Mar 24 (AD) The bus fares will be increased by 12.19% from midnight today (23), Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has stated. Following the price revision, the minimum bus fare will be increased from Rs. 27 to Rs. 30. Meanwhile, the maximum fare which was Rs. 2,159 has risen by Rs. 263 to Rs. 2,422. The proposal to increase bus fares was presented to the Cabinet of Ministers today (23). Earlier, National Transport Commission more..

Mar 24 (NW) Five suspects, including a woman, have been arrested in connection with the murder of a woman whose body was found in a well in the Kokkadicholai Police Division and the attempted murder of another woman who survived a similar incident, police said. Investigations were launched by officers from the Kokkadicholai Police Station and the Eastern Provincial Crime Division following the incidents reported from the Nellikadu, Kuluvinamadu area on March 20, 2026. more..

Mar 24 (EN) Sri Lanka extended an official invitation to Iranian ships, including the ill-fated IRIS Dena which was sunk by a US submarine torpedo without any warning, Iran’s Ambassador to Colombo said. The attack on IRIS Dena killed 104 sailors including 20 missing in action while Sri Lanka rescued 32 who are now in the island nation after treatment. IRIS Dena was in India for MILAN 2026, an international naval exercise before sailing toward Sri Lanka. “During the exercise in India, more..

Mar 24 (TM) Fuel prices could rise further in the coming weeks, with the Govt warning it may be left with no choice but to pass on subsidy costs to consumers if it fails to secure IMF approval to continue the current pricing arrangement. Ministry Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala said the Govt will, for now, continue to absorb part of the fuel cost, amounting to Rs. 100 per litre of diesel and Rs. 20 per litre of petrol, until 1 May. more..

Mar 24 (Island) The Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (CoPE) has said the allegation that SJB Kandy District MP Chamindrani Kiriella acquired a 43-acre land in Hantana is false. CoPE Chairman Dr Nishantha Samaraweera, addressing the Committee at its most recent sitting, read out a communication from the Chair of the Parliamentary Ethics and Privileges Committee, Prof Krishantha Abeysena, detailing the findings of an inquiry into the matter. According to the letter, more..

Mar 24 (FT) Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda arrived in SL yesterday for a three-day official visit aimed at deepening economic cooperation, reviewing development priorities, and assessing Cyclone Ditwah-related damage in affected districts. ADB Chief and the visiting delegation, including South Asia Regional Department Director General Sona Shrestha, Chief Adviser in the Office of the President Keiichiro Inui, and other senior ADB officials, were received more..

Mar 24 (NW) A special discussion was held at the Ministry of Education, Isurupaya, between PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, and Professor Luke Harding, Chairman of the Committee reviewing the evaluation and assessment process. Professor Harding, a world-renowned expert in language research and educational assessment, is in Sri Lanka from March 20 to 25, to participate in key meetings regarding the proposed framework. more..

Mar 24 (TM) SLC has moved to placate the visible anger of fans by effecting some eye-popping changes to its various coaching setups within the High-Performance Centre (HPC), as the fallout from the national team’s humongous failure to impress during last month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup gathers steam. The sudden changes to the coaching setups coming under the purview of SLC Director of Cricket Jerome Jayaratne, is aimed at reinvigorating the structures with the fervent hope that more..

Mar 24 (Island) China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) and Indian Oil Corporation Lanka (LIOC) have increased the prices of certain products significantly more than Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). However, the fourth player in the market R.M. Parks, a US company in collaboration with Shell that launched operations here in late February last year, has increased its prices in line with Ceypetco. more..

Mar 24 (FT) High Commission of Pakistan and the Pakistani community based in Sri Lanka celebrated the 86th National Day of Pakistan yesterday in Colombo. Acting HC of Pakistan, Zunaira Latif unfurled the flag to the tune of the national anthem in a ceremony held at the Pakistan HC on 23 March. National Day of Pakistan is celebrated on 23 March every year in remembrance of the historic 1940 resolution passed in Lahore, calling for a separate homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent more..

