Aug 12 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to meet the Bar Association of SL (BASL) at 1 p.m. today to discuss the Govt’s proposal to amend the Constitution to increase the retirement age of judges. Under the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution Draft Bill, published in the official Govt Gazette on 7 Aug, mandatory retirement age of Supreme Court Judges would be increased from 65 to 67, while more..

Aug 12 (DM) The Kegalle Fraud Investigation Bureau has arrested the 59-year-old brother-in-law of Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands, and Irrigation, K.D. Lal Kantha in connection with an alleged financial fraud involving a vehicle auction. According to the Police, the suspect is alleged to have defrauded an individual of Rs. 1,145,000 in connection with the vehicle auction. The suspect is scheduled to be produced before the Kegalle Magistrate’s Court tomorrow. more..

Aug 12 (NW) The govt has not increased the salaries of MPs, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. Responding to a question at the Cabinet decisions briefing, Jayatissa said claims that MPs had received a salary increase were linked to changes in the fuel allowance provided to MPs and other govt officials. He said MPs had not received any salary increase of Rs. 50,000, Rs. 60,000, Rs. 100,000 or any other amount. According to the minister, MPs and govt officials are entitled to more..

Aug 12 (TM) Education reforms that were halted following problems with the Grade 6 English language modules are expected to be rolled out from January of next year, with the Education Ministry currently conducting an island-wide survey to assess the impact of reforms already introduced for Grade One. Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa said that the Ministry is now preparing to introduce the reforms for Grades 2 & 6 from Jan 2027. more..

Aug 12 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials of the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development to prioritise urgent public needs identified at District Coordinating Committee meetings when implementing rural road development projects. Prez also directed officials to resume all road development projects that were suspended in 2022 due to the country’s economic crisis. The directives were issued during a progress review of projects implemented by more..

Aug 12 (AD) SL Customs has appointed a special committee to find a solution to the ongoing dispute over vehicle imports that were brought into the country through Letters of Credit (LCs) but have been denied final customs clearance. The committee will examine the issues surrounding the affected vehicle imports and submit recommendations on measures that could be taken to reach an appropriate settlement, according to SL Customs. The move comes amid a dispute over more..

Aug 12 (FT) Newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Wei Huaxiang yesterday signalled a push for deeper economic cooperation between the two countries, saying China was ready to strengthen the alignment of development strategies and expand mutually beneficial cooperation. Ambassador Wei, who arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday to assume office, said bilateral relations had entered a new phase following high-level engagements between the two countries in 2025. more..

Aug 12 (DN) CIABOC has filed indictment against former Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne for allegedly committed the offence of corruption by selecting a Korean company to remove sand from the Kirinda Fisheries Harbour and selling it to the market and by influencing the Fisheries Harbour Corporation Chairman while serving as the Fisheries Minister between June 12, 2012 and Aug 6, 2012. Indictment has been filed under five counts against the accused under Sec 70 of Bribery Act. more..

Aug 12 (TM) Public Administration Minister Prof. Chandana Abeyratne has criticised the ongoing trade union (TU) action by Grama Niladhari (GN) officers, saying it is unacceptable as the Govt has already proposed solutions to their concerns, including the fuel allowance. He said that during a recent discussion with the GN TU Alliance, the Govt had expressed its willingness to address their concerns through the upcoming Budget. more..

Aug 12 (TM) A group of parents has lodged a complaint with the Kirindiwela Police, alleging that their children were unfairly disadvantaged due to a delay in receiving question papers at the Grade Five Scholarship Exam held on 9 August. The parents said students from Kirindiwela Bogahawatta Jinānanda Primary School, who sat the Examination at Kirindiwela Central College, were scheduled to receive the question paper at 11.15 a.m., but were given it at around 11.30 a.m. more..

Aug 12 (DN) Sri Lanka Netball team continued their winning form when they thrash India 100-34 in their 14th Asian Netball Championship group fixture played at Kai Tak Arena Hong Kong yesterday. SL team led by Thishala Algama dominated the game from the beginning winning all four quarters without much effort to post 66 points lead in this one sided affair. The victory also paved the way for Sri Lanka to book a place in semi finals with one group match against Maldives to spare. more..

