Jul 21 (AD) A travel ban has been imposed on the daughter and the son-in-law of NDF MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena, based on a request made by the Walana Anti-Vice Unit today. Order was issued by the Matugama Magistrate’s Court. The order was issued in relation to the discovery of an illegally assembled vehicle in Matugama. Meanwhile, yesterday, the son of SJB MP Jagath Vithana, who was arrested by officers of the Panadura Walana Anti-Vice Unit yesterday, was remanded. more..

Jul 21 (DM) The upcoming education reforms set to be launched in 2026 will further increase the burden on students, Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said. He said that all education unions have consistently called for reforms, as the current system has become too overwhelming for students. "While a reform is urgently needed, what the government is now introducing is not new," he said. "These reforms have been circulating since 2018. more..

Jul 21 (DM) Medical specialists have expressed serious concerns regarding the circular issued by the Ministry of Health outlining guidelines for the purchase of drugs, surgical items, by state hospitals from third parties. The issuance of the new circular follows the multiple requests made by the medical specialists in light of recent allegations against senior neurosurgeon at the Sri J'pura General Hospital Dr. Maheshi Wijeratne, more..

Jul 21 (DM) Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, former Lanka Sathosa Chairman Nalin Fernando and former Chief of Staff of the SL Army, (Rtd) Major General Nanda Mallawaarachchi, were today granted bail by the Colombo High Court after being served with indictments in connection with another case related to the controversial carrom board transaction, though involving separate charges. Colombo Chief HC Judge Manjula Tilakaratne ordered the three accused to be more..

Jul 21 (DM) Minister K.D. Lal Kantha denied claims that a hotel owned by businessman Dudley Sirisena was spared from the govt’s programme to remove illegal structures from irrigation tank reservations. Minister dismissed recent allegations that the Parakrama Samudraya was excluded from this year’s clean-up initiative due to Sirisena’s influence. “These claims are baseless. The selection of reservoirs for this programme is handled by the Dept of Irrigation based on a transparent process more..

Jul 21 (MB) Bhathiya is a tusker whose towering presence once symbolized the majestic beauty of SL’s wild elephants. But his life took a tragic turn when he sustained gunshot injuries that led to a slow and painful battle for survival, highlighting the harsh reality of human-elephant conflict in SL. According to Tharaka Prasad, director of wildlife health with Dept of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), Bhathiya was first reported with more..

Jul 21 (Island) Sri Lanka is witnessing a steady decline in birth rates, alongside rising malnutrition among children under five, experts warn, amidst ongoing economic challenges. Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa revealed that the birth rate per 1,000 population had fallen from 16.9 in 2016 to 13.8 by 2022/2023, according to data from the UNFPA. The percentage of mothers, under 20, who became pregnant, had reached 3.9% during this period. The country is also grappling with undernutrition, more..

Jul 21 (CT) Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) announced on Friday that it has approved a USD 22 million soft loan to the CEB for the construction of a transmission network from Sampur to Kappalthurai. The project aims to enhance power evacuation capacity and enable the integration of potential renewable energy (RE) sources from SL’s northeastern region into the national grid. AIIB further stated that the project includes the construction of a new Grid more..

Jul 21 (TM) Matara Festival for the Arts (MFA) will be held from 12 to 15 Dec, as announced by Minister Sunil Handunneththi. The event marks the return of the popular cultural initiative launched in 2024 to revive Matara’s artistic, tourism, and economic landscape. Last year’s festival brought together over 100 artists and creatives from SL and abroad, drawing more than 4,000 visitors and employing over 50 local Matarians. MFA 2025 will build on this success, emphasising community-led more..

Jul 21 (CT) A group of 21 Indian nationals has been arrested for allegedly operating an illegal online gambling racket from a residence in the Kirulapone area, after overstaying their tourist visas. The arrests were made on the afternoon of 18 July by officers attached to the Investigation Division of the Dept of Immigration and Emigration. Officials from its Risk Assessment Unit uncovered the operation through data analysis and intelligence gathering, which subsequently led to the raid more..

Jul 21 (ST) A structure poised to enter the Guinness World Records as the biggest art piece in the world, with a 15-metre Grand Clock designed to rival Big Ben is to be built at Port City, Colombo with an investment of over $540 million. This is among four mega projects for Port City that have been granted tax exemptions by the Govt. The gazette notifications granting the tax exemptions including from income taxes, VAT, customs and more..

