<p>The key witness in the case of the abduction and killing of 11 Tamil youths between 2008 to 2009 has been threatened by supporters of Sri Lanka's Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, LankaDeepa reports.&nbsp;</p> <p>The details of the incident remain unknown however reports within Colombo press varying from severely assault to a possible shooting.&nbsp;</p> <p>Sri Lanka's former finance minister tweeted that the witness had been "severely assaulted in front of CDS who is also a key suspect."&nbsp;</p>

Final preparations for Maveerar Naal, the Tamil national remembrance day for fallen LTTE fighters, are underway in thuyilum illams (LTTE cemeteries) across the Tamil homeland.

<p>Sri Lanka's president, Maithripala Sirisena said he had made his decision to sack Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister due to mounting public dislike of his economic policies and political vision, UNP corruption and the assassination plot against him.</p> <p>In an interview with the Sunday Times, Sirisena said he had confronted Ranil about this on two previous occasions.&nbsp;</p> <p>"After the outcome of the local government elections on February 10, I told him that the people had rejected his economic policies and political vision. Some 1.5 million state sector employees had voted against the government. The majority of the armed forces personnel and Police too had voted against. So had a vast section of the Buddhist clergy. I asked him to step down as Prime Minister and hand over the office to someone else. This was the first time I told him such a thing. I invited Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to be Prime Minister. He rejected it. I also asked Sajith Premadasa. He was not agreeable. I experienced a conflict of policies, which were opposed to our own manifesto. They revolved around misuse of state property, lopsided economic policies, lack of political vision, growing corruption and arbitrary decisions."</p>

Parents of Maaveerar, fallen LTTE fighters, were honoured in Batticaloa on Saturday.

Photographs of 100 fighters were displayed at the event in Vellaveli. Each family placed lit lamps and flower garlands on the image of their fallen loved ones.

The leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) referred to MP Ian Paisley Jr's dealings with Sri Lanka while speaking on the party's failings over the past year at conference.

While apologising for a domestic scandal over a green energy scheme, DUP leader Arlene Foster also referred to failings within the DUP ranks in a "number of other areas".

"It is thought Mrs Foster was referring to the behaviour of DUP MP Ian Paisley," the Belfast Telegraph said.

Works have commenced in Mullaitivu for the construction of a memorial site for 8 Tamils killed by the Sri Lankan army.

On November 27, 2007, 8 Tamils of which 6 were children, were killed by a claymore mine planted by the Sri Lankan army’s Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LLRP) or Deep Penetration Unit in Iyankan Kulam.

The Sri Lankan government said no permission has been granted for Maaveerar Naal commemorations due to take place on November 27. 

Sri Lanka’s Director General of Government Information said the government “refute(s) the fake rumour that government had given permission to hold so called Maaveerar commemoration”.

There was “emphasis the fact such permission was not been granted on any occasion (sic)," the press release added. 

Tamils across London prepared to mark Maaveerar Naal on November 27th, with a series of events across the capital this week.

Shops in districts across London displayed Tamil Eelam flags outside their stores as they prepared to join Tamils around in world in remembrance this week

Bicycles and food items were donated in Batticaloa today to mark the birthday of the LTTE leader V Prabhakaran. 

Donations were made to families of Maaveerar and to families of the disappeared. 

An audit of a water project in Colombo, funded by the Asian Development Bank has revealed irregularities, non-compliance with rules and regulations and delays, Economy Next reports. 

Over three years after the projected started only US $16.5 million of the 80 million allocated has been used, the report compiled by the Auditor-General's department. 

“Completion of activities of the project within the specified period remained in doubt due to the lack of a comprehensive plan for implementation purposes,” the report noted.