May 8 (FT) Close on the heels of the $ 2.5 million phishing attack, the Treasury has now admitted that duplicate Aswesuma welfare payments amounting to Rs. 248.79 million were mistakenly made to thousands of beneficiaries after a payment file was uploaded twice during processing of festive allowances. In a statement issued by the Welfare Benefits Board, which comes under Finance, Planning & Economic Dev. Ministry, more..

May 8 (Island) BETSS.COM, the digital platform of Sporting Star, is ushering SL’s horse racing into a new era through a landmark three-year title sponsorship of the BetSS Governor’s Cup and BetSS Queen’s Cup. This long-term commitment by Sports Entertainment Services (Pvt) Ltd, operators of BETSS.COM, marks a significant step in elevating two of the country’s most prestigious racing events—enhancing their visibility, engagement, and relevance in a digitally connected world. more..

May 8 (EN) Sri Lanka and Türkiye discussed on the progress in defence and security cooperation when the top officials of the two nations met for the second round of political consultation in Ankara. The second round of political consultations between the two countries was held on Tuesday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye in Ankara. “Both sides underscored the importance of maintaining regular political dialogue to review progress and identify new avenues for collaboration, more..

May 8 (FT) SL Insurance Corporation General Ltd (SLICGL), said it has achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first general insurance company in SL to surpass Rs. 30 billion in Gross Written Premium (GWP). It said the landmark achievement sets a new benchmark for the industry and demonstrates SLICGL’s unmatched strength, credibility, and customer trust. In addition to this record-breaking performance, SLICGL has strengthened its no. 1 position in SL’s general insurance market more..

May 8 (Island) A special collaboration between the Presidents’s Fund and the Janashakthi Foundation, aimed at expanding healthcare facilities available to children under the age of 18, was launched on Wednesday. Implemented under the theme Building a Healthier Today for a Winning Tomorrow, this national initiative has been introduced through the joint efforts of the President’s Fund and the Janashakthi Foundation with the objective of reducing the the financial barriers more..

May 8 (FT) Federation of Renewable Energy Developers (FRED) yesterday demanded urgent intervention from the Finance Ministry and Treasury to release at least 50% of the Rs. 10 billion in unpaid dues owed by the National System Operator Ltd, (NSO) for electricity supplied since Dec 2025. FRED representatives said the outstanding amount has now escalated to Rs. 10 billion, with an additional Rs. 2.5 billion more..

May 8 (Island) Sri Lanka’s construction industry has long been a central pillar of sustainable development. From roads and bridges to homes, schools, and hospitals, construction shapes the country’s physical landscape and supports economic progress. As the nation continues to rebuild and modernise, the demand for construction materials and infrastructure keeps rising. However, this growth also brings a significant environmental cost. Cement, steel, bricks, aggregates, and more..

May 8 (DN) Eleven years have passed since one of the most controversial financial scandals in SL’s modern history shook public confidence in State institutions. The Central Bank bond scam of 2015, which unfolded under the good governance administration, remains etched in the national consciousness as a moment when trust placed by millions of ordinary citizens appeared to be deeply betrayed. At the heart of the matter were the EPF and ETF, financial lifelines built over more..

May 8 (Island) Pity the land that needs heroes, Brecht has famously said. Some countries have gone to the extent of elevating political greenhorns to positions of power, expecting them to play messianic roles, simply because of their popularity in the tinsel world and adeptness at uttering Goebbelsian lies and making Machiavellian promises. Tamil Nadu voted overwhelmingly for Vijay (Joseph Vijay) recently. However, his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) could not secure more..

May 8 (ST) It was apparently a clever and deceptive email address that resulted in some of the money in the US$2.5 million Treasury heist being siphoned off to an unknown entity, police investigations have revealed. It was disclosed in court that while the official email address was exportfinance.gov.au, it had been replaced with exportfinanceav.com catching an unsuspecting Finance Ministry official (or was it deliberate?) napping in making the transfer. A similar case was reported in Feb 2016 more..

