Aug 3 (Island) PM Harini Amarasuriya attended the opening of the 19th Century Views of Ceylon exhibition, jointly organised by George Keyt Foundation and British High Commission in Colombo, held at Westminster House, the official residence of the British High Commissioner, on July 30. The exhibition marks a historic milestone as the first public art exhibition to be hosted at Westminster House. It features a rare collection of 19th-century artworks depicting Ceylon more..

Aug 3 (Island) Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) has sought the intervention of US and European govts to pressure the ruling NPP govt into establishing an independent mechanism for the protection of ex-Negombo Prison inmates and allow them free access to their lawyers, as well as to independent monitors. Sources familiar with the work undertaken by the CPRP revealed that the US, British, German, French, NZ, Canadian and Switzerland missions in Colombo had been more..

Aug 3 (AD) The CIABOC has filed indictments before the Colombo High Court against Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa, and former Navy Commander, Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda over alleged corruption. According to the indictments, former Navy Commander, Wasantha Karannagoda is accused of causing a loss to the state by allegedly facilitating Yoshitha Rajapaksa's participation more..

Aug 3 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Saturday extended his congratulations to Sri Lankan athletics star Rumesh Tharanga, who won the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. In a message, Prez stated: “Your gold medal at the Commonwealth Games brings our nation's golden dream into reality. Congratulations, Rumesh Tharanga!” Rumesh Tharanga secured the gold medal with an outstanding throw of 89.75 metres more..

Aug 3 (Island) Uni of Peradeniya has issued a fresh warning to students and staff to remain on high alert following increased leopard movement within the university premises and the killing of a calf in a recent attack. Uni administration said the latest advisory was prompted by an incident in the early hours of July 30, when a leopard killed a calf at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine farm. According to the Uni, leopards, inhabiting the nearby Hantana Forest Reserve, occasionally stray onto the campus, more..

Aug 3 (DM) Ceylon Automobile Importers Association is pushing for a comprehensive overhaul of SL’s vehicle taxation system in the upcoming Budget 2027, proposing a unified fee structure designed to make cars affordable again for SL’s middle class. The proposal, which aims to address the severe supply constraints and skyrocketing prices that have locked young professionals out of the automobile market, more..

Aug 3 (CT) Uni Services Appeals Board has dismissed a complaint filed by Professor R. Kabilan of the Department of Botany at the University of Jaffna against former Vice-Chancellor Professor C. Sriskandarajah and the former University Council. Professor Kabilan had sought an order declaring that the decision by the then University Council to remove him from the post of Head of the Department of Botany was unlawful. He had claimed that he was removed after publicly alleging in 2022, more..

Aug 3 (DM) Court of Appeal today fixed Sept 22 to deliver its order on the writ petition filed by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, seeking an order preventing his arrest in connection with ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. Accordingly, the court will rule on Sept 22 whether to proceed with the petition or dismiss it at the threshold. Counsel for both the petitioner and the respondents concluded their oral submissions when the petition was taken up more..

Aug 3 (FT) Airports, ports, logistics zones, and industrial clusters should no longer be viewed as isolated projects. Instead, they should be developed as interconnected components of a wider regional connectivity network capable of generating long-term economic value. The future of Hambantota Port represents one of SL's most important opportunities to transform strategic infrastructure into a commercially successful regional hub. When Mattala Rajapaksa Int'l Airport was inaugurated, more..

Aug 3 (FT) Two years ago, Dr. Raja de Silva, Sri Lanka’s most prominent archaeologist, celebrated 100 years of life. That itself was a remarkable milestone in a country where the average life expectancy for a male is just about 72 years. Since then, he has passed away. Had he still been with us today, he would have celebrated his 102nd birthday. To mark his historic 100th birthday, the well-known journalist Uvindu Kurukulasuriya compiled a special publication titled Raja the 100. more..

Aug 3 (TM) President of the Committee for Protecting Prisoners' Rights (CPRP), claimed that unequal treatment of inmates was the underlying cause of the unrest that erupted at the Mahara Prison on 1 Aug. He alleged several inmates arrested over drug-related offences maintained close relationships with certain police officers and, as a result, received preferential treatment from prison officials. He claimed those inmates were more..

