News

Former Minister Johnston Fernando appeared before the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) today (January 5) as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged improper use of a vehicle owned by Lanka Sathosa.

Police had earlier cautioned that legal action, including obtaining an arrest warrant, would be pursued if the former minister failed to present himself to investigators as directed. The inquiry focuses on claims that a Sathosa-owned lorry was misused, resulting in a substantial financial loss to the state.In a related development, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Lanka Sathosa during Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested yesterday (January 4). He was later produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court and ordered to be remanded until January 9.

According to investigators, Ratnamalala is accused of falsifying official documents at the request of the minister’s son, Johan Fernando. The alleged alterations were reportedly made to enable a Sathosa lorry to be used for operations at an ethanol company said to be linked to the former minister.

The season’s first heavy rains and snowfall ended a prolonged dry spell but triggered flash floods in several areas of Afghanistan, killing at least 17 people and injuring 11 others, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s national disaster management authority said Thursday.

The dead included five members of a family in a property where the roof collapsed on Thursday in Kabkan, a district in the Herat province, according to Mohammad Yousaf Saeedi, spokesman for the Herat governor. Two of the victims were children.

Most of the casualties have occurred since Monday in districts hit by flooding, and the severe weather also disrupted daily life across central, northern, southern, and western regions, according to Mohammad Yousaf Hammad, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s National Disaster Management Authority.

Hammad said the floods also damaged infrastructure in the affected districts, killed livestock, and affected 1,800 families, worsening conditions in already vulnerable urban and rural communities.

Hammad said the agency has sent assessment teams to the worst-affected areas, with surveys ongoing to determine further needs.

Afghanistan, like neighboring Pakistan and India, is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, particularly flash floods following seasonal rains.

Decades of conflict, poor infrastructure, deforestation, and the intensifying effects of climate change have amplified the impact of such disasters, especially in remote areas where many homes are made of mud and offer limited protection against sudden deluges.

The United Nations and other aid agencies this week warned that Afghanistan is expected to remain one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in 2026. The UN and its humanitarian partners launched a $1.7 billion appeal on Tuesday to assist nearly 18 million people in urgent need in the country.

(Source:adaderana.lk)

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra has stated that action is being taken through diplomatic channels in response to the seizure and destruction of a Sri Lankan fishing vessel within the maritime zone of Seychelles.

According to the Deputy Minister, Sri Lankan authorities are working in coordination with officials attached to the Sri Lankan High Commission in Seychelles after receiving information about the incident. The fishing vessel, identified as Ishani-1, had departed from the Wennappuwa Wellamankaraya Fishery Harbour on December 7, 2025, carrying six fishermen on board. It was taken into custody by Seychelles authorities on December 30, 2025.Subsequent reports indicated that the vessel was later set on fire and destroyed. Hemachandra noted that Sri Lanka has taken into consideration the official statement issued by Seychelles security forces and continues to maintain close communication with relevant authorities to closely follow developments.

He further confirmed that necessary consular support has already been extended to the Sri Lankan fishermen who were aboard the vessel, ensuring their welfare while diplomatic engagements continue.

Growing unrest in Iran is reported to have claimed more lives on a fifth day of protests over the soaring cost of living.

Both the semi-official Fars news agency and human rights group, Hengaw, said two people had died during clashes between protesters and security forces in the city of Lordegan, in south-western Iran. Three more people were killed in Azna and another in Kouhdasht, Fars reported, all in the west of the country.

On Thursday videos posted on social media showed cars set on fire during running battles between protesters and security forces.

Many protesters have called for ending the rule of the country’s supreme leader. Some have also called for a return to the monarchy.

As the day wore on more reports came in of unrest up and down the country, on the fifth day of the protests, sparked by a currency collapse.

Videos verified by BBC Persian show protests in the central city of Lordegan, the capital Tehran and Marvdasht in the southern Fars province taking place on Thursday.

Fars reported that in Lordegan two people were killed, citing an informed official. The report did not specify whether those killed were protesters or members of the security forces. It also reported the three deaths in Azna, in neighbouring Lorestan province, without specifying if there were protesters or security officials.

Rights group Hengaw said the two killed in Lordegan were protesters, naming them as Ahmad Jalil and Sajjad Valamanesh.

BBC Persian has not been able to independently verify the deaths.

Separately state media said a member of the security forces linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) was killed in clashes with protesters on Wednesday night in the city of Kouhdasht, in the western Lorestan province.

