Several blocks of land in the Jaffna District cannot be handed back over to their original owners because those lands are considered as being essential for national security, Defense Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi said today.
  

The Government is planning to take over those lands by paying the owners a high value as compensation. Discussions are currently under-way with the Provincial and District Secretaries in the Jaffna District in this regard. "We have now calculating how much land needs to be held back for the use of the military after which a part of the remaining land would be returned to the previous occupants while the rest would be used for development purposes,

The Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) appointed former MP Mavai Senathirajah as the head of the party’s Central Committee. According to reports, C. V. K. Sivagnanam was also appointed as the Acting Leader of ITAK.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has summoned Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, to record a statement regarding the ownership of a government-owned land in Kataragama.

The National People's Power (NPP) government now has a struggle with state officials to safeguard the NPP's policies, whereas the NPP had to struggle on the streets for the rights of the people before taking over power, Minister of Industries Sunil Handunnetti said today.

Sulochana Gamage, a former member of the Western Provincial Council, who was arrested while allegedly accepting a bribe, has been ordered to be remanded in custody along with another individual until January 6, 2025. The Hulftsdorp Additional Magistrate issued the remand order following their arrest on bribery charges.

SLPP Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, paid his last respects to Dr. Manmohan Singh, the former Prime Minister of India, at the Congress Party headquarters in New Delhi today.

A jet-powered drone, believed to be a target drone used for military training, was discovered floating in Sri Lanka’s eastern waters near Trincomalee.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe paid his last respects to former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi today. He also met Indian Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi at Singh's residence.

A Sri Lankan woman with health issues caused a plane to make an emergency landing at the Erbil International Airport on Wednesday. She died in the Kurdish capital hours later, according to Sri Lanka’s honorary consul.

Sri Lankan President Anura Dissanayake expressed interest in joining BRICS in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the republic's ambassador to Moscow Pakir Amza told RIA Novosti.

While the Government has pledged to initiate a fresh investigation into the murder of rugby player Wasim Thajudeen, it has yet to reach out to the Thajudeen family or their lawyer regarding the ongoing cases and the promised new probe, The Daily Morning learnt.