Jul 17 (DM) A Court of Appeal judgment has exposed the extraordinary delays in SL’s criminal justice system, revealing that a 11-year-old victim of grave sexual abuse in 2001 was only able to testify before the High Court in 2023, approximately 22 years after the alleged offence. The judgment, delivered by a two-judge bench comprising Justices P. Kumararatnam and Pradeep Hettiarachchi, observed that the victim was 33 years old when he gave evidence during the trial, more..

Jul 17 (ST) Attorney General has instructed the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau (FIB) to submit documents and other information that can confirm the legal ownership of the building belonging to trade union National Workers’ Congress, where Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe and another individual named Cyril Ananda, have been listed as the lessors in the case involving the alleged fraudulent leasing of the said building through a forged deed. The case relates to the fraud of Rs 3.6 million more..

Jul 17 (ST) Sri Lanka recorded an increase in reported grave crimes during the first five months of 2026, with May registering the highest number of incidents, while the number of cases solved by police declined steadily. According to latest monthly crime statistics, reported grave crimes rose from 3,999 cases in January to 4,355 cases in May, despite a temporary dip in February. The figures indicate that February recorded the lowest number of reported grave crimes, with 3,327 cases, more..

Jul 17 (ST) The fate of the 138-year-old Bogambara prison building is once again at a crossroads, with the Prison Dept deciding to repossess it after the structure — long regarded as an eyesore in the heart of culturally significant Kandy — was handed over to the UDA in 2014 for redevelopment. On Friday evening Prison Officers headed by a Superintendent moved into Bogambara Prisons to assess the situation of the complex, more..

Jul 17 (FT) India’s apex technology industry body, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) yesterday launched its flagship Disha Mentorship Program in Sri Lanka, marking the first international expansion of the initiative and signalling a new phase in India–Sri Lanka technology collaboration focused on scaling technology small and medium enterprise (SMEs) through structured mentorship and cross-border partnerships. more..

Jul 17 (FT) NPP Govt is targeting its first sovereign credit rating upgrade since the debt crisis, with Treasury officials telling the CoPF they expect the country’s rating to improve to B- by early 2027 as fiscal reforms and debt reduction continue. Officials said discussions were underway with the three major international credit rating agencies, which are reviewing SL’s recent macroeconomic and fiscal performance. Officials confirmed SL’s current sovereign rating is CCC+ and said more..

Jul 17 (FT) SL Export Development Board (EDB) the host institution of the SheTrades Sri Lanka Hub launched two sector-specific export handbooks in Sinhala and Tamil to help women entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) capitalise on preferential access to the UK market, reinforcing efforts to expand SL’s export base through greater inclusion of women-led businesses. Developed in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the British HC in Colombo, more..

Jul 17 (FT) The SL Corporate Director Summit 2026, organised by the SL Institute of Directors (SLID), will be held on 22 July 2026 at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo under the theme Future-Ready SL Directors: From Compliance to Sustainable Growth. The Summit will bring together an exceptional gathering of global banking leaders, governance experts, regulators, legal authorities, diplomats, and corporate directors to exchange insights, share international best practices, more..

Jul 17 (FT) Treasury officials on Tuesday signalled that SL’s next phase of IMF-backed fiscal reforms will shift from raising taxes to modernising tax administration, with officials revealing that a Medium-Term Revenue Strategy (MTRS) is being prepared to improve compliance, broaden the tax base, and support growth without increasing tax rates. Appearing before the CoPF, Treasury officials said the strategy is being developed with IMF technical assistance following more..

Jul 17 (Island) Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu must be on cloud nine. The US is now doing exactly what he wanted it to do; it is attacking Iran without Israeli involvement. Israeli officials have told the media that they do not expect Israel to become directly involved in the new phase of fighting though the Israel Defence Forces remain on alert should the conflict expand. This can be considered another dream come true for Netanyahu, who said after the irst round of US-Israeli airstrikes more..

Jul 17 (Island) According to Sri Lanka’s diplomatic folklore, the late S.W. R. D. Bandaranaike uttered these words while explaining the reasons for Sri Lanka’s abstention on the UN resolution condemning the Soviet invasion of Hungary. Apparently, SWRD’s foreign ministry officials were asleep at home when the diplomatic cable seeking instructions was received from New York. In those days, there were no cell phones, Internet, or even fax or telex machines. more..

