May 16 (NW) National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) says it has faced no interference in relation to the ongoing investigations into the widely discussed child abuse case involving a minor girl in Anuradhapura. NCPA said it has been monitoring the case since it was first reported to ensure the law is properly enforced and the child’s rights are protected throughout the investigation process. The authority said it remains prepared to take appropriate measures whenever necessary to safeguard more..

May 16 (Island) Asian Development Bank is no longer treating digitalisation as a secondary development theme. Increasingly, bank views digital infrastructure as the economic nervous system of Asia’s future growth model – a strategic national asset now considered as critical to economic competitiveness as highways, ports & power grids. That shift carries an important message for countries like SL: modernise digital systems rapidly or risk falling behind regional competitors. more..

May 16 (CT) SL’s property market has seen an increase in its land at unprecedented numbers over the last few decades. Several factors are recorded as having contributed to rising property prices, including the nature of the country’s economy, the concentration of facilities in Colombo as the commercial hub, foreign direct investment, and local investments. Against this backdrop, CT examined how land in Colombo is being sold, more..

May 16 (DN) Rain once again played spoilsport in the second unofficial one-day game between SL Women’s A and NZ Women’s A, which ended in a no result for the second consecutive time at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium yesterday. SL Women’s A, batting first for the second successive game of the series, scored 197 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs. Rain interrupted play after the completion of the innings, and after a lengthy delay, NZ Women’s A were set a revised target of 123 runs in 20 overs. more..

May 16 (FT) John Keells CG Auto (JKCG Auto), has launched a campaign in partnership with Bank of Ceylon (BOC) and SL Insurance Corporation General Ltd. (SLIC) to accelerate New Energy Vehicles (NEV) adoption among Govt sector employees. The initiative, which commenced on 4 May will continue till 31 July 2026. It is designed to improve accessibility and affordability of NEVs for public servants through a structured set of financing, insurance & ownership support mechanisms. more..

May 16 (DN) The opening game of the Lanka Premier League 2026 will be played between Jaffna and Galle teams, who emerged as the Champions and Runners-up respectively in the 2024 season. Opening game is scheduled to be played on July 17 at SSC, commencing at 7.30 p.m. Prior to the start of the tournament opener, a spectacular opening ceremony will be held at the SSC and organisers are expected to give a good start more..

May 16 (ST) The recent diversion of US$ 2.5 million intended for Australia has triggered a national firestorm. While the political opposition decries it as theft and the public laments it as gross incompetence, these labels—though understandable in an atmosphere of high tension—fail to capture the structural reality of what has actually occurred. What the country is currently experiencing is less a crisis of intent and more a profound national confusion born from a lack of technical clarity. more..

May 16 (ST) For the past five days, Colombo became the global capital of shark and ray science as Sri Lanka hosted Sharks International 2026 (SI2026), the world’s largest scientific conference dedicated entirely to sharks, rays and chimaeras. Held from May 4 to 8, the event marked a milestone not only for marine conservation, but also for Sri Lanka itself. Hosted by the SL conservation organisation Blue Resources Trust, the conference brought together more than 800 participants; more..

May 16 (FT) In a bid to expand SL’s economic ties with the leading stakeholders in Türkiye, SL Ambassador to Türkiye Niluka Kadurugamuwa, with his official delegation, met with Istanbul Chamber of Commerce President Şekib Avdagiç recently at the Chamber’s HQ in Istanbul. Meeting focused on exploring new avenues for bilateral trade and investment cooperation between SL and Türkiye, with the objective of further enhancing the mutually agreed bilateral trade target of $ 500 million more..

May 16 (DN) SL women’s champion javelin thrower Nadeesha Lekamge who took part in last Paris Olympics once again came to the fore with a superb throw of 58.57m to win her event at the 2 nd National athletic trials held at Diyagama yesterday. With this achievement she qualified to take part in both Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. The 39 year old, Nadeesha Lekamge proved she’s still at the top of her event and her experience paved the way to get qualification for both major meets. more..

May 16 (FT) After more than a decade of discussions, and week of speculation, the Govt yesterday officially announced the launch of PayPal services in SL, marking a significant development in the country’s digital economy and cross-border payments landscape. The announcement was made at a high-level event held at the Galle Face Hotel attended by PM Harini Amarasuriya, with PayPal services set to more..

