Feb 25 (TM) The Acting IGP, Priyantha Weerasooriya pointed out that organised crime activities primarily revolve around the drug trade and that efforts are being made at a diplomatic level to identify and apprehend those directing these activities from overseas and to repatriate them. He stated this while addressing the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs of the tenth Parliament, more..

Feb 25 (DN) The govt is focusing on preparing a systematic program to add the total income from the sale of each gemstone to the national income, Minister Sunil Handunnetti said elaboration that steps will also be taken to establish a gem industrial zone in Ratnapura that will provide technical services to the gem industry. Minister made these observations while participating in the Face to Face – Meet the Minister program held at the Ratnapura District Secretariat recently. more..

Feb 25 (AD) Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) has arrested two more suspects in connection with the fatal shooting of notorious underworld figure Ganemulla Sanjeewa, at the Aluthkade Magistrate’s Court. The latest arrests, made on Feb 24, bring the total number of suspects in custody to ten. The arrested individuals have been identified as the mother and younger brother of Ishara Sewwandi, a key suspect accused of aiding and abetting the crime and concealing information. more..

Feb 25 (EN) SL is expected to establish an independent prosecutor office very soon, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said after a meeting with key stakeholders, amid delays in prosecution in some high profile cases. The stakeholders met for the first time on Monday consisted of representatives from Attorney General Dept, Police, Bar Association of SL (BASL) and SC judge Yasantha Kodagoda among others. more..

Feb 25 (FT) The fragrant steam rising from a pot of rice, once a symbol of comfort and abundance in SL households, now carries a bitter scent of anxiety. Families across the island nation grapple with a rice crisis that threatens to unravel the social and economic fabric of their lives. While Govt pronouncements boast a surplus of rice production, consumers face empty shelves and inflated prices. This stark paradox exposes deep-seated flaws in SL’s agricultural policies and more..

Feb 25 (FT) In Sept 2023, the Anti-Corruption Act No. 09 of 2023 was signed into law, extending the regulation of bribery to include corporate entities in SL. Previously, only public officers were liable for prosecution under bribery offences. However, this landmark legislation now encompasses the private sector, expanding the definition of bribery to cover a broader range of corrupt activities. 106. (1) Any person who, in the course of any economic, financial or commercial activity, more..

Feb 25 (NW) The govt has taken all necessary measures to bring back former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran to stand trial over the Central Bank Bond Scam, Minister Nalinda Jatissa said. He said the authorities were facing some legal issues in bringing back Arjuna Mahendran to Sri Lanka. Stating that the government was taking all measures to extradite him to SL, Minister Jayatissa assured that the case against him would continue in his presence or absence. more..

Feb 25 (DM) Heated arguments erupted in Parliament with ruling party MP Gamagedara Dissanayake and Opposition MP Rohini Kaviratne coming up with murder charges during the 1989 insurrection. Argument erupted when MP Kaviratne accused MP Gamagedara of making a false claim that her father, a former Minister, had murdered eight persons while campaigning for the general elections of 1989. “My father never murdered anyone as he was not out of his mind,” more..

Feb 25 (EN) SL’s debt service in 2025 is estimated at US$ 2,454 dollars made up of US$ 1,369 million in capital repayments and 1,085 million dollars in interest, Deputy Minister Anil Jayantha has said. In 2026, principal payments are 1,191 million dollars and interest US$ 931 million. In 2027, principal are US$ 1,196 million and interest US$ 893 million. In 2028, principal are US$ 2,133 million and interest US$ 974 million. more..

Feb 25 (NW) Faculty of Engineering of Peradeniya University has produced a special device as a solution to the incidents of train-elephant collisions reported in SL. The unique device has been created using artificial intelligence to prevent the deaths of elephants, a recent incident in which nearly six elephants were killed. According to Professor Lilantha Samaranayake, the dean of that faculty, the new device has been tested and has provided successful results. more..

Feb 25 (AD) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath is scheduled to address the UNHRC in Geneva, Switzerland today (25). Minister is expected to deliver his speech at 3.30 p.m. Geneva time (20:00 Tuesday IST). Minister Herath departed the island on Sunday to attend the 58th session of the UNHRC in Geneva, Switzerland. During his visit, he held a bilateral meeting with the UK’s Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Lord Collins of Highbury. more..

Feb 25 (TM) Electricity Consumers Association (ECA) has requested the Legal Draftsman's Dept to immediately discard the draft amendments to the Electricity Act, No. 36 of 2024, submitted by the Ministry of Energy, alleging that it violates the Constitution and the Official Language Policy. A notification was published on the ministry's official website on 28 Jan 2025, inviting proposals from interested parties regarding more..

