Jun 28 (ST) Govt will continue to consider the extension of the retirement age of the judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal by two years in each court. The move comes in order to ensure experienced judges are retained in service for longer periods, and it comes amid accusations from opposition quarters and international law associations that the govt was seeking to influence the judiciary. Fifty new magistrates will also be appointed to fill vacancies in the lower courts more..

Jun 28 (ST) Hambantota Int'l Port (HIP), in partnership with the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of SL (WNPS) as project facilitator, is taking its flagship human-elephant conflict initiative to the next stage with the launch of Phase II of the Save Ali Pancha project. Programme follows measurable successes in wildlife conservation, scientific research and community engagement achieved during its first phase, more..

Jun 28 (SO) The number of Dengue cases reported in SL this year has surpassed 50,000, according to Community Physician Dr. Prashila Samaraweera of National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU), with the health authorities adding that the situation has reached the epidemic level. She said that 50,459 Dengue cases and 30 deaths have been reported so far this year. Dr. Samaraweera said that these figures could increase further as more..

Jun 28 (Island) Nuwara Eliya Magistrate’s Court on Friday ordered that four suspects, including the alleged mastermind behind the murder of a physiotherapist whose body was found inside a vehicle in Teldeniya, be remanded until July 9. Those remanded include the main suspect, his wife, the OIC of the Kundasale Police Training School and a driver attached to the Kundasale PS. The suspects were produced before the Magistrate on Friday, following which the remand order was issued. more..

Jun 28 (NW) Reckless motorists will be produced directly before courts instead of being issued on-the-spot traffic fines, under new instructions issued to all Police traffic officers, Deputy Inspector General of Police for Traffic Control and Road Safety W.P.J. Senadheera said. The move comes amid a sharp rise in road fatalities across the country. Police said 1,292 fatal road accidents were recorded between January 1 and June 26 this year, claiming 1,357 lives. more..

Jun 28 (EN) International assistance for forensic analysis of the remains unearthed at the Chemmani mass grave will be sought when the need arises, Minister of Justice has said after opposition legislators urged the govt to seek help. “We have spoken to embassies, we have made all the local finances necessary for excavation. But when it comes to DNA analysis, depending on the type and nature we will definitely have to go for internationally recognised places,” Harshana Nanayakkara more..

Jun 28 (CI) Amir Jangoo amassed 233, Roston Chase hit 194, and through a record-breaking 401-run partnership, the pair slow-roasted Sri Lanka on day three in Antigua. Their gargantuan stand delivered West Indies to a position of extraordinary strength, securing them a 318-run first innings lead. That in the four overs they got to bowl at Sri Lanka, West Indies dismissed the dangerous Pathum Nissanka, and created other chances, buoying them further heading into day four. more..

Jun 28 (ST) Board of Investment’s (BOI) annual release of investments data are listed in dollar terms although local investments made in rupees are also converted to quote a number that does not reflect the actual dollar inflows through investments to the country. BOI Director General Renuka Weerakone said that although this could cause misconceptions among the public they needed to provide the dollar amount when more..

Jun 28 (CI) India suffered a potential injury scare ahead of the Test series in Sri Lanka, with their No.3 B Sai Sudharsan retiring hurt on 7 while playing for India A against Sri Lanka A during the third day of the first four-dayer in Galle. After scoring a century in the first innings, Sai Sudharsan retired hurt in the fourth over of India A's second innings. By the end of the day's play, however, India A had stretched their lead to 170. Chhattisgarh opener Aayush Pandey and Devdutt Padikkal were unbeaten more..

Jun 28 (Island) This week, SL returned to Test cricket in the Caribbean after an absence of exactly one year. To think that the national team has gone a full 12 months without playing a single Test is staggering. The administrators who run the game have let down both the players and the fans. It is equally disturbing to think that players like Dinesh Chandimal and Kasun Rajitha, who are specialists in the longest format, have effectively been left without work for an entire year. more..

Jun 28 (SO) Releasing privately owned lands in SL’s Northern Province that remain under the control of the Security Forces is now being expedited, senior Defence Ministry top brass said. The authorities are working to resolve long-standing delays linked to difficulties in verifying ownership deeds in Palaly and the wider Jaffna High Security Zone (HSZ), following instructions from Dy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara, more..

