The election of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States, as well as Kamala Harris as the first Black and Tamil female Vice President, has been touted as a victory for international multilateralism and the “restoration of America’s moral leadership” in the world.

In Biden’s manifesto, he announces that within his first year in office he will host a “Global Summit for Democracy” a key aim of which will be “advancing human rights” and “defending against authoritarianism”.

In an era in which the international community is backsliding on its commitments to Eelam Tamils and to human rights in Sri Lanka more generally, “moral leadership” is in dire need. However, the question remains will a Biden-Harris administration follow through?

“The Tamil media field was and continues to be the most frequent target of threats and killings in Sri Lanka”, the Jaffna Press Club (JPC) said last week. “But as Sri Lanka continues to be a state that fails to administer justice for crimes, accountability remains illusive.”

In a statement released on International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists on November 2, JPC, a collective of journalists working across the North, pointed out that not a single crime against a journalist had been seen through to prosecution and justice in Sri Lanka.

Muslims in Tamil Nadu protested in solidarity with Sri Lankan Muslims who have been subjected to Sri Lanka’s policy of mandatory cremation despite it breaking their religious customs and going against World Health Organisation guidance.

Government employees of the Manthai West Divisional Secretariat in Mannar, staged a protest demanding justice for the murder of one of their colleagues.

Sri Lanka’s President, Prime Minister and opposition leader have all welcomed the appointment of Joe Biden and Kamal Harris to the Presidency and Vice Presidency, as Colombo looks to shape its relationship with the United States.

Locals have complained about the prices of turmeric powder in Mannar which are being sold in some places for up to 5000 rupees per kilogram due to Sri Lanka’s import ban.

Supermarkets in Mannar have been criticised for hoarding large quantities of turmeric powder that has resulting in prices being raised for local customers. The Sri Lankan government recently imposed an import ban as part of a series of measures related to the coronavirus pandemic which has resulted in prices of products such as turmeric to soar in price.

California senator Kamala Harris has become the first Black and Tamil woman to be elected the Vice President of the United States.

Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, is a Tamil woman who grew up in Chennai, whilst her father Donald grew up in Jamaica. In her memoir, Harris writes how she would visit Tamil Nadu almost every year and understands small amounts of Tamil. In her address to the Democratic National Convention earlier this year, Harris paid tribute to her 'chithis' - a word in Tamil for aunties.

<p>According to Sri Lanka’s National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) Air Quality Unit, Jaffna, Puttalam and Vavuniya are amongst the worst-hit areas by air pollution as polluted air through Asia is being channelled into Sri Lanka’s atmosphere.</p> <blockquote><p> “Sri Lanka is currently experiencing the Inter-monsoonal rainy condition and that is why the wind is blowing from many parts in the direction of the country,” H.D.S Premasiri, a senior scientist at the NBRO, said.&nbsp; </p></blockquote> <blockquote><p>

Britain's parliament has confirmed that classified details of the UK mercenary organisation, known as Keenie Meenie Services (KMS), have been fully disclosed to the Metropolitan Police Services (MPS) war crimes team, who are currently investigating allegations of war crimes committed by the UK entities in Sri Lanka during the 1980s.

 

Classified documents

<p>Fisherman in the North whose livelihoods depend on the fishing industry have been severely affected by the closure of the Peliyagoda fish market following several cases of COVID-19 positive individuals.&nbsp;</p> <p>The fish market was closed on October 21 after a cluster of fishermen tested positive for the virus.&nbsp;</p>