Jul 21 (CT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa slammed the Govt’s swift and allegedly unlawful decision to hand over 13 major economic centres across the country — including the Thambuttegama Special Economic Centre — to a private company. He said the move has triggered significant opposition from local traders and farmers who operate within these centres. Premadasa made these remarks during a discussion held on 19 July with the Thambuttegama Economic Centre more..

Jul 21 (FT) “I am hands-on, I micro-manage,” admits celebrity Chef Dharshan Munidasa, whose obsession with quality is among the reasons for the success of serving authentic Japanese cuisine at Nihonbashi, which turned 30 recently. He describes it as the secret for longevity and identifies his flagship restaurant Nihonbashi as a testament to what Sri Lanka can do when it comes to authentic Japanese food. Started in 1995 with a vision to bridge Japan and SL through food, more..

Jul 21 (DM) Referring to a comment made by Director, Mass Communications, Catholic Church of SL Fr. Jude Krishantha that DIG Nilantha Jayawardene who was expelled from the police service should be subjected to death sentence, Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Colombo, Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando said that it is not the official stance of the Catholic Church. “Fr. Jude informed us that he mentioned on Sunday that more..

Jul 21 (NW) The govt has announced the official launch of the Kingdom of Kotte Tourism Trail, which will take place on 27th July 2025. Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe, said this was an important milestone for Sri Lanka and especially for the historic city of Kotte. He further stated that this initiative is part of a broader vision to develop Kotte as a model destination, showcasing the city’s remarkable blend of heritage, culture, and urban wetland biodiversity. As the world’s first wetland capital more..

Jul 21 (AD) The Court of Appeal today ordered that a petition filed by former Secretary of the Ministry of Sports retired Major General Nanda Mallawarachchi, be taken up for consideration on July 28. The petitioner requests that the indictment filed against him before the Colombo High Court by the Attorney General be nullified. The charges are in relation to the alleged misuse of state funds during the period leading up to the 2015 Presidential Election by purchasing 14,000 carrom boards more..

Jul 21 (DM) A total of 1,241 individuals were arrested for drug-related offenses, including illegal alcohol during a special operations conducted yesterday covering the entire island, Police said. A large amount of drugs, including 254,679 milligrams of ice, 112,567 milligrams of heroin and 3,738,356 milligrams of cannabis were seized. More than 5,300 persons, including police officers, STF and members of the tri-forces, participated in the operation from across the island more..

Jul 21 (FT) SJB MP Mujibur Rahman called for the immediate removal of Defence Deputy Minister Aruna Jayasekara, raising serious concern over the credibility of ongoing investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. Addressing the media, he asserted that no probe into the devastating bombings could be deemed impartial as long as Jayasekara remains in office, given his position during the time of the attacks and his subsequent political appointment under the new govt. more..

Jul 21 (FT) Catholic Church of SL welcomed Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake’s decision to terminate the services of former Senior DIG Nilantha Jayawardena, while calling for swift legal action against all those found responsible for the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. National Catholic Mass Communications Director Rev. Fr. Jude Krishantha extended his gratitude to President for taking steps to sack Jayawardena. more..

Jul 21 (DM) Injuries have emerged as the leading cause of hospitalizations in SL, with over one million people admitted to state hospitals each year due to injury-related incidents, the Health Ministry revealed in a communiqué issued recently. Around 12,000 people mainly from the economically productive age group lose their lives annually due to injuries, while many more suffer permanent disabilities. Health experts expressed that almost all injuries are preventable if timely safety measures more..

Jul 21 (EN) Sri Lanka has given a 25-year tax holiday, and the next 10 years at half the rate, to Ceylon Real Estate Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, which will develop a mixed use plot in the Colombo Port City. Ceylon Real Estate Holdings is a subsidiary of Browns Investments, which is the strategic investment arm of LOLC Holdings. Ceylon Real Estate Holdings will invest 320,401,000 dollars for construction costs and 90,618,000 for other costs which will be raised from foreign sources. more..

