Mar 12 (NF) Former Director of the State Intelligence Service, Retired Major General Suresh Salley, who is currently detained under the PTA, is facing allegations that are directly connected to the Easter Sunday attacks, Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara stated. He noted that these matters do not relate to dereliction of duty or any other unrelated issues, but concern direct links to Easter Sunday bombings. more..

Mar 12 (AD) LAUGFS Gas PLC has announced an increase of domestic LPG cylinder refill prices with effect from midnight today (11). Accordingly, the price of a 12.5 kg domestic LPG cylinder has been increased by Rs. 300, raising the new price in the Colombo District to Rs. 4,630, from the previous price of Rs. 4,330. Meanwhile, the price of a 5 kg LPG cylinder has been increased by Rs. 120, bringing the new price to Rs. 1,862, compared to the previous price of Rs. 1,742. more..

Mar 12 (FT) Economic Monitoring Committee convened on Tuesday to closely monitor the potential economic fallout from the escalating conflict in the Middle East and to assess risks and discuss urgent policy responses. The Committee, established on a Cabinet proposal submitted by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, had reviewed the possible impact of the volatile global environment on the country’s economy and explored measures required to stabilise markets and more..

Mar 12 (DN) One-time Power & Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka accused the NPP Govt of having dealt a devastating blow to the country’s energy security and the people’s economy. Speaking to the media in Colombo at a briefing organised by the joint Opposition, Ranawaka said the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) has presented a very systematic investigative report on the environmental and financial damage more..

Mar 12 (FT) All Ceylon Bakery Owners Association (ACBOA) has raised concerns over growing difficulties in obtaining key energy sources including diesel, petrol, kerosene, and gas, warning that the situation is affecting bakery operations across the country. ACBOA Chairman N.K. Jayawardena urged the Govt to introduce a mechanism to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies for the sector. Despite the challenges, Jayawardena said bakery owners do not expect to increase product prices at present. more..

Mar 12 (FT) Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake convened a special meeting with senior port officials, terminal operators, and representatives of global shipping lines to review measures to ensure uninterrupted operations at the Port of Colombo amid developments in the Middle East. The discussion brought together the authority’s top management with shipping industry stakeholders, including terminal operators, shipping agents, and more..

Mar 12 (DN) Royal College, Colombo and S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia renew their historic rivalry in the 147th Battle of the Blues, the annual three-day cricket encounter which begins today at the SSC. The match, played for the D.S. Senanayake Shield, carries a proud tradition, and both teams will be eager to produce competitive cricket and push for a decisive result over the three days. Royal, led by Rehan Peiris, field a well-balanced side and appear to hold a slight more..

Mar 12 (FT) Sri Lanka is further strengthening its global trade partnerships in preparation for Sri Lanka Expo 2026, the country’s flagship international trade exhibition scheduled to be held from 18–21 June 2026 at the BMICH. As part of these effort, a high-level delegation led by Minister Sunil Handunneththi, together with Ministry Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara, EDB Chairman and CEO Mangala Wijesinghe held a series of discussions with foreign diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka more..

Mar 12 (Island) Former ITAK MP M.A. Sumanthiran, PC, has reiterated that there must be no compromise on the demand for the complete repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). He has warned that the abolition of the PTA should not be tied to the introduction of a new legislation. The ex-MP commented on the issue amidst continuing debate over a proposed new Anti-Terrorism Bill that govt intends to introduce, more..

Mar 12 (DN) Colombo will enter the arena once again from June 19 to 21 as the SL Padel League (SLPL) returns to Padel House for a second season that signals the rapid rise of franchise padel in the region. Following a breakthrough inaugural year, SLPL 2026 arrives sharper, stronger and more ambitious — with expanded media coverage, enhanced broadcast production and, for the first time, int'l player participation. In just its 2nd year, SLPL 2026 cements Sri Lanka as more..

Mar 12 (DN) The govt has decided to establish a GovTech institution to replace the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) operating under Ministry of Digital Economy to provide a more efficient digital technology service. The aim of this reform is to accelerate the digital transformation process in SL and increase the technological efficiency of the public sector. With this aim, moves are under way to establish an institute called GovTech, which replaces ICTA, more..

