Jul 14 (DM) Karandeniya Police have launched an investigation into the death of a 35-year-old man from the Thalgawatta area of Karandeniya, who died during a Facebook livestream. The deceased, identified as Dinesh Wijewardena, had reportedly recently returned to SL after working in South Korea, where he had been employed for several years. According to police, the incident occurred on the night of July 12. During the livestream, he was initially seen interacting with friends before more..

Jul 14 (DN) The initial phase of a major development project to transform the Hikkaduwa Railway Station into an international-standard Transport hub under the Clean Sri Lanka Dream Destination programme has commenced. The initiative aims to modernise the railway station with world-class facilities, making it more attractive and convenient for both local commuters and foreign tourists visiting the popular coastal destination. As part of the project, John Keells Holdings has pledged its full support more..

Jul 14 (DM) Sri Lanka has lost more than Rs. 25 billion in potential tax revenue since 2025 due to cigarette taxes remaining below the benchmark recommended by the WHO, according to Verité Research. The policy think tank revealed that the Govt lost over Rs. 8 billion in potential revenue during the first six months of 2026 alone. The findings were released alongside the launch of the Cigarette Tax Leakage Tracker, a real-time online dashboard more..

Jul 14 (EN) SL has launched an international tender for a large‑scale battery energy storage project, its Board of Investment has said, aimed at strengthening the country’s power grid. National System Operator (Pvt) Ltd, under the Ministry of Energy, has launched an international competitive bidding process for the establishment of a 250 MW/1000 MWh Standalone Battery Energy Storage system structured as 10 MW/40 MWh AC capacity projects across 25 grid substations more..

Jul 14 (Island) Sri Lanka has recorded 68,672 dengue cases and 47 deaths so far this year, according to NDCU. Data released by NDCU as of 6 a.m. yesterday shows that the Western Province is the worst affected, accounting for 36,118 cases, or 52.6 per cent of the national total. Gampaha District has reported the highest number of infections with 14,112 cases, followed by Colombo with 13,471. Southern Province has recorded 10,765 cases, while Sabaragamuwa and more..

Jul 14 (FT) A new BrandRadar study tracked 198 brands across the most popular Large Language Models (LLMs) over a period of three months. This article is about what brands AI is actually recommending and the numbers that explain why. In April, Ceylinco General Insurance’s AI visibility score jumped from 28.5 to 83.6, a 55-point swing in a single month, the largest movement recorded in a new study of how AI more..

Jul 14 (DM) A 12-year-old schoolgirl suffering from a urine infection was examined by the doctors, to find that she had been raped at times for two years by her grandfather. 54-year-old suspect is the father of five sons, and the victim is the daughter of one of them, living near the suspect’s house. On information from the hospital, Gampola Police that initiated investigations arrested her grandfather and produced him before Gampola Magistrate Sarasi Sri Paranamana, who remanded him till July 24. more..

Jul 14 (DM) There is a sinister move by the govt to extend the term of the current army commander until Jan 2028 following the request of the Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, Opposition MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake charged. “The term of the current army commander ended on July 2 2026. There is a move to extend his term further until Jan 2028. A number of senior army officers, including Nilantha Premaratne will be overlooked when extending the term of the current more..

Jul 14 (DM) Sri Lanka is set to receive a combined foreign financing package of nearly US$55.9 million to strengthen its solar power sector and expand renewable energy access through a new ground-based solar power consolidation project. Cabinet has approved entering into loan and grant agreements with ADB, EU and Japan Fund for the Joint Credit Mechanism to implement the Project on Ground-Based Solar Power Consolidation and True Net Metering. more..

Jul 14 (AD) Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for the implementation of the National Policy on Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) and Countering Proliferation Financing (CPF) of Sri Lanka for the period 2026–2030. Financial crimes, including money laundering, terrorist financing, and the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, continue to pose significant risks to SL’s economy, financial stability, and more..

