Jul 20 (DM) The govt has initiated discussions on introducing stricter measures to prevent the use of toxic chemicals for ripening fruits, amid growing consumer complaints over unsafe practices in the market. A high-level discussion chaired by Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe was held at the Ministry today with the participation of CAA Chairman Hemantha Samarakoon and officials from several state institutions, including the Department of Agriculture, Gannoruwa Agricultural Research more..

Jul 20 (DM) A Fundamental Rights petition challenging the legality of Govt circulars permitting individuals to change their gender identity through medical procedures was today dismissed by the Supreme Court. The petition was filed by retired SL Air Force veteran Shantha Jayathilaka, naming former Presidents Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe, incumbent President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and several others as respondents. A 2-judge bench of the SC more..

Jul 20 (TM) In the wake of the Consumer Affairs Authority's (CAA) nationwide inspections that uncovered the use of expired laboratory chemicals in certain hospitals and medical laboratories, the Authority stated that it has reached an agreement with the Ministry of Health to jointly educate the public on consumer rights in the healthcare sector. Acting Director General and CEO of the CAA, M M S K Karunarathne said more..

Jul 20 (Island) Appointments were given to 582 Health Care Assistants (HCA) on Saturday in line with an NPP initiative to strengthen primary health services in govt hospitals in Colombo and Gampaha hospitals. Health Ministry has said it is the second batch to receive appointments since the launch of the project. Earlier 627 HCA had received appointments, the Ministry said, adding that nearly 89,000 were eligible for selection out of 92,000 applicants. more..

Jul 20 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has warned that the govt’s proposal to raise the retirement age of Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67 and Appeal Court judges from 63 to 65 is an attempt to establish a one‑party authoritarian command rule under the NPP govt. Speaking at a public lecture organized by the Samagi Lawyers’ Association yesterday, Premadasa said the move undermines judicial independence, erodes public trust in the courts, and destroys democracy. more..

Jul 20 (DM) Attorney General’s Dept today informed the Supreme Court that it will institute action before the District Court to recover the tax arrears owed by liquor manufacturing companies. Additional Solicitor General Nerin Pulle, appearing for the AG, made this disclosure when a Fundamental Rights petition filed by 17 social activists challenging the alleged default of more than Rs. 6 billion in taxes by liquor manufacturing more..

Jul 20 (DM) Churches facing closure as Christians are giving up the practicing religion, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said during the week end. Speaking during a service he said Christians including Catholics are today drawn towards events which they could enjoy. “Even large cathedrals and basilicas may have to be closed before long” he added by highlighting that people today only focus on materialism rather than focusing on their spiritual and moral upliftment. more..

Jul 20 (Island) Merchant Shipping Secretariat (MSS) is investigating a complaint received from the Captain of an Indonesian flagged vessel Sensho that he had to pay an official USD 5,000 bribe to facilitate what our sources called port state control inspection. Sources said that the cement carrier arrived at the Colombo Port, on Friday, and departed after having passed the rigorous inspection. Responding to queries, sources said that after paying the bribe, vessel’s Captain has lodged complaints more..

Jul 20 (DM) Registered marriages in Sri Lanka have declined by nearly 28% over the past 15 years, while the number of births has also continued to fall, official data show. According to the DCS, the number of registered marriages dropped from 200,985 in 2010 to 144,182 in 2025, recording a decline of around 28%. The number of marriages, which remained above 170,000 in several years before 2020, fell sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching 143,808 in 2020. more..

Jul 20 (Island) 10th volume of the Neetham law journal, published annually by the Dept of Law and the Law Students’ Union of the Uni of Jaffna, was launched at the Medical Faculty Auditorium of the university under the patronage of SC Judge Sampath Abeykoon. The event was held with the participation of Court of Appeal Judge Sashi Mahendran, Deputy Solicitor General of the Attorney General’s Dept Suharsha Herath, Additional Editor of the AG’s Dept Gunapala, more..

