Sep 22 (Island) Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne is expected to communicate the Supreme Court (SC) determination on the 22nd Constitutional Amendment (22A) Bill to Parliament shortly. All signs are that it will come as no surprise to legal experts and the discerning public. The process of hearing scores of petitions against 22A came under intense global scrutiny, with the impending SC determination arousing much interest among international jurists. It will be interesting to see more..

Sep 22 (TM) There are some journalists whose work we read and then move on. And there are others whose writing makes us stop, think, and look at the country differently. D.B.S. Jeyaraj, who passed away on 17 May, was one of them. Whenever I saw an article by DBS, as he was widely known, appear in a newspaper, it was the first I read. He was primarily a columnist and political analyst, with a deep knowledge of history of ethnic conflict. However, his columns were not simply analysis or opinion. more..

Sep 22 (TM) Two years after voters made Anura Kumara Dissanayake President, and gave his NPP 159 seats in Parliament a couple of months later, independent analysts mostly land on mixed. They credit the Govt for steadying the economy and for a real anti-corruption push, but say the system change at the heart of its pitch has made little progress. The public is catching up with the analysts. Verité Research's July poll put approval of the Govt at 49.83%, down from 65% in February, more..

Sep 22 (SO) SL’s ancient tank culture stands as one of the world’s remarkable examples of water management, sustaining communities, agriculture and ecosystems for centuries. Today, however, this enduring water heritage faces growing challenges, making its revival and protection more important than ever. In recent past under the Climate Resilient Integrated Water Management Project (Wewgam Pubuduwa) and the Climate Smart Irrigated Agriculture projects more..

Sep 22 (GV) At a school on the outskirts of Colombo, the heat is changing how children experience a school day. For those preparing for their crucial examinations amid many socio-economic hardships, mornings remain manageable but by afternoon concentration becomes increasingly difficult. Malitha, 17, who is preparing for the A’Levels in the coming years, said the heat has intensified considerably during his years at school. His mornings are helped by a working fan but by midday he struggles to concentrate. more..

Sep 22 (ST) Mea culpa. A thousand apologies, as they used to say in the now long-lost British comedy series aired by ITV. Alas, what a loss. Now we have instead Diyawanna Oya follies. That’s a comedy series too. But then we laugh at it for different reasons. But laugh, we do. All the same apologies are necessary for the mistake made last Sunday when we said that our enemies were inside our sovereign territory and not outside, as history has shown. Therefore, there was little need to more..

Sep 22 (DM) Nearly 6 decades ago, the Colombo Wellawatte Tamil Sangam was established as a place where Tamil-speaking people could gather, learn and share their language, literature and culture. Over the years, it became more than a meeting place. It hosted literary gatherings, cultural celebrations and events marking occasions of national significance. Writers and literary figures were honoured there, and generations of more..

Sep 22 (DM) A Sri Lankan passport does not carry with it an exemption from the laws, customs or religious sensitivities of another country. That basic truth appears to have been forgotten in the heated debate surrounding the case of Sri Lankan national Anojan, who is facing judicial proceedings in Saudi Arabia following a social media post reportedly deemed insulting to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad. The case has caused concern in Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 22 (DM) The Sri Lankan economy is not an island. We like to think that all will be fine as long as we stabilise our economy and ensure fiscal discipline. However, in reality, economic crises in SL have more often been triggered by external shocks rather than internal problems. And now we are staring at economic and political developments that signal a dangerous world. There are different external shocks that have been in the making, and it is indeed difficult to predict as to which more..

Sep 21 (DM) Questions have been raised over the importation and release of a stock of around 190,000 G-CSF injections, reportedly worth approximately Rs. 250 million, amid claims that the drugs were imported without proper labelling and required standards. Chairman of the Medical and Civil Rights Doctors' Trade Union Alliance, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, questioned who authorized the release of the consignment from Customs and called for the NMRA to disclose all relevant information. more..

Sep 21 (NW) The 13th newly built post office under the current govt was officially opened to the public in Kaithady, Jaffna, marking another step in the ongoing postal modernization programme. Constructed at a cost of 28 million rupees, Kaithady Post Office was declared open under the patronage of Minister of Nalinda Jayatissa. The facility, equipped with modern amenities, was built using allocations from the 2025 Budget, which earmarked 600 million rupees for new post office more..

