Aug 18 (NW) The Ambassador and Permanent Representative of SL in Geneva has formally presented the Extension of Service to Christian Steppan, Honorary Consul of SL in Tyrol, Austria, during a recent (12) meeting. According to the Honorary Consulate of SL in Tyrol, Austria, the discussions centered on strengthening bilateral relations, promoting cultural exchange, and deepening economic cooperation between SL and Tyrol. Both sides highlighted the importance more..

Aug 18 (ST) A Cabinet sub-committee – with the Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Ministry and the Trade, Commerce, Food Security Ministry as co-chairs – has been appointed to review the fresh application to qualify for the GSP+ preferential trade facility from the European Union. While Sri Lanka has had to comply with 27 international conventions divided into four main categories – human rights, labour standards, environment/climate protection, and more..

Aug 18 (TM) Deputy Minister Dr Hansaka Wijemuni said health sector officers required to wear prescribed uniforms must perform their duties in those uniforms, while requests to modify them for cultural, climatic or other reasons should be referred to the Health Ministry’s Uniform Committee. Responding to questions on the recent controversy at the Kalmunai North Base Hospital, Dr Wijemuni said that Ministry had received the matter more..

Aug 18 (ST) The selection of wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella for the ongoing Test series against India has sparked a public debate in cricketing circles, with many questioning the selectors’ thinking. The decision raises an uncomfortable question: do the selectors have a genuine plan for building the next generation of Test cricketers, or are they simply reaching for what is familiar? There is nothing wrong, in principle, with picking experienced players. more..

Aug 18 (EN) Lion Brewery reported a profit of 2.81 billion rupees for the quarter ended 30 June 2026, up 18% from June 2025. Group recorded basic earnings of 35.08 rupees per share for the three-month period. Total revenue for the quarter rose 15% to 33.41 billion rupees, compared to 29.01 billion rupees in the corresponding period of the prior year. This top-line performance supported an operating profit of 4.34 billion rupees, which reflected 11% growth over the preceding year. more..

Aug 18 (TM) SL is preparing to tap into growing global demand for skilled aviation personnel, as the int'l aviation industry is expected to expand significantly over the next decade, creating a shortage of skilled workers worldwide, Deputy Minister Janitha Kodithuwakku said. He said countries around the world were preparing to meet the expected demand for skilled personnel as the aviation industry enters a period of significant expansion. more..

Aug 18 (TM) Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has achieved around 61% of its 2026 revenue target of Rs 2,402 billion, IRD Commissioner of Tax Policy and Law Nandana Kumar said. Kumar said that tax revenue collection has increased by around 16% compared to the previous year. He said IRD is confident that it will be able to fully achieve the targeted tax revenue for 2026. Meanwhile, he said various measures had been taken during the recent period to expand the tax base. more..

Aug 18 (DN) SL Entrepreneurs’ Night 2026 Entrepreneur and Investor Conference organized by the Australia SL Business Forum (ASLBF) with the aim of strengthening economic, trade and investment relations between SL and Australia in a new approach was held in Melbourne, Australia on Aug 15. Minister Sunil Handunnetti, who participated as the chief guest and keynote speaker on the occasion, explained the new economic and investment framework established in SL more..

Aug 18 (ST) Govt has provided 190,408 tea smallholders with fertiliser at concessionary rates through the new QR system generated. In 2026 through the QR system 21,500 metric tonnes (MT) of fertiliser for the tea industry was distributed. This exceeds the amount allocated in the previous year, officials said. There has been considerable progress in the past six months. Govt target is to achieve 400 million kg of tea production and US$2.5 billion in export revenue by 2030. more..

Aug 18 (ST) SL’s foreign employment sector stands at a critical crossroads as of August 2026 compelling Foreign Employment Bureau of (SLBFE) into a proactive, high-value global talent exporter to shift from a traditional regulatory body into a proactive, high-value global talent exporter. This immediate, structural turn insulates the national economy from external shocks specially the geopolitical tensions in West Asia and comfortably secure the country’s 250,000 annual migration target, more..

