Jul 10 (AD) The Attorney General informed the Supreme Court today that the current Cabinet of Ministers has decided to reconsider the legality of the agreements entered into during the tenure of the previous govt to hand over electronic visa issuance operations to private companies. Additional Solicitor General Viveka Siriwardena, appearing on behalf of the AG, made this announcement when the fundamental rights petitions filed by former MPs M.A. Sumanthiran, Champika Ranawaka more..

Jul 10 (NW) Former Minister Duminda Dissanayake has been re‑named as a suspect in the case involving a T‑56 firearm recovered at a Housing Complex in the Havelocky area. The matter was taken up today before Acting Magistrate Ravi Mathugama at the No. 1 Court of the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court. Officials of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) told court that extracts had initially been sent to AG, and due to lack of evidence, fourth suspect was released. more..

Jul 10 (FT) The CoPF has approved a Resolution under the Customs Ordinance and two Orders under the SL Export Development Act, paving the way for the implementation of the Govr’s National Tariff Policy and a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s import tariff structure. The approvals were granted at a meeting chaired by CoPF Chairman MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, which considered the Resolution published in Extraordinary more..

Jul 10 (FT) Having honed his skills in engineering high-performance systems for Formula One and advancing cutting-edge artificial intelligence and neuroscience research, Emil Hewage has built a career at the forefront of deep technology. SL-born entrepreneur and computational neuroscientist has worked with leading global organisations across engineering, consulting and healthcare innovation before founding BIOS in the UK, a company pioneering AI-driven neural interfaces to more..

Jul 10 (EN) Dialog Enterprise, the corporate solutions arm of Dialog Axiata, has renewed its partnership with the National Chamber of Exporters of SL (NCE) to boost the digital capabilities of local exporters. Dialog Enterprise will provide NCE members with digital tools, including converged connectivity, cloud services, cybersecurity, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. The initiative will target small and medium enterprise (SME) aspiring exporters more..

Jul 10 (TM) Construction companies repeatedly found violating dengue prevention measures risk being blacklisted, with the Construction Industry Development Authority (CIDA) warning that contractors could be declared Defaulted Contractors if dengue mosquito larvae are detected at their sites on three occasions. CIDA sources said that the Authority had strengthened dengue prevention measures within the construction industry more..

Jul 10 (DM) More than 5,000 patients are currently awaiting kidney stone removal surgeries in Sri Lanka due to the high demand for treatment and limitations in healthcare facilities, health authorities said. To address this growing backlog, the Mirigama National Kidney Stone Treatment Centre will be inaugurated by Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa on July 12. The new facility has been planned as a specialised centre capable of providing services to kidney stone patients from across the country, more..

Jul 10 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, together with Opposition MPs, today signed a No‑Confidence Motion (NCM) in Parliament against Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara. The move comes in response to the unrest at Negombo Prison, where both prison officers and inmates were killed. Opposition members said the Minister had failed to fulfill his responsibility and accountability regarding their safety. According to the Opposition group, the NCM seeks to hold the Minister directly more..

Jul 10 (FT) Sri Lanka has emerged from its worst economic crisis since Independence with signs of macroeconomic stabilisation. Inflation has fallen dramatically from its 2022 peak, foreign reserves have improved, debt restructuring has progressed, and confidence in economic management has begun to recover under the IMF-supported reform programme. These are significant achievements that deserve recognition. Yet stabilisation is only the first stage of recovery. more..

Jul 10 (FT) Foreign and local investors, law abiding businesses, administrators and civil servants, investing public, journalists, professionals and rule of law and justice committed citizens have been shocked and dismayed by news reports alerting that perceived well run public and private sector leading entities, during the past 9 months of having reported massive losses of national resources, especially scares external resources. The extent of these losses was unheard of in relation to more..

Jul 10 (DM) Post-mortem examinations into the deaths of prison officers killed during the recent violence at Negombo Prison have revealed that they were subjected to brutal physical assaults. According to the post-mortem reports, the officers died from severe head injuries caused by blunt force trauma. A five-member panel of senior Judicial Medical Officers, chaired by Dr. Sujeewa Wickramasinghe, carried out autopsies on 24 more..

