On the same day that eight Indian fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy were flown to Chennai, the security forces announced it had detained two more Indian fishing boats and 14 Tamil Nadu fishermen, as tensions across the Palk Strait continued.

The Indian High Commission celebrated the repatriation of the eight fishermen with a tweet on Thursday.

Sri Lanka’s Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala admitted that more than 244 Maaveerar Naal commemoration events took place across the North-East last week, as Tamils across the homeland paid tribute to those who gave their lives fighting for an independent state.

Wijepala made a special statement to Parliament on December 4 stating that out of the 244 commemorations, 10 displayed the Tamil Eelam flag or displayed images related to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) is at risk of being banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as its Secretary General, Maxwell De Silva, continues to defy a suspension imposed for ethical violations and misconduct.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with parliamentarians from the Illankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) at the Presidential Secretariat this week, reportedly to discuss "the longstanding challenges faced by the people in the Northern and Eastern regions".

The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) has submitted more than 60 sanctions requests targeting Sri Lankan officials, security personnel, and former Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) officers for their roles in gross human rights violations committed during and after Sri Lanka’s armed conflict. These requests have been sent to governments such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the European Union, as well as to the United Nations.

French Tamils gathered in Villebon-sur-Yvette to mark Maaveerar Naal last week, as millions around the world paid tribute to Tamil freedom fighters. 

The event began with Joseph, Chairman of the Committee and Rasan, a committee officer, hoisting the Tamil Eelam National Flag. This was followed by a speech recalling past Maaveerar Naal commemorations. Several individuals placed garlands of flowers at an obelisk of Lt. Shankar.

Anujan Srikantha, a British Tamil athlete representing England, has made history by clinching gold at the 2024 Commonwealth Powerlifting Championship held in Sun City, South Africa earlier this year. Competing in the Men’s Classic Benchpress Championships, Srikantha not only emerged victorious in the 83kg division but also earned the prestigious title of Best Male Lifter, a recognition for benching the highest weight relative to body weight across all classes. Srikantha’s stellar performance saw him bench an impressive 192.5kg while weighing just 82kg.

Tamils in Germany commemorated Maaveerar Naal with thousands gathering in Dortmund on November 27th to pay tribute to fallen fighters.

The Maaveerar Naal event began with the lighting of the torch by Suresh Sankarapillai. The Tamil Eelam National Flag was hoisted by the Deputy Director of the Tamil Education Association of Germany, Yogendran Cheran.

US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu has landed in Sri Lanka earlier today, with discussions slated around how Washington can “deepen ties with the current government”. 

Marking Maaveerar Naal in Italy, the Palermo City Council governor and the Tamil Coordination Committee signed an declaration formally recognizing the genocide of Eelam Tamils as they paid tribute to those who laid down their lives for liberation. 

The event which was held to mark the annual Maaveerar Naal commemorations was organized by the Tamil Coordinating Committee to honor the sacrifices of the Tamils who laid down their lives for the freedom of the homeland.