Aug 9 (ST) Before taking power, the NPP seemed to have understood the problems embedded in the country’s prison system, going by the contents in its election manifesto A Thriving Nation, a Beautiful Life. But two years on, instead of any meaningful steps being taken to put the system in order, the situation has worsened inside prisons with uprisings by inmates in several facilities within the past three weeks and fears that more..

Aug 9 (DM) The Mahanayake theras of the three Chapters have written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns on extending the retirement age of judges, Mahanayake of Malwathu Chapter Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sri Sumagala Thera told a group of civil organisation leaders who met him today. Representatives of the Free Lawyers movement, Dinana Dakuna met the Mahanayake Thera in Kandy today. more..

Aug 9 (AD) The 2026 Grade 5 Scholarship Exam is scheduled to be held today at 2,723 examination centers across the island. A total of 294,089 students are expected to sit for this year’s Scholarship Exam, which will commence at 9.30 a.m. A total of 220,366 students are sitting for the exam in Sinhala medium, while 73,723 students are sitting in Tamil medium. Dept of Examinations has advised students to arrive at their examination centers at least one hour before the exam begins, more..

Aug 9 (TM) Govt has called for quotations to purchase 20 body cameras for the protection of prison officers, according to Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara. A further Rs. 13.7 million has been allocated to purchase 150 riot helmets, 300 batons, and 300 riot shields, with steps underway to call for quotations, Minister said in Parliament, as authorities moved to strengthen security across the prison system following more..

Aug 9 (TM) India has handed over another consignment of Bailey bridges to SL as part of its $ 450 million reconstruction and rehabilitation assistance package launched following Cyclone Ditwah. The latest consignment, weighing around 251 MT, was handed over on Thursday by Indian Deputy HC Maitrey Kulkarni to Deputy Minister Upali Samarasinghe. Bridges will be installed by an Indian Army Engineer Task Force at locations identified by RDA & provincial road dev. authorities. more..

Aug 9 (ST) The proposed bill, titled the 22nd Amendment to amend the Constitution, provides for the increase of Court of Appeal judges from 19 to 25, including the President of the Court of Appeal. A separate bill seeks to increase the number of High Court judges from 100 to 120, while the retirement age of both High Court judges and all other judges, including magistrates, is to be increased to 62. The bill, published by the Minister of Justice to amend the Judicature Act, more..

Aug 9 (TM) The Govt is seeking Cabinet approval to establish special digital transformation units within Government entities as a mechanism to fast-track digitalisation. Ministry of Digital Economy Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala said that a Cabinet paper would be submitted seeking approval to establish the units. “There will be a Cabinet paper. We are going to get Cabinet approval to set up some specialised digital transformation units within Govt entities. more..

Aug 9 (TM) Sri Lanka is set to improve the accuracy of its fishing ground forecasts through a data-sharing agreement with the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), as the current system achieves an accuracy of only 50–60%. Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Secretary Kolitha Jinadasa said that while the NARA currently operated a satellite-based potential fishing ground forecasting system, its accuracy stood at only 50–60%. more..

Aug 9 (ST) Mismanagement, shams and bad debts in certain companies over the past two decades have forced regulators like Central Bank of SL (CB), Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), and Ministry of Finance to revoke licenses, order asset sales and compulsory winding-up orders. Hela Apparel Holdings, a SL multinational apparel manufacturer, is the latest company more..

Aug 9 (NW) SL Police stated that the groups responsible for initiating clashes at the Kuruwita, Pallansena, and New Magazine prisons, where incidents of unrest were reported recently, have been identified. Dept of Prisons stated that necessary measures are being taken, including transferring the identified inmates to other prisons. Clashes broke out at the Kuruwita, Pallansena & New Magazine prisons on Aug 6 and 7. Three inmates lost their lives in the incidents, more..

Aug 9 (NW) The Derana Colombo International Kite Festival 2026 will be held at Galle Face Green on August 9, bringing together international and local kite flyers for one of Sri Lanka’s largest cultural and tourism events. Organisers said 80 international kite flyers from 30 countries have been invited for this year’s festival, while more than 1,500 Sri Lankan kite flyers are expected to participate. The main festival will run from 1.00 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., followed by what organisers say more..

