Jul 1 (NW) SL Police have launched a nationwide operation to identify and remove unsafe vehicles from the country’s roads as part of efforts to reduce road accidents and minimise injuries caused by defective or illegally modified vehicles. The operation, which began on Monday, initially targeted expressways and is now being expanded islandwide. Police said vehicles found to be unfit for road use will be prohibited from operating, while legal action will be initiated through courts. more..

Jul 1 (DM) LB Finance has secured US$ 35 million in long-term funding from Norway’s Norfund and Sweden’s Swedfund. The deal is expected to channel fresh foreign capital into SL’s small business sector at a time when access to long-term financing remains limited despite the country’s improving economic outlook. The facility, comprising US$ 20 million from Norfund and US$15 million from Swedfund, marks the first partnership between two European development finance institutions more..

Jul 1 (ST) Dengue cases in the country have now exceeded 50,000, with 30 deaths reported so far this year. Nearly 750 new dengue cases are being reported daily, a situation that is expected to continue for another two weeks. However, Sandun Rathnayake, a PHI of the Mannar MC, pointed out that although officially reported cases sit around 50,000, the actual number of infected individuals is likely close to 200,000. more..

Jul 1 (Island) The Foundation For A Good Life (Guarantee) Ltd (TFGL), in partnership with Good Life X (GLX), actively repositions the invasive Water Hyacinth via the lens of responsible management and utilisation to turn the environmental threat into a valuable regenerative raw material. The Accelerator is supported through Scott Dunn’s Partnership for Nature – a collaboration facilitated by the Conservation Collective, administered by the Lanka Environment Fund (LEF). more..

Jul 1 (DM) SL’s construction sector regained momentum in May as a steady flow of new project awards helped drive activity back into expansion territory, offering fresh evidence that investment activity remains resilient despite higher borrowing costs and global uncertainty. Central Bank’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for Construction rose to 59.1 in May from 45.7 in April, as contractors resumed work following the seasonal slowdown associated with the April festive period. more..

Jul 1 (TM) Veteran athletics administrator Sunil Jayaweera who was largely instrumental in the installation of the Bimal Wijayasinghe-led SL Athletics administration early this year, tendered his resignation with effect from 24 June. The unexpected resignation by the former head of the sport’s domestic governing body and ‘a key figure of the golden age of Sri Lankan athletics’ according to athletics analysts has diverted more..

Jul 1 (FT) At MWC Shanghai 2026, Sri Lanka presented a bold vision to become a trusted regional hub for AI, digital infrastructure and cross-border collaboration. As artificial intelligence reshapes economies across the world, a fundamental question confronts every emerging nation: Will they simply consume AI developed elsewhere, or will they actively participate in creating it? That question formed the centrepiece of Sri Lanka’s message at MWC Shanghai 2026, where more..

Jul 1 (FT) Sri Lanka has formally launched a unified digital decision support platform aimed at transforming how the plantation sector is monitored, managed and planned, marking one of the most significant steps yet toward data-driven governance in agriculture-related industries. Plantation Sector Decision Support System (DSS), developed under the Integrated Digital Agriculture Transformation (IDAT) program was handed over to the Plantations and Community Infrastructure Ministry more..

Jul 1 (Island) Within seven months of completing the acquisition of Mirotone NZ Ltd, JAT Holdings PLC has commenced the brand’s re-entry into Australia through its subsidiary, Mirotone Australia Pty Ltd. The milestone marks an early step in converting the growth plan presented to investors at the time of the transaction into commercial execution and reinforces the Group’s focus on disciplined post-acquisition delivery. JAT completed the acquisition of Mirotone in Oct 2025, more..

Jul 1 (DN) The Old Nalandians’ Sports Club (ONSC) honoured 93 distinguished former students who represented Sri Lanka in sports at the Nalanda Sports Icon of the Centuryat the recently concluded felicitation ceremony, held as part of Nalanda College’s centenary celebrations. The ceremony, organised as a flagship initiative of the school’s centenary celebrations, was attended by Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage as the Chief Guest. Following an extensive fact-finding more..

