Aug 4 (DM) Maldivian design and construction company One Realty expanded its regional footprint with the opening of One Realty Lanka (Pvt) Limited, officially inaugurating its first SL office in Kadawatha on 30 July, as part of its long-term growth strategy in South Asia. The office was officially inaugurated by CEO Yaaseen, together with Chief Operating Officer Nipuna Neranja and Chief Financial Officer Dipun Krishad, in the presence of clients, business partners, invited guests, and more..

Aug 4 (EN) Cabine has approved getting a US$ 200 million policy-based loan from the ADB to support the country’s trade, investment, and industrial development framework, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. The loan, sourced from the ADB’s Ordinary Capital Resources (OCR), falls under Subprogram 1 of the Trade, Investment & Industry Development Program. “Loan negotiations regarding Subprogram 1 of ADB’s Trade, Investment, and Industry Development Program have been successfully concluded,” more..

Aug 4 (DM) CoPF has approved the Rs. 71.7 billion relief package allocated through Supplementary Estimate No. 3 of 2026 to provide relief to those affected by the economic repercussions arising from the conflict in the Middle East. Committee also reviewed the allocations made under the relief package introduced by the Govt to ease the burden on people affected by the prevailing economic difficulties, as well as the manner in which the funds are to be utilized, more..

Aug 4 (NW) Govt has extended by 3 months the concessionary period granted to vehicle manufacturers to install seat belts in vehicles operating on expressways, following requests from industry stakeholders. Under the Motor Vehicles (Expressways) Order No. 2 of 2011, issued in line with the Motor Vehicles Act, seat belts are mandatory for all passengers in vehicles traveling on expressways. Initial grace period for manufacturers to retrofit seat belts in vehicles without them expired on 19 June 2026. more..

Aug 4 (CI) Ayesha Zafar's 39 off 31 was enough to see Pakistan through to a consolation victory to end their tour, as the visitors chased down a target of 114 with four wickets in hand and 10 balls to spare. Sri Lanka take the series 2-1 after two strong batting displays in the first two games, but on a slower track this time round they faltered against a Pakistan spin barrage; it was also Pakistan's first win on tour since the first ODI. While Zafar was unable to last till the end, more..

Aug 4 (FT) India’s recent youth-led protest movement should not be viewed merely as a political episode confined to one country. It is a powerful reminder that when education systems fail to meet the aspirations of young people, the consequences extend far beyond classrooms and universities. Examination integrity, graduate employability, equal opportunity, institutional credibility and public accountability eventually become matters of national importance. more..

Aug 4 (FT) CIOB Construction Cost Report 2025 identified a period of relative stability within SL’s construction sector. Supported by lower prices for several key construction materials, exchange rate stability and moderate labour cost growth; Colombo maintained one of the most competitive construction cost positions in Asia at that time. Since the publication of the report, however, market conditions have changed drastically. Contractors, consultants and developers are now experiencing more..

Aug 4 (DN) Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatte Chapter stated that extending the retirement age of judges is not an issue, provided it is done in a general manner without targetting any specific individual or sector. Mahanayake Thera added that it is important to extend this to other essential sectors as well, rather than limiting it solely to the judiciary. more..

Aug 4 (Island) Chief Prelate of the Malwathu Chapter yesterday told President of the Bar Association of SL (BASL) Rajeev Amarasuriya that the Chief Prelates of the four Nikayas had recently written to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake that the proposed constitutional amendment meant to extend the retirement age of judges should be abandoned. Amarasuriya told the media of the Mahanayakes’ position after meeting the Chief Prelate of Malwathu Chapter. more..

Aug 4 (NW) Govt plans to introduce SL’s first dedicated lane for motorcycles in Kaluwanchikudy as part of efforts to reduce road accidents involving two-wheelers, Minister Bimal Rathnayake said. Speaking at the launch of the 100 for 100 National Corporate Motorcycle Safety Programme, Minister said motorcycle-related accidents remain a major road safety concern and require targeted interventions. The proposed motorcycle lane, which will be physically separated from more..

