Two villages in the Vadamaraadchi region of the Jaffna peninsula saw Christmas events organised by the Sri Lankan Army.

Sri Lanka’s outgoing Bank of Ceylon Bank of Ceylon chairman has stated that rates of default on state loans were almost zero in the North-East, a stark contrast to the rest of the country.

Gamini Wickramasinghe was quoted as saying,

A Russian nuclear power team will visit Sri Lanka laster this month to inspect the energy sector output on the island.

The Russian ambassador Alexander Kerchava last month offered Russia's assistance to Sri Lanka in trade, energy, economy and the social sector, reported ColomboPage.

The governor of the Central Bank, Ajith Cabraal, said that the Sri Lankan economy would grow to $100bn by 2016 and predicted a bright future for the country.

Suresh Premachandran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, has said that international intervention is needed to reach a political solution in Sri Lanka, reports Uthayan.

There has been uproar and anger amongst Buddhist clergy and trade union leaders over the government's official calendar, which does not include Poya days (full moon days) as holidays for public servants and private sector employees.

The decision of when to resume operations at the University of Jaffna will be taken after Thaipongal, reports Uthayan.

The Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, Lt Gen Jagath Jayasuriya, extended his New Year wishes to the armed forces.

Jayasuriya, in a speech at the army headquarters, expressed his pride in the dedication his forces had shown to development projects in the country.

The Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse has joined his brother in accusing foreign conspiracies for bringing the country into disrepute.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a building, he also claimed that all Sri Lankans are now living in harmony.

The military has no intention of withdrawing army camps in Jaffna despite intense pressure exerted by the international community and Tamil political parties, reported The Sunday Leader.

The brother of Khuram Shaikh, the British man murdered in Sri Lanka on Christmas day last year has spoken out about the lack of action with the case.

Nasser Shaikh told BBC Breakfast that the stalled case was "disheartening" and "gives out the wrong message".

Matt Baker, parliamentary aide for Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk, who has taken up the case said:

A Tamil doctor has been arrested by the Sri Lankan military and detained at the military base in Kokkaavil, reports Uthayan.