Former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, will lead the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Local Government elections campaign, from 2 January, Leader of the Joint Opposition, Dinesh Gunawardena said. He added that Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) MPs will join the SLPP campaign, despite explicit warnings given by President Sirisena, that any SLFP member supporting the SLPP will be severely punished. "It is now confirmed that the former President will lead the SLPP Campaign when the inaugural meeting is held at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Tuesday, 2 January," Leader of both, the Joint Opposition and the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, Colombo District MP Dinesh Gunawardena told Ceylon Today last evening.

He also said that there was overwhelming public support for the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, as both the UNP and the SLFP, who are partners in the ruling Unity Government, have failed both politically and economically. He added that the JO was going to score high with the Central Bank Bond Scam, which rocked the very foundations of the Unity Government, being the single largest corruption scandal. The JO Leader also said that all the SLFP Members of Parliament in the JO will be joining the campaign in a bid to show the voters the manner in which the Unity Government, which also has a component of SLFP members as Cabinet rank Ministers, Deputy Ministers and State Ministers, has failed the public in the last three years.

Responding to a question, on the speculation in political circles that 12 SLFP Ministers, Deputies and State Ministers are tipped to rejoin the Flower Bud (Pohottuwa), he was not specific, but said that negotiations were going on at various levels, between those in Government and the SLPP. Even some UNPers, who are with the Party at the grass root level, have offered to join us, he said. He also pleaded with the Elections Commission Chairman, Mahinda Deshapriya, to publish the gazette notification expeditiously so that the names of the contestants would be known. Until the Elections Commissioner publishes this vital document, no one will officially know who the contestants are, he stressed.

Asked what his reactions were to President Maithripala Sirisena announcing that he would appoint a Presidential Commission to probe the operations of the National Carrier SriLankan Airlines and the Regional Carrier Mihin Airways, whose consolidated losses total well over Rs 40 billion, since the Unity Government assumed office three years ago. He reiterated that the Government had failed the people both politically and economically.

However, UPFA General Secretary and Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, when contacted, said that President Maithripala Sirisena will take disciplinary action against all SLFP MPs, including those who held ministerial portfolios in the previous and present regimes, if they violate the Party's code of ethics. This is what was decided at the Central Committee meeting and it will be the Central Committee, which is also chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena, which will decide what disciplinary action would be taken against the offenders, Amaraweera said.

Sri Lanka is considering providing free visas to over 50 countries, it was reported. According to Tourism Ministry sources, a proposal in this regard is to be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers next week.

According to the family members, the funeral service for former Deputy Minister Palitha Thewarapperuma is scheduled to take place this Friday (10).

Admissions for the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) examinations will be issued by next week, the Examinations Department said. Accordingly, admissions will be issued to school applicants through the respective principals and to private applicants by post. The examination is scheduled to be held on May 6.

Preparations are underway to bid farewell to late Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, the founder and President Emeritus of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, with full state honours.

The Sri Lankan Rupee has depreciated further against the US Dollar today (Apr 17), compared to Tuesday, according to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the buying rate of the US Dollar has increased from Rs. 294.20 to Rs. 295.28, while the selling rate has also increased from Rs. 303.54 to Rs. 305.19. The Rupee has also depreciated against several foreign currencies, including Gulf currencies.

The United States (US) Government recently held preliminary talks with the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) in Colombo regarding the planned transfer of a fourth US Coast Guard cutter to the SLN, as part of the ongoing security partnership between both the countries.

Amidst reports that some ex-military men from Sri Lanka have joined the Russian military operations against Ukraine, Sri Lankan Ambassador in Moscow Prof. Janita Liyanage said she asked for details about them from the Russian military if any. She said this in response to a query about media reports to that effect. “I sought such details from the Russian military if there is anyone there,” she said.

Sri Lanka cannot be pushed and bumped into a global conflict and therefore it should be diligent in its dealings with various nations, a Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP said today.

Stressing that it is time to forget party politics, the United National Party (UNP) today invited all political parties to join hands to create a stable nation.

The official vehicle of Primary Industries State Minister Chamara Sampath Dassanayake caught fire this morning in the Halpe area, as reported by the Ella police. They said the vehicle caught fire due to a technical failure.

The Central Bank has purchased the most amount of dollars for a single month in March, a sign that the country is currently in a very comfortable position in its foreign currency liquidity, after two years into the worst currency crisis in the country.

At least ten people were killed in eight road accidents within the past 24 hours in differenet parts of the country, Police said.

A 62-year-old woman who was receiving treatment at the Jaffna Hospital died of Covid-19, hospital sources said. The woman, a resident of Jaffna had arrived from France last week and was admitted to the Jaffna Hospital due to fever.

Sri Lanka’s state-owned enterprises incurred 744.6 billion rupees in losses in 2022, the SOE restructuring unit has said. “52 State-Owned Enterprises in Sri Lanka incurred losses of LKR 744.6 billion in 2022,” SOERU said in a social media post. “When divided by the total number of Citizen, each citizen needs bare LKR 33,949.”

A 17-year-old girl was injured in a shooting incident at Girithale in Minneriya last night, Police said. They said that the Minneriya Police initiated an investigation upon receiving information that the girl had been injured and subsequently admitted to the Polonnaruwa Hospital.

The National STD/AIDS Prevention Program reports that approximately 1,700 cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have been identified in Sri Lanka over the past three years. Of these cases, one-third are reported among young people aged between 15 and 29 years old.

The Sri Lankan Rupee remains steady against the US Dollar at several commercial banks in Sri Lanka today (Apr 15) compared to last week, while it continues to remain below the Rs. 300 rate.

Special security measures have been implemented for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations across the island, with around 4,500 events planned, including music shows and carnivals, Police said.

Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), Recognizes Rwanda Genocide, Calls Attention to Int'l Powers, Disparate Responses for Justice to Alike Tamil Genocide.

All presidential candidates should show the public their apparent qualifications, whether they engage in public debates or not, former Minister Navin Dissanayake said.