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Several parts of Sri Lanka could receive heavy rainfall of around 100mm as wet weather is expected to persist across the southwestern regions during the next 36 hours, according to the Department of Meteorology.

The department said a low-pressure area currently positioned over the Andaman Sea region of the Bay of Bengal, northeast of Sri Lanka, is expected to develop into a depression within the next 24 hours.

Although the weather system is not forecast to directly affect Sri Lanka, its influence on wind patterns is expected to maintain the prevailing rainy conditions in the southwestern parts of the country.

Showers or thundershowers are expected from time to time across the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Northwestern Provinces, as well as in the Galle and Matara districts. Some areas could receive heavy rainfall of around 100mm.

Several spells of rain are also forecast for the North Central Province and Mannar District. Meanwhile, showers or thundershowers are likely at several locations in the Uva Province and in the Batticaloa and Ampara districts after 2.00 p.m.

The Meteorological Department has also warned of strong winds reaching around 40–50 kmph at times over the western slopes of the Central Hills, North Central and Northwestern Provinces, as well as in the Trincomalee, Hambantota and Matale districts.

The public has been urged to take necessary precautions to reduce the risk of damage from temporary localized strong winds and lightning that may occur during thundershowers.

Computer ownership remains relatively low among Sri Lankan households, with only 21.3% reporting access to at least one desktop or laptop in 2025, according to the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS).

The figure was published in the DCS Computer Literacy Statistics 2025 Annual Bulletin, based on a nationwide sample of 25,000 households and individuals between the ages of five and 69. The 2025 estimates were adjusted using information from the 2024 Census of Population and Housing.

Access to computers differed considerably depending on where households were located. In the urban sector, 37.8% of households had a desktop or laptop, compared with 18.6% in rural areas. The estate sector recorded a much lower rate of 5.2%.

A notable provincial gap was also recorded. The Western Province had the highest household computer ownership rate at 34%, followed by the Central Province at 20.3% and Sabaragamuwa at 19.4%.

North Western Province recorded 17.5%, while the figure stood at 17.4% in the Southern Province. Uva recorded 14.1%, followed by North Central Province at 12.9% and the Eastern Province at 12.5%. Northern Province had the lowest proportion, at 10.1%.

The DCS noted that household ownership of desktop and laptop computers has remained between 19% and 21% from 2023 to 2025.

However, computer ownership contrasts with the country's broader level of digital literacy. The survey found that 72% of people aged five to 69 were digitally literate in 2025, while computer literacy stood at 39.2%.

The data also points to a strong reliance on mobile technology for digital activities. Smartphones accounted for 80.6% of device usage recorded in the survey, compared with 17.4% for desktop and laptop computers.

Computer literacy itself showed significant differences between residential sectors. The urban sector recorded a rate of 54%, compared with 37.1% in the rural sector and 19.5% in the estate sector.

At provincial level, Western Province recorded the highest computer literacy rate at 50.2%. North Central Province recorded the lowest at 24.3%.

National computer literacy increased by 3.3 percentage points from 2024, reaching 39.2% in 2025.

The DCS defines a computer-literate person as someone between the ages of five and 69 who is capable of using a computer independently.

Computer literacy surveys have been conducted periodically by the DCS since 2004. Since 2014, the relevant survey module has been incorporated into the Sri Lanka Labour Force Survey.

Thirty-eight schools across four provinces will remain closed today (21) as adverse weather conditions continue to affect several parts of the country, according to the Ministry of Education.

The Central Province accounts for the majority of the closures, with 35 schools not operating today.

One school each in the Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Western Provinces has also been closed due to the prevailing weather conditions.

The Ministry said provincial education authorities have been directed to take appropriate decisions concerning school operations based on the weather situation in their respective areas.

The information was provided as of 9.00 a.m. today.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has intervened in the case of Sivarasa Anojan, a Sri Lankan national reportedly facing a capital sentence in Saudi Arabia, following a meeting with his family.

The discussions took place at the Opposition Leader's Office today (21), where Anojan’s father, Thambiraja Sivarasa, mother, Rasamanickam Yogalakshmi, and brother, Sivarasa Hamsithan, briefed Premadasa on the current situation.

The Opposition Leader initiated several diplomatic and official contacts to address the crisis, speaking directly with Anojan who is being held in a Saudi correctional facility to check on his well-being.

He also placed a telephone call to the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Sri Lanka to discuss the legal situation and explore pathways toward a full release.

To monitor state-level involvement, the Opposition Leader consulted the Secretary of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to seek information on the government’s efforts to secure Anojan’s release.

He also reassured the distressed family that he would exhaust all available channels to secure Anojan’s release without regard to ethnic or religious considerations.

More than 10 people have reportedly been hospitalised following a multi-vehicle accident on the Southern Expressway this morning.

The crash took place between the Gelanigama and Dodangoda interchanges when a bus travelling from Matara towards Colombo collided with several other vehicles.

Several people sustained injuries in the incident and were subsequently admitted to hospital for medical treatment.

