A Sri Lankan lawmaker has admitted that the island is one of the most militarised places in the world, as the government continued to spend huge amounts on the defence sector despite an economic crisis.

“For every 100 citizens, we have 1.5 soldiers,” Eran Wickramaratne of the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) told Sri Lanka’s parliament. “We are among the top 10 countries with the highest number of soldiers per 100 civilians.”

The United States has agreed to lend US$553 million to build a new container terminal in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo’s port – a deal that that will see Washington work with India on the island as it grows ties across Asia.

More than $100,000 has been raised by the Tamil community in Canada to fight an appeal challenging a previous court's decision to uphold Bill 104, Ontario's Tamil Genocide Education Week (TGEW) Act.

A statement from the National Council of Canadian Tamils, Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance and Canadian Tamil Academy announced a total of $102,374 had been raised so far, as they sought to ward of a legal challenge to the act, which was passed in 2021.

In a landmark judgment, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has found the Rajapaksa brothers, including two former presidents, guilty of mishandling Sri Lanka’s economy and driving it into its current economic crisis.

On 19 May 2022, Sri Lanka officially defaulted on its international debt. As a result of the current economic turmoil citizens have faced issues of food shortages, skyrocketing inflation and difficulty accessing essential goods.

The victims of the St James' Church bombings who were killed by Sri Lankan government airstrikes were remembered on Monday.

A memorial service was held at the church in Gurunagar, Jaffna, to mark 30 years since the massacre. Candles were lit by relatives of the victims and church members. 

Responding to the arrest of Tamil student demonstrators, who had protested in solidarity with cattle farmers in Batticaloa, Tamil National People Front leader (TNPF), Gajen Ponnambalam, slammed the double standards of the Sri Lankan Police.

Mahinda Rajapaksa with Palestinian Ambassador Dr. Zuhair M. H. Dar Zaid at a meeting last month

Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa and 158 other Sri Lankan parliamentarians signed a letter to the UN Secretary General calling for Israel to “be held accountable under international laws and the universal humanitarian regulations for the blatant war crime that they commit now and before alike.”

Singer and songwriter Diluckshan Jeyaratnam has recently turned musical theatre actor. His onstage debut in acclaimed musical ‘Hamilton’ in Germany, playing both the titular role of Alexander Hamilton and Mr Burr, has led to a quick succession of announcements on his involvement in theatre productions ‘Avenue Q’ and ‘Wicked.’ Diluckshan will also be opening for singer Hariharan’s March 2024 concert in Germany. 

China’s ambassador to Sri Lanka made his second visit to the North-East last week, just days after India’s finance minister completed her tour of the region – but also stopped off at several controversial Buddhist sites. 

Ambassador Qi Zhenhong travelled to Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi on a three-day tour of the region, where he handed out several boxes of donations. 

The former British prime minister has been given another chance to rectify his legacy - this time as foreign minister. Following through on his previous pledges on accountability and justice in Sri Lanka would be the best place to start.