Sri Lanka News : InfoLanka News Room

Aug 27 (NW) Speaker of the Parliament, Jagath Wickramaratne, endorsed the certification on the Samurdhi (Amendment) Bill and the Rubber Control (Amendment) Bill in accordance with Article 79 of the Constitution recently (22). The Bill to amend the Samurdhi Act, No. 1 of 2013, presented to Parliament on 17th June 2025 by the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, provides for the strengthening of financial accountability within financial more..

MSCI adds seven SL stocks, expands frontier market coverage

Aug 27 (FT) MSCI yesterday added seven SL-listed companies to its Frontier Markets Small Cap Indexes, increasing the country exposure to 12 as of the market close on 26 Aug, the index provider said. Additions are Ceylon Guardian Investment Trust, Diesel and Motor Engineering, JAT Holdings, John Keells Hotels, RIL Property, Swisstek Ceylon & Vallibel Finance. No SL companies were removed from the index more..

Prez briefed on new plans to boost industrial sector’s contribution to national economy

Aug 27 (PMD) A review of the projects implemented under the 2025 budgetary allocations of the Ministry of Industries and Enterprise Development, together with the pre-budget discussion for the year 2026, was held this morning (27) at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The discussions focused extensively on programmes carried out by the Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development and its affiliated institutions. more..

Sri Lanka’s Digital ID deal with India challenged; Court issues notices to Cabinet

Aug 27 (NW) SL’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that fresh notices be issued to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Cabinet members in connection with petitions challenging the government’s Digital ID project. The case was heard before a bench comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, Justice Kumuduni Wickramasinghe and Justice Sampath Wijeratne. The petitions, filed by former minister Wimal Weerawansa and others, more..

අන්තරේ Out of Tune උද්ඝෝෂණ

The old man and the sea of political sharks

Aug 28 (DM) Sri Lanka’s political scene is borrowing chunks from Tamil Nadu when it comes to setting the stage outside the courtroom in the case of a hero facing court proceedings. Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who stands as a supect in a court case for the alleged misuse of public funds, has suddenly becomes a hero for the public. This is in real contrast to the image Wickremesinghe had in his dealings with the masses; typically from a political sense. more..

End turf wars to mend tender, fragile hearts

Aug 28 (CT) At the heart of any civilised society lies the commitment to protecting its most vulnerable. In SL today, that promise is faltering in the very place where it should be strongest: the wards of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH). Its Paediatric Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Units (CTICUs) – the only such specialised facilities in the country – are facing a crisis so severe that it threatens the survival of children whose lives depend on timely surgery and intensive care. more..

SL loses out on vital marine research as FAO survey denied access: Norwegian expert

Aug 28 (DM) The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen made a port call in Sri Lanka recently before it proceeded to Bangladesh for research activities. It initially sought permission for such work in Sri Lankan waters, but permission could not be granted for it because of delay in the bureaucratic process. The ship belongs to the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in Norway. more..

The blurred line between an actor and a politician

Aug 28 (DM) Actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay Chandrasekar, popularly known as Vijay, made his signature ramp walk through a sea of supporters during his party’s second state conference held in Madurai recently. The conference was held to project Vijay as the party’s chief ministerial candidate at the 2026 Assembly Elections, signalling his decisive political pitch. Vijay made his entry into politics in February 2024 with the launch of his party Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). more..

Prevailing laws inadequate, leading to PTA being used: FM tells parliament

Aug 28 (ST) With the UNHRC sessions in Geneva looming early next month, the NPP Govt used Friday’s adjournment debate on the Human Rights Concerns of the Country to announce a timeline for the repealing of the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Participating in Friday’s debate Minister Vijitha Herath stressed that the NPP did not wait for the UN or UNHRC to tell SL to abolish the PTA. NPP had clearly pledged in its manifesto to abolish the PTA, he told the House. more..

