Jul 14 (AM) Former MP Chathura Senaratne, son of ex-Fisheries Minister Rajitha Senaratne, stated today that the current govt will be toppled — whether or not his father is arrested. He made these remarks to the media outside the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, where attorneys representing Rajitha Senaratne filed an anticipatory bail application as the former minister faces the prospect of arrest over a controversial sand dredging project. Authorities allege that the project, awarded to a Korean more..

Jul 14 (TM) The highly-anticipated $ 3.7 billion oil refinery project in Hambantota, led by China’s Sinopec, faces an uncertain future as a deadlock over the proportion of refined products allowed for sale in the local market remains unresolved. The continuing impasse has stalled the project, with no investment introduced by Sinopec to date. The original tender issued by the Govt stipulated that only 20% of the refinery’s more..

Jul 14 (AD) The present govt-led by the NPP has changed its stance on taxes and is now following the path taken by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the Sarvajana Balaya Alliance MP Dilith Jayaweera stated. MP said the public is dismayed by the actions of the present govt which is continuously imposing taxes on a regular basis. He said although the proposed 30% tariff by US President Donald Trump will have a detrimental impact on local businesses, those in the govt more..

Jul 14 (EN) Sri Lanka plans to call proposals to develop and manage 44 rest houses or small hotels owned by the govt which date back to the British colonial period, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. Some of the rest houses were under the UDA, others were with regional authorities. As a first step the cabinet has approved the transfer of the resthouses to the UDA. “Although these inns are located in scenic tourist spots, they have fallen into a dilapidated state due to poor management,” more..

Jul 14 (CT) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha jointly inaugurated and handed over houses constructed with Indian assistance under the Sri Shobhita Nahimigama Project in the Anuradhapura District, according to a statement from the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka. The inauguration ceremony was held on Saturday. The project initially aimed to construct 115 houses and provide other infrastructure facilities for residents of Elapathgama village in A'pura. more..

Jul 14 (DM) Three officials, including a former Assistant Secretary of the Dept of Motor Traffic, have been arrested by the CIABOC in connection with the illegal registration of a vehicle. The Bribery Commission said it is currently investigating the unauthorised registration of a vehicle bearing the number GS-9164 with Dept of Motor Traffic, which was carried out without clearance from the SL Customs. Accordingly, the former Assistant Commissioner of the Dept of Motor Traffic, more..

Jul 14 (TM) With the lifting of vehicle import restrictions, over 300 vehicles are reportedly stuck at ports as vehicle importers are unable to release them due to alleged violations of import control regulations. VIASL President Prasad Manage said that a Customs implementation of a 2013 regulation had led to the blockage. “This gazette had not been in use for 12 years. The matter has risen due to the opening of crossborder more..

Jul 14 (CT) On 12 July, PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and High Commissioner of India, Santosh Jha jointly inaugurated and handed over to the beneficiaries houses constructed with Indian assistance under the Sri Shobhita Nahimigama Project in Anuradhapura District. Ministers Anura Karunathilaka, Wasantha Samarasinghe; Deputy Minister T.B. Sarath; Former Speaker of Parliament, Karu Jayasuriya; MP Prof. Sena Nanayakkara; District Secretary, A'pura; President of Sobitha Thera Foundation, more..

Jul 14 (EN) Sri Lanka’s Dept of Export Agriculture (DEA), and Australia’s Market Development Facility (MDF) have announced an agreement to develop a roadmap to further develop the island’s emerging specialty coffee sector. The roadmap will outline the current status of the market, identify gaps and highlight key action points, MDF said in a statement. “MDF will also work with the DEA to improve the quality of coffee processing, conduct sector-relevant training and more..

Jul 14 (TM) Sri Lanka is poised to introduce a comprehensive e-commerce policy within the next two weeks – a move aimed at resolving the widespread confusion and logistical challenges currently affecting online imports, particularly from platforms like AliExpress and Temu, Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe said. Amid significant public criticism and a growing backlog of parcels at Customs, Abeysinghe stated: more..

Jul 14 (AD) SL authorities have been officially informed about 26 Sri Lankans who have been arrested in Malaysia for various offences, according to Police Spokesperson ASP F.U. Wootler. ASP Wootler noted that two Police teams have accordingly been dispatched to Malaysia to investigate the 26 SL suspects arrested in Malaysia. Meanwhile, ASP Wootler stated that there is no diplomatic or security information confirming that the notorious SL underworld figures known as more..

Jul 14 (NW) A total of 68 shooting incidents have been reported from 01 January to 13 July this year, with the SL Police having apprehended 24 gunmen. Police Spokesperson ASP F.U. Wootler said that 15 suspects who had acted as motorcyclists or drivers of vehicles and 150 who had aided and abetted the shootings have also been arrested. He further said that among the 68 shootings reported so far this year, 50 are linked to organized crime and 18 are due to other personal disputes. more..

