Aug 19 (Island) Opposition MPs, led by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, staged a protest in Parliament yesterday against the tabling of the draft 22nd Amendment and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill, with some MPs describing the proposed changes as a threat to democracy. “Today marks the death of democracy in this country,” SJB leader Premadasa said. Protest triggered a heated exchange in the House more..

Aug 19 (NW) Cabinet has approved a proposal to sign a tripartite MoU to expand cardiac and thoracic surgery services at the National Hospital of SL by using facilities at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Univ (KDU) Teaching Hospital. The proposal was submitted by the Minister of Health and Mass Media, with the agreement to be entered into by the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Health and KDU. KDU Teaching Hospital has modern facilities, advanced medical equipment more..

Aug 19 (FT) Sections of the print, electronic and related media, have given extensive coverage to reports of alleged transfer from SL, of substantial payments effected to foreign exporters of goods, alleging further that no goods had come into the country, without any verification by the investigators, either directly or through the banks, of the goods exported to Sri Lanka, in respect of the payments received by them. President’s Counsel M.M. Zuhair in a statement yesterday said more..

Aug 19 (FT) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa yesterday disclosed that a total of Rs. 74 billion has allegedly been transferred overseas through 89 bank accounts in 10,151 transactions as part of an Undiyal money transfer operation involving the suspected illegal movement of around $ 1 billion. He said the transactions were uncovered during an investigation into the alleged illegal transfer of funds out of Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 19 (NF) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa says delays in obtaining legal advice from the Attorney General’s Dept, including in the case involving former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, are largely linked to institutional capacity constraints and a heavy workload within the department. Responding to concerns that the Wickremesinghe case remains pending due to the absence of the AG’s advice, Minister stressed that while the Govt can support institutional reforms, it will not interfere with more..

Aug 19 (NW) Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has warned that Sri Lanka could face another severe economic challenge from the end of 2028 unless the country builds its foreign exchange reserves to around US$15 billion. Speaking at the launch of former minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya’s book Yudha Dekakata Ura Dee in Colombo, Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka’s next major challenge would begin when debt repayments resume after 2028. more..

Aug 19 (FT) Jaffna is set to get its tallest residential building with Tilko Blue Ocean Holdings Ltd., signing an agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) for the development of the 78-unit Yarl Royal Palace. The BOI said the project, located at No. 107, Kandy Road overlooking the historic Old Park, is envisioned to become the tallest residential landmark in Northern Sri Lanka and establish a new benchmark for high-rise residential development in the region. more..

Aug 19 (NW) SL Police has urged passengers using taxi services to take precautions to protect themselves from theft, robbery and intimidation, including verifying vehicle and driver details and sharing their live location with trusted contacts. ASP F.U. Wootler said the advisory was issued amid reports of crimes allegedly involving taxi drivers or individuals assisting passengers through taxi services. He urged passengers to ensure that the vehicle they hire is a properly regulated more..

Aug 19 (FT) Govt’s proposed 22nd Amendment faces an immediate test before the Supreme Court and further resistance in Parliament, after several petitions were filed within hours of its tabling yesterday challenging the extension of retirement ages of superior court judges, including those currently in office. The anticipated legal challenges, including petitions by SJB, BASL office-bearers, Prof. G.L. Peiris & Free Lawyers Movement more..

Aug 19 (FT) Tourism Ministry has appointed Suranjith Wewita as the new Chairman of the SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) with effect from yesterday. Wewita officially received his letter of appointment yesterday from Minister Vijitha Herath. A seasoned professional with extensive experience in the banking and tourism sectors, Wewita brings to the position a broad background in financial management, trade union leadership and tourism entrepreneurship. more..

Aug 19 (FT) SL’s next phase of economic integration with India will require more than another trade agreement: it will demand political champions, stronger negotiating capacity, institutional continuity and a willingness to confront vested interests, according to a high-powered panel at the India Calling forum organised by the Lanka India Business Association (LIBA) recently. The panel brought together former Foreign Secretary Prasad Kariyawasam, former BOI Chief Thilan more..

