In a significant departure from their previous stance, Sri Lanka's National People's Power (NPP) government, led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has signaled willingness to revive discussions on the controversial Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India.

Thai Pongal, the secular Tamil festival that gives thanks to the sun and for the harvest, was celebrated in Batticaloa and Jaffna.

The festival dates back in its current form to at least as far back as the Medieval Chola empire. The occasion is marked by boiling milk and rice - the 'pongal' - in a clay pot, often accompanied by various other treats and seasonal fruit. The overflow of the milk symbolises abundance and prosperity for the year to come.

Sri Lanka's government is now turning to the war-ravaged Elephant Pass saltern in the North-East to address the island's acute salt shortage, as the facility's production capacity remains deactivated, despite more than 15 years since the end of the armed conflict.

As millions across the island observed Thai Pongal this year, as a severe shortage of red rice has forced many to substitute this culturally significant ingredient with alternative varieties, highlighting growing concerns about the new Sri Lankan government's economic management.

Twenty-five global organisations have issued a joint appeal to newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, urging his administration to prioritise press freedom and address longstanding concerns about media restrictions in the country.

Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has summoned Jesumaney Yartan Figurado, the joint co-ordinator of the North-East Coordinating Committee (NECC) over his participation in a recent protest opposing the deportation of Rohingya asylum seekers.