Sep 6 (AD) The SLPP has denied all the allegations levelled against its National Organiser, MP Namal Rajapaksa, who was arrested and remanded yesterday in connection with the controversial Airbus deal. Issuing a statement, SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam, said that his party believes the allegations to be baseless and politically motivated. He further stated that the CIABOC was created with extensive powers to root out corruption or fraud that may occur in the country, more..

Sep 6 (AD) The 80th anniversary of the United National Party (UNP) falls today. A commemorative programme to mark the occasion is scheduled to be held under the patronage of UNP Leader and former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Accordingly, the anniversary celebrations will be held at 9.00 a.m. today at the Sirikotha - UNP Head Office in Pitakotte, the party said. UNP was founded on Sept 6, 1946, at the Palm Court Mansion in Colombo. D.S. Senanayake was elected as the party’s first more..

Sep 6 (TM) The latest UN report on SL has warned that the NPP-led Govt’s commitments to truth, justice, and systemic reform risk stalling, citing severe external shocks, escalating custodial violence, and a failure to dismantle repressive State machinery. The report, released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), will be presented at the 63rd session of UNHRC in Geneva on Monday (7). more..

Sep 6 (AD) A total of 41 suspects, including five women, have been arrested by Teldeniya Police after raiding an illegal Facebook party in the Victoria area of Teldeniya, during which illicit narcotics were also seized. The party organised through social media has been raided in the Victoria area of Teldeniya. The raid was carried out by a team of officers from the Teldeniya Police Station based on information received by the police. Upon inspection, police had recovered 947 mg of cannabis, more..

Sep 6 (NW) Former MP Udaya Gammanpila has described the arrest and remanding of SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa as illegal and unjust, questioning whether there is sufficient evidence to establish that Rajapaksa received USD 800,000 allegedly linked to the SriLankan Airlines aircraft procurement deal. Gammanpila claimed that the case against Rajapaksa was based primarily on a statement allegedly given by businessman Nimal Perera, who had said that he handed USD 800,000 to more..

Sep 6 (EN) SL authorities have urged farmers to complete sowing by mid-October to withstand heavy rains and prepare for an El Niño-driven dry spell early next year. The island nation is targeting approximately 830,000 hectares for paddy cultivation in the upcoming 2026/27 Maha season. The advisory follows meteorological forecasts indicating above-average rainfall across the island in October and November due to prevailing El Niño conditions and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole. more..

Sep 6 (AD) SL Navy (SLN), during its routine maritime surveillance and patrol operations, today (5) provided urgent humanitarian assistance to a group of 8 individuals, including four women and three children, found stranded on a remote sandbank off Thalaimannar. The group, including children aged 2, 11 & 14, was detected by naval personnel during early morning patrols. Upon identifying the distressed individuals, the Navy immediately provided them with safe drinking more..

Sep 6 (TM) SL’s coal-fired electricity generation dropped to just 11.7% of the country’s total power generation as of Thursday (3), as declining coal stocks forced authorities to restrict generation at the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai. Since January, The Sunday Morning has reported on the looming coal shortages in the wake of the substandard coal shipments scandal, which saw the then Minister of Energy resign. more..

Sep 6 (NW) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has criticised the UNP over its response to the remanding of SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa, accusing the party of attempting to defend individuals facing corruption allegations. Jayatissa said Rajapaksa being remanded was not unprecedented, noting that he had previously been remanded on more than one occasion when Ranil Wickremesinghe was prime minister. “Namal Rajapaksa being accused or remanded is nothing unusual. more..

Sep 6 (NW) Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe has shared his experience of playing blind cricket, saying the sport demonstrated how cricket can help break barriers and create greater inclusion for persons with disabilities. Abeysinghe took part in the Beyond Boundaries Inclusive Cricket Event organized by the SL Council for the Blind in Kotte, accompanied by his two daughters. “Cricket is a beautiful game, and it should be for all,” he said, noting that cricket is one of SL’s most loved more..

Sep 6 (NW) SL’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage continued his impressive run in the men’s javelin by winning the Diamond League Final on Saturday night with a best throw of 89.04 metres. Pathirage finished ahead of Poland’s Dawid Wegner, who recorded a personal best of 87.47m, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott took third place with a season-best 83.99m. Grenada’s Anderson Peters finished fourth with more..

