AK

Know your worth. #YNWA 🐅

[The Vigilant Fox 🦊 @VigilantFox]

Stephen A. Smith publicly APOLOGIZES to Kyrie Irving after calling him "selfish" for refusing the COVID jab.

"Hindsight-wise, it didn’t make him stubborn or selfish. It made him BRAVE."

"I watched Dr. Fauci on Capitol Hill yesterday, and the person I thought about most was Kyrie Irving."

“Kyrie Irving stood out in my mind because of the heat that he was taking... He refused the vaccine. New York City's mandate made him ineligible for home games, and he linked his stance to people losing jobs over vaccine mandates."

“In my opinion, particularly hindsight-wise, it didn't make him stubborn or selfish. It made him brave. His willingness to stand up and say, ‘Nah, I'm not doing that.’

“It's just a time for reflection — to look at things differently.”

Kyrie gave up $11,400,000 in game checks during the 21-22 NBA season and a $100,000,000 extension with the Nets to be unvaccinated.

That cements his holdout as the largest financial sacrifice any athlete has ever made over an issue in history.

[Dr. Thusiyan Nandakumar @Thusi_Kumar]

There is almost no video footage of Black July.

This is one of the few clips that exist.

Never forget.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨🇩🇪 BREAKING: Jürgen Klopp as new Germany head coach, here we go! 💥

Klopp has accepted to take over; long term contract details, project and RB Group exit still under discussion, but he will be the new head coach.

RB considered Glasner as replacement but he signs at #NFFC.

Klopp is back.

[TSN @TSN_Sports]

Kyle Lowry is set to retire as a Toronto Raptor!

The Raptors will sign Lowry to a one-day contract next week for his official retirement and plan to retire his No. 7 jersey during the upcoming season, @JLew1050 confirms.

[ESPN FC @ESPNFC]

Every missed/saved Germany penalty in World Cup history:

1982 Semifinals - Uli Stielike
2026 R. of 32 - Kai Havertz
2026 R. of 32 - Nick Woltemade
2026 R. of 32 - Jonathan Tah

Unprecedented for the Germans 😮

[Mal @UtdMaI]

So you’re telling me Spain, France, Germany, Portugal, Brazil, Belgium, England and Netherlands all stuck on one side of the bracket…

The other side?
Argentina, Australia, Cape Verde, Egypt.

The script isn’t even trying to hide anymore

[Tamil Guardian @TamilGuardian]

💫 Velupillay makes history as first Tamil at a FIFA World Cup

Nishan Velupillay has been selected in Australia's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making him the first footballer of Tamil heritage to compete at the tournament.

The 25-year-old winger, who plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League, was named in head coach Tony Popovic's final 26-man squad on Monday. Australia are placed in Group D alongside Turkey, the United States, and Paraguay. Their opening match is against Turkey on 13 June at BC Place in Vancouver.

Velupillay's father, Sasinath Velupillay, is of Tamil heritage. His mother, Gillian Velupilly, is Anglo-Indian. Nishan was born and raised in Melbourne.

📷 @Socceroos

[CANMNT @CANMNT_Official]

Our stage. Our moment. Our Game Now!

The chosen 26 to represent our nation at a home World Cup! ⬇️

CANMNT x @GatoradeCanada

[Tim Hodgson @timhodgsonmt]

Today, we mark Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day and honour the memories of the tens of thousands of innocent civilians who lost their lives during the final stages of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka.

Canada is home to one of the largest Tamil diasporas in the world, whose contributions continue to strengthen our communities and our country.

As we reflect on this solemn anniversary, we reaffirm the importance of truth, accountability, justice, human rights, and ensuring these tragedies are never forgotten.

[Mark Carney @MarkJCarney]

On Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, we honour the tens of thousands of civilians killed during the Sri Lankan Civil War and stand with the survivors, families, and communities who endured profound suffering — including many in Canada’s Tamil diaspora.

[Dr. Thusiyan Nandakumar @Thusi_Kumar]

Soosai’s last public message.

17 May, 2009.

“The last hours are happening, the last hours are happening… a lot of people are dying, heavy fighting is going on. A lot of people are dying… in all areas, corpses are heaping up… the people are not being allowed to leave”.

“Until the end we won’t cower… but our people are dying.”

“The international community has turned a blind eye.”

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨 BREAKING: José Mourinho back to Real Madrid, HERE WE GO! 💣🤍

All terms have been verbally agreed between José Mourinho and Real Madrid, waiting to sign all documents.

Plan for initial two year deal, JM to travel to Madrid after Real-Bilbao game.

The Special One is back.

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Sri Lanka: Today marks 17 years since the end of the internal armed conflict in Sri Lanka. Each year, thousands of Tamil survivors and their families gather at Mullivaikkal to honor the memory of those who lost their lives and to bear witness to the profound suffering endured during and at the end of the war. Today was no different.

The commemoration underscores the continued and urgent need for truth, justice, and reparations for the credible allegations of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law committed during the conflict, as documented by United Nations investigations.

Despite repeated domestic and international commitments to ensure thorough, impartial, and credible investigations through domestic mechanisms, successive governments, including the current administration, have failed to deliver on these obligations. The entrenched impunity undermines prospects for justice, reconciliation, and durable peace, and signals an urgent need for renewed, concrete action to uphold Sri Lanka’s responsibilities under international law.

