News

Early landslide warnings have been issued for multiple areas in five districts as heavy rainfall continues in parts of the island.

Landslide warnings will be in effect from 10:00 a.m. today (19) and will remain in effect until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow (20), the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) said.

Accordingly, a Level 1 (Yellow) warning has been issued for several Divisional Secretariat Divisions (DSDs) and surrounding areas in the Colombo, Kalutara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura districts as follows:

Colombo: Seethawaka Divisional Secretariat DSD and surrounding areas.

Kalutara: Ingiriya and Horana Divisional Secretariat DSD and surrounding areas.

Kegalle: Dehiowita Divisional Secretariat DSD and surrounding areas.

Nuwara Eliya: Kotmale Divisional Secretariat DSD and surrounding areas.

Ratnapura: Ratnapura Divisional Secretariat DSD and surrounding areas.

(adaderana.lk)

The wife of Backhoe Saman has been remanded until September 25.

The order was issued by the relevant court after she was presented in connection with serious narcotics-related allegations under the Poisons, Opium, and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.

The Director of the Police Narcotics Bureau has also been instructed by the court to appear on September 25 and provide a detailed explanation regarding the charges filed against the suspect.

Former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa has been further remanded until September 22 by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court over allegations under the Public Property Act.

The case was postponed to next Monday as Chief Magistrate Asanka S. Bodaragama is on leave. A decision on Rajapaksa’s bail application will also be given on September 22.

Rajapaksa was arrested by the Bribery Commission on charges of corruption. He is accused of illegally obtaining Rs. 8.85 million as compensation for the destruction of his political office, which had been built on Mahaweli land, during the ‘Aragalaya’ protests.

A person has been taken into custody along with 138 counterfeit Rs. 5,000 currency notes.

Police stated that the suspect responsible for printing the counterfeit notes was arrested early this morning (18) within the jurisdiction of the Pihimbiyagollewa Police Division. A laptop computer, scanner, and printing machine were also found in his possession.

Further, police revealed that on the evening of September 17, 2025, acting on information received, a team of police officers attached to the Habarana Police Division carried out a search in the Habarana town area, during which a suspicious individual was found in possession of three counterfeit Rs. 5,000 notes.

Following his arrest and subsequent questioning, information was uncovered leading to the apprehension of two more suspects in the Habarana and Anuradhapura areas, each found in possession of two counterfeit Rs. 5,000 notes.

Based on additional information revealed during investigations, the main suspect who had allegedly printed the counterfeit notes was also arrested.

The arrested suspects, aged between 23 and 42, are residents of Habarana, Anuradhapura, and Paedewa.

Habarana Police are conducting further investigations into the incident.

The Sri Lanka Police urges the general public to exercise caution and carefully verify the authenticity of currency notes when making purchases or engaging in financial transactions. Members of the public are further requested to immediately inform the Sri Lanka Police of any individuals found to be in possession of, or engaging in transactions with, counterfeit currency notes.

Police arrested the suspected gunman in the killing of political activist Dan Priyasad last night in Ranwala, Kegalle, along with two others, including a woman.

Priyasad, who led the “Nawa Sinhale National Movement,” was shot on April 22 at the Laksanda Sevana Housing Complex in Wellampitiya. He was taken to the Colombo National Hospital but died soon after. He had been shot four times—in the chest and shoulder.

Soon after the attack, Priyasad’s brother and a father-son duo, Bandula Piyal and Madhava Sudarshana, went into hiding. The Western Province South Crime Division then began investigations and arrested a suspect named Dulan two days later.

During questioning, Dulan claimed that the murder was planned by underworld figure and drug trafficker ‘Kanjipani Imran’ with the help of the father-son duo. Later, police arrested the father in Cinnamon Gardens on May 2.

The Dambulla Waste Management Facility, an award-winning waste management project in the country initiated with an investment of around Rs. 650 million, has reportedly become completely inactive.

Due to the shutdown of the waste management facility, garbage collected from several districts has been dumped into the forests, according to residents who claim that as a result, the wild animals including elephants have resorted to eating the garbage.

For a period of time, garbage collected from Dambulla city was dumped in a forest reserve, leading to significant environmental damage and the death of wild animals.

Following continuous protests by environmentalists, the Dambulla Municipal Council intervened and launched a waste management project.

The initiative successfully introduced several programs, including organic fertilizer production, hospital waste disposal, a polythene incinerator, and broader waste management measures.

Furthermore, the site was named ‘Pivithuru Arana’ and designated as a tourist zone, attracting the attention of both locals and foreigners. Electric vehicles were even operated in the area for visitors to observe elephants.

However, all such activities have now been entirely discontinued, and the collected waste is once again being transported to the Digampathaha Reserve for disposal.

