Opposition leader – Sajith Premadasa has refuted a news report claiming the formation of a joint opposition.

The report on the ‘Deshaya’ newspaper had claimed that Premadasa was holding talks with former Presidents Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe as well as with SLPP MP – Namal Rajapaksa to form a joint opposition.

Taking to X, Premadasa has termed the report as ‘fake news.’

FAKE NEWS! pic.twitter.com/tmGDmGn85H

— Sajith Premadasa (@sajithpremadasa) March 23, 2025

For the first time in Sri Lanka, a sperm bank has been launched yesterday (March 23) within a government hospital – at the Castle Street Hospital for Women in Colombo 08.

This initiative aims to provide hope for individuals and couples facing fertility challenges by offering access to high-quality donor sperm for fertility treatments.

Accordingly, the donation process is designed to be straightforward, requiring donors to undergo only a few medical tests.

Hospital Director Dr. Ajith Kumara Danthanarayana assures that both donor anonymity and recipient privacy will be fully protected, in line with international medical standards.

To ensure the safety and quality of sperm donations, all donors will be required to undergo a series of medical tests before their samples are accepted.

Further commenting, Dr. Ajith Danthanarayana said, “This sperm bank has been functioning for some time now. Through this, we have identified mothers and fathers experiencing infertility issues.”

Donors willing to support parents having infertility issues, can contact the sperm bank at Castle Street Women’s Hospital through the following numbers: 0112 678999 / 0112672216

Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) – Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has stated that the majority of people in this country who fall prey to pyramid schemes, lack financial literacy.

Dr. Nandala made these comments while participating in a recent public awareness program on new technological services provided by banks and financial institutions registered with the CBSL.

“Even though people have money in their hands, there is a higher risk of that money being misused and falling prey to fraud. This is mainly due to a lack of financial literacy and knowledge. In particular, we see online advertisements offering discounts and sending promotional emails. The newest trend is advertising to collect funds while claiming to grow different crops. They say if you invest in cultivating trees, fruit or wallapatta (agarwood), you will get huge returns. Taking advantage of legal loopholes, such schemes will fraudulently take hold of your money and deposit it in pyramid schemes or unauthorized savings, leading to financial losses. So whenever you hear something like this, the first question should be—how is that even possible?”

Dr. Weerasinghe further noted that the CBSL is actively implementing programs aimed at improving public financial literacy.

“One of the main reasons for the negative aspects of digitalization taking place is the lack of financial and economic literacy. This leads to making wrong decisions. Therefore, the CBSL Is implementing a special programme on financial literacy while also promoting digitalization,” he said.