Aug 30 (SO) The Mannar Island, largest island of SL, lies in the Mannar District, connected to the mainland by a causeway across the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mannar. Geographically, the island is unique as much of it lies below sea level, making it particularly vulnerable to environmental changes. With a population of around 75,000 people the Mannar Island is home to fishing and farming communities whose livelihoods more..

Aug 30 (GV) SL stands at a crossroads in its journey towards gender equality. From the halls of parliament to the climate affected fields of rural women farmers, from the rising dangers of technology facilitated violence to the quiet invisibility of unpaid care work, the lives of women are deeply intertwined with the broader political, social and economic fabric of the nation. These are not isolated issues. Around the world debates on gender & law, gender & politics, gender & climate change, more..

Aug 30 (CT) The recent international operation to apprehend Kehelbaddara Padme and his criminal associates marks a watershed moment in the history of SL’s Police force. For 5 intense days, officers undertook a high-risk mission in Jakarta, working under constant surveillance, extreme pressure, and minimal rest, to capture some of the country’s most notorious underworld figures. Padme, Commando Salintha, Backhoe Saman, Panadure Nilanga, and others were responsible for a string of more..

Aug 30 (GV) SL’s political landscape, already scarred by years of turmoil, has been plunged into fresh upheaval. The arrest of former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on charges of misappropriating public funds has not only shaken the political establishment but has also rekindled old debates about law, power, and the survival of democracy itself. What began as a technical legal matter over a disputed foreign trip has evolved into more..

Aug 30 (CT) The arrest-cum-bail drama involving former President Ranil Wickremesinghe seems to have had all the elements of drama in it. Media accounts of the bail proceedings in capital Colombo’s Fort Magistrate Court looked more like a Greek tragedy, as contesting lawyers seemed to talk more of politics and less of law. In the end, the Court, overruling the prosecution’s case, granted bail to the accused, who was the nation’s Head of State until not very long ago. more..

Aug 30 (CT) When aragalaya broke out in 2022 its immediate demands were captured in two slogans: Gota Go Home and No 225. They were an uncompromising vote of no confidence on the ones governing the country and all elected members in the legislature of the time. But the real demand of the rebels went far beyond those two. Aragalaya in essence, was a revolt against a system of governance which since 1978, if not earlier, had reduced parliamentary democracy into more..

Aug 29 (TM) Five suspects have been arrested for illegally hunting a pregnant spotted deer in Wilpattu National Park. Wildlife officers arrested the individuals in the Meegasdeniya area of the park, where they discovered the killed deer being prepared for meat. The officers seized a 12-bore firearm, ammunition, and other equipment used for the crime. While one suspect managed to escape, authorities are conducting further investigations to locate and apprehend them. more..

Aug 29 (AD) In a significant step towards deepening democratic ties, the 24-member high-level delegation of SL-India Parliamentary Friendship Association met India’s Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla during their visit to the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE) at Lok Sabha Secretariat in New Delhi. The delegation was led by Nalinda Jayatissa, Minister of Health of SL and President of the SL–India Parliamentary Friendship Association. more..

Aug 29 (ST) The scene on the fifth floor of the Sri J'pura General Hospital (SJGH) is surreal – it is Saturday, July 26th and glued to several TV screens are all those doctors who hold people’s precious hearts in their hands. On the screens are close-up live images of keyhole (minimally-invasive) heart surgery being performed by our very own Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Dr. Rajitha de Silva, joined by India’s more..

Aug 29 (NW) Development work on the SL–Japan Friendship Road in Battaramulla was officially launched on Thursday (28), under the aegis of Deputy Minister Prasanna Gunasena. The road development is being conducted under the guidance of the Ministry of Transport and Highways, and is supervised by the Colombo Chief Engineering Office of the RDA. SL–Japan Friendship Road in Battaramulla, spanning 2 km, is being developed with a carpeted surface at an estimated more..

Aug 29 (AD) Two suspects have been arrested for aiding and abetting the shooting of a former prison officer near the Bolgoda Bridge in the Bandaragama Police Division. The duo was arrested last afternoon in the Modarawila area in Panadura and presented to the Bandaragama Police Station. The deceased in the shooting, which took place on Aug 21, has been identified as Lalith Kodagoda, a resident of Panadura. The suspects arrested are aged 18 and 21 and are residents of Panadura, more..