May 16 (Island) A group of undergraduates seized what remains of a mansion that belongs to the State, in Malwana, on Thursday. They represent the new IUSF, created by the JVP-NPP govt as a counter to the original IUSF controlled by thebreakaway JVP group, Frontline Socialist Party (FSP). The protesters’ JVP links became clear from the subservient manner in which the police behaved. It was alleged after the 2015 regime change that that the Malwana Mansion belonged to Basil more..

May 16 (Island) Should Sri Lanka consider an 18th IMF programme? Some academicians exploring Sri Lanka’s development prospects in depth are raising this issue. It is yet to emerge as a hot topic among policy and decision-making circles in this country but common sense would sooner rather than later dictate that it be taken up for discussion by the wider public and a decision arrived at The issue of an 18th IMF programme was raised with some urgency locally by none other than more..

May 16 (FT) Inland Revenue (Amendment) Bill 2026, published in the Govt Gazette of 20 Feb and placed before Parliament on 17 March, proposed several significant changes to the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017. Five petitions were filed before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of certain clauses, heard on 2 April 2026 by a bench comprising Justices Janak De Silva, Arjuna Obeyesekere, and Sampath Wijeratne. The determination, delivered in S.C. (S.D.) more..

May 16 (TM) Many incarcerated SL mothers whose substance abuse is entwined with contexts of structural violence, gendered labour exploitation, intergenerational trauma, the normalisation of substance use and addiction in families and workplaces, poverty, exploitation, domestic violence, and systemic neglect, note that stigma including social stigma and marginalisation, the fear of withdrawal, trauma, and maternal guilt and psychological burden, hindered timely more..

May 16 (SO) As discussions between the SJB and the UNP over a possible political alliance gather momentum, questions continue to arise over the future structure, leadership and direction of the proposed partnership. Amid growing speculation over reconciliation between the two parties, internal disagreements, the role of senior figures and the Opposition’s broader strategy against the Govt have all come under increasing public scrutiny. more..

May 16 (ST) In Dec 2017, when SriLankan Airlines went through the same critical process as the national carrier is facing today, a Sunday Times Poll, on the fate of the airline, revealed that most respondents were not in favour of an outright sale of the struggling, debt-ridden national carrier. This was in contrast to a similar poll conducted (only) online in April 2016 where email respondents, representing largely middle and upper classes of society, were in favour of the govt exiting from the airline. more..

May 16 (SO) Colombo last week hosted state visits by the Presidents of The Maldives, our immediate Indian Ocean island neighbour and ethnic kin, and of Vietnam, our NPP govt’s ideological kin and historic defier of French and US aggression. These important diplomatic overtures by an entirely new ideological regime in geo-strategically important Sri Lanka came as warring American forces continued their onslaught on Iran from their Indian Ocean deployments. more..

May 16 (SO) For more than four decades, this stipend has carried the aspirations of village children into lecture halls, laboratories and professional offices. Its beneficiaries are scattered across the world today: doctors in London hospitals, engineers in the Gulf, lawyers in Colombo chambers, academics in Australian universities. Many of them remember the humble beginning of the monthly Mahapola stipend that arrived more..

May 16 (CT) Sri Lanka faces a pivotal economic moment. Following a severe financial collapse, the nation has adopted a stabilization strategy guided by the IMF—enforcing strict fiscal policies, raising taxes, and implementing structural reforms to restore debt sustainability. On the surface, indicators seem positive: inflation has decreased, the currency remains stable, and external confidence is gradually returning. However, beneath this surface lies a more troubling reality— more..

May 16 (FT) Having served as a Member of Parliament, Chairman of the COPE Committee of Parliament, Secretary to a Ministry, and as an academic for more than twenty years — including serving as a Professor before resigning to enter public service and policymaking — I feel a responsibility to express several observations regarding the present state of university administration and the treatment of academic and non-academic staff within SL universities. more..

