Aug 15 (DN) National Commemoration Ceremony and Advisory Workshop for National Breastfeeding Month was held recently under the patronage of Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa at Water’s Edge, Battaramulla. The Health Ministry has declared August as National Breastfeeding Month in SL. The initiative complements the global observance of World Breastfeeding Week from Aug 1–7 each year, more..

Aug 15 (SM) The recently held Swarna Shree Kite Festival 2025 along the Negombo beach has drawn flak over several shortcomings. There had been no proper plan in place to manage waste or traffic. Local hotel operators claimed that the festival’s poor planning had caused serious disruptions to the tourism industry as well. Notably, volunteers, including military personnel had launched a massive beach cleanup only a week earlier, only for the festival to leave it littered once again. more..

Aug 15 (DM) Eight individuals, including the wife of a DIG of Police based in Colombo, were arrested yesterday by A'pura Police for allegedly digging for treasure in a rock cave on a property near a temple in the Shravasthipura, Thibirikadawala area. The suspects are men and women aged between 35 and 58, residing in Badulla, Maligathenna, Padavi-Sripura, Giradurukotte, Warakapola and A'pura. They were arrested following information received by the police that they were engaged in more..

Aug 15 (TM) Prisoners’ rights activists alleged that the existing system for providing medical treatment to prison inmates has been crippled by corruption and irregularities, resulting in inmates with legitimate medical needs facing inadequate treatment, while those with financial and political power are able to obtain Prison Hospital facilities even without a legitimate need. Committee for Protecting the Rights of more..

Aug 15 (CT) Anti Malaria Campaign (AMC) has expressed serious concerns regarding the lack of awareness about the prophylactic treatment offered to prevent contracting malaria while travelling overseas. Consultant Community Physician at the Anti Malaria Campaign (AMC), Dr. Indeewarie Gunaratna pointed out that this is currently a key issue faced by the AMC, as most of the malaria cases diagnosed are in locals who have travelled to malaria-endemic countries and contracted more..

Aug 15 (Island) Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the aim of the govt is to strengthen the country’s economic stability by developing vocational education. PM made these remarks during a media briefing at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo, regarding the upcoming Sri Lanka Skills Expo 2025. With the aim of reducing youth unemployment in Sri Lanka, the exhibition will be held for the third time on Oct 10 and 11 more..

Aug 15 (FT) SL Salt Producers’ Association called on the Govt to urgently enforce the country’s packaging regulations on imported salt products and to release 400 containers of salt currently held at the Colombo Port for the past 45 days. Chairman Ganaka Amarasinghe said the industry has been struggling to maintain safe stocks due to successive adverse weather conditions. “Heavy rains during the Yala season in late 2023 and again in the Maha season of 2024 severely disrupted production more..

Aug 15 (DM) A tense situation was reported in Maharagama when police attempted to remove a hut set up by a group of Jana Aragala Sandanaya members to distribute hand bills. Banners were displayed in the hut against agreements signed by the govt with India and the IMF agreement. Jana Aragala Sandanaya had organised a protest campaign in Maharagama which included distribution of hand bills and a signature campaign. Police informed the protestors that more..

Aug 15 (NW) Opposition MP Harsha de Silva has slammed the govt and its allies for attempting to destroy his political image by twisting his recent comments on India. In a video message, MP Harsha de Silva said that the govt and its allies are claiming that he has betrayed the nation and should apologize, just for stating in Parliament that India should not be mocked. “Why did I say what I said? Because India is currently facing a difficult more..

Aug 15 (CT) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has emphasised that the Govt will take necessary measures to ensure dependable bus services for rural villages, even if such routes operate at a loss. He said the State must be prepared to bear the cost, as these services remain essential to the daily lives of rural residents. The President made these remarks yesterday morning (13) during a pre-budget discussion for the Ministry of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, more..

Aug 15 (NW) Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake says a bonus will be granted to profit-making bus depots of the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB). Minister said that the profit-making business model for this purpose had been formulated. He pointed out that the Hatton depot could easily make profits, but is facing obstacles due to unnecessary issues. Minister Rathnayake further clarified that the bonuses will be paid directly to profit-making bus depots only and not the SLTB. more..

Aug 15 (AD) Singapore’s X-Press Feeders has hit back at the Sri Lankan Supreme Court’s order to pay $1bn within a year over the 2021 X-Press Pearl casualty, warning the decision tramples on due process, scapegoats its crew, and poses a dangerous precedent for global shipping. The feeder giant accused the court of effectively convicting the vessel’s master and local agents before trials have concluded — more..