Mar 12 (NW) ‎The Institute of Human Resource Advancement (IHRA) of Uni of Colombo has called for applications for two academic programmes offered free of tuition fees for the 2026 intake, University officials said at a media briefing. ‎The 3-year Bachelor of Labour Management (BLM) and the one-year Diploma in Labour Education (DLE) offered by the IHRA are designed for individuals with work experience who wish to pursue higher education while continuing employment. more..

Mar 12 (Mirror) ‎A man exposed himself after assaulting two members of staff at a hotel for asylum seekers, a court has heard. Sukirthan Thangrasha, from Sri Lanka, is on trial at Portsmouth Crown Court for one count of exposure after the incident at Highfield House Hotel in Southampton on Aug 15 2025. The jury was told that the 38-year-old, who was assisted in court by a Tamil interpreter, had previously pleaded guilty to two charges of assault against two members of staff. more..

Mar 12 (Island) ‎Restructuring the electricity sector must be carried out with extreme caution to avoid undermining the stability and operational integrity of the national power system, a senior electrical engineer has warned. The engineer, attached to the CEB, said that while reforms aimed at improving efficiency and governance in the power sector are necessary, they should not be implemented in a manner that weakens more..

Mar 12 (FT) Suren Chandraratna has been appointed Chairman of the Chamber of Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE) at its AGM. The AGM, held on Tuesday, was graced by Prez, MPs, the diplomatic corps, senior Govt officials, and distinguished guests from the private sector. Leading entrepreneurs, industry figures, and members of the Chamber were also present to celebrate the COYLE’s achievements and outline the path forward for the organisation and the wider more..

Mar 12 (ST) The day to day lives of those living in Puttalam district are affected as more ash particles have been emitting from the Norochcholai Lakvijaya power plant in the past few days. They complained that the situation has been aggravated with the reported use of sub-slandered coal to generate electricity. They said the ash emitted from the coal power plant is spreading over a six mile radius as black and white smoke. The villages of Daluwa and Setha pola are the most affected with more..

Mar 12 (TM) Claiming that power sector trade unions are demanding a 40% salary increase, National Transmission Network Service Provider (NTNSP) warned that meeting the demand could force electricity tariffs up by nearly 100%. NTNSP Chairperson Nusith Kumaratunga, addressing a joint media briefing of the newly formed CEB successor companies, said the proposed hike would increase salary expenditure by more..

Mar 12 (NW) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has rejected claims made by former Minister Wimal Weerawansa that former State Intelligence Service Director Suresh Salley is being ill-treated while in the custody of the CID. Responding to the allegations, Jayatissa said that to his knowledge no complaint has been received regarding such conditions at the CID. Weerawansa had earlier claimed that Salley was being forced to sleep on newspapers, that rats were running over him and that poor sanitation more..

Mar 12 (FT) The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) has formally notified customers that its Retail Banking operations in Sri Lanka will transfer to Nations Trust Bank (NTB) from 1 May 2026, marking the final phase of the global bank’s exit from the country’s consumer banking segment. HSBC confirmed that accounts, credit cards, and retail loan portfolios will move to NTB following the completion of the sale of its Retail Banking business for Rs. 18 billion in Sept 2025. more..

Mar 12 (FT) Cabinet on Monday approved awarding of a Rs. 2.19 billion contract to Millennium I.T.E.S.P. Ltd, for the supply of an Oracle Exadata XIIM system and related software to SL Customs. The move follows an earlier decision taken at the Cabinet meeting on 21 Aug 2024 to initiate the procurement process to select a suitable agency for the supply of the system to SL Customs. Accordingly, bids were called under the national competitive bidding process, with three proposals received. more..

Mar 12 (CT) As of March 2026, the global economy is no longer operating on the predictable rhythms of the past decade. The escalation of conflict in the Middle East has sent shockwaves through the “energy arteries” of the planet. For oil-producing nations, the crisis manifests as a revenue decline due to disrupted logistics; for oil-dependent nations like SL, it is an existential threat driven by skyrocketing import costs. Oil is not just a commodity; it is the basic energy source more..