Jul 20 (DM) The newly established Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) is awaiting govt policy guidelines before formulating regulations to govern gambling activities related to cricket, according to proceedings of the CoPF. CoPF met with GRA officials, including its Chairman N.M.W.N. Bandara, last week at a meeting chaired by SJB MP Harsha de Silva. During the meeting, Mr. Bandara said the Authority required policy guidance more..

Jul 20 (NW) A special joint Police team of the Bribery Commission and the CID is scheduled to travel to Australia to trace suspects and witnesses connected to the bribery incident involving USD 2 million received from a European airline company linked to the SriLankan Airlines Airbus deal. The mission aims to record statements and gather evidence from individuals residing in Australia who are believed to have held accounts through which the bribery money was transferred. more..

Jul 20 (Island) Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar, has declared that the recently formed six-party Tamil and Muslim party alliance will soon collapse as it can do nothing to weaken the NPP govt. Speaking to journalists in Jaffna, National List MP questioned the purpose of the new alliance, asking whether it had been formed to root out bribery and corruption, prevent fraud, bring criminals to justice and serve the public, or to shield those accused of corruption & financial misconduct. more..

Jul 20 (DN) Election Commission has submitted a detailed report to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) with their observations on four distinct methods through which the delayed Provincial Council elections could be conducted. Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake, announced that Commission officials will appear before the Parliamentary Select Committee this week to provide more..

Jul 20 (EN) A high-level SL delegation has met with US maritime regulators in Washington DC to discuss ocean shipping oversight and invite American officials to visit the island to highlight its position as a central Indian Ocean shipping hub. The delegation, which visited the US in June, met with Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chair Laura DiBella and the commission’s legal team. The meeting was set up through Dustin Bickel, Indo-Pacific coordinator at the US Embassy in Colombo, more..

Jul 20 (NW) Three suspects were arrested after violently obstructing Police officers engaged in traffic duty near the 72nd milepost in Kosgoda on Sunday evening. Police said two officers signaled to stop a cab and several motorcycles speeding from Galle towards Colombo. Among them was a suspected unregistered high‑capacity motorcycle. During pursuit, the cab fled into Uragaha Road, obstructing a Police motorcycle, and later turned into Waturawela Road, again blocking officers more..

Jul 20 (AD) Train services at the Colombo Fort Railway Station have been disrupted after a train derailed at the station a short while ago, blocking operations on two platforms. The incident occurred at around 4:35 p.m. when Train No. 1164, scheduled to depart from the Colombo Fort Station for Rambukkana at 4:45 p.m., derailed while attempting to enter the platform after arriving late. According to reports, two wheels of one carriage had come off the tracks during the derailment. more..

Jul 20 (NW) Boxing Association of SL (BASL) will conduct the 2026 U-19 Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships from 14 to 18 July 2026 at the SL Boxing Gymnasium, Diyagama. The championship will serve as a key selection event for identifying talented young boxers to represent SL at upcoming int'l U-19 competitions organized by World Boxing, making it one of the most significant events in the national amateur boxing calendar. Tournament is open to all eligible amateur boxers more..

Jul 20 (AD) Bar Association of SL (BASL) has called on the govt to halt further action on a proposed constitutional amendment to increase the retirement ages of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges until consultations are held with key stakeholders in the justice sector. In a letter addressed to Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara, BASL President Rajeev Amarasuriya said the proposed amendment raised more..

Jul 20 (DN) Ten key locations in the Badulla District have been identified for development as tourism zones as part of a district-wide plan to enhance the tourism sector, Provincial Department of Tourism said. The initiative aims to develop these areas as environmentally and climate-sensitive tourist destinations while providing visitors with a more enriching experience through a mid-term development programme. The plans were discussed at the Badulla District Tourism more..

Jul 20 (EN) SL’s private sector has pointed out the growing need for renewable energy in meeting rising electricity demand while reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels, even as tensions around the strait of Hormuz ratcheted up. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce recently convened Energy Transition in SL: Strategic Insights from Global Markets, bringing together stakeholders from govt, industry, academia, and the energy sector to discuss the policies, investments, and reforms needed to more..