Aug 15 (PMD) A review on the implementation of the 2025 budget allocations for the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, together with preliminary discussions on the 2026 budget proposals, was held today at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. During this discussion, the allocations made in 2025 to eight institutions under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the current status of the related projects were reviewed separately. more..

Aug 15 (DM) There is a sinister move to allow gender transformation and allow homosexuality in Sri Lanka by certain organisations with the blessings of some political leaders, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said. Cardinal Ranjith said certain international organisations with the blessings of some political leaders are carrying out a programme to allow young people to announce sexual transformation after obtaining a certificate from psychiatrists. more..

Aug 16 (DM) The countries of South Asia, with the demographic dividend of the highest proportion of youth in the region, is also experiencing a significant increase in their elderly population. What is more worrisome is that this trend is happening at a relatively earlier stage of economic development compared to Western countries. SL happens to have the oldest ageing population in the region, with current estimates of 2023-24 suggesting over 17% of its population above the age of 60. more..

Aug 16 (DM) The statement made by PM Harini Amarasuriya on the controversial SupemeSAT satellite popularly known as Chichi’s Rocket has put the leaders of and the supporters of the NPP in a tight spot. It was totally conflicting to the stance maintained first by the JVP for the past 13 years and later by the NPP, resulting in giving ammunition to the Opposition, especially to the SLPP. PM, quoting BOI reports, stated that state funds have not been utilised for satellite project by SupemeSAT, more..

Aug 16 (DM) Aug 5, 2025, was not just another date in SL’s calendar. It was a moment when the nation was forced, however reluctantly, to look again at one of its darkest, most unhealed wounds. In Jaffna, families of the disappeared gathered at the Ariyalai Siththupaththi Hindu Cemetery to view personal items unearthed from the Chemmani mass graves. On display were fragments of clothing, shoes, jewellery, and everyday possessions, more..

Aug 16 (CT) In the times of every day stresses and strains, news that a Govt authority is about to dig deeper into history to come up with unique expositions of eternal glory to the land should be seen as what it all is worth for. News that the research unit of the Civil Aviation Authority of SL (CAASL) is preparing to recover 19 aircraft believed to have been hidden by King Ravana in any of the 25 short-listed locations across SL should pep up national morale when it is needed the most. more..

Aug 16 (DM) At the Nov 2024 elections, the NPP won a supermajority. The party secured 159 seats in the 225-member Parliament. The NPP’s victory included winning all electoral districts other than the Batticaloa district. It also won the most seats in the Jaffna District, making it the first non-Tamil political party to win that district. The SJB led by Sajith Premadasa -- presently the largest party in the opposition -- came in a distant second winning a mere 40 seats. more..

Aug 16 (SO) 72 years have passed since the historic uprising of workers against a govt that broke its election promises and cut essential concessions. The special significance of what is commonly known as the ’53 Hartal lies in the fact that it marked the first time the Left and the working class demonstrated their militancy against a capitalist Govt. This occurred just five years after the so-called freedom granted by British more..

Aug 16 (Island) Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a household buzzword of late thanks to advancements in a range of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and DeepSeek. However, AI was an academic and industrial pursuit for longer than that. Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts wrote the first paper on artificial neural networks in 1943. The British mathematician Alan Turing created the most famous framework for artificial intelligence. Until recently, the main obstacle to achieving more..

Aug 16 (Island) The NPP govt has been concocting various theories to save face since the backfiring of its propaganda claim that the Mahinda Rajapaksa govt invested state funds to the tune of USD 320 million in a failed satellite project. PM Dr. Harini Amarasuirya’s recent statement in Parliament that no such investment had been made, but some financial benefits had accrued from the project to Sri Lanka has exasperated the JVP members of the NPP govt beyond measure. more..

Aug 16 (CT) Educational reform stands as one of the cornerstone commitments in the NPP‘s election manifesto. Entrusted with this critical responsibility, the PM, who also serves as the Minister of Education, is at the forefront of implementing reforms that will shape the future of SL's younger generations. However, it appears that the discourse surrounding the proposed education bill has so far been poorly articulated in Parliament. PM and several senior ministers have not clearly communicated more..

Aug 16 (FT) This week was something special, celestially speaking. First there was the spectacular Perseid shower in the bewitching midnight watch and some hours after. Then there was a scintillating conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in the early morning midweek days that followed. And now there is the ongoing spectacle of political shooting stars of the past and present disporting themselves as if they’d never heard of the principle of entropy. That all things must run down. more..

