May 21 (EN) SL’s loan demand and willingness to lend by bank has continued to be strong in the first quarter of 2025 and expected to continue, according to a survey. The demand for loans by the Small and Medium Businesses grew to an index value of 82.2 in the first quarter from 65.0 in the fourth quarter of 2024. The demand Index for corporates which was at 57.9 in the fourth quarter of 2025 is expected to rise to 81.2 more..

May 21 (MoD) In line with the directives issued through a Presidential Secretariat Circular, under the guidance of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Internal Affairs Units (IAUs) are being established across all state institutions to facilitate the submission of inquiries and complaints regarding public service delivery, in accordance with the 2025–2029 National Anti-Corruption Plan. Accordingly, Ministry of Defence established its IAU today (20) at the Ministry premises, more..

May 21 (Island) National selection committee have overruled a decision by Sri Lanka Athletics’ selection committee to drop the men’s 4×100 metres relay team from the contingent for next week’s Asian Athletics Championships. National Selection Committee headed by Olympian Sriyani Kulawansa have decided to include in the country’s Asian Athletics Championship team, the men’s 4×100 metres quartet who were dropped following their fourth place finish at the Dubai Grand Prix. more..

May 21 (DN) All arrangements are in place to facilitate card payments at the exit gates of the Southern Expressway, Colombo-Katunayake Expressway, and Mirigama-Kurunegala section of the Central Expressway from today. This service is accessible at 35 interchanges and 119 departure gates along the expressways, and a team of officers has been trained for the purpose. This program aimed at creating an efficient transportation service in the country is implemented under more..

May 21 (DM) While difficultly paying tribute to the war heroes, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake reduced the war heroes to ordinary soldiers, MP Namal Rajapaksa said. Speaking to the media after the SLPP commemoration event at the National War Heroes' Monument, he said he could not understand how a victory after 30 years of war could be compared to a natural disaster. “The freedom and peace gained after ending a 30-year war cannot be equated to a landslide after heavy rains. more..

May 21 (FT) Longstanding apparel manufacturer and buyer NEXT has announced the closure of its Katunayake production unit with immediate effect citing high operating cost. The closure will result in 1,416 redundancies overall. Despite shutting down the plant at Katunayake Export Processing Zone, NEXT will continue operations at two of its other plants in Andigama and Nawgaththegama. more..

May 21 (EN) Sri Lanka’s agricultural production in paddy, fish, and coconut, declined in March, the central bank said. “Paddy production forecast of the Department of Agriculture for 2024/2025 Maha season, based on the sown extent reported as of end March 2025, stands at 2.62 million metric tons (3.8% decline from the previous Maha season),” the central bank’s Agriculture Sector Data Bulletin for April 2025 said. Fish production decreased by 1.8% year-on-year in March 2025, more..

May 21 (DM) Over Rs. 1 million has been spent on the ongoing operation to locate Sumedha, the elephant that went missing after an accident in Galapitagala, Maradankadawala in Habarana on March 7. The accident occurred when the elephant collided with a lorry. According to the Dept of Wildlife Conservation, despite substantial financial effort, the elephant has not yet been found. Acting Director General of the dept, Ranjan Marasinghe, confirmed this in response to our inquiry. more..

May 21 (CT) Principal of the Ramanathan Hindu Ladies College in Bambalapitiya has been transferred to the Ministry of Education following the suicide of a Grade 10 student, who had reportedly faced sexual abuse from a schoolteacher. Senior Education Ministry official has been appointed as Acting Principal of the school until further notice. It has been alleged that the sexual abuse incident was reported to the principal last year, however, she did not take any action with regard to the matter. more..

May 21 (CT) An alarming number of 49 people has died while in Police custody in Sri Lanka between 2020 and May 2025 while another 30 individuals were killed during Police operations, bringing the total number of deaths linked to Police action to 79 over the last five years, the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) said. Commissioner Nimal Punchihewa made the disclosure, expressing serious concern over what he described as a pattern of lethal outcomes in Police encounters. more..

May 21 (TM) Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal to initiate necessary amendments to the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017 in order to make it mandatory to furnish the Tax Identification Number (TIN) when opening all types of bank accounts. Legal provisions to increase the withholding tax rate from 5-10% were introduced by the Inland Revenue (Amd) Act No. 2 of 2025 with effect from 1 April due to charging more..

