Aug 19 (Island) Former Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) Dr. Deepika Udagama says that she is against the extension of the age of retirement of senior judges in an ad hoc manner. The legal scholar said that she had already expressed her views during discussions with the Bar Association of SL (BASL). She said so responding to The Island query regarding the developing situation. more..

Aug 19 (DN) Sri Lanka Embassy in Doha recovered Rs. 80,886,895.32 from January to July 2026 as death compensation on behalf of the Next of Kin (NoK) of Sri Lankan nationals who had passed away in Qatar, despite the challenges arising from the tense situation in the region. The recovered funds were remitted to the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Colombo and to the respective deceased persons’ NoKs. The amount also included cases pending since 2023. more..

Aug 19 (AM) The wife of former Cabinet Minister and Monaragala District MP Jagath Pushpakumara has died following an accidental fall from a building under construction. The deceased has been identified as 55-year-old Deshani Gunaratne, a mother of two. She had reportedly fallen from the second floor of a newly constructed building belonging to the family. Gunaratne, who was receiving treatment at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital following the incident, died this more..

Aug 19 (AD) SL Book Publishers’ Association has warned that taxes imposed on printed books are placing growing pressure on the publishing industry, with an estimated 50% to 60% of authors turning to other occupations over the past three years. The association also claims that around 40% of publishing companies have exited the industry during the same period. Introduction of VAT and other taxes on printed books in Jan 2023 has contributed to a sharp increase in book more..

Aug 19 (NW) Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has urged the government to remove legal and practical barriers faced by SL Tamil refugees in India seeking to return to SL. Raising the issue in Parliament today, Rasamanickam said returnees continued to face uncertainty over citizenship verification, security clearance, travel documents, housing, land, employment and resettlement. Responding to the MP, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala more..

Aug 19 (AD) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed officials to focus on establishing the Information Technology Service as an All-Island Service capable of making a significant contribution to the Govt’s digital transformation process. Prez issued these instructions while participating in a progress review meeting on projects and programmes implemented in 2026 under the Ministry of Digital Economy, more..

Aug 19 (NW) The Bar Association of SL (BASL) is expected to brief MPs on Thursday on the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution and concerns relating to vacancies in the superior courts, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said. Speaking in Parliament today, Premadasa said he had initially written to the president of the BASL on June 8, requesting a briefing for opposition MPs on the 22nd Amendment and the implications of not filling vacancies for judges in the superior courts. more..

Aug 19 (DN) A stock of 1,090 kg of substandard veterinary medicines, valued over Rs. 3 million and manufactured without registration with the Animal Production and Health Dept, was destroyed in Kerawalapitiya, Wattala on Monday. The medicines were seized during a raid jointly conducted by the Consumer Affairs Authority and the Animal Production and Health Dept. The relevant manufacturer had violated Section 17 of the Animal Diseases Act, admitted the offence and more..

Aug 19 (DN) Minister Vijitha Herath informed Parliament that the Govt has been able to remove all taxes imposed by the US on SL’s exports. Noting that only a 10% Customs duty is currently in effect, Minister said that this is a victory for the good diplomatic relations maintained by the current govt with the US. He said that similarly, govt is maintaining good relations with the European Union and is conducting serious negotiations to more..

Aug 19 (FT) SL’s manufacturing and services sectors in July have expanded, as per the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), its compiler the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) said. The Manufacturing PMI registered an index value of 55 in July, indicating an increase in manufacturing activities at a faster rate compared to 53 in June 2026. CBSL said all sub-indices contributed positively to this improvement. The overall expansion in the New Orders in July expanded to 55.9 from 50 more..

Aug 19 (AD) An elderly female giraffe at the Dehiwala National Zoological Gardens has died, according to the Director General of the National Zoological Gardens, Dr. R.C. Rajapaksa. The giraffe, which died last night, was approximately 30 years old. The Director General stated that the average lifespan of a giraffe in the wild is around 20–25 years, while giraffes can live longer under professional care in a zoo environment. He said that no specific illness had been reported in more..

