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The National People's Power’s present-day victory, taken in the context of Newton Gunasinghe’s scientific interpretation, is a victory for the national dialogue against personal use of public property, said Samabima Party leader Deepthi Kumara Gunarathne.

In a discussion for ‘Ideas Front’ YouTube channel, Gunarathne said the same opinion took the upper hand in politics after the NPP’s victory, just like the national struggle overtook class politics after Black July of 1983, he said.

Video below has the full discussion, presented by Narada Bakmeewewa:

The ongoing drought has severely affected water availability at the Wilpattu National Park, with several natural water sources drying up and leaving wild animals facing difficulties in accessing drinking water.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation has taken emergency measures to support wildlife by transporting water in bowsers and filling concrete ponds located within the park.

Wilpattu National Park Warden R.D.D.D. Samaranayake said several key water sources in the park’s Eastern Zone, including the Maradankaduwa, Parcibendiwewa and Kukulkatuwa tanks, have completely dried up, leaving animals without sufficient water.

He said the department is currently pumping water from bowsers into available ponds as a temporary solution to help meet the animals’ water requirements during the dry period.

However, the Warden noted that water levels in several lakes located in other zones of the national park remain at satisfactory levels.

The Wildlife Department continues to monitor the situation and provide necessary assistance to minimise the impact of the drought on animals within the park.

Sri Lanka recorded a budget surplus of Rs. 9.5 billion during the first half of 2026, marking a dramatic turnaround from the Rs. 405.6 billion deficit posted during the same period last year.

The improvement, disclosed in the Finance Ministry's Fiscal Review Report, covers the period between January and June 2026 and reflects a sharp rise in state revenue collection alongside more moderate growth in government spending.

Total government revenue and grants climbed by 27.1 per cent year on year to reach Rs. 2.95 trillion, equivalent to 55.8 per cent of the Rs. 5.3 trillion annual estimate.

Tax revenue accounted for the bulk of this growth, expanding by 25.9 per cent to Rs. 2.71 trillion and achieving 55.2 per cent of the full year target of Rs. 4.9 trillion.

Non-tax earnings performed even more strongly, surging by 43.6 per cent to Rs. 243.6 billion and fulfilling 67.7 per cent of the projected Rs. 360 billion.

Grants, however, fell sharply, dropping by 46.4 per cent to just Rs. 1.8 billion, or 6 per cent of the Rs. 30 billion target.

On the expenditure side, total state spending rose by 7.9 per cent to Rs. 2.94 trillion, representing 39.0 per cent of the Rs. 7.5 trillion annual projection.

Recurrent spending increased by 6.5 per cent to Rs. 2.66 trillion against a target of Rs. 5.8 trillion, reaching 45.7 per cent of the goal. Capital expenditure and net lending grew by 23.6 per cent to Rs. 276.6 billion, fulfilling 16.1 per cent of the Rs. 1.7 trillion estimate for the year.

The primary balance, which excludes interest payments, registered a surplus of Rs. 1.24 trillion, up from Rs. 859 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.

Among revenue collecting agencies, Sri Lanka Customs led overall performance, generating Rs. 1.29 trillion and achieving 58.5 per cent of its Rs. 2.2 trillion annual estimate.

The Inland Revenue Department collected Rs. 1.24 trillion, meeting 52.0 per cent of its Rs. 2.4 trillion goal, while the Excise Department collected Rs. 138 billion, reaching 56.5 per cent of its Rs. 245 billion projection. Other revenue streams contributed Rs. 35.0 billion, fulfilling 60.1 per cent of the annual Rs. 58 billion target.

The figures point to a marked strengthening of Sri Lanka's fiscal position halfway through 2026, offering the government greater room to manage debt obligations and public spending commitments in the months ahead.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa held talks with a visiting American Congressional delegation on strengthening ties between Sri Lanka and the United States.

The discussion took place at the Opposition Leader's Office in Colombo, where Premadasa met U.S. Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, a Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives and the House Intelligence Committee, along with her accompanying delegation.

The talks centred on deepening bilateral cooperation across several key areas, including economic recovery, governance, education and regional stability.

