors of Mackwoods Securities (Pvt) Ltd at yesterday's EGM.

Sri Lanka Police have come under fire for not taking action against a squatter occupying a land in Barnes Place, Colombo 7 which belongs to the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC). All attempts taken by the CMC to get police protection to evict the squatter who is a businessman from Mt. Lavinia has failed to date, it is learnt.

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal will travel to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka this week. Deputy Assistant Secretary for South Asia Manpreet Singh Anand will accompany her.

Countrywide protests over living costs, the result of the increase in Value Added Tax (VAT), appear to have spurned the Government into action. President Maithripala Sirisena was to initiate a string of measures after Tuesday’s weekly ministerial meeting where issues arising out of this situation figured prominently. He told ministers that they should put on hold overseas visits, return to their electorates and counter the fallout from the protests.