Mar 12 (FT) Sri Lanka’s manufacturing sector suffered an estimated Rs. 33.96 billion in economic losses following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah, which struck the country in late Nov 2025. It was noted that the bulk of the losses stemmed from damage to raw materials and inventory, which alone accounted for around Rs. 10.2 billion, while significant losses were also reported from revenue disruptions and more..

Mar 12 (Island) Recent humanly costly torpedoing of an Iranian naval vessel in SL’s Exclusive Economic Zone by a US submarine has raised a number of issues of great importance to int'l political discourse and law that call for elucidation. It is best that enlightened commentary is brought to bear in such discussions because at present misleading and uninformed speculation on questions arising from the incident are being aired by particularly jingoistic politicians of Sri Lanka’s South more..

Mar 12 (ST) Shortly after the avaricious and imperious Donald Trump launched his land- and assets-grabbing adventure, he set up a money-sucking organisation called the Board of Peace. He invited political leaders and money trees to contribute the very generous one billion dollars for a seat on the board intended to end the conflict in Gaza, not to mention other good deeds also, knowing what a good humanitarian man he is. If Mark Antony’s words in Julius Caesar more..

Mar 12 (TM) SL cannot rely indefinitely on its traditional revenue streams, particularly when they are exposed to global conflict. The war in the Middle East has once again demonstrated how vulnerable we are to external shocks. Tea exports face uncertainty as shipping routes and energy prices fluctuate. Remittances from migrant workers in the Gulf are exposed to regional instability. Tourism, though recovering, is sensitive to perceptions of insecurity and rising travel costs linked to more..

Mar 12 (Island) It is not possible to predict who will emerge victorious in the ongoing war in the Middle East or whether the conflict will end without a clear winner though US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have the world believe that they will surely be the winners. The US-Israel military power is doubtlessly far superior to that of Iran, but in a war of this nature, military might alone does not guarantee a clear victory. more..

Mar 12 (TM) In the light of SL’s continuous step forward in digitising the economy, Insurance Regulatory Commission of SL (IRCSL) confirms the ongoing nature of discussions with the Ministry of Health in the IRCSL’s vision to become South Asia’s first country to fully adopt international healthcare standards across the country and implement a unified electronic health record system that integrates both modern medicine and more..

Mar 12 (DM) In 1953, the CIA and the British MI6 together staged Operation Ajax, a coup which overthrew Iran’s democratically-elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, who nationalised Iran’s oil industry in 1951. This was done without Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s approval. The Pahlavi dynasty had ruled Iran since 1925, but power now lay with the parliament which gave Mosaddegh the green light to nationalise Iran’s oil industry. more..

Mar 12 (DM) SL’s prudent handling of the two Iranian warships – IRIS Dena, which sank off SL waters, and IRIS Bushehr, which was granted sanctuary – was a rare example of a small nation, not just, navigating a looming geopolitical conundrum, but also making political capital out of it, by playing safe and playing right in accordance with Int'l Law. At 5.08 in the morning of March 4, the SL Coast received a distress call from IRIS Dena, a Moudge-class guided missile frigate of the Iranian Navy, more..

Mar 12 (TM) SL’s indigenous Vedda community, believed to be among the island’s earliest inhabitants, continues to struggle with long-standing challenges linked to land rights, access to forests, cultural preservation, and the absence of representation in national-level decision making bodies. Spread across several Districts including Badulla, Monaragala, Ampara, Batticaloa, Trincomalee & Polonnaruwa, many of their more..

Mar 12 (DM) Sri Lankans are once again facing several crises in the aftermath of the intensified conflict in the Middle East. Fuel and gas price hikes are obvious outcomes of these tensions and it doesn’t only affect Sri Lanka. Global oil prices have surged, with Brent crude briefly exceeding $100-120 a barrel. It is said that the conflict threatens supply chain disruptions. But this is not the first time that SL experienced such shocks. In response, govts are considering measures to mitigate impact, more..

Mar 12 (GV) By the end of February, the window for public comments on Sri Lanka’s draft Protection of the State from Terrorism Act of 2026 (PSTA) was officially closed. This draft law intends to replace Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979 (PTA), the draconian counter-terrorism law currently in force that received significant criticism over decades for a range of concerns including its role in fuelling a significant number of torture cases. more..