Health workers from Mannar General Hospital protested against the Sri Lankan government's austerity measures as the island continues to grapple with its economic crisis. 

Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry met with Dr. Peter Ramsauer, who is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Parliament, to discuss the expansion of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Dr. Ramsauer visited the island from 15 to 18 February during which he met with Sabry. 

During their discussion the contributions made by Germany were highlighted. One of these contributions is the expansion of vocational training provided by German technical institutes across the island. 

Local elections which were set to take place next month are to be delayed due to the lack of funding the Election Commission announced. 

The Election Commission told the Supreme Court that the Sri Lankan Treasury has refused to fund the printing of ballot papers, fuel or police protection for polling booths.

The US-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) is reported to be considering a bailout for Sri Lanka despite the island’s failure to secure support from China for its debt restructuring plan.

Holger Seubert, German Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives

Sri Lanka is reportedly at risk of losing its favourable trading preferences granted by the Generalised Scheme of Preference Plus (GSP+) agreement, for failing to repeal the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). 

Tamil families of the disappeared marked six years of continuous protest in Kilinochchi today as their campaign to know the fate of their forcibly disappeared loved ones continues. 

Finnish MP Hussein al-Taee called on the government of Finland to impose targeted sanctions on Sri Lankan officials who have been credibly accused of war crimes.  

In a written question earlier this month, the Social Democratic Party MP asked if Finland will follow Canada and the US in imposing targeted sanctions through the Magnitsky Act. 

^{File photograph: Healthcare workers in Mankulam protesting last year}

Sri Lanka’s unprecedented economic crisis has hit the health sector hard, forcing the country to delay non-urgent surgeries.

Tamil journalists in Batticaloa held a rally yesterday to demand justice for journalists who have been killed by the Sri Lankan state. 

At the rally, a letter was handed to MP G Karunakaran to present to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, which calls for an international investigation into the murders and disappearances of Tamil journalists.

Despite a decent core concept, ‘Vaathi’ fails to land due to its contradictory internal thought process. If writer/director Venky Atluri had thought through the lesson he wished to teach, he would have understood that the standard formulaic ‘masala’ treatment would not work.