Aug 9 (Island) The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SGCCI), Surat, India, renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), reaffirming a commitment to strengthening business engagement between Sri Lanka and Gujarat. The renewed MoU was signed by Krishan Balendra, Chairperson of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, and Ashok Jirawala, President of SGCCI, during the visit of an SGCCI business delegation to Colombo. more..

Aug 9 (SO) SL businesses must adopt faster and more efficient Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms, including commercial mediation centres, to address the growing number of business disputes as the economy expands, Attorney General (AG) Parinda Ranasinghe Jr. said this week. The AG said on the sidelines of the Corporate Mediation Pledge Ceremony in Colombo, that economic growth naturally leads to a higher volume of business contracts and, consequently, more..

Aug 9 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has paid a settlement of USD 164,000 (Rs. 55 mil), to former SL Head Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe after he agreed to withdraw legal proceedings at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the termination of his contract in 2019. Settlement brings an end to a long-running legal dispute that began when SLC terminated Hathurusinghe’s contract, citing disciplinary more..

Aug 9 (AD) SL’s official reserve assets saw a notable recovery in July 2026, increasing by USD 133 million. This marks a 2.1% growth from the previous month, bringing the total reserves to USD 6,591 million by the end of July. The reserves had previously stood at USD 6,458 million at the end of June 2026. A primary driver of this growth was the foreign currency reserves component, which rose by USD 96 million (1.5%) during the month, climbing from USD 6,263 million to USD 6,359 million. more..

Aug 9 (ANI) India and Sri Lanka today reviewed bilateral cooperation in the power sector at a meeting in New Delhi. Indian delegation was led by Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Manohar Lal, while the SL delegation was led by Minister of Ports, Civil Aviation and Energy Anura Karunathilake. The Ministers reviewed the progress of ongoing bilateral initiatives, including the proposed India–SL HVDC interconnection and the Sampur Solar Power Project. more..

Aug 9 (ST) Charith Asalanka, Eshan Malinga and Thomas Rogers lead Galle Gallants to their maiden title as the team representing the South dethroned Jaffna Kings comprehensively by 5 wickets to crown themselves as the kings of Lanka Premier League 2026 in an anti-climax low-scoring final at the R. Premadasa Int'l Cricket Stadium in Colombo yesterday. Chasing a modest target of 124 for their first win after three failed finals against more..

Aug 9 (ST) Roshan Gunawardana, President of Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB), was suspended by the Executive Committee of SLB on Aug 6, following a series of allegations relating to Irregularities, Non-Compliance, Governance Procedures and Misconduct committed during his tenure. Gunawardana, who was elected on May 24, 2025, for a two-year term, replaced Rohan de Silva. However, his tenure has been marred by controversy, with the latest development more..

Aug 9 (SO) Over 4,000 local and top international competitors are set to participate in the Colombo Marathon 2026, which will be held on September 13 in Colombo. Designed to position Sri Lanka on the global sports tourism map, the Colombo Marathon 2026 aims to create an annual international sporting platform that brings together elite athletes, local runners and communities while showcasing Colombo as a vibrant destination for world-class sporting experience. more..

Aug 9 (CI) A serene century from Devdutt Padikkal led India's response, as they ended day two of their tour match against a SL Cricket XI (SLCXI) trailing by just six runs with one wicket in hand - though three batters had been retired out. Padikkal, who had retired out upon reaching his century, returned late in the day to stay unbeaten on 142 off 164 deliveries, alongside him was Gurnoor Brar, who showed off his hitting chops with under-the-cover-of-dusk 36 off 18, inclusive of four sixes. more..

Aug 9 (Island) A midterm electoral setback is something any govt will do everything in its power to avert. In countries like Sri Lanka, govts can postpone some elections arbitrarily to avoid defeat, but their counterparts in other countries, such as the US and India, are not that lucky. US President Donald Trump’s Republican party is expected to suffer a setback in the upcoming midterms, and India’s ruling BJP has been defeated at a byelection in one of its strongholds. more..

