A Sri Lankan police officer entered a Hindu temple in Jaffna with his shoes on earlier today, sparking widespread condemnation as the officer broke centuries of temple rules and tradition.

The officer, who was photographed with his shoes on at the Selva Sannidhi Murugan Temple in Thondaimanaru, is reportedly a senior superintendent of the Sri Lankan police in charge of the Kankesanthurai area.

The Sri Lankan government is considering launching a bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games according to a report in the BBC, following a previous failed attempt under Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2011 and ongoing controversy over the island’s human rights record.

The BBC quoted “insiders” as stating that Sri Lanka, alongside Australia, Canada and India and Sri Lanka have “expressed interest in staging the 2026 Games but, as yet, a host has not been secured”.

The next set of games in 2022 are set to be held in Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

Sri Lanka's cabinet has approved the proposed "Defence Cyber Commands Act" as well as a similar bill that aims to impose cyber protection under the guise of combatting "terrorist groups and criminals".

Sri Lankan police have arrested an 18-year-old Tamil youth in Jaffna, over alleged “gang affiliations” in connection with an incident with a sword in Kondavil.

Police raided the youth’s home reportedly based on a tip and recovered two hidden swords. 

Sri Lanka's Ministry of Finance has presented its Appropriation Bill for 2022 with the largest allocation, 12.3% being allocated to the Ministry of Defence.
The bill comes as Sri Lanka faces increasing scrutiny from the international community and the public over its increasing militarisation. During the 48th UNHRC session, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet , slammed the "corrosive impact of militarisation" highlighting the continued culture of impunity and deterioration of "fundamental rights, civic space, democratic institutions, social cohesion and sustainable development".

It also comes as Sri Lanka's face a severe food crisis with the prices of basic commodities increase by as much as 37% across the board.

Charles Nirmalanathan, a parliamentarian with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) expressed his strong concerns regarding the Sri Lankan government’s inaction over the plight of Tamil fishermen and demanded that the Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda resign from his position.

Former Election Commission member Jeevan Thiyagarajah has been sworn in as the new Governor of the Northern Province.

Tamil Nadu film composer Harris Jayaraj hastily deleted a tweet earlier today, after he received widespread backlash for posting a photograph with Sri Lankan singer Yohani – the daughter of a Sri Lankan army commander accused of overseeing atrocity crimes.

As Sri Lankan singer Yohani Diloka de Silva continues to feature in news across the Sinhala press for her music, for many Tamils it is her Sri Lankan military connection that has drawn controversy. 

The singer, who went viral with her cover version of the Sinhala song "Manike Mage Hithe", is the daughter of former Sri Lankan army Major General Prasanna De Silva, a military commander who is credibly accused of overseeing war crimes and a commander who Yohani has repeatedly praised as a "hero".

On Monday, a Tamil political prisoner, detained under the widley condemned Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) for 12 years without charge, was released from Welikada Prison after being acquitted by Monaragala Magistrate's Court. 

India's army chief, Manoj Mukund Naravane, arrived in Colombo today at the invitation of Sri Lanka's army commander, and accused war criminal, Shavendra Silva as part of a "goodwill tour".

The price of cooking gas shot up by almost 90% as the Sri Lankan government abandoned its strategy of price controls on essential goods as Colombo’s foreign currency crisis continues.

Sri Lanka’s cabinet announced on Friday that an earlier imposed price control on several essential foods, including milk powder, wheat flour, sugar and liquified petroleum gas was to end, leading to a sharp rise in prices of the goods.

Speaking with Indian Foreign Secretary, Shri Harsha Vardhan Shringla, Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa stressed his desire for the Indian ocean to remain a "zone of peace" last week, invoking the 1971 proposal by former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, as he called for closer ties with New Delhi.

People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) marked Tamil Women’s Day yesterday with a statement that paid tribute to Tamil women and called on organisations around the world to “actively oppose traditional gender roles in favor of substantive equity”.