Jul 7 (DM) The Govt has decided to pay compensation of Rs. 1 million each to four patients who lost their eyesight or suffered vision impairment following eye surgeries after the use of Prednisolone Acetate eye drops at government hospitals during the tenure of former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. According to a decision based on investigations into the incident, compensation has already been paid to 17 patients who developed vision problems after undergoing eye more..

Jul 7 (AD) Concerns over mineral extraction, environmental damage and alleged irregularities in the issuance of mining permits were raised in Parliament by ITAK MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam. MP raised the issue following a recent mineral resources and gemstone mining conference organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in Colombo, which was attended by the Minister of Industries Sunil Handunneththi. Responding to the concerns, the Minister acknowledged more..

Jul 7 (AD) Cabinet has approved a proposal to make the installation of Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) mandatory for approximately 1,500 fishing vessels operating in SL waters. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, along with other illegal activities carried out using fishing vessels, including drug smuggling, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, are serious challenges faced not only by SL but also by other countries more..

Jul 7 (DM) Dept of Prisons has paid tribute to the seven prison officers who lost their lives during the recent unrest at Negombo Prison, describing them as heroes who sacrificed their lives in duty. In a post, department honoured the officers for their dedication and bravery, expressing profound gratitude for their service. It also extended its deepest condolences to the bereaved families on behalf of the Commissioner General of Prisons and the entire prison staff. The officers remembered are Sergeant more..

Jul 7 (DM) Twenty-nine people injured in the recent clash at Negombo Prison are currently receiving inpatient treatment at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, with 12 of them being treated in intensive care units, the Health Ministry said. Patients include 15 prison officers and 14 inmates who sustained injuries during the incident. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa visited the National Hospital this afternoon to inquire about the condition of the injured officers and inmates. more..

Jul 7 (EN) The death toll from SL’s latest prison riot, near the main airport town of Negombo, has risen to at least 26 including prison officials, govt officials have said. The riot is the worst violent incident so far took place under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s govt which has not even completed two years in office. However, SL’s prisons have long been flashpoints for violence, reflecting deeper societal, ethnic, political, more..

Jul 7 (EN) No policy or administrative decision has been taken to lease or hand over the Eastern Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port to the private sector, Ports, Civil Aviation and Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka told parliament today. Minister dismissed speculation over a potential privatization of the state-owned facility. “No policy or administrative decision has been taken to lease the Eastern Terminal of the Sri Lanka Port or to hand it over to the private sector,” more..

Jul 7 (NW) The High Commission of India in Colombo has invited applications from eligible Sri Lankan students for undergraduate and diploma courses under the Self Financing Scheme for the academic year 2026‑27. According to the Indian High Commission, the scheme excludes PIO/OCI card holders and NRIs. Courses available include MBBS, BDS, BE, B.Tech, B.Pharm, B.Arch, as well as diploma‑level technical and pharmacy programs. Eligibility requirements are as follows: more..

Jul 7 (FT) Sri Lanka could benefit from easing inflation across the Eurozone through lower fuel import costs, softer imported inflation, and reduced pressure on the rupee, Frontier Research said yesterday, as cooling energy prices strengthen expectations that the European Central Bank (ECB) will leave interest rates unchanged later this month. The research firm said Eurozone headline inflation slowed to 2.8% in June from 3.2% in May, while core inflation eased to 2.4% from 2.6%, more..

Jul 7 (NF) SL Police said 1,431 people have died in road accidents during the first six months of this year. A total of 1,362 fatal accidents have been reported during this period. DIG in charge of the Traffic and Road Safety Division, W.P.J. Senadheera, said motorcyclists and pedestrians have been among the most affected groups. Accordingly, 491 motorcyclists, 486 pedestrians, 96 passengers travelling on motorcycles, and 98 cyclists have lost their lives in road accidents. more..

Jul 7 (EN) IMF held a special discussion with the officials of SL’s State Revenue Administration Reform and Modernization Department (RARMB) at the President’s Office and conducted a review process on the revenue reforms. The discussion was attended by a team from the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department led by Andrew Kille, Revenue Administration Project Manager Cindy Negus, IMF Resident Tax Advisor to more..