May 21 (Island) The Committee of Inquiry to inquire and report its findings on IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon in respect of acts of gross abuse of power had rejected objections raised on behalf of the respondent IGP, Director Legislative Services / Director Communication (Acting) of Parliament Jayalath Perera, said. The Committee, chaired by Supreme Court Judge P.P. Surasena, comprises Justice W.M.N.P. Iddawala & Lalith Ekanayake, Chairman, National Police Commission. more..

May 21 (TM) The public hearing organised by the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) regarding the islandwide power outage on 9 February is scheduled to be held next month (June). Disagreeing with the findings of the expert committee report forwarded by the CEB on the 9 February islandwide power outage, the PUCSL stated recently that they had decided to hold a public hearing to conduct a fresh and comprehensive investigation into the incident. more..

May 21 (DM) Three of SL’s most iconic govt buildings - Parliament Complex in Sri J'pura Kotte, Old Parliament Building at Galle Face (now Prez Secretariat), and Independence Square - have been officially identified as requiring significant maintenance and structural upgrades. State construction authorities have already submitted assessment and design reports to relevant institutions, outlining urgent repairs required. more..

May 21 (FT) Sri Lanka concluded Local Govt elections just two weeks ago. The governing NPP campaigned to win control of Local Authorities (LA) to start the bottom-up development to supplement the top-down approach which is already in place. They made eloquent speeches on the stage, and according to PAFFREL, resorted to violating election rules on and off the stage. Such violations were reported, but unfortunately, the Election Commission (EC) was busy with other logistics. more..

May 21 (FT) In an increasingly digital world where data has become one of the most valuable assets, the need to protect personal and sensitive information is more important than ever. This leads to the question, as Sri Lanka attempts to strengthen its data protection policies, are we truly ready? European Union set a benchmark with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018. GDPR changed how personal data is handled in the EU by giving people more control over how their more..

May 21 (NW) Ramith Rambukwella, the son of former health minister Keheliya Rambukwella, has been remanded until 3 June in connection with a bribery case in which his father is also an accused. The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court remanded Ramith Rambukwella after he was arrested by the CIABOC after recording a statement today. Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali yesterday granted permission to the Bribery Commission to name Ramith Rambukwella as a suspect in more..

May 21 (PMD) Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake has directed the relevant officials to promptly address the urgent repairs needed for the canals and drainage system, in response to the rapid rise in dengue and chikungunya cases in the Colombo District. Prez gave these directives during a meeting held today (20) at the Presidential Secretariat with officials from the Ministry of Urban Development, Construction and Housing, along with other relevant institutions. Prez questioned the officials more..

May 21 (FT) The evolution and growth of the armed struggle for the goal of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka saw many Tamil militant groups emerge across the politico-military horizon. There was a time when 34 known outfits – big and small – existed. Among all these, the single organisation that kept the Tamil armed struggle alive for many years was none other than the LTTE led by Velupillai Prabhakaran from Valvettithurai more..

May 21 (NW) Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) Director General Manoj Amarasinghe and Deputy Director General (Administration) Thanuja Ariyaratne have been removed from the office premises after being heckled by employees. According to internal sources at the television station, this incident had occurred as a result of numerous conflicts that the officers in question had with employees of the institution. It is reported that SLRC employees had engaged in more..

May 21 (AD) The Court of Appeal today ordered that the writ petition filed by Salindu Malshitha, also known as Kudu Salindu, through his legal counsel, be taken up for consideration on July 3. Through the petition, Salindu Malshitha is seeking an order to prevent local enforcement authorities from requesting Interpol to issue a Red Notice against him. The matter was taken up before the Acting President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Mohamed Lafar Tahir, sitting with Justice Priyantha more..

May 21 (DM) SriLankan Airlines has launched a major recruitment drive to bolster its cabin crew team, drawing nearly 12,000 applications in response to a public call for candidates. The initiative aligns with the airline’s expansion plans amid rising passenger demand and growth in emerging markets. Airline said that Shortlisted applicants have been invited to participate in the next phase of the selection process, more..

May 21 (DM) A banner was reportedly displayed in the Mullivaikkal area of Mullaitivu expressing gratitude to Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown for establishing a Tamil genocide monument in Brampton, Canada. However, when contacted by the Daily Mirror, Mullaitivu Police said a team had been dispatched to the location to investigate into the matter, and that the banner has since been removed. Last week, SL formally conveyed its strong objections to opening of the monument more..

