Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran on Saturday blaming the Sri Lankan government for adopting a "dominating, domineering and hegemonic" attitude towards the Northern Province, reiterated his call for a federal structure. In an hour-long interview with The Hindu at his residence in Colombo, Mr. Wigneswaran said the Tamil people's problems have been around for the last 67 years and they have been telling the government that the unitary structure of the constitution is faulty.

"One of the primary things that we are mentioning to the government is that the structure of the constitution is faulty. If you have a unitary constitution, the power will be in the hands of one community," he said. "The unitary constitution is structurally faulted. We would like to have a federal constitution." Mr. Wigneswaran noted that nowhere in the world has anyone who has taken to federal constitution ever wanted to separate.

"Quebec did not want to separate. Scotland did not want to separate. All these different types of cantons in Switzerland are wanting to be together. In India, it also is the same thing...," he pointed out. "We have got to say truth as it is what the problems are. If we do not understand the basic problems of our people, the fundamental problems that really led our youngsters taking up to arms, if we do not understand, explain and tell these things to people , 'look, this is the cause for all what has happened.' If you are going to allow those causes to persist, don't you think that these things can happen again?" he questioned.

When asked why he opposes the government's program of 65,000 houses in the Northern and Eastern provinces, the Chief Minister said the Central government did not discuss the details of its housing project for the Northern and Eastern Provinces with the provincial administration and people's representatives in the North. "We are completely kept in the lurch. The dominating, domineering and hegemonic attitude on the part of the government is irking us. It is not to our benefit...," he said.

Mr. Wigneswaran pointed out that with the Rs. 2.1 million the government is going to spend on each house, they can build three houses if not two. "Instead of 65,000, we can make 130,000 houses," he said. Asked why he did not invite industrialists to set up housing units in the province and offer incentives, the Chief Minister said a proposal to have a twinning program involving Jaffna town and Kingston and Surbiton borough of the U.K. did not even get a response from Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera.

Eventually, the issue was resolved by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to whom he had represented recently. Mr. Wigneswaran felt that "there is still certain amount of suspicion with regard to anything that we take from outside". Asked whether he came to an understanding with Tamil National Alliance (TNA) chief R. Sampanthan, the Chief Minister said the "misunderstanding" arose over the formation of the Tamil People's Council (TPC). Once he explained to the TNA leader that the TPC would be complementary to the TNA and would not convert itself into a political party, Mr. Sampanthan was "quite satisfied".

Speaking about the plan for economic development of the province, Mr. Wigneswaran said a multilateral needs-based assessment study was being carried out and a 10-year-action plan would be prepared. The UN, World Bank and the Asian Development Bank were among those which would be involved.

Two ruling party MPs- Wijesiri Basnayake of Kurunegala and Ajith Gihan of Puttalam- came under mob violence when they came out in their separate vehicles after a meeting with the management of an apparel factory in the Bingiriya area.

The Commissioner General of Examinations, Amith Jayasundara announced that the results of the G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) examination are expected to be released by April 2025.

Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda officially assumed duties as the new Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy at Navy Headquarters today (31). He was appointed following a presentation of the official letter by Secretary to the President Nandika Sanath Kumanayake on December 30.

The official YouTube channel of the Sri Lanka Police has been targeted by a cyber attack. The Police Media Division stated that by now, the control of the channel has completely fallen into the hands of the hackers. The cyber attack had occurred at around 7:30 PM yesterday.

Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo officially assumed duties as Sri Lanka's Army Commander today (31) at Army Headquarters. Previously, he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army.

President Anura Kumar Dissanayake has appointed Major General Lasantha Rodrigo as the new Commander of the Army and Rear Admiral Kanchnna Banagoda as the new Commander of the Navy. The official appointment letters were presented to the newly appointed commanders today (30) by Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat. Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage and Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera are scheduled to retire from their respective positions tomorrow (31).

The Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) has alerted the public on a false post circulating on social media claiming that unclaimed luggage is being offered for sale at a price of Rs. 645, Airport & Aviation Services Sri Lanka Private Ltd. (AASL) said.

In the wake of African swine fever triggering fears about possible extinction of Sri Lanka’s wild boar population in addition to the damage on the pork industry, Sri Lanka’s biosecurity surveillance is under question since the virus is suspected to have entered the country through an unlawful consignment imported into the country during the time of the previous government in 2023.

To mitigate the adverse effects on the education of vulnerable schoolchildren, the government has decided to provide an allowance to assist with the purchase of school stationery at the start of the 2025 school year.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake extended his deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, following his passing away.