A second Scottish independence referendum will not be permitted even if the Scottish National Party (SNP) wins a majority at next year’s Holyrood election, UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has insisted, provoking sharp criticism from senior Scottish ministers.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri into custody, after authorities in Germany surrendered the Libyan suspect to The Hague earlier this week. El Hishri is wanted for crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed in Libya between 2015 and 2020.

UNICEF has raised the alarm over a rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis for children across Sri Lanka, as Cyclone Ditwah leaves more than 275,000 children facing an escalating humanitarian crisis.

India has completed the evacuation of all its nationals stranded in Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah, with a reported 400 evacuated from the island in total.

Commemorative events were held in California and North Carolina in the USA last week to mark Maaveerar Naal. 

Maaveerar Naal - or Great Heroes' Day - is observed on November 27 annually by the Tamil nation to remember the sacrifices of the Tamils who laid down their lives int he armed struggle. 

North Carolina 

Grama Niladharis across the Kilinochchi district will wear black armbands for one week after one of their colleagues was allegedly assaulted by National People’s Power (NPP) parliamentarian Karunananthan Ilankumaran during ongoing flood-relief efforts.

Sri Lanka’s response to Cyclone Ditwah has come under intense scrutiny, as the death toll climbs into the hundreds and survivors accuse the National People’s Power (NPP) government of failures in early warning, coordination and basic communication - particularly in Tamil.

Tamils gathered in Auckland, New Zealand to mark Maaveerar Naal 2025. 

The event began with the hoisting of the New Zealand flag and the Tamil Eelam flag which was hoisted by Mrs Nadarasa Wigneswary, the sister of two fallen LTTE cadres. 

Attendees laid flowers on symbolic gravestones, designed to resemble those that once stood at the cemeteries built by the LTTE in the North-East. 

Maaveerar Naal - or Great Heroes' Day - was commemorated by Tamils in Palermo, Italy, in honour of the fighters who sacrificed their lives in the armed struggle for liberation.