Sep 20 (ST) The awarding of a tender to obtain black shoe polish for the SL Police has not only taken the shine off the uniformed footwear of police personnel but also drawn allegations that the awarding of the tender was manipulated to suit certain individuals. Police Department had called for tenders to procure 350,000 tins of black shoe polish in April last year, and out of six bidders, the lowest bidder had been selected in September last year. more..

Sep 20 (ST) My dear Mahinda maama, I am writing to you with mixed emotions after seeing you on stage at the rally organised by the pohottuwa last week. This must be a difficult time for you, with Namal baby behind bars, even if it is only temporarily, and Shiranthi jetting off to Singapore for what is supposed to be medical treatment. Namal baby had delegated the task of organising the rally to Tisakutti. It was supposed to be a repeat of Mahinda sulanga, the rally at Nugegoda organised more..

Sep 20 (ST) A year ago, SL’s nearly new govt won time – and sympathy – from the int'l community at the UNHRC to put the country’s human rights house in order. There was also immediate bonding between the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, and the new govt, the former calling it a historic opportunity for transformative reforms and the govt losing no time in inviting him to visit the country with open access, in the naïve belief that its openness would turn the tide of adversity. more..

Sep 20 (Island) As Asia continues to account for a growing share of global economic activity, Sri Lanka faces an important opportunity to strengthen its links with regional trade networks, supply chains and economic corridors. How the country can make better use of these connections to attract investment, expand trade and strengthen its position in regional value chains will be among the key questions at the SL Economic & Investment Summit 2026, organised by The CCC on 12-13 Oct 2026. more..

Sep 20 (CI) Sri Lanka hold a slight edge over Pakistan heading into Sunday's semi-final, although contests between the two sides have generally been close in this format. Their most recent meeting came in the Asia Cup semi-final, where SL overcame Pakistan despite an all-round threat from Fatima Sana. In the Asian Games quarter-final, Pakistan were pushed hard again, surviving a Thailand scare in a rain-affected chase of 92. They slipped to 47 for 4 before Sana came to their rescue, more..

Sep 20 (DM) The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has clarified that an advertisement circulating on social media listing prices for various medical tests is not an official advertisement issued by the Authority. The CAA said the public should not assume that the prices listed for tests such as FBS, RBS, HbA1C, Lipid Profile, LFT, RFT, UFR, CRP, CT, MRI, Ultrasound, Mammogram and DEXA are maximum charges prescribed by the Authority. According to the CAA, more..

Sep 20 (NW) A 27-year-old motorcyclist died after suddenly collapsing when he stopped his motorcycle following a signal from traffic police in Manipay on Saturday morning. Police said traffic officers had signaled the rider to stop after observing him riding while speaking on a mobile phone. After pulling the motorcycle off the road and stopping, rider suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed. With the assistance of area residents, he was taken by a 1990 ambulance to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, more..

Sep 20 (NW) SLPP lawyer Manoj Gamage has rejected claims regarding alleged email communications linking MP Namal Rajapaksa to Airbus in connection with the SriLankan Airlines aircraft transaction, saying false information is being spread. Gamage said there was no direct email correspondence between Rajapaksa and Airbus and claimed none of the emails referred to contained Rajapaksa’s name. He said the email exchanges were between officials connected to companies involved in the transaction more..

Sep 20 (DM) INTERPOL has issued a blue notice on former minister Basil Rajapaksa following a request by the CIA as authorities step up efforts to trace and bring back individuals wanted in connection with ongoing legal proceedings, Minister Ananda Wijepala said. Minister said the govt is using international law enforcement mechanisms to track down former politicians and other wanted individuals who are residing overseas while facing legal proceedings in Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 20 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has released what he describes as the full, unedited footage of his meeting with UN Resident Coordinator in SL Marc-André Franche, following controversy over remarks attributed to the UN official in a leaked video from a closed-door civil society meeting. Premadasa said reports circulating in certain sections of the media had created misleading impressions about his recent meeting with Franche and the views exchanged between them. more..

Sep 20 (DM) Air tickets were presented to 204 Sri Lankan migrant workers selected for employment opportunities in Israel at a ceremony held at SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) auditorium yesterday (18). The tickets were presented under the patronage of SLBFE Chairman Kosala Wickramasinghe. The workers were selected for employment in the hotel, restaurant, industrial and agricultural sectors in Israel. Of the 204 workers, 43 were selected for hotel-sector jobs, 144 for restaurant-sector jobs, more..

