Jul 11 (DM) Former SL cricketer Hashan Tillakaratne's wife Apsari, who was once an airhostess of SriLankan airlines is in hot water after her interview with a website, clad in a saree worn by airhostess of the SriLankan airlines. Apsari had given an interview to a website, clad in a Srilankan Airlines saree whereas she no longer works at the airlines. A senior SriLankan Airlines official said all SriLankan employees including airhostesses must hand over their uniforms more..

Jul 11 (FT) The private sector has written to a Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee to reconsider the draft Bill to amend the Electricity Act, given widespread concerns over it. In a joint action, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, National Chamber of Commerce, Joint Apparel Association Forum and Federation of Renewable Energy Developers have made written representation to the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development, listing a host of concerns. more..

Jul 11 (DM) Despite reports that several Sri Lankans, including notorious underworld figures Manudinu Perera alias Kehelbaddara Padme and Commando Salintha, have been arrested in Malaysia, local authorities are yet to receive official confirmation. A senior officer of the CID said SL authorities have formally requested details of the arrests through standard diplomatic channels. However, discussions are still more..

Jul 11 (DM) MP Dayasiri Jayasekara today accused the govt of mishandling tariff negotiations with the United States, claiming Sri Lanka had failed to secure meaningful benefits from the recent tariff reductions announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. Jayasekara said the NPP govt should be ashamed of its incompetence, noting that while Sri Lanka’s tariff rate on exports to the U.S. was reduced from 44% to 30%, the country missed an opportunity for greater concessions. more..

Jul 11 (AD) The results of the 2024 GCE O/L Examination have been released online, Dept of Examination announced. Accordingly, Examinations Department announced that the examination results can be obtained from the websites: www.doenets.lk or www.results.exams.gov.lk. The examination department requests applicants to contact the following hotlines if they seek to make any inquiries regarding these results: 1911 or 011 2 785 922, 0112 786 616, 011 2 784 208 or 011 2 784 537. more..

Jul 11 (FT) Sri Lanka yesterday laid out its strategy for navigating the latest trade headwind following the hike in US tariff on exports set to rise to 30% starting 1 August, in a high-level press briefing attended by top Govt and economic officials, where they framed it as a manageable outcome and a temporary stage in a broader negotiation process that remains fluid and ongoing. Finance Ministry Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma more..

Jul 11 (FT) The first major assassination of a prominent political leader in SL known formerly as Ceylon was in September 1959. The country was shocked when the serving Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was shot dead by a Buddhist monk Talduwe Somarama Thera. In later years there were many more assassinations of political leaders on either side of the ethnic divide. The political violence unleashed by various Tamil militant groups including the LTTE, the JVP’s political violence more..

Jul 11 (FT) Trump’s proposed 30% tariff on SL exports, set to take effect on 1 August 2025, threatens to derail the island’s early-stage economic recovery. As Sri Lanka navigates a post-crisis macroeconomic transition, this impending tariff shock exposes the country’s structural trade vulnerabilities and overdependence on Western markets. After years of currency volatility, sovereign default, and foreign reserve depletion, Sri Lanka is finally beginning to see daylight. more..

Jul 11 (NW) In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court of SL today upheld the sentencing of businessman Mohammed Kuthubdeen to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a hefty fine, for his involvement in a massive VAT tax fraud amounting to Rs. 3.9 billion. During proceedings held today, the Supreme Court upheld the judgment previously issued by the Colombo High Court and affirmed by the Court of Appeal. The appeal lodged by the convicted businessman had sought to more..

Jul 11 (NF) Colombo High Court has scheduled July 28 as the hearing date for the high-profile money laundering case filed against Yoshitha Rajapaksa, and his grandmother Daisy Forrest. The case, filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, accuses the two of unlawfully acquiring assets and property valued at approximately Rs. 73 million. The Attorney General alleges that the wealth was obtained through means that violate financial transparency laws. more..

Jul 11 (AD) Commissioner General of Examinations, A.K.S. Indika Kumari, announced that a total of 237,026 students have qualified for the GCE A/L based on the results of the 2024 GCE O/L Exam. This figure represents 73.45% of the total number of candidates who sat for the exam. In addition, a total of 13,392 students have achieved outstanding results by obtaining ‘A’ passes in all nine subjects. This achievement accounts for 4.15% of more..

Jul 11 (AD) Supreme Court granted leave to proceed with a fundamental rights petition filed by two women challenging the gender-based restriction preventing women from applying for the position of Station Master in SL Railways. Petition was taken up before a three-judge bench comprising Justices A.H.M.D. Nawaz, Priyantha Fernando & Sampath Wijeratne. Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, Attorney-at-Law Nuwan Bopage submitted that the Railways Dept had issued a gazette notification more..

