&nbsp;Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero has been arrested by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) at the Thiniyawala Aranya Senasanaya in Kalutara, Sri Lanka Police stated. The arrest was made under a warrant issued for his arrest and production before court. The warrant was issued after the Supreme Court invalidated the presidential pardon previously granted to Gnanasara Thero over a contempt of court charge.

Gnanasara Thero arrested at temple in Kalutara

Six individuals who participated in a protest organised by the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) and the People’s Struggle Movement in Pettah today (3) have been arrested. Police arrested them on charges of participating in an unlawful assembly.The protest was held against the Government’s tax policies and the rising cost of living.

Six arrested during FSP protest march in Colombo

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya stated that equipping youth with knowledge, skills and opportunities is important for strengthening future national development. She noted that the Government is committed to strengthening higher, vocational and technical education sectors. The Prime Minister made these remarks at the International Career and Education Exhibition (iCEE 2026) in Colombo today (3).

Youth empowerment key to national development – PM

The Department of Meteorology has issued a warm weather advisory for the Northern, North-Central and Eastern provinces, and Monaragala and Hambantota districts, valid for tomorrow (4). The heat index may reach ‘Caution Level’ in some areas during the daytime. Residents have been advised to stay hydrated and limit strenuous outdoor activities.

Warm weather advisory issued for several areas

Saudi Arabia is planning an offensive against Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, with options being considered including a coastal push to secure the Red Sea shipping route or an assault on multiple fronts, regional and Western officials told Reuters.&nbsp;The operation, expected to be launched in the coming weeks, will by led by Yemeni forces on the ground, which are overseen by Riyadh, and supported by Saudi air strikes, according to six people with knowledge of the preparations.&nbsp;While the US is already providing ​intelligence to support Riyadh's operations in Yemen, and some regional and European nations are providing mainly defensive military aid to the kingdom, the Saudi allies aren't expected to play a direct role in combat operations, said the people ‌who requested anonymity to discuss security matters.&nbsp;Saudi Arabia entered neighboring Yemen's civil war in 2015 at the head of an Arab coalition in support of the internationally recognised government, which the Houthis had driven out of the capital Sanaa. A truce agreed between the warring parties in 2022 largely held until this year when the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi shipping and oil infrastructure in a spillover from the Iran war.&nbsp;A key objective of the planned Saudi offensive, which hasn't been previously reported, is aimed at reversing the rapid gains made by the Houthis last month when they advanced down the coast and seized control of the ​Bab el-Mandeb strait, according to the people with knowledge of the plans who include Gulf and Yemeni officials and Western diplomats.&nbsp;The Saudis are considering two possible options for the assault, the Gulf and Yemeni officials said: Either a narrowly focused attack on ​the area around Bab el-Mandeb or a broader offensive that also includes other synchronized attacks on multiple fronts around Yemen, in the governorates of Al-Bayda, Marib, Taiz and Al-Jawf.&nbsp;More than 100,000 Yemeni troops could ⁠be mobilized in the offensive, depending on the scale, the officials all said.&nbsp;Spokespeople for the Saudi and Yemeni governments, the Houthi group and the US military didn't immediately respond to requests for comment about the Saudi plans.&nbsp;Bab el-Mandeb is the southern exit passage of the Red ​Sea, a key shipping route between the Mediterranean and Asia that's assumed even more importance this year as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed by the Iran conflict.&nbsp;Riyadh has concluded it cannot enter new Yemeni peace negotiations with the Houthis while the ​militants remain in control of Bab el-Mandeb, giving them significant global leverage, the Western diplomats and Gulf official said.&nbsp;The six people with knowledge of the Saudi preparations couldn't give a precise timing for the launch of the offensive, with their estimates ranging from within a week to until after the US midterm elections in early November.&nbsp;Michael Ratney, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said he expected an offensive to be narrowly focused and certainly more modest in scope than the Saudi-led operation in 2015 that sought to rout the militants.