Sep 6 (DM) The Illegal Assets Investigation Division has issued a freezing order on property valued at over Rs. 15 million, alleged to have been acquired through illegal means. Following information received by the IGP regarding an individual residing in Pathegama, Weligama, who was allegedly conducting illegal drug trafficking using the EZ Cash platform, an investigation was initiated by the Custodial Investigation Unit of the Illegal Assets Investigation Division under Prevention of more..

Sep 6 (Island) The Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) is to examine the 2024 and 2025 declarations of assets and liabilities submitted by all 225 MPs to the CIABOC. The study will compare the declarations to identify significant changes in MPs’ income, assets, liabilities and other declared financial interests. IRES will also examine the annexures to the declarations and cross-reference relevant information with campaign finance returns submitted to more..

Sep 6 (Island) Intermittent rain has transformed the Kudawa entrance to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve into a spectacular natural attraction, with waterfalls roaring to life and the rain forest displaying its lush beauty in all glory. While several parts of Sri Lanka are experiencing dry conditions, Sinharaja is living up to its reputation as a wet-zone rainforest, receiving frequent showers that have kept its numerous waterfalls flowing and the forest floor cool and moist. more..

Sep 6 (ST) The Supreme Court verdict on the hearing of the petitions related to the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution will be conveyed to the Speaker on Sept 18, the Sunday Times learns. More than 110 petitions were received against and in favour of the 22nd Amendment and were taken into consideration by a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena. Constitutionally, the decision should be conveyed by the Supreme Court within three weeks. more..

Sep 6 (TM) Former SL Captain Kumar Sangakkara has called for a balanced int'l cricket calendar that gives Sri Lanka and other countries greater opportunities to play red-ball cricket, while acknowledging that the financial realities of the format remain a stumbling block to be overcome by administrators. Sangakkara, 48, said that concerns over the future of Test cricket beyond SLC had been repeatedly broached at ICC fora and within more..

Sep 6 (SO) SL’s veteran javelin thrower Dilhani Lekamge launched a brilliant throw to claim the Gold Medal with a new meet record on the second day of the 104th National Athletic Championships 2026, which continued at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Sports Complex in Diyagama yesterday. Nadeesha cleared a distance of 59.46 metres to win the first place of the Women’s javelin throw event while D.H. Madhuwanthi (49.71m) secured the Silver Medal and D.M.I. Hasanthi took the Bronze more..

Sep 6 (SO) Two years ago, SL voters rejected a political establishment that had governed the country since Independence in 1948. NPP candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the Presidency in Sept 2024 and his party won the Parliamentary Election several weeks later. NPP secured 6.86 million votes and won 159 of the 225 Seats, reducing several once-dominant parties to the margins of Parliament with only one or two MPs. NPP’s mandate arose from the economic collapse of 2022 and the anger it produced among more..

Sep 6 (Island) There is a growing sense of disappointment that, after all that early promise, Kamindu Mendis has faded away somewhat. A player who brings such a multidimensional skill set should by now have cemented his place in SL’s white ball sides. But part of the problem with our cricket has been a chronic lack of patience, compounded by some awful choices. A case in point is Dunith Wellalage. Not many people realise that he made his Test debut two years before more..

Sep 6 (Island) Hardly a day passes in this country without major drug detections and underworld killings. IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya, speaking at this year’s Police Day ceremony in Colombo on Thursday, said police had seized large amounts of narcotics, including 1,416 kg of Crystal Methamphetamine, 946 kg of heroin, and 1,282 kg of cannabis and taken into custody 1,612 illegal firearms, including T-56 assault rifles and pistols, so far this year. SL is awash with illegal firearms, more..

Sep 6 (SO) For a country such as Sri Lanka, grappling with a heavy debt burden, the industrial sector is of vital importance to its economic future. The direction in which the country’s industries develop will have a significant bearing on its ability to generate investment, employment, exports and sustainable economic growth. Understanding where the industrial sector is heading, therefore, offers important insight more..

