Almost 500 families have been affected by a shortage of drinking water across several villages in the Vavuniya District. 

After at least 120 pilot whales became beached at Panadura earlier this month, experts have suggested that a Sri Lankan military exercise in the Bay of Bengal may have lead to the mammals becoming disoriented and stranded.

Tributes have flooded in this week as yet another Tamil doctor passed away from coronavirus in the UK this week, as coronavirus infections rise across the country.

Dr Krishnan Subramanian, a Consultant Anaesthetist at Royal Derby Hospital, passed away on Thursday after contracting coronavirus. Dr Subramaniam joined the trust in 2014 as a Consultant Anaesthetist and was a well loved member of the medical team.

The Sri Lankan military announced the establishment of a new “Drone Regiment” this week, as it was deployed in parts of the island where the armed forces have been arresting those it claims have been breaking coronavirus lockdown regulations.

Shavendra Silva, the war crimes accused head of the army, was the chief guest at a military ceremony on Thursday where the newly acquired drones were showcased.

The prospect of a Biden-Harris administration at the White House has brought both hope and trepidation around the world. In Sri Lanka, some in Colombo’s polity are nervous. Amongst the Tamils, there is both wariness and tempered optimism about what the new administration may bring. A hope that come January, there will be opportunities to help address past failures.

The United Nations (UN) reiterated their concerns with Sri Lanka's mandatory cremation policy as "the only method for the disposal of bodies suspected of COVID-19 infection," in a letter to Sri Lanka's prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. 

"I deem it important to inform you that I have received impassioned appeals from within and outside the Muslim community that perceive the current policy on burials as discriminatory," UN Resident Coordinator, Hanaa Singer wrote. 

The Indian government has reportedly "shared information" with Britain, in an attempt to ensure that the UK upholds the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist organisation.

In response to a question from WION, Acting British High Commissioner to India Jan Thompson said that though they “can't comment on individual conversations we had... we had detailed discussion on a range of issues including around this type of issue with Indian govt in a different format”.

Sri Lanka’s sports minister, Namal Rajapaksa, has announced plans to renovate the Duraippah football stadium in Jaffna, the site of a mass grave which held dozens of bodies.

The announcement came during his visit to Duraippah stadium, where he was accompanied by SLFP MP Angajan Ramanthan; Mayor of Jaffna Emmanuel Arnold; and Minister Thenuka Vithanagamage.

The stadium was previously renovated by India’s government and reopened in 2016, costing an approximate, 70 million.

The Tamil National Alliance sent out a congratulatory tweet to US President-elect Joe Biden and US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris this week, as they reacted to their US electoral victory.

“As the premier political party representing the Tamil People in Sri Lanka, we congratulate (Biden and Harris) on a momentous victory,” said the tweet.

Local Tamils have expressed concern and outrage after an area previously known as Kachchal Samalankulam in Vavuniya has become ‘Sinhalised’ and has had its name changed to Sapumalgaskada and a signboard labelled ‘Sapumalgaskada Archaeological Site’ was put up in the area, last week.

The Sinhalisation adds to the expansion of colonisation across the North-East of Tamil areas, where Tamil names have been erased and converted to Sinhala names, and Tamil areas are becoming occupied by Sinhala settlers with the support of Sri Lankan military and government officials.