Jul 11 (NW) The first awareness programme on the proposed education reforms to be implemented from the year 2026 was held in Parliament today under the patronage of the Minister of Education, PM Harini Amarasuriya. During the session, MPs were briefed on key aspects, including the objectives and goals of the new reforms, the guiding principles behind the reforms, the main pillars of the reformed education system, curriculum revisions, implementation procedures, teacher training. more..

Jul 11 (AM) The Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar in Colombo today postponed the serving of indictments in the controversial substandard antibody vaccine procurement case involving former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and 11 other accused until 16 Sept. The court made this decision as the annexures required to accompany the indictments have not yet been printed. more..

Jul 11 (EN) SL expecting a rough rice (paddy) harvest of 2.09 million metric tonnes in the 2025 minor Yala cultivation season, based on the cultivated extent up to May. Rice farmers have sown 520,385 hectares of paddy out of a target of 572,165 by end May which is 25 higher than the last year’s progress based on early water availability than last year. Paddy production is could be as high as 2.19 million metric tonnes, or as low as 1.98 million. Nadu rice was sown in 80.3% of the area, more..

Jul 11 (AD) U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a reciprocal tariff of 30% on imports from Sri Lanka will come into effect on August 1, 2025. President Trump had initially announced on April 2 that a 44% tariff would be imposed on Sri Lankan imports, citing an 88% trade deficit between the two countries. However, in a letter sent to his SL counterpart on July 10, he confirmed a 14% reduction from the previously announced rate, lowering the tariff rate to 30%. more..

Jul 11 (CT) The number of human skeletal remains recovered from the Chemmani mass grave has risen to 65, as excavation work continued during the second phase of investigations. The 15th day of the second phase of excavation took place on 10 July. However, the excavation was temporarily suspended at noon and is scheduled to resume on 21 July. In total, excavation activities at the Chemmani site have now spanned 24 days. Of the 65 sets of remains recovered so far, 63 were unearthed more..

Jul 11 (TM) The price of a 400 grams (g) pack of imported milk powder has been increased by Rs. 100, according to the Milk Powder Importers’ Association. The price of a kilogram (kg) pack of imported milk powder has been increased by Rs. 250 each. In response to the latest milk powder price hike, consumer rights activists claimed that the high milk powder price is largely a result of the taxes imposed by the Govt and that the responsibility concerning price hike lies largely with Govt. more..

Jul 11 (NW) Around two-third of Sri Lanka’s Sinhala language news consumers have faced false or misleading information in the recent past, a national survey conducted by LIRNEasia, shows. The study by LIRNEasia, a regional policy think tank, reveals that over 80% of Sinhala language news consumers in Sri Lanka aged 18 and above actively share news with others and 66% of respondents reported having more..

Jul 11 (PMD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that a society cannot progress without a meaningful connection to its historic heritage and that the nation’s development path must be chosen accordingly. The President made these remarks while addressing a ceremonial gathering yesterday (10) afternoon at the historic Ruhunu Kataragama sacred site. Earlier in the day, Prez Dissanayake visited the sacred grounds of Kataragama, participated in religious observances and more..

Jul 11 (NW) Sri Lanka Cricket decided to obtain the services of power-hitting specialist Julian Wood to conduct a week-long training program aimed at enhancing the power-hitting skills of both the men’s and women’s national players. The program, which will run from 30th July to 5th August, will see Wood working closely with the National Coaches to help players sharpen their hitting techniques and improve their overall power game. The creator of the innovative Power Hitting Program, more..

Jul 11 (EN) SL apparels will get duty free access to the UK under rules unveiled on July 10, as part of a Trade for Development initiative, British HC in Colombo said. While helping Sri Lanka, Nigeria and the Philippines export more goods to the UK, the liberalized rule of origin which allows more inputs from Asian and African countries to be used will also help British consumers and businesses access cheaper, good quality products. more..

Jul 11 (PMD) Secretary to the Prez, Dr. Nandika Kumanayake, instructed relevant officials to submit a conceptual proposal within two weeks for a joint plan to establish a national mechanism for treatment and day-care centres for children with autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. These instructions were given by the President’s Secretary to the relevant officials during a discussion held yesterday (9), led by the Prajashakthi Secretariat, regarding this programme which is being implemented more..

Jul 11 (DN) Bribery Commission today requested the Colombo Magistrate’s Court to issue a warrant for the arrest of former Minister Rajitha Senaratne in connection with an ongoing investigation. The request was made before Colombo Additional Magistrate Harshana Kekunawala, citing that Senaratne had repeatedly failed to appear before the Commission and had not cooperated with the investigative process. However, Magistrate stated that such an arrest warrant more..

