Jul 9 (AD) Employees’ Trust Fund Board (ETFB) has announced that all employers employing 15 or more employees will henceforth be required to submit Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) contributions and monthly returns exclusively through electronic means. In accordance with the provisions published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2311/39 dated 22 Dec 2022, and in line with the Govt’s current Digital Economy Policy, this requirement will be strictly enforced commencing with ETF contributions relating to July 2026, more..

Jul 9 (AD) Former Western Province Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga has been ordered by the Colombo High Court to complete the payment of Rs. 10 million in compensation arising from his bribery conviction on or before July 6, 2027. Colombo High Court Judge Udesh Ranatunga warned that failure to comply with the Appeal Court order would result in the former minister being sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment for violating the appellate court’s directive. more..

Jul 9 (DM) Post-mortem examinations into the deaths of prison officers killed during the recent violence at Negombo Prison have revealed that they were subjected to brutal physical assaults. According to the post-mortem reports, the officers died from severe head injuries caused by blunt force trauma. A 5-member panel of senior Judicial Medical Officers, chaired by Dr. Sujeewa Wickramasinghe, carried out more..

Jul 9 (PMD) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasised that the Govt's objective is to go beyond mere reforms and elevate SL's healthcare service to internationally recognised standards of quality, adding that the Govt is prepared to allocate the necessary funding to achieve this goal. President made these remarks while participating in the pre-Budget discussion on the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, held yesterday afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat. more..

Jul 9 (NW) Minister of Health Nalinda Jayatissa will inaugurate the Mirigama National Kidney Stone Treatment Centre on July 12, marking a major step in addressing one of Sri Lanka’s most common medical conditions. The new centre is expected to ease the burden on the country’s overstretched urology services by serving thousands of patients nationwide and reducing the current waiting list of more than 5,000 individuals awaiting kidney stone removal surgery. more..

Jul 9 (AD) The govt has planned to extend the Central expressway to Gannoruwa in the future, Minister of Transport Bimal Rathnayake said in Parliament today. In response to questions raised by MO Anuradha Jayaratne, Minister said several road development projects have also been planned to improve the road network in Kandy. He further stated that reconstruction work on the Colombo–Kandy Upcountry railway line, which was damaged more..

Jul 9 (Island) A passenger bus plunged into the Talagala stream yesterday morning when a section of the Nuwara Eliya bus terminal collapsed. Bus operators attributed the incident to a delay in repairing a nearby bridge and a retaining wall damaged by Cyclone Ditwah late last year. While there were no casualties, the bus sustained severe damage in the incident. Speaking on the matter, Ramya Gadallage, President of the Nuwara Eliya Private Bus Owners’ Association, accused more..

Jul 9 (NW) The house of underworld figure Thambili Lahiru has been set on fire in the Middeniya area, the Police said. The incident was reported to the Middeniya Police today, who have launched investigations into the arson attack. The Police confirmed that the blaze targeted Thambili Lahiru’s residence while he remains in custody at the Boossa High Security Prison. The Middeniya Police is conducting investigations to determine those responsible for the incident. more..

Jul 9 (NW) Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath says the Govt will soon present a new Foreign Employment Act to Parliament to strengthen the rights and protection of Sri Lankan migrant workers. Speaking in Parliament today (8), the Minister said the legislation will address gaps in the existing legal framework. He added that work is also underway to introduce overseas voting rights and a contributory pension scheme for Sri Lankans working abroad. more..

Jul 9 (DM) Eight Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) attached to the Colombo District, who are actively engaged in dengue control operations, have contracted dengue, the Public Health Inspectors' Association said. President of the Colombo District Branch of the association, Amit Kumara, said several other members of the health staff had also been infected with dengue as the outbreak continues to worsen across the district. He warned that the dengue situation in the Colombo District is more..

Jul 9 (DM) Sri Lanka is planning fresh engagements with the U.S. in a bid to avert new tariffs linked to child or forced labour, with the country’s export authorities seeking to demonstrate that it deals with the possible import of raw materials or intermediary goods tainted with such concerns for export industries, an official. U.S. administration recently proposed imposing additional duties of 10% or 12.5% on imports from 60 countries, more..

