Aug 22 (Island) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, like many other SL political leaders, speaks in riddles. He has got obfuscation down to a fine art. He displayed his adeptness at equivocation amply on Wednesday, while addressing a conference at the SLFI. He said the identity of the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday terror attacks had been known to all govts, intelligence agencies and the SL military, but nobody dared reveal the truth; the mastermind was too powerful to be dealt with, he said. more..

Aug 22 (FT) CIPM Sri Lanka, the nation’s leader in Human Resource Management, has achieved a landmark accomplishment by earning the ISO 21001:2018 Educational Organisation Management System (EOMS) certification from the SL Standards Institution (SLSI) – an honour that cements its position at the forefront of educational excellence. The certification was ceremoniously presented to CIPM SL President Priyantha Ranasinghe by SLSI Director General Dr. Siddhika Senaratne. more..

Aug 22 (ST) Currently the only hospital in the private sector in SL undertaking liver transplant surgery is Kings Hospital, while in the state sector 3 centres do so – National Hospital of SL (NHSL), Colombo North Centre for Liver Diseases (CNCLD) of Colombo North Teaching Hospital and Peradeniya Teaching Hospital. Six people, 5 males and 1 female, youngest patient being 42 years and the oldest 67 years, have benefited from more..

Aug 22 (Island) Our attention has been refocussed on the LGBTQI+ issue in recent times, and more so after the unambiguous and categorical statement made by the Archbishop of Colombo, Macolm Cardinal Ranjith a few days ago. In The Island lead news item on 17 Aug, he is quoted as saying among other things, A group of psychologists are issuing certificates that allow children to change their gender identity. And then he has gone on to homosexuality – as a danger to our younger generation. more..

Aug 22 (FT) Ceylon Gem and Jewellery Traders Association (CGJTA) announced that the launch of the Gem Sri Lanka 2026 international expo will take place on 26 Aug at the Lotus Ballroom of Shangri-La Colombo. The int'l gem and jewellery exhibition, now in its third edition, will be held on 7-9 Jan 2026, at Shangri-La Colombo. Organised under the theme The Source. The Production. The Selection, the event will showcase SL’s position as a leading origin of high-quality gemstones. more..

Aug 22 (CT) Get ready for an epic showdown this weekend, 23 Aug, as the 79th Bradby Shield gets underway. It’s time to reignite one of the fiercest rivalries in SL schools’ rugby – Royal College going head-to-head with Trinity College. Trinity just snagged victory in the 2025 Dialog Schools Rugby League on 2 Aug, clinching the domestic inter-school rugby title with a game still to play. This year’s clash is extra special, as it marks the first time in the history of this storied series more..

Aug 22 (DM) Vacancies for 150 wildlife rangers and 384 wildlife guards currently exist at the Dept of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). These details were revealed in response to a Right to Information request filed by the Daily Mirror to inquire about existing vacancies at the Dept. Details of vacancies are as follows: The Daily Mirror also learned that the Dept bears a cost of approximately Rs. 20 million to conduct treatments on injured elephants and other species of wildlife annually. more..

Aug 22 (TM) As the number of political parties being registered increasingly causes various problems, Election Commission (EC) stated that it is currently studying the possibility of proposing amendments to the Parliament in order to impose some limitations on political party registrations. EC Chairperson R.M.A.L. Rathnayake said that under the existing Parliamentary Elections Act, No. 1 of 1981, Commission is legally more..

Aug 22 (DN) Sri Lanka’s Jessie Seneviratne produced a stunning performance in the women’s 50m butterfly, narrowly missing the national record by just 0.07 seconds on the third day of the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships held in Romania yesterday. Seneviratne clocked 29.17 seconds to be ranked 57th among 103 swimmers after the heats. Her previous best was 29.49. Jessie came close to breaking the national record of 29.10 set by Olympian Aniqah Gafoor in 2019, more..

Aug 22 (FT) Home Lands’ most iconic residential development, Pentara Residencies in Thummulla, has been awarded the Development Permit by the UDA, granting the project full clearance to move forward with construction. Home Lands said having obtained all statutory and environmental approvals, including approval from NBRO & ECC, the project is fully cleared, compliant, and on track with its plan to build Colombo’s most iconic ultra-luxurious 40 storey twin tower residential complex. more..

