Sri Lanka’s president declared that the island’s political crisis will “not drag on beyond seven days”, as he pledged to take action on Tuesday.

The UK's All Party Parliamentary Group on Tamils (APPGT) today met with the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mark Field, urging him to take action on Sri Lanka. 

Tamil Nadu's MDMK party leader yesterday protested in Chennai, calling for the prompt release of the seven people convicted for their alleged association in the killing of the Indian premier, Rajiv Gandhi. 

The MDMK was joined by opposition parties, DMK, CPI and CPI-M. 

"The governor should release the seven convicts under Article 161 of the Constitution," MDMK leader, Vaiko said.

Canada's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, David McKinnon today met with former LTTE fighters in Mullaitivu and discussed ongoing Tamil concerns. 

The former fighters, who have formed a political party, met McKinnon in Puthukkudiyiruppu.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (AmCham) today called for an end to ongoing political crisis in the country. 

In a statement that followed today's downgrading of Sri Lanka by Standard and Poor, and Fitch Rating's, AmCham said it "expressed concern of the impasse reached". 

Standard and Poor's swiftly became the third credit ratings agency to downgrade Sri Lanka's sovereign rating in recent weeks, as the political crisis in Colombo deepened in recent days.

S&P followed moves by Fitch earlier today, and Moody’s two weeks ago, in downgrading Sri Lanka citing refinancing risks and an uncertain policy outlook.

Sri Lanka’s president has stated that he had deferred dealing with the issue of Tamil political prisoners until the political crisis in the country has resolved, according to a report in the Daily Mirror.

In another blow to Colombo, Fitch Ratings became the second credit agency in two weeks to downgrade Sri Lanka’s long-term debt rating as political upheaval continues on the island.

Fitch announced on Tuesday that Sri Lanka's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating was to be downgraded to ‘B’ from ‘B+’.

Germany's ambassador to Sri Lanka, Joern Rohde, visited the site of the Mannar mass graves on November 27. 

Over 230 skeletons have been recovered from the site, with excavation work ongoing. 

The tax on imported potatoes and onions was halved today by Sri Lanka's Finance Ministry, amid the country's ongoing political turmoil and despite today's court order preventing the functioning of cabinet. 

The special commodity level, which was at 40 rupees per kilogram of imported potatoes and onions, was cut to 20 rupees at midnight tonight.