A cameraman attached to a private media organisation has been arrested by Kompannavidiya Police over the alleged assault of a security officer attached to former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The incident occurred yesterday (30) as Wickremesinghe was leaving the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court following court proceedings. The security officer was subsequently admitted to hospital for treatment, and a complaint was lodged with the police.

Cameraman arrested over assault on ex-President Ranil’s security officer

The Department of Meteorology has issued an Amber-level severe lightning advisory for the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva, Eastern and North Central provinces, and Mannar District. The advisory was issued at 10.30 a.m. today (1) and will remain in effect until 11.30 p.m. Thundershowers with severe lightning and temporary localised strong winds are expected in several areas. The public has been advised to seek shelter indoors during thunderstorms and avoid open areas, trees and water bodies, while taking precautions against lightning.

Amber alert issued for severe lightning in several provinces

The Court of Appeal has issued an open warrant for the arrest and production before court of Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, who is currently serving a prison sentence for contempt of court. The court has also imposed a travel ban preventing Gnanasara Thero from leaving the country and ordered that the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration be informed. The warrant is to be enforced through the Inspector General of Police.

Appeals Court issues open warrant for Gnanasara Thero

<ul><li> ECA seeks PUCSL intervention to restore Net Metering, Net Accounting</li><li> SLSEA Chair rejects claims of inaction</li></ul> The Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) is pursuing a ‘silent’ policy on measures by the Energy Ministry and electricity licensees that are harming the rooftop solar sector, the Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA) has alleged, questioning the Authority’s failure to intervene despite its statutory responsibility to promote sustainable and renewable energy.In a letter sent to the SLSEA Chairperson and Director General (DG) yesterday (30), ECA General Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika said the Authority was failing to discharge its responsibilities under the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, No. 36 of 2024 and the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority Act, No. 35 of 2007.He said the Association opposed the Authority’s silence as the Ministry and licensees carried out what it described as unlawful actions affecting rooftop solar users.“The Ministry Secretary has issued written instructions to stop using the existing Net Metering and Net Accounting schemes for rooftop solar systems and to use only the Net Plus scheme. The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) is the authority responsible for deciding electricity tariff methods and licence conditions under the Electricity Act. As the main institution responsible for renewable energy development, why has the SLSEA failed to take an independent stand against this unlawful order and present the scientific facts to the regulator?” Dhammika questioned.He also questioned the SLSEA’s response to the national target of generating 70% of the country’s electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030.“The people have already invested their own money to add close to 2,500 megawatts of solar power capacity to the national grid. Imposing restrictions could make solar investments unprofitable and damage the local solar industry. Why does the SLSEA remain silent to fulfil the interests of the diesel and thermal power plant mafia by allowing solar investments to become completely loss-making and the local industry to be destroyed in this way?” he asked.The ECA called on the SLSEA to immediately publish its official technical and legal position on the Ministry Secretary’s letter concerning the Net Plus scheme. It also urged the Authority to write to the PUCSL seeking the restoration of Net Metering and Net Accounting and changes to what it described as an unfair tariff structure under Net Plus.“If the Authority fails to act, we will consider filing a writ petition against the Chairperson, the DG and the Board of Directors over the failure to carry out the statutory duties given to them,” Dhammika warned.However, when contacted by The Daily Morning, SLSEA Chairperson Dr. Wijendra J. Bandara rejected the allegation that the Authority was remaining silent on actions that harm renewable energy development.“That is not true. As the Authority, we have always worked to promote renewable and sustainable energy. Those who work with us know it. I myself have written hundreds of newspaper articles, and all of them have been on promoting renewable and sustainable energy. I don’t know why they are making this allegation,” he said.