Mar 24 (DN) Avishka Gunawardena, a highly regarded local coach, has been moved from his role as ‘A’ Team Head Coach to take charge of the SL Under-19 side. His replacement at the helm of the ‘A’ team is Ashan Priyanjan, a 36-year-old Colombo Cricket Club cricketer, who only retired from first-class cricket last year. The decision comes as part of SLC’s efforts to strengthen the youth development programme and prepare the next generation of players for international competition. more..

Mar 24 (Island) Sri Lanka’s oceans generate millions of dollars annually through fisheries exports and whale watching tourism, positioning the island as a strategic player in the North Indian Ocean’s blue economy. Yet beneath this revenue stream lies a serious structural weakness: the absence of long-term, tangible scientific data to guide sustainable management. The single biggest bottleneck in SL’s marine sector is the lack of consistent, long-term scientific research” says Ranil Nanayakkara more..

Mar 24 (DM) The 20% increase in container transport charges that came into effect yesterday has triggered concern across SL’s export supply chain, with the industry stakeholders warning of rising logistics costs, weakened competitiveness and broader inflationary pressures. Free Trade Zone Manufacturers Association (FTZMA) said that the revision, largely driven by higher fuel costs, would immediately feed into the higher end-to-end shipping expenses across both imports and exports, more..

Mar 24 (FT) Essential food importers have sought to calm fears of shortages ahead of the Sinhala & Tamil New Year, while cautioning that consumers should expect price increases of between 10-20% as higher fuel, freight, and insurance costs filter through the supply chain. “The country would have uninterrupted supplies of staple goods despite mounting geopolitical risks in the Middle East,” Essential Food Commodities more..

Mar 24 (AD) A discussion to review the current progress of the special committee appointed under the govt’s policy proposals to establish a National Nursing University aimed at elevating the nursing profession in SL to degree level was held at the PM’s Office today (23). The review took place under the patronage of PM Harini Amarasuriya. During the meeting, PM inquired into the progress made by the committee in relation to the establishment of the Nursing Uni and paid attention to the issues more..

Mar 24 (FT) A significant constitutional challenge has been filed before the Supreme Court (SC) against provisions of the proposed Inland Revenue (Amd) Bill 2026, raising concerns over judicial independence, taxpayer rights, and fiscal transparency. Petition has been lodged by Prasad Dasanayaka, who is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of SL. He argues that two specific clauses of the Bill, Clauses 4 and 31, are inconsistent with fundamental more..

Mar 24 (FT) Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PA) has called for the implementation of a more sustainable electricity tariff framework and energy generation policy, citing the severe economic strain faced by the plantation sector and other export-oriented industries due to prohibitively high electricity tariffs. PA’s appeal comes at a critical juncture, with public consultations on the CEB most recent proposal to PUCSL more..

Mar 24 (DM) Ambewela, the name conjures images of misty hill tops, rolling green meadows, pedigreed cows, state of the art, sophisticated barns, and milking parlours, and the purest milk available in the South Asian region. To test the accuracy of these claims, there have been large groups of industrialists, agriculturalists, and dairy experts from various European countries visiting the farm. They inspected all aspects of company operations. The tour group leader Learning, mentioned that more..

Mar 24 (ST) An old tank in Sigriya has dried out following the construction of a tunnel system to carry water from Moragahakanda Tank to the North Central Province. The villagers of Ilukwewa in Sigiriya complained that the cultivation tanks, underground wells as well as the old tank had completely dried off, therefore the villagers who depend on that water had protested against the Mahaweli Authority and the Chinese construction company. Farmland near the village more..

Mar 24 (FT) Cenmetrix recently achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification, the world’s most widely recognised standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS). This significant milestone reflects the company’s strong commitment to quality assurance, continuous improvement, and operational excellence across its technology solutions and services. Following the successful completion of all certification requirements and full conformity with ISO 9001:2015 standards, more..

Mar 24 (FT) Recognising the rapidly expanding role of Chartered Accountants in governance, regulatory compliance, and corporate integrity, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of SL (CA SL) last week launched the Faculty of Business Law and Regulatory Compliance. The faculty was officially launched by CA SL President Tishan Subasinghe, in the presence of Vice President Anoji De Silva; Business Law and Regulatory Compliance Committee Chairman Laknath Jayawickrema, more..