Aug 29 (ST) With the southwest monsoon in full swing, the shores of Mannar are once again buried under waves of transboundary plastic pollution, this year, locals say, worse than ever. “When we go out to sea, the southern coast leading to Adam’s Bridge is covered,” said Selvaratnam Dilaxan, a social and environmental activist from Mannar. “There’s plastic dust in the air, too, brought by the winds. We usually get a lot of it, but more..

Aug 29 (CT) Hemas Outreach Foundation, dedicated to transforming early childhood education in SL, recently opened its first Piyawara preschool in the plantation sector at the Pedro Estate, Nuwara Eliya. The initiative, carried out in partnership with the Plantation Human Development Trust (PHDT) and Kelani Valley Plantations, is part of Hemas’ broader efforts to expand access to quality education for underserved communities. The newly-established preschool will provide 50 children from more..

Aug 29 (TM) The 159th anniversary of the Police Department will be celebrated on 3 Sept 2025. The day of the assumption of the duties in the office of the IGP is commemorated as the Police Day. The Police performs duties throughout the day for the purpose of combating crimes, drug trafficking, vices, and traffic accidents. The number of Police officers deployed to carry out the duties assigned, including officers attached to the Police Special Task Force, is approximately 86,000. more..

Aug 29 (NW) Minister Ananda Wijepala, says red warrants have been issued for approximately 75 organized and underworld criminals currently hiding overseas. He revealed that a significant number, around 20 of them, have already been brought back to the country. Minister further said that the remaining suspects will also be swiftly extradited and presented before the law in the near future. Public Security Minister went on to note that the six underworld figures who were arrested more..

Aug 29 (Island) The awarding ceremony of Mitsubishi Asian Children’s Enikki festa organized by SL National Commission for UNESCO with the sponsorship of the Mitsubishi Corporation to felicitate school children who won the Mitsubishi Asian Children’s Enikki Festa picture-diary competition was held on Thursday at Temple Trees, with the participation of the PM Harini Amarasuriya, who is the Chairperson to SL National Commission for UNESCO, together with Ambassador more..

Aug 29 (TM) Anti Corruption Force Convenor Niroshan Padukka raised concerns about the misuse of the recently imposed tax on onions and potatoes. He made the remarks at a press briefing held yesterday, where he alleged: “Ministers Wasantha Samarasinghe & K.D. Lal Kantha chaired the Food Security Committee. The duo took steps to increase the import tax during the period of harvesting. Accordingly, more..

Aug 29 (AD) The woman and the small child who were arrested along with several most-wanted SL underworld criminal figures, including ‘Kehelbaddara’ Padme, while in Indonesia, have been were brought to the island this evening. It is reported that they had arrived in the country at around 5.50 pm today on flight UL-365 from Jakarta, Indonesia. Notorious organised criminal Mandinu Padmasiri, alias ‘Kehelbaddara Padme’, and gang members known by the aliases ‘Commando Salintha’, more..

Aug 29 (FT) The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of SL (FCCISL) will host the SL Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2025 today at 5 p.m. at Cinnamon Life. Since the mid-1990s, SLEOTY has stood as the country’s premier stage for recognising excellence in enterprise. It has celebrated entrepreneurs who rose from humble beginnings and persevered through adversity to shape SL’s economy. The Awards are inclusive, recognising micro, small, medium, large, more..

Aug 29 (MB) In the mist-wrapped folds of SL’s Knuckles Mountain Range, a UNESCO-recognized world heritage site, where clouds softly wrap the rugged peaks in a soft embrace, a group of scientists recently stumbled upon a ghost from the island’s colonial past, in the form of a forgotten orchid. Nestled among the branches of forest trees near a tributary of the Mahaweli River in Rangala, Kandy district, bloomed Vanda thwaitesii more..

Aug 29 (CT) On the Int'l Day of the Disappeared, observed on 30 Aug, the Int'l Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reaffirmed its solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of people worldwide who remain missing or separated from their families due to armed conflicts, violence, disasters, humanitarian crises, and migration. For over a decade, the ICRC has implemented a comprehensive, island-wide support programme in SL to address the multifaceted needs of families of missing more..

