Namal Rajapaksa, son of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, handed over his application papers to the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) to contest the upcoming general elections from the Hambantota district. The UPFA is in the process of accepting applications for candidates to contest the polls under the UPFA banner.

Streamlined process to upgrade ‘tour guide’ service

The Ministry of Tourism has launched a new programme to streamline tour guide services, giving this most vital service in the local tourism industry a more official status. The Minister of Tourism, Achala Jagoda, explained that tourists face unexpected consequences due to the presence of inexperienced and self-labelled ‘tour guides’ who are not even registered with the Ministry. He said that while the number of ‘tour guides’ registered with the Ministry amount to 3477 there are many others also operating as ‘tour guides’.

Police warn opposition protestors

Following reports that the opposition was planning to stage a massive protest against the government and the President in Colombo on Wednesday, the police today warned that any attempt to disrupt the peace will be dealt with severely.

Police spokesman SSP I.M Karanaratna, speaking to Daily Mirror online, said that the police have not been informed of an opposition protest in Colombo but added that if such an illegal protest is staged there are measures that the police will take at the time.

He warned that if the protestors attempt to disrupt the peace then riot squads will be used to control the situation, as is the case with any other violent protest.