Aug 18 (ST) Though it did not initially show on his face, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was not happy when he sat down for a widely anticipated meeting with the BASL at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday. He was irked after being blindsided earlier that morning by a BASL statement regarding the topic that was to be discussed with him later that day, namely the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution seeking to more..

Aug 18 (Island) President of the Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association Gemunu Wijeratne has lodged a complaint with the CID over an alleged online smear campaign against him. He says he has become the target of a social media vilification campaign since he made some critical remarks about the metro bus service. Defamation cannot be countenanced on any grounds, and it is hoped that social media platforms concerned and the police will intervene to safeguard his interests. more..

Aug 18 (Island) Tabling of the 22nd Amendment has brought the significance of constitutional change once again to the centre of public attention. Controversy surrounding the proposal has become larger than the question of two additional years for judges. It has raised a more fundamental question about the direction in which the new govt is taking SL. In its 2024 election manifesto, NPP promised to introduce a new Constitution while implementing the existing constitutional framework till then. more..

Aug 18 (CT) In central banking, accumulating reserves by flooding the domestic market with liquidity is like trying to put out a fire with a hose connected to a gasoline tank. SL’s macroeconomic recovery remains precariously balanced. Recent figures from the banking system highlight a startling expansion of excess rupee liquidity—surging from approximately LKR 40 billion in mid-June 2026 to LKR 200 billion—largely driven by the CB purchasing roughly USD 475 million from more..

Aug 18 (TM) Throughout August, the English language newspapers published a steady stream of news articles, editorials and commentary as did several Sinhala language social media channels, opposing the Govt’s proposal to raise the retirement age of Superior Court (Supreme Court [SC] and Court of Appeal [CA]) Judges. The criticism was loud, consistent, and often emphatic. What was missing however was the one thing that an informed public debate requires: an explanation. more..

Aug 18 (SO) Senior Professor of Archaeology Raj Somadeva, overseeing the Chemmani mass grave excavations, has recently submitted a formal document to the medico-legal inquiry titled Chemmani Mass Grave Excavation: A Proposed Road Map for the Continuation of the Medico-Legal Investigation. The document provides the most systematic account to date of the excavation’s findings and sets out what more..

Aug 18 (ST) When bare knuckle prize fighting was civilized with the advent of the Queensberry rules in the 19th century, an element of basic sportsmanship was introduced into a brutal game. Aficionados of the sport however protested against requiring boxers to wear padded gloves and other safeguards, wanting instead the full measure of blood to be drawn. Post-independence politics in Sri Lanka, particularly from the late seventies, has been like boxing without fair-play, ie, more..

Aug 18 (TM) The drop in cumulative water storage across 74 major reservoirs under the Irrigation Dept to approximately 37% of total capacity provides evidence of an escalating climate and governance crisis. In the agricultural heartlands of the Dry Zone, particularly in Ampara, water levels in nine major reservoirs have fallen to roughly 23%, whereas four key reservoirs in Batticaloa stand at 26%, and primary storage bodies in Trincomalee sit at 28%. Major agricultural centres more..

Aug 18 (TM) An allegation by SJB MP Mujibur Rahman that an unnamed former SL MP had been detained and questioned by immigration authorities in the UK after his new SL passport could allegedly not be properly read has brought the quality of the country’s new passports under fresh scrutiny. Raising the issue in Parliament, Rahman claimed that British immigration officials had experienced difficulties reading passport, more..

Aug 18 (DN) Founded in Europe in the late 18th Century by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann, homeopathy has survived for more than two centuries and continues to attract practitioners and patients around the world. Its supporters regard it as a distinct system of medicine, while its critics question whether its highly diluted remedies can produce effects beyond those of a placebo. So, what exactly is homeopathy? How is it supposed to work, how does someone more..