Aug 19 (CI) Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal are out of the second Test against India, in Colombo. Pathum Nissanka is also unlikely to be fit in time for the match, which starts on Sunday. All this means Sri Lanka will be without three first-choice batters, as they attempt to recover from a 1-0 deficit in the two-match series. Mendis has not played any competitive cricket since busting a hamstring in the early rounds of the LPL. He was replaced by Niroshan Dickwella in the Test squad, more..

Aug 19 (NW) The govt plans to establish a coordinated mechanism across all prisons in SL to identify potential problems early and improve responses to emergencies, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said. The mechanism will bring together state agencies to coordinate emergency responses and improve the welfare of inmates, the minister said during a meeting at the Kalutara Prison on Wednesday. Nanayakkara said committees comprising local govt officials more..

Aug 19 (AM) The 24 accused facing 23,270 charges, including conspiracy and aiding and abetting in connection with the Easter Sunday terror attacks, began presenting their defence statements from the dock before the Colombo 3-judge High Court Trial-at-Bar on Monday. The first accused in the case, Mohamed Ibrahim Naufer, alias Naufer Maulavi, delivered his statement from the dock for nearly two hours, denying the allegations more..

Aug 19 (AD) Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has seized a stock of substandard vehicle spare parts and lubricating oil worth nearly Rs. 5 million during a raid on a shop in the Pasal Mawatha area along the Kadawatha-Ganemulla Road. Raid was conducted by officers attached to the Competition Promotion Division of CAA following information received regarding alleged violations, including the sale and storage of lubricating oil and vehicle spare parts in violation of CAA Orders No. 85 & 88, more..

Aug 19 (DM) SL’s High Commissioner to India Mahishini Colonne has stressed the need to protect SL’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and strategic autonomy while further strengthening its strategic partnership with India. Addressing the 66th Course of India’s National Defence College (NDC) in New Delhi on Tuesday, Colonne described the relationship as a partnership between unequal states, but not between unequal interests, while emphasising that both countries share more..

Aug 19 (CI) India displayed the required patience and persistence to seal a 165-run win against a resolute SL middle order on a slow, new-ball pitch. Sonal Dinusha came to within 16 runs of a second hundred in the Test, Dhananjaya de Silva scored a half-century as well, and for long periods India looked content to keep a lid on the scoring so that they could do the job with the second new ball. Once he got Dinusha out in the 76th over, more..

Aug 19 (DM) SL’s Honorary Consul in Guinea, Dr. Anuruddha Shanaka, has hit back at the Foreign Ministry’s response to his proposal to promote tourism and broader economic cooperation with the West African country, arguing that the Ministry’s reliance on the lack of direct air connectivity and tourist arrivals was fundamentally misplaced and irrelevant to the strategic merits of the initiative. In a strongly worded letter, he argued that connectivity is a challenge to be solved more..

Aug 19 (DM) The Head of the Revenue Administration Reform and Modernization Bureau and Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Seevali Arukgoda, commended the contribution of the Information Technology Division of SL Customs towards the successful implementation of the Digital Signature and Paperless Customs Declaration System, which is scheduled to come into operation from October 1. He made these remarks while delivering a special lecture on more..

Aug 19 (FT) It is a Friday afternoon at a bank branch somewhere in Colombo and the queue snakes past the pillars and out toward the door. A man near the front counts out cash for a payment he could have sent from his phone in under ten seconds. He doesn’t do things that way, not because the technology isn't available but rather because he didn't realise it was. That’s the part most people get wrong about SL’s relationship with digital payments. We believe that infrastructure is the issue, more..

Aug 19 (FT) With the introduction of the 70% Loan-to-Value (LTV) limit on gold loans, one has to ask whether the Govt has fully considered the unintended consequences of this policy. The regulated gold-loan industry has provided an important and legitimate source of credit for ordinary people, particularly those at the lower end of the income spectrum. By imposing a 70% LTV limit, the Govt may unintentionally be taking away an avenue that was available to these consumers and more..

