Jul 27 (NW) Cabinet has approved the controversial proposal to extend the retirement age of judges by two years. The move has drawn opposition from senior members of the legal fraternity, Bar Association of SL (BASL) and opposition political parties. Proposal will now have to be presented to Parliament for approval. As the proposed change requires a constitutional amendment, it would need a two-thirds majority in Parliament. Govt currently commands the required two-thirds majority more..

Jul 27 (AD) The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vijitha Herath has held discussions with ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn on strengthening engagement with ASEAN and enhancing regional cooperation on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) 2026 in Manila. In a post on X, Minister Herath said the meeting was productive, with both sides exchanging views on ARF-led activities and the importance of closer engagement between Sri Lanka and ASEAN member states. more..

Jul 27 (AD) A total of 45 Kavadi dance groups that took part in last year’s Devinuwara Uthpalawanna Sri Vishnu Maha Devalaya Esala Perahera have been granted permission to participate in this year’s procession as well. The decision was reached during a special discussion held at the Matara District Secretariat this afternoon, with the participation of Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala & other senior officials. more..

Jul 27 (DN) SL Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA), in collaboration with the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) – Western Province, conducted a 2-day Solar Energy and EV Charging Systems Training Programme recently at the IDA auditorium, Nugegoda. Programme brought together industry professionals, engineers, technical officers, entrepreneurs and stakeholders to strengthen technical knowledge and promote best practices in renewable energy technologies & more..

Jul 27 (EN) Colombo Dockyard reported a profit of Rs. 86.28 million for the quarter ended 30 June 2026. This represents a turnaround compared to the 808.36 million rupee loss recorded during the corresponding period the previous year. Group reported earnings of 0.22 rupees per share for the 3-month period. For the same quarter in 2025, company had recorded a loss per share of 3.51 rupees. Group revenue for the quarter fell 6.8% to 5.84 bil rupees, down from 6.27 bil in 2025. more..

Jul 27 (DM) SL's 2026 dengue outbreak has officially reached epidemic level, with more than 82,000 confirmed cases nationally and over 26,000+ in July alone, the country's worst season since the 2019 epidemic. If you've had a fever recently, there's a good chance someone in your house has asked: Is this dengue or just the flu? The honest answer, according to doctors treating both illnesses right now, is that you cannot tell more..

Jul 27 (PMD) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held a meeting with the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Transformation Committee at the Presidential Secretariat today.. Discussions focused on the issues and challenges faced in developing cricket in SL. Prez also considered the support and contribution that could be provided by the Govt towards the continued progress and advancement of cricket in the country. Minister of Sports Sunil Kumara Gamage, Chief of Staff to the Prez more..

Jul 27 (DM) Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe said he would be very happy to see the Bar Association of SL (BASL) issue a statement regarding former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe or his son, questioning whether the association applies the same standards in all cases. Abeysinghe said such a move would help determine whether the BASL was acting independently or protecting a particular group. "We will see whether this is genuine or whether these actions are more..

Jul 27 (NW) All members of the SL Athletics Selection Committee have stepped down, citing interference in their work and the replacement of athletes they had independently selected. Col. M.K.P. Jayasekara, a former national athlete and record holder, said that while the committee had functioned smoothly for over 1½ years, recent developments undermined its independence. “The athletes we selected have been replaced by others who were not chosen by us. more..

Jul 27 (DN) Venerable Banagala Upatissa Thera, Chief Incumbent of the Sanchi Chetiyagiri Vihara, President of the SL Maha Bodhi Society, and Chief Sanghanayaka of Japan, stated that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was invited to attend the 75th anniversary of the Sanchi Chetiyagiri Vihara in India. Thera said that he met Prez Dissanayake recently to extend the invitation for him to serve as the chief guest at Sanchi Maha Bodhi Festival in Nov 2027, marking the 75th anniversary of the temple. more..

Jul 27 (DM) Official vehicle registration statistics are presenting a deceptive picture of auto-financing activity in SL. Motor dealers are increasingly pre-registering unsold vehicles under their own names to avoid inventory penalties, while non-bank financial institutions aggressively expand their balance sheets to fund vehicle purchases, according to an analysis by JB Securities. Financing penetration hovering at a subdued 43% more..