The BBC has not been able to verify this and protesters say the man was one of their number and was shot dead by the security forces.

A further 13 police officers and Basij members were injured by stone throwing in the area, the state media report said.

Schools, universities and public institutions were closed across the country on Wednesday after a bank holiday was declared by authorities in an apparent effort to quell the unrest.

It was ostensibly to save energy because of the cold weather, though it was seen by many Iranians as an attempt to contain the protests.

They began in Tehran - among shopkeepers angered by another sharp fall in the value of the Iranian currency against the US dollar on the open market.

By Tuesday, university students were involved and they had spread to several cities, with people chanting against the country’s clerical rulers.

The protests have been the most widespread since an uprising in 2022 sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who was accused by morality police of not wearing her veil properly. But they have not been on the same scale.

To prevent any escalation, tight security is now reported in the areas of Tehran where the demonstrations began.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has said his government will listen to the “legitimate demands” of the protesters.

But the prosecutor general, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, has also warned that any attempt to create instability would be met with what he called a “decisive response”.

(Source:Adaderana.lk)

A top Venezuelan official declared on Sunday that the country’s government would stay unified behind President Nicolas Maduro, whose capture by the United States has sparked deep uncertainty about what is next for the oil-rich South American nation.

Maduro is in a New York detention center awaiting a Monday court appearance on drug charges. U.S. President Donald Trump, who went golfing on Sunday, ordered his seizure from Venezuela on Saturday and said the U.S. would take control of the country.

But in Caracas, top officials in Maduro’s government, who have called the detentions of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores a kidnapping, were still in charge.

“Here, the unity of the revolutionary force is more than guaranteed, and here there is only one president, whose name is Nicolas Maduro Moros. Let no one fall for the enemy’s provocations,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said in an audio recording released by the ruling PSUV socialist party.

Images of the 63-year-old Maduro, opens new tab blindfolded and handcuffed on Saturday stunned Venezuelans. The operation was Washington’s most controversial intervention in Latin America, opens new tab since the invasion of Panama 37 years ago.

Without providing specifics, Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino said on state television the U.S. attack killed soldiers, civilians and a “large part” of Maduro’s security detail “in cold blood.” Venezuela’s armed forces have been activated to guarantee sovereignty, he said.

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez — who also serves as oil minister — has taken over as interim leader with the blessing of Venezuela’s top court, though she has said Maduro remains president.

Because of her connections with the private sector and deep knowledge of oil, the country’s top revenue source, Rodriguez has long been considered the most pragmatic member of Maduro’s inner circle. But she has publicly contradicted Trump’s claim she is willing to work with the United States.

Trump said Rodriguez may pay a bigger price than Maduro “if she doesn’t do what’s right,” according to an interview with The Atlantic magazine on Sunday.

The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on that remark.

‘A QUARANTINE ON THEIR OIL’

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Venezuela’s next leader should be aligned with U.S. interests. Those include keeping Venezuela’s oil industry out of the hands of U.S. adversaries and stopping drug trafficking. He cited an ongoing U.S. blockade on tankers under sanctions as leverage.

“That means their economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interest of the Venezuelan people are met,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

The Venezuelan government has said for months Trump was seeking to take the country’s vast natural resources, especially its oil, and officials made much of his comment on Saturday that major U.S. oil companies would move in.

“We are outraged because in the end everything was revealed — it was revealed that they only want our oil,” added Cabello.

Once one of the most prosperous nations in Latin America, Venezuela’s economy tanked in the 2000s under President Hugo Chavez and nosedived further under Maduro, sending about one in five Venezuelans abroad in one of the world’s biggest exoduses.

MUTED STREETS

Some Maduro supporters gathered at a government-sponsored protest march on Sunday afternoon in Caracas.

Once ruled by Spain, Venezuela’s “people must not surrender, nor should we ever become a colony of anyone again,” said demonstrator Reinaldo Mijares. “This country is not a country of the defeated.”

Maduro opponents in Venezuela have been wary of celebrating his seizure, and the presence of security forces seemed, if anything, lighter than usual on Sunday.

Despite a nervous mood, some bakeries and coffee shops were open and joggers and cyclists were out as usual. Some citizens were stocking up on essentials.

“Yesterday I was very afraid to go out, but today I had to. This situation caught me without food and I need to figure things out. After all, Venezuelans are used to enduring fear,” said a single mother in oil city Maracaibo who bought rice, vegetables and tuna.