Aug 9 (ST) To a question in the Indian Parliament this week on the arrest of fishermen by the SL Navy, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar disclosed that 119 Indian fishermen have been arrested so far this year and 17 of their boats seized. He said there were 526 arrests in 2025 and 317 in 2024. He said that the govt of India attaches the highest priority to the safety, security and welfare of Indian fishermen and has been consistently more..

Aug 9 (TM) Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage is firmly of the opinion that SL’s cricketers are blessed with the innate ability to win at least one more ODI 50-over and a T20I World Cup in the foreseeable future, saying that it is more of a batting game than a bowling game. He said that their underwhelming performances on the field across all formats of the game in the recent past was also a result of the questionable governance style of the previous Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) administration. more..

Aug 9 (Island) Two weeks after their first gathering in Colombo, on July 13, the six political parties of the ‘Tamil speaking people’ had an audience with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday (3) last week. The meeting was far more informal than all the structured discussions of the past that led to pacts, agreements and constitutional amendments – involving the state and the Tamil speaking people. Yet there is something mildly historic about this powwow that may turn out to be more..

Aug 9 (ST) The govt’s insistence on hurrying through a constitutional amendment to extend the retirement age of judges with a deadline in mind, notwithstanding snowballing opposition to the move, seems to have got mired in a related issue – prison riots. Both issues coupled have catapulted the country’s legal system into the forefront of the national discourse. Recent prison riots in Negombo and Mahara spread this week to Welikada, Kuruwita and Pallansena, prompting Prez to summon more..

Aug 9 (SO) Motorcycles and to a lesser extent, three wheelers are the main modes of transport for thousands across SL, mainly because most people cannot afford to buy even the cheapest car, which costs around Rs.5 million. On the other hand, one can purchase a good quality brand new motorcycle for less than Rs.700,000 and a three wheeler for less than Rs.2 million. Around 30,000 motorcycles are registered per month in SL, which far exceeds the number of motor cars and more..

Aug 9 (CT) From decisions by the Cabinet to offer the green light for the publication of the draft 22nd Constitutional Amendment Bill and the Judicature Amendment Bill to strengthen the independence of the Judiciary by improving the Court system through increased efficiency with reducing the backlog of cases already pending in the system, to a seeming breakdown of the Govt’s administrative arms especially in the prison systems, more..

Aug 9 (ST) My dear Pujith and Hemasiri, I am writing to you at a time when I am not even certain that you will be able to read this, being as you are, in custody. The decision to send you to the gallows last week came as a shock to most people, even though it is well-known that it will not be carried out. Still, it could lead to a life behind bars. Please don’t get me wrong, this is not being critical of the verdict itself. Those who sit in judgment base decisions on the facts presented to them, more..

Aug 9 (CT) Hemasiri Fernando, the former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence (and not Defence Secretary), and Pujith Jayasundera, the former Inspector General of Police, both indicted over alleged crimes of negligence in not trying to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, were acquitted in 2022 by a trial-at-bar court of three judges. They have now been sentenced to death by another trial-at-bar court of different three judges. The acquittals were unanimous. more..

Aug 9 (TM) Nearly two years into office, President AKD and his JVP-led NPP Govt are confronting what could become the defining constitutional battle of their administration. What began as a judicial reform initiative intended to strengthen the independence of the Judiciary and tackle a backlog of more than one million pending court cases has instead evolved into a fierce debate over constitutional propriety, judicial independence more..

Aug 9 (TM) There is a saying – a modern take on an old Roman complaint – that the closer an empire drifts towards collapse, the more deranged its laws become. The line is often mistaken for a direct quotation from Tacitus, but its root is real: in the Annals, the historian observed that the more corrupt the republic, the more numerous its laws. He was not being poetic; he was describing a mechanism. Functioning states govern through a handful of durable principles. more..

Aug 9 (CT) The death of three inmates and 25 injured in the riots that swept across the Magazine, Kuruwita and Pallansena prisons over the week calls for immediate government intervention to ensure that the situation is not allowed to continue to disrupt the prison system and ensure the safety of those within. The Govt reports that, according to its preliminary investigations, the disturbances were linked to underworld connections and narcotics-related activities. more..