More than 10,000 French Tamils participated in a demonstration protesting against the killing of several hundred civilians by Sri Lanka military in the past week, and urging Pakistan to stop military and other assistance to the Sri Lanka Government to prosecute war against Tamils, sources in Paris said

About a hundred thousand people, including college students from all over Tamil Nadu, cadres of various pro-Eelam political parties, women organizations, mediapersons and members of the public participated in the funeral procession on January 31 Tamil Nadu journalist Muthukumar, who burnt himself to death in front of the Shastri Bhavan, the Indian Central Government's Chennai Head office two days earlier.

Journalist Muthukumar distributed a 4-page statement in Tamil before he self-immolated in Tamil Nadu. This is an edited version of the English translation provided by TamilNet.

A mother and father lay on the floor, their two young children cradled between them. Floral pillows and other bedding were strewn about: They were apparently sleeping when an artillery shell hit their makeshift shelter in northern Sri Lanka, instantly killing them all

The Sri Lankan government issued a stark warning to Tamil civilians living in Vanni, raising fears that the Sri Lankan military is planning to step up artillery and aerial bombardment leading to even more civilian casualties.

As Sri Lankan Army repreatedly targeted the last two functioning hospitals in LTTE controlled territory in Vanni killing and maiming scores of civilians, the country’s Defence Secretary declared that hospitals are legitimate targets in the ongoing conflict.

The 48-hour deadline served by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the LTTE on Thursday, January 29, to allow the displaced to move to safer areas expired on Friday with very few civilians taking up the offer.

Tamil Nadu prepared for a total shut down on February 4, Sri Lanka’s Independence Day to protest against the killing Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The United Nations’ Security Council, though initially formed to keep the peace between the post WW2 Great Powers, is today the hub of global peace and security in wider terms. The UNSC’s permanent members are the world’s most powerful states – those capable of decisive leadership and robust action on international peace and security issues. India, along with other rising great powers, has declared its ambitions for a permanent seat in a reformed UNSC. However, the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka is revealing the limits of Delhi’s ability to both be decisive and to act on matters at the core of the UNSC’s agenda.

The Sri Lankan government which is adamant that the local currency, Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR), will not be devalued continued spending large sums of its already dwindling foreign reserves trying to prop up the Rupee at its current levels against the US Dollar.

Even as Tamil Nadu leaders called for Delhi to take a hard stand against Sri Lankan state and intervene immediately to stop the war that’s raging in northern Sri Lanka, an unconcerned Delhi despatched an envoy to “reaffirmed India’s cooperation with Sri Lanka in the attempts to eliminate terrorism from Sri Lanka”.

Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves have fallen to little more than enough for six weeks of imports. And Japan, traditionally the island’s biggest donor, is cutting aid globally.

Lasantha Wickrematunghe, editor-in-chief of The Sunday Leader, who was gunned down in an execution-style shooting on Thursday, January 8, writing from his grave pointed the finger at his killers. Three days after the killing, Wickrematunge's newspaper published a haunting, self-written obituary in which he says he was targeted for his writings and adds: "When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me."

Three thousand Sri Lankan soldiers were killed fighting the Liberation Tigers in the past three months, the Sunday Island newspaper reported this week, quoting government Defence spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.