Jul 17 (SO) With just over five months left in the year, Govt has quietly shifted into Budget 2027 mode. While political attention remained fixed on the fallout from the Negombo Prison riot, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake spent much of the week poring over ministry performance reports and sketching out next year’s spending priorities. The President has already completed progress reviews with five of the 21 ministries, signalling that the administration intends to keep a tight grip on . more..

Jul 17 (TM) SL’s pursuit of gender parity in political governance has reached a critical bottleneck. The recent warning from the Election Commission that increasing the mandatory women’s representation to 33 per cent is unfeasible under the current framework exposes a profound institutional malaise. Chairperson R M A L Rathnayake revealed that 46 Local Govt bodies have failed to meet even the existing 25% quota, while six legally elected female councillors remain unappointed due to intense party litigations. more..

Jul 17 (TM) There is a need for the routine monitoring and verification of town-based retail open markets exposed directly to open environments to assess the efficiency of control measures and food safety recommendations. This is in the context of the microbial counts of almost all samples of chicken, beef, and mutton in open markets in the Jaffna Town exceeding the acceptable limits set by international and local standards with high levels of faecal coliforms more..

Jul 17 (CT) The lifeblood of any democracy is the people’s right to elect their representatives. Yet, in Sri Lanka, the continued postponement of Provincial Council (PC) elections has raised serious questions about the country’s commitment to democratic governance and constitutional accountability. When the NPP came to power, it pledged to strengthen democratic institutions, restore good governance, uphold the rule of law, and ensure greater transparency in govt. more..

Jul 17 (GV) The govt has indicated its intention to amend the retirement age of judges including judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. This has been causing to a significant debate among legal professionals, policymakers and the public. Bar Association of SL (BASL), together with international legal organizations including the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and LAWASIA as well as several regional bar associations has expressed serious concern that the proposed amendment more..

Jul 17 (SO) Scattered across the country’s forests, villages, mountains, river valleys and coastlines are the enduring monuments of more than 2,500 years of civilisation—from soaring stupas (dagabas) and ancient monasteries to forgotten Hindu shrines, churches, mosques, weathered inscriptions, majestic reservoirs and long-forgotten settlements. The island’s archaeological heritage tells the remarkable story of its people, kingdoms and cultures. more..

Jul 17 (DM) The six parties consist of two representatives from each community - ITAK, and TNA from the Northern and Eastern Tamils, CWC and TPA from Malayaga Tamils, SLMC and ACMC from the Muslims. They announced on Monday that they launched this platform to address common concerns of Tamil-speaking communities living in the Northern, Eastern, Western provinces and plantation regions. We describe the launch of this platform, as it is called by the media, as a renewal of an indictment against more..

Jul 17 (DM) The independence of the judiciary is one of the cornerstones of a functioning democracy. It is not merely a constitutional principle but a safeguard against the abuse of executive and legislative power. Any move that affects the structure, composition, or tenure of the judiciary must therefore be approached with utmost caution, transparency, and broad consultation. The govt’s proposal to extend the retirement age of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges has triggered strong opposition more..

Jul 16 (Island) Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha, and Secretary to Ministry of Health and Mass Media, Dr. Anil Jasinghe on Monday signed a MoU for supply of medical equipment to Base Hospital, Deniyaya. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa was present on the occasion. The IHC spokesperson said: “Under this MoU, Govt of India will provide grant assistance of SLR 600 million to equip Deniyaya hospital, which is being relocated by the SL Govt as a comprehensive disaster preparedness measure due to its current location more..

Jul 16 (FT) Treasury has authorised Govt institutions to revise prices and extend procurement contracts affected by the Middle East conflict and Cyclone Ditwah, providing temporary relief to contractors facing higher fuel, freight, and construction costs. Temporary measures allow eligible Government contracts to be repriced or extended to reflect higher fuel, freight, and material costs, giving contractors, suppliers, and consultants engaged in public projects greater flexibility more..

