Born on April 30, 1947, in Kelaniya as Wanni Arachchige Malani Senehelatha Fonseka, she later rose to fame in Sri Lankan cinema under the name Malani Fonseka.

Fonseka began her acting career on stage in 1963 and made her cinematic debut in 1968 with the film Punchi Baba.

She won the Most Popular Actress award in 1973 and has received numerous accolades, including the President’s Award, Sarasavi Award, OCIC Award, and Sumathi Award, with several honors for Best Actress.

Plays such as Nidhanaya, Bambaru Awitha, Wekande Walawwa, Aradhana, and Ammawarune are regarded as outstanding works that showcased the acting talents of Malani Fonseka.

Beyond her artistic achievements, she entered politics in 2010 and served as a National List Member of Parliament until 2015.

Accordingly, the announcement issued by the Ministry states that schools should be held on Monday (May 26) and (May 27), for the school holiday.

It also notes that the second term for Muslim schools in the 2025 school year will begin on May 26.

Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the Uva province and in the Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the evening or night.

Fairly heavy falls above 75 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in the Galle, Matara, Nuwara-Eliya and Kandy districts.

Fairly strong winds of about 30-40 kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the central hills and in the Northern, North-central, North-western and Southern provinces and in the Trincomalee district.

The general public has also been requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

The directive was issued during a four-hour meeting held today (May 20) at the Presidential Secretariat, attended by the airline’s Board of Directors and representatives from all affiliated trade unions.  

The discussions aimed to secure the collective commitment of stakeholders to uphold the government’s decision to retain state ownership of the airline, eliminate losses and steer it toward recovery. President Disanayake stressed that rebuilding SriLankan Airlines would be impossible without unified efforts, adding that the institution must develop its internal capacity to rebuild itself.  

Asserting the government’s role as the political authority, the President reiterated its commitment to making “all necessary sacrifices” to rescue Sri Lanka from its economic crisis. He emphasised that reviving the national carrier is the shared responsibility of its entire workforce.  

Highlighting the allocation of Rs. 20 billion from the budget for SriLankan Airlines, the President underscored the need for stringent fiscal accountability, noting that these funds, drawn from public taxes, must be utilised efficiently. He also welcomed the “positive trend” of April’s operational revenue surpassing targets.  

New proposals have been presented by the Board of Directors to transform SriLankan Airlines, which operates under government ownership, into a profitable entity. In line with these proposals, the trade union representatives who participated in the discussions stated before the President that they would extend their full support to achieving these goals. 

Key Attendees at the meeting included: Mr. Sarath Ganegoda, Chairman of SriLankan Airlines and members of the Board of Directors, representatives from trade unions, including: Flight Attendants’ Union (FAU), the Airline Pilots’ Guild of Sri Lanka (ALPGSL), the Association of Licensed Aircraft Engineers (ALAE), the SriLankan Airlines Aircraft Technicians’ Association (SLAATA), and the Sri Lanka Nidhahas Sewaka Sangamaya (SLNSS), the Inter-Company Employees’ Union (ICEU) and the SriLankan Airlines Executive Association (EASLA). 

(President’s Media Division)

Accordingly, the appointments made are as follows : 

Chief Innovation Officer of National Innovation Agency – Dr. Muditha Darshana Senarath Yapa Appointed 

New Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries – Dr. Kolitha Kamal Jinadasa

Secretary to the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment – Sampath Manthrinayake

Chief Secretary of the Northern Province – Ms. Thanuja Murugesan

During this visit, the Deputy Prime Minister is expected to pay courtesy calls on President Anura Kumara Disanayaka and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, and hold bilateral discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism H.M. Vijitha Herath, aimed at enhancing cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, agriculture, education, connectivity, tourism and sports. Deputy Prime Minister Peters is also expected to have several private sector and media engagements during the visit.

The Deputy Prime Minister will be accompanied by three senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand.

As a result, the establishment of LG bodies is expected to be delayed further.

In this backdrop, the EC has instructed all political parties and independent groups to submit their name lists within a week.

The gazette on the newly appointed members will follow only after the EC receives all lists.

(Source : Lankadeepa)

The relevant program is scheduled to be held today (May 17) at the historic Padeniya temple and is allegedly scheduled to be held in a manner that is harmful to Buddhism.

The letter notes that the Deputy Minister has taken steps to cancel the program following complaints from various parties, citing strong displeasure expressed by the local Buddhist community.

According to the Ministry, the vocational stream will be offered in 608 schools starting this year.

The Ministry further clarified that students who have not passed the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) examination will still be eligible to apply, as O/L results will not be a determining factor for admission to this stream.

For this, students need to submit an application to the principal of the school they wish to enroll in.

She was granted the opportunity to arrive at the premises next Monday (May 19) and her personal belongings in the chambers.

Until then, the chambers will come under police protection.

The chambers were sealed over several complaints received by the JSC against Justice Wijebandara, reports say.

It is also reported that proceedings of the Kaduwela Magistrate’s Court are suspended at the present.