<p>Following weeks of political turmoil, foreign outflows remained high, resulting in Sri Lanka's rupee falling to an all time low on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Rupee fell to 181.85 to the dollar during early trade, Reuters <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/sri-lanka-markets/sri-lankan-rupee-hits-…">reported</a>.&nbsp;</p>

A forty-year-old statue of Jesus was destroyed in a vandal attack on a roadside Christian shrine in Mannar yesterday.

Local carollers discovered the shrine in Manthai West, on the Aatkativeli – Paruppukadanthan road, had been attacked on Christmas day.

The statue of Jesus in the locally important and iconic shrine was destroyed, as well as photos of Hindu deities which were also placed at the shrine.

Adampan police said they were investigating the attack.

<p>A Sri Lankan navy officer was arrested for possession of cannabis according to Kankesanthurai (KKS) police.</p> <p>The officer, a 23-year-old from Galle attached to the KKS navy camp in was arrested with over 27 grammes of cannabis.</p> <p>KKS police said he would be produced before a court shortly.</p>

A Muslim man was arrestedin Hingula, Mawanella today accused of vandalising a Buddha statue.  

The suspect, Mohammed Ashfar, is to be produced in court, police said, adding that another man was also involved in the attack. 

The incident is part of a series of attacks on Buddhist places of worship in Mawanella. 

The attacks have been condemned by Minister Kabir Hashim. 

"As soon as I heard the recent attacks, I instructed the police to investigate and arrest those responsible. The two suspects have been apprehended by the authorities and will be subject to the full extent of the law," he said. 

Flood reliefs by local civil society organisations, student bodies and diaspora funded charities continued as thousands of Tamils remain affected by extreme flooding in the Vanni area with key roads cut off and houses still immersed in water. 

Commemorative events were held today across the Tamil homeland to remember the 35,000 victims of the catastrophic tsunami on December 26, 2004. 

<p>The Sri Lankan High Commission in London has £371,003 in unpaid congestion charges and outstanding National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR), the UK Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt noted in a written statement to parliament this week.&nbsp;</p> <p>“The majority of diplomatic missions in the UK pay the NNDR due from them," Hunt pointed out.&nbsp;</p> <p>Sri Lanka's High Commission has an NNDR payment outstanding of £26,278 and unpaid congestion charges amounting to £344,725.&nbsp;</p> <p>Other embassies also had notable outstanding payments, including the Indian High Commission, the US embassy and the Chinese embassy.&nbsp;</p>

Tamil Christians celebrated Christmas today in the homeland, with church services and private celebrations. 

The assassinated Tamil MP Joseph Pararajasingham was remembered across the Tamil homeland today, marking the 13th anniversary of his killing.

Pararajasingham, who was a senior Tamil National Alliance (TNA) figure, and the MP for Batticaloa district, was shot and killed by two armed paramilitary men, whilst he was attending Christmas Eve midnight mass in 2005, at the St Mary's church in Batticaloa town. 

<p>The chair of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) has called on the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to take urgent action to stop Sinhalisation and land-grabs in the Northern Province.</p> <p>Writing to the TNA’s fourteen MPs, NPC chair C V K Sivagnanam urged the party to prioritise tackling violations and land-grabs by Sri Lankan government agencies that act as a front for Sinhala colonisation, namely the archaeology department, forest department and wildlife department.</p>