Aug 2 (ST) Tucked in between the Amalgamation of Department of Social Services, the National Secretariat for the Elders and the National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities and Conducting the Regional Dialogue for East and South Asia Regions of Green Climate Fund in the list of Cabinet decisions issued on Tuesday by the Dept of Govt Info. was Cabinet Decision No. 12. The proposal, presented by Justice Minister more..

Aug 2 (TM) Govt is in the final stages of negotiations with India on the proposed renovation of the Kankesanthurai (KKS) Port, with feasibility studies, design, and other major technical decisions completed. Deputy Minister Janitha Kodithuwakku said that the MOU governing the project was still under negotiation between SL and India. “MOU with India is still at the negotiation stage right now,” he said. Kodithuwakku confirmed that physical construction work on the project had more..

Aug 2 (ST) Visitors from Taiwan travelling to Sri Lanka on tourist and business visas will be required to produce a sponsorship letter from a local sponsor under newly revised visa regulations. Official said that requiring such a sponsorship letter is part of the new upgrades made under the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system. Earlier, visitors from Taiwan were only required to produce a landing endorsement form to obtain a Sri Lankan visa, but under the new regulations, more..

Aug 2 (AD) The state of unrest that that prevailed at the Mahara Prison has now reportedly been brought under control. The incident began yesterday evening (01) following a dispute between inmates and prison officers, resulting in a tense situation within the prison premises. Seven inmates sustained injuries during the unrest and were admitted to Ragama Hospital for treatment. One of the injured inmates later succumbed more..

Aug 2 (DM) Minister Bimal Ratnayake says the govt's Metro bus service will be expanded to Jaffna and Kandy before the end of this year, with a fresh fleet of buses set to enter service in the coming weeks. 121 Metro buses have been acquired from China and several other countries, and are currently undergoing legal procedures, including registration, before being deployed. The buses are expected to be put into public service by the end of August once the necessary documentation is completed. more..

Aug 2 (DM) In the wake of former IGP Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando being sentenced to death for failing to prevent the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila claimed that similar or even stronger charges could be brought against Public Security Ministry Secretary Ravi Seneviratne and CID Director Shani Abeysekara. Gammanpila said that while the two convicted officials did not have the earliest opportunity to learn of more..

Aug 2 (Island) Eight suspects have been identified in connection with the abduction, assault and murder of a Chinese national following a clash between two groups at the Colombo Port City, police said. Three of the suspects had fled the country shortly after the incident, while three others believed to be in SL were evading arrest. Overseas travel bans have been imposed on the suspects. Two suspects have been arrested at the BIA, and legal proceedings have already been initiated against them. more..

Aug 2 (FT) Colombo Port has handled 4,444,034 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) during the first six months of 2026, representing an 11.9% increase compared to 3,972,053 TEUs handled during the corresponding period in 2025. Transshipment continued to be Port’s main business, accounting for 84.7% of total container throughput. Transshipment volumes increased by 12.6% over the corresponding period of the previous year, while domestic container volumes recorded a healthy growth of 8.3%. more..

Aug 2 (ST) Sri Lanka is executing a sweeping, structurally aggressive overhaul of its Public Investment Management (PIM) framework, on the eve of the 2027 Budget, representing a structural pivot from economic stabilisation to aggressive growth. Anchored by the strict enforcement of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Act, the administration has shifted its approach from post-crisis economic stabilisation toward more..

Aug 2 (Island) A newly constructed Colombo Port Health Office, aimed at strengthening SL’s public health infrastructure and emergency preparedness, was inaugurated on July 28 at the Port of Colombo. The facility, designed by Design Consortium International (DCIL), was constructed through a grant from the Government of Japan and implemented by International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN agency. Officials said the new facility marks an important step in enhancing more..

Aug 2 (CT) A total of 80 officers attached to the Attorney General’s Department have resigned from service between 2016 and 2026, according to reports. The highest number of resignations was recorded in 2022, when 17 officers left the department. The figures show that four officers resigned in 2016, five in 2017, nine in 2018, three in 2019, five in 2020, two in 2021, 17 in 2022, 15 in 2023, 13 in 2024, and six in 2025. One officer has resigned so far this year. more..

