The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) plans to take disciplinary action against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and 36 other SLFP parliamentarians who attended the Joint Opposition's 'Jana Satana' rally held in Hyde Park on Thursday (17), party sources said. General Secretary of the SLFP Minister Duminda Dissanayake earlier said that the party will take stern disciplinary action against members who contravene the party constitution and attend the rally without the permission from the party.

Dissanayake said the members, who attended the joint opposition rally, have challenged decisions taken by the SLFP Central Committee and thereby disgraced the party. After accurately studying the information with regard to the incident legal action will be taken according to the party constitution against the members who attended the rally, he added.

Speaking to local media SLFP MP Dullas Alahapperuma said the rally was held against the government ruled by the United National Party and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and it was not against the President Maithripala Sirisena or the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. According to MP Alahapperuma, 37 SLFP parliamentarians including three senior vice presidents and four vice presidents of the party attended the rally along with 284 provincial council members and thousands of local government members.

The MP pointing out that if disciplinary action has to be taken, then SLFP has to expel all of those who attended, said the President as a mature politician will not take any disciplinary action against SLFP members who protested against the UNP government.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe paid his last respects to former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi today. He also met Indian Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi at Singh's residence.

A Sri Lankan woman with health issues caused a plane to make an emergency landing at the Erbil International Airport on Wednesday. She died in the Kurdish capital hours later, according to Sri Lanka’s honorary consul.

Sri Lankan President Anura Dissanayake expressed interest in joining BRICS in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the republic's ambassador to Moscow Pakir Amza told RIA Novosti.

While the Government has pledged to initiate a fresh investigation into the murder of rugby player Wasim Thajudeen, it has yet to reach out to the Thajudeen family or their lawyer regarding the ongoing cases and the promised new probe, The Daily Morning learnt.

The Agricultural and Agrarian Insurance Board revealed that floods in November damaged approximately 80,000 acres of farmland. According to the Board, crop damage assessments were completed in Polonnaruwa, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, and Mannar, with compensation pending final reports.

Sri Lanka has welcomed its 2 millionth tourist who arrived from Bangkok this year, at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), after a five-year gap. This marks the fourth time in history that annual tourist arrivals have surpassed 2 million, with previous instances occurring in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

The Cabinet of Ministers approved drafting a new bill to combat illegal and unregulated poaching in Sri Lankan waters, replacing the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act No. 2 of 1996.

Sri Lanka Police has suspended its annual transfer orders for 2025 for six months. The suspension was based on a directive from Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Priyantha Weerasooriya on 24 December.

The National People's Power (NPP) is to contest the upcoming Local Government (LG) and Provincial Council (PC) Elections under its current structure, with the groups currently aligned with them.

The government is yet to assign vehicles to the MPs of the new Parliament though it has taken a policy decision to do so. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Daily Mirror yesterday that the government is currently in the process of auctioning luxury vehicles. He said most of the MPs were using their own vehicles at the moment.