The government has begun negotiations with a few European Union nations in an effort to seek their support to arrest and repatriate to Sri Lanka the notorious and still active Norway-based LTTE Leader Perimpanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyawan, who is believed to be flitting from one European country to another to dodge detection. Nediyawan was even last year responsible for launching an LTTE Tamil Television channel named Deepam to reach and indoctrinate Tamil youth in European nations, in Sri Lanka and targeting a huge South Indian Tamil audience too. Nediyawan coordinated LTTE activities overseas on behalf of the LTTE International Secretariat.

Nediyawan, who is said to have received personal orders from LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran during the latter stages of the war, is currently believed to be the de facto leader of the LTTE following the arrest of Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias KP.

The government has intensified its investigations in a bid to secure the repatriation of Nediyawan to Colombo in an effort to gather evidence of alleged war crimes committed by the LTTE during the last phase of the war. Our source added that efforts to arrest and bring down Nediyawan to Sri Lanka are being synchronized to coincide with the setting up of a domestic mechanism to probe alleged war crimes committed by the Lankan Security Forces during the closing stages of the civil war.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in the course of his recent visit to Sri Lanka that it was imperative to look into whether war crimes had been committed by the LTTE and the government's own Security Forces during the final stages of the 30-year war. The government is determined to get Nediyawan arrested and deported to Colombo and prove through him to the UN that the LTTE had committed war crimes during the final phase of the conflict.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has awarded Sri Lanka a $17 million grant for its proposal, “One Vision, One Shield,” aimed at strengthening pandemic preparedness and response.

In response to Daily Mirror story headlined ‘AKD, Harini clashes over UGC Chairman appointment?’ in yesterday’s edition, the Prime Minister’s Office sent the following clarification.

The latest financial disclosures from the Election Commission reveal that Sajith Premadasa and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), lead in campaign spending for the 2024 Presidential Election, with a total expenditure of Rs. 1.13 billion.

Chanu Nimesha, the Secretary of Women's Affairs of the Sri Lanka Socialist party, has created history by becoming the first transgender individual to contest an election in Sri Lanka. Nimesha will contest from the Kegalle District.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration will visit the southern coastal belt in early November to look for any overstaying tourists from countries like Russia and Israel, where an influx of tourists are expected in the emerging South season for Christmas, the Daily Mirror learns.

The elite Special Task Force (STF) have heightened security in Colombo, Weligama and Ella as well, a day after the US Embassy in Colombo gave a warning of a possible terror threat in Arugam Bay, a senior defence source told Daily Mirror last evening.

While refuting claims by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe that his government had allocated funds required to increase public sector salaries, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that no such funds had been allocated.

A Fundamental Rights petition has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking an order preventing Ranjan Ramanayake from contesting the parliamentary election scheduled for November 14.

Claiming that Sri Lanka has come a long way in terms of undertaking reforms which have led to some hard won gains, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)said they could move fast towards the third review which will come up soon.

The Election Commission has decided to mark the voters' index fingers for this year's general elections, Commissioner General Saman Ratnayake announced. He said the elections are scheduled for November 14, 2024.