Aug 13 (Island) An amulet, bearing the number 516, and a one-rupee coin, have been recovered, alongside a human skeleton excavated from the alleged Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna on Tuesday (11). Officials overseeing the excavation said the items were found with one of the human skeletons unearthed from the mass grave, located near the Chemmani Siththupatha cemetery. The excavation of the alleged Chemmani mass grave has now continued for 103 days, with a total of 539 more..

Aug 13 (AD) Two individuals who allegedly collected money from job seekers by promising employment opportunities in Israel’s construction and hospitality sectors have been arrested. The suspects were arrested by officers attached to the Special Investigation Police Unit of the SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), within the premises of the Bureau. The investigation was launched following information received by Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra that two individuals had more..

Aug 13 (DM) Sri Lanka has obtained Interpol Red Notices for 93 suspects believed to be hiding overseas in connection with crimes committed in the country, Police Spokesman ASP F.U. Wootler said. Speaking at a special press briefing held to brief the public on the Ratama Ekata national operation, Wootler said authorities have been working to bring suspects wanted in connection with serious crimes back to SL more..

Aug 13 (EN) Sri Lanka is currently evaluating 19 proposals to operationalize the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), with a Request for Proposals (RFP) expected to be issued within the next two months, Deputy Minister Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku said. “We have received 19 proposals. So, it’s being evaluated right now. I think within the next one to two months, we’ll be able to float an RFP once the qualified bidders are selected,” Kodithuwakku said. more..

Aug 13 (NW) A police sergeant attached to the Dambulla Highway Unit has been suspended and transferred following the circulation of a video on social media allegedly showing him soliciting a bribe, according to DIG W. P. J. Senadeera, Director of the Traffic Control and Road Safety Range. DIG Senadeera said an investigation is already underway, with the matter having drawn the attention of the IGP. “We expect to take disciplinary and legal action based on facts uncovered. more..

Aug 13 (NF) A growing number of motorcycle-related deaths, particularly among young riders, has emerged as one of the most serious road safety concerns facing SL, according to Police Traffic Control & Road Safety Division. The warning was issued by DIG W.P.J. Senadheera during a special media briefing convened to inform the public about road accident trends, primary causes behind fatal crashes, and the categories of vehicles more..

Aug 13 (DM) SL Police have arrested 1,093 foreign nationals suspected of involvement in cybercrime and financial fraud during 24 raids conducted so far this year. Polic Spokesperson ASP F.U. Wootler disclosed the figures at a press conference today held to raise awareness about the Ratama Ekata national operation. According to Wootler, police arrested 573 foreign nationals in 26 incidents in 2024, while 26 foreign nationals were arrested in two incidents in 2025. more..

Aug 13 (AD) Ministry of Education has launched an investigation after six packets containing the first question paper of the GCE A/L Physics exam, scheduled to be held tomorrow, were found at an A/L exam centre in Ambalantota today. The relevant packets were discovered inside a question paper container at an Ambalantota school serving as an A/L exam coordination centre, officials said. The six packets containing the Physics Exam's first question papers had been found among more..

Aug 13 (FT) The month he turned 50, my father Mervyn de Silva and my mother Lakshmi were in Havana watching Fidel Castro take over the Chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement at its 6th Summit. After my father died I discovered in his briefcase the embossed invitation on stiff parchment, to attend the Summit. He had treasured it for two decades. I still do. As I look to turn 70 this December, almost to the day that Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Raul Castro and others landed on more..

Aug 13 (FT) I have spent years sitting across tables from children who have been abused. I have watched children struggle to speak, children stare at the floor, children become angry, silent, withdrawn or strangely cheerful while describing something horrific. I have watched children tell one part of a story today and another part months later. And then I have watched those same children enter our justice system. This is where my frustration begins. We speak constantly about the more..

Aug 13 (TM) Energy Ministry, which expects a potential electricity generation shortfall of around 200 megawatts (MW) during the first quarter of next year due to possible dry weather conditions associated with the El Niño weather phenomenon, is planning to cover the anticipated gap through increased battery storage capacity, Minister Anura Karunathilaka said. He said that SL had initially expected rainfall to decline more..

