Aug 10 (CT) CID has initiated investigations and law enforcement action against local facilitators allegedly linked to a human trafficking network following the rescue of three Sri Lankan nationals in Ethiopia. The three nationals were safely repatriated to Sri Lanka after being rescued from the trafficking network and completing the necessary judicial and consular procedures, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Addis Ababa said. They departed Addis Ababa for Sri Lanka on 30 July 2026. more..

Aug 10 (FT) Sri Lanka's economic future will increasingly be determined not by its proximity to India but by its ability to make itself competitive enough to participate in India's rise, according to an emerging consensus among Govt, business leaders, diplomats and strategic thinkers at the Lanka India Business Association's India Calling forum yesterday. Although approaching the issue from different perspectives, speakers repeatedly returned to the same proposition: more..

Aug 10 (ST) In just four months, Sri Lanka’s substandard Trident Chemphar coal deal cost Electricity Generation Lanka (Pvt) Ltd (EGL) Rs. 5.68bn in estimated direct financial losses, not including those arising from meeting the energy shortfall from burning low-quality coal through other power generation sources. EGL—the successor company to the CEB—calculated the losses based on operational data recorded more..

Aug 10 (Island) In a significant move for SL’s cultural landscape, Cinnamon Box Office (CBO) has officially launched its Destination Event Calendar, signaling Colombo’s ambition to become a premier regional hub for entertainment & creativity. Announcement was made at a launch event held on 6 Aug at the City of Dreams Sri Lanka, marking a pivotal moment for the nation’s evolving creative economy. The centerpiece of this new initiative is the introduction of This Is Michael – Relive the Legend, more..

Aug 10 (CI) Shubman Gill shrugged off a finger injury and made a breezy 44, Yashasvi Jaiswal an authoritative fifty and Mohammed Siraj a fun-filled 32 not out as India chased down 207 to beat SL Cricket XI in their tour match in Colombo. Much of the focus on the final day's play was on the India captain, who did not bat in the first innings. Gill had taken a knock to his hand in the lead-up to this tour game but whatever effect that may have had on his well-being seems to have passed. more..

Aug 10 (FT) SL’s private sector must ensure the country’s new beneficial ownership regime is effectively implemented as it prepares for a crucial int'l anti-money laundering (AML) review, Central Bank Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) Director General Dr. Subhani Keerthiratne said. SL is currently undertaking a high-level national review and preparation process for its Third Mutual Evaluation on Anti-Money Laundering and more..

Aug 10 (FT) A Sri Lankan business delegation will be in Australia from 17 to 21 August to participate in two business forums. These will be held from August 17 to 21 in Sydney and from August 24 to 27 in Melbourne. The event is organised by the Sri Lanka-Australia-New Zealand Business Council (SLANZBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. SLANZBC President Chandana Amaradasa said that a SL business delegation is visiting Australia after a lapse of more than 15 years. more..

Aug 10 (FT) A total of 25 leading companies last week took the Corporate Mediation Pledge under a ground breaking initiative of the International ADR Centre (IADRC) boosting the alternate resolution mechanism in the country. The pledge to consider mediation as their preferred method of resolving disputes was made at a ceremony at the Port City Colombo which reflected a growing movement away from the traditional adversarial nature of litigation and towards a more collaborative approach more..

Aug 10 (Island) The International Masters Cricket Over-60s tournament got underway in Toronto, Canada, yesterday, with a strong Sri Lankan side hoping to make its mark against some of the best Masters teams in the world. Sri Lanka have been drawn in Group ‘A’ alongside defending champions Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, Wales and hosts Canada. Group ‘B’ comprises England, NZ, India, USA, Zimbabwe, West Indies and Scotland. Teams in each group will play every opponent once, more..

Aug 10 (Island) The proposed constitutional amendment to effect a blanket extension of judges’ retirement ages is a textbook example of pretextual legislation or constitutional camouflage. It is a fig leaf for the govt’s original objective of retaining one particular judge who is nearing the mandatory retirement age. Legal experts are of the considered opinion that the proposed amendment will undermine the independence of the judiciary, and it needs to be approved by the people more..

