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.

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.

The CID has questioned former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s chief security officer Neville Wanniarachchi.

General Shavendra Silva, the 8th Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of Sri Lanka, will retire from his position and active service in the Sri Lanka Army on January 1, 2025.

A Jeju Air plane veered off the runway and collided with a fence in South Korea's Muan city on Sunday. Out of the 181 passengers, 179 are feared killed. The authorities have so far confirmed 167 deaths from the accident.

The Sri Lanka Customs have cleared 75,000 metric tons of imported rice as of December 29, following the government’s move to allow rice imports without permits.

The Government of Sri Lanka has extended its deepest sympathies following the tragic crash of Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 at Muan Airport in the Republic of Korea earlier today.

Just hours after the tragic plane crash in South Korea, a portion of an Air Canada plane caught fire after skidding down the runway at the Halifax airport. The airport was briefly shut down as a result, according to CBC News.

The Ministry of Defence will undertake a comprehensive review of the armed forces to ensure their primary role of defending the nation remains their core focus, Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) said.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) ally the Tamil Progressive Alliance is slated to contest the local government elections under its symbol, a party senior said yesterday.

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.

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.

The Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board revealed that floods in November damaged approximately 80,000 acres of farmland. According to the Board, crop damage assessments were completed in Polonnaruwa, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, and Mannar, with compensation pending final reports.

Sri Lanka has welcomed its 2 millionth tourist who arrived from Bangkok this year, at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), after a five-year gap. This marks the fourth time in history that annual tourist arrivals have surpassed 2 million, with previous instances occurring in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

The Cabinet of Ministers approved drafting a new bill to combat illegal and unregulated poaching in Sri Lankan waters, replacing the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act No. 2 of 1996.

Sri Lanka Police has suspended its annual transfer orders for 2025 for six months. The suspension was based on a directive from Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Weerasooriya on 24 December.

The National People's Power (NPP) is to contest the upcoming Local Government (LG) and Provincial Council (PC) Elections under its current structure, with the groups currently aligned with them.

The government is yet to assign vehicles to the MPs of the new Parliament though it has taken a policy decision to do so. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Daily Mirror yesterday that the government is currently in the process of auctioning luxury vehicles. He said most of the MPs were using their own vehicles at the moment.

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna had decided to go to court over reducing the strength of security provided to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.