Sep 1 (TM) The crucial technical evaluation of bids for the long-stalled BIA expansion project has faced delays, with Deputy Minister Janitha Kodithuwakku now expecting the process to conclude by the end of September. This marks a new timeline, given that the Deputy Minister previously anticipated the evaluation to be completed by the first week of July. “The technical evaluation of the tender process is still more..

Sep 1 (DM) Supreme Court today granted leave to proceed with a Fundamental Rights petition filed by the Centre for Environmental Justice against former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and several others. The petition challenges the sale of Eppawala phosphate by Lanka Phosphate Limited to three companies at prices allegedly far below the world market rate, which is said to have caused losses to the govt. The petitioners state that on the 6th of July 2023, Lanka Phosphate Ltd more..

Sep 1 (NW) Dept of Meteorology has issued an advisory for warm weather for the Northern, North-central and Eastern provinces and Monaragala and Hambantota districts. Amber alerts have been issued to 12 districts, effective tomorrow (2). The dept states that the Heat index, the temperature felt on the human body, is likely to increase up to Caution level at some places in the districts. The public has been warned that fatigue is possible with prolonged exposure and activity, more..

Sep 1 (FT) Parts 1 and 2 of this article highlighted two fundamental rights of taxpayers: the Right to Know the Legal Basis for Taxation, and the Right to Know the Reasons for an Amended or Additional Assessment. It must be reiterated that when taxpayer rights are violated, the resulting official actions—and in particular tax assessments—stand to be nullified and set aside, for taxpayer rights take precedence over the taxing power of the State agencies, be it the IRD, more..

Sep 1 (FT) Sri Lankans have been offered once again an opportunity to savour another set of proposals for education reforms and live in hopes of having an education system comparable to those prevailing in countries like Singapore, Finland or Norway. The proposals prepared by a team of experts attached to the National Institute of Education or NIE have been presented in the form of a PowerPoint presentation by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and more..

Sep 1 (CT) Two special Police teams have been assigned to conduct investigations into five notorious organised criminals – Kehelbaddara Padme, Commando Salintha, Backhoe Saman, Panadura Nilanga and Thambili Lahiru who were arrested in Indonesia and brought back to SL. CID has begun questioning Kehelbaddara Padme, Commando Salintha, and Panadura Nilanga, while investigations into Backhoe Saman and more..

Sep 1 (AD) Minister Sunil Handunnetti says that if the technical expertise available in the country is insufficient to resolve the issues caused by the irregular construction of the salinity barrier on the Nilwala River in Matara, govt will seek foreign assistance to find a permanent solution. Minister made these remarks during a recent visit to the site. The barrier, originally built to address drinking water shortages in Matara, has not worked as intended allegedly due to substandard construction. more..

Sep 1 (AD) The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (Ceypetco) has announced a revision of fuel prices effective from midnight today (31). According to the announcement, the price of Auto Diesel will be reduced by Rs. 6 to Rs. 283 per litre, and Super Diesel will be reduced by Rs. 12 to Rs. 313 per litre. Petrol 92 Octane will be reduced by Rs. 6 to Rs. 299 per litre. Meanwhile, there will be no change in the prices of Petrol 95 Octane and Kerosene. The revised rates are as follows: more..

Sep 1 (FT) Giving investors a strong signal on the economic recovery and future stability, the Govt continues to report impressive gains in fiscal performance, with the Budget deficit in nominal terms falling by 36.3% to Rs. 556.1 billion in the first seven months of 2025, down from Rs. 872.6 billion in the same period of 2024. According to the latest Fiscal Review Report, declining Budget deficit is mainly due to revenue growth more..

Sep 1 (DN) A special ceremony was held at BIA on Saturday night to appreciate the Indonesian Police Special Task Force for their assistance in arresting a group of Sri Lankan organised criminals in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Indonesian officers arrived at BIA on the same flight with the deported criminals. Upon their arrival, they were welcomed with garlands and presented with commemorative gifts. The event took place in the special at the airport’s VIP lounge. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala, more..