Jul 10 (DN) Eventhough, SL Rupee (LKR) remains the only recognized legal tender under the Central Bank of SL Act, No. 16 of 2023, Cryptocurrency earnings in Sri Lanka are now officially subject to taxation as other income by the Inland Revenue Department, Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando told Parliament yesterday. Cryptocurrencies cannot be used to execute standard commercial payments or financial system settlements in SL. more..

Jul 10 (FT) Bar Association of SL (BASL) has called for an independent, transparent, and expeditious investigation into the recent violence at Negombo Prison, while urging the Government to use the tragedy as a catalyst for long-overdue reforms to the country’s prison and criminal justice systems. BASL expressed profound concern over the incidents at Negombo Prison between 5 and 7 July, which reportedly claimed 27 lives, including seven prison officers, & left more than 100 people injured. more..

Jul 10 (Island) The wife of Suresh Sallay has lodged a further complaint with the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL), alleging that her husband’s fundamental rights continue to be violated as CID officers prevent him from having confidential consultations with his lawyer while he is under detention at the National Hospital. In a letter addressed to the HRCSL Chairman on Thursday, Mrs. S.B.M.S.B. Sallay has said more..

Jul 10 (DN) A money laundering case filed against Yoshitha Rajapaksa was yesterday fixed for further trial on July 17 by the Colombo High Court. When the case was taken up before Colombo High Court Judge Udesh Ranathunga, former CSN Channel head Yasara Abeynayake testified before the Court. During her testimony, Abeynayake stated that she had been in a romantic relationship with Yoshitha Rajapaksa, who was serving as a Navy officer at the time. more..

Jul 10 (DM) A landmark surgery that successfully separated five-year-old conjoined twins has been hailed as a major achievement in SL’s medical history, while also reigniting debate over the capabilities and challenges of the country’s public healthcare system. A team of doctors from the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital, Sirimavo Bandaranaike Specialist Children's Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine, Uni of Peradeniya successfully separated conjoined twins Linuli Tharulya and more..

Jul 10 (DN) There has been a dramatic improvement in the fiscal output outcome and in April the primary balance in one month is equivalent to 0.8% of GDP Economist Murtaza Jafferjee told the SL-Australia-NZ Business Council 31st AGM held in Colombo on July 8. He said that economic growth has to come on the back of productivity improvements and productivity improvements are predicated on competition and the country needs to increase competition in economy & tradable sectors, more..

Jul 10 (FT) Sri Lanka has revised down its ambitious 2026 tourism targets, with Tourism Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe yesterday attributing the downgrade to the fallout from the Middle East conflict, which disrupted air connectivity and dampened visitor arrivals. The Govt now expects to attract 2.5 million tourist arrivals and generate $ 3.5 billion in tourism earnings by the end of 2026, down from the original targets of 3 million visitors and $ 4 billion in revenue. more..

Jul 10 (DM) Asian Development Bank (ADB) has lowered SL's economic growth forecast for 2027 and sharply raised its inflation projections, warning that prolonged disruptions to global energy markets are likely to weigh on the country’s recovery over the medium term. In its July 2026 ADB Outlook update, the Manila-based lender maintained SL’s growth forecast for 2026 at 4% but cut the 2027 projection to 4% more..

Jul 10 (NW) United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Parliament of SL have formalised a new partnership to strengthen the use of population data in policymaking, signing a MoU that underscores their shared commitment to ensuring demographic trends are reflected in future legislation and national development priorities. The agreement, signed by Parliament Secretary‑General Kushani Anusha Rohanadeera and UNFPA SL Representative a.i. Phuntsho Wangyel, more..

Jul 10 (TM) With harvesting for this year’s (2026) Yala season now underway, the President’s Secretary Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake has instructed officials of the Agriculture Ministry to commence paddy procurement without delay. He also directed that existing paddy stocks in warehouses be cleared and that preparations be made, in coordination with Sathosa, to receive the new harvest. He issued these instructions during a discussion on paddy procurement for more..