The Opposition Leader stressed the importance of sustained American support in helping Sri Lanka navigate its ongoing economic recovery and pursue long-term development goals.

He also spoke of the relationship between the two nations, describing the continued assistance extended by the United States to Sri Lanka in recent years as a clear reflection of a longstanding and enduring partnership.

He indicated that such support remained vital as the country worked to consolidate its economic gains and strengthen democratic governance.

Sri Lanka is increasingly being exploited as a key transshipment hub for international narcotics syndicates who are deploying vulnerable individuals to smuggle illicit drugs across borders.

Speaking at a press briefing at the 'Ratama Ekata' National Operation Office, senior Sri Lanka Customs officials revealed that criminal networks are taking advantage of the island nation's strategic maritime location to move contraband while using children, elderly citizens, HIV-positive patients, and pilgrims to evade security checks.

Under the new operational strategy, border authorities have instituted a mandatory hundred per cent inspection protocol for all cargo containers arriving from designated high-risk origin countries.

This policy follows significant interceptions by the Customs Narcotics Control Unit, including a major seizure of 999 kilograms of cocaine hidden within a container shipped from Brazil to India through Sri Lanka.

According to Deputy Director Nuwan Abeynayake, international trafficking operations frequently recruit Sri Lankan migrants who have faced deportation from countries like Thailand, offering to cover their travel expenses on the condition that they return home carrying baggage packed with hidden narcotics.

Customs media spokesperson Chandana Punchihewa said that organized crime groups are also targeting group tourists and religious pilgrims traveling to India, tricking them into bringing back commercial goods, such as sarees, in which drugs are secretly concealed.

The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has ordered that a case filed against SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa be taken up on October 29.

Rajapaksa and other suspects appeared before court, where investigators were ordered to submit an update on the progress of the ongoing investigations on that date.

The case has been filed against Namal Rajapaksa under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa says the government is causing a loss of Rs. 17 per kilogram of rice, and in doing so is destroying not only the farming community but the democratic system itself.

Speaking at a public meeting held in Habarattawala, Suriyawewa, to discuss the problems faced by farmers, Premadasa said the government is undermining the judiciary, one of the three pillars of democracy alongside the legislature and the executive.

He pointed out that despite numerous vacancies for judges of the Supreme Court, the government has failed to fill them, while at the same time attempting to change the retirement age of judges. None of this, he said, features anywhere in the government's "Rich Country, Beautiful Life" policy framework.

He said that the government had promised to reduce electricity bills by 33 per cent and supply fuel at the price at which it is unloaded at the port, yet neither promise has been kept.

Those who once promised a Vitz car worth Rs. 1.2 million now deny ever making the pledge, he said.

Not a single promise has been fulfilled, he added, while the government continues to pressure the judiciary, leaving the public without any relief.

Government wants to curtail power of judiciary

Premadasa said the government's aim is to strengthen the executive pillar of democracy while curtailing the power of the judiciary, subordinating it to the executive and turning it into a tool of executive control.

He said even the Judges of the Judicial Service Commission opposed the move, rejecting it by a vote of 65 to nil.

The Bar Association, he observed, has also unanimously rejected the government's attempt to place the judiciary under executive control.

He said the government's aim is both to weaken the judiciary and to tarnish the dignity and character of judges, thereby destroying the respect they hold in society.

Fatal blow to judicial independence

Premadasa described the government's attempt to suppress the judiciary as a fatal blow aimed at judicial independence. He said the opposition will work to defeat this attempt, strengthen democracy and establish the rule of law.

Ministers now intimidating media

Premadasa said ministers are now silencing camera crews and insulting media channels.

He said that no matter how much various channels insult him personally, he will never impose censorship on any media outlet. Free media, he said, must be respected, along with civil society, as both safeguard democracy. He added that Sri Lanka must not forget it is a democratic nation, not a dictatorship.

This government came to power through lies

Premadasa said the government came to power in the presidential, general and local government elections on an unprecedented mountain of lies and false promises.

He said the JVP-NPP government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has betrayed and abandoned the farming community along with the wider public.

He said the government, after promising to end the "76 year curse" and bring systemic change, called the farmer "king" and even "God," making numerous promises before deliberately abandoning farmers and pushing them into poverty.