Aug 4 (TM) Although the current spell of heavy rain is expected to ease by this afternoon, another period of rainfall is likely from around 6 August due to changes in wind patterns associated with a developing typhoon over the Pacific Ocean, Met Dept Director General Ajith Wijemannage said. “We expect this atmospheric disturbance to weaken by tomorrow afternoon. After that, rainfall is likely to decrease,” he said. more..

Aug 4 (FT) SL’s labour shortage is emerging as a constraint on export growth, with National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) warning that difficulties in recruiting, training, and retaining workers are affecting businesses across the sector and require urgent policy intervention. Chamber said recent debate over recruiting foreign workers for the construction industry had highlighted a wider structural issue, noting that labour shortages now extend across multiple sectors of economy, more..

Aug 4 (EN) Tourist arrivals into Sri Lanka fell 1.7% in July 2026. Total arrivals in July were 196,845 compared to 200,244 in the same time last year. India continued to be the top source with 44,547 visitors, making up 23% of total arrivals. UK (21,834) and the Netherlands (12,493) followed. There have been 1,146,573 visitors to the island in the first 6 months. Tourist arrivals fell 9.9%, year-on-year, in June 2026, with total arrivals during the first half of 2026 dropping to 1,146,573 more..

Aug 4 (NW) International Association of Judges (IAJ), the world’s largest global organization representing national judges’ associations, has expressed serious concerns over SL’s proposed constitutional amendment to extend the retirement age of SC and CA judges by two years. IAJ said its concerns were not about the concept of changing the retirement age itself, but rather the timing, manner of introduction, and the widely perceived purpose of proposed legislation. more..

Aug 4 (FT) Cabinet has approved the establishment of a 100% State-owned public limited company to oversee the management, operations, and development of the country’s multimodal transport hubs. Move is part of its efforts to create a more efficient, integrated, and user-friendly public transport system. New entity will be created in accordance with the provisions of the Public Financial Management Act, No. 44 of 2024 and will be a Treasury Ltd, (Public) Company more..

Aug 4 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed officials to review underutilised State assets, prioritise essential public investment projects, and improve implementation of infrastructure programs as part of pre-Budget discussions on the Public Admin, PCs and LG Ministry. The discussion reviewed the progress of projects implemented under the Ministry’s 2026 Budget allocations and considered proposals more..

Aug 4 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has called for the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to examine delays in court proceedings and other challenges facing the judicial system. Premadasa said the Govt’s proposed amendments relating to the retirement age of judges have created uncertainty and opposition, alleging that key stakeholders had not been adequately consulted. He said BASL should brief all MPs on the proposed changes more..

Aug 4 (DM) Fisheries Dept has warned all fishermen including multi-day fishing trawlers navigating the southern seas to remain extremely vigilant of the containers that fell into the sea two days ago. Director General of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Dept said only two containers out of the 17 empty containers that fell into the sea off the Coast of Colombo two days ago have been recovered so far. He said it has been observed that remaining 15 containers are highly likely to more..

Aug 4 (NW) Actress Rithu Akarsha has denied allegations linking her to a bank account referenced in the unexplained assets case against former Minister Mervyn Silva, describing reports circulating in mainstream and social media as false and misleading. The statement comes after media reports on an ongoing case filed by the CIABOC against Silva, alleging that he amassed more than Rs. 600 million in unexplained assets between March 31, 2010 and March 31, 2012. more..

Aug 4 (TM) Proposed new beneficiary selection methodology for the Aswesuma Welfare Programme will assess a range of socio-economic vulnerability indicators, including household employment and livelihood security, family composition, ageing, disability, chronic illnesses, access to housing and essential services, and household indebtedness. Parliamentary Committee on Ways and Means reviewed the progress of the ongoing process to revise existing beneficiary selection criteria more..

Aug 4 (ST) Irrigation Dept has urged the public to use water sparingly, warning that the prevailing high temperatures have caused significant water losses through evaporation from reservoirs and that water must be conserved until rainfall returns. Its director, L.S. Suriyabandara, who is in charge of hydrology and disaster management, said the water level in the department’s 73 major reservoirs has dropped to about 40%. more..

