Aug 8 (FT) A prisoners’ rights group has appealed to the United Nations to intervene over a wave of unrest in the country’s prisons, alleging human rights violations and calling for independent investigations, while the Govt said it was taking action against those behind what it suspects is a coordinated conspiracy. The Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) wrote to UN Resident Coordinator in SL more..

Aug 8 (FT) SL Export Development Board (EDB) is stepping up efforts to unlock the country’s vast graphite potential by promoting value addition, expanding international market access, and strengthening partnerships with leading industry players. As part of this initiative, EDB officials recently undertook a field visit to witness the complete graphite mining and processing operations of Bogala Graphite Lanka, one of the world’s leading producers of premium natural vein graphite. more..

Aug 8 (FT) Parliament’s Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development on Wednesday ordered a comprehensive assessment of losses caused by 19 shipments of substandard coal supplied to SL between Jan and July, widening the scope of an earlier estimate that put losses from nine shipments at Rs.8.5 billion. Committee Chairman SJB MP S.M. Marrikkar this week said all 19 shipments received from the same South African supplier during more..

Aug 8 (Island) Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament that the recent unrest, reported at several prisons across SL, appeared to be organised acts of sabotage and part of a possible conspiracy, based on the pattern and timing of the incidents. Minister said disturbances had recently been reported at Negombo, Mahara, Magazine, Kuruwita and Pallansena prisons, with preliminary investigations indicating that more..

Aug 8 (DM) Galle Gallants stormed into the LPL 2026 final with a six-wicket victory over Colombo Kaps in Qualifier 2 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday. Chasing 177, Galle reached 177/4 in 18.4 overs, with Sam Harper leading the chase with a superb 77 off 51 balls. Charith Asalanka added 59 off 42 deliveries, with the pair sharing a match-winning 126-run partnership for the second wicket. Earlier, Colombo Kaps recovered from a difficult start to post 176 in 18.5 overs. more..

Aug 8 (NW) SSP Shani Abeysekara was officially promoted to the rank of DIG on Friday, following an order issued by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) in May. Promotion was granted with retrospective effect from Aug 25, 2020, in accordance with the AAT’s ruling. Tribunal had directed National Police Commission to promote Abeysekara after concluding an inquiry into an appeal he had filed several years ago. The ruling instructed that the promotion be granted more..

Aug 8 (Island) A Parliamentary Select Committee, tasked with reviewing election-related laws, has appointed an expert panel to examine proposals for electoral reforms, submitted by individuals and organisations. The decision was taken at a recent Committee meeting held at Parliament, under the chairmanship of Minister Prof. A.H.M.H. Abayarathna. Committee is mandated to review laws relating to elections, excluding those governing Provincial Council elections, and more..

Aug 8 (Island) A leopard seriously injured after being caught in a wire snare at Stoneycliff Estate, in Kotagala, has been rescued in a painstaking overnight operation and is responding well to treatment at the Randenigala Wildlife Office, wildlife sources said. Opposition Leader Sajith Premada said that the the animal, believed to have struggled for hours after being trapped, was safely rescued through the coordinated efforts of officers of Dept of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), more..

Aug 8 (Island) More than 34,000 members of Sri Lanka’s Tri-Forces had resigned under two general amnesty programmes introduced over the past five years, Parliament was told on Wednesday. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, responding on behalf of the Minister of Defence to questions raised by NDF MP Chamara Sampath, disclosed the current strength of the armed forces and the number of personnel who left service more..

Aug 8 (FT) Consumer sentiment lifted, though marginally, for a second consecutive month in July, offering an early indication of stabilisation after fluctuations during the first half of 2026, according to Prosoft Research and Insights. Consumer Sentiment Index rose to 80 in July from 79 in June, marking its second successive monthly increase since May and the first gradual stabilisation over two consecutive months since January. Prosoft said the movement was aligned with the CCPI, more..

Aug 8 (Island) Professor Wimal Dissanayake, SL’s first professor of mass communication and a pioneering scholar in Asian communication theory, has died in Hawaii, at the age of 86. Born on Sept 6, 1939, in Kurunegala, Dissanayake was an alumnus of Trinity College, Kandy. He completed his undergraduate studies at Uni of Peradeniya before pursuing postgraduate studies at Uni of Pennsylvania and Uni of Cambridge. Leading figure in development of mass comm. studies more..