Jul 9 (EN) The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce is offering a Free Sale Letter for Pharmaceuticals for SL pharmaceutical manufacturers and exporters to support compliance requirements in international markets. The new service expands the chamber’s Commercial Documents Registration Division (CDRD) portfolio of trade documentation solutions. “By providing reliable documentation support and adapting its services to changing trade needs, Division assists SL businesses in managing more..

Jul 9 (NW) Uni of Colombo has moved several faculties to online and hybrid lectures for one week after a surge in dengue cases among students. VC Professor Indika Karunathilaka said as such, lectures of the faculties of Arts, Law, Management, Education & Science have been moved to online and hybrid lectures. He said the decision was taken as the majority of patients are from the Faculty of Science, with 71 students contracting dengue and five currently receiving hospital treatment. more..

Jul 9 (DM) A network of AI-generated female profiles on Facebook is being used to create fake identities, manipulate users through emotional and sexualised content, and redirect them to adult-chat services, gambling sites, cryptocurrency promotions and other suspicious online platforms, a new study has found. Report, AI profiles of women on Facebook: Identity deception, sexualised engagement, and platform accountability, more..

Jul 9 (Island) Brandix has strengthened critical healthcare services for the people of Mirigama and surrounding areas with the donation of an Electrocardiogram (ECG) machine to the emergency care unit of the Mirigama Base Hospital. Prior to this donation, the lack of an ECG machine had severely constrained operations at the hospital. Patients and local residents were frequently forced to travel great distances and incur high costs to obtain this vital diagnostic test. more..

Jul 9 (NW) Public Security Ministry Secretary Ravi Seneviratne has admitted guilt to one of the charges filed against him in connection with a 2023 accident on Marine Drive, Wellawatte. Appearing before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court, Seneviratne pleaded guilty to the charge of failure to prevent an accident. Magistrate Kanchana Silva subsequently imposed a fine of Rs. 2,500. His legal representatives informed the court that their client accepted responsibility more..

Jul 9 (Island) Govt yesterday accused Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa of violating parliamentary Standing Orders and called for stern action to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. The accusation was made after Premadasa, while raising a privilege matter, read out a list of questions from a document in the House, saying they were matters of national importance. Minister Bimal Ratnayake told Parliament that Premadasa, under the guise of raising a privilege matter, had acted in more..

Jul 9 (TM) Though SL’s private sector credit growth remained strong in April – posting a year-on-year growth of 27.0% – 2026 year-end growth is likely to be halved due to the tightened monetary policy, lowered lending activity, subdued demand and tighter domestic policy, First Capital Research projected in its latest fixed income report. “Private sector credit growth remained strong in Apr-26, expanding 27.0%YoY as outstanding more..

Jul 9 (AD) A special technical project to clean the Beira Lake by introducing seawater into the lake is set to be launched as an immediate and short-term solution. SL business tycoon and engineer Nahil Wijesuriya has reportedly agreed to provide full financial support for the project. Meanwhile, long-term plans to ensure the lake's cleanliness and aesthetic appeal are expected to be implemented under this year's govt budget allocations. The initiative will be jointly carried out by more..

Jul 9 (NW) SL-born Professor Nishan Canagarajah, Vice-Chancellor of the Uni of Leicester, has been knighted by King Charles III at an investiture ceremony held at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. Professor Canagarajah received the honour after being named in the 2026 King’s New Year Honours in recognition of his outstanding contribution to higher education, particularly his work promoting inclusion. During the ceremony, King Charles formally conferred the knighthood by touching more..

Jul 9 (EN) SL will begin paddy procurement for the 2026 Yala season from July 15, with the Treasury allocating 6 billion rupees and another 10 billion rupees through state banks as Odapana loans. President’s Secretary Dr Nandika Kumanayake has asked officials to clear existing paddy stocks in warehouses, in coordination with Sathosa, to receive the new harvest. Paddy Marketing Board currently holds approximately 120,000 metric tonnes of paddy in its warehouses, according to the PMD more..

