Sri Lankan police prohibited a planned procession to commemorate the 50th Golden Jubilee of the University of Jaffna, citing restrictions linked to the announcement of local government elections. 

A public rally held in Nedunkerny, Vavuniya District by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya has sparked controversy following allegations of politically motivated power disruptions in the surrounding areas.

Sri Lankan police have launched an investigation into a photograph circulating on social media that allegedly shows the highly revered Buddha tooth relic, currently on display at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy for the first time in over 15 years.

Political voices across Tamil Nadu have condemned the newly released Bollywood film Jaat, starring Sunny Deol, over its portrayal of a fictional militant group resembling the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). 

Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is facing scrutiny after a senior official admitted that a cache of documents on Keenie Meenie Services (KMS) – a British mercenary firm accused of war crimes in Sri Lanka – was inexplicably withheld for years despite being cleared for release. 

On Saturday, a Tunisian court sentenced dozens of opposition figures on national security charges. 

Forty people were being prosecuted in the trial, which started in March. Over 20 have fled abroad since being charged and have been sentenced in absentia. 

The prison sentences range from 13 to 66 years. Among those sentenced are a number of Tunisia’s most senior opposition politicians. 

It was a quiet morning on 12 April 1985 when Karaitivu, a small coastal Tamil village in the Amparai district of Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, was plunged into terror.

The news of Pope Francis’ passing earlier today has been met with mourning and reflection across the world. For Eelam Tamils, his legacy is remembered not only for his humility and progressive voice within the Catholic Church, but also for the moral clarity he brought to the unresolved injustice of the island’s bloody past, articulated during his historic visit to the Tamil homeland.

Francis was the first, and only pope, to visit Tamil Eelam. As tributes across the globe continue to pour in, Tamil Guardian reflects upon his 2015 visit to the Tamil homeland.