Aug 19 (FT) The Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) successfully concluded its 39th Annual Conference, held on 11 and 12 Aug at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo, under the theme Envisioning Sri Lanka: Beyond Recovery. Held under the patronage of OPA President Jayantha Gallehewa, with the leadership and guidance of OPA President-Elect and 39th Annual Conference Chairman Tisara De Silva, Conference brought together leading professionals, academics, more..

Aug 19 (AD) The govt has launched a programme to purchase quality paddy from farmers through small and medium-scale rice mill owners and cooperative societies as part of the 2026 Yala season paddy purchasing programme. The initiative is aimed at ensuring farmers receive a fair price for their harvest under the govt’s guaranteed price policy, while making rice available to consumers at affordable prices and strengthening the small and medium-scale rice milling sector. more..

Aug 19 (FT) Colombo District land values rose by 5.9% year-on-year (YoY) in the first half of 2026, extending their post-crisis increase but at a markedly slower pace than during the height of SL’s economic crisis in 2022-23. The CB Land Valuation Indicator (LVI) increased to 271.6 in 1H 2026 from 256.4 a year earlier, with all three categories recording what the Central Bank described as moderate YoY increases. more..

Aug 19 (FT) HSBC will scale up its Clean Waterways project, a public -private partnership launched in Jan 2026 to help restore Beira Lake, a key urban waterway in the heart of Colombo. The expansion will be delivered through a series of programs aimed at reducing incorrect waste disposal at source, supported by community -based education and a youth empowerment initiative. The expanded program will introduce two connected components: a Nature Literacy and a Green Enterprise more..

Aug 19 (SM) Organised crime figure Kankanamage Dimuthu Chathuranga Perera, alias Samithapura Chathu and Modara Chathu, has been brought back to SL from Oman this morning (18). He was brought from Muscat, Oman, to Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), after being arrested in Oman by a team of CID officers. The individual, who was wanted under an Interpol Red Notice, has been handed over to the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) under tight security for further investigations. more..

Aug 19 (NW) Sri Lanka is moving closer to testing electric flying taxi technology, with Civil Aviation Authority of SL (CAASL) adopting a fast-track programme aimed at establishing the country’s first electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) regulatory sandbox. CAASL said it has adopted proposals presented by EHang Intelligent under the company’s Global Fast-Track Programme, with a target of achieving initial more..

Aug 19 (EN) SL signed a US$ 200 million loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to implement a five-year post-Cyclone Ditwah reconstruction and livelihood support project. This financial assistance will also support to finance the rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads damaged by the cyclone with enhanced climate resilience within the period of 2026-2030. The loan agreements were signed at the Treasury in Colombo on Tuesday by Harshana Suriyapperuma, more..

Aug 19 (FT) SL’s banking sector recorded a slower increase in willingness to lend during the second quarter of 2026 amid tighter monetary conditions following the policy tightening in May, CB’s latest Credit Supply Survey showed. The survey, covering Licensed Commercial Banks and Licensed Specialised Banks, found that banks’ willingness to lend increased across the retail, corporate, small and medium enterprise (SME) and State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) sectors during the quarter, more..

Aug 19 (FT) JAT Holdings recorded Group revenue of Rs. 3.04 billion for the quarter ended 30 June 2026, representing a 34% year-on-year increase, supported by growth across both its SL and international operations. Local revenue increased by 8% to Rs. 1.83 billion, while revenue from foreign operations increased by 110% to Rs. 1.21 billion. Gross profit increased by 29% to Rs. 1.07 billion, while gross profit margin moderated from 37% to 35%, reflecting higher input costs more..

Aug 19 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers approved entering into a revised agreement with Maga Engineering Ltd, for Rs. 25.58 billion (including value of completed work and payable amounts, but excluding contingencies, taxes, and daywork) for the completion of remaining construction work of Sethsiripaya Stage III. Urban Development Authority (UDA) initiated the Sethsiripaya Stage III project to meet the growing demand for administrative office space in the Govt and semi-Govt sectors. more..

Aug 19 (CI) The top order as a whole has never come close to producing the kinds of runs Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, and TM Dilshan used to bring to the table. It has been more than ten years since they retired. SL's opening partnership stats have suffered substantially since the exit of Dimuth Karunaratne, the last SL Test cricketer to reliably make the annual ICC XI. And on the spin front, SL are weaker than more..

