Sep 8 (CT) Godawaya shipwreck, located off SL’s southern coast, is one of the oldest known shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean, dating back more than 2,100 years. Its discovery has offered invaluable insights into early seafaring, trade networks, and the maritime history of South Asia. Multi-year Godawaya Shipwreck Project — funded through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) in partnership with SL more..

Sep 8 (ST) When I am asked as to whether Sri Lanka has a genuine chance to bring about justice for survivors of the country’s many conflicts, this time under a NPP Govt which excels in rhetoric promising the same, the question calls for a longer pause that would be merited. This is a loaded question to which there are no easy answers. There is, of course, no limit to the many instances where the leaders of the JVP led NPP, including Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake have publicly pronounced more..

Sep 8 (DM) OMG! The UN wants to help resolve land issues in the north-east of our country. Wow! sounds like something out of Bob Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Sunday Times quoted UN Resident Co-ordinator Marc-Andre French as saying, a new UN programme aims to assist our govt in resolving long-standing land-related issues in our country’s war-affected northern and eastern provinces. According to Marc-Andre, a large number of claims remain unresolved despite it being 16 long yrs since more..

Sep 8 (TM) SL’s law enforcement system is undergoing an intense period of scrutiny as authorities investigate hundreds of Police personnel on allegations of corruption and misconduct. Inquiries have been launched against 338 officers, with several already interdicted and others facing legal proceedings. This development comes at a time of heightened public debate about accountability in law enforcement, more..

Sep 8 (TM) Geopolitical contestation in the Indo-Pacific continues to gather steam as the region responds to existing security architecture being tested by arbitrary action by the Trump administration, and an increasingly assertive China. Second Trump administration seems to be upending decades of efforts by the US and others to help the rise of India, which they envisaged would be an effective democratic counterbalance to the rising Asian giant, China. Over last two decades, more..

Sep 8 (DM) In Sri Lanka, older people are commonly called uncle or aunty by those younger. This term denotes blood relationships, but is commonly used to as a term of respect when greeting older people, derived from the Sinhalese usage of mama and nanda (usually in rural areas). It’s the same case in much of the subcontinent, in contrast to Western societies where older strangers are usually addressed as Mr. or Mrs, and older friends by their first names (uncle and aunt used more..

Sep 7 (ST) With only 3 weeks to go until he completes his first year in office, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake chose to kick off September with a visit to Northern SL. It was an extensive and busy programme that saw him attend several events. He spent the first day of his visit in Jaffna, taking part in a number of public events, including the launch of the third phase of the Myliddy Fishery Harbour, the opening of the Jaffna more..

Sep 7 (DM) Business magnate Dudley Sirisena announced that he will demolish the portion of his Sudu Araliya Hotel identified as an unauthorised construction. Sirisena said he will comply with the law by personally removing the section, while hotel operations and bookings would continue till May. Earlier in July, Minister K.D. Lal Kantha rejected claims that the hotel had been excluded from the govt’s programme to remove unauthorised structures along irrigation tank reservations. more..

Sep 7 (CT) Five more human skeletons were identified during the excavation at the Chemmani mass grave on Friday (5), bringing the total number discovered at the site to 240. Of these, 235 have been fully exhumed. Among them, a skeleton labelled as No. 227 within the cluster of skeletons was found to have been buried in a seated position with its legs bent. Experts consulted Senior Lecturer Ramanarajah from University of Jaffna regarding this unusual burial posture. more..

Sep 7 (TM) Despite ongoing trade union actions and the ongoing restructuring process, State-run CEB submitted its proposal for the next tariff revision to the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) last week, according to highly-placed sources. A senior PUCSL official confirmed receipt of the proposal but would not discuss the details of the CEB’s suggested tariffs. The commission is expected to release the proposal this week. more..

Sep 7 (AD) Within the past 12 hours, four separate shooting incidents have been reported from different parts of the island, leaving one person dead and another injured, police confirmed. Accordingly, the total number of shootings reported so far this year has risen to 96, which have resulted in 50 fatalities and injuries to 53 other persons. The first of the four shooting incidents occurred in Grandpass at around 11:45 p.m. yesterday (5), resulting in the death of a 26-year-old youth, more..