Sep 21 (DM) Acknowledging the tax burden faced by the public, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday said Govt was expecting to remove certain taxes through the 2027 Budget to provide relief to people affected by rising costs. Prez said the Govt had focused on strengthening the economy, livelihoods, food security and opportunities for economic advancement, while stressing the need to translate these efforts into tangible benefits more..

Sep 21 (TM) National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) has launched a strategic plan to reduce the country’s smoking rate, currently at 10%, ahead of the implementation of the proposed Tobacco-Free Generation (TFG) programme, while acknowledging the practical difficulties of eliminating tobacco use completely. NATA Chairman Dr Ananda Rathnayaka said reducing tobacco use among existing smokers was essential for the TFG programme to succeed. more..

Sep 21 (DM) SL’s repeated exposure to war, COVID-19, economic hardship and natural disasters has left many people dealing with layers of trauma and loss, with earlier experiences of distress often resurfacing after new crises, a recent study has found. Study, titled Addressing Disaster-Related Trauma and Loss in SL, found that the psychological impact of disasters cannot be viewed as isolated incidents, as repeated crises can compound emotional distress and make recovery more difficult. more..

Sep 21 (AD) SLC’s Major Tier ‘A’ club structure is set for a major overhaul, with the Cricket Transformation Committee deciding to reduce the number of clubs in the top domestic tier from 14 to 10 over the next two years. The move is among the key measures announced by the Cricket Transformation Committee (CTC), appointed by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs on Apr 29, 2026, as part of a broader programme to reform more..

Sep 21 (NW) Irrigation Dept reports that significant rainfall has been recorded across much of the wet zone, including the districts of Galle, Matara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya & Matale districts and the Western, North Western, and Sabaragamuwa Provinces. Director of Irrigation, L.S. Sooriyabandara said that although rainfall has slightly reduced compared to previous days, showers continue. He further said that as of this morning, the upper areas of the Kelani River received 100-125 mm of rain, more..

Sep 21 (DM) The govt is examining legal options to allow private fuel distributors to set their own prices within a specified upper and lower range, Minister Anura Karunathilaka said. He said the move is being considered as several private fuel distribution companies have raised concerns over heavy losses under the existing pricing structure, leading to restrictions on diesel supplies. Three private fuel companies in SL—Lanka IOC (LIOC), Sinopec, and RM Parks—have restricted diesel distribution more..

Sep 21 (DM) In response to a query about Sri Lanka seeking defence cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Russian Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan said that it was Sri Lanka's bilateral issue, and Russia, unlike Western countries, does not put pressure. Asked whether Russia is concerned about Sri Lanka's engagement with NATO, the Ambassador told Daily Mirror, " No, it’s you bilateral issue. Unlike Western countries, more..

Sep 21 (DM) Supreme Court has dismissed a long-running claim by an Indian national seeking the return of 50 slabs of gold seized at the Bandaranaike Int'l Airport in 1991, holding that transit passengers are also subject to the jurisdiction of SL Customs. The Supreme Court held the view that a transit passenger carrying a restricted or prohibited item falls outside the jurisdiction of SL Customs is contrary to the provisions of more..

Sep 21 (TM) Three former Directors General (DGs) of Archaeology have written to the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs over the replacement of the casket in which the Sacred Tooth Relic had been kept, claiming that the removal of the historic casket and its replacement with a new casket is in complete violation of the Antiquities Ordinance and related legislation. The letter, signed by former more..

Sep 21 (FT) Sri Lanka’s spices industry must move beyond traditional commodity exports and harness artificial intelligence (AI), traceability, branding, and value addition to capture premium global markets, Int'l Finance Corporation (IFC) Operations Officer for SL Rukshila Gooneratne said. Addressing the 42nd AGM of the Spice and Allied Products Producers’ and Traders’ Association (SAPPTA) last Friday, she said the sector was at a critical juncture as Sri Lanka targets $ 36 billion more..

