Sep 10 (NF) Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh departed SL on Thursday afternoon, concluding a landmark official visit that underscored the growing strategic, defence, and economic partnership between India and SL, while reaffirming the importance of the two neighbours in shaping stability across the Indian Ocean region. The visit, the first by an Indian Defence Minister to SL in 38 years, was marked by a series of high-level engagements aimed at expanding cooperation more..

Sep 10 (Island) Tensions ran high yesterday when shops located on the Mahaweli River reservation in the Thennekumbura area, within the Gangawata Korale PS, were ordered to be removed. Court officials, officers of the Mahaweli Authority and police arrived at the site to implement a court order directing the removal of the shops, prompting an angry reaction from the traders. State officials warned that, as the action was being carried out under a court order, anyone obstructing more..

Sep 10 (TM) The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed around 40 Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions filed by nearly 1,050 Police officers who were not promoted and had challenged promotions granted to various ranks within the Police Service. The judgement was delivered on Tuesday by Justice Mahinda Samayawardhena, with Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justice Sampath K B Wijeratne concurring. more..

Sep 10 (TM) The individual who was arrested in Maradana by the FCID of the Police for allegedly transferring USD 80 million, equivalent to more than Rs. 23 billion, to overseas accounts through telegraphic transfers (T/T) between 2023 and 2025, has been remanded until Sept 17. The suspect was arrested following a complaint lodged by SL Customs regarding several companies suspected of remitting large sums of money overseas under the guise of importing goods. more..

Sep 10 (NW) Four Opposition Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Provincial Council Elections today boycotted the Committee’s tenth meeting, citing frustration over the lack of seriousness and urgency in advancing the long‑delayed polls. The boycott was led by MPs Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Mano Ganesan, Shanakiyan Rasamanickam & Nizam Kariapper, who expressed strong concern about the manner in which the Committee’s proceedings were more..

Sep 10 (NF) Attorney General's Dept informed the Colombo High Court that the prosecution's evidence in the money laundering case filed against Yoshitha Rajapaksa could be concluded on the next hearing date. The announcement was made by Deputy Solicitor General Janaka Bandara, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, when the case was taken up before court. The Attorney General has filed the case against the accused under more..

Sep 10 (AD) PM Harini Amarasuriya has stated that steps are being taken to reduce the use of paper in Parliament and the public sector through digitalization. PM made these remarks in Parliament today in response to a question raised regarding digitalization and the use of paper. “The total expenditure incurred in 2023, 2024 and 2025 for the provision of Hansard reports, Order Books, Agendas and other parliamentary printed materials provided to MPs & Ministers for use within Chamber more..

Sep 10 (TM) Opposition MP Ajith P Perera yesterday claimed that an investigation had been initiated into Police officers who carried out a major drug raid at the Colombo Port, including Senior DIG Ranmal Kodithuwakku, warning that such action could discourage honest officials from performing their duties. Perera questioned the decision to investigate the Police team responsible for the recent seizure of more than 471 kgs of crystal methamphetamine Ice at the Port, despite the Govt and its Ministers more..

Sep 10 (NF) Colombo High Court ordered that the case filed against 11 accused, including former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake and former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran, in connection with the CB Bond Scam, be recalled on Oct 4. Order was issued by Colombo High Court Judge Lanka Jayaratne. During today's proceedings, the High Court Judge ordered that the case be postponed until the appointment of a new Permanent Trial-at-Bar, noting that the previously appointed more..

Sep 10 (Island) Mass grave excavations in SL are a stark reminder that thousands of cases of enforced disappearance remain unresolved, the SL Core Group has told the UNHRC, urging Colombo to translate its stated commitment to reform into concrete progress, while again stopping short of calling for the international accountability that Tamils have long demanded. The statement, delivered in Geneva, on Tuesday, during the Council’s 63rd session by UK’s Human Rights Ambassador more..