Aug 13 (TM) Teacher and principal trade unions (TUs) are planning to launch a protest campaign in October, claiming that the Govt has not presented any clear plan to increase funding for education or resolve the long-running teacher-principal salary anomaly through next year’s Budget. Ceylon Teachers' Union President Priyantha Fernando said there had been no indication that the Govt was preparing to address the teacher-principal salary anomaly. “The last time one-third of more..

Aug 13 (FT) Govt has approved a special coconut land rehabilitation program aimed at increasing productivity, promoting sustainable cultivation, and strengthening the resilience of coconut plantations against El Niño conditions expected in the coming months. The 3-year program, which is scheduled to cover around 85,000 acres of coconut land by 2026, will focus on encouraging small-scale coconut growers to adopt improved cultivation & water management practices. more..

Aug 13 (DM) Court of Appeal ordered the Uni of Peradeniya to appoint a Senior Lecturer Grade II in Buddhist Studies to the post of Senior Lecturer Grade I, after finding that the selection process had been tainted by illegality, procedural unfairness, favouritism & mala fides. The petitioner Dr. Iromi Ariyaratne had filed a writ petition challenging the selection process for the post of Senior Lecturer Grade I/II in the Dept of Pali and Buddhist more..

Aug 13 (Island) SL was proudly in the spotlight at the 2026 World Championships of Performing Arts in Las Vegas, USA — event often called the Olympics of Performing Arts — held from 13 to 21 July. Representing the island nation on the global stage was dancer Natharie Wickramasinghe, who was awarded a Bronze Medal in the Cultural Dance category. Competing in the solo dancing section, Natharie performed SL’s cultural dance for an int'l panel of judges & industry professionals. more..

Aug 13 (Island) One of cricket’s most iconic venues, the Galle Int'l Stadium, is set to host its 50th Test when SL take on India on the visitors’ Independence Day this Saturday. Magnificent 17th century Dutch Fort and its famous clock tower have helped put the venue on the world cricketing map. These days, an aspiring cricketer’s bucket list does not merely contain Lord’s and the MCG. Galle, with the Indian Ocean on one side and centuries of history towering over the other, is very much on it too. more..

Aug 13 (NW) A total of 66,000 fish fingerlings were released into the Castlereigh Reservoir on Wednesday (12) as part of an initiative aimed at improving nutrition among estate communities and supporting the livelihoods of local fishermen. The fish fingerlings were obtained from the Udawalawe Fish Breeding Centre using funds provided by the Castlereigh Reservoir Fisheries Society. The fish are expected to reach a weight of about 1.5 kilograms within six months. more..

Aug 13 (DM) Sri Lanka and the European Union (EU) have placed the continuation of preferential market access under the GSP+ scheme at the centre of high-level economic talks, as the current EU trade preference framework reaches its end on Dec 31. This was presented at the ministerial-level SL-EU Investment Dialogue held in Colombo on July 31, alongside the discussions on policy consistency, investment approvals, investor protection and modernisation of customs & industrial zones. more..

Aug 13 (Island) Former Minister and senior opposition politician Prof. G.L. Peiris has accused the govt of pursuing proposed changes affecting the judiciary without adequate consultation, describing the meeting offered to the Bar Association of SL (BASL) as an eye-wash. Prof. Peiris said so addressing the media yesterday after a meeting between the leaders of the Joint Opposition and British HC to SL Andrew Patrick, in Colombo. more..

Aug 13 (DM) SL Police have warned the public against spreading fake news and unverified information on social media following the circulation of a viral image purportedly showing a dead man on a motorcycle beneath the Kohuwala Bridge. Police said the circulation of false information, misinformation and content capable of inciting violence can cause serious harm to society and may constitute a punishable offence under SL law. Authorities urged social media users to verify more..

Aug 13 (DN) SL engineering and technology company ISF has launched what it describes as the world’s first fully automated coconut dewatering system, marking a significant milestone in the country’s engineering, manufacturing and technology sectors. The groundbreaking innovation developed in SL, was officially launched yesterday in Peliyagoda, with Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Chrishantha Abeysena highlighting the achievement as an example of more..

