Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Affairs Minister D.M. Swaminathan quelled rumours surrounding the tender for the 65,000 housing project in Jaffna as he affirmed that Arcelor Mittal had already been awarded the project. "There is no question about awarding the tender to another," the minister said. The Cabinet in February this year approved the first phase of the housing project to build 65,000 houses for IDPs in the North and East.

The houses currently under construction in Jaffna are prefabricated steel houses equipped with solar, tube wells and are fully furnished. This would be the first large scale scheme to give people fully furnished and complete houses. Swaminathan also slammed the owner driven housing model used by previous housing schemes such as the Indian Housing Scheme for allowing people use low quality building material and getting them into debt.

"I thank the Indian government for having built them but if you see the houses themselves, half have not been plastered properly, they have used inferior wood for windows and there are many defects in these houses. This is not against the Indian government, they have given us a lot of support but the houses have not been a complete success," Swaminathan said. The Indian Housing Scheme which aimed to complete 53,000 houses worked on the owner driven model which provided beneficiaries with half built houses so that they could complete it one their own.

The Colombo High Court today further extended its order to freeze for three months 16 fixed deposit accounts and three insurance policies belonging to the family members of former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

Former Minister Wimal Weerawansa arrived at the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) this morning to provide a statement regarding remarks he had made during a television programme on March 3, 2022.

Former President and UNP leader Ranil Wickremeisinghe has appointed Thalatha Athukorala as the new party General Secretary, party sources said. An official announcement is expected to be made shortly.

Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) this morning to record a statement.

The office of the Foreign Minister has issued a statement on delays in appointing High Commissioners and Ambassadors to overseas missions, citing procedural and diplomatic requirements.

5 prominent figures in political circles, including a wife of a politician allegedly involved in various frauds and corruption, are to be arrested in early 2025, reports the ‘Mawbima’ newspaper, citing reliable government sources.

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is to enhance its air capabilities with the addition of eight Bell 206 helicopters from the United States and an FT-7 trainer aircraft from Pakistan this year, the Daily Mirror learns.

Major General Ruwan Wanigasooriya (Retd) has been appointed as the new Chief of National Intelligence, the Ministry of Defence said. He officially received his letter of appointment from Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) yesterday. Major General Wanigasooriya commenced his duties in his new role at the Defence Ministry in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) will contest the upcoming elections, including the Local Government and Provincial Council elections, under the ‘Chair’ symbol, SLFP general secretary Duminda Dissanayake said today.

The crisis involved in the issuance of passports is to exist further in the New Year, since the available stock is sufficient only for the first half of this year, and the government is still at a loss to call for tenders to get fresh copies of the P-series.