The Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute (HARTI) has reassured the public that there is no long-term risk of vegetable prices soaring despite recent increases in fuel prices.&nbsp; According to Professor A.L. Sandika, Director of HARTI, vegetable supplies to the market have been notably increased over the past few weeks to meet the high demand.&nbsp; While a brief, temporary rise in prices may occur due to higher transportation costs resulting from fuel price adjustments, the overall supply remains strong. He emphasised that with ample supply and expected demand stabilization, vegetable prices are unlikely to stay elevated in the long term, ensuring market stability for consumers.

HARTI assures stable vegetable prices despite fuel price hike

Starting next month, Sri Lanka will introduce a dedicated bus service aimed at improving mobility for persons with disabilities.&nbsp; Launched by the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, the initiative aligns with the government's goal of promoting equal opportunities and human dignity for all.&nbsp; The project, allocated Rs. 430.7 million, features 10 modern low-floor, air-conditioned buses with special features to ensure accessibility and safety for wheelchair users.&nbsp; Initially operating from Makumbura to Pettah and Kadawatha, the service will serve key healthcare institutions and operate every 40 minutes during peak hours.&nbsp; Selected drivers will undergo specialized training in bus technology, passenger safety, ethics, and sign language.&nbsp; If successful, plans include importing an additional 100 buses and renovating bus stops to enhance accessibility, supporting inclusive transportation across Sri Lanka.

Govt. to introduce priority bus service for persons with disabilities from April

Sri Lanka has been endorsed for a pioneering project under the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, making it one of the first countries worldwide to advance large-scale implementation of the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.&nbsp; The project, focused on combating invasive alien species, aims to establish a unified national biosecurity system, update policies, and create community-driven ecological and economic benefits. Led by the Ministry of Environment and supported by FAO, this initiative marks a significant step toward turning global biodiversity commitments into lasting national action, with international financing helping to address critical conservation challenges across the island.

Sri Lanka among first to launch large-scale Kunming biodiversity action

U.S. intelligence indicates that Iran’s leadership is still largely intact and is not at risk of collapse any time soon after nearly two weeks of relentless U.S. and Israeli bombardment, according to three sources familiar with the matter. A ‘‘multitude’’ of intelligence reports provide ‘‘consistent analysis that the regime is not in danger’’ of collapse and ‘‘retains control of the Iranian public,’’ said one of the sources, all of whom were granted anonymity to discuss U.S. intelligence findings. The latest report was completed within the last few days, the source said.With political pressure building over soaring oil costs, President Donald Trump has suggested he will end the biggest U.S. military operation since 2003 ‘‘soon.’’ But finding an acceptable end to the war could be difficult if Iran’s hardline leaders remain firmly entrenched. The intelligence reporting underscores the cohesion of Iran’s clerical leadership despite the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28, the first day of the U.S. and Israeli strikes. Israeli officials in closed discussions also have acknowledged there is no certainty the war will lead to the clerical government’s collapse, a senior Israeli official told Reuters. The sources stressed that ⁠the situation on the ground is fluid and that the dynamics inside Iran could change. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. SHIFTING OBJECTIVES Since launching their war, the U.S. and Israel have struck a range of Iranian targets, including air defenses, nuclear sites, and members of the senior leadership. The Trump administration has given varying reasons for the war. In announcing the beginning of the U.S. operation, Trump urged Iranians to ‘‘take over your government,’’ but top aides have since denied that the objective was to oust Iran’s leadership. In addition to Khamenei, the strikes have killed dozens of senior officials and some of the highest-ranking commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite paramilitary force that controls large parts of the economy. Still, the U.S. intelligence reports indicate that the IRGC and the interim leaders who assumed power after Khamenei’s death retain control of the country. The Assembly of Experts, a group of senior Shiite clerics, earlier this week declared Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, the new supreme leader. Israel has no intention of allowing any remnants of the former government to stay intact, said a fourth source ⁠familiar with the matter. It is unclear how the current U.S.-Israeli military campaign would topple the government. It would likely require a ground offensive that would allow people inside Iran to safely protest in the streets, said the source. The Trump administration has not ruled out sending U.S. troops into Iran. INTELLIGENCE SUGGESTS KURDS LACK FIREPOWER TO FIGHT IRAN Reuters reported last week that Iranian Kurdish militias based in neighboring Iraq consulted with the U.S. about how and whether to attack Iran’s security forces in the western part of the country. Such an incursion could put pressure on Iranian security services there, allowing Iranians to rise up against the government. Abdullah Mohtadi, the head of the ⁠Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, part of a six-party coalition of Iranian Kurdish parties, said in an interview on Wednesday that the parties are highly organized inside Iran and that ‘‘tens of thousands of young people are ready to take up arms’’ against the government if they receive U.S. support. Mohtadi said he has received reports from inside Iranian Kurdistan that IRGC units and other security forces have abandoned bases and barracks out of fear ⁠of U.S. and Israeli strikes. ‘‘We have been witnessing tangible signs of weakness in Kurdish areas,’’ he said.But recent U.S. intelligence reports have cast doubt on the ability of the Iranian Kurdish groups to sustain a fight against Iranian security services, according to two sources familiar with those assessments. The intelligence indicates that the groups lack the firepower and numbers, they said. The Kurdish Regional Government, which governs ⁠the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan where the Iranian Kurdish groups are based, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Iranian Kurdish groups have in recent days asked senior officials in Washington and U.S. lawmakers for the U.S. to provide them with weapons and armored vehicles, another person familiar with the matter said. But Trump said on Saturday that he had ruled out having the Iranian Kurdish groups go into Iran. Source: Reuters