The project in question is a waste management initiative that was launched previously using Japanese technology, with an estimated investment of around Rs. 650 million.

The iron fence installed to prevent wild elephants from entering the garbage yard has been dismantled, and the bamboo plantation cultivated for organic fertilizer production has been completely destroyed.

In addition, the two electric vehicles previously used to observe wild elephants and the waste management facility are now falling into decay.

The Mayor of the Dambulla Municipal Council, Wasantha K. Rajamanthri, stated that the project was carried out without proper management under the previous administration.

He further noted that maintaining the waste management yard has been challenging due to significant vacancies among management staff.

According to reports, the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), the Department of Wildlife, the Department of Forest Conservation, and the Dambulla Municipal Council are now focusing on re-operating the site effectively in the future.

(adaderana.lk)

Samarappulige Niraj Roshan, also known as ‘Ali Roshan’, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Colombo High Court for keeping an elephant without a valid permit. He was also fined Rs. 20.6 million, and the elephant was ordered to be taken by the authorities. The verdict was given by Justices Manjula Thilakaratne, R.S.S. Sapuvida, and Lanka Jayaratne after a long trial. Three other people charged in the case were found not guilty and released.

A businessman has been taken into police custody on suspicion of selling imported cigarettes to school students in the Thanamalwila area.

It has been revealed that the businessman allegedly provided school students with cigarettes of various flavors for the purpose of resale.

One cigarette was reportedly given to a student at a price of Rs. 100, and the student is said to have sold it within the school premises for Rs. 200.

Following a report made by a student to the school principal, the student who was selling the cigarettes was questioned, during which two foreign-brand cigarettes were recovered from the student’s possession.

Subsequently, upon notification to the Thanamalwila Police Inspector, the business premises were searched, and the businessman handed over 690 cigarettes along with Rs. 360,000 obtained from the sale of the cigarettes to the police.

The suspect is scheduled to be produced before the Hambantota Magistrate’s Court.

A minor earthquake has occurred in the sea off Trincomalee.

The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau said that the earthquake occurred at around 4.06 pm today.

Its intensity is 3.9 magnitude.

The earthquake occurred in the ocean region 60 kilometers from Trincomalee.

The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau stated that the earthquake was recorded at the Pallekele, Hakmana and Mahakanadara seismic monitoring stations.

Meanwhile, our News 1st correspondent says that the earthquake was felt by people in Trincomalee, Thoppur and other areas.

The Ministry of Justice and National Integration and the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs, with support from the European Union through UNICEF, yesterday launched a groundbreaking initiative to support children who have experienced violence.

The new model service will ensure fast, child-sensitive support to child victims of violence; from the point when the case is reported to police, helplines or others, until the child is linked with sustained care and protection mechanisms.

The model service, launched in Kandy, includes six flagship initiatives of local and national scale to introduce transformative changes in the child protection and justice system. These improvements include enhancing the 1929 Helpline, introducing integrated case management, enhancing support services for children, improving efficiency of justice processes, enhancing practices for taking evidence from children, and introducing child-friendly courts with child witness rooms. The operationalisation of the model service for child victims of violence is supported by the European Union under the Support to Justice Sector Project (JURE).

The launch is an important step towards realizing national and international policy commitments as enshrined in the National Policy Framework of Sri Lanka and as part of the commitments made by Sri Lanka’s at the 2024 Bogotá Conference on Ending Violence Against Children.

Such an approach to service delivery for child victims ensures that all institutions and professionals working with children reform their services to protect children’s rights, dignity and wellbeing and to ensure speedy and quality support. The model service for child victims of violence introduces a set of changes, including digital innovations, that are guided by international best practices and are responsive to the well-known issues of efficiency and quality of services for children in Sri Lanka.

One of the first digital innovations was introduced in the Kandy High Court. New child-friendly court facilities, refurbished in an age-appropriate way and equipped with modern audio-visual technology, enable children to testify from a separate room within the court premises, operationalizing the recent amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure (June 2025). This protects a child witness from direct confrontation with perpetrators, minimizing trauma.

Minister of Justice and National Integration, Harshana Nanayakkara speaking on this milestone moment said, “This is a turning point for Sri Lanka’s justice system. These services will ensure that children will have a voice in court without fear, protected by law, supported by technology, and treated with dignity. This is an important step towards specializing high courts for children”

“By launching this new continuum of services, we are marking the beginning of a new way of protecting child victims of violence in Sri Lanka. By taking a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach, we aim to ensure that children receive quality justice and at the same time are able to access protection and welfare services – all delivered in a child-sensitive manner,” said Hon. Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Saroja Paulraj, emphasizing the importance of putting children at the heart of reforms.