Jul 7 (NW) Commissioner General of Prisons has stated that no prior intelligence was received regarding the recent unrest at Negombo Prison, adding that officers had been deployed to prevent inmate disturbances and managed to reduce the scale of damage. He explained that by Sunday evening (5) the situation had been contained, inmates returned to their cells, and food provided. However, on the following morning, a court day, inmates were found to have consumed more..

Jul 7 (EN) Cabinet has approved a pilot program to introduce bus sector clustering across three routes to curb operational inefficiencies and commuter inconvenience in the public transport sector, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. The initiative will target bus routes 170, 177, and 190 and aims to move away from individual operational units by managing interconnected routes as a single cluster of integrated, coordinated services. Public passenger transport in the island is run by more..

Jul 7 (Island) Colombo North Crime Division has arrested two more suspects, in Batticaloa, in connection with the ongoing investigation into security stickers found on bottles of illicit liquor seized during a raid in Malabe last week, where four suspects were arrested along with 3,345 litres of illicit liquor, police said yesterday. One of the suspects was found in possession of a large stock of security stickers at the time of his arrest. more..

Jul 7 (Island) Court of Appeal has fixed for Aug 31 the hearing of a petition seeking to revoke the parliamentary membership of Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna. The petition, filed by Chairman of the Abhinawa Niwahal Peramuna Oshala Herath, was taken up before Court of Appeal Justice Mahen Gopallawa last Wednesday. During proceedings, counsel for the petitioner sought an early date for the hearing of the case, while counsel appearing for MP Archchuna raised more..

Jul 7 (NF) Former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa and two other accused were today served indictments before the Colombo High Court over charges filed under the Anti-Corruption Act. The indictments were served on former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, former Acting Director General of the Office for Reparations Sepalika Saman Kumari, and Keerthi Bandara Kotagama. According to the charges, during the period between Nov 27, 2023 and May 29, 2024, more..

Jul 7 (Island) Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Educational Secretary Pubudu Jagoda said that recent remarks made by govt ministers insulting and downgrading farmers were part of a broader political project aimed at undermining the dignity of the farming community and restructuring food production along corporate lines. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a seminar held at the Lions Activity Centre, in Rajagiriya, yesterday, Jagoda said a pattern had emerged in govt representatives more..

Jul 7 (EN) CBL Investments Limited and its group of companies (CBL Group), a Sri Lankan diversified food manufacturing conglomerate, has appointed its Group Managing Director Sheamalee (Shea) Wickramasingha, as Chairman of the Group effective July 6. A food technologist by profession, Wickramasingha joined Ceylon Biscuits in 1991 and has held several leadership roles across the Group. Wickramasingha holds a Master of Science in Food Chemistry from Purdue University and more..

Jul 7 (Island) The govt has completed preparations to launch a national programme to conserve 1,000 archaeological sites across the country, in parallel with the commencement of Archaeology Week, which begins today. Deputy Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Gamagedara Dissanayake said the initiative aims to identify sites of historical and archaeological significance and expedite excavation, more..

Jul 7 (FT) SL gave the world its first female PM in 1960 – decades before most democracies were even having the conversation. It has long been able to point to women’s political milestones as evidence of progress, and more recently, women’s representation has increased in local govt and on listed company boards. That progress is less visible in the workplace. Women make up more than half the population, but only around a third of the labour force, and their representation narrows more..

Jul 7 (EN) Foreign investors bought a net US$3 million worth of Sri Lanka govt securities in the week ended July 2, Central Bank data showed, as the rupee currency was recovering from near four-year low hit in May. Foreigners sold a net 1,001 million rupees (US$3 million at 1$=330 rupees) in the week. Despite the latest weekly inflow, Sri Lanka has suffered a total net outflow of around US$13.7 million so far this year amid sharp rupee volatility in the last two months. more..