Sep 7 (AD) Sri Lankans will have a rare opportunity to witness the phenomenon known as blood moon later today (7), said Prof. Chandana Jayaratne, the Head of the Dept of Physics and Director, Astronomy and Space Science Unit of the University of Colombo and the Chairman of the Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies. The spectacular celestial event is set to light up the skies tonight, as the Moon undergoes a total lunar eclipse, turning an eerie, deep red for 82 minutes. more..

Sep 7 (AD) Police have arrested the motorcyclist allegedly involved in the shooting incident that took place in the Panchikawatta area of Maradana, Colombo this morning (6). Police said that offices attached to Modara Police were able to arrest the motorcyclist within a few minutes of the shooting. The suspect who was arrested is a 21-year-old resident of Bodhiraja Mawatha in Maligawatta and is a close associate of an organized criminal known as Keselwatte Kavi, police said. more..

Sep 9 (EN) President Anura Dissanayake has flagged off the construction of a 100MW solar farm which will be built at a cost of 140 million US dollars, his office said in a statement. The plant is expected to generate about 219 GigaWatt hours of energy each year indicating about 25 percent plant factor. The project, is built on 500 acres of land in the Kotiyagala Grama Niladhari Division of the Siyambalanduwa Divisional Secretariat in the Monaragala District. more..

Sep 7 (ST) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) has given notice that it will issue an enforcement order on Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to compel it to sign fuel supply agreements (FSAs) with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and Lanka Coal Company Ltd. At present, CEB buys fuel from the CPC and Lanka Coal for its thermal power plants at rates that are not bound by any supply agreements. more..

Sep 7 (ST) Maldives once again showed their dominance over SL as they cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory in the opening match of the South Asian Super Cup, played at the Racecourse Stadium yesterday. The visitors led 2-0 at half-time before sealing the win with a late strike. Maldives, known as the Red Snappers, struck the opening blow in the 30th minute. Their swift attacking play cut through the Sri Lankan defence and left home fans stunned, when Naiz Hassan headed a corner kick, more..

Sep 7 (ST) When the govt introduced the Coastal Leisure Park Development Project under its Clean Sri Lanka national programme, it had promised to transform 43 coastal belts in 14 districts into leisure havens. With pathways, viewing points, and greenery, tourism was to be developed while creating much-needed recreational facilities for citizens. But at Mahamodara Beach in Galle, what began as a green initiative is now raising red flags over corruption and misuse of public funds. more..

Sep 7 (DM) In light of the increased illegal hunting activity resulting in the deaths of wildlife, authorities have stepped up efforts to apprehend poachers operating in wildlife reserves. A senior official at the Department of Wildlife Conservation said that the department has scaled up the measures to crack down on poachers. “We have identified the areas where poaching is most prevalent. As such, the patrol measures have been intensified,” the official stated. more..

Sep 7 (ST) SL’s Public Private Partnership (PPP) Act will soon be introduced by the govt with the enabling bill having been prepared by the Finance Ministry. The law has been framed to give a holistic legal and institutional base for PPP projects in SL and create a dedicated National Agency for PPP to promote, facilitate, and oversee PPP projects. The move follows an effort by the govt to advance private investment into public sectors and infrastructure in times of fiscal strain. more..

Sep 7 (Island) Only time will tell whether the arrest and remand of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW) marks a watershed moment for Sri Lanka. While the courts will ultimately determine whether he is guilty of misusing public funds, the political fallout has already exposed deeper systemic issues. First, politicians—regardless of ideology—stand together when one of their own is in trouble. more..

Sep 9 (NW) In the immediate aftermath of the fatal bus crash on the Ella–Wellawaya road that claimed 15 lives, the 1990 Suwa Seriya National Ambulance Service mobilized a coordinated emergency response that officials say helped save multiple lives. The first ambulance was dispatched within minutes of the alert on Sept 4, reaching the crash site near the 24th milepost in just seven minutes, according to the Suwa Seriya Foundation. Six more ambulances were sent from surrounding stations more..

Sep 9 (ST) Former Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of SL (NOCSL) Maxwell de Silva, who was banned for five years from holding any office at the NOCSL, has withdrawn his case before the Court of Appeal challenging his initial suspension from office. De Silva was suspended on January 10, 2025 by the Ministry of Sports over abuse of power and challenged the Minister’s decision before NOCSL banned him in May. De Silva had petitioned more..

