Several railway lines are set to be reconstructed under Indian financial assistance.

Accordingly, renovation work is planned along the railway line from Rambukkana to Peradeniya using a credit facility provided by India.

The estimated cost for reconstruction work along the Rambukkana–Kadugannawa section is USD 74 million.

Construction work along the Kadugannawa–Peradeniya railway line is estimated to cost USD 2 million.

Meanwhile, an estimated USD 5 million from Indian assistance will be used to reconstruct the Mahawa–Omanthai section of the Northern Railway Line.

The Department of Railways stated that India has agreed to fund the reconstruction of this section through a grant.

The Government of Sri Lanka has signed a grant agreement valued at EUR 8 million with the European Union to launch a new initiative under the AgriGreen Initiative – Green Economic Growth through Sustainable Agriculture Practices project.

The grant, provided by the European Union, will support a project jointly developed by the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure as lead-Ministry, Rubber Development Department and Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka, and in partnership with the EU, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

The initiative will support Sri Lanka’s transition to green economic growth where sustainable consumption and production practices and food security are ensured, according to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

Further, the project aims to catalyze a shift to more sustainable and environmentally responsible agricultural practices in selected value chains of the rubber sector with special attention to youth and women.

Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, and Dr. Johann H. Hesse, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka, on behalf of the EU were exchanged the signed Grant Agreement.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development expressed sincere appreciation to the European Union for its valuable support, noting that the project aligns closely with Sri Lanka’s sustainable development agenda, including market-oriented value addition and improved integration with export markets, the statement said.

This agreement stands as a testament to the strong and enduring partnership between Sri Lanka and the EU, the Ministry of Finance noted. It marks an important milestone in our shared commitment to green economic growth, sustainable consumption and production practices and food security.

Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala told Parliament today that information uncovered during investigations suggests that Pulasthini Mahendran, also known as Sarah Jasmine and linked to the 2019 Easter attacks, is not dead.

He also said there was no indication that Sarah Jasmine is currently in India.

The Minister added that if required, the government would move to obtain a warrant for her arrest.

Minister Wijepala said investigations into the Easter attacks are ongoing and that legal action has already been initiated based on the information gathered. He noted that the new government is probing whether there was a conspiracy behind the attacks, describing the inquiry as an in-depth investigation. He added that certain details could not be disclosed in Parliament as doing so would hinder ongoing investigations.

Families and relatives of students shot and killed near Trincomalee two decades ago gathered Friday (02) to mark the 20th anniversary of the killings.

The memorial honoured students Manoharan Rajeehar, Yogaraja Hemachandran, Shanmugaraja Gajendran, Logidharaja Rohan, and Thangathurei Sivananda, who were fatally shot on January 2, 2006, near Fort Frederick.

Two other students, Yoganadan Punungalal and Pararajasingham Gokulraj, survived the attack.

The ceremony, held at the Gandhi Roundabout in Trincomalee, saw families lay flowers and light candles in front of photographs of the deceased to pay tribute to their memory.

At the time of the killings, the government under President Mahinda Rajapaksa denied any involvement by security forces.

However, photographs later obtained by Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan, a journalist for Sudar Oli, confirmed the students were shot.

Subramaniam himself was shot dead two weeks later in a high-security zone near the Eastern Governor’s office.

The families had filed legal action against the security personnel allegedly involved and several soldiers were taken into custody but were later released on bail.

The initial government investigation was widely criticized amid allegations that political pressures and ethnic tensions influenced the outcome.

In response, the then-opposition Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) which had supported Mahinda Rajapaksa, staged protests along with local Sinhala nationalist groups, claiming that conducting investigations into the killings would undermine the morale of security forces.

At the time of the 2006 killings, then-Highways Minister Basil Rajapaksa told US Ambassador Robert Blake that government forces were aware of the involvement of Special Task Force personnel but could not prosecute due to insufficient evidence.

Dr. Kasipillai Manoharan, father of the slain student Manoharan Rajeehar, brought the Trincomalee student killings to the United Nations Human Rights Council, but even after 20 years, justice has yet to be served.

He passed away on September 21, 2025, after spending nearly two decades fighting for justice for his son and four other students.

Sri Lanka will implement its already announced visa free scheme from the first quarter of this year, Foreign and Foreign Employment Minister Vijith Herath said.

The scheme was announced last year, but it is yet to be implemented.

“It will be implemented from the first quarter of this year,” the Minister said.

In July last year, Sri Lanka announced that it will add another 33 countries to the list of countries exempted from paying ETA visa fees in a bid to facilitate recovery in its tourism sector.

The 33 countries are in addition to At China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, and Thailand.

However, the government has faced a delay in issuing the gazette related to the visa free scheme.

All schools are scheduled to commence the first phase of the first term of the 2026 academic year today (05).

Accordingly, the Ministry of Education stated that government and government-approved private schools, and pirivenas will resume academic activities from today.

It was further reported that the first term of the 2026 academic year will be implemented in line with the circular issued on December 09, 2025.

The Ministry of Education had taken steps to conclude the 2025 academic year for Sinhala and Tamil schools on December 22, 2025 and for Muslim schools on December 26, 2025.

Meanwhile, under the new education reforms, the Ministry noted that the revised curriculum for Grade 1 will commence on January 29, while the new curriculum for Grade 6 will begin on January 21, 2026.

However, despite this announcement, administrative procedures for admitting students to Grade 6 of other schools based on the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination results can be carried out from today over the course of the coming week.

The Ministry of Education also stated that several schools currently being used to shelter people displaced due to Cyclone Ditwah will not reopen today.

The first phase of the first school term of 2026 will be held from today until January 09, 2026.

In addition, the remaining subjects of the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination, which were temporarily suspended due to Cyclone Ditwah, are scheduled to be held from January 12, 2026.