Aug 20 (TM) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa’s proposal to have all 225 MPs briefed by the Bar Association of SL (BASL) on the proposed 22nd Amendment and the unfilled vacancies in the SC) and CA triggered a dispute in Parliament yesterday, with Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake questioning his authority to convene such a meeting. Premadasa told Parliament that BASL had agreed to conduct more..

Aug 20 (TM) Wearing seatbelts will be mandatory for all passengers travelling in vehicles on expressways from 19 Sept, with the Police warning that the requirement will be strictly enforced. Director of Traffic Management and Road Safety SSP Manoj Ranagala said the requirement applies to all passengers, including those travelling in expressway buses. Addressing a media briefing held to raise public awareness on the importance of wearing seatbelts on expressways, more..

Aug 20 (NW) Govt MP Dr. Najith Indika says the govt parliamentary group has not been officially informed of any meeting in Parliament on Thursday involving the Bar Association of SL (BASL) to brief all MPs on the proposed 22nd Amendment. Indika said he was in Parliament on Wednesday and was unaware of any such programme involving all parliamentarians. He said a briefing involving all MPs would normally have to follow established parliamentary procedures, including discussions involving more..

Aug 20 (FT) Govt revenue and grants rose by 27.1% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs. 2.956 trillion in the first half of 2026, achieving 55.8% of the Rs.5.3 trillion annual estimate, with motor vehicle-related collections propelling SL Customs to become the largest contributor to tax revenue. The performance was disclosed in the Fiscal Review Report Jan-June 2026 issued by the Finance, Planning & Economic Development Ministry’s more..

Aug 20 (FT) Govt is prepared to hold a referendum if the Supreme Court determines that one is required, in addition to a two-thirds parliamentary majority, to enact the proposed 22nd Amendment (22A) to the Constitution, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. He said the Govt would proceed based on the Supreme Court’s determination, which he said was expected by late September or October. “If a two-thirds majority in Parliament is required, we are prepared to proceed accordingly, more..

Aug 20 (TM) Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has acknowledged that repeated efforts to track down and raid unsanitary and overpriced shops and restaurants located at stops along long-distance bus routes have failed to deter owners from continuing to sell unhygienic food at exorbitant prices. While the CAA continues its enforcement operations at these locations, the public has been encouraged to prepare for long bus journeys by carrying their own food & water and refraining from purchasing more..

Aug 20 (Island) Opposition activists, including retired military officers, have arranged a meeting at SL Foundation Institute (SLFI), at 3 pm today, to highlight the prolonged detention of retired Major Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage. Sallay has been named as a suspect by the CID. Organisers said that the primary objective of the meeting was to express concern about the possibility of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his capacity as more..

Aug 20 (EN) The UN Food and Agriculture Organization, with SL’s Ministry of Education, and Hatton National Bank, has launched the World Food Day 2026 Youth Innovation Challenge, for university students to develop solutions for agrifood systems challenges. The initiative seeks to harness the creativity, knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit of young people to generate practical, scalable solutions that contribute to more efficient, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, FAO said. more..

Aug 20 (TM) Health Ministry warned that prolonged exposure to direct sunlight amid the prevailing high temperatures could result in a range of heat-related illnesses and, in severe cases, even death. Speaking at a media briefing on the El Nińo weather conditions, Community Health Specialist Dr. Inoka Suraweera said the prevailing temperatures could cause skin rashes, muscle cramps and other heat-related conditions. more..

Aug 20 (Island) SL exporters have been urged to step up preparations to comply with new European Union packaging regulations that could have significant implications for continued access to the lucrative EU market. The European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which entered into force in Feb 2025, began applying generally from Aug 12, 2026. The regulation introduces binding requirements covering recyclability, recycled plastic content, more..

Aug 20 (Island) World leader Rumesh Tharanga and newly crowned European champion Julian Weber will headline a stellar field expected to produce one of the highlights of the Lausanne Diamond League 2026 on Friday. It will be the first meeting this year between the SL champion and the German thrower, from whom Tharanga took the world No. 1 ranking earlier this month. ‎Weber enters the spotlight after an impressive performance at the European Championships, where he crossed more..

