Sri Lanka has informed the 69th General Conference of the IAEA in Vienna that the country is currently exploring nuclear power as a reliable, low-carbon energy source to diversify its energy mix and address the dual challenges of climate change and energy security. During the Conference held from 15-19 September, Sri Lanka further informed that the country has included nuclear power as an energy source within the base case of the Ceylon Electricity Board’s (CEB) Least Cost Long-Term Generation and Expansion Plan 2025-2044. According to the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Vienna, delivering the national statement of…
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Lecturers from state universities islandwide have planned a symbolic strike today (30), over several key demands. The strike has been planned, highlighting key demands, including salary inequality and a shortage of academic staff. The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) Secretary, Senior Lecturer Charudaththe Ilangasinghe, said that even though it has been a year since the government came into power, there has still been no resolution to the ongoing crises affecting state universities. Speaking at a press conference held in Colombo yesterday, he warned that these issues pose a serious risk to the continuity of academic activities, including examinations. (Newswire)…
Several spells of showers will occur in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in the Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya districts today. According to the Department of Meteorology, a few showers may occur in the North Western Province. Fairly strong winds of about 30-40 kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western, and Central provinces and in the Trincomalee and Hambantota districts. Meanwhile, showers will occur at several places in the sea areas off the coast extending from Chilaw to Matara via Colombo and Galle. Winds will be south-westerly…
The White House has unveiled a 20-point proposal it says could bring an immediate halt to Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and left the Palestinian enclave in ruins. If the plan is accepted by both sides, the war is to end immediately, with all captives held in Gaza alive and dead returned within 72 hours, and Palestinian prisoners released. The Gaza Strip is to be temporarily governed by a Palestinian technocratic government, with no role for Hamas, and Israel will not annex Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted US President Donald Trump’s…
Nepal etched its name in cricket history on Monday with a thumping 90-run victory over the West Indies, marking the biggest win by an associate nation against a full-member side in men’s T20 internationals. The win, sealed in Bengaluru, surpassed Afghanistan’s 81-run triumph over Zimbabwe in 2016, and came just days after Nepal registered its first-ever T20I win against the Caribbean side. Nepal, batting first, posted a commanding total built on disciplined batting and fearless stroke play. In reply, the West Indies faltered under pressure, collapsing well short of the target. The margin of defeat stunned cricket followers worldwide, as…
Three Sri Lankans who were allegedly involved in crimes have been arrested by the Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru. The three Sri Lankans were allegedly staying illegally in an apartment near Devanahalli in Bengaluru, Indian media reports state. Police suspect they were hiding in the city for several months. The accused, aged 29, 31 and 41 are residents of Dondra, Ratmalana and Kotahena. Investigations have revealed the trio entered India illegally from Jaffna to Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu in 2024, after which they briefly stayed in Chennai and Coimbatore before moving to Bengaluru. None of them had valid documents, including passports.…
The Archbishop of Colombo, His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, said a “strange culture” is emerging in Sri Lanka, not as a result of government policy but through the actions of certain institutions. The Cardinal claimed that a letter had recently been sent to a Tourism Authority requesting permission to promote LGBTQI tourism and related businesses in Sri Lanka. “Do the rulers of our country know that such letters are being sent? Do they realize our children are being influenced in this way? Our greatest resource is our children, and they must be protected,” he said. Cardinal Ranjith stressed that people…
Lanka Sathosa on Monday opened its largest retail complex under the new network in the hill country town of Badulla. The outlet, branded “Lanka Sathosa Exclusive – Badulla,” features not only a supermarket but also sections for ready-made garments, restaurants, bakery products, and other goods at affordable prices. The opening ceremony was attended by Minister of Plantation Infrastructure, Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development W. A. D. Samanasinghe, Uva Province Governor Kapila Jayasekara, Deputy Tourism Minister Ruwan Ranasinghe, Parliamentarians Ravindra Bandara, Dinindu Saman Hennayake, and Kithnan Selvaraj, Badulla Mayor Nandana Hapugoda, Lanka Sathosa Chairman Samitha Perera, senior…
