May 7 (Island) In a startling turn of events, a Development Officer, serving at the Central Provincial Council, has reportedly submitted a bid of approximately Rs. 48 mn for a Land Cruiser V8 vehicle belonging to the Council, which was recently put up for auction. The revelation that a serving govt officer submitted a massive bid for such a tender—an act generally prohibited under public service regulations—has reportedly caused significant unrest within the Tender Board. more..

May 7 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers approved the designation of Prime Melwa Port City Ltd, and Home Lands Port City Ltd, as primary Businesses of Strategic Importance under the provisions of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act, No. 11 of 2021, granting them access to incentives and facilitation measures outlined in the law. The decision was made in line with the framework governing investments within Colombo Port City, administered by the Colombo Port City Economic Commission. more..

May 7 (DM) The SL rupee weakened beyond the Rs.324 mark against the US dollar yesterday for the first time in more than two years, raising fresh concerns over the country’s fragile external balance sheet and rising foreign debt pressures. Central Bank quoted the US dollar buying rate at Rs. 316.40 and the selling rate at Rs.324.03 yesterday, extending the rupee’s recent downward trend in the midst of global market volatility and increased demand for dollars. more..

May 7 (FT) Sri Lanka and South Korea have signed debt restructuring amendment agreements covering 18 concessional loans worth around $ 267 million, marking a further step in Colombo’s broader external debt restructuring process while reaffirming bilateral development cooperation between the two countries. The two countries have reaffirmed their development partnership following the successful conclusion of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) Policy Dialogue 2026. more..

May 7 (FT) Opposition MPs yesterday drew parallels between the Rajapaksa administration’s appointment of Ajith Nivard Cabraal as Governor of the CBSL in 2021 and NPP Govt’s decision to appoint a former Deputy Minister, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma as Treasury Secretary, arguing that both reflected the politicisation of key economic institutions. During the Parliamentary debate on the $ 2.5 million Treasury phishing scandal, SJB MP Mujibur Rahman said the current administration had abandoned positions more..

May 7 (FT) Parliament yesterday commenced the Second Reading debate on the proposed Rescue, Rehabilitation and Insolvency Bill, a landmark legislative overhaul aimed at replacing SL’s century-old insolvency framework. Recommended by the IMF and developed with technical assistance from the World Bank, new law focuses on business rehabilitation, debt restructuring, and financial recovery, though concerns were raised over whether existing Parate powers more..

May 7 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers at their meeting on Monday approved the awarding of tenders worth nearly Rs. 1.5 billion for the procurement of cabs and tractors for the Dept of Wildlife Conservation, aimed at strengthening field operations including wild elephant management. Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa announcing the decision at the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing noted that the vehicles would be deployed for wild elephant management duties and other field operations carried out by the Dept. more..

May 7 (FT) Sri Lanka is looking to deepen economic engagement with India through new investments in technology, manufacturing, and strategic infrastructure, following high-level discussions between IMinister Sunil Handunneththi and a delegation from the Indian CEO Forum. According to a post shared by the Minister on social media, the meeting held on Tuesday focused on promoting Indian investments in SL, whilst strengthening bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries. more..

May 7 (TM) Global foreign exchange volatility in rubber products manufacturing countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and China, offers SL’s rubber glove manufacturers a competitive edge, First Capital’s recently published (4) rubber sector report said. “FX movements in MYR, THB, and CNY provide tailwinds for SL glove manufacturers,” the report titled Impact of Rising Rubber Prices on Listed Counters said. With the depreciation of LKR seen since the end of February, more..

May 7 (ST) Farmers in the Uhana DS area are facing severe difficulties due to an infestation of a worm-like pest, similar to a caterpillar, that is rapidly destroying young paddy plants in their fields, according to representatives of farmer organisations. This pest has been observed spreading for about the past 15 days in paddy fields in areas including Uhana, Kohombana, Dungolla Welyaya, Werenketagoda, and Senagama. Agricultural officers have identified two varieties of this pest, more..