Aug 22 (FT) Parliament Secretariat said that the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has found that the National Audit Office has only 35 Chartered Accountants to oversee nearly 2,000 public institutions including Ministries, Depts and State-owned enterprises. CoPF convened on Monday and approved the 2026 Budget Estimate of the unstaffed and underequipped National Audit Office for submission to Parliament. more..

Aug 22 (NW) The skies above Galle Face Green will burst into a kaleidoscope of color and culture on Aug 24, as SL proudly hosts the Derana Colombo Int'l Kite Festival 2025—a landmark event celebrating global unity, creativity, and tradition. What began in 2015 as part of the Lokaya Saha Lokayo program has evolved into a world-class festival, drawing international acclaim and participation. After representing SL at prestigious kite festivals in Malaysia, Thailand, India, China, and France, more..

Aug 22 (FT) Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne yesterday informed the House that he had received copies of three more petitions filed at the Supreme Court, challenging the proposed repeal of Presidential entitlements. The Parliament Secretariat said that Dr. Wickramaratne had received copies of another three petitions filed at the Supreme Court in terms of Article 121(1) of the Constitution in respect of the Bill titled Presidents’ Entitlements (Repeal). more..

Aug 22 (NF) SL is set to introduce a new excise duty category for electric vehicles that operate using fuel-powered motors. The proposed regulations were tabled in Parliament for approval. Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha, explained that vehicles without proper classification currently fall under a general category, which results in disproportionately high taxes. To address this, Cabinet approved formation of a committee to develop a new classification system using updated HS codes. more..

Aug 22 (TM) Minister of Sports Sunil Kumara Gamage on Wednesday informed Parliament, that the period allowed for administrators to serve in local sporting bodies, has been curtailed to eight years, with the intention of ushering a new sporting culture to Sri Lanka. He said that following the ratification of the amendments introduced to the Sports Law by Parliament, it will forever impede those wishing to engage in acts of corruption and frauds, from vying for posts in such institutions. more..

Aug 22 (DM) The Daily Mirror’s front page lead story headlined Govt considers Double Cab imports for MPs, in yesterday’s edition sparked a debate in Parliament with an opposition MP questioning the govt’s duplicity in getting vehicles for MPs at a cost of Rs.65 billion despite curtailment of other perks such as pensions for them. MP Ravi Karunanayake questioned the rationale for considering the importation of double cabs more..

Aug 22 (CT) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has been summoned to appear before the CID today in connection with an investigation into an overseas trip allegedly funded with govt money. Probe centres on Wickremesinghe’s visits to US and UK, where he attended a university graduation ceremony in London. Police allege that while the London trip was for personal reasons, it was financed through State funds. Authorities estimate that the travel, which included a group of 10 people, more..

Aug 22 (SM) The SLBC 09th studio will be officially named the Dr. Nanda Malini Studio, SLBC Chairman Uditha Gayashan Gunasekara announced. The 9th studio will be officially named during an event held at 8:30 am today, to be graced by PM Harini Amarasuriya and Minister of Mass Media Nalinda Jayatissa. Renowned figures from SL’s musical and literary spheres, including Professor Sunil Ariyaratne and veteran lyricist Kularatne Ariyawansa, are also expected to attend the event. more..

Aug 22 (FT) The Special Presidential Investigation Committee, appointed to probe past fraud, corruption, and malpractices at Airport and Aviation Services (SL) (AASL) and SriLankan Airlines during the period from 2010 to 2025, has called for complaints, views, and proposals from employees, staff members, and the general public. Accordingly, the Committee has requested interested individuals and organisations to submit their concerns on or before 5 September 2025. more..

Aug 22 (AD) A discussion has been held to deliberate proposals to promote school sports and resolving existing issues with the Ministries of Education and Sports. The meeting in this regard was held between officials of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Sports & Youth Affairs and Minister of Education, PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, today (21) at the Parliamentary Complex. During the discussion, attention was drawn to the need for building a stronger collaboration between more..

Aug 22 (DN) Ministry of Energy has taken steps to modernize the electricity transmission system, targeting multiple benefits such as making electricity distribution more efficient, minimizing outages and facilitating the integration of renewable energy into the national system. While participating in an inspection tour of 2 new substations that have been completed under the National Transmission and Distribution Network Development more..

Aug 22 (AD) Excavations at the Chemmani Sindhubathi cemetery in Jaffna are likely to continue for eight more weeks, officials have said. Skeletal remains believed to belong to 141 individuals have been recovered from the Chemmani Sindhubathi cemetery, located near a suspected mass grave site in Jaffna. The skeletal remains were first noticed on February 20, 2025, during a development project at the Chemmani Sindhubathi cemetery in Jaffna. Following the discovery, more..

