Sep 28 (DM) As SL marks World Rabies Day today, the country’s approach to controlling the deadly disease has come under sharp criticism, with the Veterinary Surgeon and Animal Welfare Coalition (AWC) alleging that authorities have placed greater emphasis on treating people after dog bites than preventing rabies at its source. A veterinary surgeon associated with the AWC alleged that billions of rupees were being spent on post-exposure treatment of people while insufficient more..

Sep 28 (AD) The Western Province Civil Appellate High Court today rejected a request by MP Dayasiri Jayasekara seeking to be recognised as the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). MP Jayasekara had filed a case before the Colombo District Court seeking an order recognising him as the party’s General Secretary and an interim injunction preventing Duminda Dissanayake from functioning as General Secretary and Nimal Siripala de Silva from serving as party Chairman. more..

Sep 28 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the Govt of undermining SL’s solar power sector through recent policy changes, claiming that the measures favour fuel and thermal power generation. Premadasa made the remarks during a visit to the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), where he raised concerns over the Govt’s decision to discontinue Net Metering & Net Accounting for new rooftop more..

Sep 28 (NW) Department of Wildlife Conservation has decided to take legal action against motorists who feed wild elephants along the Kataragama–Buttala road, amid concerns that the practice has caused elephants to remain near the busy roadway and increased the risk of attacks on vehicles. Wildlife officials say around eight wild elephants have become accustomed to stopping vehicles along the road in search of food. More than 2,000 vehicles use the Kataragama–Buttala road daily, more..

Sep 28 (DM) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in an apparent reference to former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, claimed that a former President had requested 16 cooks after retiring from office. Dissanayake said his Govt had not provided a single cook to any former President since assuming office. Addressing a rally in Gampaha yesterday, he said the NPP Govt had changed the country’s political culture from one based on privileges and benefits to one focused on public service. more..

Sep 28 (NF) SL's remarkable year in athletics reached its greatest moment yet on Monday as Rumesh Tharanga won the gold medal in the men's javelin throw at the Asian Games 2026, becoming the first SL athlete ever to win an Asian Games gold medal in javelin throw. Competing in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, the SL star entered the final carrying the expectations of a nation and the reputation of being the world's top-ranked more..

Sep 28 (NW) The Colombo High Court will deliver its ruling on October 8 on the preliminary objections raised by the defence in the corruption case filed by the CIABOC against former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa and two others. The three defendants, who are currently out on bail, are former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, former Director of the Office for Reparations Sepalika Saman Kumari, and former Director General of the Mahaweli Authority Keerthi Kotagama. more..

Sep 28 (NW) An arrest warrant has been issued for SL cricketer Chamika Karunaratne after he failed to appear before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court in connection with a maintenance case involving a child whom he is alleged to have fathered, an allegation Karunaratne denies. Colombo Additional Magistrate Kasun Dasanayake ordered that Karunaratne be arrested and produced before court after he was absent when the case was taken up on Sept 28. However, Karunaratne is currently in more..

Sep 28 (DM) The Supreme Court today dismissed at the inception two petitions filed against DIG Shani Abeysekara, Public Security Ministry Secretary Ravi Seneviratne and Rev. Father Cyril Gamini, alleging that they had committed contempt of court. The petitions were filed by retired Air Force officer Shantha Jayathilaka. The petitions were taken up before a 3-judge bench of the SC comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justices Achala Wengappuli and Arjuna Obeyesekere. more..

Sep 28 (DM) MP Namal Rajapaksa has been named as a suspect in a case being investigated by the CIABOC before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court in connection with the Krrish deal. The case has been filed by the CIABOC over allegations of financial irregularities and bribery involving Krrish, a prominent Indian property development company. Investigations and court proceedings into the matter are continuing. Following an order obtained from the court on Sept 24, more..

Sep 28 (Island) People’s Struggle Movement activist Wasantha Mudalige yesterday alleged that there were serious irregularities in the tender process initiated to purchase 500 body cameras for police officers and called for the procurement process to be cancelled and restarted. Mudalige said the decision to equip police officers with body cameras was necessary, but questioned the manner in which procurement process more..