Aug 3 (DM) Attorney General has granted legal clearance for the draft bill seeking to extend the retirement age of judges by two years, paving the way for the legislation to move to the next stage. According to the AG's Dept, the legal review of the draft bill has been completed and the necessary approval has been formally conveyed to the Ministry of Justice. Following the AG's clearance, Ministry of Justice is expected to finalize the draft legislation before it is published in the Govt Gazette. more..

Aug 3 (Island) The full extent of the destruction caused by inmates during the Mahara Prison unrest has emerged as authorities began assessing the damage, following the violent incident that left one prisoner dead and several others injured. Although security forces brought the situation under complete control, by around 6 am yesterday, the aftermath revealed extensive damage to buildings, equipment and essential facilities, within the prison complex. Unrest, which began around 4.30 pm on Sat, more..

Aug 3 (ST) Govt has gazetted an amendment to the 2023 Anti-Corruption Act introducing a hefty threefold penalty on property—that is, if a convicted person has acquired or converted property as proceeds of corruption, the court is mandated to impose an additional penalty of not less than three times the value of that property. Under the principal 2023 Act, penalty for corruption is rigorous imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10yrs more..

Aug 3 (NW) Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara says prison overcrowding may have contributed to the recent unrest at Mahara Prison, but stressed that authorities are investigating whether there was a more organized effort behind the incident. Minister said the current information indicates that the clashes were primarily between inmates and the prison administration. However, he said the Govt is also looking into whether external parties may have played a role in instigating the violence. more..

Aug 3 (Island) Heavy rainfall in the Kandy District has caused the Mahaweli River to rise rapidly, with floodwaters sweeping away machinery deployed for repairs to the damaged Black Bridge on the Kandy–Peradeniya railway line. The machinery had been brought to the site to carry out restoration work on the bridge, which sustained severe damage during the recent Cyclone Ditwah. As the Mahaweli overflowed, following continuous downpours in the area, several pieces of heavy equipment, more..

Aug 3 (EN) SL’s overall rate of inflation, as measured by the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI), rose to 7.3% in July 2026 from 6.8% in June 2026, past the CB’s upper inflation target rate of 7%, data showed. This reflected the adjustment in housing rent in the non-food category and the base effect in food inflation, CBSL said. SL’s economy witnessed upward price adjustments after the govt raised fuel prices by around 47% following a supply shortage due to Middle East escalation, more..

Aug 3 (FT) SL’s national schools debating team has delivered the finest performance in the country’s history at the World Schools Debating C'ships, largest and most prestigious debating competition for secondary school students in the world. At WSDC 2026, held in Nairobi, Kenya from 14 to 24 July with more than 700 students, coaches, and judges from over 80 countries, SL team won seven of its eight preliminary debates and ranked first overall after the preliminary rounds more..

Aug 3 (FT) Citigroup Director and Economist for India and SL Baqar Zaidi recently described SL’s economic recovery as remarkable and consistent, beating everyone’s expectations. “It has been a remarkable recovery. I don’t remember the last time a country has beaten market expectations so consistently. Striking feature has been not just the fact that we have had upside to our expectations, it is the breadth of surprises; more..

Aug 3 (Island) The rapid decline of Sri Lanka’s tamed elephant population has posed a serious challenge to the continuation of the country’s traditional Perahera festivals, Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela has warned. He said the current population of 93 tame elephants could fall to just 25 within the next decade unless new elephants were added to the existing pool. Dela made these remarks while addressing Alimankada 2026, SL’s first elephant conservation summit, more..

Aug 3 (AD) Minister of Agriculture K.D. Lal Kantha says he will not refrain from highlighting shortcomings in the state sector, even if it results in losing votes. Speaking to media after attending the commencement of renovations to the Ilwatta Anicut built across the Polathumodara River in Welipitiya, Matara, the Minister said addressing such issues was essential to taking the country towards a transformative era. Minister said the govt and the state sector must move forward more..

