The parliamentary debate on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed indefinitely, senior ministers have confirmed. Minister Rajitha Senaratne said the debate on the constitutional amendment is to be postponed until President Maithripala Sirisena returns from New York.   

The matter has become the main focus of discussions between the two political parties in the Coalition Government. The United National Party (UNP) will take the matter up for discussion today at the group meeting, senior UNP minister and Chief Government Whip Gayantha Karunathilaka told Daily FT. Sri Lanka Freedom Party Leader, President Maithripala Sirisena, who met the membership before he left to take part in the United Nations General Assembly, has instructed his party to prepare for elections. The Supreme Court determination on the proposed amendment has been communicated to the Speaker, who is expected to make the announcement on Tuesday.

Political sources say that the Supreme Court has determined that the amendment can be adopted only after a referendum, which the Government is unlikely to stage. Instead sources say the Government is likely to opt for elections. The Chairman of the Elections Commission, Mahinda Deshapriya, has already announced that an election in the Eastern, Sabaragamuwa and North Central provincial councils will be held his year if the 20th Amendment is not passed in Parliament. The term of the three provinces expires on 30 September. The Election Commission is required to announce a date for the election within a week of expiry. The only available date for elections is 9 December, Deshapriya revealed last week.

President Sirisena yesterday said that the upcoming provincial council elections would be held under the electorate system. The system would apply to the general elections as well. Deshapriya also announced this last week that if the 20th Amendment was passed, the commission would take at least a year to draw up the new electorates. Deshapriya stressed that though the process was complicated they would draw up the registers within a year

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.

No permission has been granted for the import of rice, other than Basmati rice for the needs of tourist hotels, Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said.

The Election Commission (EC) is set to officially declare the date for this year’s Presidential Election in August, as confirmed by EC Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake.

People remain confused since the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs and Provincial has not defined the additional holiday declared on April 15 as a banking and mercantile holiday.

Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani Leader and Opposition Parliamentarian C.V. Wigneswaran called on the majority community-based Presidential candidates to clearly outline their solutions to the Tamil community's issues in the presence of foreign diplomats, if they (candidates) seek the Tamil community's support.

The Sri Lankan Rupee is unchanged against the US Dollar at several commercial banks in Sri Lanka today (Apr 11) compared to Wednesday, while it continues to remain below the Rs. 300 rate.