Marking Thai Pongal and Tamil Heritage Month, British Tamils were invited for the first time to enjoy the festivities at the Prime Minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street.

Guests at the Prime Minister’s residence were treated to an assortment of hors d'oeuvre and a bowl of pongal.

Speaking at the event, Nadhim Zahawi, former British minister and Chairman of the Conservative Party, thanked British Tamils for the "tremendous contribution” and noted the vital role Tamils play in the NHS.

Responding to the violent crackdown on Tamil protesters during Thai Pongal, a joint statement from Tamil civil society actors has condemned the actions of the Sri Lankan police and called on the Sri Lankan government to take tangible steps towards accountability for past and ongoing crimes.

Last Tuesday, the Canadian government broke historic ground with the sanctioning of two former Sri Lankan presidents, Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa. In this act, they shattered any lingering illusion that the crimes of the Sri Lankan military were simply the acts of rank-and-file soldiers. Instead, they were calculated, meticulously planned and executed by the head of Sri Lanka’s wartime administration and his right hand, the acting defense secretary. These were not the actions of rogue soldiers but “gross and systematic violations of human rights”. Thus, strengthening the case that the Rajapaksa must be brought before the Hague.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry has responded, predictably, by lashing out against the Canadian government for its “unilateral action” and of “polarising communities” on the island. The statement of the ministry is a pitiful attempt to prop up a mirage of communal harmony against a background of military occupation and continued human rights violations. For generations, Tamils have had to suffer under the thumb of the Sinhala Buddhist state. Their lives are punctuated by the threat of military violence; the prohibition on memorials; the memories of their loved ones abducted by the state; and the genocide they suffered.

The arrest of Tamil civil society leader Velan Swamigal for participating in peaceful protests during Thai Pongal has sparked international condemnation with British MP, Siobhain McDonagh, stressing the importance of peaceful protest.

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the National Long-Term Ratings of 10 Sri Lankan banks following the recent sovereign downgrade and recalibration of the agency's Sri Lankan national rating scale.

The recalibration is to reflect changes in the relative creditworthiness among Sri Lankan issuers following Fitch's downgrade of Sri Lanka's Long-Term Local Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to 'CC' from 'CCC'/Under Criteria Observation on 1 December 2022. Fitch typically does not assign Outlooks or apply modifiers to sovereigns with a rating of 'CCC+' or below.

Celebratory events have taken place across Canada to mark Tamil Heritage Month and Thai Pongal.

The secular Tamil festival gives thanks to the sun and for the harvest and dates back in its current form to at least as far back as the Medieval Chola empire. The occasion is marked by boiling milk and rice - the 'pongal' - in a clay pot, often accompanied by various other treats and seasonal fruit. The overflow of the milk symbolises abundance and prosperity for the year to come.

IndustriALL affiliates in Sri Lanka are demanding that the island's debts are canceled. 

IndustriALL is a global union representing 50 million workers across 140 countries in mining, manufacturing, and energy sectors. 

Recently, Sri Lankan IndustriALL affiliates echoed the calls of over 180 economists and development experts to cancel Sri Lanka's debt.

Maatu Pongal, a festival to give thanks to cattle for allowing farmers to cultivate and harvest their crops, was celebrated in Jaffna today. 

To mark the festival, cows were garlanded and fed pongal at Gnanavairavar temple and Tirunelveli market in Jaffna.

Justin Trudeau marked Tamil Heritage month in his Thai Pongal message, celebrating the contribution of Tamil Canadians.

Last week Canada’s foreign minister Mélanie Joly announced targeted sanctions against Mahinda and Gotabaya Rajapaksa as well as Sunil Ratnayake and Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi for “gross and systematic violations of human rights during the armed conflict in Sri Lanka”.