Jul 28 (FT) Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has crossed the 1.3 million mark in arrivals for 2025, reflecting a steady year-on-year (YoY) growth, but the latest data point to the country falling short of its monthly target for July. Despite a seasonal boost from key cultural events like the Kandy Esala Perahera, industry data shows that current arrival rates are not enough to meet projections, raising concerns about the pace needed to hit the ambitious 3 million visitor target set for the year. more..

Jul 28 (FT) Global Federation of SL Business Councils (GFSLBC) last Friday unveiled a collaborative initiative to boost foreign investment, knowledge exchange, and technological advancement in the country by linking business councils representing SL professionals and entrepreneurs across the world. Speaking at the inaugural AGM of the GFSLBC in Colombo, its Secretary General Sajeev Rajaputhra said the Federation brings together SL business more..

Jul 28 (LeN) A series of troubling questions have arisen regarding the actions taken—or more accurately, the lack thereof—by former Justice Minister Dr Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and former MP Ajith Mannapperuma, in relation to a multi-million dollar bribery scandal linked to the MV X-Press Pearl maritime disaster. According to claims made in Parliament by Dr Rajapakshe himself, a staggering bribe of USD 250 million was allegedly more..

Jul 28 (Island) Veteran Gayanthika Abeyratne did not take part in top national level competition this year. With the old war horse settling into retirement after being in the track and field sports for more than two decades, her coach Sajith Jayalal seems to have found a promising athlete to fill the vacuume created by the 38-year-old. Kelaniya University undergraduate Rasara Wijesuriya took Gayanthika’s 2021 national record in the 5,000m at the World University Games in Berlin over the weekend. more..

Jul 28 (FT) Lassana Flora, Sri Lanka’s premier florist and greenhouse agri-producer, launched the first floral outlet at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA); strategically located within the arrival terminal. The venture offers a thoughtful and convenient way for visitors to greet incoming travellers with a fresh, vibrant bouquet, adding a profound touch of warmth and appreciation. The new Lassana Flora outlet at BIA’s arrival lounge presents an exquisite selection of fresh flowers more..

Jul 28 (DN) Sri Lanka will start their Asia Cup Cricket campaign when they will meet Bangladesh on Sept 13 in its 17th edition which will be held in UAE two venues Dubai and Abu Dhabi from Sept 9 to 28. This was revealed by Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday. “I am delighted to confirm the dates of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 in UAE. We look to a spectacular display of more..

Jul 28 (DN) Skipper Sonal Dinusha stroked a fine unbeaten knock of 83 well supported by Pavan Ratnayake who made 63 as CCC invited to bat first scored 309 for 7 wickets in their 50 overs against Tamil Union in their Major Club limited overs semi final march at CCC grounds yesterday. It was superb batting display by CCC players while all-rounder Sonal Dinusha came to side after successful ‘A’ tour with SL ‘A’ strengthen the side and his teammates Pavan Ratnayake and Sahan Kosala more..

Jul 28 (ST) While the national men’s senior team—comprising mostly foreign-based professional players with SL roots—has performed decently at global level, the national Under-20 girls’ football team appears to be heading in a different direction. Improving their status in the FIFA World Rankings, the senior men’s team has managed to climb four places, from 200 to 196, after winning three out of four international fixtures played so far this year. However, it is a contrasting scenario when more..

Jul 28 (FT) Embassy of SL in Thailand successfully facilitated a high-level business meeting between Maliban Biscuit Manufactories Ltd, SL and Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company (CPF), a core subsidiary of Thailand’s CP Group, on 22 July in Bangkok. This in-person meeting follows an initial virtual engagement between the two companies, coordinated by the Embassy, aimed at introducing Maliban’s product portfolio to CPF and initiating dialogue on potential trade collaboration. more..

Jul 28 (FT) A surge in transhipment boxes in May saw Colombo Port experiencing its first year-to-date (YTD) growth, though marginal. May saw a transhipment volume of 573,366 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), the highest monthly figure for the year and up 12% from May last year. Due to better performance in 2024 and issues of congestion and delays, the 2025 YTD figure of transhipment TEUs is still lower by 2.7% as against 2024. Up to April, the YTD dip was higher at 6.2%. more..