Feb 25 (TM) A discussion on SL’s current security situation was held today at the Presidential Secretariat, under the leadership of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The meeting attended by Senior Army Officials, focused on future measures regarding the security situation in SL. Deputy Minister of Defence, Aruna Jayasekara, Secretary to the Prez Nandika Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha and Commander of the Army more..

Feb 25 (AD) PM and Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, says that the salaries of school principals and teachers have been brought to within the top 10 salary grades. Speaking in Parliament today, PM clarified that following the latest salary revisions, the principals are placed 7th among the salary grades, while teachers are placed 8th. Addressing concerns raised by some MPs regarding the fulfillment of the govet’s promise, more..

Feb 25 (AD) A meeting between Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Indonesian Ambassador to SL, Dewi Gustina Tobing, took place today at the Prez Secretariat. During the discussion, Ambassador Tobing extended Indonesia’s well wishes to the new govt and reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening the 70-year-long friendship between the two nations. Ambassador highlighted that both SL and Indonesia recently held simultaneous elections and established new govts. more..

Feb 25 (EN) Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi, a former Reuters’ photojournalist who fled SL in the face of threats 17 years ago has been appointed as Director of Int'l Media and Strategic Communications at Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Media Division. Lokuhapuarachchi worked with the Reuters news agency for nearly two decades. He was forced to flee the country under former prez Mahinda Rajapaksa regime in 2008. Veteran journalist who holds an honorary degree in photography more..

Feb 25 (FT) The multi-billion rupee local food and beverage (F&B) industry renewed calls for regulatory clarity following a high-level meeting with Health Ministry officials on proposed amendments to food labelling and advertising standards. Representatives from Lanka Confectionery Manufacturers Association (LCMA), SL Food Processors Association (SLFPA), and All Ceylon Bakery Owners Association (ACBOA) more..

Feb 25 (EN) Cabinet has extended the operational time for Project Management Unit of the Colombo Port City Development Project until June 2027, a govt document said, amid delays in the Chinese-investment project, the island nation’s largest. Project Management Unit is the main unit that connects the SL govt and the CHEC Port City Colombo (Pvt) Ltd for project supervision, resolution of issues, and coordination of utility services. The govt in its cabinet decision document said more..

Feb 25 (EN) SL’s CBL group, makers or Munchee and Ritzbury, buiscuits and chocolates said it has up a distribution hub in Kenya, which will serve the local and African markets. “We are in the midst of a global expansion drive, focusing on taking our confectionery business to international markets,” Shea Wickramasinghe, Group Managing Director of CBL said. “We see significant potential for growth in emerging markets, and these are the regions where we can drive innovation forward.” more..

Feb 25 (DM) Sinhalese Sports Club's (SSC) staggering relegation from the top division could only be compared to the incredible fall of Rajapaksas in recent times. Like Rajapaksas who dominated politics for decades, SSC were the top dog of SL's first class cricket for such a long period until last week when it was confirmed they were relegated to Division 2. Rajapaksas despite having plenty of very known politicians suffered defeat more..

Feb 25 (Island) Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said that all agreements with the USAID had been approved by Parliament. Ex-MP Jayasuriya emphasized that not only USAID projects but all such agreements with external parties had been implemented in a similar manner. Former Speaker said so when The Island sought his response to criticism of the three-year USAID-Sri Lanka Parliament project launched in late 2016 during the Yahapalana administration. more..

Feb 25 (CT) MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has clarified that a fake social media account falsely claimed he had called on people to demolish the Thaiyiddy Vihara during a press conference held yesterday. A post circulating on social media urged people to join in demolishing the Buddhist temple, which is alleged to have been built on private land in Thaiyiddy. However, the MP dismissed this as false propaganda. Despite this, Palaly Police filed a case against MP Gajendrakumar more..

Feb 25 (AD) The govt is contemplating the implementation of a collaborative tourism initiative between the Maldives and SL. This initiative was discussed today during a meeting at the Prez Secretariat between Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and High Commissioner of Maldives, Masood Imad. During the meeting, High Commissioner congratulated the govt on its recent electoral victory and expressed his satisfaction with the positive changes taking place in SL more..

Feb 25 (DM) Contrary to popular people’s belief that they start ageing later in life, Dr. Aruni Malwatta, a Lifestyle Medicine Physician, broke the misconception that the period of people beginning to age is as early as their 30s. Speaking at an opening ceremony of a wellness centre, she said, “Don’t think that people in their 60s are old. Not only them. People in their 30s itself begin to age. Therefore, we should be careful about our bodies, lifestyle, stress management and other things in order to more..