Sep 1 (AD) Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, has planned to hold discussions with High Commissioners and Ambassadors in Colombo, human rights activists, scholars, and attorneys in the country ahead of the 60th session of the UNHRC. The discussions will be held next week. The 60th session of the UNHRC is scheduled to commence in Geneva on Sept 8 and will continue until Oct 8. Accordingly, Foreign Minister is scheduled to brief the diplomatic community on the measures more..

Sep 1 (ST) All CEB employees are to retain their initial working locations, duties, functions and remunerations despite the utility being divided into four separate entities under the recently passed SL Electricity (Amendment) Act. Power Sector Reforms Secretariat (PSRS) has issued a circular to the heads of CEB divisions and branches, stating that these provisions will “not be made less favourable than the current terms and conditions under their contract of employment with the CEB”. more..

Sep 1 (DM) Sri Lanka will accelerate education reforms and foster innovation to prepare the economy for rapid technological and structural change, PM Harini Amarasuriya said last week, pledging a policy environment that supports startups and attracts investment. “The future strength of Sri Lanka’s economy will not rely on traditional sectors alone,” Amarasuriya said at the launch of the National Institute of Business Management’s (NIBM) New Ventures initiative in Colombo. more..

Sep 1 (DN) Western Province (WP) emerged Overall Champions while Central Province finished as overall runners up in the 49th National Sports Festival concluded at Dadalla Sports Complex, Galle yesterday. Western Province dominated this Sports Festival collecting 83 gold, 55 silver and 71 bronze medals. Runners up Central Province won the 43 gold, 64 silver and 68 bronze medals. Third place was won by Southern Province winning 33 gold, 52 silver and 46 bronze medals. more..

Sep 1 (FT) Govt has introduced a new voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for employees of the CEB who do not wish to transfer to the successor company. The move follows the approval of regulations under Section 50 of the SL Electricity Act, No. 36 of 2024. The Extraordinary Gazette dated 26 Aug was issued by Minister Kumara Jayakody, setting out the terms and conditions of the scheme. According to the regulations, more..

Sep 1 (AD) Sri Lankans will have a rare opportunity to witness the phenomenon known as blood moon next month, said Prof. Chandana Jayaratne, Head of the Department of Physics and Director, Astronomy and Space Science Unit of the Uni of Colombo and the Chairman of the Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies. The spectacular celestial event is set to light up the skies on Sept 7, as the Moon undergoes a total lunar eclipse, turning an eerie, deep red for 82 minutes. more..

Sep 1 (AD) The govt has taken steps to implement a special program starting today to dispose of unnecessary items that have accumulated in all state institutions. The program announced as Seiri Week, will be carried out over four days, from today to Sept 4. It has been launched with the aim of creating a clean, healthy, and safe environment that enables govt officers to perform their duties more effectively and comfortably. Accordingly, Secretary to Ministry of Public Admin, PCs and LG more..

Sep 1 (NW) Ministry of Public Security has rejected the circulation of a doctored image falsely attributed to Minister Ananda Wijepala on social media, calling it a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. The ministry said the image is being shared alongside fabricated news reports following the arrest of Kehelbaddara Pathme and others, who were detained in Indonesia in connection with organized crime operations in Sri Lanka. The arrests were made through a joint effort between more..

Sep 1 (SO) Minister Ananda Wijepala said the Govt is moving decisively to dismantle underworld violence in the country, in the backdrop of the extradition of several leading criminals to SL from Indonesia yesterday evening. He said the Govt has secured greater international cooperation to apprehend drug traffickers and organised crime figures operating from abroad. Indonesian-SL joint Police operation to nab notorious more..

Sep 1 (DN) Nadeesha Ramanayaka 400m National champion athlete has been selected to represent SL at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan from Sept 13 to 21. This is a good opportunity for the 30-year-old Army athlete who won 2023 Asian Athletic Championship 400m gold medal. With no SL female athlete meeting the qualification standards for the event, SL Athletics nominated next best in SL, Javelin Thrower Dilhani Lekamge and 400m specialist Ramanayaka more..

Sep 1 (EN) SL’s Pick Met, a ride hailing company said it had tied up with the university to study and find solutions to communities who are facing difficulties in accessing transport and also looking at multi-modal transport. “The collaboration aims to address long-ignored mobility challenges across diverse segments of the population,” the company said in a statement. “With a population of 22 million people facing a wide range of mobility needs, from rural villages with unmarked roads to more..