Aug 18 (GV) Once again, the spectre of the hangman has returned to SL’s policy discourse. At National Operations Council convened at the Presidential Secretariat on Aug 10, the imposition of the death penalty for drug-related offences was raised as a possible response to the country’s deepening narcotics crisis. The cabinet spokesman has since clarified that no final decision has been taken. Before any such decision is reached, policymakers would do well to pause and more..

Aug 17 (NW) Sri Lankans working overseas do not need to fear additional taxes when sending their legally earned income to SL through the banking system, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has said. Senior Deputy Commissioner of the IRD Hiran Meneripitiya said no separate tax is imposed through the banking system when money earned overseas is remitted to SL. He explained that the tax treatment of foreign income depends on whether an individual is considered a resident of SL for more..

Aug 17 (Island) SL’s escalating human-elephant conflict has reached a tragic stage, with more than 400 elephants and nearly 200 people dying each year, environmental activist Ananda Dissanayake said last week. Addressing a press conference at SL Foundation in Colombo to mark World Elephant Day, Dissanayake said the govt and relevant authorities were implementing various measures to address the conflict, but elephants and their offspring continued to die on a daily basis. more..

Aug 17 (EN) SL’s economic growth could slow down between 4-5% in the second half of this year due to tight monetary policy and higher prices, CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. CB raised the key monetary policy rate by 100 basis points in May after inflation started to rise from around 2%. It jumped to 7.3% in July. “There could be some slowdown in the second half, but still, it could be around within 4-5%. more..

Aug 17 (NW) The Irrigation Dept has urged the public and all water users to use water sparingly as water levels in the 74 major reservoirs under its control have fallen to around 37% of total capacity. An Irrigation Dept official said the available water is expected to be sufficient for the remainder of the Yala cultivation season and for drinking water requirements in areas supplied by the major reservoirs until the expected monsoon rainfall in November and December. more..

Aug 17 (EN) Anton James, founder of The Tree House International, Sri Lanka’s school for children with special needs, has been elected a Fellow of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI). “This recognition belongs to the educators, therapists and families in Sri Lanka who strive every day for better neurodevelopmental care, and strengthens my resolve to ensure that every child with special needs has access to world class, evidence-based intervention,” said Anton. more..

Aug 17 (TM) The GMOA has called for the disturbance availability and transport allowance paid to medical professionals to be revised from the current Rs 70,000, noting that the allowance approved in 2018 was up to Rs 120,000. GMOA Secretary Dr Ubaya Warakagoda said the revision was among several proposals submitted by the GMOA ahead of the 2027 Budget to improve the retention of medical professionals in SL. more..

Aug 17 (NW) The 22nd Constitutional Amendment Bill, which seeks to extend the retirement age of Supreme Court and Court of Appeal judges, has been included in the Parliament Order Book ahead of its scheduled presentation to Parliament on Tuesday (18). The Bill is due to be presented by Minister Harshana Nanayakkara. The Bill seeks to amend the Judicature Act No. 2 of 1978 in relation to the retirement age of judges. Under the proposed amendment, retirement age of SC judges more..

Aug 17 (AD) The govt of Japan has provided a JPY 282 million (Rs. 591 million) grant to Sri Lanka for the Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) programme. The programme will enable 15 promising Sri Lankan public sector officials to pursue two-year Master’s degree programmes at universities in Japan from 2027. The officials will specialise in areas including Public Policy, Int'l Relations, International Development, Macroeconomics, Public Finance and more..

Aug 17 (AD) The prevailing El Niño conditions could have an impact on electricity generation in SL in late March and during the first two weeks of April next year, Minister Anura Karunathilaka said. Hw said the govt is preparing measures to reduce the potential impact on the power supply by increasing the use of battery energy storage systems. First phase of the battery storage programme is expected to add 160 MW to the national electricity system before December this year. more..

Aug 17 (NW) Trade union action launched by Grama Niladhari officers has been called off following discussions with the Ministry of Public Administration. Decision was reached after talks today between representatives of Grama Niladhari associations, Minister of Public Administration Chandana Abeyratne & Ministry Secretary. Association representatives said that during the meeting, Prez joined via telephone and assured that steps would be taken to address more..