Mar 24 (ST) SL’s reintroduction of the QR Code-based fuel purchase system had a rocky start earlier this week, as motorists and vehicle owners reported system glitches that prevented them from signing in. Over the past week in SL, the govt progressively tightened fuel rationing measures and brought back the 2022 rationing system in response to global disruptions in fuel imports stemming from the situation in West Asia, more..

Mar 24 (Island) Minister Bimal Rathnayake has urged all SL refugees in India to return to Sri Lanka, stating that provision has been made for their reintegration. He called on India to grant citizenship to those who wished to stay on in India, but added that the government would welcome them back with both hands if they chose Sri Lanka. He gave due credit to the Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OfERR), an NGO led by S. C. Chandrahasan, son of S.J.V. Chelvanayakam more..

Mar 24 (TM) SL is navigating a severe economic crisis driven by global energy challenges and crippling fuel shortages, following tensions in the Middle East after US-Israel attacks against Iran spilled over into the region. To drastically cut national energy consumption, the Govt has implemented a four-day work week for the State sector, declaring Wednesdays a holiday for the public sector. This sudden policy shift has sparked intense nationwide debate and disrupted vital sectors from more..

Mar 24 (Island) The global energy crisis has taken a turn for the worse due to the Middle East conflict. Int'l Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol has issued a dire warning. If the Iran war persists, the world will face a mega energy crisis, whose economic impact will be far worse than those of the two oil crises in the 1970s, taken together, he has said, noting that today the world economy is losing about 11 million barrels of oil a day whereas it lost only five million barrels of oil more..

Mar 24 (TM) As global tensions erupt in the Middle East and energy supply routes choke under conflict, SL is forced into rationing, uncertainty, and public anxiety. It is the direct result of a policy failure that has persisted for decades. We have built an economy that runs almost entirely on imported fossil fuel, and we are now paying the price. The latest global shock triggered by the US-Israel confrontation with Iran and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz should be a wake-up call that cannot be more..

Mar 24 (SO) Three weeks after journalists first documented burning scrub forests and active land clearing within the buffer zones of the Hambantota Managed Elephant Reserve, fresh concerns have emerged that controversial solar power projects in the area have resumed at an accelerated pace. The developments, residents and environmentalists said are intensifying ecological degradation and worsening the already more..

Mar 24 (DN) In the aftermath of its worst economic crisis since independence, Sri Lanka is attempting not just recovery, but reinvention. Under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the country is shaping a new national identity, one grounded in discipline, social justice and strategic independence. What is emerging is a deliberate effort to rebrand Sri Lanka: from a nation defined by crisis and mismanagement to one guided by accountability, inclusivity and balance. more..

Mar 24 (ST) Before I proceed, let me begin with one remarkable symmetry on this day. When I first took my oaths as an Attorney-at-Law before this Honourable Court, I did so before Hon. Chief Justice Parinda Ranasinghe. Today, as I bid farewell from this Court, I do so in the presence of his son, the Honourable Attorney General, Parinda Ranasinghe Jr. Public life rarely offers such full circles, and I do not pass over this one lightly. Before I say anything of myself, let me borrow from more..

Mar 24 (TM) Sri Lanka’s education system is once again under threat as global instability, fuel shortages, and transport disruptions directly affect the functioning of schools across the country. Having already endured prolonged closures during the pandemic and economic crisis, students now face the prospect of renewed learning disruptions – without a clear national contingency plan in place. more..

Mar 24 (GV) At the beginning of his book, The Killing Fields of Inequality Göran Therborn says, “Inequality is a violation of human dignity; it is a denial of the possibility for everybody’s human capabilities to develop. It takes many forms, and it has many effects: premature death, ill-health, humiliation, subjection, discrimination, exclusion from knowledge or from mainstream social life, poverty, powerlessness, stress, insecurity, anxiety, lack of self-confidence and of pride in oneself, more..

Mar 24 (CT) In relation to the ongoing American-Israeli and Iran war, the best option available for a small and weak state like Sri Lanka is to stay neutral. On 28 Feb, the US, in partnership with Israel, bombed Iran, starting a new phase of the Middle East war (Iran War, in short). Two main factors influenced the decision to attack Iran. First, Israel under PM Netanyahu targeted Iran for a relatively long time, as Iran and especially its nuclear program were viewed as an existential threat. more..