Jun 28 (EN) INFRACON 2026, SL’s exhibition dedicated to the infrastructure and construction sector, will bring together companies, industry professionals and decision-makers from across South Asia. Organized by Lanka Exhibitions and Conference Services (LECS) in collaboration with SAVOR International Limited of Bangladesh, the exhibition aims to foster regional cooperation and create opportunities for trade, investment and technological advancement within more..

Jun 28 (AD) The Supreme Court has announced the successful completion of a fully paperless oath-taking ceremony for attorneys-at-law, marking a significant milestone in the digitalisation of Sri Lanka’s judicial system. A total of 735 attorneys-at-law took their oaths through this digitalised process over the past five days. An initiative is currently underway to digitalise the country’s judicial proceedings under the leadership of Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena. more..

Jun 28 (AD) PM and Minister of Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, reaffirmed the Govt’s commitment to expanding equitable healthcare across the island at the inauguration of the 93rd Annual Scientific Session of the SL Dental Association (SLDA) held at Cinnamon Life, Colombo. The event highlighted the nation's commitment to advancing oral healthcare through scientific innovation, prevention, and inclusivity. PM opened the session by congratulating the student gold medalists, more..

Jun 28 (AD) Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) successfully conducted its 2026/27 Annual General Meeting, during which new office bearers were elected to lead the Association for the forthcoming term. At the meeting, Specialist Doctor Chandika Epitakaduwa was elected as the President of the GMOA, while Dr. Bandara Warakagoda was elected as the Secretary. The Executive Committee and the Central Committee for the 2026/27 term were elected uncontested. more..

Jun 28 (Island) Garbage, particularly non-biodegradable waste, has become one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing communities across Sri Lanka. The careless disposal of plastic items such as yoghurt cups, polythene and other synthetic materials has contributed not only to environmental pollution but also to public health concerns, including the spread of dengue. more..

Jun 28 (Island) I consider it an honour to have been invited to deliver the convocation address of the Faculties of Animal Science and Export Agriculture, Applied Sciences, Management and Technological Studies of the Uva-Wellassa Uni which was established in 2005 under the visionary leadership of the founding Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Chandra Embuldeniya. He afforded a new direction, dimension and purpose to this university which made it stand out from the rest of more..

Jun 28 (Island) The editorial in last Sunday’s Sunday Island, captioned Fuel Crisis: Beyond Price Debate, deserves to be applauded because it called on both the govt and the opposition to stop playing politics over fuel prices. The editor concluded by stating, “It is hoped that the govt and the opposition will stop fighting over fuel prices and address the serious issues that threaten the country’s energy security and economic stability.” I believe that most Sri Lankans would agree more..

Jun 28 (Island) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told Parliament on Thursday that the PTA would be repealed before the end of 2026. He said the PTA, introduced as a temporary measure, had lasted for 46 long years despite calls for its abolition. It is not clear from media reports on the President’s parliamentary speech how the government will set about the task of doing away with the PTA. However, one may recall that the Ministry of Justice published a proposal for more..

Jun 28 (SO) For decades, many Sri Lankans believed that power and proximity to it meant immunity. Well-connected persons have literally walked away from murder with little consequences. Ministers, who had been accused of corruption by foreign Govts, have continued as if nothing has happened. At the grassroots level, political henchmen misused State resources, harassed citizens, grabbed lands, and behaved as if the law existed only for the hoi polloi. more..

Jun 28 (SO) Dengue fever has once again become one of Sri Lanka’s biggest public health challenges. While the disease has long been associated with the rainy season, health experts now warn that Dengue has become a year-round threat affecting almost every district in the country. According to Epidemiology Unit, Dengue is now both a local and global health problem, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas. more..

Jun 28 (ST) My dear Wijey, I know I am writing to you at a time of great distress but I thought I must. That is after we heard the news that your offspring, along with Charith from the telephone party, had been detained on charges of soliciting and accepting bribes from underworld figures. Many of us reacted with shock and horror. These past few weeks, we have seen politicians and those associated with them being marched into custody with unnerving regularity. Just last week, we saw more..