&nbsp;"As much they want to vanquish the Houthis completely, they also need to get back to ​status quo ante before Houthis controlled territory along Bab el-Mandeb," he added. "Ideally, it would be a fairly limited operation to retake coastal areas and get back to normal maritime traffic."&nbsp;The Houthis have become Iran's most formidable ally in the Middle East since Israel's degradation of Hezbollah in ​Lebanon over the past three years.&nbsp;A Saudi-directed offensive against the group would mark a new flashpoint in a region engulfed by conflict since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel of October 7, 2023 and the subsequent US-Israeli war on Iran.&nbsp;TRUMP, TURKEY AND PAKISTAN&nbsp;Washington, Saudi Arabia's most powerful ally, is providing military ‌advisers and intelligence ⁠including targeting information to support Saudi air operations in Yemen, according to one of the Western diplomats.&nbsp;However, the extent of support may be limited. Reuters has previously reported that US President Donald Trump rebuffed requests by the de facto Saudi ruler Mohammed bin Salman for direct military support such as air strikes.&nbsp;Turkey and Pakistan, with whom Saudi Arabia signed a joint defence agreement last month, have provided military equipment that the kingdom is using in Yemen, Pakistani and regional officials said.&nbsp;Last month, Pakistan sent four cargo planes with equipment including air defence systems, light artillery, drones and anti-drone systems to Aden, the seat of Yemen's Saudi-backed government, a Pakistani government official said.&nbsp;Pakistani military advisers are also on the ground with Saudi counterparts to support Yemeni forces, according to a second Pakistani official, the Gulf official and a Western diplomat. Turkish drones, bought by Saudi Arabia ​before the current war, have also been deployed over Yemen, they ​added.&nbsp;One of the kingdom's key concerns in launching a new ⁠offensive in Yemen is how to protect its oil facilities and other infrastructure from Houthi drone and missile attacks, according to regional officials who said Riyadh has asked several allies for help with defensive systems.&nbsp;Pakistan has deployed between 30,000 and 40,000 troops to Saudi Arabia to help defend the kingdom's land borders and help with drone and missile interceptions, according to the second Pakistani official, who said the troops arrived ​in waves beginning last year but also after the recent escalation. Islamabad hasn't made any decision to send troops into Yemen in a fighting capacity, the official said.&nbsp;The Pakistani and Turkish defence ministries ​didn't respond to requests for comment on ⁠their military support for Riyadh.&nbsp;France, meanwhile, has announced it will send defensive systems and troops to Saudi Arabia to help protect the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.&nbsp;FRACTURED YEMENI FORCES&nbsp;Any ground operation inside Yemen will rely on the disparate coalition of Yemeni fighting factions that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates armed and trained at earlier stages of the civil war when the conflict ground to a bloody stalemate.&nbsp;"Many anti-Houthi forces are still not organised or prepared for the kind of sustained offensive required to push back a disciplined Houthi military force. And they are being tested right now, ⁠as the Houthis apply ​pressure across several fronts at once," said Yemen analyst Mohammed Albasha.&nbsp;Yemeni forces were further fractured last winter when southern fighters backed by the UAE tried to take ​territory in the east and announce secession plans, leading to their defeat by Saudi-backed fighters after a series of clashes.&nbsp;Ali Shihabi, a Saudi political analyst close to government thinking, cautioned the outcome of any offensive by the Saudis against the Houthis would depend on how ground forces perform.&nbsp;"The priority so far has been to defend the positions on ​the ground and stabilize the front, but certainly they will be going on the offensive," he said. "Success greatly depends on the quality of the performance of the local forces."&nbsp;Source: Reuters

Saudi Arabia plan assault on Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has called for amendments to several sections of the proposed Elimination of Rabies and Registration of Dogs Draft Bill. GMOA Media Spokesperson Lasitha Kannangara stated that a provision requiring rabies vaccinations to be administered only by, or under the supervision of, a veterinary surgeon could affect efforts to reduce rabies-related deaths.

GMOA calls for amendments to Draft Bill on rabies and dog registration

Two close associates of ‘Alto Dharme’, who is allegedly directing drug operations in Sri Lanka from overseas, have been arrested by Sri Lanka Police. Police recovered heroin with an estimated street value of Rs. 600,000 from their possession. The suspects are scheduled to be produced before the Kesbewa Magistrate’s Court today (3).