Mannar at a crossroads: Protests, Promises and the Fight for Justice

Aug 28 (CT) For the past 18 days, the people of Mannar have been gathering in continuous protest against large-scale wind power projects and sand mining activities that they say threaten both their land and their livelihoods. What began as small community-level resistance has now grown into a strong, islandwide conversation about development, environmental protection, and the rights of local people. more..

Schools for everyone?

Aug 28 (TM) For many years, the Govt has been aware of the presence of nearly 1,400 schools in SL with fewer than 50 students. Most of these schools are in rural and remote areas. All the schools are primary schools with classes from Grades 1 to 5. It has been reported that more than a few hundred of such schools are at risk of permanently closing down. Of the 1,400 such schools, the Northern Province has the highest number (275), followed by Central Province (240), Sabaragamuwa more..

End turf wars to mend tender, fragile hearts

රස්තියාදු සංස්කෘතිය

Editorial: India squaring up to Trump tariffs

Aug 28 (Island) The doubling of US tariffs up to 50% on Indian goods took effect yesterday. This includes an additional 25% tariff imposed as a punitive measure for buying oil from Russia. The massive tariff hike is bound to send India’s export sector reeling; among the Indian exports affected by the Trump tariffs are chemicals, furniture, footwear, jewellery and garments. India now finds itself in the same bracket as China and Brazil, where US tariffs are concerned. Curiously, more..

Vital step in modernizing Sri Lanka’s labour legislation

Aug 28 (Island) A high-level committee appointed by the Cabinet to review and amend SL’s proposed Labour Act convened for the first time recently at the Ministry of Labour. The move marks a significant step towards modernizing labour legislation to address the evolving needs of the workforce across the state, semi-govt and private sectors. The meeting was chaired by S.M. Piyathissa, Secretary to the Ministry of Labour, with the participation of Labour Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando. more..

The new digital ID to be an integrated e-NIC/MOSIP solution

Aug 28 (ST) A document released this month by the Ministry of Digital Economy clarified that the Digital ID project, initiated under a MoU between SL & India, will integrate the original e-NIC system. While the e-NIC project was initially scheduled for completion by Dec 2024, delays in its execution, coupled with the strategic and financial benefits of adopting a MOSIP-based Digital ID system, prompted govt to revise its approach. more..

People’s Bank reports all-time-high 1H Rs. 28 b PBT

Aug 28 (FT) People’s Bank said it reported an all-time-high Profit Before Tax (PBT) of Rs. 28 billion in the first half of 2025. The bank reported an operating income of Rs. 80.8 billion and Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs. 18.2 billion during this period. “This achievement is particularly noteworthy, as this profit was recorded after recognising significant impairment charges on exposures to several State-owned enterprises (SOEs),” the bank said in a statement. more..

Junior Netballers in limbo as NWYC approaches

Aug 28 (DN) SL’s 12-member Junior Netball squad has been named for the upcoming Netball World Youth Cup (NWYC) to be held in Gibraltar from Sept 19 to 28. However, the team’s preparations have been hampered as no head coach or assistant coach has yet been appointed. The squad was selected at trials conducted last week at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, but only two members of the 5-member selection panel were present. The list of players has also not yet been approved more..

Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena

Commonwealth Meridian software to manage public debt

Aug 28 (TM) SL will begin using the Commonwealth Meridian software from next month to manage public debt as part of the economic recovery plan. The decision to adopt a new system follows recommendations from the IMF and WB to establish a Public Debt Management Office. It comes after SL defaulted on its foreign debt in 2022 during a severe economic crisis, which forced it to seek IMF assistance. Since then, govt has been working with the IMF and World Bank on reforms to more..

Sri Lanka must utilise AI in agri: TeaAI

Aug 28 (TM) As India is making use of AI technology to revolutionise tea processing and production, SL must work towards incorporating AI into agriculture too by broadening opportunities to test technologies, TeaAI Chief Technology Officer Tharindu Kaluarachchi said. “Indian Tea Research Association supports companies that are investing in incorporating AI into tea agriculture, by allowing them to test out the technologies. SL could improve its process of regulation and openness more..

