Meeting with British Tamils, the BBC provided special coverage of the ancient Tamil harvest festival, Thai Pongal.

Across the UK, British ministers and politicians met with their Tamil constituents to celebrate the Tamil harvest festival, Thai Pongal.

At least two elephants in Amparai were found dead this week, after eating plastic waste in an open landfill site that conservationists have been warning about for years.

Around 20 elephants have died over the last eight years in the region alone after they consumed plastic waste left at the site, according to the latest reports.

Sri Lanka may face a shortage of drugs within two months warned a government official, as a worsening economic crisis threatens to endanger even more livelihoods on the island.

Dr. R. M. Saman Kusumsiri Ratnayake, Secretary to the State Ministry of Drug Production, told the Daily Mirror that a “priority list of drugs” had already been drawn up that needed to be imported “with immediate effect” and called for letters of credit to be opened for drug purchases.

The UK Prime Minister released a video message to mark Thai Pongal this morning, stating it was an opportunity to “celebrate our fantastic Tamil community”.

Thai Pongal was celebrated across the Tamil homeland this morning, with festivities taking place despite concerns about rising food prcies, food shortages and the plight of farmers caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Across the world, foreign embassies and world leaders have offered messages celebrating the Tamil harvest festival, Thai Pongal.

????? ??????! ???????????? ???? ?????? ????????????????!#HappyPongal #ThaiPongal #HarvestFestival pic.twitter.com/7uHTVtUQtl

— Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka (@ChinaEmbSL) January 14, 2022

Last month, anti-apartheid leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu passed away aged 90.

We take a look at his association with the Tamil liberation struggle and calls for justice, equality and accountability in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan courts issued an order this morning to extend the remand of 43 Tamil Nadu fishermen for another two weeks.

In December, the Sri Lankan navy announced that 55 fishermen had been arrested near Neduntheevu “as part of the Navy’s effort to prevent poaching by Indian fishing trawlers in Sri Lankan territorial waters”.

The Sri Lankan government was handed a much-needed financial reprieve earlier today when India agreed to a deferment of US$500 million and currency swap of US$400 million, as an economic crisis on the island worsens.

A new campaign launched by British Tamils, human rights organisations and backed by British parliamentarians calls on the UK government to sanction Sri Lankan generals under the Global Magnitsky Act for war crimes committed against Tamils.

A Pongal event titled “Freedom Pongal” was organised in Jaffna today, demanding the release of Tamil political prisoners. 

A protest was held in Jaffna after the body of a prominent Tamil activist who was killed by the Sri Lankan navy was brought ashore to his home village this morning.

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence has declared that all marriages between Sri Lankan citizens and foreigners will now require military approval, sparking fears across the more than million-strong Tamil diaspora over its ties to the homeland.

The new law, which came into effect from January 1, 2022, requires all foreign nationals who are seeking to marry Sri Lankan citizens to obtain a “Security Clearance Report”.  An in-depth health declaration must also be submitted to the military, with details ranging from HIV status to any history of kidney disease.

The Sri Lankan military insists that the new measures are for “national security” purposes.