The first skeletal draft calling for a 'federal government' by the Tamil People Council (TPC) will be ready by end January, and the final draft will be shown to Australia based former 34th Attorney General of Sri Lanka Sivakumaran Pasupathy who is in Jaffna, sources told Ceylon Today. The Council which met yesterday has invited experts on Sri Lankan Constitution have been meeting often to hold discussions on the matter, he added.

According to the reliable source, the second draft will be ready by March end. The TPC, headed by Chief Minister of Northern Province C. V. Wigneswaran, which aims to support the government in finding a permanent political solution to the Tamil issue will be calling for a political solution in the form of a federal system, a call several decades old.

The sources revealed that Northern Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran had expressed his interest that the 34th AG of Sri Lanka should be part of the expert committee that is drafting a proposal to the intended new Constitution of the government. The sources said "Pasupathy is not involved in the drafting the proposal so far but they hope he will be given the final draft to get his opinion.

"So far he is not involved in the Council work. We will also want the Tamil National Alliance to work along with us." If they invite us for talks we will be ready to do so, a senior member of the Council who did not want to be disclosed reiterated to Ceylon Today. We also will want Minister of National Dialogue and Leader of Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Mano Ganesan to get involved in the Council's attempt to find a political solution. The TNA should welcome such a back up system the TPC is doing because we are looking for a solution not only to the North and East Tamils but to the Tamils in the hill country and scattered all over the island he said.

He also added that a decision for the Muslims will also be taken in to consideration. He said that the objective is that end of the day all should live in a peaceful atmosphere conducive to all. Pasupathy engaged in the talks between the Tamil Tigers and the government during the Norwegian facilitation.

The National Security Council, chaired by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, held a meeting today (19) at the Presidential Secretariat to discuss preparations for the 2024 Presidential election.

Canada announced Wednesday it was slashing international student permits next year, and tightening foreign worker rules to further bring down the number of temporary residents in the country.

Three persons, including the invigilator, who were on duty at the examination centre of the Rathmale Thissa Maha Vidyalaya in Anuradhapura were to be suspended over the leakage of a Grade 5 Scholarship Examination question paper, North Central Provincial Education Director S.M.W. Samarakoon said.

The Examinations Department and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have launched an investigation into concerns raised over the first paper of the recently held Grade 5 Scholarship examination.

Sri Lanka has reached agreements with external commercial creditors to restructure approximately USD 17.5 bn of external debt, achieving a 40.3% Net Present Value (NPV) concession, the President’s Media Division said.

The Education Ministry today announced the closure of all schools tomorrow (20) as requested by the Election Commission. The schools will reopen on Monday (23).

The Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) has announced a trade union action tomorrow (18), targeting hospitals across the country, GMOA spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe said.

Six teachers, including a school principal in an examination centre in Anuradhapura, who had allegedly shared the first question paper of the Grade Five scholarship examination using a mobile phone, were taken into custody by the officials of the Examinations Department.

Over the past 76 years, politics in the country has turned into a massive business, causing widespread hardships, Presidential candidate Janaka Rathnayaka said.

SJB presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa, addressing a rally, pledged to provide targeted fuel subsidies to essential workers, including farmers, fishermen, three-wheeler drivers and school van/bus operators.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the presidential candidate of the National People’s Power (NPP), has pledged to completely remove VAT on essential sectors such as food, education, and healthcare.

PAFFREL has received reports from the Nuwara Eliya area over a group distributing boxes of matches featuring a Presidential candidate's picture and election symbol on either side. Executive Director of PAFFREL, Rohana Hettiarachchi, said he has informed the Assistant Commissioner of Elections for the Nuwara Eliya district about this issue.

The Public Security Ministry said that there are currently no plans to impose a curfew on election day and that all security measures are in place, with the armed forces on standby if necessary.

NPP MP Vijitha Herath hinted that the Prime Minister could be a female in a National People's Power (NPP) government. Speaking at a meeting in Minuwangoda, he said after the victory on September 21, a new Cabinet will be appointed with the powers vested with the President under Article 47.3 of the Constitution and parliament will be dissolved.

MP Patali Champika Ranawaka, leader of the United Republic Front, urged voters planning to support Ranil Wickremesinghe or the SLPP not to waste their votes.

Claiming that Sri Lanka has not established any new consulates nor made additional honorary consul appointments in Israel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry said Sri Lanka continues to maintain its official embassy in Tel Aviv, which has been the sole diplomatic mission in Israel since 2000.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has pledged to bring in a legislation to ban corporal punishment soon.

The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) has officially reached a final decision to endorse Sajith Premadasa, the presidential candidate of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), at the upcoming presidential election. The announcement came after a party meeting held this morning (Sep. 16) in Vavuniya, where the party’s central committee made the final decision.

An investigation has been launched after a back-up helicopter escorting President Ranil Wickremesinghe made an emergency landing on Saturday. The Sri Lanka Air Force Bell 412 (SUH 522) made an unplanned landing in a paddy field in Eppawala yesterday due to a technical issue.

National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that his government would cancel Indian conglomerate Adani’s 450 MW wind power project in Sri Lanka if elected. He claimed the agreement was corrupt and skewed against Sri Lanka’s interests.