May 8 (SO) The mysterious US$ 2.5 million money heist linked to a Govt loan repayment to Australia earlier this year remains under investigation, with more questions than answers. Believed to have stemmed from a serious cyber security lapse, the incident is being described as unprecedented, marking the first known breach of its kind on an external debt repayment handled by the Central Bank of SL or the Treasury of SL. more..

May 8 (DN) Sri Lanka and VietNam have religious and cultural links dating back several centuries, which have been bolstered in recent decades by robust diplomatic ties sans any outstanding issues. Most recently, the close religious connection was highlighted by the Global Peace Walk, which was led by renowned VietNamese Bhikkhu Ven. Pannakara Thera. Now, To Lam, President of VietNam, is visiting Sri Lanka to give a further boost to the ties between the two nations. more..

May 8 (DM) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s remarks at the May Day rally regarding a court judgment expected on May 25 have triggered a controversy that goes far beyond day-to-day politics. What may have appeared to supporters as a politically charged statement has instead opened a serious debate about judicial independence, separation of powers and the constitutional limits that should guide those who occupy the highest office in the country. more..

May 8 (SO) A tall and commanding figure, Ex-Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne is a man of many accomplishments. A Naval officer with nearly 40 years of service in the SL Navy, he is a decorated war veteran with four gallantry medals and the founder of the Navy’s elite Special Boat Squadron. Since his retirement, Wijegunaratne’s career has also extended beyond the military, serving as a High Commissioner more..

May 8 (CT) There is a looming crisis before us. As an agricultural nation, we should fear the disruption of fossil oil and fertilizer as our crops cannot produce without them and our fleet of tractors cannot function without them. Sadly, this dependency was for seen. The national newspapers carried the following article in the Observer in 1977, warned of high energy dependent agriculture. It bears repetition today because the stakes are much higher. A case-in-point is the miracle rice that gives more..

May 8 (TM) We live in the age of political communication. It is not just growing; it is spiralling. Politicians now think twice before they speak — sometimes even before they type. On 19 September 1952, standing at the City Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts, US, Presidential candidate Adlai Ewing Stevenson the 2nd said: “If they would stop telling lies about us, we would stop telling the truth about them.” Seventy-three years on, that line still does most of the hard work. more..

May 7 (AD) UNICEF has welcomed the Cabinet’s recent approval of the Global Charter for Child Care Reforms — a landmark decision that strengthens protection for children and builds momentum for Sri Lanka’s existing Alternative Care Policy. Over the years, UNICEF has partnered with the Govt of SL to advance care reform. This includes supporting the development of the National Alternative Care Policy, the national census of residential care institutions, and provincial action plans more..

May 7 (AD) A Municipal Councillor representing the National People’s Power (NPP) in the Kurunegala Municipal Council, B. W. Premachandra, has resigned from his position. Kurunegala Mayor and Attorney-at-Law Ananda Sahabandu said the relevant resignation letter was handed over to him yesterday by Premachandra. Premachandra stated that he decided to resign due to the failure to curb irregular governance, fraud, corruption and wastage within the Municipal Council. more..

May 7 (TM) SL has an opportunity to position itself as an emerging real estate investment destination, but industry stakeholders say the country must address policy inconsistency, weak promotion, regulatory delays and investor uncertainty if it is to convert interest into capital inflows. The concerns were raised at Driving Growth Through Real Estate: 10 Year Plan, Session 1, a high-level forum organised by RIUNIT at Colombo Port City more..

May 7 (AD) A group of foreign nationals accused of engaging in financial scams while staying in the country in violation of visa conditions has been arrested in separate raids carried out in Colombo & Matara. In the first incident, a team of officers attached to the Kollupitiya Police Station arrested a total of 74 foreign nationals, including 41 male suspects and 33 female suspects, during a raid carried out last evening at a housing complex in the Uttarananda Mawatha area of Kollupitiya. more..

May 7 (NW) A new govt‑run Child Daycare Centre has been opened in Battaramulla, using equipment and supplies donated by the All‑China Women’s Federation to the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus. Centre, located within the premises of the Govijana Mandiraya of the Ministry of Agriculture, was inaugurated yesterday. It includes a preschool named Little Roots and operates as a joint project of the SL Parliament, Ministry of Women & Child Affairs, and Ministry of Agriculture. more..

