News

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) today moved the Supreme Court to challenge the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, arguing that the legislation threatens democratic principles and fundamental rights.

The petition, filed under case number SC/SD/31/2026, was lodged shortly after the Bill was formally presented to Parliament.

In its application, the SJB is seeking a determination on the constitutionality of the proposed amendment and its broader legal implications.

The main opposition party raised serious concerns over the Bill's provisions, noting that the amendment could undermine Sri Lanka's democratic framework, erode the separation of powers, and compromise fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

Former Chairman of the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation (CFC) Maheel Senaratne has been arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).

The arrest relates to allegations that proper procurement procedures were not followed in connection with the establishment and maintenance of fish sales centres across the country.

Senaratne served as Chairman of the Ceylon Fisheries Corporation from 2010 to 2012.

He is also the brother of former Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne.

CIABOC is investigating the alleged irregularities concerning the procurement procedures linked to the fish sales centres.

Sri Lanka has begun construction on a new grid substation in Homagama as part of a $328.25 million transmission infrastructure programme aimed at strengthening the national electricity network and expanding its capacity to absorb renewable energy.

The 132/33 kV facility is the first major component to break ground under the Power System Strengthening and Renewable Energy Integration Project, which is being financed through concessional lending from the Asian Development Bank.

The Homagama substation has been designed to relieve pressure on the Pannipitiya and Kosgama substations, which have come under increasing strain from rapid industrial and commercial growth in Homagama, Kottawa, Malabe and Horana.

A second 132/33 kV substation is planned for Negombo, where rising tourism and industrial activity, together with future expansion around Bandaranaike International Airport and the proposed Aero City project, are expected to drive further demand for reliable electricity supply.

Beyond these two facilities, several additional projects have been identified under the National Transmission Network Strengthening Plan, including a 220/33 kV substation at Mirigama, a 132/33 kV substation at Peliyagoda, and a 78 kilometre double-circuit 132 kV transmission line linking Hambantota and Matara.

Further plans include sections of 220 kV transmission lines with LILO connections and a two kilometre underground 132 kV link to Peliyagoda, while construction has already begun on a separate 220 kV underground transmission cable system connecting Kerawalapitiya with the Colombo Port.

These projects reflect a broader shift in the geography of Sri Lanka's electricity demand, which is increasingly being driven by industrial zones, tourism developments, airports and major economic projects rather than traditional urban centres alone, a shift that requires transmission capacity to be built out ahead of demand rather than in response to it.

The scale of this pipeline also underscores the challenge facing the country's renewable energy ambitions, since new generation capacity can only be effectively utilised if sufficient transmission infrastructure exists to carry electricity from generation sites to areas of demand.

The two substations under the current project are scheduled for completion within two years.

President Donald Trump's approval rating fell to the lowest level of his presidency, ‌with an overwhelming majority of Americans concerned the U.S. war with Iran will last a long time, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Monday.

Just 33% of respondents in the four-day survey said they approved of Trump's performance in the White House, while 64% disapproved. Trump's approval rating, down from 35% in a poll that closed earlier this month and ​lower than at any point in his current term, has now tied the lowest level of his prior term reached in December 2017.

After ​returning to the White House in 2025 with just under half the country approving of his presidency, Trump's popularity ⁠this year took a hit after he ordered strikes on Iran alongside U.S. ally Israel. 

The ensuing conflict paralyzed a fifth of the global oil trade, ​triggering a surge in the price of gasoline that is weighing on U.S. households - and on Trump's Republican allies defending congressional majorities in November midterm elections.

Trump, who ​campaigned on promises to keep inflation in check and avoid long-lasting wars, initially pledged the conflict with Iran would take a few weeks. But Iran has proved resilient and has kept the oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz largely bottled up even as the conflict has cooled.

Some 80% of Americans - including 87% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans - ​think U.S. involvement in Iran "will go on for an extended period of time," the Reuters/Ipsos poll found. Just 16% said the conflict would likely end ​in a few weeks.

TRUMP JUSTIFIES HIGH GAS PRICES

Trump told a political rally in Garden City, New York, on Friday that paying "a tiny little bit more for your gasoline" is worth ‌the cost ⁠of ensuring "a very evil country" could not have a nuclear weapon, one of his stated rationales for the war.

