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.