Jul 16 (Island) Former captain Dinesh Chandimal is set to return to the SL side for the all-important third and final T20 International against Bangladesh at the R. Premadasa Stadium today, with the series hanging in the balance at 1-1. SL drew first blood in Pallekele, only to suffer a humbling collapse in Dambulla, leaving tonight’s clash as a winner-takes-all showdown under lights in front of a full house. The 35-year-old Chandimal, who last featured in a T20I over three years ago in Feb 2022, more..

Jul 16 (CI) Liam Scott, Josh Philippe and Mitchell Perry turned the screws on SL A on day three to put Australia A in command of the four-day game at Darwin's Marrara Oval. After the hosts resumed on Tuesday on 241 for 4 in reply to SL A's 272 - and lost Nathan McSweeney to the day's first ball for 94 - batters six, seven and eight completed impressive half centuries to build Australia A a formidable first-innings score. When the innings came to an end around an hour before stumps, more..

Jul 16 (DN) Sri Lanka will take on Bangladesh in the series deciding third T-20 today at R.Premadasa Stadium under lights from 7 pm onwards with both teams having won one match each expected to be at full strength to win the series. In fact Bangladesh so far has not won a T-20 series against SL and a keen tussle is expected in this series decider. SL had a comfortable 7 wicket win in the first T-20 at Pallekele with openers more..

Jul 16 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers approved the appointment of a Special Committee to provide temporary monitoring relief and formulate a long-term regulatory framework for cross-border e-commerce activities in the country. The move comes amid a notable rise in e-commerce imports, which has placed pressure on the Customs clearance system and affected thousands of small-scale importers and individual consumers. Committee was composed of officials from relevant more..

Jul 16 (CI) Bangladesh have twice levelled with Sri Lanka on the white-ball leg of this tour. They failed to keep the momentum in the ODI series after winning the second game, and crashed in the third encounter by nearly 100 runs. Bangladesh have now set up the T20I series similarly, by winning the second game to make it 1-1. Now's the chance to make amends. Bangladesh's 83-run win against Sri Lanka in the last game was only their second T20I victory in eight games in 2025. more..

Jul 16 (TM) Investigations are underway into irregularities and corruption that took place in the urban development, construction, and housing sector in the past, and legal action will be taken against anyone found guilty, including govt officials, if any, said Deputy Minister T.B. Sarath. He said that if Prez, Cabinet & MPs serve the country without engaging in corruption and irregularities, public officials should also do the same. more..

Jul 16 (AD) Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval for the procurement of five power sets to be deployed for suburban and long-distance passenger services. The decision has been taken considering the shortage of power sets required to operate trains in suburban areas by the Railway Department. Due to the shortage, there is constant passenger congestion on the trains that operate daily. Since most of the power sets currently in operation have been in service for over 20 years, more..

Jul 16 (NW) Kalutara South Police, aided by a sniffer dog Anju, have seized 9 grams and 200 milligrams of crystal methamphetamine (ICE) hidden in a luxury vehicle. Discovery was made following a tip-off about a suspicious vehicle parked on Gabadawa Road in Kalutara. The vehicle and a suspect were taken into custody for inspection. Police Dog Anju from the Kalutara Police College carried out the search, leading to the detection of the drugs concealed in the rear of the vehicle. more..

Jul 16 (EN) STEMedical of the US signed a 15 million dollar investment deal with SL’s Institute of Biotechnology (SLIBTEC) to establish a laboratory with internationally recognized accreditation, President’s Media Division said. A MoU was signed on Tuesday (15) for the project which will be conducted under the guidance of the National Initiative for Research and Development Commercialisation (NIRDC). Hans Keirstead, founder of the American company more..

Jul 16 (AM) The Supreme Court ordered that the special leave to appeal petition filed by the AG against a Appeal Court decision on case against Janaka Bandara Tennakoon be taken up for hearing on 3 September. The petition seeks an order to invalidate the decision of the Court of Appeal that quashed the indictment filed before the Kandy High Court against former Minister, in 2020. The indictment relates to the alleged shooting and killing of an 18-year-old youth in Matale in 1999. more..

Jul 16 (FT) Cabinet on Monday approved the implementation of a new project to enable expatriates living overseas to apply for passports online through 20 identified SL missions and offices abroad. The move is supported by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and aims to streamline and digitise the passport application process for SL expatriates. IOM has agreed to provide the necessary funding and technical support to more..

Jul 16 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers approved implementing the National Cyber Protection Strategy 2025-2029, a key initiative aimed at strengthening the country’s civilian cyber-security framework over the next five years. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the strategy is supported by a grant through the World Bank. He said the strategy, developed by SL Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) with technical support from the World Bank builds on the country’s first Cyber Security Roadmap more..