May 7 (ST) Sri Lanka’s economy is being tested by external pressures with a rising US dollar and escalating international conflicts driving up the cost of fuel imports, domestic cooking gas, and electricity. Traders and consumers are trapped in a dilemma of unpredictable price changes. Traders claim that importers are absorbing much of the cost pressures and retailers are operating with small profit margins. more..

May 7 (Island) Maldives President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu was in Sri Lanka recently on what was apparently a goodwill visit and this event, no doubt, bodes very well for Maldives-SL relations. Besides, the visit would go some distance in strengthening SL’s claims to NonAlignment. However, the commentator on regional politics could be accused of simplistic thinking if he/she glosses over or ignores the regional politics nuances or undertones of the Maldivian Prez’s visit. more..

May 7 (Island) A government move to assign some Clean Sri Lanka representatives to Divisional Secretariats countrywide as coordinators has run into stiff resistance. The Sri Lanka Association of Divisional Secretaries and Assistant Divisional Secretaries (SLADA) has written to the Secretary to the President, urging the government to revoke its decision and warning that the proposed move will seriously undermine the independence of the public service. more..

May 7 (DN) Custodial deaths are increasingly becoming the norm in this country. Yet another death of an inmate at the Welikada Prison has been reported in the media the other day. This follows the death of an inmate hardly two weeks ago while also in custody. Three suspects have been taken into custody in this connection. Hardly two weeks ago, another prisoner allegedly died following an assault within the Magazine Prison. On that occasion, five prison officials, including a jailer, more..

May 7 (TM) What is striking about the latest alleged cyber fraud involving a Govt payment of $ 2.5 million is not only the scale of the loss, but the number of red flags surrounding how it was allowed to happen in the first place. This is not, as some would prefer to suggest, a routine technical mishap. It is, in the words of COPF Chairperson Dr. Harsha de Silva, a massive theft. More importantly, it appears to be a failure born of multiple administrative irregularities more..

May 7 (SO) Sri Pada, also known as Adam’s Peak, is a 2,243-metre (7,359 ft) conical mountain in central SL, famed as a sacred pilgrimage site for over 1,000 years. It is celebrated for the sacred footprint (Sri Pada) at its summit—revered by Buddhists as the Buddha’s, Hindus as Shiva’s, and Muslims/Christians as Adam’s. Traditional climb to Adam’s Peak involves a challenging 5-km hike (approximately 2-4 hours) with over 5,500 steps. more..

May 7 (DM) It was a Gen Z-led Tsunami which hit Tamil Nadu’s electoral arena on Monday the fourth of May. The stunning victory of matinee idol Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) in the State Assembly elections was as unexpected and as unsparing as a deluge. Vijay’s TVK won 108 seats of the 234 up for grabs, but still needing 10 more to form a govt. Ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which was seeking a second term, got 73, and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) got 53. more..

May 7 (CT) The country began a journey of correction and transformation after the election of AKD as President and the NPP as the ruling majority in the govt. That journey essentially consisted of an odyssey towards a perfect society. Perfection may be a hard-to-achieve object. Yet its pursuit cannot be hindered by its own pioneers. The most telling question that begs an answer is whether AKD and his Cabinet of Ministers have the courage to take timely corrective measures. more..

May 7 (TM) The Govt has taken steps to repossess, on 2 May, a railway reservation land in Nawalapitiya that had been lawfully used on a lease basis for 26 years by the Mahindananda Aluthgamage Foundation, which was established by an Act of Parliament, along with a three-storey building of 6,000 square feet constructed on it. This takeover has created a controversial situation in the area, as the social welfare activities carried out by more..

May 7 (DM) In an era of rapid social and technological change, legal systems and governance structures are under increasing pressure to evolve. Traditional frameworks, once considered sufficient, are now often inadequate to address the complexities of modern society. This is particularly evident in two seemingly distinct yet fundamentally connected areas; the law on abetment of suicide and the recent cyber fraud scandal within SL’s public finance system. Both highlight a deeper issue, more..