Sep 28 (NW) Three suspects have been arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting a shooting targeting a group travelling in a three-wheeler in the Halpathota area of Baddegama, Police said. The arrests were made on Sunday by officers of the Elpitiya Divisional Crime Investigation Bureau, which launched an investigation into the shooting reported earlier that day. According to Police, a group travelling in a car had opened fire at several people travelling in a three-wheeler in Halpathota. more..

Sep 28 (FT) ITAK MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has called in Parliament for reforms to give local authorities modern revenue powers, adequate resources, and greater autonomy. He warned that councils are being asked to fund more of their own costs while their ability to raise income remains outdated. Rasamanickam raised the matter last week and alleged that some local authorities are currently required to meet about 20% to 40% of their salary expenditure from their own revenue, more..

Sep 28 (NW) SL head coach Gary Kirsten said he was reluctant to make major changes after the team lost its T20I series 3-0 and the ODI series 2-1 against England. “I’m personally reluctant to make big changes because I want to develop the players we’ve got and that we selected as the best players currently,” Kirsten said. He said SL’s focus was on improving in Tests and ODIs while preparing for next year’s World Cup. “My focus is not just more..

Sep 28 (ST) Attorney General has decided not to indict former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa over the May 2022 attack on protesters at Gotagogama in Galle Face during the Aragalaya period. At the time of the attack, Mr Rajapaksa was serving as PM in the govt of Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his brother. Decision not to file indictments against Mr Rajapaksa was taken as the AG had deemed the evidence presented by investigators insufficient to charge him with the attack, more..

Sep 28 (EN) SL’s central bank is looking for a cybersecurity professional, a Red Team Specialist, to look for advanced threat actors and simulate real-world cyberattacks. The position is a contract role for three years, aimed at boosting the regulator’s proactive threat intelligence, network defense, and breach simulation capabilities. The specialist will be tasked with executing intelligence-led red team engagements and proactive hunt missions. Responsibilities include tracking more..

Sep 28 (USE) U.S. Embassy in SL, through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence (NSDD), partnered with the SL Navy for a five-day workshop Sept 21–25 to strengthen SL’s capacity to detect and deter nuclear smuggling. U.S. experts worked with SL participants to develop standard operating procedures for nuclear smuggling detection operations, drawing on international best practices while ensuring procedures align with SL’s legislative and more..

Sep 28 (DM) Sri Lanka is seeking to expand exports of high-quality marine products, including tuna, prawns and crabs, to the Russian market, Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar said. He made the remarks during a meeting with Russian Ambassador to SL Levan S. Dzhagaryan at the Ministry of Fisheries today. The meeting focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in fisheries, maritime trade and economic relations, with particular attention to increasing access for more..

Sep 28 (NF) For years, SL roads have operated on a familiar formula. Break a traffic rule. Pay a fine. Move on. But officials now believe that formula has failed to change the behaviour of a small but dangerous group of repeat offenders who continue to rack up violations, putting lives at risk every day. That is why, starting this October, SL will begin testing a new Demerit Points System, a pilot programme that could fundamentally change more..

Sep 28 (DM) SLPP MP D.V. Chanaka said discussions were underway to organise a major rally to rival the recently held Anuradhapura rally, with the aim of pressuring the Govt to fulfil its promises to the people. Chanaka said a large number of people in the country continued to hold SLPP leaders Namal Rajapaksa and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in high regard. He claimed that despite attempts to imprison Namal Rajapaksa, the public was rallying around him. more..

Sep 28 (Island) NPP Executive Committee member Lal Wijenayake said that he would continue with the ruling party though he disagreed with the 22nd Amendment, sans a referendum. That position wouldn’t be changed, lawyer Wijenayake said, adding that he would continue to support whatever action taken by the BASL to highlight the damaging consequences of the new amendment. Wijenayake said so in response to a query whether he could continue with the NPP after having opposed more..

Sep 28 (NW) Fuel bowser operators have warned that they could withdraw from fuel distribution from Friday if authorities fail to resolve long-standing concerns over the pricing formula governing their transport operations. Ceylon Petroleum Private Bowser Owners’ Association said representatives of two associations linked to fuel bowser operators, together with an association representing fuel station owners, met CPC more..