Sep 10 (DM) Health officials are urging people to use condoms correctly and consistently to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), while warning against the use of substandard condoms. Call comes as the National STD/AIDS Control Programme (NSACP) steps up efforts to expand HIV testing and improve access to HIV prevention services. As part of these efforts, NSACP is encouraging the public to use more..

Sep 10 (TM) Banks have been instructed to ensure that elderly persons, persons with disabilities and customers with limited financial literacy have fair and accessible access to banking services, with the Govt warning that it will intervene if implementation is delayed. Deputy Minister Nishantha Jayaweera gave the assurance in Parliament yesterday, responding to a question raised by MP Sugath Wasantha de Silva on access to banking facilities for customers with special needs. more..

Sep 10 (AD) SL's govt, employers and workers are collaborating with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to strengthen the country’s wage-setting institutions, so they remain responsive to the needs of workers and enterprises as well as to changing economic and labour market conditions. It said that a 3-day workshop organized by Ministry of Labour and Dept of Labour in partnership with the ILO reviewed Sri Lanka's existing wage-setting institutions and practices. more..

Sep 10 (FT) ITAK MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam raised a series of questions in Parliament under Standing Order 27(2), challenging the Govt over what he described as a distortion of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ recent report on Sri Lanka. Rasamanickam said some media reports had sought to portray the High Commissioner’s statement as an endorsement of the Govt’s actions. more..

Sep 10 (NW) Sri Lanka’s first female Permanent Representative to the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Nirmala Paranavitana, presented her credentials to Executive Secretary Claver Gatete, marking a new phase in SL–Africa relations. According to the SL Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the appointment was hailed as a breakthrough for women’s leadership in SL’s foreign service and a step towards building practical, inclusive partnerships more..

Sep 10 (EN) Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of SL (TRCSL) has launched an automated online platform to clear imported telecommunications equipment, replacing a manual process. The new Equipment Clearance System (ECS) enables importers to secure necessary regulatory recommendations online for SL Customs and the Controller of Imports and Exports. The first phase of the system targets terminal equipment due to high market demand and import volumes. more..

Sep 10 (AD) Newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Wei Huaxiang met with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the former President's residence in Colombo this morning. During the meeting, former President Rajapaksa conveyed his warm congratulations to Ambassador Wei on assuming duties as the Ambassador of China to SL, following the presentation of his credentials on Aug 25. The meeting was also attended by SLPP General Secretary, Sagara Kariyawasam. more..

Sep 10 (NW) Sarvajana Balaya MP Dilith Jayaweera has cautioned that the govt’s announcement to construct three expressways from next year using domestic funds without foreign loans is misleading, arguing that the plan conceals the real financial and foreign exchange burden on the country. Issuing a statement, Jayaweera said domestic funds are not free money, but consist of taxes collected from citizens and borrowings from the local market. If Rs. 2 trillion is to be spent on expressways, more..

Sep 10 (AD) The proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution is scheduled to be taken up for debate in Parliament on Sept 24, following a decision by the Committee on Parliamentary Business. The Committee, which met today (10) at the Parliamentary Complex, decided to allocate parliamentary time during the next Parliamentary week to debate the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill and Judicature (Amd) Bill. more..

Sep 10 (DM) Former Commander of the SL Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetileke, arrived at the FCID this morning. His appearance follows a notice instructing him to present himself before the division at 9:30 AM today. The former Air Force Commander was summoned to record a statement in connection with the ongoing investigations into the controversial MiG aircraft transaction. Meanwhile, former royal astrologer Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena arrived at more..

Sep 10 (DM) The commission paid to the buyer is included in the price of an aircraft, and an aircraft purchase transaction could become null and void if the buyer refuses to accept the commission, former Airport and Aviation Services Company Limited (AASL) Board Director Professor Sonal Fernando said. He said the commission offered by the company selling an aircraft must therefore be accepted by the buyer. He said aircraft could be purchased directly from the manufacturer, more..

