Jathika Hela Urumaya General Secretary Patali Champika Ranawaka has said that Minister of Higher Education SB Dissanayake seems to be opening way for another student uprising with his speeches and action.

He said this yesterday evening in response to a question posted in his Q&A session #AskChampika on Twitter. The session took place both on Facebook and Twitter and started at 7pm yesterday.

Four Indian fishermen from a village in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on Friday after they reportedly strayed into Lankan waters, officials said.

Fisheries department officials said that the fishermen from Pushpavanam village, who were reported missing after they ventured out for fishing on Thursday, had strayed into Lankan waters due to a rough sea and were rescued by their Lankan counterparts. They were then handed over to the Sri Lankan Navy.

Defending its submarine’s docking at Colombo port as common practice, Chinese military yesterday termed “utterly groundless” reports that it is setting up 18 naval bases in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar and several other places in the western and southern Indian Ocean.

“The report is not accurate”, Geng Yansheng told a media briefing here replying to a question about a report published in a Namibian newspaper on November 11 quoting a Chinese media report stating that China plans to set up 18 naval in several places including Sri Lanka.

Rathna Bandara, Leader of the National Sinhalese Buddhist People’s Party, today filed a writ petition in Court of Appeal urging the court to declare President Mahinda Rajapaksa had intentionally violated the constitution of the country by enacting 18th amendment to the constitution without having a referendum.

The petitioner stated that owing to this reason the president is disqualified to remain in office, and therefore should be removed from his position with immediate effect.

The common candidate of several left wing political parties including the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) is to be declared today (27).

Speaking, Propaganda secretary of the FSP - Pubudu Jagoda said that the candidate would be revealed today.

Discussions had taken place between five left wing political parties including the FSP for nearly three months.

The broadest mediation to defeat despotic administration and to build a broad people’s movement that will continue beyond the day the presidential election is held that would rally all peoples is the programme of the JVP regarding the presidential election said the Leader of the JVP Anura Dissanayaka.

Mr. Dissanayaka said this at a media conference held at the head office of the JVP at Pelawatta today (24th) to explain the stand the JVP would take regarding the presidential election. The Information Secretary Vijitha Herath and Member of the Political Bureau K.D. Lal Kantha too were present.

Since seeing is believing, the world-record holder for Test wickets goes to a sideboard in the sitting room of his house – open, verdant, yet far from palatial – on the outskirts of Colombo, and kneels. “Come,” Muttiah Muralitharan says, asking for a volunteer.

Palm upwards, the record holder extends his right elbow along the sideboard. It is not straight. To be exact, his elbow rises at an angle of 27 degrees above the horizontal – even when the volunteer pushes down on Murali’s right forearm as hard as he can. Murali’s right elbow simply does not straighten. Nor does his left elbow, which rises 24 degrees above the horizontal. It is a condition, he says, which he inherited from his grandfather.

The Q Branch of the Tamil Nadu police arrested four men in Ramanathapuram district for trying to smuggle 250kg of ganja to Sri Lanka through sea route in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Q Branch sleuths seized the contraband and the vehicles used for the purpose. However, three others managed to escape.

Q Branch officials received a tip-off that ganja was smuggled to Sri Lanka from Keelakarai area in the district and intensified patrolling in the coastal areas.

Soon after arriving in Nepal to take part in the 18th SAARC Summit, President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Lumbini – the birthplace of the Lord Buddha – one of the most sacred places for Buddhists.

Though it’s not the President’s first time in Lumbini, he did participate in a number of events, with particular significance to Sri Lankan Buddhists.

President Rajapaksa first visited and prayed at the Maya Devi Temple, named after Queen Maha Maya, Lord Buddha’s Mother. Dating back to 623 B.C., this Temple houses the exact birthplace of Lord Buddha.

With no ruling party MP crossing over during the third reading vote of the budget, questions have now been raised whether the 'crossover' strategy adopted by common candidate Maithripala Sirisena and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kunaratunga has backfired.

From the outset, the former President assured the main opposition party that SLFP MPs will crossover and join the opposition "in installments."

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) sources report that they are to extend 'strategic support' to the common candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the presidential election.

JVP which stated that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has no legal right to contest at the

Director of the National Catholic Center for Social Communication, Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando has said that the Papal visit will go ahead as planned.
Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando has stated this while speaking to BBC Sandeshaya.

The Presidential Election is to be held on January 08, 2015 while the Papal visit will take place five days later, from January 13-15.

A discussion is to be held between common candidate - Maithripala Sirisena and the Bodu Bala Sena organisation (BBS), reports say.
Upon inquiring, CEO of the BBS - Dilanthe Withanage said to 'Sri Lanka Mirror' a niece of Maithripala Sirisena had informed him this morning that her uncle was hoping to have a discussion with the BBS.

She has also requested the BBS to support her uncle.

Public representatives including all  electorate organisers of the United National Party (UNP) have been summoned to be in Colombo on Nov. 26, internal sources from the party say.
The electorate organisers have been thus summoned in order to engage in a special discussion with the common candidate Maithripala Sirisena.

The meeting will reportedly take place at 10.00 am on that particular day.

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna will announce the decision whether it will support common candidate Maithripala Sirisena in the upcoming presidential election today.
The General Secretary of the JVP Tilvin Silva has told local media that the party leaders have been discussing the current political situation and have come to a decision.
Maintaining that the party has always taken decisions with the interest of the public in mind, Silva has said that the decision at this juncture was also taken after much deliberation.

Pre Election period of 2015 Presidential Elecion is getting increasingly violent as shots were fired two houses in Madampe, Puttalam last night, reports Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE).
According to CaFFE the house of Mr. Milton, a staunch UNP supporter, at Medagama, Madampe was attacked twice after 00.20 today (23). The house of Mr. Sudeh Priyankara, at Second Lane, Medagama, was also attacked.

Vote on the Third Reading of the 2015 Budget is set for tomorrow (24) and Maithripala Sirisena, who is standing in for the presidential election as the common candidate and former Minister Champika Ranawaka have decided to boycott the vote.

Extending support to Maithripala Sirisena,Ministers Rajitha Senaratne, Duminda Dissanayake, M.K.B.S. Gunawardana and MPs including Rajiva Wijesinghe, Perumal Rajadurai and Vasantha Senanayake who quit the government have also decided to boycott the budget debate tomorrow.

Singer Madumadawa Aravinda has stated that the current Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa is to stand in for the general election.

He has made this comment in an interview with 'Mawbima' newspaper.

When the Mawbima journalist questioned whether Gotabaya Rajapaksa will stand in for the next election Madu has said “I do not know that, but he will contest at the general election".

He has further stated that Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero left the government as he was not offered a ministerial portfolio.

Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake yesterday said in a meeting that whether Maithripala Sirisena wins or loses the forthcoming presidential election, he is ultimately the loser.

Ekanayake said that Sirisena is likely to lose the election by a fair margin but even if he wins by some chance, he shall have to abolish the executive presidency and hand over the premiership to UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Therefore, Sirisena will lose either way, Ekanayake added.

In an inquiry made by BBC Sandeshaya with regard to the political agenda to be followed by small political parties at the upcoming presidential election, leaders of 3 leftist parties have stated that they will field presidential candidates.

Accordingly, Frontline Socialist Party (Peratugami Samajawadi Pakshaya), New Sama Samaja Party and United Socialist Party are to field 3 presidential candidates.