Jul 15 (DM) The fear expressed by several organisations of doctors to prescribe medicines and medical equipment to be purchased from private pharmacies after the arrest of Sri J'pura Hospital neurosurgeon Dr. Maheshi Wijeratne does not seem to be justifiable. She was arrested not just for prescribing any medicine or medical equipment to be purchased from outside, but for allegedly making patients purchase a specific type of medical equipment from a particular private pharmacy more..

Jul 15 (DM) The US stands at a political crossroads. The entrenched rivalry between the Democrats and Republicans, often indistinguishable in their elitism, may soon give way to a sharper ideological divide: the Far Right and the Far Left, currently embodied by Prez Donald Trump and New York City Mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani. If Mamdani wins the Mayoral race and expands his influence, Americans could sooner or later, face a stark choice between two divergent visions for the nation’s future, more..

Jul 15 (CT) The new Govt, which proudly boasts on global platforms of its IMF-backed reform agenda and glossy National Policy Framework – A Thriving Nation, A Beautiful Life—promising a stable, self-reliant economy capable of meeting external debt obligations independently and restoring national sovereignty through economic resilience—has just seen something far less glamorous crack beneath surface. Literally. more..

Jul 15 (ST) Instead of the long-awaited US-Lanka joint statement on Trump’s reciprocal tariff, which local exporters were led to believe would be immensely beneficial to this country and said to be in the good news pipeline by the JVP Govt, what came was a bolt from the blue to flatten the pumped-up hopes of the people and bring them nearer to the brink of an economic debacle, with no lifelines in sight to clutch or hold. If the JVP govt itself had believed in its own optimism, more..

Jul 15 (TM) The SL Police announced that during the first half of 2025, law enforcement agencies have apprehended nearly 106,000 suspects linked to counter narcotic and organised crime operations. According to Police Media Spokesperson, ASP F.U. Wootler, between 1 Jan and 11 July, 1,386 kg of crystal methamphetamine (Ice), 10,895 kg of cannabis, 22 kg of cocaine, 329 kg of hash and 922 kg of heroin has been seized during joint operations conducted by the Police & the armed forces. more..

Jul 15 (SO) For over a month, efforts have been under way to save the life of the magnificent tusker Bathiya. Shot by an unidentified persons multiple times, his condition has only worsened with time. His front right leg remains severely swollen, and the sole of the other foot has been completely torn off. Bathiya is also suffering from two gunshot wounds, one to his trunk, which has made eating difficult, and another on his body, which has more..

Jul 15 (CT) When a vote is cast, it is done with the trust and belief that the candidate of choice is the most suited to continue the interests of the voter. Part of this trust is derived from the promises made while campaigning for the Elections. Of course, for someone who does succeed in winning an Election, when elected, there are many responsibilities that a person in office must hold. However, among them, ensuring that promises made during elections are promises kept, and not forgotten, more..

Jul 15 (GV) The big question facing Sri Lanka today is not how growth can be sustained; it’s whether it can be sustained at all. By growth here I mean the kind that can readily transform the economy, not the sort that helps us to hang on until the next crisis. This week marks three years since Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned as president and three years since the start of perhaps the most painful round of austerity and economic reforms in post-independence Sri Lanka. more..

Jul 15 (FT) SL Export Development Board (EDB) announced that it officially opened applications for the prestigious Presidential Export Awards (PEA) 2024/25. The 27th edition is scheduled to be held in December 2025, under the patronage of the Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake, in a ceremony at the BMICH. PEA represents the highest national recognition conferred by the Prez to honour outstanding contributions made by SL exporters to the export sector and the national economy. more..

Jul 15 (ST) A fire that broke out yesterday (12) afternoon in the Ella Kandakubura Reserve destroyed a cottage belonging to a tourist hotel, police said. The blaze, intensified by prevailing dry weather and strong winds, continued to spread through the forested area, which is home to several tourist properties. Police suspect that the fire may have been deliberately set. Emergency response teams from the Bandarawela Municipal Council, Ella Police, and wildlife officers were deployed. more..

Jul 15 (TM) The official tenure of the Director General (DG) of Sports of the Sports Development Dept affiliated to the Ministry of Sports, Shemal Fernando, ended yesterday (13). Fernando, according to sports Ministry sources, had served a one-and-a-half-year stint and was famously installed as the Competent Authority (CA), to oversee four dissolved sports institutions by ex-Sports Minister Harin Fernando. more..

