The ‘Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy’ tournament kicked off in Sri Lanka this week in what one Sri Lankan politician said was the first FIFA approved tournament “of its kind in Sri Lanka”, as the relationship between the Rajapaksa regime and sports on the island grows even closer.

Today marks 15 years since Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP and human rights lawyer, Nadarajah Raviraj was assassinated in Colombo. 

Mr Raviraj was shot in Colombo at close range by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike at around 8:30am on November 10 2006, as he got into his car after giving an interview. The MP died later in hospital. His bodyguard was also killed. 

Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has rejected the resignation of Justice Minister, and long-time ally, Ali Sabry who has expressed disappointment over the establishment of a Presidential Task Force headed by the notorious extremist monk, and ex-convict, Galagodaaththe Gnanasara.

Sabry has told reports that his resignation now “is in a sort of limbo”.

As Sri Lanka faces a major economic crisis, Vice President for the World Bank’s South Asian division, Hartwig Schafer concludes his six-day visit of the island pledging support “to invest in people to power the country towards a green, resilient and inclusive recovery”.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called for an end to Instagram’s censorship of the Tamil Guardian and for Facebook to be “more transparent”, after the news website had its account disabled last month.

“The London-based English-language website is one of the main sources of news about the Tamil community in Sri Lanka and the rest of the world and has more than 19,000 followers on Instagram, and yet it was censored in the most brutal manner, with no prior warning and no explanation,” said RSF in a statement released this morning.

Hundreds of Tamil Canadians took part in a car rally through the streets of Toronto this week, as they demanded justice for genocide and called on Canada to ensure that a genocide investigation is pursued by the UN Human Rights Council.

The rally, which saw dozens of cars start from Brampton City Hall and Scarborough, made its way down to 360 University Avenue, where locals and Canadian politicians joined.

Tamil politicians joined locals in Mandaithivu and Pungudutivu yesterday as they halted attempts by Sri Lankan government officials from the survey department to acquire land for the navy.

The protest came after officials from the survey department announced that public owned lands would be acquired in three places under the Velanai Divisional Secretariat - Pungudutivu, Mankupam and Allaipiddy - for the Sri Lankan navy.

Hundreds of families have been displaced by coastal flooding, which has severely disrupted the livelihoods of villages in Vidataltivu, Mannar. 

Seawater flooded homes and damaged fishing boats following heavy rain, early Sunday morning. As many as 1,200 people from 352 families are reported to have been affected by the flooding.

Displaced residents of three Grama Niladhari divisions were forced to take refuge in the homes of friends and family.

The Batticaloa High Court rejected the bail petition of the wife of the alleged ringleader of the Easter Sunday attack, Zahran Hashim, on Monday. 

In 2019, a series of bomb attacks, targeted churches and luxury hotels on Easter Sunday, killing 279 people and injuring more than 500. The attacks, staged by eight bombers who all killed themselves in the attack, were members of National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ), reportedly led by Hashim. 

Tamil farmers in Mannar recently expressed their disgruntlement with Sri Lankan government officials whose decisions to allow cattle grazing in farmlands has adversely impacted those dependent on agriculture.