Aug 29 (NW) Western Province has commenced initial trials of fully electric, solar-powered waste-collecting boats on the Beira Lake, Governor Hanif Yusoof said. The boats are capable of collecting up to 3,000 kilograms of floating solid waste per day. Up to four such boats are expected to be deployed soon as part of broader efforts to restore and revive the lake. The initiative is a result of Clean Ocean Force’s participation in the Western Province’s Task Force on Restoring the Beira Lake, Yusoof said. more..

Aug 29 (EN) Farmers shouldn’t grow produce if they don’t know the market, Minister of Agriculture and Lands has said. “If you don’t know the market, don’t grow (Api kiyanne velandapola danne neththam vaga karanna epa),” K.D. Lalkantha said. He said he had asked pumpkin farmers recently who they grew it for. “They don’t know who their buyers are.” “We say, grow produce knowing who you will sell it to, and at what price. “That’s a challenge. People grow produce out of habit.” more..

Aug 29 (AD) Former Minister Rajitha Senaratne, who appeared before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court today, has been remanded until Sept 9. Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanka Bodaragama issued the order after considering the facts presented from the CIABOC and the defense lawyers. Senaratne, for whom a warrant had previously been issued, was arrested after appearing before the court this morning. Earlier, Colombo HC Judge Lanka Jayaratne, more..

Aug 29 (NW) A gazette notification containing regulations that make it mandatory for passengers traveling in passenger buses on expressways to wear seat belts is scheduled to be issued on Aug 31, said Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation and Leader of the House, Bimal Rathnayake. Minister state this during a recent meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation, more..

Aug 29 (AD) Former MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero has been remanded until September 12 after appearing before the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court this afternoon (29), said Ada Derana reporter. A warrant for his arrest had been issued on 18 August by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, according to Police Media Spokesman, ASP F.U. Wootler. Police Media Spokesman stated that the warrant was issued following a submission made by the police to the court requesting his arrest. more..

Aug 29 (AD) Marking the 75th Anniversary of the Central Bank of SL (CBSL), a new commemorative Rs. 2,000 currency note was presented this morning (29) to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat by the Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe. This commemorative note, issued to mark the anniversary, is the fifth commemorative currency note released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, according to the PMD. more..

Aug 29 (EN) SL’s stabilization measures were take under an older monetary law, before a new legilstion with greater Central Bank independence was enacted Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe who hiked rates, operated deflationary policy and also appreciated a collapsed currency. SL enacted a new Central Bank Act (CBA) in Sept 2023, which aimed at providing more independence to the agency, in the hope it will help maintain more..

Aug 29 (NF) Former State Minister Nimal Lanza has been remanded until the 12th of September This followed his appearance before Negombo Magistrate Rakitha Abeysinghe this afternoon. He is accused of damaging a municipal councillor's house during the 2006 local govt elections. ASP Frederick Wootler stated that he faces charges of unlawful entry, unlawful assembly, and theft. Lanza was arrested this morning after surrendering at the Kochchikade police station. more..

Aug 29 (FT) The arrest of former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has provoked much debate between his supporters who see it as a case of political victimisation and others who see it as a case of the law now being applied to people who were previously above the law. M.A. Sumanthiran, a lawyer, has said that while heads of state must indeed be held accountable and prosecuted, the arrest of former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on a Friday, coupled with the decision to more..

Aug 29 (AD) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was receiving treatment at the ICU of the Colombo National Hospital, has been discharged from the hospital on Friday. The 76-year-old was rushed to the intensive care unit of the National Hospital in Colombo last Saturday (23), just hours after being remanded in custody. Wickremesinghe, who was granted bail on Tuesday, was ordered to be released on three surety bails of Rs. 5 million each by Colombo Fort Magistrate Nilupuli more..

Aug 29 (FT) While the public debate still rages hotly, private reflections which don’t get liked or attacked on social media may be the order of the day a week and more after the arrest and remanding of a former executive president of Sri Lanka. Not because the points of view expressed don’t have their relative merits or otherwise. But because a sense of proportion must eventually grasp the discourse by its horns and make the issue sit down and have a quiet think. more..