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Once self-sufficient in rice, Sri Lanka now relies on imports to meet the shortfall in production. The crisis in the paddy sector stems from not only extreme weather but also the reluctance of the younger generation to take to farming. Against this bleak backdrop, it is heartening to note an elderly farmer teaches his young [...]
Govt. in 12-day rush to buy 1,775 double cabs
Short notice for bidders; closing date Nov. 4 By Namini Wijedasa The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development on Thursday floated a multibillion rupee tender for the purchase of 1,775 diesel-powered double cabs, allowing just 12 days for interested parties to submit their bids. Sealed bids are invited for the procurement of the brand-new [...]
Sparks fly as Energy Minister and Secretary cross wires over DG
A dispute has erupted between Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody and Energy Ministry Secretary Udayanga Hemapala over the latter reappointing Pubudu Niroshan as Director General (DG) of the Power Sector Reforms Secretariat (PSRS) after the expiry of his contract. On October 15, 2025, Prof. Hemapala issued a letter reappointing Mr. Niroshan to the position of DG [...]
Tourists offered package tickets
A combined prepaid ticket covering both transport and entrance tickets to all major tourist sites will be made available to tourists from December, Foreign Affairs and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath said. The ticket can be bought online, he said. The tickets will come in several categories, such as silver, gold and platinum, and will be [...]
Court of Appeal dismisses union’s challenge to CEB’s restructuring
The Court of Appeal on Friday dismissed in limine and without costs an application by the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) against aspects of the utility’s restructuring plan and a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) proposed for employees. Consequently, the Court refused to issue formal notice on the respondents, including the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), [...]
Visa-outsourcing fiasco: Audit report says Govt. earned no revenue
A special audit report on the online visa issuance programme, where the work of the Department of Immigration and Emigration was outsourced to a private company last year, did not bring any revenue to the government, while tourists who qualified under the visa-fee waiver category ended up paying processing fees, thus not benefiting from the [...]
Weerawansa given time till Dec. 1 to study prosecution documents
By Ranjith Padmasiri Colombo High Court Judge Mohamed Mihal has ordered former minister and National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa to inform the court before December 1 which of the documents presented by the prosecution he intends to accept. In this case, filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), Mr [...]
CJ recommends CA Justice Gihan Kulatunga to fill remaining vacancy in SC
By Ranjith Padmasiri Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena has recommended the name of Court of Appeal (CA) Justice Gihan Kulatunga to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to fill one of the two vacancies in the Supreme Court. CA Justice Ratnapriya Gurusinghe’s name had already been forwarded to the President to fill the other Supreme Court vacancy. [...]
Air Force holds annual religious event at Dalada Maligawa
The Sri Lanka Air Force held its annual religious ceremony and almsgiving at the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy on Wednesday under the patronage of Air Force Commander Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe and the SLAF Seva Vanitha unit president, Kanthi Edirisighe. They also called on the Mahanayaka Theras. Special religious blessings were invoked on Air Force [...]
It’s rainin’ cats and dogs, but the street animals have to be fed
By Kasun Warakapitiya Street animal feeding, a difficult activity, has become even more challenging during the last couple of days due to the prevailing bad weather. Animal rights activists as well as concerned civilians who have become animal feeders braved the heavy rains, partially flooded roads, and roads with potholes to reach animals awaiting their [...]
Shangri-La commercial space profit exceeds Rs 2b, hotels post Rs 576m income
Shangri-La Asia’s hotels in Colombo and Hambantota have delivered profit of US$1.9 million (about Rs 576.5 million) in the first half of this year and income from the One Galle Face complex of commercial and office space, soared to US$7.1m (about Rs 2.15 billion). But Shangri-La Asia group profit for the six months ended 30 [...]
No breakthrough in probe into killing of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman
By Ishu Bandara No suspects have yet been identified in the killing of Lasantha Wickramasekara, Chairman of the Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha, Police said yesterday. However, according to intelligence reports received so far, police stated yesterday that they have been able to trace the area through which the killers travelled and the direction they came from. [...]
Jaffna Municipal Council in move to retain VAT revenue
By S. Rubatheesan The Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) is set to move a resolution to retain revenue collected from Value Added Tax (VAT) to meet its revenue target and partially finance its own expenses. The move comes after the government introduced revenue targets for local councils to encourage them to manage their own expenditure without [...]
SJB’s Vithana gets two armed police officers
By Kasun Warakapitiya Two armed police officers were provided to Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Jagath Vithana yesterday following reports that his life was under threat. The MP said that although a letter had been issued by the IGP dated October 11, 2025 that he faced death threats, he was made aware of it only after [...]
Many sectors seek VAT relief and more budgetary support
By Kasun Warakapitiya Many sectors are expecting tax relief, incentives, and salary anomalies to be sorted, while others want infrastructure improvement from the upcoming budget. Educators, state workers, private sector employees, importers, transport services providers, farmers, and industrialists are among those hoping for relief. There are greater expectations of more relief in an environment of [...]
Strong winds, heavy showers to continue until Tuesday, warns Met Dept
By Kasun Warakapitiya The Meteorology Department says strong winds and up to 100 mm of rain are expected to continue until Tuesday, and is advising people to take necessary precautions. Director Forecasting Meril Mendis told the Sunday Times that according to their forecast the depression that developed about 900 km away in the deep sea, [...]
Irregular gem exports exceed US$1 billion
By Kapila Bandara Sri Lanka’s gem and jewellery industry has unaccounted-for exports that exceed US$1 billion (more than Rs 300 billion), the Parliament was told Friday. In stark contrast, external sector data from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka show that in 2024 accounted-for exports of gemstones was below US$382 million (about Rs 115.895 billion), [...]
