Aug 24 (TM) A damning special audit report by the Auditor General’s Dept has exposed a system of unchecked financial privileges at Parliament, with the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and other senior officials enjoying unlimited fuel and vehicle entitlements, while the Secretary General’s salary has increased by around 800 per cent without being re-sanctioned by Parliament for more than two decades. The report, tabled in Parliament on more..

Aug 24 (DM) Polonnaruwa and Pothuvil recorded the highest maximum temperature in the country today (23), with temperatures reaching 37.5°C. The highest temperature of 37.5°C was recorded in both Polonnaruwa and Pothuvil. Trincomalee recorded 37.0°C, while Mullaitivu and Monaragala recorded 36.8°C each. Mattala also recorded a high temperature of 34.9°C. Several other areas experienced temperatures above 33°C, including Vavuniya (35.9°C), Batticaloa (33.5°C), more..

Aug 24 (DM) Public Health Inspectors Association (PHIA) is set to launch an island-wide trade union action from today (24), citing the failure of health authorities to address concerns over the transfer of Public Health Inspector B.H. Migasdeniya. In a letter to the Ministry of Health dated August 23, the union said the action follows Migasdeniya’s transfer, allegedly in connection with his opposition to illegal activities at the Health Office of BIA. Accordingly, from 8.00 a.m. today (23), more..

Aug 24 (TM) The Ministry of Vocational Education has launched a new initiative to visit the homes of schoolchildren and school leavers individually to raise awareness of vocational education opportunities available across the country. Deputy Minister said the expansion of vocational education opportunities had contributed to a decline in the national unemployment rate, while the new programme aimed to provide every child more..

Aug 24 (DN) SL’s total govt revenue experienced a notable surge in the first six months of 2026, driven by the reopening of the vehicle import market after several years and the corresponding collection of tax revenues, according to latest data. Govt revenue and grants grew by 27.1% from January to June 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. Total revenue for the first six months reached Rs.2.956 trillion, representing 55.8% of the annual target of Rs. 5.3 trillion projected for 2026. more..

Aug 24 (TM) In response to recent court rulings and growing concerns over the declining number of tame elephants, Govt is working to establish a unified mechanism to regulate the use of elephants in peraheras. A special expert committee, including environmentalist Dr. Jagath Gunawardena, has been appointed to provide recommendations for a viable framework. Move comes as the number of legally registered tame elephants in the country has dropped to approx. 54, raising concerns more..

Aug 24 (TM) A new electric railway project covering Colombo and its suburbs is expected to commence next year, with preliminary planning for the project already completed, Deputy Minister Ruwan Senarath said. The proposed Colombo electric railway is expected to begin from Maradana and cover key areas of the Colombo metropolitan region, providing commuters with a faster, more efficient and modern public transport service. Project is currently at the preliminary planning stage, with more..

Aug 24 (NW) Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage has drawn criticism from sports journalists after taking aim at media outlets for reporting that SL javelin star Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage had dropped to No. 2 in the World Athletics rankings. Following Rumesh’s Diamond League victory in Lausanne, the Minister said in a social media post: Some media may be happy putting Rumesh at No. 2, but for us, Rumesh is still the world No. 1. However, sports journalists pointed out that more..

Aug 24 (ST) In the first half of this year, institutions under the Transport, Highways, Ports & Civil Aviation Ministry awarded 73 procurement contracts worth nearly Rs 150bn—compared to an average annual value of Rs 34bn in the two years from 2022 to 2024 and an average annual value of Rs 52.6bn throughout 2025. The vast majority of the ministry’s awards—numbering 70—are listed under the highway section and RDA. more..

Aug 24 (AD) The Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Govt has taken steps to implement the 2027 annual transfers for officers in the Super Grade of the Management Service Officers’ Service. According to the Public Administration Circular No. 18/2026, the transfers are scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2027. Officers who have completed five years of service at a preferred station will be subject to compulsory transfer. more..

Aug 24 (AD) The President’s Fund, which has a 50-year history, truly became a fund belonging to the people only from last year, Speaker of House Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne said today, highlighting the govt’s efforts to decentralise and digitalise the institution. Speaking at the inaugural programme of the President’s Fund educational scholarship scheme for children of low-income lottery sales assistants, held at the North Central Provincial Council Auditorium in Anuradhapura, more..

