Thousands of applications for agricultural and construction work in Israel have been filed in Sri Lanka, as Israel struggles with labour shortages following mass deportations of Palestinians. 

Around 82,000 Palestinians worked in the country’s construction industry accounting for a third of the sector’s workforce but were subsequently deported or stripped of work permits following the beginning of the war. 

Leader of the Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootan (TMTK), CV Wigneswaran has written to the secretary of Sri Lanka’s president to explain that he would not attend the dialogue session due to the continued failure to implement the 13^th amendment, which sets out grounds for devolution to the North and East.

A collection of 18 different Tamil Canadian student and youth organisations have demanded a “public apology” from the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) and Global Tamil Forum (GTF), after they sparked controversy by meeting with accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa last week.

The groups released a statement this morning, which was co-signed by Tamil Students’ Association from across the country and the Tamil Youth Organization Canada.

In the wake of widespread backlash to an initiative launched by the Global Tami Forum (GTF) and Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) that saw them meet accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa last week, the organisations have defended the meetings and refused to apologise.

The Tamil Guardian spoke to a range of Tamil Canadians across the political spectrum, and the country, all of whom expressed outrage at the meeting. At least two members are known to have resigned from CTC’s advisory council, with a campaign calling on members and sponsors to “boycott, disinvest and isolate” the organisation.

Almost 70 Tamil civil society organisations and individuals based in the North-East have released a statement that “totally rejects” the ‘Himalaya Declaration’, an initiative started by the Global Tamil Forum and a group of Sinhala Buddhist monks that has come under widespread criticism.

The joint statement, signed by religious leaders, civil society activists, and organisations said the initiative was an “attempt to sustain the politics of tyranny”.

Bodhana Sivanandan, an 8-year-old British Tamil from London, astonished the chess world at The European Blitz Chess Championship this weekend where she was crowned best female player.

James Elder, the spokesperson for UNICEF, spoke about the lessons he learned in Sri Lanka leading up to the Mullivaikkal genocide as he delivered remarks on Gaza this week.

“In 2007 and 2008 when I was in Sri Lanka, I learned a lot in that time and so did the United Nations,” said Elder, in a video posted on Tuesday. “We had the independent pan review, of course, on failings in Sri Lanka.”

Kilmisha, an Eelam Tamil from Jaffna, won hearts across the world as she triumphed on season 3 of the prestigious Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil' Champ competition in India this month. Her performances not only captivated audiences but also shed light on her poignant connection to her people.

It is a link that she remains proud of, dedicating her triumph “to our soil and those who sacrificed their lives for our soil,” in a social media post shortly after her victory.

Thousands of families in Mullaitivu, Mannar, and Vavuniya have been displaced as floods have devastated the region in recent days.

In Mullaitivu, heavy rains have displaced 5588 people from 1866 families. In Vavuniya, 878 people from 279 families have been displaced, whilst 2245 people from 632 families have been impacted in Mannar.