Sep 25 (DM) A surge in Influenza A H1N1 infections is currently being detected in SL, with an increase in positive samples identified by the National Influenza Centre at the MRI, Consultant Virologist Dr. Chrishan Jude Jayamaha said. He said laboratory surveillance at the National Influenza Centre had detected the recent increase in Influenza A H1N1 cases. He said people should seek medical advice before taking medication for fever, body aches or other symptoms associated with influenza. more..

Sep 25 (DM) Electronic filing of Court cases has been introduced at the Colombo District Court as part of the island-wide e-Courts Project implemented under the Judicial Service Commission. Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena inspected the new system at the Small Claims Court of the Colombo District Court in Colombo 7 on Wednesday. Facility has been introduced for Small Claims cases for the first time and is expected to be expanded gradually to other types of cases and Courts across the country. more..

Sep 25 (AD) Second Reading of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill has been passed in the Parliament, with a special majority. A total of 158 MPs voted in favor, while 63 voted against, with no abstentions. The vote was concluded a short while ago, following a two-day debate on the proposed constitutional amendment. Accordingly, the Bill was passed with a majority of 95 votes. Two Bills were presented to Parliament on Aug 18 by Minister Harshana Nanayakkara. more..

Sep 25 (NW) Wildlife veterinarians and officers are continuing treatment today for Kawanthissa, the elephant of Siyambalangamuwa, as efforts remain underway to save the animal’s life, Ministry of Environment said. A wildlife team led by Dr. Isuru visited the location today and commenced administering the necessary treatment while continuing to monitor the elephant’s condition. A veterinary team led by Dr. Pubudu had treated Kawanthissa yesterday, administering antibiotics and more..

Sep 25 (USE) The U.S. Embassy in SL, through the U.S. Dept of State’s Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction and in partnership with the Atlantic Council, conducted a 3-day training Sept 9–11 in Colombo to strengthen SL’s ability to detect and respond to maritime sanctions evasion that threatens U.S. security interests and legitimate global commerce. More than 40 officials from SL Atomic Energy Regulatory Council, Central Bank of SL, SL Coast Guard, Merchant Shipping Secretariat, more..

Sep 25 (TM) Five people, including a 70-year-old man from Jaffna and operators of communication centres in Nuwara Eliya, Hatton & Kotagala, have been arrested for allegedly collecting money from residents by promising Govt jobs, housing and loans using forged Nuwara Eliya DS documents. The arrests were made by the Nuwara Eliya Divisional Crime Investigation Unit, which also seized several forged seals, official letterheads and computers allegedly used to produce more..

Sep 25 (NW) PM Harini Amarasuriya says the govt is making every effort to introduce a change to the VAT currently imposed on books. Speaking at the opening of the 27th Colombo Int'l Book Fair, PM said Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake had personally spoken to her and asked her to convey the govt’s position on the issue. “Prez called me today specifically and asked me to say this. He said we are making every possible effort, and we hope we will be able to make a change to the VAT currently imposed on books,” more..

Sep 25 (AD) PM Harini Amarasuriya met with a high-level delegation from the UAE at Parliament to discuss the possibility of collaboration to strengthen the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector of SL with a view to gradually increase the number of skilled workers demanded by various traditional and emerging industries. During the meeting held yesterday, PM outlined the govt’s ongoing education reforms, including the introduction of vocational education pathways, more..

Sep 25 (CI) It was a tale of two hamstrings. SL have looked like a far stronger side since the return of Kusal Mendis, who missed last week's T20Is with a strain, and his brilliant century and brave captaincy helped them level the series in Leeds. But this gripping ODI really turned on Jos Buttler's twinge during England's run chase. England were cruising towards a target of 322 when Buttler scurried back for two, raising a 50-run fourth-wicket partnership with Will Jacks in the process. more..

Sep 25 (DM) SL Navy has seized illicit drugs estimated to be worth more than Rs. 55 billion through maritime and coastal anti-narcotics operations conducted so far this year. Around 300 suspects and 50 vessels allegedly linked to local and int'l drug trafficking networks have been taken into custody during the operations. Detailing the massive hauls recovered during these operations, the forces have intercepted over 1,080 kg of heroin, 590 kg of crystal methamphetamine (Ice), and 256 kg of cocaine. more..