Rooftop solar promotion: SLSEA under pressure over Net Plus

<ul><li>Says 23,000 teachers recruitment impractical&nbsp;</li></ul> A shortage of more than 50,000 teachers could hit the country’s national and Provincial schools by the end of this year (2026) as around 10,000 teachers are expected to retire after receiving the third installment of the salary increase granted through this year’s Budget, the Ceylon Teachers’ Union’s (CTU) President Priyantha Fernando said, warning that the Government’s claim that 23,000 teachers would be recruited through the recently-held competitive examination is completely impractical as the answer scripts of the examination had not even been evaluated yet.Speaking to The Daily Morning, he said that there are currently over 40,000 teacher vacancies in national and Provincial schools, with the largest shortages reported in the Eastern, North-Central (NC), Uva and Northern Provinces. He said that national schools are also facing a serious shortage of teachers and that the situation is likely to become worse by the end of the year. “By 31 December, teachers will receive the third installment of the salary increase given through the Budget. Once they receive that, around 10,000 teachers are likely to retire. Normally, around 7,000 teachers retire each year, but this year, that number could increase by another 3,000. Given the situation that we are facing, the teacher shortage could exceed 50,000 by the end of this year,” he said.He said that the Government had held a competitive examination in June to recruit 23,000 teachers, with 173,000 graduates applying for the examination and 163,000 actually sitting for it. However, the answer scripts had still not even been taken up for evaluation, he said. “The examination was conducted by the Examinations Department. Until the evaluation of the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level (A/L) Examination answer scripts is completed, the Department does not give priority to other examinations. The evaluation of the A/L answer scripts will only be completed by the end of next month (November). They will only be able to start evaluating teacher examination answer scripts in early December,” Fernando said. He further said that the GCE Ordinary Level (O/L) Examination would also have to be conducted during this period, making it even more difficult to complete the teacher recruitment process within this year. “The O/L Examination is also being held. Even if they start evaluating the answer scripts in early December, it will take until the end of December to release the results. So, how can the Government recruit 23,000 teachers this year?” he queried.He added that the Government would also have to conduct interviews with 69,000 candidates if it is to recruit 23,000 teachers under the accepted recruitment procedure. “If we are going to recruit 23,000 teachers, 69,000 people have to be called for interviews under the accepted procedure. It will take more than a month to interview such a large number of people. Therefore, this recruitment cannot be carried out at least until March of next year (2027).”&nbsp;&nbsp;Fernando also questioned whether the Government had allocated money in the 2026 Budget for the recruitment of 23,000 teachers. “When are these 23,000 teachers going to be recruited? Has money been allocated in the 2026 Budget to recruit these 23,000 teachers? No such money has not been allocated. But, the Government is misleading graduates by saying that 23,000 teachers will be recruited this year. They are not telling them that money has not been allocated for this. This recruitment cannot be done in 2026 under any circumstances.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Education Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa was unavailable for comment.Information provided by the Ministry in response to a recent Right to Information request submitted by The Daily Morning showed that there were 40,185 teacher vacancies as at 31 December of last year (2025), including 978 vacancies in national schools and 39,207 in Provincial schools. The Ministry’s response, dated 15 September 2026, also showed that only 425 teachers had been recruited to national schools during 2026 up to the date of the response, with no teachers recruited to Provincial schools. Of the 978 vacancies in national schools, 693 were in Sinhala-medium schools, 18 in Tamil-medium schools and 267 in English-medium schools. The Central Province had the highest number of Provincial school vacancies at 6,961, followed by the Western Province with 5,153 and the Eastern Province with 4,755. The North-Western Province had 4,413 vacancies, Sabaragamuwa 3,994, the Northern Province 3,866, Uva 3,852, the NC Province 3,157 and the Southern Province 3,056. The Northern Province had 3,760 Tamil-medium vacancies, making up most of its total of 3,866.Meanwhile, the Subcommittee on the Shortage of Physical Resources in Schools discussed the progress of the General Education Modernisation Programme implemented by the Ministry. The Subcommittee, appointed by the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, to investigate the shortage of physical resources in schools, considered these matters at a meeting held recently in Parliament under the Chairpersonship of Samanmali Gunasinghe. The programme is being implemented with the assistance of the World Bank. The Subcommittee further emphasised the need to take necessary measures to address the requirements relating to sanitary facilities and drinking water facilities in schools, particularly to ensure the quality and safety of drinking water. The Subcommittee also conducted an extensive review of the progress of the programme to provide telecommunication facilities to schools, as well as the progress of programmes to establish model primary schools.

CTU claims:  50,000 teacher shortage by 2026 end?

Former Minister Manusha Nanayakkara has arrived at the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). He appeared before the Bribery Commission to record a statement.

