Aug 15 (AD) Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a stock of school textbooks worth approximately Rs. 800,000, which had been issued by Educational Publications Dept for distribution among students in the Eastern Province. Investigations conducted by the Thalangama Police have revealed that the driver of the lorry transporting the textbooks had sold the stock to a person collecting used bottles and more..

Aug 15 (AD) Notorious drug trafficker Shiran Basik, who was arrested in Dubai and subsequently brought to Sri Lanka, has been handed over to the Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) in Colombo for further investigations. Along with the suspect, two other individuals suspected of being members of an organised criminal gang were also handed over to the CCIB for questioning and further investigations. The suspects were brought to BIA from Abu Dhabi last night (14). more..

Aug 15 (DN) Araliya Group Chairman Dudley Sirisena, said that paddy harvests will be purchased at Govt-certified prices from today (15) morning, following discussions with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Sirisena said the agreement was reached during a meeting with the President, Ministers K.D. Lalkantha, Wasantha Samarasinghe and other Govt officials yesterday. He said the discussion focused on the difficulties currently faced by paddy farmers and possible solutions. more..

Aug 15 (FT) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has projected economic growth of 4-5% in 2026, but warned that the outlook remains exposed to geopolitical, external and climate risks. In its Monetary Policy Report for Aug 2026, CBSL said near-term growth prospects had improved as the economic spillovers from geopolitical tensions in the Middle East were less severe than previously anticipated. Improving domestic demand more..

Aug 15 (DN) The practice of marking sensitive intelligence information as FNA (For Necessary Action) and passing it down does not release a senior officer from accountability, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Dileepa Peiris has said, explaining the basis for the recent death sentences handed down to former IGP Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando over the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Peiris, who led the prosecution against the former IGP, said more..

Aug 15 (FT) Govt has approved a three-year project to strengthen nutrition services for pregnant and lactating mothers and children below five years in four districts identified as facing serious nutritional challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic crisis. The move was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers this week that the Maternal and Early Childhood Nutrition Services Project will be implemented in Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, Polonnaruwa, and Trincomalee, more..

Aug 15 (NW) A video circulating on social media claiming to show Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara livestreaming while driving on August 13, 2026, is actually footage recorded three years ago, a fact-check has found. According to Fact Crescendo SL, the video dates back to Aug 13, 2023, when Nanayakkara was serving as the NPP’s Moratuwa electorate organizer, before he became a Cabinet minister. The video resurfaced on social media after more..

Aug 15 (DN) Minister Dr. Upali Pannilage said the Sign Language Bill will be presented to Parliament soon. He was speaking to the media before leaving the country to participate in the 35th session of the Committee under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is planned to review the first report submitted by SL in this regard. Minister emphasised that under the new Govt, many policy decisions have been taken for people with disabilities overthe past 18 months more..

Aug 15 (DN) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has not used his powers vested in the present Constitution to appoint a Chief Justice to his liking targeting a specific person, even though he could have appointed a lawyer from the private bar as Chief Justice if he wished, like past instances where Executive Presidential power was abused in appointing the Chief Justice, Minister Harshana Nanayakkara stated. more..

Aug 15 (ST) A team of medical specialists at the National Hospital, Kandy has successfully performed surgery and saved the life of a man who had a piece of timber embedded approximately 10 inches deep beneath his eye. Accident occurred on Aug 6 while 53-year-old H A R Kumara, resident of the Wattegama area, was working at a timber shed. A piece of timber approximately 4 feet long, 4 inches wide and 2 inches thick had penetrated approximately 10 inches deep into left side more..

Aug 15 (ST) The second death anniversary of the late Most Ven. Galboda Sri Gnanissara Thero, also known as Podi Hamuduruwo, was marked last Sunday with the awarding of scholarships to 460 beneficiaries under the Nena Isura scholarship programme. The scholarship programme was initiated in 2024 under the guidance of Ven. Kirinde Assaji Thero, Chief Incumbent of the Hunupitiya Gangarama Temple, with the aim of empowering children facing economic difficulties across more..

