Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake admitted a “black state” existed on the island, revealing links between the criminal underworld and Sri Lanka’s security forces in an address last week.

A landmark report commissioned by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), with support from the Australian Government, finds that Sri Lankan militarisation in the North-East has worsened the climate vulnerability and weakened the adaptive capacity of Tamils across the region.

Dhanush is keen on presenting himself as a renaissance man. The actor has tried his hand at writing, producing, songwriting and directing for more than a decade now. For his fourth directorial feature - following the lukewarm reception of ‘Nilavakku Enmel Ennadi Kobam’ earlier this year - Dhanush returns to his role as writer/director with ‘Idli Kadai,’ a sentimental family drama. 

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has approved a US-backed resolution supporting Morocco's claim to the disputed Western Sahara, despite opposition from Algeria. 

The US led 11 countries in voting in favour, while three countries – Russia, China and Pakistan – abstained. Algeria, Polisario’s primary benefactor, did not vote.