Ex-minister Manusha Nanayakkara arrives at Bribery Commission

The Women and Child Affairs Ministry has urged parents and guardians to exercise caution when sharing photographs and videos of children on social media platforms.The trend of uploading children’s photographs and videos to the internet has increased with the growing use of monetisation methods on social media platforms, including Facebook.The Ministry has also received information indicating that various individuals and organisations are using such images and videos for commercial purposes under the pretext of showcasing children’s talents and entertaining activities.Sharing videos and vlogs depicting children’s daily lives on social media could place their personal safety and privacy at significant risk.It further highlighted the risk of photographs and videos uploaded online being misused with artificial intelligence technology to create obscene or inappropriate content involving children.The Ministry therefore called on parents and guardians to use social media responsibly and exercise greater caution when sharing content involving children, in order to safeguard their safety, privacy and well-being.Authorities do not routinely monitor photographs and videos of children posted on social media, with action generally being taken when a complaint is made, the Computer Emergency Readiness Team’s (CERT) Lead Information Security Engineer, Charuka Damunupola said. Fielding questions from The Daily Morning yesterday (30), Damunupola said that if a complaint is received about content involving a child and it is found to be harmful, unfair to the child or against the general principles governing social media, the relevant platform could be informed and requested to remove the content. However, Damunupola said that the authorities could not control a parent posting photographs or videos of their own child, as this is considered the parent’s right. If a complaint is received about content that caused harm to a child or violated social media principles, action could be taken. He said that technical assistance could be provided depending on the incident. If the matter involved child abuse, the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) would be informed. If legal action is required, the matter could then be taken forward through the NCPA. The NCPA said that under the existing law, legal action could be taken when nude images of children are shared. However, it stressed that an ethical framework is also needed when children are used in such content. The NCPA also said that guidelines had been introduced on how children should be treated in media reporting and media use. However, these guidelines do not specifically cover children using digital devices.Attempts to contact the Legal Officer of the NCPA, the subject Minister and the Deputy subject Minister for further comment were unsuccessful.

Children’s images on social media:  Authorities urge parental-guardianship caution  

<ul><li>Namal given bail in Airbus case&nbsp;</li></ul> Indian authorities have flagged funds described as “illicit money” allegedly used in connection with the Krrish building project in Colombo, as the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) presented further details of its investigation involving Opposition Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa. CIABOC told the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court that a mutual legal assistance communication received from Indian authorities as part of a joint investigation into the transaction was currently in the possession of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). According to CIABOC, the Indian authorities had indicated in the communication that funds described as illicit money had been used in connection with the Krrish building project. The disclosure came as Rajapaksa, who has been named as the fourth suspect in the Krrish case, was ordered to be released on bail by Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena. The Magistrate ordered Rajapaksa to furnish a cash bail of Rs 500,000 and two surety bails of Rs 30 million each. He was also barred from leaving the country, with the Court directing that the travel-ban order be communicated to the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration. As a further condition of bail, Rajapaksa was ordered not to interfere with or influence witnesses in the case. CIABOC alleges that Rajapaksa received Rs 70 million as a bribe in connection with efforts to facilitate the transfer and development of the Urban Development Authority-owned Transworks Square property in Colombo Fort for Krrish Transworks Colombo (Private) Limited. The alleged payment was made through Nimal Perera, whom investigators say acted with Rajapaksa's knowledge and consent, according to CIABOC Assistant Director of Legal Affairs Ama Wijesinghe. She told the Court that Rajapaksa had also checked whether the money had been received. CIABOC further told the Court that Government institutions had processed aspects of the transaction at an unusually rapid pace, with the Board of Investment (BOI) approving the relevant documents within a single day. The Commission also told the Court that the Central Bank had invested approximately Rs 150 million in relation to the property, which it alleged had been disregarded when the land was subsequently made available through the UDA. Rajapaksa was named as a suspect in the Krrish case on Monday (28), while he was already in remand custody in connection with a separate Airbus-related money-laundering case. He was further remanded until 6 October in the Krrish case. The defence has disputed the prosecution's case and challenged the legality of the proceedings. President's Counsel M.U.M. Ali Sabry, appearing for Rajapaksa, argued that the case had been initiated under the former Bribery Act, while the certificate relied upon by the prosecution had been issued under Section 149 of the newer Anti-Corruption Act. He also questioned how the certificate could have been filed on 18 September, before Rajapaksa was formally named as a suspect in the Krrish case. Meanwhile, in the separate Airbus case, the Court had rejected Rajapaksa's earlier bail application and ordered that he remain in remand custody until 13 October. CIABOC told the Court that investigations into the alleged USD 2 million Airbus bribe and the related money-laundering allegations had been completed. The prosecution said the Attorney General is expected to consider filing a single indictment covering the bribery and money-laundering allegations.