Jun 28 (GV) A collective of human rights organisations, including the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice (SLC), is calling for an urgent halt to the deployment of SL forces to Haiti. This year, the SL Army announced that a Gang Suppression Force Pre Deployment course for Haiti had been concluded on April, 10, 2026. Such deployment must not occur before a series of actions, for the following reasons: Between 2004 and 2007, at least 134 SL peacekeepers sexually exploited more..

Jun 28 (ST) With only weeks left for the Yala season harvest, farmers across the island are lamenting that most of them have not received the proposed fertiliser subsidy from the govt yet, despite the voice-cut announcements by govt ministers. In Batticaloa and various parts of the Northern and North-Central provinces, several farmer federations staged protests demanding a fair price for their harvests, as private millers and the govt-run more..

Jun 28 (ST) On Nov 28 last year, NPP govt imposed a State of Public Emergency under Section 2 of the Public Security Ordinance (PSO)—ostensibly to facilitate faster, more efficient coordination and implementation in the aftermath of the Cyclone Ditwah disaster. Given the scale of devastation, this special measure was perhaps understandable—at the time. The military was on the ground. The state machinery, creaking under the weight of the disaster, needed administrative and more..

Jun 28 (SO) SL leaders introduced the Prevention of terrorism Act (PTA) in 1979 at a time when the LTTE and several other terror groups in the North were ramping up their campaign for a separate State. Although initially described as a temporary measure, it became a permanent component of the country’s laws just three years later. Just one year later, in 1983, the conflict erupted as a full-blown war between the LTTE and Govt Armed Forces, which would last for the better part of 3 decades. more..

Jun 27 (EN) Sri Lanka is planning to introduce time-of-use (ToU) electricity tariff rates and roll-out smart meters to shift the country’s electricity usage pattern from the night peak to the day peak, Deputy Minister Arkam Ilyas said. ToU tariffs are pricing where electricity cost changes based on the time of day, week day, or season. Ilyas told parliament that the country’s night peak has increased compared to the day peak, more..

Jun 27 (DM) SL's dengue outbreak has reached epidemic levels, with cases crossing the 50,000 mark, health authorities confirmed. Acting Director of National Dengue Control Unit, said that the rapid increase in cases indicates the country has now reached the epidemic level and that urgent preventive measures are needed to prevent the situation from worsening. "We are now reporting around 600 to 700 dengue cases a day, and the total number of cases has exceeded 50,000. more..

Jun 27 (FT) The tourism industry crossed the 1.11 million visitor mark during the first 24 days of June, but the latest figures point to a slowdown in momentum, with monthly arrivals trailing last year’s pace amid a sharp decline in Indian travellers. According to provisional data from the SLTDA, the country welcomed 95,747 visitors between 1 and 24 June, a 7.5% year-on-year (YoY) decline from the 103,562 arrivals registered during the corresponding period in 2025. more..

Jun 27 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday reviewed an ambitious push to transform four key export industries into major foreign exchange earners, targeting up to $ 6 billion over the coming years. During separate discussions at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday with industrialists representing the coconut, food and beverage, rubber and tea sectors, Prez pledged policy support, investment incentives & regulatory reforms more..

Jun 27 (DN) Opposition MPs submitted a motion to the Speaker yesterday seeking permission to hold an adjournment debate in Parliament on the measures to be taken to fill the prolonged vacancies in the Supreme Court. More than eight vacancies in the Supreme Court have not been filled for over six months. MPs submitted the letter to the Speaker, emphasising the responsibility and accountability of Parliament regarding the impact on the rule of law and consequences on the fundamental rights more..

Jun 27 (Island) Suranga Sanjeewa Karunaratne, alias Matiya, an alleged underworld gunman linked to organised crime figure Kehelbaddara Padme, was arrested on arrival at the BIA in the early hours yesterday. Police said the suspect, a resident of Kotugoda, Yagodamulla, had been detained by Malaysian authorities and deported to Sri Lanka. Officers of the CID took him into custody upon his arrival. Investigators said an Interpol Red Notice had been issued against the suspect. more..