Aug 20 (FT) As Sri Lanka moves beyond economic stabilisation, the next challenge is turning policy direction and reform into sustained economic progress. With stabilisation no longer the only priority, attention is increasingly turning to what comes next—how to sustain growth, build competitiveness and translate reforms and investment into lasting economic progress. This will be among the key questions at the SL Economic and Investment Summit 2026 (SLEIS 2026) more..

Aug 20 (TM) Sri Lankan real estate has the opportunity to serve the middle-income segment of Maldivian diaspora looking for affordable housing, as there is a market gap within the Maldivian real estate market, Maldivian Islamic Bank Chief Business Officer Hammaad Rasheed Hussein said, speaking on a panel hosted by Research Intelligence Unit (RIU) recently. “For normal middle income level families affordability or eligibility is actually on the diminishing side. more..

Aug 20 (ST) Lengthy queues at the entrance to the Minneriya National Park during this peak tourism season have raised concerns among tourists and safari operators over delays that cut into visitors’ time inside the park, as industry stakeholders call for a more efficient digital ticketing system to ease congestion. Safari operators say the manual ticketing and verification process results in waits of up to two hours during busy periods, more..

Aug 20 (FT) Private sector welcomed the launch of SL’s new interim tourism promotion, but called for rapid expansion to more source markets, stronger partnerships with tour operators and airlines, and rigorous monitoring of campaign performance. Speaking at the launch event yesterday, SLAITO President Nalin Jayasundera described the initiative as the need of the hour, noting the industry had waited too long for a coordinated int'l marketing campaign. more..

Aug 20 (FT) Brandix was the Main Partner for the discussion around Social at CATALYZE 2026, reinforcing its commitment to placing people at the heart of sustainable progress. Hosted by the UN Global Compact Network SL in Colombo recently, CATALYZE 2026 convened business leaders, practitioners, and change-makers to explore how organisations can advance sustainability with greater purpose and impact. The opening day focused on the social dimension of sustainability, more..

Aug 20 (Island) Sri Lanka has introduced simplified immigration procedures to facilitate the voluntary return of SL refugees living in India, removing key legal and administrative hurdles faced by those who left the country without valid travel documents during the North-East conflict, Parliament was told. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament that the move followed a Cabinet decision to allow returnees to re-enter SL, more..

Aug 20 (DN) SL head coach Gary Kirsten praised young left-hander Sonal Dinusha after his impressive performance in the first Test against India, where he scored his maiden Test century and followed it with 84 in the second innings. “He played some very exciting Test cricket. It is very encouraging to see him handle pressure at such a young age. It is also a challenge for him, but he has shown that he can perform in difficult situations,” Kirsten said at the post-match press briefing more..

Aug 20 (FT) Bank of Ceylon (BOC) is to raise up to Rs. 10 billion through a Basel III-compliant Additional Tier 1 (AT1) Bond issue, as the State-owned lender seeks to strengthen its capital adequacy, liquidity position, and asset base. The bank’s Board of Directors has approved an initial issue of up to 50 million unsecured, subordinated, and perpetual AT1 Bonds to raise Rs. 5 billion, with an option to issue a further 50 million Bonds at the bank’s discretion in the event of oversubscription. more..

Aug 20 (EN) Japan Int'l Cooperation Agency (JICA), with Kandy Municipal Council (KMC), has conducted an environmental conservation initiative ahead of the Kandy Esala Perahera 2026. This included the provision of source-segregated waste collection bins and environmental awareness signboards, as well as a city-wide clean-up campaign aimed at promoting sustainable waste management and strengthening public awareness of environmental conservation. more..

Aug 20 (ISland) Kelani Valley Plantations (KVPL) has launched an exclusive collection of single-origin artisanal and specialty teas, each produced from tea grown on an individual estate. The limited-edition range highlights the distinct characteristics of Ceylon Tea from different growing environments and marks KVPL’s renewed focus on estate-specific, value-added tea production. A pioneering member of the Hayleys Group, KVPL has built the limited-edition portfolio for tea lovers who value rarity and more..

