Jul 3 (CI) After seven defeats across their previous eight Tests, an innings victory was the proverbial monsoon in the desert as far as West Indies were concerned. A statement victory to start off the new World Test Championship cycle, and one that has no doubt reignited belief within this young West Indian outfit. Whether it was Amir Jangoo and Roston Chase's epic partnership or the fire-breathing exploits of Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph, more..

Jul 3 (NW) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the Govt aims to reduce waiting times for cardiac catheterisation procedures from around one year to one month by expanding the country’s cath lab network. Speaking at the commissioning of two new cardiac catheterisation laboratories and a renovated Cardiology Day Case Unit at National Hospital, Minister said the number of operational cath labs across the state health system will be increased from 10 to 26 in the coming years. more..

Jul 3 (NW) Former Minister S.M. Chandrasena was served with indictments before the Colombo High Court in connection with corruption charges filed by the Bribery Commission. The indictments were presented before High Court Judge Ravindra Premaratne, who ordered Chandrasena’s release on cash bail of Rs. 50,000 and two surety bails of Rs. 1 million each. The case has been fixed for hearing on July 22. The charges relate to the period between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2014, when Chandrasena allegedly more..

Jul 3 (ST) Central Environmental Authority (CEA) is failing to properly fulfil its responsibility to protect environmentally sensitive areas in SL, experts have alleged. This issue was highlighted during a workshop for environmental journalists held recently in Colombo, organised in conjunction with World Environment Day 2026. Addressing the workshop, which was attended by a panel of environmental experts, Dr Ravindranath Dabare, senior advisor and lawyer at the Centre for Environmental Justice, more..

Jul 3 (ST) Challenges are aplenty for authorities trying to restore the Pettah floating market, which had been opened with much promise in 2014 and now lies wrecked. It was renovated once in 2021 and fell back into neglect. Even though the stalls and shops alongside the Beira Lake remain in a dilapidated state, the water in the lake too is stained with green algae. Garbage bags, discarded water bottles and cans litter the water. The water sprinklers are inactive, while more..

Jul 3 (FT) GovTech Sri Lanka Ltd, yesterday announced the appointment of Shevan Goonetilleke as its CEO, effective 19 Aug. His appointment marks an important milestone as GovTech enters its next phase of execution in delivering Sri Lanka’s national digital transformation agenda. GovTech Sri Lanka Ltd, is the Govt of SL’s lead implementation agency for national digital transformation. GovTech drives the design and delivery of digital infrastructure, platforms, and more..

Jul 3 (Island) The vibrant celebration of Canada’s 159th National Day in Colombo brought together diplomats, govt representatives, leading business executives and members of the SL and Canadian communities, highlighting the growing strength of bilateral economic and commercial relations between SL and Canada. Hosted by the Canada SL Business Convention (CanCham SL), the event attracted one of the largest gatherings in its history, providing an important platform for business networking more..

Jul 3 (DM) Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardena, a senior SL civil servant with more than two decades of experience in public administration and energy sector reforms, has been appointed Director General of the BOI. “Stepping into the role of Director General means moving from high-level governance to direct, decisive execution,” Jayawardena said, adding that the agency would focus on streamlining processes, reducing barriers for investors and promoting a digitally enabled business environment. more..

Jul 3 (FT) After reaching a three-year high in June, inflation is expected to remain elevated over the coming months, but easing global oil prices have reduced the likelihood of a further monetary policy tightening if inflation expectations remain anchored, Central Bank of SL (CBSL) Economic Research Director Dr. Lasitha Pathberiya said yesterday. Addressing the CA SL 5th Annual Economic and Tax Symposium, Dr. Pathberiya said the recent acceleration in inflation to 6.8% remained within more..

Jul 3 (FT) Although Sri Lanka has restored macroeconomic stability and completed its sovereign debt restructuring, international investors continue to demand yields well above US Treasury benchmarks to hold the country’s debt, signalling that investors have yet to price in Sri Lanka’s economic stabilisation, Advocata Institute CEO Dhananath Fernando said yesterday. Delivering the keynote address at CA Sri Lanka’s 5th Annual Economic and Tax Symposium, more..

