May 18 (Island) Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa has launched a scathing attack on the government for the 50% Customs duty surcharge on vehicle imports, accusing the latter of burdening the public with additional costs, despite its earlier promises to make vehicles more affordable. Premadasa said those who had once pledged to make a Vitz car available for Rs. 1.2 million had now moved in the opposite direction by increasing duties on vehicles. more..

May 18 (Island) Govt has drawn up a comprehensive plan to reduce electricity tariffs through the ongoing restructuring of the power sector, with a strong focus on expanding renewable energy generation and improving the efficiency of hydropower production, Minister Anura Karunathilaka said last Thursday. Minister said the long-term objective of the restructuring programme was to lower generation costs and ultimately pass the benefits on to consumers through reduced electricity bills. more..

May 18 (NW) A bill to repeal the Chief of Defence Staff Act has been published through an extraordinary gazette notification. The relevant bill, prepared on the instructions of the Minister of Defence, was published in the Govt Gazette on May 15. The draft legislation has been prepared to repeal the Chief of Defence Staff Act No. 35 of 2009 and to provide for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The bill, titled the Chief of Defence Staff (Repeal) Act, 2026, more..

May 18 (AD) Today marks 17 years since the defeat of the brutal LTTE terrorism that plagued SL for more than three decades. The war officially came to an end on May 18, 2009, following the death of LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran at the hands of SL military forces in the Nandikadal lagoon area. Roots of LTTE terrorism in SL date back to July 27, 1975, with the assassination of then Jaffna Mayor Alfred Duraiappah, regarded as one of the first major acts in the group’s separatist campaign. more..

May 18 (DN) It has been revealed that out of the 92 shops leased at the Colombo Floating Market project which was launched with great fanfare in 2014, only 16 shops are currently operational. This information was uncovered during a special field inspection conducted by officials from Transport, Highways & Urban Development Ministry along with the UDA. This shopping complex, which had been allocated to traders by the UDA under five-year lease agreements, has now fallen into a state of severe more..

May 18 (TM) Residents of Monaragala have alleged that several officials attached to the Monaragala Divisional Secretariat engaged in fraudulent practices while distributing Ditwah disaster compensation payments, including forcibly taking portions of compensation money from recipients. Some residents claimed they were asked to pay commissions in order to receive compensation that had already been approved for them. A female accused a Disaster Relief Services Officer attached to disaster relief services more..

May 18 (Island) Amith Weerasinghe, ex-leader of the Mahason Balakaya movement, was taken into custody by Teldeniya Police last evening over allegations of large-scale financial fraud involving multiple complainants. Police said the suspect was accused of defrauding several individuals of substantial sums of money after allegedly promising to construct cabanas in the Pallekele and Ella areas, which were subsequently not delivered. Weerasinghe has denied any wrongdoing. more..

May 18 (DN) Sri Lanka produced a superb all-round performance to crush India 31-10 and clinch the gold medal in the men’s final of the Central Asian and South Asian (CASA) Rugby Association Sevens in Uzbekistan yesterday, storming back after an early setback and finishing the match in commanding fashion after leading 14-5 at half time. India drew first blood with an unconverted try to take an early 5-0 lead, but Sri Lanka hit back strongly with power and pace. Number eight Gayan Perera opened more..

May 18 (TM) In the wake of the recent landmark Supreme Court ruling involving the Uni of Peradeniya sexual harassment case against a former Senior Professor of the Faculty of Dentistry, Uni stated around 29 complaints related to sex and gender-based harassment and misconduct had been reported in recent years, with several of them later found to be baseless. Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof Ranjith Pallegama said the Uni was prepared to further strengthen its existing mechanisms more..

May 18 (DN) Sri Lanka is currently hosting one of the region’s most prestigious international chess tournaments as the Chess Federation of SL (CFSL), in collaboration with the Commonwealth Chess Federation and the world governing body for chess, FIDE, stages the Commonwealth Chess Championship 2026 at Citrus hotel, Waskaduwa from May 17 to 25. Recognised as one of the foremost international chess championships in the region, the tournament has attracted more than 500 players, more..

May 18 (DN) Two International Cricket Council (ICC) representatives Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja and ICC Board Director and BCCI secretary Devajit Salkia met with the newly appointed SLC Transformation Committee at SLC hq on Saturday. Two ICC officials visited SL to assess the Govt’s recent sudden involvement in SLC management. The newly appointed Transformation Committee headed by former MP Eran Wickramaratne included former cricketers Sidath Wettimuny and Kumar Sangakkra more..