Feb 25 (DM) Due to the prevailing dry weather conditions electricity generated by using hydropower has reduced due to high levels of heat, an official from the CEB said. Currently, 21 hydropower plants are stationed across the country. In total, these hydro-power plants have a capacity of 1441.7 MW, which has reduced due to the effects of the dry conditions, running at a minimum capacity of around 20% contributing to energy output, more..

Feb 25 (Island) PHU Leader Udaya Gammanpila alleged that there had been a conspiracy to kill Ganemulle Sanjeewa at the Hulftsdorp court complex. Referring to Acting IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya’s recent revelation that the police had refrained from producing Sanjeewa in the Gampaha court, the previous day, following intelligence report of a possible attempt on his life, he said that the police chief owed an explanation. He demanded to know why the police and prison authorities more..

Feb 25 (DM) Colombo High Court ordered the release on bail of the General Secretary of BBS, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, who was sentenced to simple imprisonment for insulting the religion of Islam. The court made this order after hearing a revision petition filed by Gnanasara Thera, seeking his release on bail as he had filed an appeal against the sentence. On Jan 9 this year, Colombo Magistrate’s Court sentenced Gnanasara Thera to nine months of simple imprisonment for more..

Feb 25 (EN) Parliament passed the maiden budget of the National Peoples Power administration with 155 members of the 225 member assembly voting in favour and 46 against. Minister Bimal Rathnayake said the opposition described the fiscal plan as a Ranil budget, IMF budget and a neo-liberal budget, but the NPP had delivered around 80 percent of its election promises. “We still have more years,” he said. more..

Feb 25 (AD) Cabinet has given the go ahead to proceed with the drafting of a bill related to the establishment of a Gambling Regulatory Authority. On 26 June, 2023, the then-Cabinet of Ministers had approved the establishment of a Gambling Regulatory Authority as an independent establishment with a broad and complete subject arena to standardize gambling institutions, minimize social damage, promotion of tourism sector and ensure economic growth. more..

Feb 25 (DM) The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society has agreed to provide technical assistance and capacity-building support to strengthen the Office on Missing Persons (OMP). The assurance was given during a meeting between the newly appointed Head of Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Severine Chappaz and Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat today. The discussions focused on the ICRC’s support for the new govt’s policy framework. more..

Feb 26 (CT) As thousands in Ratnapura and Kalutara swelter under an unforgiving sun, suffering from heat waves unlike anything we’ve seen before, one thing is clear— SL is bearing the brunt of a climate crisis we did not create. Over 7,000 people have already been affected in just two districts, and the worst may be yet to come. Meteorology Dept has issued orange heat warnings for nine districts, including Colombo, Gampaha, and Kurunegala, urging residents to take precautions. more..

Feb 26 (DM) Last week, underworld kingpin Sanjeewa Samararathne, alias Ganemulla Sanjeewa, was shot dead inside the Colombo magistrate court by a gunman disguised as a lawyer. The killing, as shocking as it was, also highlighted major security lapses: Producing a high-risk inmate before the magistrate was unwanted at a time when much of bail hearings are taking place over Skype. However, what is equally disturbing is hyperventilating over the incident, more..

Feb 26 (CT) Plastic bags and lunch sheets are often considered two of the most-harmful discoveries which have impacted the environment. On 20 Dec 2021, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) observed that, what had been “a novelty in the 1970s, plastic shopping bags, were an omnipresent product found in every corner of the world. Produced at a rate of up to one trillion bags per year, they are showing up in the darkest depths of ocean, more..

Feb 26 (TM) In the aftermath of the assassination of an organised crime suspect Sanjeewa Samararatne alias Ganemulla Sanjeewa in the witness box of number five Magistrate’s Court in the Aluthkade Courts Complex last week, details of the crime, narrated by Police authorities are beginning to paint a picture of what allegedly transpired. Coincidentally, the crime that shocked the nation, is beginning to lay bare the status quo of the law enforcement apparatus of Sri Lanka, more..

Feb 26 (DM) The month of Feb 2025 has been most eventful. One of the most anticipated events was the first budget to be proposed by our first-ever leftist govt not in coalition with other political parties. With its overwhelming majority in parliament, there is little doubt the budget would be passed. What is important however is not merely whether the govt is able to pass its own budget or whether it has brought down the cost of living; the most important aspect of any country’s budget is more..

Feb 26 (TM) A two-day workshop aimed at training 150 selected members from the tri-forces and Police for the successful implementation of the Clean Sri Lanka programme was held last week at the Light Infantry Regimental Centre in Panagoda. In his welcome address, Ministry of Defence Secretary Sampath Thuyacontha highlighted the Clean Sri Lanka programme’s goal of advancing sustainability in governance, social welfare, more..