Jul 28 (TM) SL head coach Sanath Jayasuriya sternly dismissed the recent allegations directed at him by the Anti-Corruption Organisation (ACO), insisting that his slate is clean and that he has never been implicated in any corrupt activities, either in cricket or any other sphere. Ex-national skipper who is currently on his maiden foray into international coaching, challenged those in the ACO, to prove if he has ever been engaged more..

Jul 28 (Island) We live in a time of accelerated militarism, environmental devastation, and deepening social collapse. Amid these crises, the destruction of our shared global heritage — humanity’s historical, spiritual, and artistic legacy — receives an astounding lack of attention. As we enter the age of transhumanism and techno-market reality, creativity is no longer an organic expression of human consciousness; it is shaped, filtered, and directed by artificial intelligence and more..

Jul 28 (Island) Close on the heels of the discovery of an infant abandoned in a thicket in Mawathagama and the unearthing of the skeletal remains of a child in the Chemmani mass grave, shocking news has emerged about the killing of a pregnant doe in a wildlife reserve in Galewela. Four suspects, including two police sergeants, have been arrested and remanded over the incident. The hunters could not remove the carcasses of the doe in fawn and another deer because a group of vigilant more..

Jul 28 (SO) The Pottuvil Area Coordination Committee meeting on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution to take action to remove the Pottuvil Shabad House, which has become centre point of controversy in the area and led to tight security following bomb scare last year. Chabad House is a religious and cultural centre run by the Chabad-Lubavitch Movement, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group based in New York, aimed at serving Jewish travellers, specially Israeli tourists, more..

Jul 28 (ST) Did (then) Acting Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe abuse his powers in issuing a Proclamation declaring an island-wide State of Emergency on 17th July 2022, thereafter promulgating Emergency Regulations under Section 5 just a few days following the peoples aragalaya (struggle) in the wake of former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa fleeing the country? This deceptively simple question was answered by a three member Bench of the SC in a divided opinion more..

Jul 28 (CT) For decades, SL’s Inter-Uni Students’ Federation (IUSF), known colloquially and often fearfully as Anthare, has stood as a monolithic force in the nation’s political landscape. It has been the militant vanguard of free education, a kingmaker and a govt-toppler, its crimson banners and thunderous chants a familiar sight on the streets of the capital. But today, this formidable institution is facing its most profound crisis — more..

Jul 28 (TM) SL is undergoing a period of change which has been a long time coming. The public has rejected the long-standing political order, which had failed them over and over again, to replace it with an untested movement. That movement, a rebranded version of J.V.P-light in the form of the NPP that rode a wave of anti-establishment fervour, public disenfranchisement with the State and polity, and a promise of change with transparency and accountability, into public office. more..

Jul 28 (DM) As the month of July 2025 draws to a close, it is a good time to reminisce on the events of July 1983, which led to the coining of the term Black July in our country. Black July marked a week-long attack on the Tamil people of our country, by Sinhalese mobs encouraged to attack the community by the govt of the time. The attacks were brutal, planned and supported by the police and armed forces who remained indifferent to the mayhem being unleashed on unarmed and more..

Jul 28 (SO) Govt’s newly proposed education reforms have sparked widespread discussion across the country. In a televised interview, PM and Minister of Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, laid out the core elements of this ambitious initiative. The reforms aim to transform SL’s education system through a comprehensive curriculum overhaul, administrative restructuring, improvements in infrastructure, enhanced more..

Jul 28 (CT) The people yearned for a full transformation from the old and the wicked to a new and challenging. Fed up with the traditional and boring political leadership, they demanded a real transformation; not a mere superficial change. Their thirst for a system change was never mitigated. That system which was the fundamental reason for our collective apathy, aimless pursuits and falling flat on our own bellies after realizing that it was the same mirage that we were deceived by, more..

Jul 28 (CT) World Mangrove Day was celebrated on 26 July. Also known as the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, this day is marked globally to highlight the significance of mangroves and raise awareness about their protection. SL, too, commemorated the occasion with events, lectures, and community programmes that reflected the growing recognition of the role mangroves play in our ecosystems. Often referred to as the guardians of blue carbon, mangroves more..