May 18 (AD) Muslims in SL will celebrate the Haj festival (Eid al-Adha) on 28 May, the Colombo Grand Mosque has announced. Colombo Grand Mosque and the Moon Sighting Committee have stated that the crescent moon for the month of Dhul Hijjah —the 12th and final month of the Islamic lunar calendar- has not been sighted in SL today and therefore May 19 will mark the first day of the new month. Accordingly, Hajj festival will be observed on Thursday, 28 May, as it always falls on the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah more..

May 18 (AD) All document attestation services at the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been temporarily suspended until further notice due to an unexpected technical failure of the Electronic Document Attestation System (e-DAS). The temporary suspension applies to the Consular Affairs Division headquarters in Battaramulla as well as all Regional Consular Offices (RCOs) located in Jaffna, Trincomalee, Kandy, Matara, and Kurunegala, more..

May 18 (FT) SL’s tourism earnings fell sharply in April, with official data showing the sector’s foreign exchange inflows dropped to their lowest monthly level in nearly three years, underscoring mounting pressure from weaker arrivals, softer visitor spending, and global geopolitical uncertainty. Tourism earnings in April 2026 declined by 39% year-on-year (YoY) to $ 157.1 million, marking the weakest monthly performance since 2023 and extending a worrying downtrend more..

May 18 (EN) Adani Ports-controlled Colombo West International Terminal (CWIT) is a vision of the future. Its quayside cranes that move containers between ships and trucks and yard cranes, which stack them up six high temporarily, are operated remotely from its main building. Data from crane-mounted cameras and sensors are used by teams, including young women not normally known to be employed as longshoremen, to manoeuvre containers between ships, trucks and yards using joysticks. more..

May 18 (FT) Veteran journalist and columnist D.B.S. Jeyaraj passed away in Canada yesterday, marking the end of a distinguished journalistic career that spanned nearly five decades. He was a longstanding columnist for the Daily FT, where his work continued to attract a dedicated readership. Jeyaraj remained an influential voice among readers in Sri Lanka and the global Tamil diaspora, with his work often serving as a reference point for understanding key political and historical developments. more..

May 18 (FT) Business leader Hanif Yusoof has announced plans to resign as the Governor of the Western Province to better focus as Prez AKD’s Special Envoy on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Yusoof was appointed Western Province Governor in late Sept 2024, whilst in November last year, Hanif was also appointed as a Special Envoy for FDI. Yusoof said some time ago, he conveyed to the Prez the desire to step down from the role given the increasing challenge of balancing more..

May 18 (TM) SL's Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) has recorded over Rs. 25 billion in net foreign outflows from the beginning of the year through April (YTD), while total net outflow within the month of April alone was Rs. 5.3 billion, according to Ambeon Securities' monthly report for April. Describing capital market performance, the report stated: "Total net foreign outflow for April 2026 was Rs. -5,330.78 million. Year-to-date net foreign flow is Rs. -25,130.94 million." more..

May 18 (FT) People’s Bank has informed that an error relating to the application of the exchange rate in one currency within a specific remittance system, which resulted in certain customers receiving excess amounts during the period from May 2023 to March 2026, was recently identified and has since been fully rectified. Upon detection, the bank immediately initiated a detailed internal review and strengthened the relevant operational controls. The matter is currently being reviewed in consultation more..

May 18 (FT) Dipped Products (DPL), a subsidiary of Hayleys, officially inaugurated a series of major capacity expansion projects at its Kottawa manufacturing facility recently, marking a significant step forward in supporting export growth alongside advancements in robotic automation, efficiency, and sustainability. Rs. 2.3 billion investment is expected to enhance DPL’s capacity to meet rising global demand for specialised protective gloves, strengthening SL’s position in high-value rubber exports more..

May 18 (FT) Dialog Axiata Group has in the first quarter of FY26 delivered revenue growth of 9% year-on-year (YoY) on the back of strong performances in mobile, fixed, and digital pay television businesses as Group revenue reached Rs. 47.3 billion, despite the continued strategic scaling down of the low-margin international wholesale business. On a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) basis, revenue increased by 2% supported by data revenue growth and advertising revenue generated by the television business. more..