Sep 25 (Island) Frontline Socialist party accused the govt of seeking to introduce a new anti-terror law containing provisions that could restrict fundamental rights and suppress dissent. Janatha Aragala Sandhanaya National Executive Council member Duminda Nagamuwa said the govt had gazetted the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, despite the NPP’s previous pledge to repeal repressive laws, including the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act (PTA). more..

Sep 25 (DM) The CIABOC today arrested former Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Kamal Bandara Dissanayake, over an alleged corruption case involving government book-printing contracts. According to CIABOC, the suspect allegedly bypassed established govt procurement procedures on three occasions to award contracts for the printing of a book titled Dahami Niwahanai Apekama Radhi Heta Dinayai to a preferred entity. The total value of the three contracts was Rs. 4.79 million. more..

Sep 25 (Island) Marking the completion of two years of the Vision Programme, students from Pinnawala Central College and Matale Siri Seevali College were given an opportunity on Thursday to visit the Presidential Secretariat. The Vision Programme was launched for schoolchildren jointly by the Presidential Secretariat, Ministry of Education and the Dept of Communication of the Parliament of SL. Following a visit to the former Parliament building at the Presidential Secretariat, more..

Sep 25 (FT) Finance Ministry has rejected media reports on SL’s latest talks with the IMF, saying the discussions concluded in Colombo on Wednesday were a technical round ahead of the Seventh Review of the EFF, not the final round of negotiations for the release of the seventh tranche. Some local media had reported that the IMF mission ended without a staff-level agreement. Such an agreement is a preliminary deal between IMF staff and more..

Sep 25 (NF) Japan’s Ambassador to SL, Isomata Akio, has reaffirmed Japan’s continued support for SL’s economic development, social progress and efforts to further improve the human rights situation during a series of engagements in the Northern Province. During a meeting with Nagalingam Vedanayagam, Governor of the Northern Province, the Ambassador discussed a range of issues affecting the people of the North, including land-related concerns and the issue of missing persons. more..

Sep 25 (AD) SL Navy has brought ashore 25 distressed Indonesian fishermen safely to Colombo port, following a multi-agency operation. The crew members were reportedly aboard the Indonesian fishing trawler KM Garuda Jaya VI, which capsized on 22 Sept south of SL, the Navy said. The incident had occurred within the Australian search and rescue region, where the crew members were initially reported distressed. Meanwhile, the merchant vessel MV Moonstone, yesterday had rescued the 25 survivors more..

Sep 25 (DM) Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama today ordered that the former Private Secretary to former Minister Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, who was arrested over an alleged corruption offence, be further remanded till Oct 9. Officials of the CIABOC told court that the suspect had allegedly facilitated arrangements for only three selected companies to export phosphate, thus deviating from the prescribed procedure. Investigators further informed court that more..

Sep 25 (FT) At Sleep Conference 2026 held on Wednesday, tourism expert Dileep Mudadeniya and Spa Ceylon Co-Founder and wellness expert Shalin Balasuria explored how SL could turn its natural, cultural and wellness heritage into a credible sleep-tourism proposition, extending beyond hotel amenities into structured, measurable guest experiences. SL has traditionally sold tourism through beaches, wildlife, heritage, culture and hospitality. But as global travel increasingly shifts towards wellness, more..

Sep 25 (NW) A valid Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) Certificate will become compulsory for a range of key transactions in SL from Nov 1, including opening bank accounts, registering vehicles and land, registering businesses and obtaining credit cards, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has announced. In a notice to the public, the IRD said the requirement is being introduced in accordance with provisions of the Inland Revenue (Amd) Act, No. 11 of 2026, more..

Sep 25 (FT) Finance and Planning Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando has attributed Fitch Ratings’ upgrade of Sri Lanka to economic gains made over the past two years, pointing chiefly to stronger revenue collection and a primary surplus well above target. Fitch on 22 Sept upgraded Sri Lanka’s Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) to ‘B-’ from ‘CCC+,’ with a Stable Outlook. IDRs measure a borrower’s relative vulnerability to defaulting on its debt. more..

Sep 25 (NW) Opposition MP Harsha de Silva says the govt will have to reach an understanding with the IMF on its fiscal plans before presenting the upcoming Budget. De Silva said the absence of a staff-level agreement following the latest discussions was linked, in his view, to ongoing discussions over the govt’s medium-term fiscal framework, which includes the Budget. "IMF has to agree with the basic framework of this Budget. Without an understanding with the IMF, more..