Aug 10 (TM) The Sri Lanka Badminton (SLB) President Roshan Gunawardena, has been temporarily suspended from his post by the game’s local controlling body, pending the outcome of a disciplinary inquiry into a sexual harassment complaint lodged against him by a newly-recruited female employee of the SLB. This was confirmed by the SLB Acting President Chamara Aluthge, when inquired about the alleged incident. more..

Aug 10 (Island) Every morning, millions of Sri Lankans wake up and open their eyes without giving a second thought to the extraordinary gift of sight. We see the faces of those we love, read the morning news, travel to work, care for our families, and move through our daily lives with confidence. Vision is so deeply woven into everyday existence that we rarely appreciate its value—until it begins to disappear. For more than two and half decades, I have had the privilege of working in eye care more..

Aug 10 (FT) SL-Maldives Business Council (SLMBC), under The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Maldives Business Chamber (MBC), recently signed a MoU to boost ties between the private sectors of the two countries. MoU was signed during the 18th Annual General Meeting of the SLMBC at which Chief Guest was Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe and Guest of Honour was Maldives HC Masood Imad. The signatories were CCC Chairperson Krishan Balendra and more..

Aug 10 (DN) As the Colombo Plan marks its 75th anniversary, the organization stands at an important moment in its long history of development cooperation. Founded in 1951 on the principles of self-help and mutual help, the Colombo Plan has evolved from its early focus on technical assistance and infrastructure development into a wider platform for human capital development, South-South cooperation, capacity building, reduction of drug demand & supply, climate & environmental more..

Aug 10 (TM) For years, social media companies have enjoyed the best of both worlds. They have built enormously profitable businesses around keeping people online while insisting that they are merely providing platforms on which others communicate. A court in New Mexico has now challenged that arrangement. A judge has ordered Meta to pay $567 million towards addressing harm caused to young people through Facebook and Instagram, following a $375 million civil more..

Aug 10 (TM) When violence erupted inside Negombo Prison, it exposed once again the fragile reality behind SL’s prison walls – overcrowded facilities, rising tensions among inmates, and a correctional system struggling to maintain control under extraordinary pressure. But before authorities could fully recover from the Negombo crisis, another prison came under scrutiny. Mahara Prison, a name already associated with one of SL’s deadliest more..

Aug 10 (TM) More than seven years after the Easter Sunday bombings ripped through churches and luxury hotels, the first major criminal convictions of senior State officials have taken place. Last week, former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando were convicted by a two to one majority at a Trial-at-Bar of criminal liability arising from their failure to act on repeated intelligence warnings that preceded the attacks. more..

Aug 10 (ST) The report by COPF on the fraud linked to the cybercrime in which a USD 2.5 million debt repayment to Australia went missing continued to raise serious questions about the security of public funds, as MPs debated the Committee’s findings in the House. Wednesday’s adjournment motion on the matter was originally supposed to be moved by COPF Chairman Harsha De Silva, but it fell to SJB MP Whip Gayantha Karunathilaka, as the former was unable to attend Parliament owing to more..

Aug 10 (SO) Professor Jayadeva Uyangoda is one of SL’s leading political scientists, writers and constitutional scholars. A former Senior Professor of Political Science at Uni of Colombo, he now serves as Prof. Emeritus at the Uni. Prof. Uyangoda examined some of the pressing issues confronting SL’s judicial system, including mounting concerns over delays in Court proceedings & retirement age of judges, more..

Aug 10 (CT) It is nearly 80 years since independence, a period long enough to discern the nation building capabilities of a people, as well as their inherent ways and philosophies. Decidedly, the show has not brought down the house. Many neighbouring countries, starting with a much lower base, have marched ahead. There is a gaping mismatch between the hype and our actual performance, big talk but small deeds. As a nation we are inclined to turn to history for validation more..

Aug 10 (SO) One prison disturbance can be an accident, but not five in little more than a month. The wave of violence began at the Negombo Prison on July 5 and 6. The death toll of the riot had risen above 30, including 10 Prison Officers. That was the first time in recent history that Prison Officers were killed in prison riots. Then came Mahara on August 1, where another inmate was killed and six were injured. Last Thursday night, violence broke out at the Magazine Prison in Colombo. more..