May 21 (AD) A shipment of salt imported from India is set to arrive in Sri Lanka tonight, as part of efforts to address the current salt shortage in the country, Minister of Trade, Commerce and Food Security Wasantha Samarasinghe said. Minister confirmed that the consignment includes a total of 3,050 metric tons of salt. Of this, 250 metric tons have been imported by the private sector, while the remaining 2,800 metric tons were brought in by the state-run National Salt Company. more..

May 21 (NW) A focused discussion was held on Monday on the challenges SL citizens face in using their driving licences overseas, especially in Italy and other European countries, under the framework of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Prasanna Gunasena, Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic Kamal Amarasinghe, Director General of the Europe Division Sugeeshwara Gunaratne, more..

May 21 (EN) SL’s largest state-held Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) resumed its services from Wednesday (21) noon after temporarily suspending them due to essential maintenance services on its computer network. The urgent and essential maintenance service on its computer network compelled the authority to close offices across the country from May 21-23. However, instead of three days, the authority said, it had completed the maintenance work in a few hours. more..

May 21 (CM) If you were a batter, you were feeling the menace of Lasith Malinga before he'd even bowled a ball. All your life you'd been used to watching the ball come out of the area roughly two feet above the bowler's head. In meetings, coaches and team-mates, and perhaps your own batting conscience, advised you to get used to the ball appearing near about where the umpire's collarbone was, before trying any fancy shots. more..

May 21 (CI) First-class cricket will return to Darwin after a gap of 19 years when Australia A play SL A in July. The Top End series will include three 50-over matches and two four-day games. They are the latest part of Darwin's return to hosting top-level cricket with the city to stage first two T20Is against South Africa in August. The first four-day game against SL A will be held on a drop-in surface at the Marrara Stadium which will be the venue for the pair of South Africa matches the following month. more..

May 21 (AD) The suspected gunman who shot and killed notorious drug trafficker and criminal gang leader Sanjeewa Samararathne also known as Ganemulla Sanjeewa inside the Hulftsdorp Court Complex, has been remanded until 4 June. The order was issued by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court. Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali also ordered the suspect be presented before an identification parade on 4 June. The individual who drove the suspected gunman, who was also more..

May 21 (AD) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva has questioned the govt as to why the senior most officer has not been named as the new Auditor General. Although yesterday the Speaker of House had indicated a decision would be made on the appointment of the Auditor General, it has been learned that no final decision has been reached, MP de Silva said in Parliament this morning. Dr. de Silva also alleged that the govt appears to be more..

May 21 (CT) With a mild rise in Covid-19 cases reported from India, Sri Lankan health officials noted that they too were monitoring the local situation through their Sentinel Surveillance System. Sources from the Epidemiology Unit said yesterday (20) that data was being collected on influenza cases – including Covid-19 – from 20 hospitals across all nine provinces. Nasal swabs taken from patients are sent to the Medical Research Institute (MRI) for sample testing. more..

May 21 (DM) Some 712 politicians have taken over lands belonging to the Nuwara Wewa reserve in Anuradhapura and had constructed houses and hotels with swimming pools, Deputy Minister Susil Ranasinghe told Parliament today. He said taking over such lands have become a political game lately. The Deputy Minister said some Ministers in the previous government have also engaged in this game. more..

May 21 (AD) The Colombo High Court has scheduled a pre-trial conference for June 27 in the case filed against SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa, who is accused of receiving Rs. 70 million from Krrish group and committing criminal breach of trust. The case was taken up for consideration today before Colombo High Court Judge Pradeep Abeyratne. Deputy Solicitor General Wasantha Perera, appearing on behalf of the prosecution, informed court that certain documents requested by more..

May 21 (CT) Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) has called on the President to suspend the tender process for the procurement of Enoxaparin – a drug used to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition where harmful blood clots form in the leg veins – citing alleged malpractice in the awarding of the contract. MCPA President Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, speaking yesterday, claimed that just prior to the recent resignation of the CEO of the NMRA, more..

May 21 (AD) The Chief incumbent of the Mihintale Raja Maha Viharaya, Venerable Walawahengunawewe Dhammarathana Thero has expressed his gratitude to the govt for its decision to hold the 2025 Poson Festival with full state patronage. Venerable Dhammarathana Thero made this remark during a discussion held today at the Presidential Secretariat regarding the 2025 State Poson Festival, according to the Presidential Media Division. more..