Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has admitted that Australian border protection authorities recently turned an asylum seeker boat back to Sri Lanka, 9news Australia reported on Tuesday. Mr. Dutton had given few details beyond saying this occurred in the last couple of weeks. "We determined that those people aren't refugees and then they go back to their country of origin. We have a good relationship with Sri Lanka as we do with Indonesia," he told Brisbane radio 4BC.

He said just because boat arrivals weren't making the news each night didn't mean the threat had gone away. "We are dealing with possible ventures regularly," he said. Mr. Dutton said there were 14,000 people waiting in Indonesia to get on boats to Australia if people smugglers saw any relaxation in the current tough policy. "There are many millions more potentially who would want to get into Europe but can't, and would be happy to make their way up through Malaysia into Indonesia onto boats to come to our country," he said. Mr. Dutton said 1,200 people drowned under Labor and people would drown again if people smugglers started risking lives on leaky boats.

The government will conduct fresh probes into the scams involved in the import of a stock of biofertilizer from China and in the introduction of organic farming during the time of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a minister said yesterday.

Cabinet spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said today that the people will know whether the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MPs had sought assistance from the President’s Fund as claimed by SJB MP Dayasiri Jayasekara when the rest of the list is released soon.

The circular issued by the Western Province Education Zonal Ministry prohibiting private tutoring classes for students by school teachers, along with the letter issued by the Education Ministry regarding modulators, has been withdrawn, Parliamentarian Mahinda Jayasinghe said.

Adding further controversy to the misuse of the President’s Fund, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Dayasiri Jayasekera yesterday said some of JVP members also sought assistance from the President’s funds prior to 2010.

In response to queries about the potential introduction of new taxes on imported vehicles, Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayathissa said today that the Finance Ministry will make an official announcement regarding taxes in the future.

In response to widespread concerns regarding the alleged presence of Israeli soldier Gal Ferenbook in Colombo, police said that they have not received any verified information on the matter.

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is set to add one of its overhauled and upgraded Kfir multirole combat aircraft to its fleet within the first three months of next year, the Daily Mirror learns.

The tri-forces security provided to former Presidents will be removed from today as announced by Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala. The Defence Ministry said instructions regarding the matter have been issued to the Commanders of the tri-forces. The Defence Ministry said only police security will be assigned for the security of former Presidents.

The Ministry of Education announced that the second stage of the third term for the 2024 academic year in all government and government-approved private schools will commence on January 2, 2025. The term is set to run for three weeks, concluding on January 24, 2025.

A female student and another woman were killed after being struck by an express train at the Anuradhapura New Town Railway Station. The victims were part of a group from Ratnapura attending a taekwondo tournament at the Anuradhapura Public Ground.