Sep 20 (EN) SL’s monthly foreign exchange revenue from tourism rose for the first time in 10 months in Aug 2026 and gained 2.1% from a year ago to US$264.4 million, CB said, quoting tourism promotion authority data; The rise comes despite a 3.3% fall in the monthly tourist arrivals in August, data showed. Tourism revenue has been falling since Oct 2025 with the govt-owned tourism promotion body’s revision of the daily average spending per tourist and the duration of the tourist stay. more..

Sep 20 (DM) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday said that he cannot take over the nation now if needed, as he is not in Parliament now. Mr Wickremesinghe made this remark in response to a question raised by a youth as to whether he is prepared to take over the nation once again. Questions were raised by the youth from the former Prez during a programme to mark the 120th birth anniversary of the late Prez J.R. Jayewardene. “I cannot take over the nation now as I am not in Parliament,” more..

Sep 20 (TM) The proposed Feed-in Tariff (FIT) for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) has been referred for a policy-level decision, with the Ministry of Energy warning that locking SL into a high tariff for 15 years before competitive bidding establishes a market price could ultimately make battery storage costlier than diesel-fired generation. Ministry of Energy Secretary G.M.R.D. Aponsu said that the BESS tariff proposed by the PUCSL should be considered alongside prices more..

Sep 20 (TM) Injured Sri Lanka white-ball cricket Captain Kusal Mendis, who missed the ongoing three-match T20I bilateral series against England, is likely to rejoin the squad ahead of the three-game One-Day-International (ODI) series, according to Team Manager Mahinda Halangoda. Mendis, a right-handed wicketkeeper-batter, has been dogged by recurring injuries in the recent past and was also forced to miss the two-match Test series against India, which SL lost 1-0 last month. more..

Sep 20 (Island) Sri Lanka have conceded an unassailable 2-0 lead to England in the three match T20I series and were staring down the barrel of a whitewash heading into Saturday’s final game at Old Trafford. Despite travelling to the UK well in advance and playing warm up games to acclimatise to conditions, SL have barely landed a punch. Both defeats have come by massive margins and more worryingly, they have exposed just how far the team has fallen behind the leading sides in T20 cricket. more..

Sep 20 (Island) AI Snake Oil is the title of a 2024 book authored by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor, two Indo-American computer science academics at Princeton University. The book became a popular primer on the subject. The long subtitle – What Artificial Intelligence Can DO, What it Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference – is summarily indicative of what the book is about. Within two years, however, the somewhat tempering message of the book would appear to have been overtaken by more..

Sep 20 (Island) The 120th birth anniversary of President J.R. Jayewardene (JRJ) was commemorated in Colombo on Thursday. The well-attended event, with a representative audience, brought the UNP and its offshoot, the SJB, together, with their leaders, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, respectively, stressing the need for their parties to unite and fight what they described as the JVP-led NPP govt’s dictatorial rule. more..

Sep 20 (CI) Sri Lanka saved their most dismal batting performance of the series for last as they were bowled out for 124, a target which England knocked off in just 9.4 overs. The result secured a 3-0 series sweep, and subjected SL to a 15th consecutive loss in T20Is against England, who regained the ICC No. 1 ranking from India in the process. It was Harry Brook and Jos Buttler once more in the thick of the chase, speeding to an 85-run partnership off just 39 deliveries. more..

Sep 20 (TM) A quarter of a century has passed since 11 Sept 2001, when airplane attacks targeted the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. The smoke that billowed high into the sky that day permanently altered the global political map. Thereafter, nothing remained as it was before. The US’s declaration of a Global War on Terror was not merely a military campaign; it served as a historical turning point that fundamentally and radically reshaped more..

Sep 20 (TM) In a few days, the NPP will mark two years in office. After much political upheaval, long periods of poor governance, and an economic meltdown, SL public propelled Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the NPP to an electoral win with high hopes. Many were willing to overlook the disdain they held for the NPP’s core, which remains, functionally, the JVP, a movement that has twice attempted to overthrow an elected govt through violent insurgency and terror tactics, more..