May 18 (TM) Proposed business evaluation of the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery is not a preliminary step towards a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), but a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) arrangement structured around project financing, according to CPC Managing Director Dr. Mayura Neththikumarage. Clarification was issued in the context of a Request for Proposal (RFP) formally published by Dept Consultant Procurement Committee on behalf of the CP more..

May 18 (SO) The Basketball Team of the School for the Deaf, Ratmalana recorded a historic victory in the U-15 Basketball Tournament, organised by the SL Schools Basketball Association. The School for the Deaf cagers had the better of Science College, Mount Lavinia in the final encounter to clinch the Under-16 Tier 2 All-Island Basketball Tournament. This was truly an inspiring moment for school basketball in Sri Lanka. The players couldn’t hear the final whistle but they made history as more..

May 18 (Island) Last year, Open Society Foundations (OSF) launched the Seven Cities Fellowship, focusing on public intellectuals from seven countries: Argentina, Indonesia, Lebanon, Nigeria, SL, Taiwan, & Tanzania. In March 2025, OSF unveiled its first cohort of Fellows. Among them were filmmakers, novelists, anthropologists, and artists. Among them was a law student from SL, Uthpala Wijesuriya. Uthpala is an interesting character. The best way to describe him would be that he is a boy of many talents and ideas. more..

May 18 (Island) The Director General of the CIABOC announced last month that amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act of 2023 were on the cards so as to restrict public access to the assets and liabilities declarations filed with the Commission. The information, released in 2025, caused profound embarrassment to the present govt, but was received very well by the public and any attempt to restrict that information flow at this stage, may prove to be very unpopular. more..

May 18 (Island) The govt has realised the need for a decisive intervention to curtail the burgeoning import bill, which is a drain on the country’s foreign currency reserves. It has imposed a 50% surcharge on custom duty on vehicle imports for three months. Vehicle prices are bound to increase substantially. Explaining why the govt decided to impose a duty surcharge on imported vehicles, Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando has said import expenditure has increased more..

May 18 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has signalled that further fuel price increases may become unavoidable if global oil prices continue to rise, warning that the current subsidy-driven pricing system is placing an unsustainable burden on the CPC. Addressing the Nuwara Eliya District Special Coordinating Committee weeks after the latest fuel price revision, the President said the Govt’s objective was to reduce fuel consumption and noted that more..

May 18 (TM) SL is once again watching the US dollar inch upwards against the rupee, and with it comes a familiar unease that has not fully faded since the economic crisis of 2022. Exchange rate may appear, on the surface, to be a matter for traders and policymakers alone, but its movement is felt far beyond the financial pages. At present, the rupee is under pressure from a combination of renewed import demand, external price shocks and the gradual return to a more flexible exchange rate regime. more..

May 18 (ST) It would be hard to choose which political drama played out this week in Sri Lanka invoked the most nausea. On the one hand, we had former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa’s supporters cheering and shouting in front of the offices of the CIABOC as their demi god fluttered his jewel bedecked hand. This was when the former Prez was summoned to be questioned over a typically sleazy $2 million bribe in connection with the procurement of Airbus aircraft for SriLankan Airlines in 2013. more..

May 18 (SO) Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara oversees a portfolio at the centre of SL’s legal and institutional reform agenda, as the Govt grapples with pressures on prisons, courts, and broader justice sector capacity. He spoke about ongoing challenges such as overcrowded prisons, delays in the court system, and resource constraints within key institutions, while outlining steps being taken to improve efficiency, transparency, and accountability. more..

May 18 (SO) The narrative of SL’s economic recovery by successive Govts exists in the columns of spreadsheets presented in Washington, in the press releases of the Central Bank, and in the polite handshakes that seal the progress of the IMF EFF. In this numerical universe, mathematics of survival look solved. Gross int'l reserves have been painstakingly rebuilt from zero; headline inflation, which once threatened to touch triple digits in 2022, has been brought down to single numbers; more..

May 18 (CT) NDB FRAUD in terms of its IMPLICATIONS to the country is the most dangerous FINANCIAL FRAUD in recent times – more dangerous than even the Bond Scam. This is because it affects the ENTIRE Banking/Financial system due to CBSL COLLUSION with the potential to undermine SL’s CREDIBILITY. The question is why powerful interests led by REGULATORS are DESPERATE to BURY this FRAUD? They have DEVIOUSLY introduced DISTRACTIONS – latest being the missing USD 2.5 Million from the Treasury. more..