Throughout the conflict, the president has alternated between threats of escalation and assertions that a peace deal is imminent. Only one in five Americans - and just half of Republicans - think the war has been worth it, the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

Concerns about the war and gasoline prices have Republicans nervous about their hopes of defending their slim majority in the ​U.S. House of Representatives in the ​November 3 elections, and Democrats increasingly ⁠see the U.S. Senate also within their grasp.

Reuters/Ipsos polling this month has shown voters prefer Democrats over Republicans as better stewards of the economy for the first time in about a decade. The latest poll showed 38% of voters think ​Democrats will handle the economy better, compared to 35% who prefer the Republican approach. Democrats are also seen ​as better equipped to ⁠manage the cost of living.

The Republican approach to immigration has remained more popular than that of Democrats throughout Trump's term, with a sharp fall in border crossings and sustained nationwide crackdown ordered by Trump. But Republicans are losing ground amid deadly confrontations and a surge in detainees, including children.

Some 40% of registered voters said Republicans ⁠have the better ​approach on immigration policy, compared to 38% who pick Democrats, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos ​poll. That 2 percentage point spread is the lowest of Trump's term. Republicans led by 26 points in January 2025.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was conducted online, gathered responses from 1,166 U.S. adults ​nationwide and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.

Source: Reuters 

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has proposed introducing a low-cost ticketing system for tourist attractions to draw visitors towards lesser-known destinations and ease congestion at Sri Lanka's most popular wildlife parks.

He outlined the proposal while addressing the Parliamentary Caucus on Climate Change, where he raised a set of concerns spanning tourism management, wildlife conservation and the resourcing of the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Premadasa said an affordable ticketing system could encourage tourists to explore a wider range of destinations, thereby helping to relieve the heavy traffic and overcrowding currently seen at national park entrances, while simultaneously supporting the growth of tourism in areas that presently attract far fewer visitors.

He also drew attention to a longstanding shortage of veterinary surgeons within the Department of Wildlife Conservation, noting that although the department requires 33 such professionals, only 17 are currently in service, a shortfall he said has persisted for decades.

According to the Opposition Leader, wildlife veterinary surgeons play an essential role in managing human-wildlife conflicts and treating animals such as elephants and leopards, yet continue to lack adequate legal recognition and powers under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance.

He called for these professionals to be properly integrated into the department's structure, alongside clearer pathways for career advancement and promotion.

Turning to water management within protected areas, he proposed that accumulated silt be removed from reservoirs in national parks during the dry season to improve their capacity to retain water.

He pointed to the Yala National Park in particular, where water levels in tanks have fallen sharply amid the current dry conditions, forcing authorities to transport water by bowser to some of the smaller water sources.

He also stressed the need for better facilities and support for wildlife officers, noting that their duties extend around the clock given that human-wildlife conflicts occur both inside and outside designated wildlife areas.

Defendants in a case involving more than 23,000 charges, including allegations of conspiracy linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, began presenting their defence before the Colombo High Court today (17).

The trial is being heard by a three-member High Court bench comprising Judges Navaratne Marasinghe, Ramanathan Kannan and Sujeewa Nissanka.

When the case was taken up, three defendants—Zainul Abdeen Mohamed Jeseem, Mohamed Mustapha Mohamed Rizwan and Meera Zahir Mohamed Nafli—made statements from the dock.

A total of 24 defendants have been named in the case, and all are currently being held in remand custody.

The defendants are expected to continue presenting evidence in support of their defence as the trial proceeds.

Former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) today (18).

Rambukwella arrived at the Bribery Commission this morning to provide a statement as part of an ongoing investigation.

Following the statement-recording process, CIABOC officials arrested the former minister.

The arrest was made in connection with the ongoing investigation being conducted by the Bribery Commission.

Further details regarding the circumstances surrounding the arrest have not been disclosed.

Four managers of private commercial banks have been arrested by the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) over an alleged USD 1 billion transfer involving a Colombo Fort-based money changer.

According to police, the investigation centres on allegations that the money changer transferred approximately USD 1 billion without importing any goods into Sri Lanka.

The four bank managers were arrested while they were at their respective private banks. Police said the arrests are believed to be the first of their kind in Sri Lanka involving bank managers in connection with such an investigation.