India flags ‘illicit’ Krrish funds 

<ul><li>Pivithuru Purawara project to cost Rs 34b</li></ul> Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya said the upcoming Budget will place priority on waste management, waste reduction and recycling, emphasising that what should be left for future generations is not contaminated soil or seas filled with plastic, but a clean and green environment where they can breathe freely and live healthy lives.The Premier made these remarks while delivering the keynote address at the Third International Conference on “Plastic, Innovation and Environmental Sustainability”, organised by the Open University, held yesterday (30) in Colombo. Held under the theme “Eco-Friendly Innovations”, the conference focused on minimising environmental damage caused by plastic waste, introducing environmentally friendly alternatives, developing circular economy models and promoting sustainable waste management.Addressing the conference, she further pointed out that plastic pollution is not merely an environmental issue, but a global challenge directly linked to the climate crisis. She emphasised that the uncontrolled accumulation and disposal of waste pose a serious threat to both public life and the environment, and that the destruction of natural resources in the name of economic development cannot be considered meaningful development. She stated that several major projects are planned to be implemented under the Clean Sri Lanka national programme, including the “Pivithuru Purawara” National Waste Management Project, which will be implemented during the 2027–2029 period at a cost of Rs 34 billion. She further stated that the project aims to minimise the disposal of non-biodegradable waste, including plastic, into the environment, while expanding recycling and compost production. She also emphasised that laws and regulations alone are insufficient to ensure environmental protection, and that a sense of responsibility towards the environment must be cultivated through the education system itself. She also stated that steps are being taken through the new education reforms to practically integrate environmental education, plastic and waste management, and circular economy concepts into the school curriculum. She added that the “Green Schools” concept will be promoted at school level, encouraging children to adopt “Zero Waste” practices from an early age. In addition, she called on universities and researchers to adopt an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together fields such as engineering and social sciences, in order to develop practical and innovative solutions to these challenges.&nbsp;

Cameraman arrested over assault on ex-President Ranil’s secu ...

Amber alert issued for severe lightning in several provinces

Amber alert issued for severe ...

Appeals Court issues open warrant for Gnanasara Thero

Appeals Court issues open warr ...

Rooftop solar promotion: SLSEA under pressure over Net Plus

Rooftop solar promotion: SLSEA ...

CTU claims: 50,000 teacher shortage by 2026 end?

CTU claims: 50,000 teacher sh ...

Ex-minister Manusha Nanayakkara arrives at Bribery Commission

Ex-minister Manusha Nanayakkar ...

Children’s images on social media: Authorities urge parental-guardian ...

Children’s images on social me ...

India flags ‘illicit’ Krrish funds

India flags ‘illicit’ Krrish f ...

Budget to prioritise waste management, reduction, recycling

Budget to prioritise waste man ...

Amber alert issued for severe lightning in several provinces

Amber alert issued for severe ...

Appeals Court issues open warrant for Gnanasara Thero

Appeals Court issues open warr ...

Rooftop solar promotion: SLSEA under pressure over Net Plus

Rooftop solar promotion: SLSEA ...

CTU claims: 50,000 teacher shortage by 2026 end?

CTU claims: 50,000 teacher sh ...

Ex-minister Manusha Nanayakkara arrives at Bribery Commission

Ex-minister Manusha Nanayakkar ...

Children’s images on social media: Authorities urge parental-guardian ...

Children’s images on social me ...

India flags ‘illicit’ Krrish funds

India flags ‘illicit’ Krrish f ...

Budget to prioritise waste management, reduction, recycling

Budget to prioritise waste man ...

Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Amber alert issued for severe lightning in several provinces

Amber alert issued for severe ...

Appeals Court issues open warrant for Gnanasara Thero

Appeals Court issues open warr ...

Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Rooftop solar promotion: SLSEA under pressure over Net Plus

Rooftop solar promotion: SLSEA ...

CTU claims: 50,000 teacher shortage by 2026 end?

CTU claims: 50,000 teacher sh ...

Ex-minister Manusha Nanayakkara arrives at Bribery Commission

Ex-minister Manusha Nanayakkar ...

Children’s images on social media: Authorities urge parental-guardian ...

Children’s images on social me ...