Aug 2 (Island) Kandy Royals cricket team captain Angelo Mathews and members of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) franchise participated in a series of events organised by their primary sponsors, Kelun Lifescience and Celogen, including the foundation stone-laying ceremony for a new manufacturing complex for cancer treatment drugs. The Kandy Royals team, one of the prominent franchises in the LPL, visited the pharmaceutical manufacturing facility located at Pallekele Export Processing more..

Aug 2 (TM) Sri Lanka currently has sufficient rice stocks, with paddy production already exceeding the country’s annual requirements, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne claims. This, despite growing concerns over the potential impact of El Nińo-related weather conditions on cultivation. “We generally require around 2.4 million MT of rice annually. A production that exceeds that requirement is already available in the country,” Karunaratne said. more..

Aug 2 (TM) Sri Lanka is expected to face an electricity shortfall of around 450 MW by Jan 2027 as prolonged dry weather linked to the anticipated El Nińo event reduces hydropower generation, prompting authorities to fast-track Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) through a proposed Feed-in Tariff (FIT) mechanism instead of the lengthier competitive procurement process. National System Operator (NSO) Chairman Pradeep Perera more..

Aug 2 (FT) Govt is preparing tax, regulatory and procurement reforms, including changes to venture capital taxation, capital mobility and public procurement, as it seeks to support a target of generating $ 5 billion in digital exports by 2030. Speaking at the national validation workshop on SL’s proposed digital export roadmap yesterday, Digital Economy Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne and GovTech SL Chairman and Chief Adviser to Prez on Digital Economy Hans Wijayasuriya outlined more..

Aug 2 (FT) Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of SL (FCCISL), under the leadership of its President, Dr. Rohitha Silva, together with the Board of Directors and FCCISL State Affairs Committee Chairman Ruwan De Silva extended its warmest congratulations to SL Export Development Board Chairman and CEO Mangala Wijesinghe, and the entire EDB team on the significant achievement of Sri Lanka’s total exports surpassing $ 9 billion during the first half of 2026. more..

Aug 2 (ST) Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage created history on Friday night, striking the gold medal in the Men’s Javelin Throw at the 23rd Commonwealth Games, battling against a star-studded field as well as tough weather conditions at the Scotstoun Stadium. Competing against a loaded field of two Olympic champions, World Championship winners and the defending Commonwealth Games champion, more..

Aug 2 (Island) We are all familiar with the story of the farmer who killed the goose that laid the golden eggs. When you have a product capable of bringing lasting fortunes, you protect it, nurture it and allow it to grow. Lanka Premier League is that goose. SLC should be looking after it, not strangling it. A series of poor decisions has robbed the LPL of much of its glamour. The board is still in the process of building the tournament into a strong commercial property, yet some of its top executives more..

Aug 2 (TM) The Cricket Transformation Committee (CTC) of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), during its monthly interaction with the media on Tuesday, announced a series of development initiatives aimed at improving aspects such as coaching, umpiring, pitch preparation, and player advancement across the nation. Addressing the media, the CTC’s Sidath Wettimuny, who heads its cricketing arm, stated that they had prioritised three crucial areas in recent weeks – coaching, curating, and umpiring. more..

Aug 2 (SO) President, Football Federation of SL (FFSL) Jaswar Umar was unanimously elected as the Vice-President of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) at the SAFF Executive Committee Meeting in Thimphu, Bhutan yesterday. Umar also serves on the FIFA Grassroots Football Committee & Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Development Committee, further strengthening Sri Lanka’s presence in international football administration. more..

Aug 2 (Island) The NPP govt has walked into a judicial storm of its own making. It seems determined to bulldoze its way through the storm, use its two-thirds majority in parliament to amend the constitution, and extend by two years the retirement age of the sitting and future Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges, as well as that of all lower court judges. The idea of extending the retirement age of senior court judges is an ill-advised short term political fix to a problem that more..