Aug 12 (Island) City of Dreams SL has completed its first year of operations with its leadership expressing confidence that the landmark integrated resort can help position Colombo and Sri Lanka as a destination for high-end tourism, entertainment and int'l business. The first anniversary was marked with a special celebration bringing together customers, business partners, vendors and other stakeholders who supported the project through its development and first 12 months of operations. more..

Aug 12 (ST) Twenty20 cricket has transformed the role of spin bowlers, demanding far more than wicket-taking ability. According to legendary left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, the most effective spinners are those who can build pressure by combining attacking intent with control. “Spinners have a crucial role to play in T20 cricket. A spinner may be called upon to bowl in the powerplay, the middle overs, or at the death, so understanding the demands of each phase is essential,” Herath said more..

Aug 12 (ST) SL is setting in motion the most far-reaching transformation of its urban public transport in several decades with the launch in Colombo of 7 new metropolitan routes next month, served by 121 low-floor, wheel-chair accessible, and air-conditioned buses. Since a trial run in April, demand for the spacious, 32-seater, nearly 39-foot buses with audio-visual displays, and picture windows offering panoramic views of the city more..

Aug 12 (FT) China Communications Construction Company Ltd., (CCCC) is exploring further investments in Sri Lanka spanning renewable energy, trade and logistics, and digital services, alongside existing and proposed projects centred on Colombo Port City. The President’s Office said yesterday the investment plans were discussed during a meeting between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and a senior CCCC delegation led by President Zhang Bingnan in Colombo. more..

Aug 12 (EN) 99x, a global product engineering company rooted in SL, has partnered in an initiative to rebuild IT laboratories in schools that lost them during the Cyclone Ditwah disaster. 99x teams worked with the PM’s Office, SLASSCOM and school communities, selecting 3 schools in Mahiyanganaya to establish IT laboratories. Volunteers from 99x travelled to Mahiyanganaya to complete the restoration of IT laboratories at Hebarawa Maha Vidyalaya, more..

Aug 12 (FT) Govt yesterday urged over a million Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to scale up to go global especially via exports to better harness growth opportunities. The call came from Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe during his remarks at the National SME Forum Scale Up 2.0 organised by The CCC’s Centre for SMEs at the Taj Samudra, Colombo. Under the theme Connected. Competitive. Ready to Grow the forum more..

Aug 12 (Island) The Cricket Transformation Committee headed by Eran Wickramaratne has received much praise for the manner in which it has gone about its business since being put in charge earlier this year. While bringing transparency and accountability to the affairs of Sri Lanka Cricket, an institution criticised for years over corruption and waste, the committee has also kept its eye on its primary task: drafting a new constitution for the administration of the game. more..

Aug 12 (TM) Ministry of Finance is in the process of lowering its long-end yield rates, as the performance of short-term T-bills extended its decline at the last auction, and the Ministry is compelled to accept bids for securities at a lesser rate, NSB Fund Management Chief Dealer Surendran Edwatd said, speaking during a COPE meeting held last wee. “Now, today itself the market has come down. At the last auction, even the T-bills, the short turners all dipped because the Ministry of Finance more..

Aug 12 (SO) The Ministry of Digital Economy and SLT-Mobitel, have launched Sri Lanka AI Week 2026 on the theme AI Amplified. The initiative aims to transform Sri Lanka’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) ambitions into measurable outcomes through thought-provoking discussions, showcasing of cutting-edge AI innovations, and collaboration among policymakers, businesses, researchers, start-ups and students to accelerate the development of a thriving AI ecosystem. more..

Aug 12 (SO) Sri Lanka must build a stronger startup ecosystem, improve policy consistency, attract global technology investment and develop a larger skilled workforce if it is to achieve its ambitious target of creating a US$5 billion information technology (IT) industry by 2030, GovTech SL, Board Member Chandima Cooray said recently. At an industry workshop, Cooray said Sri Lanka’s current growth trajectory alone would not be sufficient to triple the industry’s value, stressing that more..

Aug 12 (TM) Former National Cricket Selection Committee Chair Pramodya Wickramasinghe has instructed his lawyers to institute legal action against SLC's Transformation Committee, he said. He said that as there had been no positive response to a Letter of Demand (LOD), which he had sent to the Transformation Committee over the arbitrary termination of his contract, he had advised his lawyers to institute Court action more..