Sep 6 (Island) In March 2027, SL’s Extended Fund Facility with the IMF will expire. It is the seventeenth arrangement the country has entered into with the Fund since 1965. That number is not a footnote; it is the argument. Sixteen previous left the underlying structure of the economy intact – an economy that imports what it consumes, exports what it cannot process further, and borrows to cover the difference. Each programme ended, and the conditions that produced it reassembled themselves. more..

Sep 6 (GV) On Aug 23, The Sunday Times published a searing report titled A Price Tag on Lanka’s Water, revealing a concerted effort by the ADB, international experts and private interests to transform Sri Lanka’s upper watersheds into a tradable natural capital asset. The timing of this revelation could not be more grotesque. On the same day the report appeared, Irrigation Department confirmed that the country’s 74 major reservoirs held only 35.8% of their effective storage capacity. more..

Sep 6 (TM) With the Govt’s image bruised by its desire to railroad the proposed 22nd Amendment and its reluctance to face a referendum, the Opposition has found a cause to unite. Last week, former Prez and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe met party faithful at his Flower Road office, where he stressed the need for the Opposition to build momentum and seize the opportunity at hand to build a robust parliamentary opposition. more..

Sep 6 (CT) It is with a deep sense of sadness that I record the passing of Dr Upatissa Pethiyagoda, who died on 27 August 2026 at the age of 94. To many, he was a distinguished scientist, an accomplished administrator, a diplomat and a public intellectual. To me, he was much more than that. Dr Pethiyagoda was a proud product of Trinity College, Kandy. At a time when a first class in Botany was a rarity, he obtained one and subsequently pursued postgraduate studies in London. more..

Sep 6 (SO) War. Pestilence. Famine. These are the Three Fears espoused in Buddhism and many other philosophies. At least three major wars are happening as this is written. The entire world experienced a pestilence just six years ago as Covid-19 spread rapidly, killing over seven million people. Though no country is experiencing a famine per se right now, WHO surveys have revealed that around 650 million people go hungry every day (a staggering 8% of the global population), more..

Sep 5 (NW) SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa was arrested following an investigation that included an affidavit from businessman Nimal Perera alleging that he handed Rajapaksa Rs. 100 million linked to funds received in connection with the controversial SriLankan Airlines Airbus deal, the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court was told. Nimal Perera is a prominent SL businessman and investor whose name has surfaced in several more..

Sep 5 (DM) Mohamed Hisham Jamaldeen, the son of former Western Province Governor and former Colombo Mayor A.J.M. Muzammil was arrested at the BIA on Wednesday. Jamaldeen, 47, was arrested by Immigration and Emigration officials while he was preparing to board SriLankan Airlines flight UL-503 to London at around 1.45 p.m., according to the police. The arrest was made in connection with a travel ban imposed on him as part of an ongoing investigation by the FCID. more..

Sep 5 (DN) Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will arrive in Sri Lanka on Sept 8 for a two day official visit, during which he is expected to hold comprehensive discussions with SL leaders on bilateral defence cooperation, maritime security, and other areas of mutual interest. During the visit Singh is scheduled to meet President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and PM Harini Amarasuriya on September 9. He will also hold talks with Defence Secretary Sampath Thuyacontha. more..

Sep 5 (DN) UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk on Thursday called for a moratorium on the use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, pending its repeal, as well as the release of long-term detainees held under it. High Commissioner urged SL to redouble its reconciliation and accountability efforts. Türk also called for all individuals credibly accused of human rights violations to be excluded from senior more..

Sep 5 (Island) The Supreme Court yesterday concluded hearing 15 petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Anti-Corruption (Amendment) Bill presented to Parliament by the Government. A three-member bench, comprising Justices Shiran Gooneratne, Mahinda Samayawardhena and Sampath Wijeratne, heard the petitions over two days. Following the conclusion of oral submissions, the bench directed the relevant parties to file any written submissions by noon on Monday. more..

Sep 5 (NW) The 21st model village constructed in SL with grant assistance from the Government of India was handed over to beneficiaries in Polonnaruwa on Friday. Indian HC Santosh Jha and Deputy Minister T.B. Sarath jointly inaugurated and handed over 24 houses at the Suhada Gama Model Village. Speaker of Parliament Jagath Wickramarathna also attended the ceremony. The Model Village Housing Project is being implemented across all 25 districts in partnership with more..