Aug 2 (ST) A recent audit examination into financial statement and other legal and regulatory requirements of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for the year 2025 has raised serious concerns over transparency, competitiveness and possible conflicts of interest in several major projects, including the installation of a new floodlight system at the R. Premadasa Stadium, construction work at the A'pura District Cricket Association more..

Aug 2 (SO) President, Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) Bimal Wijayasinghe said that they would launch an effective program with the consent of all stakeholders in preparation for the upcoming Asian Games and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA. Q: What actually led to the resignation of the national athletics selection committee? A: I think there were two or three points that they had stated in their resignation but most likely the inclusion of an athlete to more..

Aug 2 (Island) JVP-NPP govt is painting itself into a corner by trying to increase the retirement ages of the superior court judges through a constitutional amendment amidst protests from various reputable organisations, representing lawyers, judges, civil society outfits and religious leaders. Bar Association of SL (BASL) is leading the battle against the govt’s politically motivated efforts to extend the retirement ages of the judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. more..

Aug 2 (ST) My dear Uncle Ranil, Sajith and Namal baby, I wanted to write to you after seeing you at the same gathering, called by Sajith at Namal Baby’s insistence, to oppose the proposal to increase the retirement age of those who sit in judgment. It was amusing to see almost the entire opposition in one room fighting what they claimed was a just cause. You three were the main players present but anyone who was someone in the opposition was there. Chamara put it best, saying said Anura more..

Aug 2 (ST) The govt launched a fresh campaign to instil integrity into public servants this week with an oath-taking ceremony on top of an earlier one taken on New Year’s Day and now part of a national drive for A Culture of Integrity – Clean SL. Unfortunately, the timing was such that the govt’s own integrity came into question when it rammed through the Cabinet a controversial proposal to extend the age limit of superior court justices in the face of protests and accusations from the Bar & Bench alike, more..

Aug 2 (ST) Cabinet decision to lease residences designated for the use of Presidential houses in Bentota, Kataragama, Mahiyanganaya, Embilipitiya & A'pura to private investors on a long-term basis for tourism development projects has raised concerns in some quarters. Former MP Charitha Herath, referring to the decision, says repurposing historically significant state buildings for commercial use should not be treated merely more..

Aug 2 (CT) The death sentence issued by a 3-judge Trial at Bar on the former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and former IGP Pujith Jayasundara on Friday for criminal dereliction of duty in their failure to act on prior intelligence warnings relating to the Easter Sunday attacks has shaken the country to its core. Judgment delivered on two of the country’s topmost law enforcement officers had the prosecution argue on the grounds that their negligence in acting upon more..

Aug 2 (FT) An ancient Sinhalese poem reads “මරණ තුනක් ඇති මිනිසෙක් පැණි කෑය : A man facing 3 risks of death ate honey.” Will the regime in governance have to face the attendant socio-economic challenges and Mud on its Face due to the Inaction of Law Enforcement and Prosecutors? Sri Lanka faces the under noted risks because of Irregular Transfers/Loss of Forex Resources of Sri Lanka, all witnessed over the one or more recent years: 1. Risks of SL being downgraded more..

Aug 2 (TM) As Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and JVP-led NPP Govt enter a more politically demanding phase, it is becoming increasingly clear that the country’s post-crisis recovery will be judged not only by economic indicators but also by the administration’s ability to navigate complex political and institutional challenges. Having largely steered the country through the immediate aftermath of more..

Aug 2 (TM) There is a question about the proposed extension of the retirement age of SL’s superior court judges that the Govt has not adequately answered and perhaps should answer before it proceeds any further. What happens if a future govt decides to do exactly the opposite? Suppose a future govt inherits the precedent now being created and decides that, instead of extending the retirement age of judges, it would reduce it. Suppose the retirement age is lowered from 67 to 60, or more..

Aug 2 (SO) The present phase of the Gaza conflict started on Oct 7, 2023 when Hamas, which de-facto controls the Strip, launched a pre-dawn attack on Israel, killing around 1,200 civilians and abducting another 250, including a few military personnel. Israel retaliated almost immediately afterwards, launching wave after wave of air and drone attacks that have so far killed 75,000 Gaza residents, most of whom were civilians. The highly disproportionate Israeli response has been described as more..