In discussions with communities in conflict-affected areas, the Tamil community has reiterated that meaningful engagement with the government remains contingent upon the redress of longstanding grievances and accountability for past abuses. @amnesty stands in solidarity with their pursuit of justice.

[Dr. Thusiyan Nandakumar @Thusi_Kumar]

He could have reached out and touched the gun that killed him.

Balachandran was 12 years old. The Sri Lankan soldiers who put those bullets in him are child killers and war criminals. And they are cowards.

They have never faced justice.

We must not stop until they do.

[Tamil Guerilla 📕 ☭ @StudentofTE]

The White Flag incident

The White Flag incident, which occurred during the final stages of the Eelam War, perfectly encapsulates the nature of the war: a calculated, cold-blooded, genocidal campaign against the Eelam Tamil population.

In the last months of the 26-year-long Eelam War, there were reports of an unprecedented number of massacres of Eelam Tamils by the Sri Lankan government. According to reports, estimates range from 80,000, with recent estimates going up to 132,000–169,000 Tamils within a span of five months.

The Sri Lankan government shelled indiscriminately in “No Fire Zones,” areas where they had told Tamils they would be safe, using cluster bombs and chemical weapons, and bombed hospitals repeatedly, as well as throwing grenades into bunkers and aid stations.

The LTTE, which lost more and more territory as the days went by, tried to negotiate a surrender for Tamil civilians and its leadership. Nadesan, the political wing leader, and Pulidevan his deputy were involved in these negotiations.

In the course of the surrender talks, the two men sent messages back and forth to a range of Sri Lankan politicians, diplomats, and journalists. The LTTE was able to contact journalists like Marie Colvin, who established contact with the United Nations, as well as Tamil MPs who contacted the Sri Lankan president and his deputies.

One of the intermediaries was a Tamil MP known to both the LTTE and government officials. His name is Rohan Chandra Nehru. On 14 May 2009, Nehru informed Basil Rajapaksa to be on standby for an LTTE message regarding a possible surrender.

However, Basil Rajapaksa appeared disinterested and did not call the MP back for three days.

The LTTE reached an agreement after 48 hours of negotiations with the Sri Lankan government. The agreement reportedly involved members of the Rajapaksa family, Mahinda, Basil, and Gotabaya Rajapaksa as well as the Foreign Secretary, Palitha Kohona.

At one point, Basil Rajapaksa reportedly spoke directly by telephone with Nadesan of the LTTE regarding the surrender shortly before it took place.

The place of surrender was the Wadduvakal Bridge, where tens of thousands of frightened Tamil civilians crossed amid heavy shelling. The army controlled the bridge and detained all those who surrendered on the southern side. Some eyewitnesses state that many were shoved into the water and drowned by the army.

The LTTE political wing leaders surrendered in three batches - sending one group first to ensure the surrender was accepted and the rest following.

They were:

Group One: Pulidevan, Nadesan, Nadesan’s Sinhala wife Vineetha, Kangan (Nadesan’s head of security). In this group Nadesan held the white flag.

Group Two: Illango (police, aka as Ramesh), Witness 3 & 2 men, all in sarongs and shirt. IN this group Illango held the white flag.

At 1:06 AM on 18 May 2009, Nadesan made his final call to Tamil MP Chandrakanth Chandranehru saying they were walking towards the Sri Lankan military and, "I will hoist the white flag as high as I can". According to witnesses, Nadesan's Sinhalese wife was among the front of the surrender party.

Several eyewitnesses who were later taken into custody saw the dead bodies of those families, as well as the dead bodies of Pulidevan and Nadesan, with bullet injuries and burn marks. Pulidevan and Nadesan did not have any injuries prior to this incident.

It is reported that a witness inquired about the bodies after hearing that they were dead and was told the corpses had been burnt.

It is unlikely that an autopsy was conducted, as the government would no doubt have produced the evidence.

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[Curtis Jones @CurtisJones]

Thank you for your continued support in a disappointing season.

It’s way off the standards expected at this football club.

[Mohamed Salah @MoSalah]

I have witnessed this club go from doubters to believers, and from believers to champions. It took hard work and I always did everything I could to help the club get there. Nothing makes me prouder than that.

Us crumbling to yet another defeat this season was very painful and not what our fans deserve. I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies. That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good. It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it.

Winning some games here and there is not what Liverpool should be about. All teams win games.

Liverpool will always be a club that means a great deal to me and to my family. I want to see it succeed for long after I have moved on.

As I’ve always said, qualifying to next season’s Champions League is the bare minimum and I will do everything I can to make that happen.

[Dr. Thusiyan Nandakumar @Thusi_Kumar]

Look what they did to his son. 💔

They left him wrapped in a polythene bag.

More than 3,200 people have been killed overnight.

The carnage in the No Fire Zone is continuing.

[EuroFoot @eurofootcom]

🚨🏆 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | 2026 World Cup Group B has now been confirmed! ✅

🇨🇦 CANADA
🇶🇦 QATAR
🇨🇭 SWITZERLAND
🇧🇦 BOSNIA