Sep 25 (FT) The National Chamber of Commerce of SL (NCCSL) has urged Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake to withdraw or reconsider an Energy Ministry directive that scraps net metering and net accounting for rooftop solar. The Chamber warned that the shift to a Net Plus scheme, which it described as financially nonviable, threatens a sector that saves the country an estimated Rs. 20.4 billion a month in fuel imports, just as a power shortfall looms in 2027. more..

Sep 25 (NW) Lakmanthi Hettiarachchi, the wife of former Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardhana, has been arrested by the Bribery Commission for allegedly offering a Rs. 50,000 bribe to a court employee. She is accused of offering the bribe to an office assistant attached to the Colombo High Court in an alleged attempt to influence the imposition of a suspended prison sentence on her husband. The CIABOC arrested Hettiarachchi in connection with the alleged bribery attempt. more..

Sep 25 (FT) Softlogic Holdings (SHL) has reported a group Profit Before Tax (PBT) for the first time since 2019. PBT reached Rs. 24 million for the financial year to end-March 2026, compared with a Rs. 7.5 billion loss the previous year. Since reporting a Rs. 1.7 billion PBT in the year to end-March 2019, the group had sustained heavy losses, the largest being Rs. 20.9 billion in the year to end-March 2023. Its losses narrowed to Rs. 12.6 billion in FY24 and Rs. 7.5 billion in FY25, more..

Sep 25 (FT) In my previous article: A reply to Budget 2027: From stabilisation to transformation in the FT on 9 Sept, the emphasis was on the Budget 2027, embracing three national missions: raising productivity, mobilising investment, and improving living standards, that would create a structural foundation upon which Sri Lanka can build a stronger, more resilient, and more prosperous nation, with sustainable growth rates above 7% being a more realistic aspiration. more..

Sep 25 (FT) Tamil households were identified and attacked using electoral-registry information during the July 1983 pogrom, it was stated recently. Electoral-registry information includes a massive amount of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as name, physical address, and identity card number that can yield birthdate and gender. It is intended for the conduct of elections (with the thousands of Govt officials operating polling centres as the primary users), more..

Sep 25 (TM) Second Reading debate on the 22nd Amendment Bill will continue in Parliament today, with the vote on the Bill scheduled for 7 p.m., following the opening of the debate by Minister Harshana Nanayakkara yesterday. Nanayakkara, presenting the Bill and the Judicature (Amd) Bill for their Second Reading, said the proposed amendments were not intended to establish authoritarianism or suppress anyone, but to more..

Sep 25 (TM) Whether Sri Lanka enters an 18th arrangement with the IMF is a decision for the Govt alone, the IMF said, as its mission left without a staff-level agreement on the 7th review of the current bailout. “This request needs to come from the Govt. It is not the IMF’s opinion,” Mission Chief Evan Papageorgiou said, answering a question, at the end of a two-week visit that began on 10 Sept. He was answering whether a country that has gone to the Fund 17 times, and more..

Sep 25 (TM) Govt Dental Surgeons’ Association (GDSA) has raised concerns over reports that foreign health personnel are examining and treating patients at health camps organised by certain NGOs in the Eastern Province without authorisation to practise in SL. GDSA General Secretary Dr Aruna Abhayawardhana said that the Association had been informed that foreign health personnel attached to one of the organisations in question had applied for temporary registration with the SLMC, more..

Sep 25 (Island) Lankan banks are introducing additional security measures for online banking as increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks and cloned banking websites are being used by int'l scam networks to steal customers’ credentials and gain unauthorised access to their accounts, former ICTA Director Prashansa Dissanayake said. He said the digital financial sector had faced a growing wave of cyber threats over more..

Sep 25 (NW) A new Bill aimed at eradicating rabies in SL while introducing stronger measures for dog registration, vaccination and population control was presented to Parliament today (24). The Bill was presented by the Minister A.H.M.H. Abayarathna, with its second reading scheduled for tomorrow. Under the proposed legislation, measures will be introduced to regulate the vaccination of dogs and control the dog population as part of efforts to completely eradicate rabies from the country. more..

Sep 25 (Island) A national media guidelines code has been prepared to ensure the dignity, privacy and confidentiality of children are protected when matters concerning them are reported. The matter was discussed when the committee, chaired by Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj, met in Parliament on Sept 22. The proposed guidelines seek to ensure that the best interests of children are given priority while maintaining accuracy and fairness in reporting and preventing the unnecessary exposure of more..