Two associates of ‘Alto Dharme’ arrested with heroin

A Russian strike has hit a second major bridge in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko has said, as Russia ramps up attacks on critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital.&nbsp;The attack on Saturday morning damaged the road surface and trolleybus overhead wires on the Northern Bridge, Klitschko said, causing traffic to be blocked.&nbsp;The strike comes after another key bridge in the city, Southern Bridge, was targeted multiple times by Russian drones on Thursday and Friday, with Klitschko earlier warning that such attacks were "tearing Kyiv apart".&nbsp;The Northern and Southern bridges link the eastern and western parts of the capital and had not been hit before Thursday, signalling a new stage in Moscow's strategy.&nbsp;Attacks on the Southern Bridge have caused major travel disruption since Thursday, with metro and car travel across it suspended.&nbsp;Many of the city's residents - which number about three million - rely on the metro to travel across the city.&nbsp;Writing on Telegram on Saturday, Klitschko said: "Hitting the North Bridge. Emergency services are on their way."&nbsp;"Traffic on the bridge from the left to the right bank is currently blocked," he added.&nbsp;Earlier attacks on the Southern Bridge prompted Kyiv's defence council to hold a crisis meeting on Friday, prompting Klitschko to warn afterwards that the city was now in a "very dramatic situation" as Moscow was battering its "critical infrastructure, logistics, housing" and other key facilities.&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is acting in response to Ukraine's strikes on Russian energy facilities, despite the fact that it was Moscow that had first launched such attacks.&nbsp;After the Southern Bridge was attacked, passengers described how dust from a blast wave entered their carriage through the ventilation system.&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Putin had decided that there were "no rules now" when attacking Ukraine.&nbsp;In an interview with the Financial Times, he said: "The Russians have failed to occupy us. So now they are carrying out massive attacks and mass killings."&nbsp;He added: "They want to destroy our bridges... our data centres, the internet, mobile networks, hospitals, kindergartens, schools, universities - everything. They want people to flee their cities."&nbsp;Source: BBC&nbsp;