Further information regarding the accident is yet to be released.

A 15-year-old schoolboy died yesterday after reportedly being struck by lightning while he was sleeping on the floor of a room at his home amid heavy rainfall, Agalawatta Police said.

The deceased was identified as Hasitha Pradeep Kumara, a resident of Delpe in Agalawatta and a Grade 10 student at Agalawatta Mihindu Central College.

Following the lightning strike, the boy was rushed to Agalawatta Pimbura Base Hospital for treatment. However, doctors pronounced him dead upon admission.

Lightning can cause dangerous electrical currents to spread through the ground when it strikes nearby. According to scientific explanations, lying on the ground can increase the amount of the body in contact with the soil, potentially allowing more electrical current to pass through the body, including the torso and heart.

The Irrigation Department has issued a minor flood warning for the Kuda Ganga following a sharp rise in water levels amid heavy rainfall across several river catchment areas.

At 6.30 a.m. today (21), the water level at the Kalawellawa (Millakanda) gauging station had reached 6.59 metres. This is above the minor flood threshold of 6.50 metres.

Several other river monitoring stations have also recorded water levels reaching alert levels. These include Hanwella on the Kelani Ganga, Ratnapura and Magura on the Kalu Ganga, Baddegama and Thawalama on the Gin Ganga, Thalgahagoda and Panadugama on the Nilwala Ganga, and Dunamale on the Attanagalu Oya.

According to the Irrigation Department, water levels continue to rise at the Baddegama station on the Gin Ganga and at Thalgahagoda on the Nilwala Ganga. Levels at a number of other monitoring points, however, have begun to decline gradually.

Significant rainfall was reported across several river basins during the 24-hour period ending at 6.00 a.m. today.

Nawalapitiya received the highest recorded rainfall at 93.9 mm, followed by Kithulgala with 91.1 mm, Giriulla with 79.3 mm, Deraniyagala with 77.9 mm and Magura with 74.2 mm.

Authorities have advised residents in low-lying areas, especially communities located near the Kuda Ganga, Gin Ganga and Nilwala Ganga, to remain alert and monitor updates on changing water levels.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa met United Arab Emirates Ambassador Khaled Nasser Sulaiman AlAmeri in Colombo to discuss the economic and humanitarian fallout of rising Middle East tensions on Sri Lanka.

The meeting focused on potential disruptions to global energy markets and the immediate security risks facing thousands of Sri Lankan migrant workers living across the Gulf region.

The discussions also underscored the critical need to safeguard Sri Lankan expatriates employed in the UAE, whose remittances remain vital to national foreign exchange stability.

Both sides also explored strategies to expand bilateral trade, investment, and tourism, pointing to emerging sectors where economic collaboration could deepen despite regional volatility.

Parliament is expected to receive the Supreme Court’s determination on petitions challenging the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution when Speaker announces the confidential decision tomorrow (22), according to reports.

The development follows the receipt of the Supreme Court’s determination by the Speaker.

Minister Sunil Ranasinghe had previously confirmed that the determination concerning the constitutional amendment had been received by the Speaker.

The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Bill, together with the Judicial Amendment Bill, was presented to Parliament on August 18 by Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara.

Following their introduction, more than 65 petitions were filed before the Supreme Court challenging the Bills.

The petitions were considered by a five-member Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice, with hearings commencing on September 1. The proceedings concluded on September 2, after which the bench indicated that its determination regarding the constitutionality of the Bill would be conveyed to the Speaker.

Meanwhile, the Committee on Parliamentary Business has scheduled the parliamentary debate on the 22nd Amendment Bill for September 24 and 25, 2026.

The Department of Examinations has announced that practical examinations for candidates who sat the written component of the 2026 G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination will commence on September 24.

Practical examinations for Dancing (Indian), Oriental Music, Carnatic Music, Western Music, and Drama and Performing Arts in Sinhala, Tamil and English are scheduled to take place from September 24 to October 3.

Meanwhile, candidates sitting for Engineering Technology will face their practical examinations from September 30 to October 10.

The practical examination for Home Economics is scheduled to run from October 10 to 20, while Biosystems Technology practical tests will be conducted from October 17 to 21.

The Department said admission cards for school candidates will be sent to the principals of their respective schools, while private candidates will receive their admission cards at the addresses provided in their applications.

Candidates can also download their admission cards through the official Department of Examinations website, starting seven days before the relevant practical examination.

For further information, candidates can contact the Department of Examinations hotline at 1911 or on 0112785922, 0112784537, 0112786616 and 0112784208.

Former Minister Wimal Weerawansa appeared before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court today after an arrest warrant had been issued against him.

Representing Weerawansa, Attorney-at-Law Manjula Pathiraja told the court that his client had been unable to reach the court at the scheduled time because his vehicle had broken down.

The defence subsequently asked the court to withdraw the arrest warrant issued against the former minister.

Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama, however, directed the defence to submit the request formally by way of a motion tomorrow.

The matter will therefore be taken up again when the defence makes the formal request before court.