To the disappointment of Venezuela’s opposition, Trump has given short shrift to the idea of 58-year-old opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado taking over, saying she lacked support.

Machado was banned from standing in the 2024 election but has said her ally Edmundo Gonzalez, 76, who the opposition and some international observers say overwhelmingly won that vote, has a democratic mandate to take the presidency.

LOOMING QUESTIONS

It is unclear how Trump plans to oversee Venezuela and he runs the risk of alienating some supporters who oppose foreign interventions.

U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the White House has failed to say how long the U.S. intends to be in Venezuela and how many American troops might be required.

“The American people are worried that this is creating an endless war — the very thing that Donald Trump campaigned against,” Schumer said on ABC’s “This Week.” He said lawmakers would weigh a measure to constrain further Trump administration action in Venezuela, though its prospects could be uncertain given that Congress is controlled by Trump’s Republicans.

While many Western nations oppose Maduro, there were many calls for the U.S. to respect international law and questions arose over the legality of seizing a foreign head of state.

In a statement on Sunday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, echoing the message put forth by the Trump administration since Maduro’s capture, described the action as a “law enforcement mission” to force him to face U.S. criminal charges filed in 2020, including narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Maduro has denied criminal involvement.

The U.N. Security Council planned to meet on Monday to discuss the attack. Russia and China, both major backers of Venezuela, have criticized the U.S.

(Source:adaderana.lk)

A 20-year-old youth was killed in a shooting incident in the Menikgara area of Korathota, Nawagamuwa in Kaduwela last night (01), according to police. 

Two others had also sustained injuries and were initially admitted to the Oruwala Regional Hospital in Athurugiriya and were later transferred to the Homagama Base Hospital for further treatment, police said.

According to police, the shooting targeted a group linked to underworld figure ‘Borella Kudu Duminda,’and it is suspected that the attack was carried out by the faction of ‘ Borella Kudu Chathu.’

Preliminary investigations conducted by the Nawagamuwa Police have revealed that the attack targeted three individuals who were inside a rented house at the time.

The suspects had arrived on a motorcycle and a three-wheeler, allegedly opened fire and fled the scene immediately after the incident.

The police said that the two shooters had entered the house after cutting a fence in the garden and had used a pistol to carry out the killing. 

The deceased youth, identified as ‘Sankalpa,’ is a 20-year-old resident of Borella, police stated. 

According to police, the deceased, together with another person, had allegedly chopped off a woman’s hand with a sharp weapon on November 14, 2025 in the Sarana Road area of Borella.

Investigations have revealed that the said woman is a close associate of ‘Kudu Chathu’ and that, on his instructions, the shooter and the motorcyclist involved in the shooting incident in the Borella area on June 24, 2025, had reportedly arrived from her residence.
Police said the intended target of that shooting managed to escape unharmed. Subsequently, he and the youth who was killed last night allegedly carried out the attack on the woman.

Both individuals are said to be close associates of ‘Kudu Duminda,’ who belongs to the rival faction of ‘Kudu Chathu,’ police added. 

Accordingly, the police said operations had been carried out to arrest the two suspects involved in the earlier incidents, however, they had evaded arrest.

Meanwhile, police believe the latest murder was carried out based on information that a youth affiliated with ‘Kudu Chathu’s’ faction was present at the location. 

One of the injured persons is reportedly the brother-in-law of the individual who survived the June shooting incident, police said. 

In response to an inquiry made by Ada Derana, a senior police officer said that special security was deployed in the Borella area based on information received that ‘Kudu Duminda’ was preparing for the murder.

It is noteworthy that this is the first shooting incident reported in Sri Lanka in the year of 2026.

(Source:Adaderana.lk)

Three out of four of Moscow’s airports shut to air traffic on Sunday (Jan 4) after Ukraine launched dozens of drones at the Russian capital, authorities said.

The attacks led to multiple flight delays, including at Moscow’s second-busiest airport, Vnukovo, Russian media reported.

Ukraine, which has itself endured waves of Russian drone strikes throughout the nearly four-year war, did not immediately comment.

A spokesman for Russian aviation regulator Rosaviatsia announced the closures between 1300 GMT and 1400 GMT. 

“The restrictions are necessary to ensure flight safety,” Artem Korenyako said on Telegram.

Each of the airports - Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky - partially reopened less than an hour later, he said in later posts.

Russian air defences downed at least 27 drones headed towards the capital on Sunday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced in a series of Telegram posts.