Aug 15 (DN) Sri Lankan Netball team gave a disappointing performance when they lost to Singapore by a big margin of 82-54 in the 14th Asian Netball Championship semi-final played in Hong Kong yesterday. With this defeat, Sri Lanka missed the chance of entering the final as well as taking part in next year’s World Cup in Australia. Only the two finalists will qualify for the World Cup, and Singapore is getting that chance once again, while SL has to come back empty-handed this time. more..

Aug 15 (CI) The last time India toured SL for Tests they were bang in the middle of a golden era and ended up making the hosts look ordinary. A lot has changed since then, including the frequency and the length of Test series between two teams that always made for close contests in SL. To that great Indian team that toured in 2017, SL was more home than India. The pitches offered more bounce and consistent turn, allowing the Indian spinners to dominate and outbowl the hosts despite more..

Aug 15 (DN) SL captain Dhananjaya de Silva backed his team to challenge India in the opening Test of the two-match series, which will commence today at Galle. The series forms part of the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship cycle, and both teams are expected to put up a good fight. This match is a significant occasion as it is the 50th Test at Galle Stadium, and Dhananjaya is privileged to lead the team at this ground, which is familiar to him more..

Aug 15 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa thanked UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Margaret Satterthwaite for raising concerns over the proposed 22nd Amendment, saying they echoed warnings by the BASL, the legal fraternity and the Opposition over its implications for judicial independence. Premadasa questioned the Govt’s decision to extend the proposed higher retirement ages to sitting SC judges, rather than limiting the change to more..

Aug 15 (FT) Japan has confirmed that construction of the long-delayed second passenger terminal at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) will commence before November this year, following the revival of the project with Japanese assistance. The confirmation was given during discussions between Minister Anura Karunathilaka and a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) delegation led by Senior Vice President Hara Shohei and Chief Representative Honzu Shigeo. more..

Aug 15 (ST) SL fishermen, whose livelihoods have been affected, confronted Indian poachers in mid-sea off the coast of Puttalam this week, fisher unions said, urging authorities to redouble efforts to curb unlawful fishing in Sri Lankan waters. SL fisher unions said fishermen from Tuticorin and Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu were emboldened enough to bring their boats just 5 km off Bathalangunduwa Island on northwest coast. more..

Aug 15 (FT) Colombo stocks market ended the week in green, extending its upward momentum to a third straight session on buoyant investor sentiment. During the week, ASPI gained 1.18% or 253.08 points and the S&P SL20 was up 1.29% or 77.56 points. Yesterday, with 113 counters closing in green against 108 in red ASPI ended up 0.39% or 84.17 points at 21,623.17 and the S&P SL20 was up 0.56% or 33.63 points at 6,065.72. Market turnover was Rs. 2.24 b on nearly 76 m shares traded. more..

Aug 15 (FT) Govt has shortlisted five out of eight interested parties for the divestiture of its stake in Canwill Holdings, with two Indian hotel companies and three bids involving SL firms advancing to the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage. Finance, Planning & Economic Development Ministry this week named India’s Chalet Hotels, and Juniper Hotels, among the five pre-qualified bidders. The other shortlisted parties are a consortium comprising Phoenix Ventures, and Bluestone Capital, more..

Aug 15 (FT) The CB expects headline inflation to remain above its 5% target in the near term, with risks tilted to the upside as energy and transport costs, exchange-rate pass-through and food prices add to price pressures. In its Monetary Policy Report for Aug 2026, the CBSL said headline inflation based on the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) averaged 5.9% in the second quarter, ending an eight-quarter period during which inflation remained below the target by more than the margin more..

Aug 15 (FT) Bank of Ceylon (BOC), SL’s largest bank, posted Rs. 67 billion Profit Before Tax (PBT) for the first half of 2026 as it continued to make significant contributions to the economy and growth. Chairman Kavinda de Zoysa said: “Building on our strong financial base and enduring commitment to the nation, BOC remains dedicated to supporting Sri Lanka’s economic growth and sustainable development. During 1H 2026, our focus on operational excellence, prudent risk more..