May 15 (TM) In the wake of several deaths reported inside prisons in the recent past, including the latest incident involving a death-row inmate linked to the killing of former MP Amarakeerthi Athukorala, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said that the Prison authorities and the Justice Ministry are continuously taking measures to prevent such incidents. He said: “Ministry and Prison authorities are always engaged in these matters. Precautionary measures are continuously being taken and more..

May 15 (TM) Ports Ministry stated that it is in the process of addressing staff imbalances within the Ports sector, as certain divisions currently have an excess number of employees whereas others are facing shortages. Deputy subject Minister Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku said: “There are around 6,000 employees in the Ports sector. At the moment, we don’t see a general excess of employees. What we do see is that some divisions have more staff than necessary, and more..

May 15 (TM) Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) has submitted a draft to amend the country’s long-standing medical law – the Medical Ordinance, No. 26 of 1927 - with the proposed changes expected to grant the Council powers to carry out inspections and strengthen its regulatory role, according to SLMC Registrar Dr Hemantha Herath. He said that most of the existing legal provisions date back more than a century more..

May 15 (DM) A group of people who had applied for jobs in Israel staged a protest in front of the Presidential Secretariat today, demanding solutions to the difficulties faced by them who claim to have been waiting in the web system for more than 15 months after qualifying for jobs in Israel’s restaurant sector. Protesters claimed they were among the first applicants selected under the Israel Reston programme in 2024 and said more than 500 people have been affected by delay in recruitment. more..

May 15 (DM) Farmers in the Nuwara Eliya area have begun handing over their potato harvest to the govt under a special purchasing programme introduced to address the marketing difficulties faced by local potato growers. The programme, launched from May 10, enables farmers to sell their potatoes to the govt at a guaranteed price of Rs. 220 per kilogram. Under the initiative, the Cooperative Agricultural Products Collection Center in the Blackpool area of Nuwara Eliya is purchasing up to 1,000 kg more..

May 15 (FT) The IMF yesterday said it expects its Executive Board to meet within the coming weeks to consider approval of SL’s combined Fifth and Sixth Reviews under the EFF, a move that could unlock approximately $ 700 million in financing for the country. IMF Communications Dept Director Julie Kozack said the IMF team and SL authorities had reached a staff-level agreement on 9 April, although completion of the review remains more..

May 15 (DM) Claiming that there is no major disaster situation reported in the country due to the previaling rainy weather, Director of the DMC, Pradeep Kodippili said today that 104 people have been sheltered in two safe centres in the Kalutara and Puttalam districts. He said that 29 people are sheltered in Kalutara while 75 are in the Puttalam district. Kodippili said people in the Ratnapura, Galle, Moneragala, Batticaloa, Kalutara, Colombo, Puttalam & Jaffna districts have been affected more..

May 15 (NW) National War Heroes’ Day commemoration will take place on May 19 at 3 pm at the War Heroes’ Memorial in Battaramulla under the patronage of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Brigadier (Rtd) S.B. Kohona, Chairman of the Ranaviru Seva Authority, said the annual ceremony honours war heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country’s freedom and independence. He noted that, while the commemoration will follow traditional practices, several special changes have more..

May 15 (FT) Vidullanka is to invest approximately Rs. 2 billion for a 49% stake in Storex Ltd., following a restructuring of the project vehicle established to develop a portfolio of grid-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects awarded by the CEB. Vidullanka and WindForce PLC said they entered into a Share Sale and Purchase Agreement and a Shareholders’ Agreement on Tuesday relating to the restructuring of Storex. Following the transaction, WindForce will hold 51% of more..

May 15 (DM) Vegetable prices are expected to increase in the coming days as adverse weather conditions continue to disrupt supplies across the country, while the Med Dept warned that the prevailing rainy conditions are likely to persist for several more days. Dept said showers are expected at times in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in the Puttalam, Galle and Matara districts, raising concerns among traders over further supply shortages and price hikes in local more..

May 15 (Island) A controversial move to release sections of the protected Thumbikulam Forest Reserve in the North Central Province for private commercial interests has triggered strong protests from environmentalists, who warn that the decision could devastate a critical elephant habitat and deepen SL’s worsening human-elephant conflict. Concerned activist Sajeewa Chamikara described the alleged attempt to alienate forest lands as more..