President Ranil Wickremesinghe has informed his close associates and hinted to his cabinet that the Presidential Election will be held as scheduled, indicating Basil Rajapaksa's failure in convincing the President to hold the Parliamentary Polls first, the Daily Mirror learns.

A senior political source said that Wickremesinghe had in the past two cabinet meetings discussed the elections and indicated that the Presidential Election would be held as scheduled.

Although the Elections Commission is yet to be notified officially, sources said that the elections will be held in the first week of October.

The three main candidates who will run for the presidency are Ranil Wickremesinghe from the UNP, Sajith Premadasa from the SJB and Anura Kumara Dissanayake from the NPP.

The main SLPP is not expected to field its own candidate and will pledge its support to Wickremesinghe, with the SLPP camp already being divided with some members already pledging their support to the President.

The SLPP have in recent weeks been campaigning for a parliamentary election to be held first with Basil also meeting Wickremesinghe last week in order to convince him, but talks seem to have failed with the President remaining firm on his decision.

The Daily Mirror learns that former UNP members close to Wickremesinghe have advised the President to hold the Presidential Election first instead of the Parliamentary Polls, seeing it as a path for the UNP to enter parliament once again in the event Wickremesinghe wins the Presidential race.

NPP's Anura Kumara Dissanayake who is also continuing a vigorous local and international campaign eyeing to win the Presidency received 3.9 per cent votes in the 2019 Presidential Election. If he is to win the election this year, he will have to increase his vote base drastically to poll at least 50 per cent or above in the upcoming election.

SJB's Sajith Premadasa who won 40 per cent votes in the 2019 election race is also continuing his campaign but with trouble in his camp with last-minute notable crossovers likely before the Presidential Polls, he will need to campaign harder to poll the 50 per cent or above.

Wickremesinghe himself will have to prepare himself for a tough campaign if he wants to win the Presidency. With the UNP getting wiped out in the past election, political sources say his campaign will need to be stronger, especially at the grassroots level where the UNP has always lacked popularity.

Political analysts have rubbished the recent polls being released on social media by various organizations and individuals indicating percentages on which candidate is likely to win the presidential race as still over 40 per cent of voters still seem to be undecided on who to vote for in the upcoming election, due to the failure of politicians in general which led to the country's turmoil and worst ever economic crisis.

A man in Mullaitivu District claimed to be the tallest person in Sri Lanka. According to BBC Sinhala Service, Gunasingham Kasenthiran, a former cadre of the proscribed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who lives in Kaiveli, Puthukudiruppu is seven feet two inches tall.

In an effort to nip any discord with India in the bud, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) faction led by Nimal Siripala de Silva as acting chairman called on Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and disassociated itself from remarks by its former Chairman Maithripala Sirisena implicating alleged Indian involvement in orchestrating the Easter Sunday attacks, an informed source said.

The Sri Lankan Rupee has depreciated slightly against the US Dollar at commercial banks in Sri Lanka today (Apr 29) compared to last week. According to Seylan Bank, the buying and selling rates of the US Dollar are unchanged at Rs. 290.50 and Rs. 301, respectively.

An attempt to send a 17-year-old boy abroad on forged travel documents was foiled and two women suspected of their involvement in the racket were arrested by the Border Surveillance Unit of the Department of Immigration and Emigration at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has expressed serious concern over recent remarks made by Minister Tiran Alles, and urging President Ranil Wickremesinghe to remove him from the portfolio of Public Security.

Political tremors are expected on May Day (Wednesday) as members of a few political parties are expected to appear at the UNP May Day rally, UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said over the weekend.

The Anuradhapura High Court on Friday passed a death sentence on five police officers who were found guilty of killing eight Tamil civilians at the Bharathipuram village in Kantale 26 years ago. The sentence was passed by High Court Judge Manoj Thalgodapitiya.

Former Army commander Sarath Fonseka told Parliament today (April 26) that the person who had groomed the main Easter Sunday suicide bomber – Zahran Hashim, is the current head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) Maj Gen (Rtd.) Suresh Salley.

Sri Lankan-born Rt Rev Anashuya Fletcher was recently ordained and installed as Assistant Bishop of Wellington, New Zealand. The event was held at the Wellington Cathedral of St. Paul and was attended by over 600 well-wishers.

Australia has decided to donate an aircraft to support maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) including Sri Lanka.

More than 7,000 soldiers who deserted the Sri Lanka Army have received legal discharge during an amnesty period declared by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence.

The Sri Lankan Government has rejected a request for an American research ship to enter Sri Lankan waters. This decision is in line with the Government’s policy of not allowing any research vessel to enter Sri Lankan waters.

Alexis Taylor, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), together with U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung, met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and other senior government officials to discuss USDA support for Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector, a statement from the US Embassy said.

Refuting reports that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa avoided meeting visiting Iranian President Dr. Ebrahim Raisi, SJB MP Nalin Bandara said yesterday that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa did not get an appointment from the Iranian Embassy to meet the Iranian President.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam on Thursday accused the infamous Tripoli platoon, a paramilitary intelligence unit, of involvement in the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019.

The ruling alliance, led by the Podu Jana Peramuna, popularly known as the Buds Party, has endorsed Ranil Wickremasinghe as its candidate for the upcoming Presidential Elections, set to take place in the third week of October, according to a reliable inside source.

ormer Minister Basil Rajapaksa met Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha yesterday (27) and discussed. The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka conveyed a X message regarding the meeting, highlighting discussions on matters of mutual interest, including the political situation.

A 30-year-old man was arrested by the Biyagama Police in Kaduwela for possession of a substantial haul of narcotics. Police said the suspect was carrying 15 kilograms of ICE, 14 kilograms of hash and 941 grams of heroin at the time of the arrest.

Ahead of the presidential election scheduled for October this year, the foreign powers have ramped up their efforts in the assessment of ground political developments as was in the case of vital elections in the past.

Refuting reports that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa avoided meeting visiting Iranian President Dr. Ebrahim Raisi, SJB MP Nalin Bandara said today that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa did not get an appointment from the Iranian Embassy to meet the Iranian President.