Jul 16 (EN) Sri Lanka plans to expand the annual passenger capacity of the Bandaranaike Int'l Airport (BIA) in Katunayake to 24.2 million by the year 2055 under a new 30-year development blueprint. The three-year efficiency and development plan was discussed during a pre-budget meeting chaired by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat to review the 2026 progress and 2027 budget allocations for the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation. more..

Jul 16 (AD) Six Tamil and Muslim political parties that have long been aligned with the opposition coalition, Samagi Jana Sandhanaya (SJS), have decided to present their concerns to the government through a common platform, a move that political analysts believe could pose a significant challenge to the opposition. According to political analysts, the development could further fragment the country’s main opposition ahead of the anticipated Provincial Council elections. more..

Jul 16 (DN) Arogya Mobile Health Clinic implemented under the national Healthy Sri Lanka initiative by the Health and Mass Media Ministry across the country was held at Lake House – Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd, (ANCL) – yesterday under the patronage of Deputy Minister Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne and with the participation of ANCL Chairman Gamini Warushamana and other officials. This health camp offered ANCL employees medical consultations and screenings. more..

Jul 16 (NF) Sri Lanka's flagship digital identity initiative is now on the verge of becoming a reality, with India's High Commissioner to SL, Santosh Jha, announcing that SL Unique Digital Identity (SLUDI) Project is finally ready to move forward. High Commissioner Jha said only a few remaining procedural steps need to be completed before a formal announcement can be made regarding the launch of the project. more..

Jul 16 (NW) SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa has urged regional leaders to embrace the Indian Ocean Century, positioning SL as a trusted bridge linking Asia, Middle East, and Africa. Speaking at the Global Economic Cooperation (GEC) East Summit in Singapore, Rajapaksa joined a panel alongside Curtis S. Chin, Chair of Senior Fellows at the Milken Institute and former US Ambassador to ADB. The session was convened under the Future Economic Cooperation Council Satellite Convening. more..

Jul 16 (EN) Sri Lanka’s services sector expanded in Jun 2026, according to a Purchasing Managers Index compiled by the central bank which registered an index value of 58.5, compared to 56.9 the previous month. “Growth was primarily driven by the financial and professional services sub-sectors, alongside notable gains in the insurance sector,” CBSL said. Business activity expanded in June 2026, supported by broad sectoral improvements, the central bank said. more..

Jul 16 (NW) Supreme Court has fixed Sept 11 to confirm facts in a fundamental rights petition filed by the father of a student who died in a bus accident involving Kotelawala Defence Uni (KDU) students in Badulla in 2024. It is reported that the petition seeks compensation, alleging that the accident violated the fundamental rights of his son and two other students who lost their lives. The case was taken up before a 3‑judge bench comprising Arjuna Obeyesekere, Dr. Sobitha Rajakaruna & Menaka Wijesundara. more..

Jul 16 (NW) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that he was not the first choice to assume leadership during SL’s political and economic crisis in 2022, but stepped in when others declined responsibility. He recalled the circumstances under which he became President, noting that the UNP had been reduced to a single seat in Parliament. “I may have been about number four. But I thought it could be handled, and we have to go ahead, stabilize the economy, and work it out,” more..

Jul 16 (NF) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has expressed serious concern over allegations of reprisals, torture, ill-treatment and administrative failures involving inmates transferred from Negombo Prison, while directing prison authorities to take urgent corrective measures. The developments emerged following a meeting held on July 14 between the HRCSL and senior officials attached to more..

Jul 16 (NF) Colombo High Court today fixed Aug 31 for a pre-trial conference in the case filed against Yoshitha Rajapaksa, and his grandmother, Daisy Forrest, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The order was issued when the case was called before HC Judge Rashmi Singappuli. During the proceedings, State Counsel Oswald Perera informed court that the prosecution was seeking a date for a pre-trial conference and requested appropriate directions from the court. more..

Jul 16 (NW) A conflict broke out between Jaffna District MP Archchuna Ramanathan and Minister of Fisheries Ramalingam Chandrasekar during the Kilinochchi district coordination committee meeting held today. Video footage shows the MP and Minister engaging in a verbal argument, after which a confrontation breaks out when the Minister attempts to take the files in the possession of MP Archchuna. “If you lay a hand on me, I’ll lay a hand on you too… got it?” MP Archchuna more..