Aug 19 (GV) Plastics have plagued SL for decades. Since it was first introduced here in the 1940s, its innocent beginnings and promises of convenience have mutated into something quite sinister. Today, SL drowns in close to 1.6 million metric tons of plastic waste a year. For the last decade, the govt has tried to tackle this plastic cancer. But while the country has been issued repeated bans and restrictions, the enforcement behind them has often been inconsistent, under-resourced and more..

Aug 19 (ST) Has the govt – even with its formidable two-thirds majority in Parliament – bitten off more than it could possibly chew in stubbornly pursuing its declared aim to extend the retirement age of judges? Why has it thought fit to take arms against an impressive array of opposition forces that stand poised for battle rather than see the people’s liberties enshrined in the constitution defiled? Or to put it simply, has the govt gone off its rocker and thought it could take on these influential more..

Aug 19 (Island) The JVP-NPP govt has ignored sane counsel, thrown caution to the wind and let the genie out of the bottle. It presented the 22nd Constitutional Amendment (22A) Bill and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill to Parliament yesterday. Several petitions challenging 22A have already been filed before the Supreme Court (SC), which is required to communicate its determination to the Speaker within three to 21 days after considering such petitions. Ironically, the tabling of 22A coincided with more..

Aug 19 (Island) The 1950s saw the fruits of free education reach the university. SLFP-led govt, formed in 1956, transformed what had been reserved for a privileged few into a right for all who qualified by declaring that all who met the eligibility requirements should be entitled to a university education. The transformation was significant. Uswatte-Aratchi’s (1974) shows that while the student body in 1950 was almost exclusively from English-speaking backgrounds, more..

Aug 19 (SO) The Tissa Vihara in Thaiyiddy, Jaffna again became a topic of contention lastweek, amid claims that a road is to be constructed through the land belonging to the Buddhist temple. Last year, Sunday Observer published a detailed investigation examining the site’s history and the legal ambiguities surrounding it. Yet, it appears that certain groups continue to fuel tensions by circulating misinformation and more..

Aug 19 (SO) “The Duraiappah Stadium isn’t just brick and mortar. It’s a symbol of optimism and economic development,” Indian PM Narendra Modi said in 2015 while opening the renovated Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna. Modi’s visit to Jaffna was itself historically significant, as it marked the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Northern Province. Modi’s statement reflected the nature of India’s engagement with Northern Sri Lanka in the immediate post-war period. more..

Aug 19 (DM) There is much talk about referendums today, and it takes me back 44 years to Sri Lanka’s first, and so far only, national referendum, held in Dec 1982. President J. R. Jayewardene (JRJ) called it to extend the life of Parliament by another six years. The political circumstances were very different from today: the govt wanted the referendum, while the opposition strongly opposed it. But the statistics and constitutional arguments tell only part of the story. more..

Aug 19 (TM) That was how Veddah Leader Uruwarige Wannila Aththo summed up his community’s situation, addressing the gathering to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples at the Indigenous Peoples’ Heritage Museum in Dambana on 9 Aug. Reflecting on 28 years of leadership, Wannila Aththo said the day had been used to bring together representatives from villages including Rathugala, Henanigala, more..

Aug 19 (CT) NPP govt gazetted the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution on 7 Aug 2026. The Bill was tabled in Parliament on 18 Aug and is currently under debate. The proposed Amendment seeks to: (1) raise the retirement age of Supreme Court judges from 65 to 67 and Court of Appeal judges from 63 to 65; and (2) increase the maximum number of Court of Appeal judges from 19 to 24. In response to mounting pressure, the govt has also proposed raising the retirement age of judges more..

Aug 19 (DM) The brutal assault and abandonment of a four-year-old girl in Wattegama by her mother last week is part of a broader, recurring pattern of abuse rather than an isolated incident. The mother of the child along with her paramour had brutally assaulted the girl at home, inflicted her with burn injuries with a lighter, and subjected her to repeated cruelty before abandoning her on a side road in Wattegama. Dropping a child of only four years old in a place 36 km away from her home, more..