US intelligence says Iran government is not at risk of collapse, say sources

The Parliamentary Committee on High Posts has approved several new diplomatic appointments for Sri Lanka, including ambassadors and high commissioners to key countries around the world. The committee approved the proposal to appoint Prof. M.I. Fazeeha Azmi as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Iran, while S. K. Chandrasiri has been approved as the Ambassador to Israel. In addition, the committee granted approval for several other ambassadorial and diplomatic appointments. Dharshana M. Perera will serve as the High Commissioner to Malaysia, while D.M.S.P. Dassanayake has been appointed as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Dayani Mendis has been appointed as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Austria, and S.P.W. Pathirana will serve as the Ambassador to Romania. Meanwhile, N.I.D. Paranavitana has been named Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Ethiopia and the African Union. Further appointments include Dhammika Fernando as the High Commissioner designate to Kenya, Anura Withanage as the Ambassador to Lebanon, and M. Farook M. Fawzer as Sri Lanka’s Representative to Palestine. According to the President’s Media Division, all ambassador-designates met with Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the President of Sri Lanka, before assuming their respective duties.

Sri Lanka approves New Ambassadors to Iran, Israel and several other nations

Residents have been evacuated from a suburb near Christchurch Airport after a ‘‘high-risk explosive’’ was found. Cordons are in place around Sheffield Crescent in Burnside after police were alerted to the substance shortly before 2.30pm (Local time) on Thursday. Police sent an emergency mobile alert to people nearby. ‘‘All members of the public are advised to immediately evacuate the area in the vicinity of Sheffield Cres Burnside Christchurch and surrounding area due to high-risk explosive substance located,’’ the alert said. Senior Sergeant Craig Ellison said people should avoid the area. ‘‘An increased police presence can be expected as safe removal of the substance is arranged. Cordons will be removed once the area is safe,’’ he said. Cordons will be removed once the area is safe, he added. Source: RNZ&nbsp;

Residents told to evacuate after ‘high risk explosive’ found in Christchurch, NZ

The Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported that approximately 1,800 cases of leptospirosis have been recorded so far in 2026.