Aug 22 (SM) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has clarified that money printing and broad money supply are not the same and quite different from each other. A statement on the CBSL’s official Facebook page follows a recent public debate on the issue. The statement explains that money printing refers to the CBSL directly injecting new funds into the economy, mainly by purchasing govt securities. This increases CBSL’s holdings of govt securities while introducing new liquidity into the system, it adds. more..

Aug 22 (CT) The indefinite postal service strike entered its fifth day today, with no resolution reached between postal trade unions and the Govt. Postmaster General announced that the number of days employees remain on strike will be deducted from their annual leave. Salaries would be withheld from those who failed to obtain proper leave approval. He said all leave for postal officers had already been suspended, more..

Aug 22 (FT) Hartal is a word that entered the political discourse of countries like India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia during British rule. The Gujarati word was popularised by Mahatma Gandhi during the Indian freedom struggle in the 20th century. A hartal denotes a total shutdown of workplaces, offices, shops, schools, transport services and courts of law. Gandhi-led Indian National Congress often resorted to such civil disobedience protests in their campaign for independence from Britain. more..

Aug 22 (FT) At a recent SME forum, Dr. Harsha de Silva proposed an approach to support SL’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by creating a dedicated long-term credit facility by tapping into domestic provident funds. He underscored a critical challenge facing SL’s financial sector: the collapse of the traditional development banking model following the country’s transition to middle-income status. Historically, SL’s development banks—backed by concessional funds from multilateral agencies more..

Aug 22 (AD) The UNP media unit has released a copy of the officially invitation letter sent by the University of Wolverhampton to former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe. In its statement, the UNP media unit claimed that the former President had not misused state funds in relation to his visit to the UK. Former Prez Wickremesinghe was arrested today (22) after arriving at the CID to record a statement in connection with an ongoing investigation. more..

Aug 22 (AD) The current govt is ensuring the rule of law and the law will be implemented equally regardless of titles and positions, says the Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, Ananda Wijayapala Minister stated that titles such as the IGP, Deputy IGP, former President are not relevant when it comes to the law. Further, he stated that if anyone has committed an illegal action, such accused persons will be brought to justice regardless of their title or position. more..

Aug 22 (AD) Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested by the CID. He was arrested after arriving at the CID to record a statement today in connection with an ongoing investigation. Accordingly, it is further stated that the investigation pertains to Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to London to attend a graduation ceremony of his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, during his tenure as President, allegedly using state funds. more..

Aug 22 (AD) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was arrested by the CID, has been brought to the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court, a short while ago. He was escorted to the court premises by CID officers under heavy security. Former President Wickremesinghe was arrested today (22) after arriving at the CID to record a statement in connection with an ongoing investigation. Accordingly, it is further stated that the investigation pertains to Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to London more..

Aug 22 (DM) NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa has filed a Fundamental Rights petition before the Supreme Court challenging the Cabinet decision to implement the SL Unique Digital Identity (SLUDI) Programme, which is funded through a grant from the Govt of India. The petitioner has cited the Prez, in his capacity as Minister of Digital Economy, the PM, Cabinet of Ministers and several others as respondents. The petitioner stated that two Cabinet decisions, dated Jan 27 and June 2, 2025, more..

Aug 22 (HRW) SL security forces still harass families of victims of forced disappearances and misuse the country’s draconian counterterrorism law a year since Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office with promises of reform, Human Rights Watch said today. The UNHRC should renew the mandates for the UN to collect and analyze evidence of abuses in SL, along with continued monitoring and reporting on the situation. more..

Aug 22 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has raised concerns over a SL YouTuber predicting the arrest of former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, even prior to his arrest today. MP Premadasa questioned whether the prediction was a coincidence or was planned. “A YouTuber predicting the arrest of a former Prez before it even happens? That can’t be a coincidence, could it be planned? If true, it’s a sad day when something as sacred as law and order is reduced to cheap theatrics,” he said. more..

Aug 22 (AD) Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court has adjourned for half an hour the announcement of the order on the bail application filed on behalf of former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was arrested and produced before the court by the CID. The bail application was considered before Colombo Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura. Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, appearing for the CID, stated before the court that he would present evidence against the suspect under the Public Property Act. more..