Aug 24 (NW) Sri Lanka has recently experienced temperatures approaching historical highs, with some areas nearing the 40°C mark, meteorologist Malith Fernando of the Met Dept has said. Fernando said SL’s highest recorded temperature stands at 40.1°C, recorded in Vavuniya in April 1983. He noted that Pottuvil recently recorded 39.9°C, just 0.2°C below that record, while temperatures in Polonnaruwa have also climbed above 37°C. “These figures are getting very close to 40°C,” more..

Aug 24 (NW) The govt has allocated Rs. 10 million for the development of mosques in the Gampaha District. The programme is being implemented in conjunction with the 42nd National Milad-un-Nabi celebrations, with the aim of strengthening religious institutions and promoting coexistence. The initiative is being carried out by the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs together with the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs. more..

Aug 24 (ST) Sri Lanka’s upcoming strategy for the Sept 2026 IMF EFF seventh review is no longer about balancing domestic welfare with economic recovery; it is an exercise in total fiscal compliance, several leading economists said. They have openly detailed the structural necessity of transitioning directly into a successor programme once the current EFF expires in 2027. As the IMF staff team arrives next month, more..

Aug 24 (EN) Sri Lanka will announce the launch of its licensing round for oil and gas exploration this year, SL’s state-run Petroleum Development Authority (PDASL) said. “The licensing round is a strategic initiative to invite global energy companies to explore and produce oil and gas offshore SL,” it said. “Exploration work done up to date has confirmed the presence of viable gas accumulations offshore west coast. Timely development of these resources would ensure energy security more..

Aug 24 (AD) Sri Lanka has recorded more than 1.46 million tourist arrivals since the beginning of the year. A total of 1,468,980 tourists arrived in the country between January 1 and August 18, the SLTDA noted. Meanwhile, during the first 18 days of August alone, Sri Lanka welcomed 125,562 tourists. India remained the leading source market in August, accounting for 27,884 arrivals. The UK ranked second with 13,980 tourists, while France was third with 8,776 arrivals. more..

Aug 24 (SO) For generations, aviation has captured the imagination of children. Yet for many who dream of taking to the skies, the ambition often ends at the dream itself, with little understanding of what lies between aspiration and a career in aviation. “Even in the most rural villages, you’ll find children who aspire to a career in aviation. Dream is already there; what many lack is a clear understanding of the pathway to achieving it,” more..

Aug 24 (Island) Foreign diplomatic missions in SL were briefed on upcoming SL Economic & Investment Summit (SLEIS) 2026, providing an opportunity to outline the Summit’s focus and encourage greater int'l engagement with SL’s investment and business agenda. Briefing provided representatives of diplomatic missions an overview of SLEIS 2026, which will be held on 12 and 13 Oct, under the theme Positioning SL in a Changing Global Economy: Resilience, Reform & more..

Aug 24 (ST) Thehan Wijemanne reigned supreme on SL tennis by winning a superb triple crown at the 111th SL National Tennis Championship, taking the Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles titles to complete one of the finest campaigns of his career at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts in Colombo yesterday. Wijemanne was at his clinical best in the Men’s Singles final, beating Ganuka Fernando 6-3, 6-3 in straight sets to capture his first National crown. more..

Aug 24 (Island) Uber, announced the launch of its mobility services in Kurunegala, making it the third new district Uber has expanded to in 2026, following Kegalle and Ratnapura. Now, residents and visitors in Kurunegala can use the Uber app to book rides across cars, Tuks and motorbikes, bringing greater convenience and choice to everyday journeys around the city. As one of Sri Lanka’s major commercial centres and an important gateway connecting several parts of the island, more..

Aug 24 (DN) SL’s champion women javelin thrower Dilhani Lekamge once again came to the fore wining a silver medal at the World Athletics Continental Tour (Silver level) Championship held in Bhubaneshwar, India over the weekend. 39-year-old Olympian and Asian Games silver medalist still in good form as she won the second place with an achievement of 58.98m while Jucilene Sales Deima won the gold with a 59.13m throw and the third place was won by Indian Uttar Pradesh athlete Annu Rani with more..