Around 1,800 cases of leptospirosis reported so far this year

When Sri Lanka imposed mandatory cremation for people who died from Covid-19 in early 2020, the government presented the decision as a necessary public health safeguard.Officials warned that burying infected bodies could contaminate groundwater and potentially spread the virus through drinking water supplies. Yet documents, archived media coverage and thousands of social media posts reviewed for this investigation suggest the debate unfolded within a volatile information environment in which unverified claims circulated rapidly across digital platforms.The controversy that followed illustrates how public health policy can become entangled with narratives that spread across media ecosystems during periods of crisis.<h2>The claim that shaped policy</h2>The turning point appears to have come at the end of March 2020. In televised briefings and media interviews, officials raised concerns that burial practices could contaminate groundwater in Sri Lanka’s densely populated coastal regions. News reports at the time repeated the claim widely, often presenting it as a scientific justification for a cremation-only policy.But international guidance available at the time told a more cautious story. Guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that both burial and cremation could be conducted safely if proper precautions were followed.Most countries adopted this approach. Sri Lanka did not.Instead, authorities introduced regulations requiring all Covid-19 victims to be cremated, making the country an outlier in global pandemic policy.<h2>Scientific debate and public messaging</h2>Public discussion around the burial question quickly moved beyond technical arguments. Some commentators argued that Sri Lanka’s geology, particularly its high water table, made burial uniquely dangerous.These claims appeared frequently in television debates and newspaper columns during the early months of the pandemic.However, several scientists and public health experts questioned the reasoning.However, there was little evidence that properly managed burials posed a risk of viral transmission. Despite these concerns, the groundwater narrative gained momentum. Within days, the claim had begun circulating widely on social media.<h2>Tracking the digital spread</h2>To understand how the debate developed online, archived social media content from March to June 2020 was examined for this investigation. Using keyword searches related to burial practices, groundwater contamination and Covid-19 transmission, publicly accessible posts across several major platforms were reviewed.The analysis identified thousands of posts and interactions discussing burial risks and cremation policy during the early stages of the pandemic.&nbsp;Many posts reflected genuine public anxiety about the virus.Others repeated identical claims that burial would contaminate water supplies or cause environmental disaster.In several cases, the same images and phrases appeared across multiple pages within short periods of time.These patterns can be described as narrative replication, where a particular claim spreads quickly across interconnected networks.<h2>A familiar pattern of amplification</h2>The spread of the burial narrative followed a pattern commonly observed in digital misinformation ecosystems. Content often appeared first in smaller online communities such as facebook groups or messaging networks such as whatsapp before migrating to larger public platforms.From there, high-reach Facebook pages with large followings amplified the posts to broader audiences. Once the claim gained visibility online, it began appearing in television debates and political commentary. The result was a feedback loop in which digital narratives influenced mainstream discussion and vice versa. It was evident that this dynamic allowed unverified claims to move rapidly through multiple layers of the information environment.<h2>The role of viral pages</h2>Large social media pages played a notable role in spreading the burial narrative. Pages known for posting viral or political content frequently shared posts warning that burial practices could endanger public health. Many of these posts generated significant engagement. Comments, reactions and shares sometimes reached into the tens of thousands.Monitoring groups that track hate speech online recorded a sharp increase in posts targeting the Muslim community during the same period.These posts frequently linked the pandemic to religious identity. Some framed burial practices as a deliberate risk to national safety.The scale of engagement suggests the issue had become one of the most polarising online debates of the pandemic.<h2>Media coverage and narrative framing</h2>Traditional media also contributed to shaping public perception. Several television segments focused on alleged breaches of quarantine regulations in Muslim neighbourhoods.In some cases, footage of individuals being transported to quarantine centres by the military was broadcast repeatedly. Such media framing reinforced public perceptions.News reports sometimes emphasised the ethnicity or religion of infected individuals even when it had little relevance to the story. This coverage helped create a narrative environment in which burial practices were framed as a potential threat.<h2>Diaspora networks and cross-border conversations</h2>The digital debate was not limited to users inside Sri Lanka. Archived posts examined during this investigation include accounts identifying themselves as members of the Sri Lankan diaspora.Profiles referencing locations in Europe, the Middle East and Australia regularly shared content discussing burial practices and groundwater contamination.While the exact location of social media users cannot always be independently verified, profile information and posting patterns indicate that some participants in the debate appeared to be based abroad.In several cases, diaspora accounts reposted the same graphics, hashtags and arguments circulating in Sri Lanka.In this instance, diaspora networks often acted as bridges connecting digital conversations across borders.Narratives that emerge in one country can quickly spread through overseas communities before re-entering domestic debates.The burial controversy appears to have followed this pattern.<h2>Online harassment and the “spiral of silence”</h2>As the debate intensified, critics of the cremation policy reported facing harassment online.Journalists, academics and activists who questioned the burial narrative described coordinated attacks in comment sections and social media threads.In polarised debates, individuals who disagree with dominant narratives may avoid speaking publicly if they fear backlash.When this happens, the most visible voices in online discussions can shape public perception even if they do not represent the majority view.It was conclusive that the burial debate displayed signs of this dynamic.<h2>Real-world consequences</h2>The digital controversy had tangible consequences beyond the online sphere.Members of the Muslim community expressed concern that if they died of Covid-19 their bodies would be cremated against religious tradition.Community organisations reported that some families delayed seeking treatment because of these fears.During parts of the pandemic, Muslims accounted for a disproportionately high share of Covid-19 fatalities compared with their share of the population.It is speculated that fear and mistrust surrounding the cremation policy may have contributed to delayed medical care in some cases.International human rights groups also criticised the policy, arguing that it infringed on religious rights.<h2>A policy reversed</h2>In early 2021 the government reversed the cremation rule and permitted burials under regulated conditions.The decision followed months of domestic criticism and international pressure.Subsequent scientific studies examining burial safety found no evidence that properly conducted burials posed a risk to groundwater.Officials later acknowledged that earlier concerns about environmental contamination had been misguided.The policy reversal brought the burial controversy to an end.But the information dynamics that shaped the debate remain significant.<h2>Lessons from a crisis</h2>The cremation controversy shows how public health decisions can become intertwined with narratives that spread rapidly across digital networks.A claim about groundwater contamination moved from official statements to media coverage and then to social media platforms where it was repeated thousands of times.Once embedded in public discussion, the narrative proved difficult to challenge even as scientific evidence contradicted it.Crises such as this often create conditions in which such dynamics flourish.Fear, uncertainty and a high demand for information can allow emotionally charged claims to travel faster than technical explanations.The burial debate demonstrates how narratives can move across media systems, online communities and even national borders.For us, examining the pandemic’s information environment, the episode offers a reminder that managing a public health emergency involves more than controlling a virus.It also requires navigating the complex information ecosystems through which public understanding is formed. This article is an independently produced as part of the Country Collaborative Session under the Indo-Pacific Media Resilience Program (IPMR). The work contributes to the Post-Publication Report – Round 1 of the Country Collaborative Session. The IPMR initiative is organised by Internews.