Aug 13 (DN) Sri Lanka produced a strong performance to beat Maldives 78-33 in their final group match of the 14th Asian Netball Championships at the Kai Tak Arena in Hong Kong yesterday, securing a 45-goal winning margin. The victory was SL’s third successive win in the tournament and gave them further confidence ahead of their semi-final tomorrow at the same venue. SL controlled the game from the start, using their full strength in the first two quarters to build more..

Aug 13 (Island) The proposed Animal Welfare Bill could have far-reaching legal and economic consequences for fisheries, poultry production, pet breeding and even small-scale ornamental-fish breeding, biodiversity expert Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda has warned. The long-awaited Bill, nearly two decades in the making, seeks to replace the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance of 1907 with a modern framework for animal welfare. However, Pethiyagoda says several more..

Aug 13 (ST) Independent tests of umpire coal samples drawn from all nineteen Trident Chempar consignments unloaded at the Puttalam jetty show that none of them met the procurement’s target gross calorific value (GCV) of 6,150 kilocalories per kilogram of coal—and that all of them were below the minimum reject value of 5,900 kcal/kg. GCV is the total amount of heat released when a specific amount of coal is completely burnt. more..

Aug 13 (ST) One thousand recently retired armed forces personnel will be recruited as jailers, while STF units will be set up in each of the country’s 32 prisons as immediate measures to curb the rising incidents of unrest within prisons. Special coordinating committees comprising representatives of the Prison Dept, police, the armed forces and the intelligence service will also be set up in each prison to ensure that unrest in one prison does not spread to others, a senior govt official said. more..

Aug 13 (DM) Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Ministry and UN Development Programme (UNDP) have partnered to establish a specialised unit to strengthen the govt’s technical capacity in implementing industrial and entrepreneurship reforms. Expert Support Unit will be embedded within the ministry and will provide technical, analytical and coordination support across areas including small and medium enterprise development, industrial zones, trade policy, more..

Aug 13 (FT) Sri Lanka is moving closer to a sovereign credit rating upgrade to the ‘B’ category as stronger fiscal performance, declining public debt, and sustained economic and private sector credit growth strengthen the country’s credit profile, according to a Softlogic Stockbrokers Equity Research. In its latest SL Economic Outlook, the brokerage said economic growth remained on track after 11 consecutive quarters of expansion, more..

Aug 13 (DN) SL Export Development Board (EDB) has stepped up efforts to strengthen the export readiness of local jewellery manufacturers, with a team led by EDB Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe conducting an observation visit to Ashadi Jewellers (Pvt) Ltd. Established in 1988, Ashadi Jewellers has grown into a major handmade jewellery manufacturer, employing around 330 people. The company combines traditional craftsmanship with modern technologies, including more..

Aug 13 (FT) Hayleys Group said it has delivered a strong start to the financial year with Consolidated Revenue from Continuing Operations increasing by 38% YoY to Rs. 179.32 billion and Consolidated Profit Before Tax (PBT) from Continuing Operations surging 61% to Rs. 10.15 billion during the three months ended 30 June. Performance was driven by the Group’s export-oriented sectors, together with strong momentum in the Consumer and Retail and Transportation and Logistics sectors. more..

Aug 13 (NW) Construction of three major bridges along the Orugodawatta-Ambatale main road is being expedited as part of a project aimed at easing traffic congestion on the key route connecting the area with Colombo. The No. 2/3 Kalu Bridge and No. 9/1 Bridge, where construction began in January 2025, are scheduled to be completed before the end of this year. Work on the No. 4/1 Bridge began in February this year and is expected to be completed by May 2027. more..

Aug 13 (FT) CoPF Chairman MP Harsha de Silva said the death of a Treasury official following the recent debt payment controversy need not have happened, arguing that the Committee’s investigation found broader institutional failures rather than individual culpability. Addressing officials from Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) recently at the start of the Committee’s review of the Finance Ministry’s 2025 Annual Debt Management Report, Dr. de Silva expressed condolences more..