Aug 12 (Island) SL is witnessing an unprecedented effort to challenge a culture of impunity, with senior political figures, public officials and others facing investigation and prosecution. The significance of the present moment is whether Sri Lanka can establish a system in which no person, regardless of political position or social status, is above the law. The credibility of accountability depends significantly on an independent judiciary capable of deciding difficult cases without fear or favour. more..

Aug 12 (ST) Fouci – remember him? Does the name ring a bell? The American immunologist and expert on tackling viral outbreaks who shot to international stardom six years ago as the undisputed Czar of Covid? America’s scientific prophet who, breathing hellfire and brimstone, scared the wits out of the world to get COVID-vaccinated, masked, and isolated – and frightened the pants out of world govts, which religiously followed his dictates, to order lockdowns that ruined world more..

Aug 12 (Island) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has at long last agreed to meet a delegation from the Bar Association of SL (BASL) today to discuss issues concerning his govt’s efforts to extend the mandatory retirement ages of judges through a constitutional amendment. One can only hope that today’s discussion is not a ruse for the government to gain some legitimacy for the draft 22nd Amendment (22A), which exemplifies pretextual legislation or constitutional camouflage. more..

Aug 12 (TM) For half a century, the death penalty in Sri Lanka has existed in a state of suspended animation. The law retains it, courts routinely pronounce it, yet no President since 1976 has brought themselves to sign a death warrant. The last inmate to walk to the scaffold was D J Siripala, popularly known as Maru Sira, whose controversial execution at Bogambara Prison on 23 June 1976 left a lasting mark on the national consciousness. Since then, a strict de facto moratorium more..

Aug 12 (TM) When the distinct green-and-white units of the 1990 Suwa Seriya ambulance service first rolled onto SL’s roads on 28 July 2016, they represented a modest pilot project consisting of just 88 vehicles operating across select western and southern corridors. Ten years later, what began as a targeted intervention has fundamentally re-architected the island’s healthcare infrastructure. Today, the service stands as a ubiquitous more..

Aug 12 (CT) There is an important aspect of our present tax structure that deserves serious public discussion. The highest rate applicable to the corporate sector is 30%, with the higher 40% rate applying to specific sectors such as liquor and gambling. Corporate profits distributed as dividends may, in turn, be subject to taxation in the hands of the recipients. Against this background, it is worth asking whether it is reasonable for an individual taxpayer to be pushed into a 36% marginal more..

Aug 12 (DM) SL is once again caught between two extremes. In one part of the year, families queue for water bowsers, farmers watch their crops fail, and entire provinces struggle through months of drought. Then, almost without warning, the skies open. Within hours, roads disappear, homes are flooded, and lives are lost. This is not bad luck. This is a failure to plan. Just days ago, heavy rains triggered floods and landslides that killed people and forced thousands to evacuate in the central highlands. more..

Aug 12 (SO) Three prisons. Three deaths. Dozens injured. Tear gas, shootings, pelting of stones, damaged buildings and the deployment of police, the STF, the Army and Air Force. Within little more than 24 hours, SL’s prison system was confronted with simultaneous unrest at the New Magazine Prison in Borella, Kuruwita Prison and the Pallansena Youth Correctional Centre in Negombo, raising questions that go far more..

Aug 12 (DM) Minister Bimal Rathnayake explained in Parliament that the Govt had decided to revise the Gazette notification issued last month, which had suspended the publication of public representatives’ asset declarations and triggered widespread debate. Under the revised approach, declarations of politicians and other elected public representatives will remain available for public scrutiny. The publication of politicians’ asset declarations is, in reality, the latest chapter in a story more..

Aug 12 (GV) The country does not merely need better govt. It needs a state that protects its citizens, commands public trust and unites a diverse people through equal citizenship. SL has changed govts many times since independence. Yet the deeper challenge has remained largely unresolved: what kind of state do we want to build? The economic and political upheaval of 2022 gave the country an uncomfortable answer. The crisis was not merely the consequence of fiscal mismanagement or more..