Investigators have reportedly found that the main individual allegedly involved in the scheme had made weekly payments to the four suspects.

The payments varied on different occasions, with the officials allegedly receiving amounts of Rs. 30,000, Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 100,000 per week.

Investigators have also found that one of the four arrested bank managers had allegedly received approximately Rs. 1 million as a payment on one occasion.

The Financial Crimes Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department is continuing investigations into the alleged financial transaction and the involvement of the arrested bank officials.

Authorities of a hospital in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka have been challenged for preventing a group of newly appointed Muslim officers from reporting for duty on the grounds of their attire.

When nine Muslim women appointed as Junior Health Assistants at Kalmunai North Base Hospital went to assume duty on 6th August, the hospital’s Deputy Director, Dr. Sri Shankar, had not allow them to make entries in the reporting register, saying that they could not be allowed to report for duty in the attire they were wearing.

On the following day also, when the Muslim officers again went to the hospital to report for duty, they faced the same situation.

At the Cabinet decision press conference held by the Government Information Department on 11th August, a journalist informed the Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, that the group of Muslim female officers were wearing “long trousers, a long sleeve dress and a headscarf” over their uniforms.

Five of the female officers filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka on 10th August, alleging that the hospital authorities had continuously prevented them from reporting for duty. Attorney at Law M. M. M. Mugasam, who is appearing on their behalf, told provincial journalists that attempts to resolve the issue with the hospital authorities internally had also failed.

“We met with the Deputy Director of the hospital, Dr. Sri Shankar, and another medical superintendent, Dr. Rajindran, and inquired about this. We also looked into whether this matter could be resolved within the hospital premises under a domestic method. However, it became clear to us after this discussion that there are no such easy methods,” he said.

Attorney at Law M. M. M. Mugasam said he had drawn the attention of the hospital authorities to the circular issued by the Ministry of Public Administration, Disaster Management and Rural Economic Affairs on 26th June 2019 regarding the dress code of government officials.

As stated in Public Administration Circular 13/2019(1), issued by the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration, Disaster Management and Rural Economic Affairs, J. J. Ratnasiri, on 26th June 2019 under the title “Dress Code for Government Officials”, officials are required to dress in “appropriate modest attire that upholds the dignity of the public service”. The circular also states that if officials dress according to any religious ritual, they may wear additional attire after dressing in official attire to confirm their religious identity, while enabling officials to clearly identify their full face, excluding the ears.

Attorney at Law M. M. M. Mugasam, who took the initiative to submit the complaint to the Ampara Regional Office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka on 10th August together with Attorney at Law Rudani Sahir, further told journalists that the Director, Deputy Director and Hospital Disciplinary Officer of Kalmunai North Base Hospital had violated the 2019 circular issued by the Ministry of Public Administration, Disaster Management and Rural Economic Affairs.

“That means there is no change or reduction in their uniform. They come in the uniform of the health workers. In addition, there are some things that need to be covered. They can make changes in the clothes they need to cover those. That is clearly stated in this circular. Therefore, it is clear that the Director of the Kalmunai North Base Hospital, the Deputy Director, the Hospital Disciplinary Officer Dr. Rajindran, the Administrative Officer and the Health Workers’ Supervisory Officer have violated this circular,” he said.

Attorney at Law Mugasam said the hospital authorities had emphasized during discussions with the lawyers that there is a separate circular for health workers and that, since there is a circular relating to clothing, it must be followed.

During the Cabinet decision press conference held on 11th August, a journalist questioned Minister of Health and Mass Media and Chief Government Whip Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa regarding the hospital authorities not allowing the group of Muslim female officers to report for duty on the grounds of their attire.

The minister said that he was not aware of the matter until that moment.

“There are still about ninety thousand people outside. Therefore, do not create unnecessary problems and disrupt the hospital service,” the minister warned with a mocking smile.

The minister also asked health workers to file complaints with the Ministry of Health if there was a problem.

Subsequently, Social Justice Party Chairman and Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Municipal Council member Arqam Munir told journalists in Colombo on 12th August that his party had complained to the Secretary of the Ministry of Health regarding the problematic situation faced by the Muslim female officers due to their attire.