The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is investigating recent clashes at several prisons and examining whether the incidents are linked or involved external parties, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa stated. More than 1,500 statements have been recorded from inmates and prison officers over the incident at Negombo Prison, with 61 people named as suspects in connection with the deaths. Statements have also been recorded from 925 people over the Mahara Prison incident, while investigations into the Kuruwita Prison incident are continuing.

CID probes possible links and external involvement in prison clashes

The Government has purchased 27,458 metric tonnes of paddy out of a target of 39,500 metric tonnes, Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Nalinda Jayatissa stated. A total of 105 paddy purchasing centres are currently operating, with another 40 centres expected to open. The Government has allocated Rs. 6 billion for the programme and spent Rs. 3.302 billion so far. Ampara recorded the highest purchases at 13,975 metric tonnes, followed by Anuradhapura with 4,073 metric tonnes.

 27,458 MT of paddy purchased so far, Govt. says

Minister of Public Administration Prof. Chandana Abeyratne has criticised the ongoing trade union action by Grama Niladhari officers, stating that the government has already proposed solutions to their demands. The Minister stated that the issue of the GN officers’ fuel allowance is expected to be addressed through the upcoming Budget. The Grama Niladhari Trade Union Alliance began the trade union action on 10 and 11 August, citing several demands. Alliance Chairman Nandana Ranasinghe stated that the action would continue if the government does not provide a solution.

Minister criticises Grama Niladhari officers’ trade union action

The densely populated Chinese capital of ‌Beijing braced for the expected onset of more than one-third of its annual rainfall over 24 ​hours starting late on Tuesday as ​moisture from Typhoon Dolphin to the south converged ⁠with cool air over northern China.&nbsp;Source:Reuters

Beijing braces for one-third of its annual rainfall over next 24 hours

The cancellation of a flight in Canada after a child refused to wear a seat belt has reignited a debate about the etiquette and safety procedures relating to children travelling on planes.&nbsp;The Porter Airlines flight, which was preparing to depart from Victoria to Toronto on 6 August had to return to the terminal as a "young child was standing in their seat and would not secure their seat belt", the airline said.&nbsp;The delay meant the flight could not depart before the runway closed after midnight so passengers had to be rebooked on a flight the following day.&nbsp;The incident has split opinion about how children should be treated in such situations and how airlines should respond.&nbsp;Regarding the child's behaviour, Porter Airlines said "attempts by the accompanying parent and crew to address this were unsuccessful".&nbsp;"The aircraft could not takeoff in this unsafe condition, so the crew elected to return to the terminal and have the two passengers disembark," it added.&nbsp;Child aviation safety expert Lia Tuso told the BBC the Porter crew were protecting the safety of the passengers on the flight with their decision to stop the flight, as well as the child.&nbsp;"Unrestrained children can become projectiles," Tuso said, similar to unrestrained items of luggage, which can fly into passengers in the event of turbulence, especially during takeoff and landing.&nbsp;The incident has led to a debate online over how tolerant airlines should be to travelling families, and how strictly parents should enforce airline rules.&nbsp;Some have said it was an example of what happens when parents are too "gentle" on their children. The Fox News morning programme debated it, with co-host Charles Hurt saying he supported physical discipline.&nbsp;"We've all been those parents," he said. "But this is beyond the pale."&nbsp;Other people have pointed out that sometimes children are afraid of flying and are not trying to be disruptive.&nbsp;One passenger on the Porter Airlines plane, Aryeh Kozuch, told CBC News the child had not been unruly but had seemed scared.&nbsp;"They just kept hiding under their seat. If they got forced into [being] strapped in, they just kind of slid out underneath."&nbsp;Many have questioned why the whole flight had to be disrupted for one child and said the family should have been removed.&nbsp;This is what happened in 2018, when a father and daughter were filmed being ejected from a Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Atlanta.&nbsp;According to a passenger that filmed the incident, the child had settled down from a tantrum, and had been quietly seated in her seat for more than five minutes before the airline's crew informed the father they would be removed from the flight.&nbsp;The airline involved, Southwest, said initial reports indicated "a conversation escalated onboard between the crew and a customer travelling with a small child".&nbsp;After a similar incident in 2012, the family who were kicked off appeared on NBC's Today Show to accuse the airline of showing a lack of humanity.&nbsp;JetBlue, the airline involved, said it "had customers that did not comply with crew member instructions for a prolonged time period".&nbsp;It added: "The captain elected to remove the customers involved for the safety of all customers and crew members on board.''&nbsp;Source: BBC