Sep 1 (CI) Where Zimbabwe had faltered on Friday, SL followed through in consummate fashion. Set a target of 278 in the second and final ODI in Harare, the visitors tracked it down with five wickets and three deliveries to spare. And with it, they swept the series 2-0. Similar to the first ODI, this too went down to the wire, and like that game on Friday, the chasing side seemed in control right until the last. But here with wickets in hand, more..

Sep 1 (SO) US Soybean Export Council (USSEC) commended SL’s modernisation of the poultry industry and it’s adherence of sustainable practices to ensure nutrition security in the country. “Modernisation of SL’s poultry industry with state of the art technology makes it a natural fit for high protein food consumption in the country, a prerequisite for growth,” said Regional Director-South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, Kevin Roepke during the USSEC Soy Summit 2025 more..

Sep 1 (FT) A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Prez Donald Trump had no legal right to impose sweeping tariffs on almost every country on earth but left in place for now his effort to build a protectionist wall around the American economy. US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Trump wasn’t legally allowed to declare national emergencies and impose import taxes on almost every country on earth, a ruling that largely upheld a May decision by a specialised federal trade court in New York. more..

Sep 1 (FT) Indira Malwatte was honoured with the SL Iconic Woman 2025 award at the SLBC’s centenary celebration, held at the BMICH. She was recognised as the first woman to Chair the Export Development Board (EDB) for her significant contribution to the export sector and breaking barriers as the first woman Chairperson of Samson International, a male-dominated industry. Malwatte continues to serve as a Non-Executive Independent Director in the public & pvt sectors. more..

Sep 1 (FT) The SITREK Group celebrated its 48th anniversary in grand style at the Grand Maitland, honouring decades of excellence and recognising key contributors through its Annual Awards Ceremony. The event, held under the patronage of Joint Group Managing Directors Jeevaka Wijesinghe and Minoli Wijesinghe, included ceremonial traditions, multimedia presentations, and a dynamic awards segment. Among the notable recognitions were: Long Service Awards; more..

Sep 1 (EN) Sri Lanka has spent US$ 506.1 million on personal vehicle imports up to July 2025, up from US$ 34.8 million last year, while another US$ 162.2 million were spent on commercial vehicles. Personal vehicles are classed as consumer goods, though they are usually bought with credit, which are then repaid in about 4 years. Credit allows a person or company to acquire good outside of their current earnings. more..

Sep 1 (Island) The NPP govt has made the arrest and extradition of notorious underworld figure, Manudinu Perera alias Kehelbaddara Padme, and four other criminals a bigger spectacle than the defeat of the LTTE. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala and IGP Priyantha Weerasuriya, accompanied by a host of senior police officers, rushed to the BIA on Saturday to oversee the arrival of Kehelbaddara Padme and others. (Wijepala and Weerasuriya are seen moving in tandem, more..

Sep 1 (Island) Sri Lanka has lost more than 6,400 elephants in the past 24 years — an average of over 260 per year — and 250 more have died in just the first six months of 2025. For Jehan CanagaRetna, Vice President and Head of the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) Sub-Committee of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS), these statistics are a painful reminder of a crisis that has escalated to alarming levels. “The numbers keep me awake at night,” he said speaking to The Island. more..

Sep 1 (TM) The Sri Lanka state sector and trade unions have a long history. They are integral to the leftist politics that have a wide following since before the island’s independence and are very much a part of the centre-right politics of the country as well. Sri Lanka’s labour movements and hard-won rights have been the envy of others in the region. However, the trade union and the politics linked to it have crippled the nation many times and have exerted a considerable cost on the State. more..

Sep 1 (CT) The disturbing rise of e-cigarettes within schools should send shockwaves across the nation. Reports that young pupils are being offered puffs for as little as Rs 20 inside school premises are not just alarming, they are a clear indication that an unregulated market is preying on the most vulnerable. Senior students bringing these devices into classrooms, passing them on to younger children and even collecting commissions from outside suppliers is a scandalous reality. more..