Jul 14 (DM) With pressure mounting on the Govt from the country’s legal fraternity over the move for retirement age extension for Superior Court judges, Judicial Service Association of SL (JSASL), sole organisation representing all District Court Judges and Magistrates in the country, has informed Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake that it had unanimously passed a resolution opposing such extension for any judge. more..

Jul 14 (DM) Sri Lanka has successfully carried out its first AI-assisted robotic surgeries. The two procedures were performed by specialist surgeons at Asiri Surgical Hospital in Colombo using advanced robotic technology. One surgery involved the removal of the uterus of a woman in her 50s, while the other was a complex kidney procedure. Medical experts said the robotic system does not perform operations autonomously but functions entirely under the surgeon’s control. more..

Jul 14 (AD) Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to host the fourth Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting and Senior Officials’ Meeting in SL on March 17 and 18, 2027. BIMSTEC comprises seven member countries — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, SL and Thailand. BIMSTEC aims to promote economic cooperation among countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal, with more..

Jul 14 (NW) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said not all individuals named in a recent media report on VIP security are currently receiving police protection. Jayatissa said a report submitted by the Senior DIG in charge of VIP Security to the IGP states that several individuals mentioned in the report are not being provided VIP security. He named former Speaker Ashoka Ranwala, Mohamed Rizvi Sally, Sarath Kumara, more..

Jul 14 (AD) A total of 75 wild elephants have been killed as a result of direct human activities during the first seven months of the year, according to the Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Department said 30 elephants were shot dead, while 23 died after coming into contact with illegal electric fences or live wires. Another 19 elephants were killed after consuming explosive bait, commonly known as hakka patas (jaw bombs) and three died from poisoning. more..

Jul 14 (NW) Sri Lanka aims to increase the average spending by foreign tourists by improving the quality of tourism experiences, Deputy Tourism Minister Ruwan Ranasinghe said. He said the average tourist visiting Sri Lanka currently spends around US$148 per day, based on available survey data. He noted that the figure is an estimate, as SL does not have advanced systems to accurately track tourist expenditure, such as using credit card and banking data, unlike countries such as Australia. more..

Jul 14 (DM) Govt today refuted social media posts that Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake's scheduled official visit to France has been postponed due to visa issues. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa told the weekly breifing that the dates for the visit will be announced following diplomatic discussions between France and Sri Lanka. Minister said posts shared on social media are always not trustworthy and that such posts have to be trusted considering who generates and shares such posts. more..

Jul 14 (EN) Cabinet has approved a proposal to award the tender to expand the BIA departures terminal to Maga Engineering for 7.26 million dollars (excluding VAT) and 3.77 billion rupees (excluding VAT). “This money will come out of the general treasury,” minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. Cabinet on Feb 9 last year approved the implementation of the procurement process for the construction of a new building with 36 check-in counters and 6 aircraft access gates from the passenger terminal. more..

Jul 14 (NF) SL stands to benefit significantly from international asset recovery mechanisms that help countries trace, freeze, and reclaim funds lost through corruption, according to a senior official from UN Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC). Speaking on the sidelines of Korea-UNDP Anti-Corruption Forum in early July, Shervin Majlessi, Chief of the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch at UNODC, said SL has already benefited more..

Jul 14 (EN) Cabinet has approved a joint initiative to establish a modern Centralized Zero-waste Biomass Cinnamon Processing Centre at the Uni of Ruhuna to address long-standing supply chain inefficiencies. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa announced that the project aims to resolve major constraints affecting regional spice producers, particularly smallholders. Accordingly, cabinet decision highlighted that the local spice sector requires modernized infrastructure to overcome persistent production hurdles. more..

Jul 14 (AD) Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Saroja Savithri Paulraj, has stated that a special rehabilitation programme will be launched in the near future for children placed under probation for drug use, drug addiction and drug-related offences. The Minister made these remarks while participating in the Women and Children’s Sub-committee meeting held in the Anuradhapura District today (14). She noted that the Women and Children’s Sub-committees have been established alongside more..