Jul 9 (AD) The prison administration has decided that it is no longer suitable to keep inmates at the Negombo Prison premises following the unrest that occurred within the facility on July 5 and 6. In a statement, the Ministry of Justice and National Integration said the Negombo Prison facility is being treated as a crime scene following the incident. The prison complex has suffered extensive damage as a result of the violent incident. more..

Jul 9 (AD) A businessman who had operated a store selling jewellery, ornaments and trinkets crafted using the body parts of protected wild animals to local and foreign tourists, has been fined Rs. 2.1 million. The order was issued yesterday by the Ruwanwella Magistrate against the businessman, a resident of Kahathuduwa in Polgasowita. The suspect was arrested following a joint raid carried out on June 24 by wildlife officers attached to the Bulathkohupitiya Wildlife Office and more..

Jul 9 (DM) The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal filed by former Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa, affirming that he infringed the copyright of JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva by reproducing the book titled Neththa Venuwata Aththa. However, the Supreme Court varied the permanent injunction issued by the High Court, ruling that it should apply only to the copyrighted documents in dispute and not to the entirety of Weerawansa’s publication. A three-judge bench comprising more..

Jul 9 (FT) Child sexual abuse remains one of the most hidden and harmful crimes affecting communities across the world. It often happens not in isolated, obvious situations, but in familiar environments where children are expected to feel safe in schools, neighborhoods, online spaces, and even within extended family networks. Experts define child sexual abuse as any sexual act imposed on a child who cannot fully understand, consent to or protect themselves from exploitation. more..

Jul 9 (FT) Australia’s decision to ban social media for children under 16 has struck a chord with anxious parents around the world. The concerns behind it are real. Cyberbullying, addictive algorithms, online predators, unrealistic body images, and endless scrolling have left many children less healthy, less happy, and less connected than we hoped the digital age would make them. Meanwhile, about 73% of teens in Australia are still reported to be on social media and the govt is planning tougher more..

Jul 9 (Island) Prison officers yesterday requested Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara to protect their colleague who opened fire at the Negombo Prison during Monday’s riot. They made that request when the Minister visited the Welikada Prison to pay his last respects to seven officers killed by inmates during the clashes. Soon thereafter, National Hospital reported that another prison officer more..

Jul 9 (NW) Govt has officially re-established the Old Bogambara Prison to help address overcrowding in SL’s prison system. The decision was announced through an Extraordinary Gazette issued on July 8, by the Ministry of Justice and National Integration. Gazette, signed by Minister Harshana Nanayakkara under Section 2 of the Prisons Ordinance (Chapter 54), establishes the Old Bogambara Prison as a prison for the purposes of the Ordinance, with jurisdiction covering the whole of SL. more..

Jul 9 (NW) TNPF leader and Jaffna District MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has requested Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne to change the parliamentary seating arrangement of MP Archchuna Ramanathan, alleging repeated harassment and intimidation. In a letter dated June 23, Ponnambalam claimed that Ramanathan, who is seated next to him in Parliament, had constantly subjected him to verbal abuse, threatened him with violence and used derogatory language against him during more..

Jul 9 (FT) Investors from the UAE account for 19% of foreign investor interest in Port City Colombo, with Singapore, China, and the UK contributing 13% each, followed by the US (10%) and Australia (9%), according to the project’s latest investor profile. While the figures point to growing confidence from some of the world’s most internationally connected markets, analysts say they also reveal a notable gap. more..

Jul 9 (TM) The Cricket Transformation Committee Chairperson Eran Wickramaratne, has visited Sri Lanka Cricket’s Level 1 Coach Education Programme during an inspection tour of the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium (RDICS), Dambulla. According to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the four-day programme conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket’s Coach Education Unit, was in progress when Wickramaratne visited the venue as part of his ground inspection tour. more..

Jul 9 (DN) The death toll from the Negombo Prison clash has risen to 28 after another prison officer succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital yesterday. Accordingly, the number of prison officers killed in the incident has increased to eight, while 20 inmates have also lost their lives as a result of the unrest. Following the violent clash, more than 1,000 inmates have been transferred from the Negombo Prison to correctional facilities across the country more..