Highest VAT still charged on agricultural equipment

Premadasa said farmers mortgage their land and borrow from usurious moneylenders to farm, yet the quality of paddy seed has declined and fertiliser subsidies are not delivered on time.

He noted that the prices of agrochemicals, weedicides, fuel and fertiliser have changed while quality has worsened, and the cost of agricultural equipment has risen.

He said the government, which claims to love the farmer, still imposes VAT on agricultural equipment to this day.

No stable price for farmer's harvest

Premadasa said farmers toil to cultivate and harvest their crops, yet there is no stable price for their harvest.

He said the government now calls the suffering farmer a "moonshine brewer," telling farmers to grow something other than paddy if they cannot manage it.

He noted that during the election campaign, the government promised food security and self sufficiency, but none of that has materialised.

Unchecked reliance on modern technology and consumer-driven culture is severing essential human connections and eroding traditional Sri Lankan family structures, the Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said.

Speaking at a religious gathering in Seeduwa, the prelate warned that the pursuit of material wealth and the overuse of digital devices are disrupting domestic life across the country.

The Cardinal observed that the expansion of the free market economy has fostered a hyper consumerist society where artificial desires frequently override genuine human needs.

He noted that mobile devices originally intended for basic communication have transformed into pervasive distractions that dominate daily routines.

He expressed deep concern over late night device usage, pointing out that screen addiction has severely damaged meaningful dialogue between parents and children while undermining long standing societal values.

Furthermore, the prelate cautioned that higher education and material advancement should foster humility rather than arrogance, urging citizens to safeguard spiritual and human values during periods of rapid social transformation.

The Department of Meteorology has issued an Amber advisory for strong winds affecting several provinces and districts due to active south-west monsoonal conditions.

The advisory, issued today (31), will remain in effect until 11.00 a.m. tomorrow (01).

According to the Department, wind speeds of around 40–50 kmph are expected at times in the Northern, North Central, North Western, Sabaragamuwa and Central provinces, along with the Monaragala, Hambantota and Trincomalee districts.

The public has been advised to remain vigilant and closely follow future weather updates and advisories issued by the Department of Meteorology.

Authorities have urged people in the affected areas to take necessary precautions while the strong wind conditions continue.

An escalating dengue outbreak has killed 61 people across Sri Lanka this year, as total infections soared past 84,000 by late July, health authorities said.

Data released by the National Dengue Control Unit through midnight on July 29 highlights a dramatic surge during the monsoon season, with health officials recording an average of nearly 2,400 new cases every day during peak weeks.

The western and southern regions have borne the brunt of the epidemic, with the Western Province alone responsible for over half of all recorded illnesses at 44,552 cases.

Gampaha emerged as the worst hit district with 17,850 infections, closely followed by Colombo with 16,716 cases, while Kandy, Matara, and Kalutara also reported heavy caseloads.

Monthly statistics show a sharp acceleration in transmission as July became the deadliest month of the year with 28,717 cases, following a steep rise in June which registered 21,533 infections.

Earlier in the year, monthly tallies remained relatively subdued, fluctuating between 5,000 and 8,000 cases through the first five months.

Despite the massive surge that has placed 175 Medical Officer of Health divisions on high alert, health officials noted that the national case fatality rate has been contained at 0.07 per cent.

Public health teams have urged communities across the island to immediately eradicate vector breeding grounds to help check further spread.

Parliamentary information technology and digital systems face a severe threat of cyber attacks that could lead to sensitive data theft and severe reputational damage, according to the annual performance report for 2025.

The warning comes following a specialised evaluation conducted by the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), which examined the cybersecurity infrastructure of the legislature over the course of the reviewed year.

The assessment highlighted critical vulnerabilities across the national assembly's digital architecture, with forty six out of fifty six technical and security areas evaluated demonstrating high risk levels.

Experts say that these weaknesses leave systems exposed to malicious activities, including the theft of confidential state documents and the defacement of official web portals.

The audit emphasised that immediate remedial action and robust defensive measures must be deployed to mitigate the substantial risks posed by these digital security lapses.