Aug 9 (ST) Before taking power, the NPP seemed to have understood the problems embedded in the country’s prison system, going by the contents in its election manifesto A Thriving Nation, a Beautiful Life. But two years on, instead of any meaningful steps being taken to put the system in order, the situation has worsened inside prisons with uprisings by inmates in several facilities within the past three weeks and fears that more..

Aug 9 (DM) The Mahanayake theras of the three Chapters have written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns on extending the retirement age of judges, Mahanayake of Malwathu Chapter Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sri Sumagala Thera told a group of civil organisation leaders who met him today. Representatives of the Free Lawyers movement, Dinana Dakuna met the Mahanayake Thera in Kandy today. more..

Aug 9 (AD) The 2026 Grade 5 Scholarship Exam is scheduled to be held today at 2,723 examination centers across the island. A total of 294,089 students are expected to sit for this year’s Scholarship Exam, which will commence at 9.30 a.m. A total of 220,366 students are sitting for the exam in Sinhala medium, while 73,723 students are sitting in Tamil medium. Dept of Examinations has advised students to arrive at their examination centers at least one hour before the exam begins, more..

Aug 9 (TM) Govt has called for quotations to purchase 20 body cameras for the protection of prison officers, according to Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara. A further Rs. 13.7 million has been allocated to purchase 150 riot helmets, 300 batons, and 300 riot shields, with steps underway to call for quotations, Minister said in Parliament, as authorities moved to strengthen security across the prison system following more..

Aug 9 (TM) India has handed over another consignment of Bailey bridges to SL as part of its $ 450 million reconstruction and rehabilitation assistance package launched following Cyclone Ditwah. The latest consignment, weighing around 251 MT, was handed over on Thursday by Indian Deputy HC Maitrey Kulkarni to Deputy Minister Upali Samarasinghe. Bridges will be installed by an Indian Army Engineer Task Force at locations identified by RDA & provincial road dev. authorities. more..

Aug 9 (ST) The proposed bill, titled the 22nd Amendment to amend the Constitution, provides for the increase of Court of Appeal judges from 19 to 25, including the President of the Court of Appeal. A separate bill seeks to increase the number of High Court judges from 100 to 120, while the retirement age of both High Court judges and all other judges, including magistrates, is to be increased to 62. The bill, published by the Minister of Justice to amend the Judicature Act, more..

Aug 9 (TM) The Govt is seeking Cabinet approval to establish special digital transformation units within Government entities as a mechanism to fast-track digitalisation. Ministry of Digital Economy Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala said that a Cabinet paper would be submitted seeking approval to establish the units. “There will be a Cabinet paper. We are going to get Cabinet approval to set up some specialised digital transformation units within Govt entities. more..

Aug 9 (TM) Sri Lanka is set to improve the accuracy of its fishing ground forecasts through a data-sharing agreement with the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), as the current system achieves an accuracy of only 50–60%. Ministry of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Secretary Kolitha Jinadasa said that while the NARA currently operated a satellite-based potential fishing ground forecasting system, its accuracy stood at only 50–60%. more..

Aug 9 (ST) Mismanagement, shams and bad debts in certain companies over the past two decades have forced regulators like Central Bank of SL (CB), Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), and Ministry of Finance to revoke licenses, order asset sales and compulsory winding-up orders. Hela Apparel Holdings, a SL multinational apparel manufacturer, is the latest company more..

Aug 9 (NW) SL Police stated that the groups responsible for initiating clashes at the Kuruwita, Pallansena, and New Magazine prisons, where incidents of unrest were reported recently, have been identified. Dept of Prisons stated that necessary measures are being taken, including transferring the identified inmates to other prisons. Clashes broke out at the Kuruwita, Pallansena & New Magazine prisons on Aug 6 and 7. Three inmates lost their lives in the incidents, more..

Aug 9 (NW) The Derana Colombo International Kite Festival 2026 will be held at Galle Face Green on August 9, bringing together international and local kite flyers for one of Sri Lanka’s largest cultural and tourism events. Organisers said 80 international kite flyers from 30 countries have been invited for this year’s festival, while more than 1,500 Sri Lankan kite flyers are expected to participate. The main festival will run from 1.00 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., followed by what organisers say more..