Jul 27 (DM) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vijitha Herath yesterday said that the govt was free of corruption, and it was now a good time for foreign investors to invest in Sri Lanka. At the inaugural annual general meeting of the Global Federation of SL Business Councils (GFSLBC), Minister mentioned that investors could now start businesses without paying money or commissions to politicians, and that people could also invest their foreign currencies in Sri Lanka. more..

Jul 27 (TM) While the Govt remains hopeful of reaching an agreement with the US before August, it is not in a position to offer zero-tariff access to Sri Lanka similar to Vietnam and the Philippines, according to the Deputy Minister R.M. Jayawardana stated that the Govt had continuously negotiated with the US delegation in the hopes of reaching an agreement on the proposed trade agreement. He further said that they were hopeful of reaching this proposed trade agreement by August. more..

Jul 27 (ST) Sri Lanka is in a unique position to increase the number of tourist arrivals, particularly from India – the country’s strongest source market – if the long awaited nation branding promotion campaign is kick-started, a top corporate chief said this week. “India’s economy is growing at a phenomenal rate and we can benefit from that boom. We should easily be able to attract 1 million Indians from 400,000 last year, more..

Jul 27 (CT) A list of diplomatic appointments has been submitted to the High Posts Committee of Parliament for approval. The nominations include Niluka Kadurugamuwa as Ambassador to Turkey, Udeni Rajapaksa as High Commissioner to South Africa, K. Yoganathan as Ambassador to South Korea, Sashikala Premawardana as High Commissioner to Indonesia, Ruwanthi Delpitiya as Ambassador to Nepal, Madhuka Silva as Second Attaché to the US, and Hassan Rizwie as more..

Jul 27 (TM) The Govt has refuted claims by certain trade unions that the recent amendment to the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Acts of 2005 and 2016 would result in the reduction of wages for certain workers. Deputy Minister of Labour Mahinda Jayasinghe stated that with the amendment of the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Acts of 2005 and 2016, the payment of Budgetary Relief Allowance (BRA) would cease as it would be included in the minimum wage by then. more..

Jul 27 (TM) Nearly two weeks after the previous year’s long-term coal tender closed, Lanka Coal Company (LCC) is still scrambling to float the tender for 2025/’26, with officials now confirming it will only be called by mid-August – a move that risks a serious disruption to SL’s coal-fired electricity supply in the coming months. The 2024/’25 tender officially closed on 8 July last year after multiple extensions, but this year, procurement more..

Jul 27 (PMD) Eastern Provincial Workshop, part of a series of specialized training programs aimed at decentralizing the functions of the President’s Fund, was held today (26) at the Batticaloa District Secretariat. With the full decentralization of the President’s Fund operations to Divisional Secretariats, there has been a notable increase in the number of applications received. As a result, training and awareness on the newly introduced computer-based online system have more..

Jul 27 (SO) Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) is poised for a higher performance following an islandwide awareness campaign which the Exchange plans to launch shortly that would see the number of active clients surging from the present rate. The over 40-year old Stock Exchange has only around 45,000 active clients doing around one transaction a month from around 720,000 account holders and 260,000 portfolios. CSE is dubbed one of the best-performing markets in the world. more..

Jul 27 (Island) In a country where cricket is religion and education its sacred scroll, Nalanda College — one of SL’s proudest institutions — turned 100 this week, bringing up its century with the poise of a seasoned Test cricketer. What began in 1922 as a humble offshoot of Ananda College at Campbell Place has since carved out its own identity, a name synonymous with discipline and distinction. From military leaders to medical pioneers, business magnates to political stalwarts, more..

Jul 27 (ST) Colombo District Court Judge Sandun Vithana, who had earlier issued an enjoining order halting the operations of the Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) Working Task Force, is expected to deliver his ruling on Monday following the conclusion of submissions by all parties on Friday. On Wednesday, the Judge issued a temporary order restraining the Working Task Force from functioning until August 5, after considering a petition filed by the Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU). more..

Jul 27 (ST) SLC’s Vice President, Jayantha Dharmadasa, claimed that no other country matches the talent we have. It’s a bold statement—especially after a 2-1 series defeat to Bangladesh, a team SL once beat comfortably. According to Mr. Dharmadasa, the main reason for the loss wasn’t poor planning, inconsistent selection, or lack of preparation. No, it was because Hasaranga’s substitute did not do the job properly. more..