Sep 10 (DM) Supreme Court today ruled that former President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to grant a presidential pardon to BBS General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Atte Gnanasara Thera was arbitrary and invalid in law. A 3-judge bench of the SC, headed by Justice Janak De Silva, delivered the judgment in response to fundamental rights petitions filed by the CPA and Sandhya Ekneligoda, wife of missing journalist more..

Sep 10 (NW) Colombo High Court today filed indictments against former Minister Duminda Dissanayake and another woman in connection with the discovery of a gold‑plated firearm. Following the serving of indictments, High Court Judge ordered that both accused be released on bail. Court records show that indictments had also been filed on Sept 9 against Dissanayake and the same co‑accused, with bail granted on both occasions. Case stems from the discovery of a gold‑plated T‑56 assault rifle more..

Sep 10 (NW) SL’s urban transport modernization drive took another step forward yesterday with the opening of the third Metro Bus depot at Ja‑Ela, Ekala. The new facility, built to support the Metro Bus service aimed at improving efficiency in public transport, was inaugurated under the leadership of Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena, with the participation of Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning Anil Jayantha. more..

Sep 10 (FT) This piece is written in agreement with, and as a complement to, Dr. W.A. Wijewardena's article on the emerging El Niño threat, published in the Daily FT on Monday. Where his warning centres on the macroeconomic exposure — the foreign exchange drain, hydropower shortfalls, and food-import risk that a coming El Niño cycle could trigger — this piece looks upstream, at the physical watershed degradation that makes each of those shocks worse than it needs to be. more..

Sep 10 (FT) Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh landed in Colombo earlier this week for a three-day official visit, the first by an Indian Defence Minister in 38 years. The last such call was by K. C. Pant in 1988. That long silence itself tells a story. For nearly four decades, defence business between the two neighbours was handled by service chiefs, training colleges and quiet staff talks. New Delhi has now chosen to put a political minister at the centre of the relationship, and to do so more..

Sep 10 (FT) Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has pledged that India would stand firmly with SL whenever the island nation faces a crisis, as he began his maiden visit to the country with an interaction with the Indian diaspora in Colombo on Tuesday. Singh, who is on a three-day official visit to SL, said the two countries shared close cultural and civilisational ties that provided a strong foundation for continued development of bilateral more..

Sep 10 (NW) Wildlife officials and other government authorities are carrying out an ongoing operation to provide water to wild animals affected by the prevailing severe drought. Water is being transported by bowsers to fill dried-up ponds and waterholes in the Buddhangala and Gal Oya Valley North-East, also known as the Ampara Sanctuary, in the Ampara District. Authorities said many natural water sources in the area have dried up due to the prolonged dry conditions, creating difficulties more..

Sep 10 (Island) Jaffna District independent MP Ramanathan Aarchuna was given a final warning in Parliament yesterday and told that he would be expelled from the House if he continued to engage in unruly conduct and disrupt proceedings. Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemali Weerasekera issued the warning after Aarchuna repeatedly interrupted NPP MP Najith Indika, who was speaking during a debate. Indika accused Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and several other more..

Sep 10 (DN) It has been revealed at the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry (SPCoI) investigating allegations of fraud and corruption in coal transactions and power generation that the State incurred a loss of US$ 1,575,630 in the purchase of coal for the Norochcholai Lakvijaya Power Plant during 2015-2016, when President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne served as Chairman of the Lanka Coal Company. more..

Sep 10 (DM) World Health Organization (WHO) has presented a special official citation to Sri Lanka in recognition of two significant achievements in the country’s public health sector—sustaining malaria-free status and the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus for 10 consecutive years. The citation was presented by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa during the 79th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for more..

Sep 10 (Island) Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Santosh Jha has said that security and defence were significant aspects in the Indo-Lanka partnership. Speaking to ANI in Colombo in the wake of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit, Jha said: “If you look at the last 2-3 years, the engagement between India and SL has acquired a new intensity. There is a regular exchange of ministerial-level visits from India to SL and from SL to India. We need to see this as part of that. more..