Aug 19 (Island) Opposition MPs, led by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, staged a protest in Parliament yesterday against the tabling of the draft 22nd Amendment and the Judicature (Amendment) Bill, with some MPs describing the proposed changes as a threat to democracy. “Today marks the death of democracy in this country,” SJB leader Premadasa said. Protest triggered a heated exchange in the House more..

Aug 19 (NW) Cabinet has approved a proposal to sign a tripartite MoU to expand cardiac and thoracic surgery services at the National Hospital of SL by using facilities at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Univ (KDU) Teaching Hospital. The proposal was submitted by the Minister of Health and Mass Media, with the agreement to be entered into by the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Health and KDU. KDU Teaching Hospital has modern facilities, advanced medical equipment more..

Aug 19 (FT) Sections of the print, electronic and related media, have given extensive coverage to reports of alleged transfer from SL, of substantial payments effected to foreign exporters of goods, alleging further that no goods had come into the country, without any verification by the investigators, either directly or through the banks, of the goods exported to Sri Lanka, in respect of the payments received by them. President’s Counsel M.M. Zuhair in a statement yesterday said more..

Aug 19 (FT) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa yesterday disclosed that a total of Rs. 74 billion has allegedly been transferred overseas through 89 bank accounts in 10,151 transactions as part of an Undiyal money transfer operation involving the suspected illegal movement of around $ 1 billion. He said the transactions were uncovered during an investigation into the alleged illegal transfer of funds out of Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 19 (NF) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa says delays in obtaining legal advice from the Attorney General’s Dept, including in the case involving former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, are largely linked to institutional capacity constraints and a heavy workload within the department. Responding to concerns that the Wickremesinghe case remains pending due to the absence of the AG’s advice, Minister stressed that while the Govt can support institutional reforms, it will not interfere with more..

Aug 19 (NW) Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has warned that Sri Lanka could face another severe economic challenge from the end of 2028 unless the country builds its foreign exchange reserves to around US$15 billion. Speaking at the launch of former minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya’s book Yudha Dekakata Ura Dee in Colombo, Wickremesinghe said Sri Lanka’s next major challenge would begin when debt repayments resume after 2028. more..

Aug 19 (FT) Jaffna is set to get its tallest residential building with Tilko Blue Ocean Holdings Ltd., signing an agreement with the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) for the development of the 78-unit Yarl Royal Palace. The BOI said the project, located at No. 107, Kandy Road overlooking the historic Old Park, is envisioned to become the tallest residential landmark in Northern Sri Lanka and establish a new benchmark for high-rise residential development in the region. more..

Aug 19 (NW) SL Police has urged passengers using taxi services to take precautions to protect themselves from theft, robbery and intimidation, including verifying vehicle and driver details and sharing their live location with trusted contacts. ASP F.U. Wootler said the advisory was issued amid reports of crimes allegedly involving taxi drivers or individuals assisting passengers through taxi services. He urged passengers to ensure that the vehicle they hire is a properly regulated more..

Aug 19 (FT) Govt’s proposed 22nd Amendment faces an immediate test before the Supreme Court and further resistance in Parliament, after several petitions were filed within hours of its tabling yesterday challenging the extension of retirement ages of superior court judges, including those currently in office. The anticipated legal challenges, including petitions by SJB, BASL office-bearers, Prof. G.L. Peiris & Free Lawyers Movement more..

Aug 19 (FT) Tourism Ministry has appointed Suranjith Wewita as the new Chairman of the SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) with effect from yesterday. Wewita officially received his letter of appointment yesterday from Minister Vijitha Herath. A seasoned professional with extensive experience in the banking and tourism sectors, Wewita brings to the position a broad background in financial management, trade union leadership and tourism entrepreneurship. more..

Aug 19 (FT) SL’s next phase of economic integration with India will require more than another trade agreement: it will demand political champions, stronger negotiating capacity, institutional continuity and a willingness to confront vested interests, according to a high-powered panel at the India Calling forum organised by the Lanka India Business Association (LIBA) recently. The panel brought together former Foreign Secretary Prasad Kariyawasam, former BOI Chief Thilan more..