Sep 21 (Island) Three Thai nationals were arrested at the BIA in Katunayake yesterday for allegedly attempting to smuggle Kush and hashish into the country after arriving from Bangkok. The arrests were made in two separate operations conducted by officers of the Police Narcotics Bureau at the airport’s arrival terminal yesterday morning. In the first operation, a 38-year-old Thai woman was arrested with 3.2 kilos of Kush and 1.8 kilos of hashish. more..

Sep 21 (TM) SL is seeking to strengthen its spice and export-agriculture sector by connecting farmers and entrepreneurs to engage directly with foreign markets, while developing region-based export crop hubs, Minister K D Lal Kantha said at the SL Spice Expo 2026 held recently in Kandy. Addressing the event, Lal Kantha said Dept of Export Agriculture is working to bring farmers & entrepreneurs together to more..

Sep 21 (EN) Two groups from SL’s Parliament visited China and South Africa last week for a traditional medicine forum and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. The team participating in the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Forum on Traditional Medicine in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China were Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne, Deputy Minister of Health Hansaka Wijemuni, and Managing Director of the SL Ayurveda Drug Corp Marasinghege Jayalal. more..

Sep 21 (NW) Minister of Sport Sunil Kumara Gamage has acknowledged that some of SL’s current cricketers are not meeting the required standards, stressing that the long‑standing problems in the sport must be addressed from the grassroots level. Responding to questions from reporters, the Minister said that appointing strong committees or implementing sound plans alone will not revive cricket unless the country produces quality players. “Without good cricketers we cannot take more..

Sep 21 (FT) Ceylon Chamber of Shipping (CCS), established to provide a unified platform and collective voice for SL’s maritime and shipping industry, was officially launched on 9 Sept, at the Colombo International Maritime Conference held at the Radisson Blu, Colombo. The official unveiling of the Chamber’s website was carried out by US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman Laura DiBella, Commissioner Robert J. Harvey, and Governor of Western Province Hanif Yusoof more..

Sep 21 (Island) PM Harini Amarasuriya stated that having a disability or other special needs should never be a barrier to a child’s future, and that the Govt is committed to building an inclusive society where everyone has equal opportunities without barriers, while giving due recognition to the true abilities and talents of every child. PM made these remarks at a ceremony held at Temple Trees on Sunday to recognise Girl Guides who received the Blue All Round Cord, more..

Sep 21 (Island) The govt’s position on the abolition of the Executive Presidency and the future of the Provincial Council system will be set out in a new Constitution, NPP General Secretary Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe has said. Abeysinghe made the remarks when a delegation from the CaFFE met him at the NPP headquarters in Pelawatte on Friday evening. Former NPP MP Laxman Nipunarachchi also participated in the discussion. more..

Sep 21 (NF) Former MP Wimal Weerawansa appeared before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today in connection with a long-running case filed over a protest held outside the UN office in Colombo in 2016. Weerawansa appeared before court shortly after a warrant was issued due to his failure to be present when the case was initially called. The case, filed against Weerawansa and five others, was taken up before Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama for more..

Sep 21 (NW) Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has launched the first phase of distributing exercise equipment sets worth over Rs. 65 million to 500 schools island‑wide, under the School Cricket Development Programme. The initiative is aimed at raising the standard of school cricket while improving students’ physical fitness. The programme, which began with allocations from the 2024 Budget, is being implemented jointly by the Presidential Secretariat, Ministry of Education, more..

Sep 21 (AD) Around 43% of young Sri Lankans with postsecondary education are unemployed, according to data presented by the IMF, highlighting a serious mismatch between educational qualifications and employment opportunities. Figure places SL at the highest end of the comparison on youth unemployment among those with advanced education. Data highlight the particularly difficult transition from education more..

Sep 21 (AD) A low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea region of the Bay of Bengal, northeast of SL is expected to intensify into a depression within the next 24 hours, according to the Dept of Meteorology. Although the system is not expected to have a direct impact on SL, its associated wind flow is expected to maintain rainy conditions, particularly across the southwestern parts of the island. Met. Dept forecasts showers or thundershowers at times tomorrow (22), in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, more..