Aug 5 (DM) The Govt will continue to prioritise investment in education despite Sri Lanka's economic challenges, Additional Secretary to the PM A.B.M. Ashraf said, stressing that the country's future depends on developing its human capital. Speaking at a ceremony where 50 Lenovo laptops were distributed to outstanding G.C.E. A/L students, Ashraf said Sri Lanka has never reduced spending on education, health and human development, even during periods of severe economic hardship. more..

Aug 5 (NW) The Court of Appeal has rejected revision applications filed by three individuals, including former Minister of Cooperative and Internal Trade Johnston Fernando, and ordered that the High Court cases against them continue. The allegations concern the misuse of employees of the Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) for non‑official duties, with salaries and overtime allowances paid from CWE funds, causing losses of nearly Rs. 60 million to the Govt. more..

Aug 5 (NW) The Department of Examinations has announced strict prohibitions on conducting tuition classes and related activities during the upcoming 2026 G.C.E. A/L Examination and the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination. For the A/L Exam, scheduled from August 10 to Sept 5 at 2,532 centres, all tuition classes, subject‑related lectures, seminars, workshops, and the printing or distribution of model question papers were banned from midnight yesterday until the end of the exam. more..

Aug 5 (NF) Bar Association of SL (BASL) has expressed strong concerns regarding the actions of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, sending him a letter over a request made to the Speaker to facilitate a meeting with Members of Parliament on issues relating to the extension of the retirement age of judges without obtaining the Association's prior approval. In a letter addressed to the Speaker on Aug 2, Sajith Premadasa had informed that the BASL had been invited to Parliament at 3 p.m. on Wednesday (5) more..

Aug 5 (Island) Sri Lanka abstained as the UN General Assembly voted to extend Volker Türk’s term as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, one of only 13 countries out of 167 to decline to take a position on the future of the official who has continued to press SL over accountability for alleged wartime atrocities. Assembly extended Türk’s mandate for a second four-year term, from October 2026 through 2030, by 144 votes to 10, with the extension proposed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. more..

Aug 5 (DN) The Govt has launched an ambitious initiative to develop Delft Island into SL’s first Zero-Emission Eco-Tourism Destination, marking a significant step towards promoting sustainable tourism while preserving one of the country’s most unique natural and cultural landscapes. The proposal was discussed during a special site inspection and stakeholder consultation led by Deputy Minister of Tourism Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, who said more..

Aug 5 (NW) Sri Lanka and India today exchanged agreements on INR‑denominated Lines of Credit worth USD 350 million, forming part of the USD 450 million reconstruction package extended by India in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. The agreements were signed following a meeting between visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo. The agreements will support reconstruction, infrastructure development, and procurement requirements more..

Aug 5 (EN) Govt is set to re-call Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the long-delayed Dedduwa Lake-Based Tourist Resort Development Project in Bentota, after previous investment proposals failed to clear financial evaluations, PM Harini Amarasuriya told parliament. The proposed initiative aims to transform 694.54 hectares of acquired inland territory into an eco-friendly integrated lake resort featuring floating accommodation, water sports, nature activities, and agri-tourism programs to more..

Aug 5 (CI) Anchor Sports AB, a Stockholm-based sports ownership group co-owned by former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan and businessman Nagendra Siddoutam, has acquired Lanka Premier League (LPL) franchise Jaffna Kings. The team will now be rebranded as Anchor Jaffna Kings. Anchor Sports AB's step-in returns the team to a structured environment. It had been under the emergency regulatory control of SLC and the LPL rights holders Innovation Production Group since July 23, more..

Aug 5 (Island) A vibrant celebration of Korean culture, the Eoullim Sri Lanka K-Culture Festival, is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 29 August, at the Bishop’s College Auditorium in Colombo. The event, themed Freshly Baked Peaches, aims to bring a new wave of Korean cultural experiences to the island, crafted with a local touch. The festival is jointly organised by Far East University of the Republic of Korea and IDM Nations Campus International (IDMNC), Sri Lanka, more..

Aug 5 (NW) The Supreme Court today ordered that a fundamental rights petition filed seeking to postpone the upcoming GCE A/L Examination be dismissed without being taken up for hearing. The petition had been submitted by five students scheduled to sit for the examination for the first and second time. 2026 G.C.E. A/L Examination is set to be held from Aug 10 to Sept 5, 2026. The petition was taken up before a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena. more..