While acknowledging Sri Lanka’s progress, H.E. Carmen Moreno, EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka, highlights the role of the JURE project: “Violence against children remains a serious concern and demands immediate action. The European Union and UNICEF partnership, through the JURE project has been instrumental in translating the Government of Sri Lanka’s commitment to end violence against children into actions. Today sets in motion a model of child-friendly services that will assist and support children victims of violence and bring them justice”.

Reinforcing this collective achievement, UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka, Emma Brigham said, “Today, Sri Lanka is turning its global commitments into a tangible change for children. A holistic, coordinated, and child-centered system - one that integrates both protection and justice, ensures that children are safeguarded and supported to restore their lives. We welcome this transformative approach and look forward to seeing the roll-out of such services across the country.”

(lankaleader.lk)

The second day of Disrupt Asia 2025, Sri Lanka’s premier startup conference and innovation festival, unfolded today with the main conference, drawing international attention and underscoring the country’s ambition to position itself as South Asia’s emerging innovation hub.

The event, running from September 17–20, has attracted more than 100 venture capitalists from 20 countries, alongside global startup delegations, reflecting unprecedented confidence in Sri Lanka’s digital future.

The main conference was held today (18) at Cinnamon Life under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who underscored the government’s commitment to positioning innovation at the heart of national development. The president also toured the Startup Showcase.

Opening the sessions, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Eng. Eranga Weeraratne highlighted the government’s vision to use innovation as a national growth engine. “Disrupt Asia 2025 is a catalyst to empower our youth, attract global investment and accelerate our digital economy,” he said. “It creates the vital bridge between talented entrepreneurs and global opportunities, positioning Sri Lanka as the gateway for innovation across South Asia.”

Building on this message, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya delivered a presentation on unlocking Sri Lanka as South Asia’s Innovation Hub, outlining Sri Lanka’s bold digital ambitions. He announced plans for a fivefold expansion of the digital economy worth $15 billion over the next four years, alongside targets to triple digital exports, double the digital talent pool, and improve by 25 points on global digital benchmarks. Stressing that Sri Lanka’s startup and IT ecosystems remain under-invested, he called on local and global partners to seize this rare growth opportunity. “The $15 billion opportunity will be captured,” he declared. “The question is, who will seize it? Those who invest now harness Sri Lanka’s talent and partner in this transformation will be the winners of tomorrow.”

Dr. Wijayasuriya emphasized Sri Lanka’s investor-friendly climate, highlighting its proven record of safeguarding FDI, low churn rates and guaranteed profit repatriation. He unveiled new policies enabling up to 90% of FDI reinvestment into overseas subsidiaries of Sri Lankan startups, as well as the opening of government digital systems to private developers through APIs and marketplaces. Central to this strategy, he noted, is a “government-as-a-platform” model, where the state enables innovation, building 20% while leaving 80% of value creation to the private sector.

Policymakers, investors and entrepreneurs joined a programme headlined by global leaders including Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO of Paytm, and Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy and Chairman of ICTA.

Disrupt Asia 2025 opened with the Venture Engine competition, where 12 promising startups pitched to top investors and will conclude with the Innovation Festival at Trace Expert City, attracting over 5,000 participants. More than 50 startups will exhibit alongside workshops, interactive pavilions and networking sessions, making it one of the largest public tech events in Sri Lanka.

With strong government backing, bold digital ambitions and growing international confidence, Disrupt Asia 2025 marks a decisive step in Sri Lanka’s journey to becoming South Asia’s leading innovation hub.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (17) stated that Sri Lanka will not experience another crisis like the recent fuel and gas shortage, which forced citizens to queue for long hours and, in some instances, led to fatalities.

He made the remarks at the commencement of construction work on six new storage tanks at the Kolonnawa Petroleum Storage Complex, with capacities of 15,000, 7,000, and 5,000 cubic metres.

M/S Indo East Engineering and Ceylex Engineering JV have been granted a Rs. 3.7 billion contract to build the petroleum storages in Kolonnawa. The 24-month contract is expected to be completed by September 2027.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said his government is working to secure energy independence and strengthen the economy, and called on the public to support these efforts.

He warned that the government will take action if any trade union tries to disrupt its plans.

The president also noted the importance of using modern technology and assured that any effects on workers will be handled with care.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake urged everyone to support the country’s progressive changes rather than view them through a narrow political lens.

Referring to the electricity tariffs, the president said Sri Lanka had the highest rates in the region, which are now being rectified.

The president also announced that 24 petroleum storage tanks in Trincomalee will be renovated, and added that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) earned Rs. 18.2 billion in profits during the first eight months of this year.