Aug 4 (FT) DFCC Bank said that it has completed its acquisition of Standard Chartered Bank SL’s wealth and retail banking business. Approximately 50,000 customers, together with colleagues from the business, have now joined DFCC Bank, it said. The transaction includes customer relationships across Priority Banking, credit cards, retail lending, deposits, wealth management, and small and medium enterprise (SME) portfolios, together with selected operating assets. more..

Aug 4 (Island) The Institute of Policy Studies of SL (IPS) celebrates the outstanding achievement of its latest batch of researchers in winning prestigious scholarships for postgraduate studies at toprated universities. Suresh Ranasinghe joined the IPS on graduating with a BA in Economics with First Class Honours from the University of Colombo and an LLB from the Open Uni of SL and secured a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship in 2022/23 to follow an MSc in Development Economics more..

Aug 4 (SO) Credit Information Bureau (CRIB) has embarked on its most ambitious expansion since it was set up, broadening its national database beyond the banking and finance sectors to include insurers, microfinance institutions, telecom providers, utility service providers and other lenders under the proposed Credit Regulatory Act, CRIB General Manager Pushpike Jayasundara said. “As part of a wider drive to strengthen credit assessment more..

Aug 4 (FT) SL Export Development Board (EDB) is targeting a record $ 19 billion in export earnings this year after generating nearly $ 9 billion during the first half of 2026, while setting its sights on doubling export revenue to $ 36 billion by 2030 under a new national strategy. EDB CEO Mangala Wijesinghe said the Board remained committed to transforming SL into a globally competitive export hub by expanding into new industries, strengthening value-added exports and increasing more..

Aug 4 (FT) Diversified conglomerate CIC Holdings recorded continued revenue growth during the first quarter ended 30 June 2026 (1QFY27), delivering improved profitability despite a challenging operating environment. The group posted consolidated revenue of Rs. 22.03 billion, reflecting 2.74% year-on-year growth, driven by resilient performance across its diversified portfolio. Group gross profit rose to Rs. 6.01b, an increase of 10.26% YoY, with gross margins improving to 27.3%. more..

Aug 4 (DN) Rush Lanka Group has reached another significant milestone with its flagship residential development, Rush Metropolis in Dehiwala, recently receiving approval from the Board of Investment (BOI) of SL. The approval, reinforces the company’s commitment to developing high-quality residential projects that meet stringent regulatory and governance standards while offering greater confidence to homebuyers and investors. The official recognition was received at the BoI, more..

Aug 4 (Island) More than seven years after the Easter Sunday bombings ripped through churches and luxury hotels, the first major criminal convictions of senior state officials have taken place. Last week, former IGP Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando were convicted by a two to one majority at a Trial-at-Bar of criminal liability arising from their failure to act on repeated intelligence warnings that preceded the attacks. They were sentenced to death. more..

Aug 4 (FT) United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is beginning the design of its next five-year Country Program for SL, with employment creation, economic prosperity, and faster implementation of reforms emerging as key priorities to support the country’s transition from economic stabilisation to sustainable growth. During her two-day mission to SL, SL-born senior UN Assistant Secretary-General and more..

Aug 4 (Island) The prices of brand new imported vehicles would likely rise soon, given the global situation, president, Ceylon Automobile Importers Association (CAIA) Prasad Manage said. "If brand new vehicle prices move up it would badly impact especially young executives who are planning to purchase a new vehicle," he said. He made these observations recently at a media conference held at Shangri-la Hotel to announce the launching of Motor Rally 2026, organized by CAIA for Aug 16. more..

Aug 4 (CT) SL Govt has proposed increasing the retirement age of judges through amendments to the Constitution and the Judicature Act. According to the proposal approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 27 July 2026, the retirement age of Supreme Court judges would increase from 65 to 67 years, while that of Court of Appeal judges would rise from 63 to 65 years, with corresponding increases for judges in High Court, District Courts, Magistrates’ Courts & other judicial officers. more..