Jul 14 (AD) The govt is continuing to examine the possibility of extending the retirement age of judges, Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa stated. He said the matter had been discussed in detail by the Cabinet, which had decided to seek a report from the Ministry of Justice before making a final decision. He said Cabinet would consider recommendations and information submitted by the Ministry of Justice before deciding on the next steps. more..

Jul 14 (DM) Minister of Fisheries Chandrasekar has stated that the new alliances formed between political parties in the country will eventually collapse. He made these remarks while responding to a question about the newly formed alliance between Tamil and Muslim political parties after attending an event in Jaffna today. He further questioned whether the alliance had been formed to eradicate bribery and corruption, stop fraud, catch criminals, and serve the people, or more..

Jul 14 (TM) National Olympic Committee of SL (NOCSL) Former Vice President Rohan Fernando stated that it was his intention to see the Professional Sports Journalists Association (PSJA) operate as an independent body without turning into being a mouthpiece for anyone in this country. He made this comment as the chief guest, while addressing the AGM of the PSJA held in Polhengoda, Colombo on Saturday. The veteran sports administrator – also a household name more..

Jul 14 (FT) A strategy provides value only when it is executed. By itself, it is worthless. The world of national and corporate leadership is rife with masterful strategic plans that have gathered dust because there was a lack of courage and belief to execute them. It is time that leaders killed the poetry, stopped waiting for the syntax to be perfect or for the stars to align. They must throw themselves into the chaotic, self-satisfying, brilliant fire of action. A flawed action taken with relentless fury more..

Jul 14 (FT) As SL approaches the scheduled review of its inflation target, and with public consultations underway, the debate over the appropriate level of the medium-term inflation target has intensified. Some policy commentators argue that reducing the current 5% target to 2% would strengthen macroeconomic stability, enhance policy credibility, and align SL with global best practices. At first glance, this appears compelling - many advanced economies operate successfully more..

Jul 14 (TM) Six political parties representing SL’s Tamil-speaking communities have joined forces to urge the Govt to fulfil key pledges made in its Election manifesto, including the introduction of a new Constitution, conducting the long-delayed Provincial Council (PC) Elections and resolving longstanding land issues affecting minority communities. Representatives of ACMC, CWC, DTNA, ITAK, SLMC and TPA announced more..

Jul 14 (AD) Two more prison guards have succumbed to their injuries while receiving treatment at the National Hospital in Colombo, raising the death toll from the violent clash at Negombo Prison to 31. The latest fatalities bring the total number of deaths to 31, including 10 prison officers. Police said that the two prison officers succumbed yesterday and in the early hours of today while receiving treatment. The deceased have been identified as two prison officers aged 25 and 39, more..

Jul 14 (AD) SL has earned int'l recognition after being named among the Top 50 Food Destinations around the World for 2026, according to the latest editorial ranking released by Travel And Tour World (TTW). The annual list recognizes countries that are shaping the future of global culinary tourism. The rankings were curated by TTW’s editorial experts based on a range of factors, including culinary heritage, regional diversity, street food culture, fine dining, locally sourced ingredients, more..

Jul 14 (FT) Court of Appeal has directed the Attorney General to obtain an explanation from a senior SL Customs official after expressing serious concern over statements made to CoPF regarding ongoing Court proceedings in the high-profile dispute over the detention of more than 1,000 imported vehicles at Port of Colombo. The issue arose when a three-judge bench comprising Court of Appeal President Justice Rohantha more..

Jul 14 (NW) Construction of more than 100 rural bridges under the Govt’s Punarudaye Purawara national programme will commence on Tuesday (14) as part of a four-year initiative to improve rural connectivity and transport infrastructure. The project, implemented by the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Govt, forms part of a wider plan to develop 881 rural bridges identified by local authorities across the country. more..

Jul 14 (ST) The newly launched Sinhalese version of Arab News is making global and regional developments more accessible to SL migrant workers in the Middle East, their representatives say, as for many, language has until now been the main barrier to obtaining news. The Sinhalese are the largest ethno-linguistic group in SL, constituting about 75% of the multi-ethnic island nation’s population. Arab News launched its Sinhalese version as part of the AI-powered feature more..