File photograph 

Tamil families of the disappeared have announced a mass protest in Batticaloa on August 30th, to mark the International Day of the Disappeared and amplify their calls for accountability and justice.

Sinhala Buddhist monks and Buddhist worshippers disrupted a Tamil Pongal celebration at the Athi Aiyanar temple in Kurunthurmalai earlier today. 

Tens of thousands of families in the North-East have been affected by the severe drought in the region, IBC Tamil has reported. 

According to the Disaster Management Centre, 75,165 people in the Northern province and 63,136 people in the Eastern province have been affected by the lack of drinking water due to the drought. 

The Centre also reportedly stated that the Jaffna district has been the most affected with 70,238 people in Nedunthivu, Chavakachcheri, Maruthankerny and Sanganai having difficulting accessing drinking water. 

Remembrance events were held across the North-East today to remember the Sencholai massacre, where four Sri Lankan air force jets flew over the Vanni and dropped sixteen bombs over the Sencholai children's home for orphans, killing 53 school girls and 3 teachers.

Speaking in Mannar, Manuwal Udayachandra, president of the Association of Families Searching for Missing Relatives condemned Sri Lanka’s Office of Missing Persons (OMP).

“We initially said that we do not need the Office of Missing Persons (OMP)” Udayachandra stated.

The livelihoods of Tamil farmers has been affected by severe drought in the district as persistent dry weather has led to few crops. 

The water levels in Mannar district have been depleted due to the lack of rain over the last six months. Small ponds and canals have also completely dried up. 

The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) have reiterated their refusal to accept the 13th Amendment as a starting point to the Tamil national question in a letter to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe. 

In the letter, signed by TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnamablam and the general secretary Selvarajah Kajendren, they stated that:

Nelson's sudden downfall may have been due to mishandling a Tamil industry heavyweight, Vijay, for ‘Beast,’ leading to a bland action film, where the humour takes a back seat. He decides to double down by signing on an even trickier assignment with Rajinikanth, which has turned out to be an uneven venture. 

Excavations at the Kokkuthoduvai mass grave site in Mullaitivu are expected to resume on August 21 after a field visit was conducted today. 

Sri Lanka has proposed the launch of a Climate Justice Forum (CJF) at COP 28 which will be held in the United Arab Emirates, 

Speaking at the Presidential Media Centre Environment Minister Naseer Ahamed stated that Sri Lanka has proposed the establishment of a CJF with the common objective of ensuring greater climate justice and accelerating the financing of losses and damages and providing an alternative and non-traditional approach. Naseer's comments come as the Sri  Lanka state has refused multiple call