Jul 27 (NW) Former State Minister Shantha Bandara says the law should be enforced against anyone who commits an offence, including his own son, but warned against accusing individuals based on assumptions. His comments came after the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today granted bail to his son, Anuda Bandara, and five other suspects who had been remanded in connection with the alleged robbery of Rs. 20 million from a Chinese national. more..

Jul 27 (DN) A new fleet of vehicles allocated to the Dept of Wildlife Conservation to support field operations and Human-Elephant Conflict management was officially handed over today. Govt has approved the procurement of 294 vehicles for officers attached to Range Wildlife Offices and Beat Offices across the country to enhance their day-to-day operations. As the first phase of the programme, 181 vehicles were symbolically handed over at the Dept of Wildlife Conservation premises more..

Jul 27 (TM) There are currently only 22 engineers tasked with monitoring the safety of factories islandwide. Labour Ministry is preparing to launch special inspections of factories nationwide following recent fatal fires, with concerns mounting over a shortage of safety specialists and shortcomings in workplace safety regulations. Ministry of Labour Secretary S.M. Piyatissa said that investigations into factory standards more..

Jul 27 (CT) Sri Lanka has only around 10 judges per one million people (roughly 210 judges for the entire 21 million population) compared to 40 to 60 judges per million in developed countries, while the country’s prisons are currently overcrowded with nearly four times their approved capacity, Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said. Minister said reducing the massive backlog of cases and bringing the workload to a manageable level for judges remained the biggest challenge facing judicial sector. more..

Jul 27 (TM) US Embassy in SL has launched a Public Health Pest Control and Vector-Borne Disease Response Programme with the Ministry of Health and the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) to strengthen SL's capacity to prevent, detect and respond to dengue. Funded through the US Department of War's Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid (OHDACA) programme, the initiative brings together specialists from the US Army Pacific (USARPAC) and more..

Jul 27 (NW) Senior lawyer Lal Wijenayake, a member of the NPP Leadership Council and Executive Council, has publicly opposed the proposed extension of the retirement age of judges, claiming the matter had not been approved by the party’s decision-making bodies of which he is a member. Speaking at a media briefing attended by President’s Counsel and senior lawyers today, Wijenayake questioned why he was opposing a proposal associated with a govt led by more..

Jul 27 (Island) More than Rs. 332 million in public funds has been spent on maintaining Provincial Council chairpersons and their staff despite the dissolution of Provincial Councils, Deputy Minister Ruwan Senarath told Parliament. A total of Rs. 332.9 million had been incurred during the relevant period for the upkeep of Provincial Council chairpersons and their administrative staff, although the respective councils had ceased functioning after completing their terms. more..

Jul 27 (TM) Former Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe says the onus is on the Govt to ensure that what he called the ghosts of Shammi Silva’s administration does not creep into the Ex-Co of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) via a future election. “I think the JVP-led NPP has the responsibility to ensure that ghosts of Shammi Silva does not wriggle into the SLC offices in future,” the former politician, who served as Sports Minister from May 2022 to more..

Jul 27 (EN) Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG), has issued a statement clarifying its vehicle storage policy, saying that the Port’s business is built on the efficient movement of cargo, not on earning revenue from storage charges. “Ports are designed to facilitate cargo movement, not to serve as long-term vehicle storage yards. Every vehicle that remains in the Port for months or years occupies valuable operational space required to handle new cargo and support the continued growth more..

Jul 27 (DN) A Police Inspector serving as the OIC of the Homagama Division SIU, who attempted to flee after knocking down two women while allegedly driving under the influence of liquor, was apprehended by residents and handed over to the Meegoda Police yesterday. Two injured women have been hospitalised for treatment. The suspect officer was travelling in a car from Homagama towards Avissawella after reporting off duty when he collided with the two women riding a motorcycle. more..

