The CID yesterday informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court that CCTV camera footage of the assailants of Sri Lanka rugby star Wasim Thajudeen will be sent to Canada shortly.Court had on 7 January ordered the CID to send five video copies of the CCTV camera footage supposedly showing the killers of the rugby star to a state-of-the-art foreign laboratory for detailed study and report.

But though two months have lapsed since then, the videos still remained in Police custody even up to yesterday. The CID informed Court yesterday that it has been able to send the videos containing the CCTV footage to the Forensic Video and Surveillance Technology Laboratory in British Columbia's 'Columbia Institute of Technology' in Canada. The CID told Court that this need to liaise with a foreign laboratory had arisen following a request it had made to Interpol.

The Manager of the Data Collection Unit affiliated to the Colombo University N.C.M.B. Attanayake making submissions to Court had recommended three foreign labs which were deemed qualified to make scientifically accurate study and analysis of the CCTV footage of the assailants captured in that footage on the day of Thajudeen's murder on 17 May 2012. The three foreign labs recommended by the Colombo University were:

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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for students by school teachers, along with the letter issued by the Education Ministry regarding modulators, has been withdrawn, Parliamentarian Mahinda Jayasinghe said.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.