British leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer has raised concern over the continued persecution of Tamils in Sri Lanka in his Thai Pongal message and stressed the need for accountability and justice.

Whilst celebrating the harvest festival, Starmer also stressed that now is a time “to remember the sacrifices made by the Tamil people for self-determination, peace, and justice in Sri Lanka”.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local governments, Neel Bandaranaike Hapuhinna, confirmed that Rs. 200 million has been allocated for the 75th Independence Day celebration taking place on 4 February at the Galle Face in Colombo. 

Hapuhinna stated that "we have estimated the budget for the 75th Independence Day celebration to be at Rs. 200 million and the Treasury has already made the necessary budgetary allocations for this. However, we are trying our best to minimize and cut down on costs."

The Sri Lankan cabinet has approved a 614 million rupee community-based tourism development project in Kuchchaveli, Trincomalee.

The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval for entering a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Korean Toursim Organization and the Sri Lankan Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to implement the tourism project. 

Responding to the announcement by the Canadian government on sanctions on former Sri Lankan Presidents Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa, and other state officials, US Congressman Gregory Meeks has stressed the need for Sri Lanka to “take meaningful action on issues related to justice, accountability and reconciliation”.

On Twitter he stated:

Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has ordered former President Maithiripala Sirisena and other Sri Lankan officials to pay Rs. 100 million into a compensation fund for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings and their families. 

‘Varisu’ is mostly successful in what it wants to be: a wave of nostalgia for Vijay fans and a safe ‘masala’ film. It can be enjoyed with the family, and Vijay has certainly played his cards well to ensure Pongal success. 

Ajith Kumar teams up with H. Vinoth once again following their moderate success with ‘Nerkonda Parvai’ and moderate failure with ‘Valimai.’ Now, the duo return with their take on the heist film, ‘Thunivu.’

Responding to landmark sanctions announced by the Canadian government on former Sri Lankan presidents Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, General Secretary of the Rajapaksa-dominated Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), Sagara Kariyawasam, condemned the move by applauding the action of the Rajapaksa to end the war.

In announcing the sanctions, the Canadian government stress the role of the Rajapaksa in “gross and systematic violations of human rights during the armed conflict in Sri Lanka”.

Following the announcement of the Canadian government of sanctions on the Rajapaksa brothers, and other Sri Lankan state officials, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister has summoned the acting High Commissioner of Canada,Eric Walsh, “to raise concerns”.

According to the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, the Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry, warned the Canadian High Commissioner that Canada’s unilateral actions “sets a dangerous precedent and is inimical to Sri Lanka’s interests”.

Responding to the announced sanctions by the Canadian government on former Sri Lankan Presidents Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa, as well as two other state officials, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry has hit back claiming that these actions are a “violation of the rights that Canada claims to uphold”.

The Canadian sanctions marked a historic milestone as they sanctioned two former Sri Lankan presidents for their role in perpetuating egregious human violations against Tamils during the armed conflict.