Sep 20 (TM) As Sri Lanka awaits the judicial decision on the controversial 22nd Amendment, expected this week, the Opposition is rallying to protest the amendment. However, all is not going according to plan, it is learnt. The Nidahas Meheyum Madhyasthanaya (Independent Operations Centre), a group composed of several political activists and lawyers, aims for collective action to defeat the 22nd Amendment Bill in Parliament. more..

Sep 20 (SO) Sri Lankans voted for Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the NPP two years ago mainly because they had trust in his personal honesty. They had heard promises to fight corruption before and had seen those promises broken within months. Following the sheer trauma of the 2022 economic collapse, voters turned to Dissanayake because of his distance from the political establishment that had governed SL into bankruptcy. They also thought he would be willing to act against those his predecessors protected. more..

Sep 20 (SO) Two years ago, Sri Lankans voted simply not for a new Govt, but for a different way of governing. The NPP came to office on a powerful promise: to break with the political practices of the past, clean up the Govt and deliver a more accountable, efficient and equitable State. Two years on, the question is no longer whether the Government has a reform agenda. It clearly does. The real test is whether that agenda is producing durable results for the economy, more..

Sep 19 (NW) SL’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is closely monitoring the case of Anojan Sivarasa, a SL national undergoing judicial proceedings in Saudi Arabia, amid claims by his family that he has been sentenced to death following an appeal. Ministry said the SL Embassy in Riyadh, in coordination with the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Colombo, continues to monitor developments. Ministry said it remains engaged with more..

Sep 19 (DN) A 75-member strong SL Army contingent comprising 20 officers and 50 other ranks departed for Russia on Thursday to participate in Exercise Wolverine Path II – 2026, scheduled to be held at the 249th Sergeyevsky Combined Arms Training School. This is the first occasion on which Russia has hosted a military exercise on its territory involving SL military personnel. Contingent departed for Russia on Thursday and will remain there for 14 days. Exercise is aimed at strengthening more..

Sep 19 (ST) More than 500 Kumbuk trees in the old Eluwankulama lotus enclosure in Wanathavilluwa, located on the border of the Wilpattu National Park, have been destroyed by arson by unidentified persons, an environmentalist said. This happened during the restoration of the old Eluwankulama tank embankment, which was damaged by the Nov 2025 Ditwah cyclone. The old Eluwankulama Nelum Tank, which has a capacity of over 100 acres, is being filled, and nearly 700 acres of paddy fields more..

Sep 19 (DM) Two-day railway strike is scheduled to end at midnight today (18), but railway trade unions warned that they could launch further industrial action if their grievances remain unresolved, claiming the strike has already caused losses exceeding Rs.60 million. Railway Station Masters’ Association and other unions told a press conference that there was still no satisfactory solution to their demands, despite more..

Sep 19 (FT) Minister Anura Karunathilake yesterday said the Govt will add close to 960 MW of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) capacity by the end of 2027 as it looks to absorb a growing daytime solar surplus. He said this at a ceremony to connect a 10 MW/40 MWh system in A'pura, first of 13 built by Storex Ltd, to the national grid. Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake was also at the event. The 13 systems under this project will total 130 MW/520 MWh in combined capacity once complete. more..

Sep 19 (PMD) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that, as children are the nation’s most precious asset, safeguarding their lives is the responsibility of a responsible Govt. Prez Dissanayake stated that, under the Diviyata Saviyak Housing Programme, Rs. 1 million was provided last year to support the construction of a secure home for children who have grown up in Child Development Centres and that this amount had been increased to Rs. 2 million this year. more..

Sep 19 (Island) Three organisations advocating Muslim women’s rights have called on the Govt to disclose the status of proposed reforms to the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA), saying the process has again stalled following a public consultation earlier this year. The Muslim Personal Law Reform Action Group (MPLRAG), Islamic Women’s Association for Research and Education (IWARE) and Human Elevation Organisation (HEO), in a joint statement, said Ministry of Justice more..

Sep 19 (ST) The popular Beach Wadiya restaurant, which has been in operation for more than 50 years and has attracted both local and foreign tourists, was identified to be demolished, but the Court of Appeal has issued an interim order preventing the enforcement of a notice issued by the Director General of Coast Conservation. The order will remain in effect until Sept 21. The order was issued after taking into consideration submissions made by President’s Counsel Faiszer Musthapha, more..