Jul 27 (ST) SL’s 36th IGP, Deshabandu Tennakoon, is set to become the country’s first-ever holder of that post to be ejected from office by Parliament when the House debates a resolution to remove him on August 5. The move comes after a three-member committee appointed to probe allegations of misconduct and gross abuse of power against IGP Tennakoon found him guilty of 19 of the 23 charges laid against him. more..

Jul 27 (NW) Human skeletal remains belonging to at least 90 individuals have been discovered during the excavations at the Chemmani cemetery site in Jaffna, according to officials conducting the investigation. The current phase of excavation, which began on July 21 under a Jaffna Magistrate’s Court order, is scheduled to continue until Aug 4. By the fifth day of digging (25), remains linked to 25 additional individuals had been found, bringing the total to 90 across all phases. more..

Jul 27 (AM) Police have made fresh breakthroughs in the investigation into the illegal killing of a pregnant deer inside the Heenugala Reserve in Makulugaswewa, Galewela, uncovering further suspects and unlicensed weapons during questioning. Dambulla ASP confirmed that one more individual has been arrested as investigations deepened following the initial arrests made on 25 July. Among the first to be apprehended were two police sergeants and a civilian. more..

Jul 27 (ST) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has informed his Cabinet that in considering mega development projects such as expressways, local parties expecting to bid for them would have to bring funding or loans from overseas, instead of obtaining loans from local banks. Prez had pointed out that if the local contractors obtained loans from state banks, funding for other development projects, such as rural road more..

Jul 27 (ST) A person who issues a cheque without sufficient funds in the bank would be liable to a fine and a jail term not exceeding two years under a proposed amendment to be passed in Parliament shortly. The provisions to impose a fine and a jail term will be applicable if the cheque has been presented within six months, if the payee or holder of the cheque makes a demand for payment in writing from the drawer of the cheque within 90 days of receipt of information about the return of the more..

Jul 27 (EN) Sri Lanka will give one year visa to citizens of the Maldives, restoring a facility for longer term visas, Foreign Minister Vijith Herath said. “Up to now we gave only short term visas for Maldives citizens, subject to certain observations,” minister said. “From Aug 1, we will give Maldives citizens one year visas.” At one time large numbers of Maldivians used to come to Sri Lanka especially for health tourism. But after rules were tightened, they could not come, he said. more..

Jul 27 (Island) Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Minister of Labour, Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando, told Parliament that 25,508 duty-free vehicle permits had been issued to public servants since the suspension of vehicle imports to SL. Answering a question raised by MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, Minister said those permits had been issued as of 30 June 2025, but no decision had yet been taken on whether vehicles could be imported under those permits. more..

Jul 27 (Island) Sri Lanka still lacks an officially approved national education policy, Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) said during a meeting held on Wednesday. The meeting, chaired by MP Aravinda Senaratne, was convened to review the Auditor General’s report and assess the 2023 performance of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Training. Officials from the Education Ministry and the National Education Commission (NEC) admitted that more..

Jul 27 (TM) Govt is aiming to make all public sector websites fully functional and visually standardised within the next year, as part of a broader digital overhaul backed by cloud migration and cybersecurity reforms. “We expect to see all Govt websites functional and standardised within six months to a year,” said Ministry of Digital Economy Acting Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala. He confirmed that all platforms would be more..

Jul 27 (TM) SL Police, alongside the STF and tri-forces, unleashed a week-long crackdown on drug trafficking and criminal networks across the island last week. Between 18 and 24 July, this massive operation resulted in the arrest of 1,455 suspects and the seizure of huge quantities of crystal methamphetamine, heroin, and cannabis. The arrests resulted in the seizure of significant quantities of illicit drugs, including 374 grammes and 336 milligrammes of ICE and 218 grammes more..

Jul 27 (ST) Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe has appointed a committee comprising two senior officers to study the Supreme Court’s X-Press Pearl disaster judgment that has set out follow-up action for his department to take. Committee will take note of the 361-page judgment, where it had also determined that the then-Attorney General had violated the fundamental rights of the petitioners. It will also study the court’s orders in detail and decide on what the dept can do to implement them. more..