The CONIFA's Women's World Cup has kicked off with the inaugural game between Tamil Eelam and Székely Land. 

Tamil Eelam showed heart to twice come from behind to draw the game 2-2 against Székely Land.

The first half saw Tamil Eelam working both wings to pressure the opposition. Passing the ball well Tamil Eelam were unlucky not to go ahead in the first 35 minutes. Tamil Eelam pressed well as a team, Székely Land could not consolidate play in the first half with Tamil Eelam closing down the centre. However, it was Székely Land to score first with a lofted free kick just before the end of the first half. Defensively Tamil Eelam held well  in open play, Szekely Land had few chances. Though trailing now going into the second half Tamil Eelam had to dig deep.

The head of Sri Lanka’s Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security said “brainwashed Muslims” must be forcibly rehabilitated, adding that the government can no longer “please” the community by appeasing their demands. 

Sarath, the former Public Security Minister, told reporters in Colombo that though Muslim organisations have raised objections against the Bureau of Rehabilitation Bill, which was passed last year and gives the security forces the authority to run so-called rehabilitation centres, it must be forcibly implemented.

Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) leader Udaya Gammanpila criticised the head of Amnesty International after she visited the Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day commemorations at Mullivaikkal last month.

Another Buddhist temple has begun being built in Thaiyiddy, Jaffna despite the lack of permission from local authorities, as the Sri Lankan state continues to colonise the Tamil North-East.

Residents who have recently witnessed the construction of the building have been protesting against it, with reports that it is being constructed on private land that has been illegally acquired.

An event was held to remember scholar and community leader Reverend Father David, who reportedly died from shock just days after his beloved institution the Jaffna Public Library was destroyed by Sinhala mobs.

Library staff and local students joined the commemoration, which was led by Jaffna Municipal Council Commissioner S Krishnendran., the chief Librarian Sivakaran Anusiya, and attended byy staffers, students, and visitors.

Floral tributes were laid, and candles were lit to memorialize the incident.

Vavuniya District Development Committee Chairman and Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) parliamentarian Kulasingam Thileeban claimed that local government officials were preventing occupied land from being released to Tamils in the district.

Speaking to reporters, the MP claimed that Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe assured officials that occupied lands would be released back to their rightful owners, after a visit to Vavuniya last week.

Tamil families of the disappeared in Vavuniya said that anyone who puts themselves forward as a common Tamil candidate for Sri Lanka’s presidential polls this year, must uphold the need for an independence referendum to fulfil the Tamil demand for self-determination. 

The Tamil families made the remarks as they held a vigil outside the Vavuniya main post office to mark the 43rd anniversary of the burning of the Jaffna Public Library. 

A Sri Lankan parliament panel has “summoned” representatives from the Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry, chief of all three forces, and attorney general, over fears the country may be taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its massacre of the Tamil people in 2009.

The hosting of a documentary and panel discussion on the destruction of the Jaffna Public Library was muzzled by threats from the Sri Lankan intelligence service say organisers, who attempted to  mark the 43^rd anniversary of the arson attack.

The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad arrested four Sri Lankan Muslims last month, over suspected links to the Islamic State (ISIS) after they travelled to India from Colombo.

According to reports, Indian security services discovered an ISIS flag and three loaded pistols among their belongings.