Jul 3 (Island) Foreign Relations are all about Control particularly in the context of Relations between Major Powers such as the USA, China and India and small sovereign States such as Sri Lanka. While in the case of such relations, benefits to both parties are inevitable, the need to do so is invariably driven by the national interests of the Major Powers because their interests far outweigh those of small States. This mismatch of interests is what calls for Control of relations more..

Jul 3 (Island) JVP-NPP govt has decided to allow the Emergency regulations to lapse. This is something welcome, but it should have been done months ago. Better late than never. The govt has apparently made a virtue of necessity. It incurred public opprobrium and came under heavy pressure to end the protracted state of Emergency, which was declared in the aftermath of the landfall of Cyclone Ditwah towards the end of last year to facilitate disaster management and relief operations. more..

Jul 3 (TM) The recent announcement of a reduction in fuel prices by the CPC should have been a moment of collective respite for the consumer. The reduction of Auto Diesel by Rs 25 per litre and Petrol 92 Octane by Rs 20 per litre comes as a direct consequence of falling global oil prices, finally reversing the relentless upward trajectory triggered by the outbreak of war in Iran. Yet, instead of celebration, the public reaction has been one of cynicism. more..

Jul 3 (ST) Ethics, governance, transparency, accuracy, accountability and add – sustainability: you are looking at some of the new buzz words claimed by most businesses as they profess a cleaner and more honest engagement with the public-at-large. It is in this context that we must examine the high-end, non-stopping drama and embarrassment that has rocked the global accounting world; KPMG fallout in Australia that has led to a string of resignations and warning from regulatory bodies after more..

Jul 3 (TM) Sri Lanka has long been recognised for its remarkable achievements in education and health. Free education and healthcare, and high literacy rates have enabled the country to achieve social indicators that surpass many Nations with a similar economic status. Yet, beneath these successes lies a silent crisis that threatens the future of the country's education system and its human capital development. more..

Jul 3 (DN) You and I have not gone to medical school. But most of us have a basic understanding of health and medicine. We know enough to lead a healthy lifestyle. But the rest is Greek to us. But what I do know is that our doctors have their skills. They have expertise. So, we can invest in medical breakthroughs. Recently the Uni of Kelaniya convened a high level multi-sectoral dialogue to discuss how Sri Lanka can translate a globally recognised medical research breakthrough into routine clinical practice, more..

Jul 3 (GV) What follows is an account of the Sri Lanka state at present. I would like to characterise the present SL state as a post-war state. In 2009 the military strategy started in 1979 succeeded in consolidating the territory of the centralised state after 30 years. Prior to that it was a fractured state. It did not fully control the war-affected areas in the North and East. The central state could not carry out the basic functions of a state such as a regular census. more..

Jul 3 (TM) SL has experienced some of the worst natural disasters in its history over the past two decades and is highly vulnerable to extreme weather and climate-related events. Indian Ocean tsunami, triggered by a massive undersea earthquake off Indonesia on 26 Dec 2004, claimed more than 30,000 lives in SL and displaced thousands of people. The disaster prompted the country to strengthen its disaster management framework, early warning systems & emergency response mechanisms. more..

Jul 3 (SO) The ghosts of SL’s 2022 economic collapse still haunt the corridors of our policymaking institutions. The catastrophic cocktail of depleted foreign exchange reserves, Sovereign Default, hyperinflation, and acute shortages of fuel and other essential goods served as a brutal wake-up call. It laid bare the foundational structural weaknesses of an economy that had survived for many decades on borrowed time and borrowed capital. Today, as the country inches along a fragile path of stabilisation, more..

Jul 3 (DM) The main Opposition, SJB has to be vigilant about its members since three of its prominent members thus far have been accused of having links with the underworld in the recent past. First, Chairman of the Weligama PS, Lasantha Wickramasekara who was elected to the said body on behalf of the SJB, was shot dead on October 22 last year. He was accused of having associated with the underworld. Six court cases were being heard against him when he was shot dead in his office, and more..

Jul 2 (DM) The Govt is set to strengthen dog population control and tighten measures to eradicate rabies after the Cabinet of Ministers approved the publication of the Rabies Eradication and Dog Registration Bill ahead of its presentation to Parliament. The proposed legislation will consolidate the existing Rabies Ordinance (Chapter 476) and the Dog Registration Ordinance (Chapter 477) into a single legal framework aimed at improving the prevention and control of rabies across SL. more..

