^{Illustration by Keera Ratnam / @wavesofcolour}

Several schoolchildren aged between 12 and 16, went missing after a tractor was swept away by floodwaters in Karaitivu, Amparai, earlier today, with a cyclone continuing to badly impact the island.

The incident occurred as the children were returning home from a madrasa school, travelling in the vehicle along with the tractor driver and his assistant. The tractor, used for ploughing, became stuck in the mud before being carried away by the strong flood currents in a nearby valley.

Heavy rains and flooding have struck the island, as a cyclone develops in the Bay of Bengal with Tamils across the North-East preparing to mark Maaveerar Naal on Wednesday.

According to the Disaster Management Centre, over 77,670 people from 22,532 families across 15 districts have been affected by the inclement weather. One person has lost their life, and five others have been injured. Relief efforts are underway, with 2,770 individuals from 821 families currently sheltered in emergency relief centres.

The 70th birthday of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was marked at several locations in the North-East earlier today.

In Chavakachcheri in Jaffna, locals at several locations cut cakes and handed out sweets on local buses to celebrate Prabhakaran’s birthday.

The parents of Maaveerar - Great Heroes -  were honoured at an event in Kaithady, Jaffna today. 

A lamp was lit and flowers laid in memory of their children who gave their lives to the armed struggle. 

Events have taken place across the North-East this week to honour the parents and families of fallen LTTE cadres. 

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has reversed his earlier commitment to renegotiate the terms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout program, as the global body decided to approve the release of $333 million as part of the third review of Sri Lanka’s $2.9 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

Tamil children participated in an art competition in Naples, Italy earlier this month to commemorate the Tamil people who gave their lives to the liberation struggle. 

British Tamil students walked 20km from Little Moore Bridge in Loughborough to Abbey Park in Leicester to remember the sacrifices made by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres. 

The students completed the walk in six and a half hours as Storm Bert swept the UK on Saturday.