Ahead of Sri Lanka's 75th Independence Day, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, and Under Secretary Victoria Nuland,  met with Tamil and Muslim political leaders to discuss reconciliation and a political solution to Sri Lanka's history of ethnic conflict.

On Twitter the Ambassador tweeted:

Tamil diaspora groups are asking Ottawa to bring Sri Lankan officials to international tribunals.

Earlier this month the Canadian government imposed sanctions on four Sri Lankan state officials. This includes two of Sri Lanka's former presidents, Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as well as two former Sri Lankan soldiers.

Ottawa sanctioned the four high-ranking officials for alleged human rights violations during the Island's 26-year conflict.

Photo credit: Andy Sillett

Marking Tamil Heritage Month and Thai Pongal, British Tamils held a vibrant festival in the streets of New Malden within the borough of Kingston.

Last year, Tamil Heritage Month was introduced to Britain's capital city through the London Assembly and is being marked by boroughs across the capital with significant Tamil communities.

Speaking before Sri Lanka’s All-Party Conference, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe maintained a “middle position” on the 13^th amendment is no longer tenable and stressed that “either we ought to get rid of the 13th amendment or should implement it”.

Tamil journalists in Batticaloa gathered to mark "Black January", an event designed to speak out against the Sri Lankan state's acts of intimidation, murder and enforced disappearance against journalists.

A peaceful protest was held in front of the monument of the deceased journalists located in Gandhi Park in Batticaloa district,

In a letter sent to the finance ministry on 19 January, the Export-Import Bank of China offered Sri Lanka a two-year debt moratorium.

The bank also stated that it would support Sri Lanka's efforts to secure a $2.9 billion dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Earlier this month a group of 182 development experts and economists called on creditors to cancel Sri Lanka's debt in order for the island to move forward with restructuring its economy.

Eric Cantona will forever be a Manchester United legend. But it’s not the 82 goals or the four league titles that leave the fiery forward endeared in the hearts of many United fans. Instead, it is a single moment on 25 January, 1995, when Cantona launched his infamous ‘kung-fu’ kick on a football hooligan at Selhurst Park. Twenty-eight years later, it remains one of the most extraordinary moments in the history of British sport.

Ahead of Sri Lanka's 75th Independence Day, Jaffna Tamils have commenced observing "Black Week" in protest of the Sri Lankan government.

Responding to the arrest of Tamil civil society leader Velan Swamigal, US Congresswoman Deborah Ross expressed her deep concern over his arrest during a peaceful demonstration.

On Twitter Ross tweeted:

Last year, I had the opportunity to speak with Velan Swamigal and learn about his work on civil and human rights for Tamils in Sri Lanka.

I am deeply concerned by his arrest during a peaceful protest last week.

Ahead of the 75^th independence anniversary, six major Tamil American organisations have written to the US House of Representatives to demand an independence referendum and that the US push for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In their statement, the organisations emphasised that Tamils have repeatedly called for Sri Lanka to be referred to the ICC and that during the final stages of the armed conflict, the death toll could be as high as 146,679.