Jul 7 (AD) Multiple investigations have been launched into the recent unrest at the Negombo Prison, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has confirmed. He said the Cabinet of Ministers approved the appointment of an independent 3-member committee comprising a retired Supreme Court judge, an official from the Attorney General's Dept and a senior attorney-at-law to investigate the incident. He said separate investigations more..

Jul 7 (AD) A discussion to review the progress of projects being implemented under the 2026 budget allocations for the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation, and to consider the Ministry's budgetary requirements for 2027, was held this morning at the Presidential Secretariat under the chairmanship of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. During the meeting, the progress of projects implemented in 2026 by institutions under the Ministry, including more..

Jul 7 (FT) Choosing the optimal inflation target is a classic problem in monetary economics, lacking robust research findings to determine the most desirable number. Central banks in many advanced countries have chosen a common inflation target close to 2%. Following this trend, several analysts are of the view that an inflation target around 2% is most suitable for SL, instead of the present target of 5% with a margin of 2% on either side. The myth ‘Lowering the Central Bank’s inflation target more..

Jul 7 (DM) The controversial Krrish deal case filed against SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa was today fixed for trial by the Colombo High Court. Colombo High Court Judge Nadee Suwandurugoda fixed the case for trial on Nov 16 and directed that summons be issued to the two Indian witnesses in accordance with the Judicial Service Commission’s circular governing the summoning of foreign witnesses. Attorney General filed criminal proceedings before the High Court against Namal Rajapaksa more..

Jul 7 (FT) In recent weeks there has been a debate in the public domain on the alleged intention of the Govt to extend the constitutionally guaranteed tenure of the Chief Justice and the other Judges of the Supreme Court, as well as on the failure of the President to nominate persons to fill eight vacancies on the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. In the weeks preceding that debate, the Speaker rejected a motion submitted by 31 members of Parliament requesting the appointment of more..

Jul 7 (TM) At least 26 people, including seven Prison officers and 19 inmates, were killed yesterday after fresh violence erupted inside the Negombo Prison, just a day after an earlier clash had claimed two lives, bringing the death toll from two days of unrest to 27. Nearly 100 people were injured and admitted to the Negombo General Hospital. Eight of the seriously injured were later transferred to National Hospital in Colombo more..

Jul 7 (TM) Several hospitals across the Western Province have reached the maximum capacity due to the sharp rise in dengue patients, according to the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU). Acting NDCU Director said the rapid increase in cases has placed severe pressure on hospitals, making it increasingly difficult to provide adequate care for patients. He warned that if the number of infections continues to rise, the dengue-related death toll is also likely to increase proportionately. more..

Jul 7 (AD) Security forces have now brought the unrest at Negombo Prison under control. A large number of Police and STF personnel have been deployed to maintain security at the prison. However, female inmates continue to stage a protest,Prisons Commissioner A.C. Gajanayake said. He stated this speaking to the media after inspecting the prison last night. Meanwhile, 20 individuals who sustained serious injuries in the prison clashes have been transferred to more..

Jul 7 (DM) Sri Lanka is preparing for significant weather fluctuations in the coming months as a rapidly developing El Niño is expected to reduce rainfall and raise temperatures in the short term, while potentially bringing above-normal rainfall later in the year, officials said. Environmental Minister Dhammika Patabandi said a special committee appointed on June 22 has been tasked with coordinating national preparedness for more..

Jul 7 (NW) All rice mill owners have agreed in principle to purchase paddy at the Govt’s guaranteed prices, with discussions continuing on measures needed to support the programme, Minister of Trade, Wasantha Samarasinghe said. Speaking to the media after a meeting with rice mill owners, Samarasinghe said the discussions focused on the practical issues involved in purchasing Nadu paddy at Rs. 120 per kilogram, Samba at Rs. 130 and Keeri Samba at Rs. 140. more..

Jul 7 (FT) The CoPF last week pressed the Central Bank (CBSL) over whether the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework is becoming more expansive than necessary, with lawmakers questioning whether successive legal amendments risk extending regulatory powers beyond what is required to meet international standards. The discussion took place as the Committee considered several Bills and regulations aimed at strengthening SL’s more..