May 7 (DM) There was a time when the State assembly election in Tamil Nadu drew much enthusiasm from the SL people as politics of the State held a profound and consistent bearing on the of its southern neighbour while the latter was engaged in a bitter war with the separatist Tamil armed group, the LTTE. Tamil Nadu leaders such as Muthuvel Karunanidhi of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Jeyalalithaa Jeyaram of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) alternately pressurised more..

May 6 (NW) Orders have been issued under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to prevent the sale, transfer, or disposal of several properties allegedly purchased with money earned through drug trafficking, following investigations by the CID. According to the Police, the CID’s Illegal Assets Investigation Division said the case involves suspects from Madupitiya, Mahawila, who are accused of using proceeds from narcotics trafficking to acquire land & houses. more..

May 6 (Island) SJB MP Dayasiri Jayasekara asked in Parliament whether Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne was utilising two official residences, triggering a heated exchange in the House. Raising an oral question, Jayasekara alleged that despite earlier claims that he did not use an official residence, the Speaker was currently occupying both the official Speaker’s residence for official purposes and a separate unit in a govt apartment complex, under Ministry of Public Admin, more..

May 6 (DM) India has just concluded a shock election season. With the counting drawing to a close, the biggest shocker of all, subject to interpretation, comes from Tamil Nadu, where a two-year-old party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay had shattered decades-old duopoly in state politics, and is set to govern the state for the next five years. Other results are no less shocking. more..

May 6 (NW) Cabinet Spokesman, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, says several high‑profile corruption cases involving politicians, including Wimal Weerawansa, Piyankara Jayaratne, Rajitha Senaratne, Johnston Fernando, Sajin Vaas Gunawardena, Chamara Sampath, Sarana Gunawardena, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, Mervyn Silva, Namal Rajapaksa, Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Champika Ranawaka, Keheliya Rambukwella, and Yoshitha Rajapaksa, are to be taken up in courts in the near future. more..

May 6 (DM) Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha renewed the call for the need to build a land link between SL and India and said the time for wavering is over. He said the distance between Colombo and Chennai by sea is roughly 300 km, but the distance between Rameswaram & Talaimannar, closest points of our two countries, is about 30 km. “Yet, there is no direct road. No railway. No ferry service that runs at scale. No energy grid connection. No pipeline. It is, frankly, an anomaly. more..

May 6 (AD) Raising concern over the prevalence of childhood obesity in SL, Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Maheshaka Wijayawardena said 10–15% of school-aged children are overweight or obese in urban areas. He said childhood obesity has emerged as one of the most pressing public health challenges globally, with a steady rise now seen in low-and middle-income countries, including SL. He noted that the country is experiencing more..

May 6 (AD) Pakistan, England & SL have reached an in-principle agreement to hold a tri-nation series in the ODI format, which is likely to take place in the last week of October this year. The venues for the series are being finalized, after which the schedule will be shared with the relevant cricket boards, and a formal announcement will be made after mutual consultation. Additionally, two Tests and three T20 matches are also likely to be scheduled during SL cricket team’s expected tour of Pakistan. more..

May 6 (DN) A total of 92 out of 97 locations damaged along the Main Line from Maradana to Peradeniya following the Ditwa disaster have been restored, Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development said. The damage included landslides, soil erosion, rockfalls, as well as impacts on bridges and culverts. Restoration work is continuing at the remaining five locations between Rambukkana and Kadugannawa. Authorities said these sites require specialised engineering solutions more..

May 6 (QT) Qatar Charity (QC), with support from donors, has completed the first phase of its flagship educational initiative in SL, which aims to distribute 2,000 bicycles to students in remote areas. Recently, 500 bicycles were distributed during this stage to empower students to reach their schools easily and safely. The initiative comes in response to the significant challenges faced by students in rural areas, where many are forced to walk distances from 3 to 5 km daily to attend classes. more..

May 6 (TM) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Australia’s Skills for an Inclusive Economy programme on a pilot initiative to improve digital financial literacy for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as a driver of Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and inclusive growth. The pilot will test targeted approaches to improve access to finance, enhance institutional coordination, and strengthen enabling environment for MSMEs. more..