Tourism plans face fresh delays

Aug 28 (FT) SL’s long-awaited nation branding and global marketing campaign has been delayed again, with fresh tenders now being called just months before the critical winter tourist season. Deputy Tourism Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe said the National Procurement Commission has directed new bids, a process expected to take three to four months. “We are now in the process of calling for fresh tenders and the process will more..

SinLlama: Sri Lanka launches largest Sinhala LLM with 10 million sentences

Aug 28 (CT) Researchers at the University of Moratuwa have developed the country’s first large-scale Sinhala-only large language model (LLM), a breakthrough in advancing local language computing. The model, named “SinLlama,” was built by continually pre-training Llama-3-8B with nearly 10 million Sinhala sentences. According to the research team, SinLlama is the largest Sinhala LLM to date and has already outperformed Llama-3-8B on Sinhala text classification benchmarks. more..

Maga Engineering gets Rs. 1.2 b contract to fix Southern Expressway flaws

Aug 28 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers on Monday approved awarding a Rs. 1.2 billion contract to Maga Engineering Ltd, for urgent repairs on a 15-kilometre stretch of the Southern Expressway, less than 15 years after its opening. The section between the 19th and 34th kilometre posts, from Kottawa to Dodangoda, has developed extensive surface cracks and structural degradation, prompting officials to order immediate renovation, including repairs to the base layer and resurfacing. more..

Central Bank settles US$1.1bn in debt to RBI, IMF in year to March

Aug 28 (EN) SL’s central bank has settled debt of US$ 900 million to the Reserve Bank of India, and another US$ 209 million to the IMF, during the year to March 2025. CB borrowed around US$ 2.2 billion from the RBI through the Asian Clearing Union, and also took a US$ 400 million swap during the currency crisis triggered by the 2019-2020 rate cuts and liquidity injections. Once private credit has picked up, more..

Schools Swimming Meet: St Joseph’s & Musaeus crowned overall Champions

Aug 28 (DN) St Joseph’s College, the unstoppable force in school swimming, and a rejuvenated Musaeus College claimed the Boys’ and Girls’ Overall Championships at the All Island Schools Games Swimming Meet 2025, organized by SLSASA, which ended after 3 days of competition at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool Complex yesterday. The Josephian swimmers, coached by Dr. Kaushal Manawadu, collected 93 points to clinch the boys’ overall title. more..

Govt awards six-month petrol supply deal to Aditya Birla Global Trading

Aug 28 (FT) The Govt yesterday announced that the Cabinet of Ministers had approved awarding a six-month contract to Aditya Birla Global Trading (Singapore) Ltd, for the supply of petrol to Sri Lanka for six months. The contract covers the delivery of 1.5 million (+/-5%) barrels of 92 Octane Unleaded Petrol over a six-month period from 15 September 2025 to 14 March 2026. “Supply will be made in five shipments of 300,000 (+/-5%) barrels each,” Minister Vijitha Herath said more..

වැවිලි ක්ෂේත්‍රයේ ඉදිරි අපනයන සැලසුම්

Wayamba University graduates its first batch of doctors

Aug 28 (Island) On Thursday 28th instant evening, medical students of the first intake will be receiving their garlands from The Chancellor signifying their graduation as MBBS doctors, a momentous occasion for these young men and women and their families. For a medical faculty which has had to endure many difficulties, it is indeed a major achievement to see almost the whole batch graduating today, among them six with First classes. The idea of a medical school for Wayamba more..