Jul 11 (AD) Maheshika Madhuwanthi, wife of Nadun Chinthaka alias Harak Kata, has issued letters of demand to several media outlets seeking Rs. 500 million in damages over what she describes as a false and defamatory news report. The legal notice, sent via Attorney-at-Law Udul Premaratne, accuses the outlets of publishing unverified claims that Madhuwanthi and her child were arrested by Malaysian police alongside notorious underworld figures, including Kehelbaddara Padme. more..

Jul 11 (DM) The govt must initiate direct negotitiations with the White House over the tariff deal without focusing only on negotiations with the US Dept of Commerce and Trade representatives, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said today. He told Parliament that there are instances where the White House has changed the decisions of the Department of Commerce and Trade representatives over tariffs. The Oppostion Leader said the govt must create direct links with the White House more..

Jul 11 (AD) ITAK has written to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake seeking the involvement of independent, internationally respected forensic experts to oversee all stages of the investigation into the mass grave in Chemmani, a village in northern Jaffna. Expressing profound concern regarding the on-going exhumation at Chemmani, Tamil party urged urgent and decisive action to uncover the truth, ensure forensic protocols meet more..

Jul 11 (DM) Minister Bimal Rathnayake today urged the Opposition to lodge complaints with the police and provide all the information they possess if he is linked to the release of containers as alleged. The Minister told Parliament that he has no authority to release containers and that he was not involved in releasing any containers. "The Opposition tried to link the Western Province Governor to the release of containers and after it was proved wrong they attempted to link it to me. more..

Jul 11 (AD) Minister Bimal Rathnayake, stated that it will take several more years to make the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) fully operational for commercial flights. Speaking after an inspection tour of the airport yesterday, Minister emphasized that the govt is currently burdened with additional costs to maintain the airport in its underutilized state. “We are working to develop Mattala Airport to a level where we can accommodate aircraft. more..

Jul 11 (EN) SL govt has committed to continue reforms to the IMF on state-owned enterprises (SOEs) including settlement pf legacy debts and limiting foreign borrowing, the latest IMF document showed. SL’s current govt has opposed privatization move proposed by the previous govt, but it has agreed for restructuring, the document showed. The govt said both state run CPC and CEB have already included a debt repayment more..

Jul 11 (Island) UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has ruled out the possibility of the Int'l Criminal Court (ICC) investigating alleged war crimes in SL, pointing out that the country is not a signatory to the Rome Statute and therefore falls outside the Court’s jurisdiction. Speaking before the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Lammy said, “The Court wouldn’t have jurisdiction to investigate any crimes that might be committed. That is the difficulty in what you recommend,” more..

Jul 11 (NF) Minister Dr. Dhammika Patabendige, has announced plans to appoint a special committee to investigate allegations of corruption and irregularities in the legal proceedings related to the X-Press Pearl maritime disaster. Minister stated that the committee will be established within the coming month. Its primary objective will be to examine the legal process that followed the incident, particularly focusing on the govt's agreements and the compensation claims made in its aftermath. more..

Jul 12 (DM) The Mahavamsa indicates that a fairly small community of persons, predominantly Roman Catholics of Indian Origin have migrated to SL from various parts of India in the course of its recorded history. As per this chronicle the first ruler of Lanka was King Vijaya who founded the Sinhala Race. With the passage of time Lanka was ruled by a succession of Kings. There were monarchies in several parts of India who attempted to invade Lanka. Lankan King waged battles and more..

Jul 12 (DM) Today the most dominant topic of conversation media-wise, whether it be the BBC, CNN, rt.com, Daily Mirror or Ceylon Daily News, is US Prez Trump’s imposition of tariffs on goods entering the US. Trump believes the best way to protect American jobs and products over imported goods is to impose tariffs. He refers to this as leveling the playing field. In fact Trump’s threat to impose huge taxes on international competitors, be they allies, ideological foes or developing more..

Jul 12 (CT) In a move drawing increasing scrutiny, the Presidential Secretariat has declined to disclose the names of officials attached to the President’s Media Division, citing privacy concerns under Sri Lanka’s Right to Information (RTI) Act. This refusal comes against a backdrop of allegations that the government is attempting to install an individual with a dubious track record of corruption as Chairperson of the currently leaderless RTI Commission. more..

Jul 12 (CT) Sri Lanka’s apparel industry, long regarded as the backbone of its export economy, now finds itself facing one of its most formidable external shocks in recent years. The US Govt’s decision to impose a 30% reciprocal tariff on Sri Lanka exports from 1 August 2025, has understandably triggered alarm across industry and govt circles. While the reduction from the previous 44% is a welcome outcome of sustained diplomacy, the revised rate is still a heavy blow, more..