News

Sri Lankan national Sivarasa Anojan has been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia following an appeal filed by the Saudi prosecution, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament today.

Herath said an appeal submitted by the Sri Lankan Government on behalf of Anojan had been rejected.

According to the Minister, the Saudi prosecution had appealed for Anojan to be dealt with under Sharia law instead of the country’s cybercrime legislation. Following the appeal, the death sentence was imposed.

The Sri Lankan Government is continuing diplomatic efforts in the case, while arrangements are also being made to obtain legal opinions from experts in both Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia, Herath said.

He further announced that a special delegation headed by the Deputy Speaker is expected to visit Saudi Arabia with a letter from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressed to the Saudi King, requesting a pardon for Anojan.

Herath said he also expects to meet the Saudi Foreign Minister next month on the sidelines of sessions of the UN Human Rights Council. During the meeting, he intends to request that the death sentence be commuted or that the punishment be reduced.

The Foreign Minister assured Parliament that the Sri Lankan Government would cover all legal expenses incurred in Saudi Arabia in connection with Anojan’s case.

He added that any legal costs already paid by Anojan’s family would also be reimbursed by the Government.

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.

The Supreme Court has determined that several provisions of the Anti-Corruption (Amendment) Bill are inconsistent with the Constitution and can only be enacted with a special majority in Parliament, the Speaker informed the House today (22).

The Court has also ruled that Clause 17 of the Bill, in its current form, requires an additional constitutional procedure.

According to the determination, Clause 17 can become law only if it is approved by a special majority in Parliament and subsequently endorsed by the people at a referendum.

The Supreme Court’s determination was formally presented to Parliament by the Speaker at the beginning of today’s sitting.

The ruling concerns the constitutional requirements that must be followed for the relevant provisions of the proposed amendments to proceed through the legislative process.

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.

Alubomulla Police have arrested a man after allegedly finding crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ‘Ice’, and heroin worth more than Rs. 4 million in his possession and at his residence.

The suspect, a resident of Sesatha Mawatha in Wanduramulla, was stopped and searched by police while travelling along the same road.

During the inspection, officers reportedly discovered 15 grams of ‘Ice’ in his possession.

Police subsequently searched the suspect’s residence, where they found another quantity of narcotics concealed inside a wardrobe. The recovered drugs included approximately 190 grams of heroin.

According to police, the suspect has a history of arrests in connection with narcotics offences. He had reportedly been taken into custody on seven previous occasions for possession of drugs and produced before the courts.

Several cases involving the suspect are also said to be pending before the High Court.

Police further said the suspect had been the target of a shooting at his residence around a year ago, when he was allegedly shot while asleep. The attack was reportedly linked to a faction associated with an individual known as ‘Panadura Kudu Nilanga’.

The arrested suspect is scheduled to be produced before the Panadura Magistrate’s Court, according to police.

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.

An opposition parliamentarian has predicted that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will be jailed once his government leaves office in 2030, linking the claim to a cyberattack that cost the Finance Ministry USD 2.5 million in public funds.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Prasad Siriwardena made the allegation while accusing the President, who also holds the finance portfolio, of allowing the misuse of state resources and failing to enforce accountability within his administration.

Siriwardana stated that Dissanayake would inevitably face imprisonment once the current government was removed from power in 2030.

He noted that the President bore direct responsibility for the reported financial loss linked to the cyberattack, alleging that Dissanayake had failed to respond appropriately once the breach came to light.

The Finance Ministry confirmed in April that its systems had been compromised by hackers in connection with the loss, adding that complaints had been filed with law enforcement agencies and disciplinary action taken against several officials.

Siriwardena drew a parallel with the conviction of former minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, citing remarks he attributed to the director general of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).

He said that Aluthgamage's conviction over the distribution of goods using public funds during an election period had set a legal precedent for prosecuting public officials over the misuse of state resources, and he argued that the same principle could eventually be applied to Dissanayake in relation to the cyberattack.

He clarified that he was not suggesting the opposition intended to personally pursue the President's imprisonment, but maintained that existing legal precedent made such an outcome likely.

Siriwardena also extended his criticism to the President's past political conduct, alleging that Dissanayake had failed to take responsibility during previous political alliances and had made use of corruption investigation files for political ends.

He claimed that files compiled during investigations carried out under former President Maithripala Sirisena's administration had subsequently been used to negotiate political arrangements with individuals facing corruption allegations.

Criticising the government's taxation policies, he alleged that substantial revenue was being collected from businesses, workers and farmers without corresponding accountability in how public funds were being spent.

He asserted that the President could no longer avoid responsibility for the state of governance under his government, and called on the public to scrutinise the government's management of state finances.

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.

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.