Jul 27 (Island) It will not be an exaggeration to say that what the 2024 Electricity Act proposed, the 2025 Amendment seems set up to depose. Equally, what the Act set about to depose, the Amendment is seeking to re-propose. Unrestricted unbundling and privatizing the unbundled parts were the central purpose of the Act. Controlled unbundling without abandoning public ownership seems to be the main motivation behind the Amendment. The Act exclusively privileged everyone else except more..

Jul 27 (Island) The govt has apparently shifted from a hasty plan to implement its educational reforms to a broader dialogue thereon, amidst resistance from various quarters. Parliament debated the proposed reforms on Thursday. Complaining that the govt had only made a powerpoint presentation of the educational reforms, the Opposition called for a white paper, but the govt stood its ground, claiming that information it had released about them was sufficient. more..

July 27 (ST) Last week’s issue of this newspaper ran a front-page lead story where probably the information concealed was of greater significance than what was revealed of govt thinking. Our reporter was unable to ferret out more from the highly placed source in the ruling party, who didn’t even want to be quoted, but it betrayed the Govt’s exasperation with the Establishment for not falling in line with it. The story referred to plans to make what it preferred to call structural changes to more..

July 27 (ST) My dear Satellite, I am writing to you after some time. That is because we haven’t seen much of you or heard you lately. A few days ago, we saw you at a ceremony to celebrate 20 years of the ‘B’ foundation, only to realise you celebrated your 80th birthday a few weeks ago. So, belated wishes for a happy birthday! It is best that milestones of our leaders are celebrated privately and not with tamashas at state expense. There was even a time when your father’s death anniversary more..

July 27 (ST) An Indian website reported this week that on Aug 2, former Tamil Tigers and SL Tamils living in western capitals will gather in Switzerland to publicly acknowledge for the first time that LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is dead. They will gather in Basel, Switzerland, for the meeting to acknowledge Prabhakaran’s death. The acknowledgement comes nearly 15 years after Mr. Prabhakaran’s death, which has been more..

July 27 (CT) There is a well-known saying that captures the chaos of misplaced priorities: “When everything is a priority, nothing gets done except panic.” This rings especially true in the context of electoral reforms in Sri Lanka. Despite years of discussion, the failure to clearly identify and act on electoral priorities has created confusion and delay. Electoral reform is a critical pillar in the effort to strengthen democracy in Sri Lanka. Although reform initiatives began some time ago, more..

July 27 (GV) A historic and far reaching ruling was delivered by the Supreme Court of SL on July 23. The court ruled that emergency regulations imposed by then Acting Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe violated fundamental rights. These regulations were used to disperse peaceful protesters at Galle Face at the height of the aragalaya in July 2022. This decision is a key moment in Sri Lanka’s democratic development. It reinforces the importance of constitutional freedoms and the rule of law more..

July 27 (TM) Sri Lanka is once again feeling the pressure of the country’s arduous economic recovery path with the nearing of the 1 August deadline for US Prez Donald Trump’s trade tariffs to kick in and the country still trying to strike a deal favourable for Sri Lanka and its exports industry. Several countries in the Asian region have either struck favourable deals with the US on trade tariffs or have been imposed with manageable tariff levels. more..

July 27 (TM) What does a government do when every trick in the political playbook fails to distract from the very issues that catapulted it to power? When failures, unfulfilled promises, and fresh scandals begin to coalesce into a maelstrom of discontent, diversionary tactics lose their efficacy. This is the sobering reality facing the NPP Govt as it nears its first anniversary in office – a moment that should have marked consolidation, but now looms as a mountain that needs to be conquered. more..

July 27 (SO) With the Govt preparing to launch major education reforms in 2026, the country finally seems ready to confront the systemic failures that have been plaguing its schooling system for generations. The statistics that Prez presented to Parliament last Thursday paint an alarming picture. Student dropouts have surged from 16,673 in 2019 to over 20,700 by 2022. Nearly 47,000 students move out of the education system between Grade 1 enrollment and GCE (O/L) exams. more..