Aug 5 (NW) MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam today questioned why state‑owned banks apply harsh recovery laws against small borrowers while allowing politically connected and wealthy defaulters owing billions to remain untouched. Raising the matter in Parliament through a Standing Order 27(2) Question addressed to the Minister of Finance, MP noted that ordinary citizens who default on modest loans face swift enforcement through Parate Execution and other mechanisms, with homes, businesses & vehicles seized. more..

Aug 5 (DM) A young woman who drew widespread attention on social media after performing a dance with a python during a New Year beauty pageant has been fined Rs. 50,000 by the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court. The man who allegedly rented the protected reptile to her for money was also fined Rs. 100,000. Case followed an investigation launched by the Department of Wildlife Conservation's Colombo District Range Forest Office in Bellanwila after videos of the performance circulated widely on social media. more..

Aug 5 (NW) Sri Lanka has blocked access to 24 illegal online gambling websites operating without the required licences, the Ministry of Digital Economy announced. The move was carried out by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of SL (TRCSL), which directed all telecommunications service providers to block access to the websites with immediate effect. Action follows a request from the Gambling Regulatory Authority, operating under Ministry of Finance, more..

Aug 5 (NF) The Colombo High Court today ordered that the case filed against former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa and two other accused be taken up again on September 28. The matter was called before Colombo High Court Judge Raveendra Premaratne. When the case was taken up, former State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, former Acting Director General of the Office for Reparations Sepalika Saman Kumari, and Keerthi Bandara Kotagama appeared before court. more..

Aug 5 (AD) SL athletes Rumesh Tharanga and Palitha Bandara, who brought glory to the country by winning gold and silver medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, arrived at the BIA today. Rumesh Tharanga secured the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event, while Palitha Bandara won the silver medal in the men’s para discus throw event at the Commonwealth Games. SL contingent arrived in the country via Dubai on Emirates flight EK-650, which landed at the BIA at around 4:50 p.m. more..

Aug 5 (AD) Former Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam has been arrested by the CIABOC over allegations of misusing employees recruited to the Office of the President’s Senior Advisor for personal work. CIABOC officials arrested the former minister today after he appeared before the commission to record a statement pertaining to the incident. According to the CIABOC, four employees recruited to the Office of the Prez’s Senior Advisorduring Kariyawasam’s tenure more..

Aug 5 (AD) Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has conducted raids on a total of 471 pharmacies islandwide so far this year as part of special operations to ensure consumer health safety, resulting in fines exceeding Rs. 2.2 million. According to the CAA, a total of 362 pharmacies were raided and investigations were carried out between Jan 1 and June 30, 2026, while a further 109 pharmacies were raided during a special programme conducted on Aug 3 and 4, with 86 violations detected. more..

Aug 5 (DM) Retired Consultant Community Physician Dr. Harsha Suranga Fernando, who has been appointed as the new Governor of the Central Province, was sworn in before President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today at the Presidential Secretariat. Dr. Fernando has served as an immunisation specialist with the World Health Organization (WHO) in several countries and previously worked as a Consultant Community Physician for the Kandy District. The swearing-in ceremony was held more..

Aug 5 (FT) Sometimes the most powerful measure of a nation's health isn't the one we notice. When conversations turn to the economy, most of us instinctively think about the rising price of groceries, the value of the rupee against the dollar, interest rates, or whether more jobs are being created. These are the figures that dominate television debates and newspaper headlines. Economists also rely on measures such as GDP, inflation, unemployment, exports, public debt, and foreign reserves more..

Aug 5 (FT) In July 2026, the World Bank re-classified Sri Lanka as an upper-middle income country with a per capita income of Rs. 1.6 million. Again, according to the World Bank, Sri Lanka had a poverty rate of 22.1% in 2025. Its poverty line was set at Rs. 16,690 in March 2026. This means over one-fifth of Lankans earn just Rs. 205,000 per year. In a country with an annual per capita income of Rs. 1.6 million, one-fifth of the population earn just Rs. 205,000 a year. more..