Every woman and girl must be able to live with dignity and safety: PM Harini

Aug 28 (AD) PM Harini Amarasuriya participated in the policy and research forum titled Unlocking the Gender Dividend: Driving Policy Change Through Knowledge, hosted by UN Population Fund (UNFPA) SL today (27) at Galle Face Hotel. During the event four landmark reports were officially presented to the PM that provide the policymakers, researchers, and civil society, with critical evidence and policy recommendations to address persistent gender inequalities and emerging challenges more..

Colombo land prices jump 11.4% led by residential land values

Aug 28 (DM) The land prices in the red-hot Colombo district, measured by the Land Valuation Indicator (LVI), jumped 11.4% in the first half of 2025 from the same period in 2024. The growth in the prices nearly doubled from the growth seen in the first half of 2024, which came in at 6.9% over the same period in 2023. The index reached 256.4 by the end of the first half of 2025, from 230.1 index points a year ago. more..

President says Defence Hospital must ramp-up public healthcare services

Aug 28 (FT) President Anura Kumara Disanayake on Tuesday said the Govt bore significant expenses to maintain the Sir John Kotelawala Defence University Hospital and instructed officials to streamline and deliver healthcare to the public in a more efficient and effective manner. Prez made these comments while chairing a Defence Ministry Pre-Budget 2026 discussion. He emphasised that SL’s defence forces must be developed into one of the most professional forces in the world, more..

Foreign Minister draws line between personal and official travel in Wickremesinghe probe

Aug 28 (FT) Minister Vijitha Herath clarified that using public resources for private overseas travel cannot be equated with domestic personal travel, amid scrutiny of former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s UK trip. He pointed out that while State-sector circulars allow certain internal uses of official vehicles, financing a private overseas trip remains a misuse of public funds. “Attending a funeral or travelling within SL is not comparable to booking seats on an int'l flight. That is wrong,” more..

පත්තරේ විස්තරේ

3 killed in tipper truck–school van collision

Aug 28 (CT) The driver of a tipper truck has been taken into custody following a tragic road accident near the Wilapola bridge in Kuliyapitiya yesterday morning. The collision resulted in the deaths of three individuals, including two schoolgirls, and left thirteen others injured. Police confirmed the arrest and stated that an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident is currently underway. The devastating incident occurred in the early hours of the morning when more..

Prez tells exporters pay taxes for support

Aug 28 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake told a group of exporters this week that the Govt would provide them with facilities and support, but stressed they must pay fair taxes in return, according to a statement from the President’s Media Division (PMD) yesterday. He made the remarks during a pre-Budget 2026 discussion with plantation sector entrepreneurs held at the Presidential Secretariat on Tuesday. The meeting focused on strengthening dollar reserves through export earnings, more..

Minister Herath highlights strong gains one year into AKD’s Presidency

Aug 28 (FT) Minister Vijitha Herath said that one year after President Anura Kumara Disanayake assumed office, Sri Lanka’s economy is on a steady path of recovery, supported by sound macroeconomic fundamentals and targeted reforms. Herath pointed to key indicators showing resilience. “Workers’ remittances during the first half of 2025 have surged past $ 3.7 billion, while tourism earnings in the same period topped $1.7 bil. more..

Govt institutions: Biometric scanner machines to all

Aug 28 (TM) Ministry of Public Admin, PCs & LG stated that steps would be taken to install biometric fingerprint scanner machines in all govt institutions where such devices are currently not in place. Subject minister Prof. A.H.M.H. Abayarathna said that while many govt institutions already use biometric fingerprint machines, there remain offices where they are yet to be introduced. “We will take steps to install fingerprint machines in all those places in the future. more..

SLTB to launch countrywide trade union action tonight

Aug 28 (DM) The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) employees are set to launch a countrywide trade union action tonight in protest against the implementation of the private–public joint timetable. SLTB Trade Union Chief Secretary S. Ranasinghe accused the government of attempting to dismantle the SLTB through the new programme. “Seven out of eight SLTB trade unions will join the trade union action tonight. We are firmly opposed to this decision,” Ranasinghe said. more..