Sri Lanka is close to securing the $2.9 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after China gave its assurances that it will support the island's debt restructuring. 

According to Reuters, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka will receive final approval from the global financial agency later this month. 

The 15th anniversary of the assassination of Tamil MP Kiddinan Sivanesan was commemorated in Jaffna and Mullaitivu yesterday. 

After a six-year battle against the UK Home Office, Susita Balasubranamiamm, a 66-year old grandmother, has won he right to remain in Britain with her family.

Tamil Refugees have sought legal help to bring a judicial review to British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) high court over the commissioner's intention to return around 94 refugees to Sri Lanka

For over a year, around 94 refugees – including families with children – have been held in prison-like conditions in Diego Garcia, the largest island of the BIOT.

The Commissioner has now expressed their intention to return the refugees to Sri Lanka, where Tamils face persecution. 

Concluding the 42^nd Universal Period Review of human rights, the Council urged the Sri Lankan government to address issues affecting the North and East which included continued land grabs and missing persons.

The general statement notes:

Addressing Sri Lanka’s Air Force Officer Cadets at the Trincomalee Air Force Base yesterday, Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe thanked the armed forces for their intervention during the popular unrest in June and maintained that a change of government would only be possible via a parliamentary election.

During the 42^nd Universal Period Review of human rights, UK permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, Simon Manley CMG urged Sri Lanka to address the issue of land grabs in the North and East, the Tamil homeland, and allow memorialisation activities.

On Monday, Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Ali Sabry met with a delegation led by the director of Saudi Fund Development (SFD) Mohammed Almasoud, during which Sabry expressed his gratitude of Saudi Arabia’s “continuous assistance despite challenges” as well its support for an extension of an International Monetary Fund loan.

On Twitter, Sabry stated:

 Responding to the death of a protester in Colombo, and the injuring of dozens, Amnesty International has issued a statement calling on Sri Lankan police to show restraint in dealing with protesters and urgent for an independent investigation into allegations of human rights violations.

The Jaffna Municipal Council remains without a working budget after the latest attempt to pass one was defeated today.

The latest budget presented by Emmanuel Arnold, himself initially ousted in 2020 following a defeated budget, was defeated by 6 votes with 16 council members voting for the budget, 22 against and 1 abstaining.

This follows the resignation of former mayor Viswalingam Manivannan whose budget was defeated in December 2022.