Jul 16 (DM) A 26-year-old Thai national has been handed a five-year suspended prison sentence by the Pottuvil Magistrate’s Court after pleading guilty to charges of indecent behaviour and causing a public disturbance in Arugam Bay. The woman was arrested following the circulation of a photo on social media, which showed her walking topless near the entrance of a hotel in the popular tourist area. She was produced before court today (15), where she admitted to the charges. more..

Jul 16 (AD) It is unacceptable that postal workers have decided to engage in trade union action despite holding several rounds of discussions, said Cabinet Spokesman Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa. Responding to a question raised at the weekly Cabinet press briefing held today (15), the Minister stated that resorting to trade union action in this manner would not benefit the postal service, especially at a time when the government is actively intervening to solve relevant issues. more..

Jul 16 (DM) Sri Lanka’s ambitious goal of welcoming 3 million tourists in 2025 faces further pressure after a lackluster start to July. The island nation recorded 79,771 arrivals in the first 13 days of the month, a marginal 0.9% increase over the same period in 2024 (79,094). This stagnation has widened the year-to-date deficit to 252,185 tourists. Cumulative arrivals reached 1,247,815 by July 13, representing a 14.5% year-on-year increase but only 41.6% of the annual target. more..

Jul 16 (FT) Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed that a high-level Govt delegation is scheduled to depart for Washington, D.C. on Friday (18) for a final round of negotiations to secure further reductions in 30% US reciprocal tariffs on Sri Lankan exports. The visit comes ahead of the 1 August implementation deadline for the revised US tariff regime, which lowered duties on SL exports from 44% to 30%. more..

Jul 16 (TM) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa stated that the NPP had not entered into any political agreements with other parties to form administrations in Local Govt (LG) bodies. He made these comments, in response to questions raised by the media regarding recent developments in the Beruwala Urban Council (UC). Commenting on the SJB councillors’ support to the NPP in forming the administration of the Beruwala UC, Minister clarified that the NPP had secured leadership with more..

Jul 16 (NW) Activist Wasantha Mudalige says the govt has officially cancelled a controversial tender for the supply and delivery of 700 industrial-type power distribution units for the Electronic National Identity Card (e-NIC) project, following a complaint lodged with the Bribery Commission. The Movement for People’s Struggle, represented by Mudalige, alleged irregularities in the awarding of the Rs. 50.7 million contract to Browns Engineering & Construction (Pvt) Ltd. The group questioned more..

Jul 16 (Island) Tensions flared once again at the South Eastern Uni over a fresh incident of ragging leading to a violent clash on campus early yesterday (15). The unrest erupted when a group of senior students allegedly assaulted four first-year students from the Faculty of Engineering, reportedly in retaliation for the juniors’ earlier publicly exposing ragging practices. The injured students were admitted to Oluvil & Akkaraipattu hospitals more..

Jul 16 (FT) The newly imposed 30% US reciprocal tariff on Sri Lankan exports (on top of the applicable tariffs on specific HS codes) has become a major concern. This situation underscores the critical need to model for uncertainty within a broader global context. If these new tariff structures persist, their wide-ranging negative impact on the world economy—especially the US—will be substantial. This would have multiple repercussions: harming the US economy, weakening the dollar’s status as more..

Jul 16 (FT) After experiencing its most severe economic contraction in decades, Sri Lanka’s economy is gradually turning a corner. Between 2022 and 2023, the country underwent a painful but necessary period of adjustment following a debt-fuelled crisis. The latest projections for 2024–2027 suggest a modest but sustained recovery, with signs of improving investor confidence, rising consumption, and renewed capital formation. In 2022, SL’s economy contracted by 7.3%, more..

Jul 16 (AD) The second day of the Seventh meeting of the International Solar Allience (ISA) Regional committee for Asia and the Pacific Region was held today focusing on advancing Regional cooperation for a Solar-powered future at Hotel ITC Ratnadipa, Colombo with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. This year’s session was held under the theme of Advancing Solar Cooperation Across a Region of Diversity and Opportunity, with SL being the vice chair of high level dialogue. more..

Jul 16 (EN) SL central bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit has entered into a MOU with the National Center for Financial Information in the Sultanate of Oman to share information on money laundering and terrorist financing. “This MOU facilitates the exchange of financial intelligence related to money laundering (ML), associated predicate offences, and terrorist financing (TF), in accordance with the provisions of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act, No. 6 of 2006,” central bank said. more..

Jul 16 (AD) The ICTA is set to take a significant leap forward in its digital governance agenda with the launch of a comprehensive Super App that will centralise access to a wide array of Govt services on a single mobile platform. ICTA Acting CEO Sanjaya Karunasena speaking on the initiative described the upcoming Super App as the natural evolution of the GovPay platform, which was introduced earlier this year, more..