Jul 27 (DM) SL has recorded 22 shooting incidents so far this year, leaving 15 people dead and 12 others injured. Nearly half of these incidents, 10 in total, were reported within the two-week period between July 11 and July 25. The 10 shootings during this period claimed three lives and left five people injured. The incidents have ranged from targeted killings and attacks linked to organized criminal groups. Several other incidents resulted in more..

Jul 27 (NW) Uni of Colombo has once again secured the No. 1 position among Sri Lankan universities in the Webometrics Ranking of Universities. Globally, the University is ranked 1,745th among more than 32,000 higher education institutions (HEIs) from over 200 countries. The Webometrics Ranking evaluates institutions worldwide using three indicators: Visibility (50%), which measures external networks linking to the university’s domain; Excellence (40%), based on publications among more..

Jul 27 (NW) Sri Lanka and India have held discussions on resolving issues affecting development projects being implemented in the country with financial assistance from the Govt of India. The discussions were held between Labour Minister Dr Anil Jayantha Fernando and Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha at the Presidential Secretariat today. The meeting focused on challenges encountered in implementing Indian-funded infrastructure projects and more..

Jul 27 (FT) Asia has become the centre of gravity for global digital finance. India has built one of the world’s most-watched instant payment systems in UPI, turning real-time payments into a genuine utility used by hundreds of millions of people every day. Singapore has converted regulatory clarity and capital depth into a genuine FinTech capital, attracting global institutions that once looked exclusively to London or New York. Indonesia and Vietnam are compressing decades of more..

Jul 27 (FT) My relationship with H.M.R. Ellepola, former Executive Director, dates back to the late 1970s, when I was an economist in the Economic Research Department. At the time, he was a Senior Economist in the Department, overseeing the public finance division. He had just returned to the bank after completing a stint at the Finance Ministry as an adviser on fiscal affairs. With that experience, he was the most suitable person to handle public finance matters in the bank. more..

Jul 27 (FT) SL Customs will move to dispose of more than 1,000 imported vehicles that remain uncleared at Hambantota Port, with authorities set to auction or sell them through a tender process in accordance with the Customs Ordinance. Around 1,025 vehicles imported into the country remain at the Port without being cleared by their importers. Of these, around 625 vehicles have been at the Port for more than six months since their arrival. more..

Jul 27 (Island) Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara will meet a delegation from the Bar Association of SL (BASL) this week to discuss the govt’s hotly disputed decision to introduce a constitutional amendment to increase the retirement ages of judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. Both the Justice and National Integration Ministry and BASL confirmed the scheduled meeting. BASL, in a letter dated 16 July, 2026, addressed to Minister Nanayakkara, more..

Jul 27 (AD) Veteran actor Mahendra Perera and actor Priyantha Sirikumara returned to Sri Lanka this afternoon (26) after winning awards at the Malaysia Golden Global Awards (MGGA). The awards were presented at the ninth Malaysia Golden Global Awards, where Mahendra Perera was named Best Actor for his performance in the film Riverston. Priyantha Sirikumara received the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in the same film. The two actors arrived at the BIA, more..

Jul 27 (TM) IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya has, following multiple intelligence assessments, recommended that the Devinuwara Sri Vishnu Devalaya remove the traditional Kavadi dance from this year's Esala Perahera over serious security concerns. ASP F U Wootler said that the recommendation had been made by the IGP after considering intelligence assessments submitted by the Chief of National Intelligence, more..

Jul 27 (TM) Govt has gazetted a new Animal Welfare Bill aimed at strengthening legal protections for animals and preventing acts of cruelty. Published in the Extraordinary Gazette of 17 July 2026, the draft legislation seeks to promote compassion towards animals while safeguarding their welfare and wellbeing. The Bill prohibits acts including assaulting animals, causing unnecessary suffering, overworking them, using unfit animals for labour, deliberately depriving them of food, water or shelter, more..

Jul 27 (TM) Labour Ministry has appointed a committee, following discussions with the Industry Ministry, to explore establishing additional fire-fighting units in industrial zones and areas with large concentrations of factories. Ministry Secretary S M Piyatissa said that the move follows concerns that existing fire brigades are largely limited to Municipal Council areas, resulting in longer response times during emergencies. "Now, we have appointed a committee to come up with solutions, more..