Aug 16 (CT) U.S. Prez Donald Trump’s new tariffs on India have landed SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva in hot water over a social media post. The controversy began last week when Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake appeared in Parliament and made a statement during the adjournment debate on the country’s current economic situation. On previous occasions, it has been common for light-hearted exchanges to occur more..

Aug 16 (ST) A top trade union this week urged PM and Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya to include labour laws and rights as a subject in the new school curriculum being prepared under new education reforms. The request has been made by the Ceylon Mercantile, Industrial and General Workers’ Union (CMU), in a recent letter to the PM who is overseeing the new education reforms. The letter said that the education system should be changed in such a way that the creativity and more..

Aug 16 (ST) In a historic moment for SL motorsport, 18-year-old racing prodigy Yevan David has been confirmed as the first driver from the island nation to compete in the prestigious FIA Formula 3 Championship. German outfit AIX Racing announced the signing this week, making David their first confirmed driver for the 2026 season. For a country better known for its heroics in cricket pitches, this is an unprecedented leap into the world of elite single-seater racing. more..

Aug 16 (FT) Japanese Ambassador Akio Isomata has called for a more transparent, predictable and non-discriminatory business environment for Japanese companies operating in SL. Addressing the kick-off to the first Japan-SL Committee on Business Environment meeting, the Japanese Envoy pointed to three basic elements for a good business environment: transparency, predictability, and non-discriminatory treatment. “Transparency means the relevant laws, regulations, and policies more..

Aug 16 (NW) Three SL Test series have been ranked among the 15 greatest of the 21st century by Wisden. The list features SL’s thrilling 1-0 win over England in 2014, the 1-1 drawn series in the West Indies in 2018, and Australia’s 3-0 sweep in SL in 2004 – dubbed the closest clean sweep in Test history. The 2014 series saw both matches decided in the final over, with Angelo Mathews’ men clinching a dramatic victory at Headingley. The 2018 tour of the Caribbean was marked by high drama, more..

Aug 16 (FT) Association for Ceylon Cinnamon Protected Geographical Indication (ACCPGI) Secretary Christopher Fernando said the global market for Ceylon Cinnamon is experiencing a period of robust growth, driven by increasing consumer demand for natural health-enhancing ingredients and premium quality spices. “Amid shifting global preferences, Ceylon Cinnamon continues to distinguish itself, more..

Aug 16 (FT) The Central Bank of SL (CBSL) on Friday said it projected SL’s economy to grow 4.5% in 2025, with the deflationary period to end in the third quarter this year and inflation expected to return to the 5% target by mid-2026. Deflation that began in Sept 2024 is expected to end by the third quarter of 2025, the CBSL said, announcing the release of its second Monetary Policy Report for 2025. The first was issued in February. Released under Central Bank of SL Act of 2023, more..

Aug 16 (DN) Harshitha Samarawickrama continued her fine batting form with 91 runs off 111 balls as Navy SC defeated Chilaw Marian CC 91 runs, maintaining their unbeaten record in the Women’s Major Clubs Limited Overs Tournament at Navy Grounds, Welisara yesterday. The left-handed number three, Harshitha, struck seven fours but missed out on her third century of the tournament, bowled by off-spinner Dewmi Vihanga. Skipper Hansima Karunaratne remained unbeaten on more..

Aug 16 (ST) In Sathkunanathan v. Attorney General and related cases, Supreme Court (Fernando CJ and Kodagoda J) held that the Proclamation of Emergency issued on July 17, 2022, by me as Acting President infringed the petitioners’ Fundamental Rights. Concurrently, Obeyesekere J held that the fundamental rights of the petitioners guaranteed by Article 12(1) of the Constitution have not been impugned by more..

Aug 16 (EN) Three Acre Farms, a top poultry company said revenues dropped 27% to 1,231 million rupees in the June 2025 quarter as farmers reduced purchases of day old chicks as prices dropped. “The group’s revenue during the quarter under review declined compared to the same quarter last year, primarily due to reduced demand for both broiler and layer day-old chicks,” CEO Cheng Kwong said. “The decline was mainly caused by reduced inputs by farmers at the beginning of the more..

Aug 16 (DM) A field trial of a novel small-sized loop, designed for implantation into the uterus of female monkeys to effectively prevent pregnancy, will commence in September at the TJC mango plantation in Kalawewa, Peradeniya Uni Veterinary Faculty Senior Professor Ashoka Dangolla said. Following the initial announcement about the first loop type for implantation in female monkeys, a different loop type was tested experimentally, achieving a success rate of 60%. more..