Jul 16 (PMD) President Anura Kumara Disanayake emphasized the need for the Ministry of Sports and Sports Associations to collaborate on joint initiatives aimed at elevating SL sports to the international stage. Prez stressed that instead of isolated efforts such as merely distributing sports equipment, the focus must shift toward structured and impactful programmes that support long-term sports development. The President made these remarks during a progress review meeting of more..

Jul 16 (AM) SJB MP Sujeewa Senasinghe, who was granted bail today, said a significant sum of public funds must have been spent on the CID’s investigation into his case, despite govt’s commitment to cost-cutting. Senasinghe appeared before Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court over a case involving an allegedly illegally assembled luxury vehicle valued at around Rs. 100 million. Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura previously directed the CID to produce the MP in court along with more..

Jul 16 (TM) SL’s Employee Provident Fund (EPF) had a net gain of about 50% year-on-year (y-o-y) from its investment in listed and unlisted equities in 2024, with investments focusing on the banking sector, financial statements showed. The financial statements for the year 2024 showed that the EPF had a net gain from listed and unlisted equities of Rs. 53.3 billion by the end of 2024, which is a 49.4% gain from the year earlier. more..

Jul 16 (AD) Although almost two months have passed since 2025 LG Elections concluded, councils have reportedly not yet been formed under new Mayors or Chairpersons in over 50 local govt institutions. It is stated that this is due to a lack of quorum, the failure to gazette the names of elected members, and ongoing court orders. In addition, due to issues regarding female representation, the Wanathawilluwa Pradeshiya Sabha has still not been able to form a council. more..

Jul 16 (BBC) Fauja Singh, a British-Indian man believed to be the world's oldest marathon runner, has died after being hit by a car in India at the age of 114. Singh was crossing a road in the village where he was born in Punjab when an unidentified vehicle hit him. Locals took him to hospital, where he died. Singh, a global icon, set records by running marathons across multiple age categories, including when he was over 100. He began running at 89 and ran nine full marathons more..

Jul 16 (NW) Health authorities are raising awareness about a rapidly spreading skin disease in SL. Consultant Dermatologist, Dr. Janaka Akarawita, has raised concern over the recent surge in cases of Tinea, a fungal skin infection, being reported from various parts of the country. Tinea, which has existed for a long time in the country, is now spreading at an unusually rapid rate. The infection affects various parts of the body, including the skin, hair, nails and even the face. more..

Jul 16 (AD) At the event, it was officially announced that the entire requirement of fabric for school uniforms for the year 2025—valued at Rs. 5,171 million—has been provided as a grant by the Govt of China. The ceremony was attended by the PM and Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, along with other dignitaries. In his address, Ambassador Qi Zhenhong stated: “China will always be your reliable brother and helper whenever SL needs it. more..

Jul 16 (AD) A meeting was held today (15) at the Ministry of Environment with officials from the Dept of Wildlife Conservation, aimed at tightening laws against the shooting of wild elephants. The discussion was chaired by the Minister of Environment, Dr. Dammika Patabendi, along with the Deputy Minister of Environment, Anton Jayakody. Incidents involving the shooting of wild elephants are regularly reported to more..

Jul 16 (AM) Parliament’s COPF has commenced pilot testing of an artificial intelligence (AI) solution to digitise and modernise long-standing system of handwritten Hansard records and committee meeting minutes. COPF Chair Dr Harsha de Silva announced the initiative on social media, highlighting that the AI integration — developed by Finetech in collaboration with Google — aims to transform the existing manual transcription process into a fast, efficient, and fully digitised system. more..

Jul 16 (DM) The Colombo District Court issued an enjoining order restraining YouTuber Sudantha Thilakasiri, also known as Sudaa, and another individual from publishing defamatory statements or content against the Diyawadana Nilame of the Dalada Maligawa, Pradeep Nilanga Dela. Colombo District Court Judge Sandun Vithana issued the order pursuant to a plaint filed by Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela Bandara. The order will remain in effect till July 30. more..

Jul 16 (DM) While acknowledging some shortcomings, particularly in the batting department, SL head coach Sanath Jayasuriya said the team is not under any pressure ahead of the final T20 against Bangladesh in Colombo, despite their embarrassing defeat in the 2nd match in Dambulla on Sunday. SL, having won both the Test and ODI series, were bowled out for just 94 in Dambulla on Sunday, chasing a target of 178, resulting in more..

Jul 16 (Island) Deputy Agriculture Minister Namal Karunaratne has announced that the government will import high-quality bovine semen in a bid to improve the country’s dairy herd instead of importing live cattle. Speaking at the launch of the National Livestock Resource Plan in Colombo on Monday, Karunaratne said the Department of Agriculture had formulated a programme aimed at producing over 15,000 superior-grade dairy cattle through artificial insemination. more..