Aug 3 (DM) Jaffna Kings booked their place in the Lanka Premier League 2026 playoffs after persistent rain washed out their league-stage clash against Dambulla Sixers at the Pallekele Stadium. The abandoned match saw both teams share a point, ending Dambulla Sixers' playoff hopes while confirming the tournament's final four. Galle Gallants, Jaffna Kings, Colombo Kaps and Kandy Royals will now battle for the LPL 2026 title. Earlier, Dambulla Sixers posted an imposing 203 more..

Aug 3 (FT) Govt has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the economics of software exports, arguing that SL must move beyond selling engineering hours towards products, intellectual property, and higher-value digital services if it is to achieve its target of generating $ 5 billion in digital exports by 2030. Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne said the industry’s traditional business model would need to evolve as AI increases productivity and changes how technology more..

Aug 3 (TM) The Govt is set to expand the range of institutions covered under its GovPay digital payment platform to include schools, Local Govt (LG) authorities, district secretariats, and divisional secretariats across the island. Ministry of Digital Economy Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala revealed that plans were underway to link schools to the GovPay digital platform to allow parents to make all relevant payments through the platform. more..

Aug 3 (CI) SL's batters aced their second chase in a row, as 17-year-old debutant Sanjana Kavindi top-scored with 46 off 24 to help Sri Lanka race to a target of 176 against Pakistan. Chamari Athapaththu had lit the thrusters under the innings with 40 off 15 at the top of the order, but although she fell with 55 on the board, SL's improving middle order sent the team rocketing home with 2.2 overs to spare, and six wickets in hand. The win means SL have sealed the T20I series 2-0 with one match to play. more..

Aug 3 (Island) Sri Lanka’s four-wheel-drive community last week appealed to the Govt to introduce a modern regulatory framework for professionally modified 4×4 vehicles, arguing that outdated laws are preventing the country from fully utilising an important national asset in disaster response, tourism and motorsport. Representatives of the community stressed that they were not seeking exemptions from the law but a balanced, evidence-based regulatory system more..

Aug 3 (EN) SL’s monthly current account recorded a deficit of US$ 149 million in June 2026, the central bank said, as the external sector continued to be impacted by developments in West Asia. This marks the third consecutive monthly deficit. The cumulative deficit for the first half of 2026 was US$ 245 million compared to the surplus recorded in the corresponding period of 2025. “The merchandise trade deficit widened on more..

Aug 3 (FT) CBSL has directed all Licensed Finance Companies (LFCs) to strictly comply with its 2026 Loan-to-Value (LTV) Directions for motor vehicle financing, warning that inflated vehicle valuations and financing structures designed to bypass regulatory limits pose risks to the financial system. In a directive issued to CEOs of all LFCs, CBSL said it had observed instances where valuations provided by motor vehicle valuers and invoices issued by vehicle sellers significantly exceeded more..

Aug 3 (Island) That simple yet profound message echoed throughout the launch of The Curious Naturalist, the latest and, according to its author, perhaps the last solo publication by internationally acclaimed SL naturalist and taxonomist, Dr. Rohan Pethiyagoda, at the BMICH on Thursday. The launch drew an exceptional gathering of scientists, academics, conservationists, senior govt officials, diplomats, tourism leaders, environmentalists, students and wildlife enthusiasts, more..

Aug 3 (FT) The widely publicised so-called phantom transfers of payments made to overseas manufacturers and exporters by SL licensed commercial banks had been made under the Special Import Licence and Payment Regulations No. 1 of 2011, in operation in SL for over 15 years. This was revealed by President’s Counsel M.M. Zuhair in a letter dated 1 Aug, addressed on behalf of his clients AY Investments Impex Ltd, of Bankshall Street, Colombo, to Prez Anura Dissanayake. more..

Aug 3 (FT) Directors should be less concerned about the cost of complying with governance requirements and more focused on ensuring boards discharge their responsibilities properly, Minor International Group CEO and Minor Hotels Thailand CEO Dillip Rajakarier said, arguing that strong governance protects corporate reputation and ultimately financial performance. Speaking during a panel discussion at the recent SL Corporate Director Summit 2026: Future-Ready SL Directors, more..