Jul 26 (DM) Cyberattacks are becoming an increasingly serious issue in Sri Lanka, with the number of computer crime complaints rising sharply in 2025. According to the SLCERT, over 5,400 cybercrime incidents have been reported so far this year. The majority of cases involve social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, with nearly 90% linked to Facebook. more..

Jul 26 (CT) Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) urged the Ministry of Health and the Govt to grant an amnesty to medical practitioners who had left public service and were willing to rejoin, providing them with an opportunity to do so. MCPA President, Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa urged the Health Ministry and the Government to pardon all doctors who had left the State service and the country within a common time frame and were within the eligible age limit more..

Jul 26 (DM) A writ petition has been filed before the Court of Appeal seeking an order directing authorities to detect and remove illegal electric fences to ensure the protection and conservation of elephants. K. Priyadarshani, President of the Association for the Protection of Elephants and Tuskers, filed this petition, naming Director General of Dept of Wildlife Conservation M.G.C. Sooriyabandara, Minister of Environment Dammika Patabendi, Chairman of the CEB, and more..

Jul 26 (ST) Dreaming of a better future, Nirosh* (23) arrived in London last September to pursue his higher education in IT, as SL’s 2022 economic crisis disrupted his studies and left his parents grappling with its devastating impact. He stayed with a relative for over a week in London until he obtained admission to a college in Gloucester, some 184 kilometres from London. He says he deeply cherishes his brief stay in London. more..

Jul 26 (DM) Sri Lanka’s apparel exports grew 8.95% year-on-year (YoY) in the first half of 2025, driven by strong demand from the EU and UK. Total exports rose to US $ 2.46 billion during January-June, up from US $ 2.26 billion a year ago, with the EU (excluding UK) leading the growth at 16.7% to US $ 769.89 million. Exports to the UK rose 6.45% to US $ 366.53 million, while the shipments to the US, the sector’s top market, increased by 4.1% to US $ 910.92 million. more..

Jul 26 (CT) A discussion has been initiated within the Government to prioritise introducing constitutional amendments that would change the composition of the Constitutional Council (CC), rather than drafting a new Constitution at this stage. The move follows the CC’s rejection of several key appointments proposed by the Prez, including the nomination of former Acting President of the Court of Appeal, Mohamed Laffar, to the Supreme Court. A proposal to appoint an AG was also turned down. more..

Jul 26 (NF) It’s not easy to be part of the best of the best. But Lieutenant Koyan Chamitha, a proud officer of the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) of the SL Navy, has just made history — becoming the first-ever Sri Lankan to complete the US Navy SEAL training program and earn the prestigious SEAL Trident pin. After enduring 14 months of the world’s most grueling military training, Lieutenant Chamitha emerged not just as a survivor, but as a symbol of SL grit, discipline, and elite capability. more..

Jul 26 (ST) While official statistics reveal a worrying rise in road traffic accidents, including fatal ones, across SL, experts caution that these numbers don’t tell the full story. Many accidents, particularly minor ones, often go unreported, leading to discrepancies in data. Although the Motor Traffic Act requires every accident to be reported to the police, in practice only major incidents make it into official records, said a senior official at the Colombo National Hospital, who did not wish to be named. more..

Jul 26 (FT) An IMF mission team led by Mission Chief for Sri Lanka Papageorgiou, visited Colombo during 21-25 July, to discuss recent macroeconomic developments and progress in implementing economic and financial policies under the authorities’ economic reform program supported by the IMF’s EFF arrangement. At the end of the mission, Papageorgiou issued the following statement: more..

Jul 26 (Island) STF has resumed anti-underworld operations, with a pre-dawn raid in Kahatuduwa yesterday resulting in the death of a contract killer linked to the notorious gang led by underworld figure Kos Malli. Investigations have revealed that the deceased, a cashiered STF sergeant, identified as Jeevan Chamara Janaka (40) from Dehiwala, had been involved in multiple crimes, including the recent shooting of a man known as Bus Asitha near the Dehiwala Railway Station on 18 July. more..

Jul 26 (EN) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake had discussed reducing Trump tariffs with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. “The primary focus of the meeting is to reduce tariffs and promote trade and investment relations between the two countries,” statement from the President’s office said. SL had reduced its initial 44% tariff to 30% and is seeking further reductions. Prez Trump said earlier this week that he will reduce tariff points to any country that open markets for US goods. more..