Canada flight cancelled after child refuses to wear seat belt

The head of military intelligence for eastern Libya's Libyan National Army ​was killed on Monday when an ‌explosive device detonated in his car outside his home in the Hawari area of Benghazi, ​two security sources told Reuters.&nbsp;Brigadier Fowzi ​Mansouri was killed in the evening ⁠blast, the sources said, speaking on condition ​of anonymity. They did not say who ​was responsible for the attack or provide further details on the device.&nbsp;The killing highlights continuing security ​challenges in Libya, where rival administrations ​and armed groups have retained influence despite a ‌2020 ⁠ceasefire that halted major warfare. Libya split in 2014 between rival eastern and western factions after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ​toppled longtime ​autocrat Muammar ⁠Gaddafi.&nbsp;The Libyan National Army, led by military commander Khalifa Haftar, ​controls much of eastern and southern ​Libya. ⁠&nbsp;It is aligned with authorities based in Benghazi, while the internationally recognised Government of ⁠National ​Unity is based in ​the capital Tripoli and controls much of the west.&nbsp;Source: Reuters

Car bomb kills eastern Libyan military intelligence chief, sources say

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday responded to Iran's conditions for a peace deal with his own demands ​that Iran pay compensation for people killed in wars, attacks and protests, in a rhetorical escalation likely to complicate efforts to reopen the Strait of ‌Hormuz.&nbsp;Trump's proposal, which had not been raised before, was a response to Tehran's demands for compensation and an end to sanctions. The Iranian demands were largely in line with the terms of a preliminary peace deal signed in June, which has since broken down.&nbsp;Since the war began in February, Trump has repeatedly oscillated between threats of escalation and claims that a peace deal is imminent.&nbsp;"We're going to ask for money for the damage ​they've done over a 50-year period," Trump said at the White House, saying payments would cover deaths among both civilian demonstrators and U.S. forces in the region.&nbsp;"So if ​there's damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages," Trump said.&nbsp;Oil prices settled 5% higher on Monday after the demands ⁠dimmed prospects for a deal to reopen the strait.&nbsp;TRUMP CITES ATTACK BLAMED ON AL QAEDA, NOT IRAN&nbsp;Referring to Tehran's crackdown on demonstrations in late 2025 and 2026, Trump said Iran had ​killed some 52,000 protesters as of six weeks ago. While some Iranian opposition and exile groups have claimed tens of thousands killed, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) in February reported ​around 7,000 deaths including 6,500 protesters.&nbsp;Trump encouraged protesters to overthrow the Iranian government when the war began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in February. Rights groups say the Iranian government has continued to crack down on opponents since then.&nbsp;Trump also said Iran should compensate families of the 17 U.S. sailors killed in an October 2000 attack in Yemen on the naval vessel USS Cole, which has been blamed on al Qaeda, not ​Iran.&nbsp;"Also, with respect to the Iran negotiations, Iran should be responsible for the damages and death caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza!" Trump wrote in a Truth ​Social post.&nbsp;Iran earlier said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet conditions, including compensation and ‌an end to ⁠sanctions and military threats before the key waterway is reopened.&nbsp;The strait, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flowed prior to the conflict, has been effectively blocked since the war began, pushing up oil prices and inflation.&nbsp;TRUMP UNDER PRESSURE&nbsp;Ironically, the agreement with Oman would give Tehran more leverage over the key waterway than it had before the war began.&nbsp;Trump is under pressure to end a war that is deeply unpopular at home ahead of midterm elections in November, and high fuel prices are a top issue in rural areas that have ​backed him in the past.&nbsp;"What you're seeing here ​is the beginning of a capitulation," ⁠Democratic U.S. Representative Bill Keating said on CNN. "This is reality. It's sinking in."&nbsp;Earlier on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said talks with Oman were "progressing smoothly and constructively", with an agreement reached on a shipping route map, while some technical issues remained unresolved.&nbsp;Baghaei said the discussions ​also covered services which would normally involve payment, such as safe navigation, environmental protection, maritime services and combating crime.&nbsp;U.S. officials have repeatedly ruled ​out any deal that ⁠would allow Tehran to charge fees for access to the strait.&nbsp;But months of U.S. military efforts, including a two-week campaign of strikes in July, have not broken Iran's grip on the strait, despite Trump's misleading claim, repeated on Monday, that the strait was open and, "The only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy."&nbsp;Washington and Tehran agreed to a ⁠ceasefire in ​June, but the U.S. reimposed a blockade on Iranian shipping in July, a move that Tehran said violated the truce.&nbsp;Iran ​has been striking back with missiles and drones against Washington's allies in the region, while also targeting commercial ships transiting the strait without its permission.&nbsp;Source: Reuters