Aug 8 (FT) SL’s high-value manufacturing and export sector received a significant boost yesterday with the official opening of the $ 20.4 million state-of-the-art manufacturing facility of Asahi Dyes and Chemicals SL Ltd at the Biyagama Export Processing Zone (BEPZ). Developed through a strategic partnership between Asahi Dyes and Chemicals Co, Ltd, of Japan and Asons Ltd, of SL, the project represents a $ 20.4 million foreign direct investment, creating 281 direct employment opportunities more..

Aug 8 (FT) Govt has moved to block access to 122 unauthorised online gambling and betting websites with immediate effect, widening regulatory action against unlicensed operators targeting users in SL. This is a sharp increase from 24 blocked earlier this week. Gambling Regulatory Authority, which operates under the Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ministry, has taken action under the Gambling Regulatory Authority Act, No. 17 of 2025 against the 122 websites for providing more..

Aug 8 (NF) Recent disturbances within SL’s prison system appear to be linked to growing resistance against the govt’s intensified campaign against drug trafficking and organized crime, according to Minister Harshana Nanayakkara. Speaking on the escalating tensions inside prisons, Minister said the pattern emerging from recent incidents suggests a backlash against operations being carried out against more..

Aug 8 (DN) SL sport entered a new era with the official launch of the Lanka Rowing League (LRL), SL’s first-ever franchise-based rowing competition. Unveiled at a press conference at the Colombo Rowing Club, the new league will transform one of the country’s most historic sports into a fast-paced, city-based championship built around elite competition, team identity and passionate rivalry. Inaugural LRL will feature six franchises representing Kandy, Sigiriya, Mirissa, Trinco, more..

Aug 8 (NW) Railway Dept is moving ahead with several major infrastructure projects, including the proposed extension of the Kelani Valley (KV) railway line to Ratnapura, suburban railway electrification and the procurement of new train sets, Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena said. Feasibility study for extending KV line from Avissawella to Ratnapura is currently underway and is expected to be completed by Dec. Detailed designs & procurement will follow once study is finalised. more..

Aug 8 (FT) SriLankan Airlines has decided to explore Africa as a new market, and there is low-hanging fruit, the carrier’s head says, while noting excess staff and the need for a quick decision on a uniform, wide-body fleet for operating agility. Dimal Arandara, confirmed as chairman in early June, also reported a group loss of Rs 13.676 billion in the financial year 2025-2026, when legacy loans, bonds, finance costs & exchange losses more..

Aug 8 (FT) Colombo stock market yesterday ended the week on the up on improving sentiment from easing tensions in the Middle East and subdued movement in oil prices. During the week, ASPI gained 1.14% and S&P 20 was up 0.81%. Yesterday, ASPI ended up 0.47% or 100.42 points at 21,370.09 and S&P SL20 gained 0.28% or 16.66 points to 5,988.16. Market turnover was nearly Rs. 1.9 billion on over 122.2 million shares traded. Foreign investors were net sellers on a net outflow more..

Aug 8 (FT) The National Chamber of Exporters of SL (NCE) recently undertook a regional visit to the Northern Province as part of its ongoing efforts to connect member exporters with regional enterprises and support export-related business opportunities across the country. The visit brought together an NCE delegation consisting of 20 member exporters and service providers for a series of business meetings and knowledge-sharing sessions held in Trincomalee and Jaffna. more..

Aug 8 (FT) The Board of Investment of SL (BOI) marked Environment Day with an awareness and action program held at the BOI auditorium, where Director General Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardena called on BOI staff to treat environmental protection as a daily discipline rather than a once-a-year observance. Addressing officials, Dr. Jayawardena said environmental and production challenges could not be resolved overnight, and that lasting progress depended on sustained, incremental effort. more..

Aug 8 (Island) In the misty highlands of Nuwara Eliya, where generations of estate workers have bent over tea bushes from dawn to dusk, a quiet revolution is taking root. A single machine, placed in the hands of a tea plucker, is rewriting decades old rules about what a day’s labour can earn, and who gets to earn it. Berendina Development Services (Guarantee) Limited (BDS) is a Sri Lanka based non profit, community development organization dedicated to poverty alleviation, more..