Aug 24 (CI) Devdutt Padikkal struck a century for a second consecutive Test as India wrangled up 300 for 5 on the opening day of the second Test at the SSC. At the crease at stumps were debutant Saransh Jain and Dhruv Jurel on 4 and 7, respectively. Padikkal's 117 came across three separate stands, the most prominent being 120 with Shubman Gill and 74 with Ravindra Jadeja. SL's bowlers toiled on a hot and humid day, more..

Aug 24 (Island) When a much-treasured cultural monument of indescribable value falls, the silence that follows is not merely quietness personified; it is heavy, even resonant, and fraught with the weight of spent history. With the passing of Visharada Dr Nanda Malini on Aug 20, at the age of 82, SL lost far more than an iconic vocalist. It lost its moral conscience set to melody, its nightingale of socio-political conscience, and the defining voice of its modern aesthetic identity. more..

Aug 24 (GV) Nurit Peled-Elhanan is a Jewish-Israeli philologist. In 1997, her 13-year-old daughter Smardar was killed in a Palestinian suicide attack. Dr Peled-Elhanan could have embraced hate and vengeance; instead she chose to work for a just peace, joining a group of Palestinian and Jewish parents who lost their children to violence resulting from Israeli occupation of Palestine. Rabbi Shneur Zalman, Alter Rebbe, was founder & first leader (Rebbe) of Chabad-Lubavitch Movement. more..

Aug 24 (SO) There are singers whose voices become part of a nation’s entertainment. There are others whose voices become part of its memory. And then there are those rare artists whose voices become part of a nation’s conscience. Nanda Malini belonged to the third kind. Her death at the age of 82 has left Sri Lanka not merely mourning an extraordinary singer, but listening again to a body of music that has accompanied the country through some of its most painful decades. more..

Aug 24 (SO) Last week, a man used social media and a televised media briefing to claim that the LTTE was operating a training camp in Kilinochchi in the North. This false claim was designed to spread panic and revive the familiar political message that National Security collapses whenever the Rajapaksas are out of power. In response, the TID arrested a 46-year-old man who had claimed that an LTTE training camp was operating inside the Pallai Forest Reserve in Kilinochchi. more..

Aug 24 (TM) It was the year 1956. The Borella YMBA Hall was packed with people enjoying a poetry-singing competition. Several contestants had delivered magnificent performances. Now, everyone was waiting to see who the winner would be. Suddenly, the announcer called out the name in a loud voice. Amid thunderous applause, a girl of about 13 stepped onto the stage. She was the one who had won gold medal more..

Aug 24 (TM) The recently release of the 15th Population and Housing Census by the DCS discloses a stark revelation that the total fertility rate (TFR) has dropped to an alarming decline and an unprecedented downward trend of 1.3, falling far below the vital replacement level of 2.1. The demographers attributed this sharp decline to a multiplicity of factors such as postponed marriages, rising living costs, and urban economic environments, with symptoms showing up more..

Aug 24 (ST) The publication of the JVP led NPP Govt’s draft Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA) in the gazette is awaited by Sri Lankans with bated breath. We were told this week that the Cabinet of Ministers has approved its contents. The public was assured by the Cabinet spokesman that the revised draft rectifies strong criticisms of the way that the offence of terrorism has been defined in its earlier version. Even so, the official release still continues to refer more..

Aug 24 (ST) In responding to the criticism by the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, on the proposed 22nd Amendment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has cited recommendations made by her predecessor to defend the govt’s position. In a recent letter to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Ms Satterthwaite raised concerns over the proposed more..

Aug 24 (TM) For nearly half a century, the 1978 Constitution of SL has cast a long shadow over the island's democracy. By vesting sweeping powers in the Executive President, the Constitution created an office capable of overreaching both the Legislature and the Judiciary. Nowhere has this structural flaw been more starkly exposed than in the exercise of Article 34. Designed as a humane safety valve to grant presidential pardons, this provision has instead been repeatedly weaponised as more..

Aug 24 (Island) There is no end in sight to chronic delays that characterise SL’s state universities. The FUTA has warned that university admissions based on the 2025 GCE A/L results could be delayed by one to two years until the enrollment of two previous batches. State universities in this country are bursting at the seams and facing severe resource constraints. In 2025, FUTA has pointed out that the annual student intake had steeply increased from around 25,000 in 2015/2016 to about 45,000, more..