Hopes for Hormuz deal fade as Trump demands Iranian reparations

Three of FIFA's six confederations issued an open letter to the "football family" on Monday attacking President Gianni Infantino's conduct during the proposed sale of a stake in World Cup commercial rights and calling for leadership that works for the game.&nbsp;The letter, ​co-signed by the presidents of UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF, called for an independent review of the now-abandoned proposal and said Infantino had broken trust "through deception" and "placed himself above the collective".&nbsp;"Football's strength ‌has always been its unity," it read. "We call for that unity to be honoured now, for leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it."&nbsp;The Swiss administrator has faced open revolt in the two weeks since he proposed and then abandoned a plan to carve off the commercial rights to the World Cup and sell 20% of them to private investors to raise about $4.2 billion.&nbsp;Sources with knowledge of the drafting of the letter said the three confederations viewed the letter as an opportunity for Infantino, who is seeking reelection in March next year, to quit ​with his dignity intact.&nbsp;European body UEFA, backed by Asia's AFC and CONCACAF, which runs football in the Caribbean, North and Central America, have threatened to boycott FIFA tournaments until they receive a promise that ​no similar schemes will be proposed in the future.&nbsp;The three confederations are investigating the possibility of staging competitions amongst themselves to give players the chance to compete ⁠amid the crisis with FIFA, the sources said.&nbsp;"Leadership in football is not a possession," the confederations said in Monday's statement. "It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held. It is a duty of service to ​the football family that entrusts it.&nbsp;"When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned."&nbsp;INDEPENDENT REVIEW&nbsp;They also criticised a FIFA emergency meeting in ​Morocco last week, saying there was only one elected official present, while also calling for an independent review, which FIFA would have no role in, to determine what led to this "profound failure of judgement."&nbsp;U.S. Soccer, Canada Soccer, which co-hosted the 2026 World Cup with Mexico, joined with the Caribbean Football Union and the Central American Football Union to back the stance, saying FIFA needed "meaningful" change.&nbsp;"(We) stand together, along with our colleagues around the world, in calling for meaningful change that strengthens FIFA’s ​governance, transparency and accountability," they said in a statement.&nbsp;U.S. President Donald Trump, though, later posted a message on social media backing Infantino to the hilt.&nbsp;"FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they ​even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino," he wrote.&nbsp;"He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented. If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again."&nbsp;The endorsement might ‌not be that ⁠effective, however, given the close association between Trump and Infantino at the World Cup in June and July troubled many in the game.&nbsp;Those concerns were amplified when a company run by the brother of Trump's son in law emerged as a key mover in the controversial stake-sale plan. Trump said he had not discussed the plan with Infantino.&nbsp;Despite the opposition of the three confederations, which represent 136 of the 211 member associations who will vote in the FIFA presidential election in March, Infantino has plenty of allies in the game.&nbsp;Several AFC nations, as well as Mexico from CONCACAF, have already said they will back him.&nbsp;After quelling in-house dissent at the emergency FIFA ​meeting in Morocco last Wednesday, Infantino rallied his support before ​heading to Colombia to attend the inauguration of ⁠new President Abelardo De La Espriella in Cali.&nbsp;Africa's confederation CAF released a statement on behalf of its 54 members backing Infantino on Thursday with South American countries Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia following suit.&nbsp;BLISTERING ATTACK&nbsp;On Friday, FIFA released a blistering attack on the critics of the president.&nbsp;It warned against what it called a "concerted and ongoing effort" to ​undermine Infantino, saying attempts to challenge his leadership must follow the governing body's statutes and democratic procedures.&nbsp;The statement echoed those of several of the bodies ​that supported Infantino, as well ⁠as one from South American confederation CONMEBOL.&nbsp;FIFA's statement came after reports in The Daily Telegraph about payments made by UEFA to a former employee during Infantino's time as the European governing body's general secretary, allegations he has denied and that FIFA has rejected as unfounded.&nbsp;Almost 70 of FIFA's member associations have said publicly they will vote for Infantino, who would need a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting or a simple majority in subsequent rounds to extend his ⁠presidency until 2031.&nbsp;Any ​rivals to Infantino have until November 18 to announce their candidature.&nbsp;Infantino has apologised for mistakes made during the stake sale proposal ​but the letter from the three confederations said that was not enough.&nbsp;"It did not acknowledge that the proposal itself was inherently wrong," it read.&nbsp;"There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment — ​not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve."&nbsp;Source: Reuters