Jul 10 (DN) All-rounder Chamika Heenatigala played a match-winning unbeaten knock of 84 as SL Under-19 secured a thrilling one-wicket victory over India Under-19 off the final ball to clinch the three-match ODI series 2-1 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Int'l Cricket Stadium yesterday. Heenatigala produced a remarkable innings under immense pressure after Sri Lanka lost six top-order wickets while chasing a challenging target of 291. With 11 runs required from the final over bowled by paceman Mohit Ulva, more..

Jul 10 (NW) SL Police has called on the public to report individuals who have suddenly acquired significant assets or are living luxurious lifestyles without any apparent lawful source of income. Police said the CID and other law enforcement authorities are closely monitoring such cases as part of ongoing investigations into illegally acquired wealth. The investigations primarily target assets believed to have been obtained through drug trafficking and other unlawful activities, with more..

Jul 10 (DM) Several world’s leading container shipping lines — including Maersk, CMA CGM, MSC and COSCO — have shown interest in acquiring a stake in SL’s East Container Terminal (ECT) or Hambantota Int'l Port. The interest follows a report by the US trade publication Journal of Commerce (JOC), which said MSC was in advanced talks with China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPort) & SL authorities to acquire a significant stake more..

Jul 10 (NW) Ministry of Transport and Highways has announced plans to expand the mobile drug testing program for drivers and conductors across the island, as part of efforts to strengthen public transport safety. Chairman of the National Transport Medical Institute, Professor Clifford Perera said the initiative, launched in November last year, has already tested 5,242 drivers and conductors in the Western Province, with 239 confirmed to have used narcotics and referred for legal action. more..

Jul 10 (FT) Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) is in discussions to acquire a significant stake in Hambantota International Port as part of a broader strategy to expand its port presence across the Indian Ocean region. This is according to a report by the Journal of Commerce, citing multiple local industry sources familiar with the matter. The proposed investment forms part of what sources described as a wider recalibration of MSC’s hub activities across the region, more..

Jul 10 (TM) A total of 64,663 acres of land in the Northern and Eastern Provinces occupied by the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force have been released since the end of the conflict in 2009, the Deputy Defence Minister, Major General (Retired) Aruna Jayasekara told Parliament yesterday. Responding to a question raised by Jaffna District Opposition MP Dr Ramanathan Archchuna, he said: "A total extent of 64,663 acres of land more..

Jul 10 (TM) Sri Lanka is to introduce its Public Private Partnership Act in Q3 this year, having previously been slated to be introduced in the first quarter of the year, Board of Investments SL Director General Sulakshana Jayawardena said at the Research Intelligence Unit (RIU) Infracon conference held recently (3). “When it comes to the public private partnerships, again there is no proper legal framework to implement public-private partnerships in Sri Lanka. more..

Jul 10 (DM) SL’s economic recovery could face fresh challenges from rising oil and food prices as the IMF warned that energy-importing economies remain vulnerable to renewed inflation and external sector pressures stemming from the Middle East conflict. In its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update released on Wednesday, the IMF projected global growth to slow to 3% in 2026 from 3.5% in 2025, as the economic fallout from the conflict offsets gains from a technology-led investment boom. more..

Jul 10 (FT) The 14th World Construction Symposium and the Sustainability Awards Scheme 2026, organised by the Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB), will be held at the Hilton Colombo, Sri Lanka on 10 and 11 July, bringing together the nation's and the region's leading minds in the built environment. Jointly organised with the Uni of Moratuwa, the World Construction Symposium has become SL's premier international forum where research, professional practice and industry converge. more..

Jul 10 (FT) Connect to Care (CTC) Consulting announced a significant step in its institutional evolution, with its official registration as a Voluntary Social Services/NGO under the Voluntary Social Services Organisations Act No. 31 of 1980, as amended. Registration marks a major milestone for Connect to Care Consulting as it strengthens its mandate, governance and institutional capacity to support SL’s development priorities through practical implementation, cross-sector collaboration more..