Jul 1 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has proposed a series of measures to strengthen SL’s climate resilience and disaster preparedness, warning that the country should act now to prepare for the anticipated impacts of the 2026-2027 El Niño cycle. Speaking at the National Council for Disaster Management, chaired by Prez Dissanayake, Premadasa said climate security has become a national priority that requires a united, more..

Jul 1 (GV) There are thousands of bodies lying in mass graves across SL, a legacy of its brutal and bloody past, which could reveal the fate of some of the thousands of missing people from the 26 year civil war and two JVP uprisings. Over the last 30 years around 32 mass graves have been identified and 20 have been partially exhumed but hardly any family has had the remains of their loved ones identified and returned. The graves are unmarked and unprotected and, in some cases, more..

Jul 1 (DM) How far does the nexus between the underworld, and the political and bureaucratic establishment stretch out in Sri Lanka? An audio clip leaked last week revealed it extended far enough to revoke detention orders, transfer a drug baron out of a high-security prison, and finally drop the charges altogether as long as the underworld pays up to political intermediaries. That is a damning indictment, not just on the suspects already in custody, but more..

Jul 1 (Island) Sunil works as a driver in Dubai. Every month, on payday, he sets aside a portion of his salary to send to his mother in Galle. For years he used his bank’s remittance service. Then, one evening, a friend at the labour camp told him something that changed his habits. “Don’t use the bank. I know someone. Your mother will get more rupees, and she’ll get it today.” Sunil hesitated, but the offer was hard to refuse. The bank’s exchange rate was lower than what his friend’s more..

Jul 1 (ST) When all seemed over, when the bombs, drones and verbal brickbats they got together and threw at each other, when the old rivalries were simmering in the backyard, His Excellency President Donald Trump seemed to call it a day. But not quite. Old sores were still festering as the verbal fisticuffs came to the fore. Trump’s anger and abrasive nature erupted as years’ old allies were dismissed in language hardly heard in decent diplomatic exchanges. more..

Jul 1 (TM) Every day, seven Sri Lankans die and more than one hundred are injured on the nation's roads. Each of those tragedies carries a price tag, paid not just in grief, but in hospital budgets, lost wages, shattered supply chains and a GDP that falls fractionally short of what it could have been. Multiply those daily losses across a year and the number is staggering: an estimated USD 2.5 bil, roughly 3.2% of GDP, more..

Jul 1 (TM) The diplomatic theatre playing out between Washington and Tehran resembles a high-stakes game of brinkmanship where neither side can afford to walk away, yet neither is willing to fully step back. Following months of devastating kinetic warfare that severely disrupted global energy markets, the signing of the Islamabad MoU on 17 June offered a brief collective sigh of relief. This sixty-day framework, engineered through the patient mediation of Pakistan and Qatar, more..

Jul 1 (DM) The international system is undergoing its deepest transformation since the Cold War; the U.S.-led unipolar moment has ended, replaced by a fragmented multipolar order marked by great-power rivalry, technological competition, and the rise of the Global South. The US–Iran– Israel confrontation shows how regional conflicts now send global shockwaves, disrupting energy markets, contesting maritime chokepoints, and drawing in Washington, Moscow, and Beijing. more..

Jul 1 (SO) Along-awaited move by the health and educational authorities has now been put into action with the goal of reshaping the dietary habits of schoolchildren across the country. According to the newly launched guidelines for healthy school canteens, the authorities have banned the sale of certain categories of unhealthy foods in the school canteens or within the school premises, thus introducing healthy and more..

Jul 1 (DM) It is with humour that I listened to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake deliver his almost monthly speech in Parliament last week stating that if the media does not come out of the garbage pile they are in, they would not survive. What a choice of words, and that too, from a head of state! Prez Dissanayake has forgotten that when he started his journey aspiring to be a president, it was this very media that helped him in getting his campaign pledges delivered to the masses across SL. more..

Jul 1 (Island) Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has reduced the prices of petrol 92 Octane and auto diesel marginally by Rs. 20 per litre and Rs. 25 per litre, respectively, though global oil prices are hovering near USD 70 (WTI) to USD 73 (Brent) per barrel almost at the pre-Iran war level. Regular petrol and auto diesel are now priced at Rs. 414 per litre and Rs 382 per litre, respectively. Sri Lanka’s oil pricing follows a rockets-and-feathers pattern rather than reflecting actual costs. more..