UEFA, AFC, CONCACAF renew attacks on Infantino over failed World Cup stake sale proposal

Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has stated that he and Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara met the Chief Prelates to clarify concerns over the proposed extension of judges’ retirement age. The meeting followed a letter submitted to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake by the Chief Prelates of the three main chapters, expressing concerns over the proposed constitutional amendment.

CID probes possible links and external involvement in prison ...

27,458 MT of paddy purchased so far, Govt. says

27,458 MT of paddy purchased ...

Minister criticises Grama Niladhari officers’ trade union action

Minister criticises Grama Nila ...

Beijing braces for one-third of its annual rainfall over next 24 hours

Beijing braces for one-third o ...

Canada flight cancelled after child refuses to wear seat belt

Canada flight cancelled after ...

Car bomb kills eastern Libyan military intelligence chief, sources say

Car bomb kills eastern Libyan ...

Hopes for Hormuz deal fade as Trump demands Iranian reparations

Hopes for Hormuz deal fade as ...

UEFA, AFC, CONCACAF renew attacks on Infantino over failed World Cup s ...

UEFA, AFC, CONCACAF renew atta ...

Ministers meet Chief Prelates over judges’ retirement age

Ministers meet Chief Prelates ...

27,458 MT of paddy purchased so far, Govt. says

27,458 MT of paddy purchased ...

Minister criticises Grama Niladhari officers’ trade union action

Minister criticises Grama Nila ...

Beijing braces for one-third of its annual rainfall over next 24 hours

Beijing braces for one-third o ...

Canada flight cancelled after child refuses to wear seat belt

Canada flight cancelled after ...

Car bomb kills eastern Libyan military intelligence chief, sources say

Car bomb kills eastern Libyan ...

Hopes for Hormuz deal fade as Trump demands Iranian reparations

Hopes for Hormuz deal fade as ...

UEFA, AFC, CONCACAF renew attacks on Infantino over failed World Cup s ...

UEFA, AFC, CONCACAF renew atta ...

Ministers meet Chief Prelates over judges’ retirement age

Ministers meet Chief Prelates ...

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27,458 MT of paddy purchased so far, Govt. says

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Beijing braces for one-third of its annual rainfall over next 24 hours

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Canada flight cancelled after child refuses to wear seat belt

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Car bomb kills eastern Libyan military intelligence chief, sources say

Car bomb kills eastern Libyan ...

Hopes for Hormuz deal fade as Trump demands Iranian reparations

Hopes for Hormuz deal fade as ...