Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel “Mr Kottu” owner Viraj Wickramanayake has been at the centre of intense public anger after CCTV footage showing him assaulting a young employee went viral. Into that storm of backlash landed a new claim on social media: that implied Wickramanayake had died in a vehicle accident early that morning, suspected […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel Social media platforms are currently flooded with a heartwarming video showing a young village girl walking through a lush paddy field. In her arms, she carries a small civet, while a small porcupine eagerly toddles right behind her like a pet. Many international media outlets, including prominent Indian newspaper The […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel Sri Lanka Cricket’s governance crisis has kept the sport in the headlines for months, and any hint of fresh ICC pressure tends to spread fast. This week, posts claimed ICC Chairman Jay Shah personally warned President Anura Kumara Dissanayake that Sri Lanka would be blacklisted again unless SLC elections were […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel A claim that strikes at the heart of one of Sri Lanka’s deepest national wounds began circulating on social media: that former DIG Priyalal Dassanayake had given Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith prior warning of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and that, because the Cardinal allegedly suppressed this information, he is the […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel Yoshitha Rajapaksa’s arrest and subsequent bail have dominated Sri Lankan political conversation this week. Amid that attention, a graphic formatted to look like a News1st news flash began circulating, attributing a pointed statement to former Speaker Ashoka Ranwala demanding that Yoshitha produce certificates proving his Navy recruitment and UK training […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel Whenever the Central Bank Governor appears before Parliament, his every word is scrutinized and frequently repackaged on social media to fit a political narrative. Recently, a post claimed Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe admitted to MPs that Sri Lanka’s economy is collapsing and that the government is to blame. We investigated whether […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel Two separate social media posts, both presenting fabricated statements attributed to Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala, circulated widely on Facebook this week. The first claimed he announced a Presidential Commission to investigate General Kamal Gunaratne over events at the Nandikadal Lagoon during the final days of the war. The […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel A photo post circulated on social media presenting a ceremony at the Beruwala Fisheries Harbour as the current NPP government launching Sri Lanka’s first ever locally manufactured multi-day fishing vessel. The claim resonated quickly in a political environment where supporters and critics are closely tracking government achievements. We investigated what […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel When grief is weaponized for political scoring, fact-checkers have a responsibility to name it clearly. Following the sudden death of Nivin Kumarapperuma, son of President’s Counsel and NPP Matara District parliamentary candidate Upul Kumarapperuma, a wave of condolences came from across the political spectrum. Among those who paid their final […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel In May 2026, social media posts celebrating the NPP government’s economic management spread widely, claiming that Sri Lanka had made a historic payment of USD 8.09 billion to the global financial market in the first three months of the year. The figure is real. What it represents, however, is not […]
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