Russia, which launched a full-scale military assault on its neighbour in 2022, has repeatedly closed its airspace in response to the Ukrainian drone strikes.

The governor of the Russian region of Belgorod, on the border with Ukraine, said a Ukrainian drone strike earlier Sunday on a car carrying a family killed one person and wounded two others, including a four-year-old.

(Source:Adaderana.lk)

The Sri Lankan Navy has detained 11 Indian fishermen on allegations of illegal fishing in the country’s territorial waters near Jaffna.

Navy Media Spokesperson Commander Buddika Sampath stated that the arrests took place during a special search operation in the Karainagar sea area last night . Authorities also confiscated the vessel and fishing equipment used by the suspects.The arrested fishermen have been brought to the Kankesanturai Navy Base and are scheduled to be transferred to the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DFAR) for further investigation.

The Department of Meteorology has forecast unsettled weather conditions across several parts of the country today, driven by a low-level atmospheric disturbance located to the southeast of Sri Lanka.

Periods of rain are expected in the Eastern and Uva provinces, as well as in the Nuwara Eliya, Matale, Polonnaruwa, and Mullaittivu districts. In certain locations within the Eastern Province and in Nuwara Eliya, Matale, Badulla, Polonnaruwa, and Mullaittivu, rainfall amounts could exceed 50 millimetres.The Met. Department also noted that districts including Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, and Vavuniya are likely to experience several rounds of showers throughout the day. Elsewhere, particularly in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in the Galle and Matara districts, showers or thundershowers may develop after 2.00 p.m.

In addition to rainfall, strong winds reaching speeds of up to 50 kilometres per hour may occur at times over the eastern slopes of the central hills, as well as in the Northern, North-Central, North-Western, and Eastern provinces. Similar windy conditions are expected in the Hambantota, Gampaha, Colombo, and Monaragala districts.The public has been advised to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to reduce potential damage from sudden strong winds and lightning associated with thundershowers.

Litro Gas has announced that the prices of its domestic LP Gas cylinder refills will remain unchanged for January 2026. A company spokesperson explained that, although global market conditions could justify a price increase, the decision was made with Sri Lanka’s current economic situation in mind.

The current pricing for Litro domestic cylinders is as follows:

• 12.5 kg cylinder: Rs. 3,690

• 5 kg cylinder: Rs. 1,482

• 2.3 kg cylinder: Rs. 694

In contrast, Laugfs Gas implemented a price increase starting January 1, 2026. Under the new rates, a 12.5 kg cylinder now costs Rs. 4,250, up by Rs. 150, while the 5 kg cylinder has risen by Rs. 65 to Rs. 1,710.Authorities are expected to announce the monthly fuel price revision later this week, which may influence domestic energy costs further.

Schools across the country are resuming academic activities today  with the commencement of the first phase of the first term of the 2026 academic year, the Ministry of Education announced.

The reopening applies to all government schools, government-approved private schools, and pirivenas, in accordance with the academic calendar outlined in a circular issued on December 9, 2025. The Ministry had previously concluded the 2025 academic year on December 22 for Sinhala and Tamil schools, while Muslim schools closed for the year on December 26.Under ongoing education reforms, revised curricula are scheduled to be introduced in stages. The new syllabus for Grade 6 will come into effect on January 21, 2026, followed by the updated Grade 1 curriculum beginning on January 29. Despite this timeline, administrative processes for admitting students to Grade 6 in other schools based on the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination results will commence today and continue throughout the week.

The Ministry also noted that several schools currently serving as temporary shelters for families displaced by Cyclone Ditwah will remain closed until further notice.The first phase of the first school term will run until January 9, 2026. Meanwhile, the remaining papers of the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination, which were postponed due to the cyclone, are scheduled to be conducted from January 12, 2026.

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has announced that more than Rs. 285 million was recovered in fines following large-scale inspection operations conducted across the country in 2025.

According to the authority, around 21,000 raids were carried out islandwide during the year, targeting traders found to be in breach of consumer protection regulations. Alongside these enforcement activities, the CAA also tested 223 samples of both food and non-food products to assess whether they met mandatory quality and safety standards.

The items examined included steel wire, coconut oil, cosmetics, rice, canned fish, chilli powder, milk products, hair dyes, cordials, and syrups, the authority said in a statement.In addition, the CAA reported receiving 5,002 complaints through its ‘1977’ consumer hotline over the past year. Of these, approximately 79 percent have been successfully resolved, reflecting continued efforts to enhance consumer protection and regulatory compliance nationwide.