Negombo Prison Crisis Deepens, Dengue Epidemic Worsens, and US-Iran Tensions Reignite

Investigations into the Negombo Prison clash have uncovered a significant arsenal of over 1,000 clubs and poles, along with coconuts, allegedly used by inmates against officers, with the tragic incident resulting in eight officer and 21 inmate deaths

. Internationally, the US-Iran ceasefire has collapsed, with President Trump warning of Iran's complete destruction if he is targeted, revealing 1,000 missiles are ready for an attack

. This comes as Iran's former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, assassinated in February, was buried amidst renewed tensions, with reports of millions attending his funeral

. Domestically, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake attended the Amarapura Maha Nikaya's Upasampada ceremony, a significant religious event held after a nine-year interval

. The Cabinet is also re-examining the legality of e-visa contracts outsourced to private firms by the previous government

, while a committee submitted a report proposing a systematic framework for presidential pardons

.

New reports suggest the Negombo prison clash, which claimed up to 28 lives and injured over 100, was an organized attack targeting prison police unit officers, with questions raised about the source of fatal gunshots

. Following severe damage, Negombo Prison has been declared an unsuitable crime scene, leading to the relocation of 166 female inmates to other facilities to facilitate unimpeded investigations

. Separately, an Ambalangoda Pradeshiya Sabha member, Amit Chaturanga Samaranayaka of the SJB, was arrested for allegedly possessing an illegal repeater gun at his Baddegama residence

.

Sri Lanka has declared a dengue hyper-epidemic as cases soar past 65,000 and deaths reach 45, with daily reports consistently exceeding 1,000 cases and 175 high-risk zones identified across the island

. In response, authorities are intensifying the fight against dengue, taking legal action against thousands for maintaining mosquito breeding sites, with over LKR 100 million in fines collected in some areas

.

A Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-300 flight, TK731, carrying 253 passengers and 10 crew, returned safely to Katunayake after experiencing a bird strike shortly after takeoff for Istanbul, circling for over three hours to burn fuel

. Additionally, the Department of Fire Service announced its emergency hotline, 0112 422 222, is temporarily unavailable, directing the public to call the Disaster Management Centre at 117 for fire-related emergencies

.

Two young men, aged 20 and 21, from Radawadunna, tragically died in a severe road accident on the Colombo-Kandy main road near Bataliya junction on July 10, 2026, when their motorcycle collided with a private bus and an oncoming lorry while attempting to overtake

.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced that university admission cut-off marks for the 2025/2026 academic year will be released during the first week of August, with 42,937 students expected to be selected from 92,043 applicants

.