May 7 (DM) SL’s official poverty line, the minimum monthly expenditure required per person to meet basic needs, increased to Rs. 16,690 in March 2026. The latest figure reflects an increase of Rs. 119 from Feb 2026, when the national poverty line was at Rs. 16,571. However, it remained slightly below the Rs. 16,730 recorded in Jan 2026, indicating fluctuations in living costs during the first quarter of the year. more..

May 7 (AD) Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the Government has planned to introduce relevant changes in the higher education sector in alignment with the new reforms being implemented in the primary and secondary education sectors. The PM made these remarks in parliament while responding to questions raised by Member of Parliament Manjula Sugath Rathnayaka, according to the Prime Minister’s Media Division. The Prime Minister further stated: more..

May 7 (EN) The European Union‑funded Green Recovery Facility, implemented by Expertise France, is conducting a targeted capacity-building programme to strengthen national coordination of GSS+ bonds in SL. It is part of a 200,000 euro initiative under the Facility, in collaboration with Securities & Exchange Commission of SL (SEC), Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), Finance Ministry, and CB. “When SL develops a strong market for green & social bonds, both sides gain. more..

May 7 (AD) Second Round of Political Consultations between Sri Lanka and the Republic of Türkiye was successfully held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye in Ankara. The consultations, held on May 05, 2026, were co-chaired by Director General of the Europe and North America Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of SL, Sugeeshwara Gunaratna and Director General for South Asia of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, more..

May 7 (NW) Opposition MP Harsha de Silva has refuted reports claiming he is considering joining the govt. “The fact that the govt seeks me is a proud moment, and I am happy. My way of politics is different. I have no issues with being called out for what is right or wrong,” he said in a video message. The SJB MP noted that some people cannot accept his style of politics, particularly the way he conducts the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance as its Chair. more..

May 7 (AD) Federation of Renewable Energy Developers (FRED), apex body of renewable energy developers in SL and an associate of the Colombo Chamber of Commerce (CCC), warns that unless the Govt steps in to resolve the financial crisis the industry is in due to the payment defaults by National System Operator (Pvt) Ltd (NSO), domestic renewable energy sector faces a natural death. more..

May 7 (NW) President of Vietnam and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam, is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka tonight on a state visit. The state visit by the President of Vietnam is being undertaken at the invitation of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, extended during his state visit to Vietnam in 2025, in commemoration of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Vietnam. more..

May 7 (FT) Free Trade Zone Manufacturers’ Association of SL (FTZMA) has called on the PUCSL to use the current Extraordinary Electricity Tariff Review as the moment to operationalise power wheeling under Section 13 of SL Electricity Act, No. 36 of 2024. Association presented this position formally at the Commission’s public consultation held at the BMICH yesterday. FTZMA in a statement said it is not seeking subsidies, concessions, or special treatment of any kind. more..

May 7 (DM) Supreme Court yesterday delivered a judgment ordering the Director General of Wildlife Conservation to initiate a replantation programme to restore cleared forest areas in the immediate vicinity of the Nakolagane Purana Raja Maha Viharaya in Ehetuwewa, in the Kurunegala District. Court further directed the authorities to institute legal proceedings to set aside any mortgage, sale, or alienation of temple more..

May 7 (NW) Police have arrested two foreign nationals from Tajikistan in possession of US$ 5,200 in counterfeit notes, foreign currency, and five mobile phones, following a tip‑off received by the Unawatuna Police Tourist Division this morning. The suspects, aged 27 and 26, were taken into custody while staying at a lodge in Galle. The fake currency, valued at around Rs. 1.7 million, was seized during the operation. Investigations revealed that the two men had attempted more..

May 7 (AD) All Ceylon Restaurant Owners’ Association has decided to increase the prices of Fried Rice, Biryani, and Nasi Goreng by Rs. 25 with effect from midnight today. Association also announced price increases for plain tea and milk tea at restaurants operating using Laughs Gas cylinders. Chairman of the association, Harshana Rukshan, stated that around 25% to 30% of eateries and restaurants use Laughs gas cylinders and are finding it increasingly difficult to bear more..