Aug 15 (DM) SL’s relationship with artificial intelligence has crossed a critical threshold. According to the Digital Outlook SL 2026 report, 81% of the island’s internet users now use AI to search for information, with a quarter abandoning traditional search engines entirely. However, as millions turn to tools like ChatGPT for educational, financial, and medical queries, experts warn that algorithmically generated confidence is dangerously more..

Aug 15 (FT) Sri Lanka at present appears to be the proposed two-year extension to the retirement age of judges which the Govt argues could assist in making a reduction in the massive backlog of pending cases amounting over 1.1 million as per the Justice Ministry. Few seem to be realising that this is only a symptom of a far more deep-seated issue arising from years of neglect of the judiciary system where under funding, inadequate remuneration, understaffing and under development of more..

Aug 15 (FT) Is Rosamund Pike somehow SL’s version of the late Diana Spencer, in her avatar as an angel of mercy? There are, certainly, worse things for a country such as we are still emerging from a crippling war, than having the Gone Girl turn up to help remove our landmines. The British actress – star of the James Bond movie, Die Another Day; and more recently, Oscar-nominated for her role in I, Tonya – was in SL this week as ambassador for the Mines Advisory Group (MAG). more..

Aug 15 (Island) A large part of the community of lawyers in the unofficial bar in this country is in uproar against a motion on the part of the govt to raise the age at which judges of some courts must compulsorily retire. Some of the most eminent scholars of law in this country and, indeed, in the world, are actively engaged in a sustained public protest campaign against the proposal and they cite the law, as is their wont. To me this is not simply a question of law and conventions more..

Aug 15 (Island) SL politicians are notorious for rushing in where their counterparts in mature democracies fear to tread. Whenever they secure special majorities in Parliament, they cannot resist the temptation to amend the Constitution to further their political interests. All previous govts with two-thirds majorities did so and plunged the country into political quagmires. Ironically, those short-sighted politicians and their parties subsequently had to vote for the abolition of such ill-conceived more..

Aug 15 (SO) Sri Lanka is once again facing a tragedy that has become all too familiar. Torrential rains, landslides, floods and powerful winds have left communities devastated across many parts of the country, exposing not only the destructive force of nature but also the country’s continued struggle to prepare for increasingly extreme weather occurrences. The latest figures released by the DMC paint a grim picture. more..

Aug 15 (TM) Sri Lanka is considering a new Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) (Registration and Supervision) Act of 2026 (the Bill), which would repeal and replace the Voluntary Social Services Organisations (VSSOs) Act, No. 31 of 1980. The Bill is being advanced during SL’s ongoing Financial Action Task Force (FATF) mutual evaluation cycle and appears intended to demonstrate progress on anti-money laundering, countering terrorist financing (AML/CTF) obligations. more..

Aug 15 (GV) SL’s crisis of 2022 was much more than an economic collapse. It was a profound crisis of governance that exposed the weaknesses of the relationship between the state and its citizens. Economic mismanagement, political upheaval, institutional decay and social divisions came together to demonstrate how vulnerable a state can become when public institutions lose their credibility and citizens lose confidence in those institutions. Lesson should be clear. more..

Aug 15 (SO) Booking a taxi or ordering food has become part of everyday life in SL. Millions of people use ride-hailing and delivery platforms expecting one simple thing: to reach their destination or receive their parcel safely. But a growing trend on social media is raising uncomfortable questions about whether customers are unknowingly becoming online content for strangers. Videos recorded by some ride-hailing drivers and delivery riders more..

Aug 15 (DM) SL’s prison system – and the judiciary – that keep flooding overcrowded prisons with an endless stream of inmates is a worthy case study of what one would call systemic incompetence. Thanks to the accumulated rot, the prison system is now exploding in violent riots with alarming frequency, reminiscent of a Latin American narco-state. The crisis in the prison system is what successive govts in the past and an inept bureaucracy made it to be. Same quarters are now blaming a conspiracy more..

Aug 15 (DM) The EU, it is reported, has called on Lanka to adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBTIQ persons as well as for decriminalisation of same sex relations as a means to achieve GST+ benefits. Wow! Same sex relationships and fluid gender expressions are widely acknowledged and recorded in regional literature. They were accommodated within pre-colonial South Asian societies. As for the death sentence, it is a dead letter. more..