How a pandemic burial debate became a digital information battle

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) announced that the number of tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka has crossed the 600,000 mark for 2026.&nbsp; Between 1 January to 8&nbsp;March 2026, a total of 604,301 tourists visited the island nation. In the first eight days of March alone, 47,646 tourists arrived, indicating a strong start to the peak season.&nbsp; The data reveals diverse origins of visitors, with India leading at 11,345 arrivals (24.0%), followed by Russia with 4,388 visitors, the United Kingdom with 4,136, China with 4,032, and Germany with 3,634 in February. For comparison, the total number of tourists in the same period last year (2025) was 229,298, highlighting a significant increase in tourist activity in 2026.

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Around 1,800 cases of leptospi ...

How a pandemic burial debate became a digital information battle

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Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals in 2026 surpass 600,000

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Sri Lanka among first to launc ...

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Sri Lanka approves New Ambassa ...

Residents told to evacuate after ‘high risk explosive’ found in Christ ...

Residents told to evacuate aft ...

Around 1,800 cases of leptospirosis reported so far this year

Around 1,800 cases of leptospi ...

How a pandemic burial debate became a digital information battle

How a pandemic burial debate b ...

Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals in 2026 surpass 600,000

Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals i ...

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US intelligence says Iran government is not at risk of collapse, say s ...

US intelligence says Iran gove ...

Sri Lanka approves New Ambassadors to Iran, Israel and several other n ...

Sri Lanka approves New Ambassa ...

Residents told to evacuate after ‘high risk explosive’ found in Christ ...

Residents told to evacuate aft ...

Around 1,800 cases of leptospirosis reported so far this year

Around 1,800 cases of leptospi ...