Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel Update – 27 July 2026: The Indian High Commission has announced that free visas are once again being issued to Sri Lankan pilgrims travelling to India. In a statement, the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka said it has reinstated the scheme for issuing free (fee-waived) visas to groups […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel One of the lingering questions to Sri Lanka’s public sector right now than whether the duty-free vehicle permit scheme will ever come back. Into this long-running debate, dropped a card bearing the News 1st logo, quoting Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa as saying the 2027 budget would let doctors import […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel The violent clash between two groups of inmates at Negombo Prison on July 5 and 6, 2026, a crisis that left 26 people dead with dozens hospitalised, set off a wave of public anger. Bad actors moved to exploit that volatile moment for political and personal ends, floating doctored cards […]
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Subscribe to our WhatsApp Channel With dengue cases past 50,000 and several districts nearing epidemic levels, Sri Lanka spent early July 2026 on edge over the outbreak. Into that anxious moment dropped a card carrying the News 1st logo and dated July 5, which quoted Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa as saying the government bears […]
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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 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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