Aug 20 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism announced launching a Rs. 1.5 billion interim tourism promotion campaign covering six priority markets, as the Govt seeks to revive long-delayed international destination marketing ahead of a larger global campaign planned for March/April next year. Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe said the interim public relations (PR) and digital campaign would run from Aug 2026 to Apr 2027, more..

Aug 20 (Island) Sustaining humanism in a more power de-centred, polycentric and pluralistic international order emerges as a principal question from a thought-provoking public lecture that was delivered in Colombo recently. The fact that yesterday was World Humanitarian Day lends immense topicality to the poser. The main speaker was Prof. Amitav Acharya, Distinguished Professor of International Relations at the American Uni, Washington D.C. and more..

Aug 20 (SO) For nearly eight decades, Sri Lanka’s economic journey has resembled a Sisyphean tragedy. Time and again, the island nation has pushed the heavy boulder of structural reform towards the peak of modern prosperity, only to watch political cowardice, partisan violence, and reckless policy reversals roll it back down to the baseline. Today, as Prez Dissanayake navigates the post-bankruptcy landscape under an IMF EFF, the shadow of this history looms large. more..

Aug 20 (GV) Last month, a video showing Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe removing the microphone of a private television channel while saying, Remove this, brother was widely circulated. A single incident cannot by itself establish that media freedom in SL is under threat. However, it raised a fundamental question: who determines the terms of engagement between those in power and the media? Who is recognised as a journalist? Who should have the authority to define the professional standards more..

Aug 20 (ST) Things do happen unexpectedly in this day and age. I mean, shouldn’t we have one eye open for flying drones and other weapons of mass dispute (WMD) since we have helped that Trump-crazy administration come closer to our increasingly sensitive territorial waters? Perhaps somebody should take note of the rising number of high-ranking US military personnel who congregated on our small island, particularly in the early days of the Trump-Netanyahu military foray in Iran and more..

Aug 20 (DN) The Asian elephant is considered an auspicious animal and signifies good fortune. They were used as one of the four-fold armies (chariots, elephants, cavalry and infantry) throughout history. The association of elephants with Buddhism dates back to the beginning of Buddhism. Elephants are associated with the stories of the life of Noble Buddha such as the conception of Prince Siddhartha and featured in a number of Jataka tales. more..

Aug 20 (Island) Ongoing political battles have eclipsed the unfinished economic war. The JVP-NPP govt is in overdrive to amend the Constitution to raise the mandatory retirement ages of the judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. With its approval rating dropping, the govt is apparently trying to consolidate its grip on power through politico-judicial means instead of intensifying its focus on developing the economy and granting the public much-needed economic relief. more..

Aug 20 (DM) European Union has outlined a set of recommendations for SL to comply with in order to continue its preferential access to the EU market under the GSP+ trade programme post-2028. Among the main recommendations are repealing the PTA in place of a law in line with international standards, amending or repealing the Online Safety Act, a formal moratorium on the death penalty, and enacting anti-discrimination laws & decriminalisation of consensual same sex relations. more..

Aug 20 (SO) Aswesuma programme was introduced by the Govt as a lifeline for SL’s most vulnerable families, providing much-needed financial support to those struggling to meet their basic needs. But an investigation into the Norwood DS has now uncovered startling allegations that more than Rs. 16 million of these welfare payments may have been siphoned away from the very people the scheme was designed to help. more..

Aug 20 (DM) For decades, Sri Lanka sat at an agonisingly strategic crossroads in the Indian Ocean, acting as a vital maritime trade route and a fertile transit hub for international drug cartels. The roots of this national crisis run remarkably deep into our history. During the long years of the LTTE conflict, northern coastal stretches like Velvettithurai, Point Pedro and Mannar were routinely exploited by contraband smuggling networks moving across the narrow waters of the Palk Strait. more..

Aug 20 (CT) I was introduced to the bits and bobs of SL’s legal system at a very tender age when other children were just learning to hold a cricket bat or throw a ball at the batsman. My father was a constant litigant (cf. constant gardener) who had unstinted faith in, and undwindling respect for, the legal system. He had earned a good living in the Mediterranean Las Palmas island in the 1920s and 30s, and as a result owned quite a few extents of land & houses, once I counted up to sixteen. more..