The family of Nadun Chinthaka Wickramaratne, better known by his underworld alias “Harak Kata,” has alleged that he is being unjustly detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to prevent him from exposing bribery claims involving senior police officers and politicians. In a complaint to the Committee on Enforced Disappearances in Geneva, Wickramaratne’s father, Nelson Mervin Wickramaratne, said his son has been held for more than 30 months under successive detention orders despite no weapons, drugs, or serious criminal charges being filed against him. The only cases raised so far relate to an alleged attempted escape from custody. According…
The haul of drugs, suspected to be narcotics and seized from Weligama recently, has been confirmed to be the narcotic ‘Mephedrone’. DIG of the Southern Province, Kithsiri Jayalath, said the drug was confirmed by the Government Analyst. He further said that this is the first instance of this drug being found in Sri Lanka. DIG Kithsiri Jayalath also noted that the Government Analyst’s report reveals that Mephedrone is more dangerous than other narcotic drugs such as ‘ICE’. The drug was found after the Police raided a location in the Weligama area suspected to have been used for the production of…
The Government of Japan has agreed to provide about 10 surveillance drones, worth about 500 million yen, to the Sri Lanka Navy, it was reported. According to the Japanese Media, Jiji Press, the agreement was made during a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Tokyo today. This will be Japan’s first provision of defence equipment to Sri Lanka under its official security assistance program. “The stability and development of Sri Lanka, which is located at a strategic point in the Indian Ocean, is extremely important,” Ishiba said at a joint press…
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has praised Sri Lanka’s historic role in Japan’s postwar recovery, recalling a powerful speech by former President J.R. Jayewardena at the 1951 San Francisco Peace Conference. Speaking after talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Tokyo, Ishiba said Jayewardena’s words calling for reconciliation and compassion helped pave the way for Japan’s return to the international community. At the Peace Conference, Jayewardena quoted the Buddha, declaring, “Hatred ceases not by hatred, but by love.” His appeal, Ishiba said, became a turning point in Japan’s postwar reintegration. “Such actions by Sri Lanka laid the foundation…
Delhi and its neighbouring cities are witnessing a rise in H3N2 cases — an Influenza A subtype virus — over the past few months, with doctors cautioning that symptoms this time are more intense than in previous years.
The family of the late Sri Lanka rugby player Wasim Thajudeen has urged the Anura Kumara Dissanayake-led government to reopen investigations into his death, claiming that justice has been denied for over 13 years.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has strongly objected to reported moves to compel the removal of car passes and permits affixed to the windscreens of motor vehicles, stressing that the BASL Lawyers’ Car Pass has been an essential security and identification measure for nearly three decades. In a letter addressed to the Inspector General of Police, the BASL said that although no official communication has been made, news reports suggest steps are being considered to prohibit such stickers. The Association underlined that the BASL Car Pass, issued annually since 1997, serves to identify attorneys-at-law when entering courts, tribunals,…
In the wake of the Singapore shipping company refusing to pay the Supreme Court-ordered compensation of US $ 1 billion over the X-Press Pearl disaster, the government has consulted the Attorney General on the next step to be taken, a Minister said yesterday.
Sri Lankan students will soon get free access to Google’s Gemini Advanced research tools and other digital resources, the Ministry of Digital Economy said today.
Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa alleged that certain doctors engaged in politics are receiving funds from pharmaceutical companies and are creating fabricated news stories to disrupt the country’s medicine supply. The Minister said some media outlets were amplifying these claims, portraying a false shortage of essential medicines. He noted that targeted media campaigns were being used to weaken individuals involved in supplying affordable and quality medicines to the public. According to Jayatissa, the ultimate aim of such efforts is to discredit the process and manipulate it in favour of vested interests. (Newswire) The post Some doctors, media fueling false medicine…
Nelson Mervin Wickramaratne, the father of Nadun Chinthaka, commonly known as Harak Kata claims that his son suspects that he is being unjustly held in detention under PTA to prevent him from revealing details of senior police officers and politicians who had sought bribes.
Some exhibitors who have participated in the Colombo International Book Fair previously have kept away from the exhibition this year due to political interference, Opposition MP Amila Prasad Siriwardana alleged yesterday.