CIABOC receives record number of complaints in first 6 months
By Namini Wijedasa The cumulative number of complaints received by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) as of June this year was close to the annual total received in many previous years, the Commission’s 2025 second quarter performance report presented to Parliament this week reveals. The rise across 2024 and the [...]
BYD importer should grant access to Customs for vehicle inspection, AG tells court
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Attorney General’s Department, on behalf of Sri Lanka Customs, informed the Court of Appeal this week that the petitioner company John Keells Holdings should grant access and facilitate Customs to ascertain the motor capacity of BYD vehicles detained by it. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Sumathi Dharmawardena, appearing for the AG, agreed [...]
Supreme Court greenlights prosecution of couple in Rs 26 bn US fraud case
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Supreme Court (SC) has granted special leave to proceed with an appeal filed by the Attorney General against a preliminary objection raised by the defence in a case filed against a couple who had acquired property in Sri Lanka using Rs 26 billion defrauded in the US. In doing so, the [...]
Heavy human toll from 4,300-plus incidents of crashing walls of earth
By Nidarshani Wickramasinghe During the past six years in Sri Lanka, the number of soil embankment failures has increased compared with landslides and slope failures, officials said. As a result, Sri Lankans are being asked to be extra vigilant in building houses and buildings near earth embankments. According to data received from the Landslide Research [...]
NHSL’s trailblazing liver transplants
Many smiling men, women and children have walked out with a fresh lease of life By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Slowly and surely without much fanfare, the premier National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) has been performing liver transplants including many ‘firsts’ in this field in the country. The firsts of the NHSL’s Liver Transplant Programme include [...]
‘‘Nation United-National Drive’’ programme to eradicate the dangerous drugs menace
By Ishu Bandara After recognising the widespread use of dangerous drugs as a national menace contributing to numerous crimes across Sri Lanka, the government has scheduled a national-level programme titled “Ratama Ekata” National Operation, “Nation United- National Drive” to eradicate the menace on October 30, 2025, at Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo. The proposal about the National [...]
Captive elephants in state care being freed from chains
By Kasun Warakapitiya The Department of National Zoological Gardens is moving to gradually free captive elephants from chains. National Zoological Gardens Director General Chandana Rajapaksa said the no-chain policy has already been initiated in different phases at Dehiwala Zoo, the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, and the Ridiyagama Safari Park at Hambantota. Female elephants held at [...]
Last religious rites for beloved canine companion
The last religious rites for a pet dog was performed at a residence in Aluthgama giving a fitting end to the nine long years the dog remained with its owners. The pet ‘Rex’ owned by Janaka Fernando and family had fallen ill and all attempts to save its life proved futile. Chief incumbent of the [...]
Proposed school overhaul presents transport costs and potential dropout issues
Plan triggers fears of under-enrolled rural school closures; Govt. says objective is to upgrade schools By Sajeniya Sathanandan The government’s plan to merge under-enrolled schools has triggered protests and confusion among students, parents, teachers, and education unions. Most sections have been left pondering whether local schools with a low number of students will be permanently [...]
New curriculum reforms draw ire of teacher unions
By Dilushi Wijesinghe This week, the Ministry of Education released a circular outlining the implementation of the 2026 curriculum reforms, which includes extending school hours until 2:00 p.m. for grades five to nine, but already has drawn protests from teacher unions. According to the circular, the reforms aim to modernise Sri Lanka’s education system and [...]
Microfinance companies pose a deadly trap in the impoverished North and East
By S. Rubatheesan With the ongoing economic crisis pushing more families into poverty in recent times, thousands of war-affected families in North and East have become prey to the loan shark companies engaged in microfinance lending, charging exorbitant rates. Among them, war-affected women-headed households have become the worst-affected as they are forced to pay loan [...]
Hundreds of young women sexually harassed online told to get evidence, know rights
By Minaza Hassan A notable rise in online sexual harassment complaints has been recorded during the past few months, according to the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT). Between January and August this year, CERT has received more than 700 online sexual harassment complaints, particularly in August, CERT’s Lead Information Security Engineer Charuka Damunupola [...]
Marking Children’s Day
Students of Maddumabandara Daham Pasela in Nuwara Eliya organised a musical event to mark the International Day for Children. Pix by Shelton Hettiaarachchi
Capturing magical moments of Sri Lanka’s vanishing majestic giants
A photography exhibition at the Colombo National Museum aimed at conservation, showcases 75 striking portraits of wild tuskers captured by more than 40 wildlife photographers By Malaka Rodrigo Sri Lanka is recognised globally as a biodiversity hotspot, and among its many natural treasures, the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus maximus) stands tall as one of the island’s [...]
Pipe laying leads to impassable roads
By Rekha Tharanganie Fonseka Residents of Ratmalana complain that several roads in the area have become nearly impassable due to deep trenches dug for long-delayed water supply projects being left unrestored for years. Despite repeated written and verbal complaints to the authorities, the dug-up roads and half-finished work remain untouched, residents told the Sunday Times. [...]
Nuwara Eliya’s small-scale farmers forced to abandon farmlands
Pix and text by Shelton Hettiaarachchi Nuwara Eliya’s small-scale farmers whose livelihoods depended on small plots of cultivated land, are now gradually abandoning their farmlands due to the high cost of cultivation. As a result, some former farmlands are turning into overgrown shrublands. Particularly during the past two years, due to the changing climatic conditions [...]
Welimada farmers want urgent relief as weather hits vegetable crops
Pix and text by K.R.Rajamanthri Heavy rains in the Welimada and Uva Paranagama areas have damaged potato and other vegetable cultivations, leading to financial hardship for farmers. They also warned that the situation could lead to a shortage of vegetables in the market. Due to the persistent rain, fungal diseases have spread rapidly among crops [...]