Jul 15 (Island) There has long been speculation that the Easter bombing of April 2019 had a relationship to SL politics. The near simultaneous bombings of three Christian churches and three luxury hotels, with a death toll of 270 and over 500 injured, by Muslim suicide bombers made no sense in SL where there has been no history of conflict between the two religions. But a political motivation was suspected on the basis of who would be the beneficiary of an otherwise senseless crime. more..

Jul 15 (Island) SL, which is famous the world over for ancient, giant Dagobas, has earned notoriety for huge pyramids—albeit of a different kind. It has become a haven for various pyramid scams. Sri Lankans boast of their relatively high literacy rate in the region, but they are easy prey for racketeers, who are now using the digital space to carry out their illegal operations far more effectively than in the past. Victims who invest their lifelong savings in these fraudulent schemes on the sly, more..

Jul 15 (DN) Sri lanka under 20 women’s football team suffered a 0-5 defeat against the Bhutan women’s football team in their second mach of the SAFF under 20 Women’s Football Championships 2025. The match was held on July 13, at the Bashundhara Kings Arena Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Under-20 Football Championship is currently being held (from July 11to 21) at the Bashundhara Kings Arena Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. more..

Jul 15 (FT) Sri Lanka stands at a pivotal moment in its economic history. After weathering its worst financial crisis in decades, the nation is emerging with renewed determination and a clearer vision for sustainable growth. The economy grew by 5% in 2024, driven by a construction-led rebound in industry and strong performance in tourism-related services, signalling the beginning of a recovery that demands innovative solutions to address persistent challenges. more..

Jul 15 (FT) Calling upon all relevant stakeholders to position local pharmaceutical manufacturing as a thrust industry which can reduce the forex drain and meet public health needs, the SL Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (SLPMA) unveiled the National Call to Produce Medicine in SL last Friday following its AGM. Mooting a globally decisive, coordinated national strategy to transform local pharmaceutical industry into a trusted, more..

Jul 15 (Island) Schoolboy Kalhara Idupa Silva joined an elite group of Sri Lanka’s 400 metres sprinters when he achieved a massive personal best time of 45.99 seconds to win the men’s 400 metres at the Western Province Athletics Championship of the National Sports Festival concluded at Diyagama on Sunday. In the 100 year old track and field history in SL only six men had run the one lap race under 46 sec according to official counts. Idupa became the 7th athlete to accomplish the target more..

Jul 15 (TM) A total of 922 kg of heroin has been seized during joint operations conducted by the Police and the three armed forces, across the country, so far this year. SSP F.U. Wootler, disclosed. The statistics refer to raids carried out between 1 Jan and 11 July. During this period, the authorities also seized 1,386 kg of crystal methamphetamine (Ice), 10,895 kg of cannabis, 22 kg of cocaine, and 329 kg of hash. Nearly 106,000 individuals were apprehended in connection more..

Jul 15 (TM) SL Customs stated that they have a responsibility to facilitate trade in order to generate revenue, and that the release of 323 containers earlier this year, which has since drawn controversy, was carried out as part of this process. The release of the containers, which took place between July 2024 and Jan 2025, has sparked serious allegations, including claims that proper procedures were ignored and more..

Jul 15 (FT) Following the successful production of hybrid seeds in Sri Lanka, CIC Seeds has exported a consignment of hybrid chilli seeds to Bangladesh where trials will be carried out to investigate the feasibility of its growth in the South Asian country. Dept of Agriculture (DOA) provided the much-needed technical support and guidance for CIC to initiate this venture. The export of hybrid seeds from Sri Lanka is the first of its kind and if proven to be successful more..

Jul 15 (DM) Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali Jayatunga issued three conditional restraining orders on three online content creators, preventing them from publishing defamatory and false content on the internet against online primary school tutor Hayeshika Fernando, popularly known as Teacher Amma. The orders were issued after considering three separate complaints filed by Hayeshika Fernando under Section 24 of the Online Safety Act No. 9 of 2024. more..

Jul 15 (DM) Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has imposed stricter new quarterly filing requirements for the banks and financial institutions handling advance income tax (AIT) deductions on interest payments, effective immediately. Under circular No. SEC/2025/E/05, issued by Commissioner General Rukdevi Fernando, only the institutions deducting 10 percent AIT on interest, discounts or Islamic financial transactions must now submit the detailed statements within 30 days after each quarter more..

Jul 15 (Island) Skipper Charith Asalanka has promised a swift turnaround after SL’s crushing defeat in the second T20I against Bangladesh left the three-match series level at 1-1. The hosts were blown away for just 94 in a calamitous run chase at Dambulla on Sunday, their lowest T20I total on home soil and heaviest defeat to Bangladesh in the format, as the tourists romped home by 83 runs. “Very disappointed with the batting effort. But these collapses can happen in T20 cricket,” more..