Aug 8 (FT) India still has considerable catching up to do with SL on per capita income despite its rise as an economic power, Geopolitics Expert Prof. C. Raja Mohan said, pointing to the two countries’ sharply different income levels. “We talk about rising India, but we have a long way to go. In fact, we might have a long way to go catching up with SL. SL has a $ 5,000 per capita. India is still at $ 2,800.” Speaking at Lanka India Business more..

Aug 8 (SO) The trial over the alleged abduction of journalist, political cartoonist and columnist Prageeth Eknaligoda in Aug 2009 resumed at the Homagama High Court on Tuesday (July 28), with a key prosecution witness identifying several accused before Court. Sumathipala Suresh Kumara alias Thavendran, also known as Murali, the fourth prosecution witness in the case, testified before the High Court amid tight police and STF security. The trial before the Homagama HC involves more..

Aug 8 (Island) Ever Since the body blow received in 2022, when the consumer tariff was raised by 225 % , at the demand of the IMF, SLelectricity consumers have been waiting for any hope of the continually increasing trend of consumer tariff to ease. In spite of some minor reductions at the periodic reviews, their sorry plight has been that of overall increase as shown below . In recent months there has been two such increases in quick succession, blamed on the war in the Middle east as shown below. more..

Aug 8 (Island) It never rains but it pours. A wave of copycat prison riots is spreading fast, showing a contagion pattern. Security has been beefed up at all prisons across the country, we are told, but it has not helped prevent violence. Negombo Prison riot claimed 32 lives including those of 10 officers in early July. Then came the Mahara Prison violence, which left one inmate dead. Yesterday, an inmate succumbed to his injuries sustained during a riot at New Magazine Prison on Thursday night. more..

Aug 8 (DM) It’s possible that the people who funded the film Abhisaari, now in select theatres, wanted to get a message across. The writer/director delivered without falling into the preachy trap. He made a film about imperfect people living their imperfect lives (as the heroine says) the best they could. For an Adults-Only film about sex work, it was remarkably free of the nudity and the titillation associated with that label. Abhisaari was a window to another world for me, just like the foreign films more..

Aug 8 (CT) The illegal trade in Elephant trafficking in SL has caused more harm than good, as many Elephants have died while in the care of their untrained owners and handlers. Environmentalists continue to fight for the freedom of Baby Elephants snatched away from their mothers, from the wild and forced into a life of cruel captivity. Many illegally captured Elephants were taken away on Court Orders and placed under the care of more..

Aug 8 (TM) The debate over the Govt’s proposed constitutional amendment to extend the retirement age of judges — from 65 to 67 in the Supreme Court (SC), 63 to 65 in the Court of Appeal (CA), and by two years in the lower courts — has reached a defining moment. In response, BASL, led by President, Rajeev Amarasuriya, along with several news commentators, have raised strong objections. They frame the proposal as a hasty political move that threatens independence of the courts. more..

Aug 8 (SO) The world is changing at an unprecedented pace in human history. Every day brings another technological breakthrough. Emerging technologies are transforming industries, geopolitical conflicts are reshaping global markets, climate change is disrupting livelihoods and economic uncertainty has become the new normal. A handful of technology entrepreneurs accumulate unimaginable wealth, one individual has even crossed the trillion-dollar threshold, while more..

Aug 8 (CT) In May 2026, Ceylon Today reported that questions remained over the status of the USD 1 billion interim compensation ordered by SL’s Supreme Court in the X-Press Pearl case. Environmental law expert Dr. Ravindranath Dabare, had raised concerns over whether the compensation had been disbursed. While there has been no public update confirming the payment, what remains factual is that Ceylon Today found more..

Aug 8 (ST) Junya Ishigami is sitting in one of the most emblematic Bawa spaces in Colombo: the architect’s own Bagatalle Road house where exotic Balinese sarongs form a tapestry on the wall with a bronze antique Buddha and a sculpted Bo-leaf reminiscent of the one from the Osaka World Expo, redolent of Geoffrey Bawa at his most intimate – cosmopolitan but local – deceptively simple but full of rich allusions to many, many cultures… It seems a world away from Ishigami’s own architecture more..

Aug 8 (CT) To chart the trajectory of modern SL governance is to witness a democracy fundamentally haunted by its own antiquity. For decades, a complicit political class has labored under the illusion that rewriting state texts could tame the ghost of authoritarianism. Yet, despite the modern veneer of parliamentary debate, SL cannot boast about centuries of decentralized power. Right throughout her history, she was ruled by a monarch. That ancient power dynamic has not only more..