Jul 20 (EN) Central Bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) imposed administrative penalties worth Rs. 14.6 million from 11 firms including Indian Overseas Bank for non-compliance with the provisions of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act (FTRA), Central Bank said. The penalties were imposed on various financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs) between Oct 2025 more..

Jul 20 (AD) National Election Commission has proposed a technical framework to increase the representation of women and youth in Provincial Council Elections while maintaining the existing Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system. The proposal was presented to the Parliamentary Select Committee appointed to study and recommend the electoral system for future Provincial Council Elections. Committee, chaired by Minister Vijitha Herath, discussed the EC’s report more..

Jul 20 (DN) When the Election Commission indicated this week that increasing the quota for women in local body elections from 25 percent to 33 percent was a near impossibility, given that some councils had failed to even meet the existing legal requirement, it said something that extended well beyond electoral mechanics. It confirmed, with the quiet authority of administrative fact, what the data on SL women has been saying for decades: that the barriers keeping women out of public life more..

Jul 20 (PMD) A discussion on the issues currently affecting the prison system and the measures required to address them was held under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat this morning. The meeting was attended by officials of the relevant Ministry and the Dept of Prisons. During the discussion, the President reviewed at length the proposals and views presented by the officials on addressing challenges facing prison system. more..

Jul 20 (DN) Today we are talking about one of the burning issues of the country. It is the number of drug addicts who need to be rehabilitated. Prisons are NOT the place for drug addicts because they are suffering from an addiction. Prison is for Drug Kingpins, Drug Lords and Drug Peddlers, NOT for drug addicts. When observing all issues connected to illicit drugs, we can clearly see that the root cause of all problems is keeping drug addicts in prisons without keeping them in a separate place until more..

Jul 20 (TM) The final rites of former IGP Chandana D Wickramaratne will be conducted with full police honours today. The decision had been taken as Wickramaratne was a retired IGP. The body of the country's 35th IGP is currently lying at a private funeral parlour in Colombo and was available for public respects from yesterday. Wickramaratne died at his residence on 18 July. Police suspect that incident was a suicide. more..

Jul 20 (Island) National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection has called on the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to make it mandatory for manufacturers to disclose all ingredients used in soap production on product packaging. Organisation’s President, Ranjith Vithanage, has urged the CAA to issue a Gazette notification requiring soap manufacturers to clearly list all ingredients on soap wrappers and packaging, arguing that consumers have a right to know more..

Jul 20 (BBC) Describing a result as a victory for football might seem like a trite cliche - but you won't find many neutrals disagreeing with that description of Spain's win in the 2026 World Cup final. When Ferran Torres slammed in the extra-time winner, and Rodri lifted the trophy high in New Jersey, it is hard to imagine many will have had sympathy for Argentina. Spain triumphed in a battle of endurance, for players and spectators, to beat the Argentines and win their second men's World Cup. more..

Jul 20 (Island) The country was losing so much revenue due to the controversial liquor bottle security sticker scam that if tangible measures were taken to stop the fraud, they could fund about eight projects on the scale of the Suwaseriya ambulance service, Chairman of the COPF, MP Harsha de Silva said. He described the security sticker, introduced for alcoholic beverages, as a major scam and called on the govt to more..

Jul 20 (CT) The CID informed Negombo Chief Magistrate Shilani Perera on 16 July that the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) units connected to the CCTV cameras at the Negombo Prison, which had been damaged and taken into custody following the unrest caused by inmates, had been forwarded to the Computer Forensics Laboratory of the Un of Moratuwa for a special forensic examination. The CID further informed the Court that the area where the clash occurred had been mapped more..

Jul 20 (EN) Foreign holdings in Sri Lanka rupee bonds hit a fresh near 3-year high in the week ended on July 16 as offshore investors bought a net US$ 23.2 million worth of govt securities, Central Bank data showed, amid a stable rupee currency. Foreigners bought a net 7,666 million rupees (US$23.2 million at 1$=330 rupees) in the week, which boosted foreign holdings in rupee bonds to 176,561 million rupees, the highest since July 27, 2023, the Central Bank data showed. more..