Russia strikes second major bridge in Kyiv, mayor says

The G7 has agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel in a bid to ease supply pressures that have caused prices to skyrocket.&nbsp;The group of advanced economies, including the US, said the move would include a "substantial release" of diesel in the coming days.&nbsp;President Donald Trump had threatened to ban diesel exports in a move which would have eased pressure on prices for US consumers ahead of November's midterm elections, but pushed up prices elsewhere.&nbsp;In a joint statement, the G7 said member countries had now agreed to "refrain from export restrictions on energy and energy products" on one another.&nbsp;The G7 includes the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy and France, with the EU also represented at its meetings.&nbsp;Trump had warned he would ban diesel exports from the US if European countries did not agree to put more of their own stocks onto the market.&nbsp;On Friday, he said on social media: “Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked Diesel Oil. The process will begin immediately.”&nbsp;His Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had argued US farmers, truckers, and businesses "should not be left carrying the burden" as prices soar.&nbsp;Diesel is used heavily by the haulage industry and in agriculture, meaning rises in the cost of the fuel feed through into essentials such as food.&nbsp;But, following a meeting of G7 leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron said the bloc had agreed to release reserves of "up to 100 million barrels" within four months under the co-ordination of the International Energy Agency (IEA).&nbsp;The UK was represented at the meeting by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who said the measures would "stabilise energy supplies, build resilience in supply chains and shield households and businesses from price shocks".&nbsp;Macron said the co-ordinated action would "bring down the prices of petroleum products, particularly diesel". Highlighting the agreement not to pursue export bans, Macron said "President Trump, in particular, was very clear on this point".&nbsp;Speaking at the White House, Trump later said an export ban on diesel was "never really on the table".&nbsp;In the joint statement, G7 leaders said: “We will implement our commitments with a co-ordinated release through the IEA of 100 million barrels to begin immediately over four months, including a frontloaded substantial diesel release within the first 20 days by G7 members and partners.”&nbsp;It is not yet clear which partner countries will release stocks, nor how quickly.&nbsp;The 100 million barrels will comprise a mix of diesel and crude oil. The price of global benchmark Brent crude oil briefly dropped below $100 a barrel, but rose back to around $102 by Friday evening. Before the US and Israel invaded Iran, it was trading at around $73.&nbsp;Matt Smith, director of commodities research at Kpler, said oil had risen again due to renewed strikes between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen.&nbsp;"Oil prices were selling off strongly due to the announcement of strategic stock releases in Europe, but they reversed course on rumours of Saudi Arabia planning an offensive into Yemen as it looks to re-establish a safe path via Bab-Al Mandeb," he said.&nbsp;European countries had pushed back against US threats to turn off American diesel, against a backdrop of the US-led war in the Middle East and reduced supplies from Russia and China.&nbsp;The G7 leaders said they will also co-ordinate maintenance schedules to avoid multiple refineries being shut down at the same time, while encouraging countries with the capacity to do so to ramp up refining of diesel in particular.&nbsp;Avoiding a ban on US diesel exports will offer significant relief to countries which are reliant on imports of the fuel, including the UK, where prices at the pump topped £2 a litre for the first time on Friday.&nbsp;Over half of the UK's diesel is imported, with 31% of those imports coming from the US.&nbsp;The US is one of the world's leading diesel suppliers, with domestic refineries churning out roughly four to five million barrels every day, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).&nbsp;Americans consume about 3.6 million barrels of that. Refiners export the remaining 1.2 to 1.5 million barrels per day, making the US a vital supplier to the global market.&nbsp;Supplies of diesel internationally have been heavily constrained by the conflict in the Middle East, which has restricted the flow of both crude oil and refined diesel onto global markets.&nbsp;Russia, which is also a major producer, has implemented its own export ban on diesel, following attacks on its refineries by Ukraine, further limiting supply. The G7 leaders stressed that they will maintain sanctions against Russia amid its ongoing war in Ukraine.&nbsp;Diesel is harder to refine than petrol and, because of its use in the haulage industry and agriculture, it is very difficult to reduce demand.&nbsp;Source: BBC

Gnanasara Thero arrested at temple in Kalutara

Six arrested during FSP protest march in Colombo

Six arrested during FSP protes ...

Youth empowerment key to national development – PM

Youth empowerment key to natio ...

Warm weather advisory issued for several areas

Warm weather advisory issued f ...

Saudi Arabia plan assault on Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold

Saudi Arabia plan assault on H ...

GMOA calls for amendments to Draft Bill on rabies and dog registration

GMOA calls for amendments to D ...

Two associates of ‘Alto Dharme’ arrested with heroin

Two associates of ‘Alto Dharme ...

Russia strikes second major bridge in Kyiv, mayor says

Russia strikes second major br ...

G7 to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel after Trump export ...

G7 to release 100 million barr ...

Six arrested during FSP protest march in Colombo

Six arrested during FSP protes ...

Youth empowerment key to national development – PM

Youth empowerment key to natio ...

Warm weather advisory issued for several areas

Warm weather advisory issued f ...

Saudi Arabia plan assault on Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold

Saudi Arabia plan assault on H ...

GMOA calls for amendments to Draft Bill on rabies and dog registration

GMOA calls for amendments to D ...

Two associates of ‘Alto Dharme’ arrested with heroin

Two associates of ‘Alto Dharme ...

Russia strikes second major bridge in Kyiv, mayor says

Russia strikes second major br ...

G7 to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel after Trump export ...

G7 to release 100 million barr ...

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Six arrested during FSP protest march in Colombo

Six arrested during FSP protes ...

Youth empowerment key to national development – PM

Youth empowerment key to natio ...

Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

Warm weather advisory issued for several areas

Warm weather advisory issued f ...

Saudi Arabia plan assault on Houthis to break Red Sea chokehold

Saudi Arabia plan assault on H ...

GMOA calls for amendments to Draft Bill on rabies and dog registration

GMOA calls for amendments to D ...

Two associates of ‘Alto Dharme’ arrested with heroin

Two associates of ‘Alto Dharme ...