Jul 21 (PMD) A discussion between Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and representatives of the IMF was held today at the Presidential Secretariat regarding the future review of the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) between the IMF and SL. Prez Dissanayake noted that SL has achieved a level of economic stability under the present administration and emphasized that, building on this foundation, the govt is prepared to accelerate more..

Jul 21 (AM) The husband of Tamilini Satheesan, the late Assistant Divisional Secretary of Chavakachcheri in Jaffna, has been arrested by the CID on suspicion over her death, police confirmed yesterday (19). Tamilini, who was six months pregnant at the time of her death, reportedly died in a fire on 15 Feb 2025. According to her husband’s statement to the police, she caught fire while asleep at home after a mosquito coil accidentally fell onto her. However, family members raised more..

Jul 21 (NF) SL’s Buddhist community is in mourning following the passing of the Anunayake of the Asgiriya Chapter of the Siam Sect, The Most Venerable Anamaduwe Sri Dhammadassi Thera. Most Venerable Thero passed away early this morning at the age of 67, while receiving treatment at a private hospital in Kandy. The final rites will be held on July 24 at the Asgiriya Police Grounds in Kandy, with full state sponorship. Born on Sept 3, 1958, as the fifth child in a family of seven, more..

Jul 21 (FT) The reform of the power sector and the restructuring of the CEB were key election promises made by the current NPP Govt. This initiative stands as one of their flagship projects and is progressing well, staying on track as planned. Despite this, there have been murmurs of dissatisfaction from groups claiming to represent the business community, trade unions, and the solar energy lobby. The writer believes it’s time to clarify the situation by distinguishing between fact and speculation. more..

Jul 21 (FT) In the previous part1, we looked at two global shocks which have hit SL’s march toward recovery, namely, the new tariff reforms introduced by the US administration and the Mid-East crisis which has temporarily abated but could ignite itself at any moment. The first will affect SL’s exports to USA, its largest export destination. The second, if reignited, will cause global oil prices to skyrocket and reduce the country’s remittance flows adversely affecting its balance of payments. more..

Jul 21 (Island) Govt is forging ahead with its ambitious education reform package, amidst protests by teachers’ trade unions, university teachers and other stakeholders. Speaking at an event to raise awareness of the education reforms, among education officials, teachers and the public, Minister of Education and PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said the new policy was aimed at overhauling SL’s education system by reducing classroom sizes more..

Jul 21 (ST) The Department of Immigration and Emigration (DIE) has granted a second extension to bidders for its tender to personalise ePassports. This is not due to a lack of interest but rather because of an overwhelming number of parties vying for the Rs. 5.5 billion contract, official sources said. The successful bidder must implement a two-key encryption solution that will allow the Sri Lankan passport’s unique public key infrastructure (PKI) to be lodged with more..

Jul 21 (AD) A group of individuals inside a beauty salon in a multi-story building on Peradeniya Road in Kandy has been hospitalized after suddenly fainting and collapsing on the floor. The situation reportedly arose due to the closure of all windows and doors at the salon in order to turn on the air conditioning, following the activation of an electricity generator after a power outage at the beauty salon. Subsequently, an employee at a nearby store had seen a young woman lying unconscious more..

Jul 21 (TM) Funding from China’s Exim Bank could resume by Sept/Oct to continue the construction of the long-delayed Central Expressway Project (CEP), RDA Chairman T. Paskaran confirmed. The negotiations with the bank were ongoing, in the aftermath of disbursements being suspended due to SL’s economic crisis. “Negotiations with the donor are currently ongoing and there is more..

Jul 21 (ST) More and more companies are seeking credit scores of potential candidates for job interviews, according to the Credit Information Bureau, officials said. “Using credit scores as a reference point in the hiring process can be informative to assess a candidate’s financial discipline, mainly for roles that involve managing sensitive financial information or fiduciary responsibilities. Today, many companies use credit scores for high-level appointments,” more..

Jul 21 (AD) An attempted shooting at a nightclub in Kollupitiya was reportedly thwarted last night (19) when two individuals, arriving on a motorcycle, failed to execute their plan. The intended target was reportedly Dematagoda Ruwan, the brother of Dematagoda Chaminda, who is currently serving a death sentence for the murder of former MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra. Chaminda is also believed to be involved in several other criminal activities. more..