Jun 30 (DM) A fact-check by Stream found that the footage was actually filmed in SL. The video, which shows a child carrying a dark-coloured cat while a porcupine follows closely behind along a narrow path through a paddy field, has been shared in multiple Facebook posts claiming it depicts a rural scene in Bangladesh. The same claim also appeared in a social media post by a Indian newspaper. Both the post's caption and on-screen text identified the child as Bangladeshi, more..

Jun 30 (DM) The deadline for public officials and other individuals required by law to submit their annual declarations of assets and liabilities without incurring penalties expires today, CIABOC said. Commission warned that legal action will be taken against those who fail to submit their declarations in accordance with the provisions of the Anti-Corruption Act. CIABOC Director General Ranga Dissanayake earlier said that individuals required to file annual declarations must do so by June 30 more..

Jun 30 (EN) Sri Lanka’s overall rate of inflation, as measured by the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI), rose to a three-year high of 6.8% in June 2026, near the Central Bank’s upper inflation target rate of 7%, data from the state statistics office showed. Central Bank had expected to reach its mid-term target of 5% much later than May, but analysts say the trickle-down impacts of the fuel price hike in the three months through more..

Jun 30 (NW) A British‑SL engineer has become an unexpected face of celebration after Mercedes’ triumph at the Austrian Grand Prix, lifting the Constructors’ Trophy on the podium and gaining viral fame worldwide. Arun Rajkumar, born into a SL Tamil family, is a trackside power unit engineer for Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. He plays a key role in monitoring and optimising the performance and reliability of the team’s power units during race weekends, making him more..

Jun 30 (DN) Govt has launched measures to significantly reduce the time taken to release imported food containers from SL's ports, with the aim of lowering costs for importers, improving supply chain efficiency and ultimately easing the financial burden on consumers. The initiative was discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe at the Ministry, where govt agencies involved in food imports and representatives of food importers examined more..

Jun 30 (TM) Despite roadside garbage dumping being a punishable offence, offenders face a maximum fine of only Rs 5,000, Director of the Police Environmental Protection Division, SSP Manoj Perera said. Perera lamented that that weak waste collection systems at the Local Authority level continue to contribute to the problem. He said that the illegal dumping of garbage is an offence and that the public must be educated on proper more..

Jun 30 (TM) While nearly 5,000 medical graduates are waiting for Govt internship appointments, the health sector continues to face shortages of specialist doctors and medical officers in several hospitals, creating a growing human resource crisis in the country’s free health service, according to a medical trade union. President of the Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA), Dr Chamal Sanjeewa said that there is a risk that these medical graduates could more..

Jun 30 (Island) SL's premier apparel manufacturer, Brandix, continues its legacy of care and empowering communities island wide, building 34 washrooms for students in Dehiovita and Andiambalama, and for associates in the Batticaloa area. These projects have touched the lives of over 900 students and individuals, improving access to safe and hygienic sanitation facilities. Brandix constructed four girls’ washrooms at the Dehiovita Tamil Maha Vidyalaya, and another four at more..

Jun 30 (EN) Sri Lanka should prioritize the reform momentum going forward, the IMF’s Mission Chief for Sri Lanka said after concluding staff level discussions with the island nation’s authorities. The Mission headed by Evan Papargeorgiou was in Sri Lanka from June 24 for the discussions. “Looking ahead, the priority is clear – Stay the course and sustain the reform momentum,” Papargeorgiou told reporters at the end of the staff level discussions on Tuesday (30). more..

Jun 30 (DM) Though it was reported yesterday that rains have enhanced in some parts of the country, including the catchment areas, the Department of Meteorology yesterday ruled out disaster in the coming days. “There is an enhanced rainy condition at the moment, and this is due to the Southwest Monsoon conditions. However, there is no alarming situation as there are no signs of developing any disaster conditions,” Meteorology Department Director Forecast Merrill Mendis said. more..