Sep 9 (CI) Sri Lanka crashed to their second-lowest T20I total ever, going down for 80 inside 18 overs, as Sikandar Raza, Brad Evans, and Blessing Muzarabani shared eight wickets between them. At no point in their batting innings did SL stage even a mild recovery. There was a 26-run partnership for sixth wicket, but even that appeared laboured, and had multiple close calls. Zimbabwe's top partnership was also worth just 26, more..

Sep 9 (ST) Sri Lanka’s badminton celebrated a landmark day as two of its brightest stars – Ranithma Liyanage and Viren Nettasinghe – achieved career-best postings in the latest update of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) world rankings. Sri Lanka’s top Women’s Singles shuttler, Ranithma Liyanage, climbed 10 places to reach World No. 101, her highest-ever position in the senior rankings. The 18-year-old has also soared to World No. 5 position in the junior rankings, more..

Sep 9 (ST) The much-anticipated ACC T20 Asia Cup 2025 gets underway on Tuesday, bringing together the continent’s best cricketing nations for a fierce battle of supremacy. After a two-year break, the stage is set for fireworks, fresh leadership, and the emergence of new stars in Asia’s premier cricket competition. World T20 champions and defending Asia Cup holders India arrive with a revamped side under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, who succeeded Rohit Sharma as captain in more..

Sep 9 (ST) Today (7), is Binara Full Moon Poya – a very important poya for Buddhists, particularly women. This poya falls between the months of July and October when Upasampada bhikkhus and bhikkhunis (monks and nuns) observe the vassana (rainy season) staying indoors for three months. The most important event that took place on Binara Poya during the life of Gauthama Buddha was the ordination of women as bhikkhunis. It was not easy for women to achieve this status in traditional more..

Sep 7 (Island) It’s quite a conundrum that Kamindu Mendis is leaving us with. Having once again pulled victory out of the fire by marshalling the tail, every man in the SL camp would love to see him bat higher up the order. Mind you, the number four slot in white-ball cricket remains an empty chair, but the fact is not everyone can turn water into wine at number six. Kamindu is doing the job so well that he deserves to stay there, though many will be tempted to push him up the ladder. more..

Sep 9 (EN) Sri Lanka’s credit to private borrowers expanded by 201.5 billion rupees in July, after a record 221 billion growth in June, amid broadly deflationary policy that gave confidence with stable costs, but there have been some inflationary swaps recently. In the seven months to July, Sri Lanka’s banks now disbursed 901.6 billion rupees in credit, compared to 341 billion rupees last year. more..

Sep 7 (ST) Royal College weathered a storm and clung on to the Bradby Shield, sealing the 79th edition of the two-leg contest on an aggregate of 18-13, despite losing the second leg 8-3 to Trinity College at the Royal College Sports Complex in Reid Avenue yesterday. The match was a real arm-wrestle. Trinity drew first blood, hit hard in the opening minutes, and even managed to turn the tables on the home team, who stunned the league champs in the first leg a fortnight ago by 15-5. more..

Sep 7 (GV) Political divisions are not new to SL nor are they unique to our country. History is littered with disputes, breakaways and betrayals, often among those who once marched under the same banner. The left, in particular, has long been characterised by factionalism, ideological feuds and the inability to reconcile competing visions of reform and revolution. From Stalin and Trotsky’s bitter clash after Lenin’s death to the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s, disputes within the socialist camp more..

Sep 7 (Island) Seldom does a day pass in this country without shooting incidents or fatal accidents making headlines. On Thursday night, a bus toppled down a precipice near the famous Ravana Falls on the Ella-Wellawaya road, killing 15 passengers and injuring about dozen others. Some of the injured were in a critical condition in the Badulla hospital. The ill-fated vehicle was on its way back from Ella to Tangalle, carrying about 30 municipal workers on a pleasure trip. more..

Sep 7 (ST) Tomorrow (8) will be the re-fixed trial date in the long drawn-out case: The UNHRC vs. The Republic of SL. The matter that has been going on forever in Geneva will see an amended resolution, according to the Govt, with an original petitioner (US) withdrawing from the case and a Core Group either press-ganged to join the crusade (Montenegro and Malawi) or guilt-tripping due to domestic political compulsions (UK and Canada). A Govt that has been on a prosecution overdrive more..