Jul 2 (DM) Vehicle Importers Association of SL (VIASL) Vice President Arosha Rodrigo today requested the govt to introduce necessary policy adjustments to ensure smoother operations in the sector and to support both importers and buyers. Hee said vehicle importers have called on authorities to revise existing policies related to vehicle financing and import procedures, stating that current regulations are affecting both market efficiency and customer access to vehicles. more..

Jul 2 (MB) Niroshan Peters, 54, a resident of Dematagoda, a densely populated suburb in Colombo, has no option but to live and work in an environment frequently polluted due to careless waste disposal. He blames authorities for not having an effective waste management system, which results in people getting exposed to unhygienic environments. “Last week, workers from the CMC came to fumigate this area more..

Jul 2 (DM) Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Pakistan, Lt General (Retd) Muhammad Ali, arrived in SL on Wednesday for an official visit to participate in the 6th Pakistan–SL Armed Forces Defence Dialogue. The visiting Defence Secretary and his delegation were welcomed at BIA by Additional Secretary of SL's Ministry of Defence, Harsha Vithanaarachchi, along with senior officers of the SL Air Force and SL Navy and officials from the High Commission of Pakistan in SL. more..

Jul 2 (DM) SL’s justice system is under strain, with more than 1.1 million cases pending nationwide, exposing a severe mismatch between caseload and court capacity, SC Justice Yasantha Kodagoda said. Speaking at an event, Justice Kodagoda said the sheer volume of pending litigation is placing extraordinary pressure on a court system that operates with limited resources across all levels. He noted that the backlog is spread across just 333 courts islandwide, ranging from magistrate more..

Jul 2 (DM) While saying that Sri Lanka is currently in El Niño conditions, Additional Director General of the Dept of Meteorology Ajith Wijemanne said SL faces a 63% probability of a strong El Niño and a 33% probability of a weak El Niño. He said that the country could face a series of extreme weather events, including below-normal rainfall, flooding and drought over the coming months. Accordingly, the country is more..

Jul 2 (EN) Sampath Bank has won the titles of SL’s Best Retail Bank, Best Commercial Bank, and Best Corporate Governance – SL 2026, at the World Finance Banking Awards 2026. Presented by UK-based World Finance magazine, the awards recognise institutions that demonstrate excellence in performance, innovation, leadership, customer value, long-term sustainability and governance. This is the 12th year that Sampath Bank has been named both SL’s Best Retail Bank and more..

Jul 2 (AD) National Secretariat for Elders has announced that all unregistered elderly care homes must complete their registration by Sept 30, 2026. Director of the Secretariat, K. Chathura Mihidum, stated that a nationwide survey is currently underway to collect information on unregistered elderly care homes. He urged elderly care home operators who have not yet provided their details to complete the Google Form issued by the Secretariat and submit the required information. more..

Jul 2 (NW) SL have been forced into making at least two changes to their playing XI for the second and final Test against the West Indies, with Newswire confirming that Pathum Nissanka and Lahiru Kumara have both been ruled out through injury. Opener Pathum Nissanka has travelled to London to undergo wrist surgery, while fast bowler Lahiru Kumara has been sidelined after suffering a hamstring injury during the first Test. Lahiru Udara is the frontrunner to replace Nissanka at the top more..

Jul 2 (CI) Fast bowler Yash Thakur and offspinner Saransh Jain shared four wickets for India A while SL A captain Sahan Arachchige made an unbeaten 83 on an opening day where honours were shared in the second four-dayer in Galle. Gurnoor Brar, the tall fast bowler from Punjab who recently made his ODI debut, picked up the only other wicket to fall. B Sai Sudharsan, who had retired hurt in the second innings in the first four-dayer, was passed fit for this game. After India A opted to bowl, more..

Jul 2 (NW) A Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aviation unit deployed with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) successfully carried out an emergency casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) mission after an armed attack left multiple people injured. The mission was launched after troops from the Zambian Battalion came under attack while conducting a patrol in more..

Jul 2 (EN) As SL scales renewable and storage capacity, clearly defined technical standards and frameworks are essential to ensure system reliability and investor confidence, speakers at an energy security forum have said. Ceylon Chamber of Commerce hosted the discussion on Energy Transition in SL: Strategic Insights from Global Markets, bringing together the public and private sectors to examine opportunities and challenges in the country’s evolving energy landscape. more..