Aug 5 (DM) Two suspects, including the son of the owner of a well-known gate manufacturing and motor vehicle importing company, were ordered to be remanded till Aug 5 by Colombo Additional Magistrate over allegations of evading taxes amounting to millions of rupees through the import of luxury vehicles and raw materials for the construction sector. Suspects, Achini Dias, an employee of the company and Athila more..

Aug 5 (NW) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake chaired a pre-Budget discussion on the Ministry of Justice and National Integration on Tuesday, reviewing the progress of projects funded under the 2026 Budget and setting priorities for the 2027 Budget. The meeting focused on improving the justice sector through infrastructure development, institutional reforms, prison modernisation and enhanced forensic capabilities. Here are 11 key takeaways: more..

Aug 5 (Island) The govt will soon decide whether to continue with Army and Navy deployment at Keppapilavu and Vadduvakkal, respectively, in the former LTTE bastion in Mullaitivu. Authoritative military sources confirmed the ongoing discussions regarding the military presence in the two locations. Sources said so in response to The Island query over Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekera chairing a high level meeting at the Mullaitivu Divisional Secretariat where the focus was more..

Aug 5 (DN) Eight people have died, and one remains missing as floods and landslides swept across nine districts following days of heavy monsoonal rain, DMC said. A total of 4,088 people from 1,045 families have been affected, with three people injured and 1,902 people currently in safe locations. Of the reported deaths, one occurred on August 3 when a mound of earth fell on a 65-year- old man in Nawalapitiya. more..

Aug 5 (FT) Ministry Consultants Procurement Committee (MCPC), the selected consultancy firm will be responsible for providing consultancy services for the establishment of the investment platform. Ministry said interested consultancy firms must demonstrate experience in at least three national-scale or equivalent consultancy assignments completed during the past 10 years. Firms are also required to submit details of similar assignments, experience under more..

Aug 5 (NW) Dialog Axiata has relaunched its e-Kunu electronic waste management programme in partnership with the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), allowing the public to hand over designated electronic waste at Dialog outlets across the country. The initiative was officially launched on Monday at the CEA, alongside the signing of a MoU between the two organisations. Under the programme, Dialog will accept a range of electronic waste items, including mobile phones, laptops, chargers, more..

Aug 5 (TM) Govt Radiological Technologists' Association (GRTA) warned that it would be forced to withdraw from extra-duty work unless the Health Ministry revised extra-duty payments for Professions Supplementary to Medicine (PSM) staff, which it said had remained unchanged since 2004. GRTA President Chanaka Dharmawickrama said that successive Govts had failed to revise the extra-duty payments paid to PSM staff for more than two decades despite repeated requests more..

Aug 5 (DM) Only two reservoirs under the Irrigation Department were reported to be spilling as of 12.30 pm today (4), while the average storage capacity of the country's 73 major reservoirs remained at 39.3%. The dept said the Ambewela Reservoir in Badulla District, a major reservoir on the Mahaweli Ganga, is spilling through one overflow section. Bomuruella Reservoir, also located in Badulla District on the Mahaweli Ganga, was reported to be spilling through three overflow sections. more..

Aug 5 (TM) Information has been received regarding possible disturbances at two or three more prisons, and the Prison authorities have been instructed to remain on high alert and take all necessary preventive measures, Justice Minister, Harshana Nanayakkara said. He said the Justice Ministry had already alerted Prison officials after concerns emerged that the recent Prison violence could spread to other prisons. more..

Aug 5 (NW) SJB MP Ajith Perera today (4) called on the Chief Justice to appoint a full 11-member Supreme Court bench to hear any legal challenge against the proposed Bill to increase the retirement age of judges. Speaking in Parliament, Perera argued that the proposed amendment could not be enacted solely with a two-thirds majority in Parliament and would also require approval at a referendum. He said constitutional provisions relating to judicial independence, including more..

Aug 5 (Island) Three individuals were injured in a clash between two groups of political rivals outside the Patha Hewaheta Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) yesterday. The injured are receiving treatment at the hospital there, Thalathuoya Police said. Gamini Rajanayake (SJB), who served as the Chairman of the PS recently resigned from his post, and the election of a new Chairman was scheduled to take place yesterday. However, the PS could not elect a Chairman for want of a quorum. more..