Sep 28 (NW) Sri Lanka have dropped from sixth to seventh in the latest ICC men’s ODI team rankings following their series defeat to England. England have moved up to sixth, with both teams listed on 95 rating points. Sri Lanka had climbed to fourth in 2025 after a strong run of ODI results, including record home series wins. Those performances helped the team secure automatic qualification for the 2027 Cricket World Cup. Their latest ranking fall does not affect that qualification. more..

Sep 28 (AD) The Colombo High Court ordered that the case filed against Yoshitha Rajapaksa and his grandmother, Daisy Forrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act be called on November 3 for a pre-trial conference. When the case was taken up today, Yoshitha Rajapaksa appeared before the court. The second defendant, Daisy Forrest, was not present in court. President’s Counsel Anil Silva, appearing on her behalf, submitted a medical report to the court. more..

Sep 28 (FT) The Govt has published a revised Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill in a Gazette Supplement dated 18 Sept 2026 and released on 22 Sept. Ambika Satkunanathan’s analysis in the Daily FT on 26 Sept sets out what has changed and what has not, and I share most of her concerns. They fall under scope, supervision and sunset, starting with a definition of terrorism that, though modelled on the UN Special Rapporteur’s, still covers damage to property, environment, more..

Sep 28 (FT) A disturbing audio clip has been circulating widely on various social media platforms in Sri Lanka. In the recording, an over-bearing and aggressive male speaker is heard talking to a lady purported to be a Central Bank of SL (CBSL) officer. The man launches a bitter attack on the Central Bank, accusing it of destroying his family’s livelihood. He loudly blames the bank for throwing his wife and children onto the street by cutting off a regular, lucrative monthly income. more..

Sep 28 (FT) A proposal for a fuel subsidy of Rs. 41 billion covering the next three months will be presented to Cabinet today, with a decision expected, as world oil prices climb again following a renewed escalation of the US/Israel-Iran war. Govt said Rs. 41 billion had been allocated for fuel subsidies for the next three months so that the burden of high world market prices would not be passed fully on to the public. more..

Sep 28 (AD) Police are investigating a possible link to imprisoned drug trafficker Loku Patty following a deadly shooting targeting a three-wheeler in Halpathota, Baddegama, this morning (27). Two people were killed and another seriously injured after a group travelling in a car allegedly pursued the three-wheeler and opened fire with a T-56 assault rifle. One of the deceased was identified as a 47-year-old woman known as Kalu Nona, a resident of Ambalangoda. more..

Sep 28 (FT) Govt cannot yet give electricity users a specific timeline for electricity tariff reductions despite its plans to expand solar power, renewable energy and battery storage, Minister Anura Karunathilaka said. Responding to queries, on when households and businesses could expect lower electricity bills as renewable energy projects are added to the national grid, Karunathilaka said tariff reductions would depend on how generation costs evolve over successive years. more..

Sep 28 (DN) Amid a surging global travel rebound that saw a record 1.5 billion tourist arrivals in 2025, SL has emerged as a standout narrative in World Economic Forum’s latest Travel & Tourism Development Index, produced in collaboration with Zurich Insurance Group. Sri Lanka secured a position among the ten fastest-improving economies globally, registering a notable 4.3% jump in its overall index score between 2024 and 2026. more..

Sep 28 (ST) Govt is looking into three options on how it plans to move forward, with the country’s 4-year IMF EFF arrangement nearing completion in March 2027. While another EFF, like the one in place, is off the table, among the proposals are re-negotiating another EEF with country-friendly conditions, a standby arrangement or exiting all such programmes, Minister Vijitha Herath said. “We are looking at the best and most suitable solution for the country. An overall analysis is now underway” more..

Sep 28 (Island) Police have removed a memorial statue of former LTTE member Rasaiah Parthipan, alias Thileepan, from the Thileepan Memorial Square in Nallur, Jaffna, following the conclusion of commemorative events, marking the 39th anniversary of his death. The statue was removed in the early hours of yesterday, a day after the final day of the commemoration was held at the site. CCTV footage from the memorial reportedly shows police officers removing the statue & taking it away more..