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Home » NewsJVP leaders in tune with music from India
Cabinet ministers of the JVP-NPP government and the party’s General Secretary Tilvin Silva are seen in harmony with the rhythmic tunes coming from India in the company of India’s High Commissioner Santosh Jha and his wife at a live music concert titled “Timeless Bollywood Melodies – Anuradha Paudwal Live in Colombo” on January 23 at [...]
Finances of headless Audit Office placed under Deputy AG
Even staff salaries cannot be paid; as crisis deepens, Ministry intervenes The Finance Ministry has hastily delegated authority over the National Audit Office’s (NAO) financial matters to a Deputy Auditor General, as the delay in appointing an Auditor General risked even staff salaries going unpaid. The Auditor General is the Chief Accounting Officer of the [...]
Govt. studying two options to overcome low-quality coal crisis
By Damith Wickramasekara Just weeks after preliminary quality tests failed on a coal shipment from South Africa, the government is considering two options—including emergency spot purchasing—in case tests on further shipments from the same source also return negative results, upending coal supplies for power generation in the country. The second option being studied is to [...]
New members to CC: Opposition cries foul over suspension of Standing Orders
By Ranjith Padmasiri The government on Friday suspended Standing Orders before naming three civil society members to the Constitutional Council, prompting the Opposition to point out that parliamentary tradition had been violated in how the appointments were made. Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya presented the three names to Parliament on Friday afternoon after Standing Orders were [...]
Airports operator 2024 profit slips 25%, but pays Rs 664.6m bonus
By Kapila Bandara State-owned Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited, the aviation services provider, has reported a 25% drop in profit for 2024 at Rs 21.108 billion versus Rs 28.122b the year before. But, the company has paid Rs 664.6 million in bonus, the national auditor observes. The audit note refers to 2025 [...]
Government rescinds previous gazette on Wedithalathivu Nature Reserve boundaries
By Ranjith Padmasiri In a major victory for environmental conservationists, the government has published a gazette rescinding a May 2024 extraordinary gazette which had changed the boundaries of the Wedithalathivu Nature Reserve, the Supreme Court was informed this week. On January 19, the Attorney General notified a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, [...]
Exposition of Buddha’s Sacred Relics from Gujarat at Gangaramaya Temple
By Damith Wickramasekera An exposition of the Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, discovered in 1960 in the Aravali region of Gujarat, will be held at the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo for seven days, from February 4 to 11. This is in keeping with the pledge made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit [...]
Deputy Secretary General of Parliament suspended
By Ranjith Padmasiri Deputy Secretary General of Parliament and Chief of Staff Chaminda Kularatne has been suspended with effect from Friday (23). The decision to suspend Mr Kularatne, the second most senior parliamentary official after Secretary General Kushani Rohanadeera, was taken by the Parliament Staff Advisory Committee (SAC), chaired by Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne. Mr [...]
Celebrating excellence behind bylines
Recognising and celebrating journalism that strives for excellence is vital to strengthening the profession in Sri Lanka. To this end, the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka, together with the Sri Lanka Press Institute and its affiliated unions—the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka, the Free Media Movement, and the Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association—organises an annual [...]
Releasing audit reports to managing partner not an ‘invasion of privacy’ under RTI Act, CA rules
By Ranjith Padmasiri In a judgment by R. Gurusinghe J (with Dr S. Premachandra agreeing) handed down this Tuesday, the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal filed by the People’s Bank against a 2022 order of the Right to Information Commission (RTI Commission) directing the bank to release copies of audit and/or reports of inquiries [...]
Supreme Court rejects former judge’s appeal against dismissal
By Ranjith Padmasiri A fundamental rights petition filed by a former district judge requesting special leave to appeal against a Court of Appeal judgment that upheld his dismissal by the Judicial Service Commission has been thrown out by the Supreme Court. The petitioner, M Wahabdeen, appealed against the JSC’s 2020 decision, naming as respondents its [...]
Don’t fall for scammers claiming your account holds drug money
By Nidarshani Wickramasinghe A group of scammers pretending to be police officers or bank employees are deceiving people into transferring out money from their accounts on the pretext that they (the scammers) are investigating funds that have been deposited into such accounts by drug traffickers, police warned this week. If anyone receives such calls, they [...]
How novel techniques in bypass surgery eliminate serious complications
Not just the good work but also the way forward came under the spotlight at the inauguration of the International Annual Academic Congress 2026 of the Association of Cardiothoracic and Thoracic Surgeons of Sri Lanka (ACTSSL) on Friday, January 16 at Battaramulla. An icon in this field, though no more, was very much on the [...]
Sri Lanka’s EIAs fall behind in reporting social impacts, says report
A new study on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) in Sri Lanka finds that the overall quality of reporting on how development projects affect people—including identifying the social effects, predicting, evaluating and mitigating them before major decisions are made—is low and often fails to safeguard local communities. Among others, the report, “Assessing the Assessments: An Analysis [...]
In landmark ruling, CA strikes down husband’s consent rule for foreign spouse visa extensions
In the case of a foreign spouse—a victim of domestic abuse—being denied a visa extension by the Department of Immigration and Emigration because she could not produce a consent letter from her estranged husband, the Court of Appeal this week ruled that imposing such a requirement on a victim of violence constitutes a legal impossibility [...]
Customs sticks to rule and importers won’t re-export delayed salt cargo
While Sri Lanka Customs and importers of salt continue to lock horns over the fate of around 1,700 containers held at the Colombo Port for more than six months, the government is yet to offer a solution to either party. Customs Media Spokesman Chandana Punchihewa admitted the dilemma and noted that much of the stock [...]
Liver transplants – another first by NHSL in the state sector
It is a first not just for the flag-bearing Liver Transplant Programme of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) but also for the state health sector. The first adult living donor liver transplant – securing part of a liver from a person and implanting it in a critically-ill person – has been done this [...]
Hundreds of weevil species likely endemic, researchers find
Once a familiar household pest, the damage caused to grain by the rice weevil, called ‘gulla’ in Sinhala, has largely reduced, yet scientists have recorded 264 related species in Sri Lanka. For generations of Sri Lankans, the word ‘gulla’ evokes instant memories of rice bins, earthen pots, and tiny beetle-like creatures crawling in stored grain. [...]
Seven fishermen caught with thresher shark
Seven fishermen were arrested along with 876.2 kg of thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus) by the Sri Lanka Coastguard in a special operation conducted at the Wellamankara fisheries harbour on Friday. The thresher shark, locally known as “kasa mora”, can reach around 20 feet in length. It was listed as a vulnerable species by the International [...]
Irangani honoured as Sinhala talkie cinema turns 79
The national commemorative ceremony organised to mark 79 years of Sri Lankan Sinhala talkie cinema and 54 years since the establishment of the National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka was held recently at the National Film Corporation. At this occasion, a special commemorative stamp and First Day Cover were officially unveiled under the theme “1925–2025: [...]
When a 30 feet long, 3D Axolotl took flight: Story behind Valvettithurai’s winning kite
For the past two months, Yogarasa Prakash, 28, and his close circle of friends had a ‘secret operation’ unfolding late into the nights on the beach of Valvettithurai. With the Northern coastal village in deep sleep mode and empty narrow lanes that lead to the coast of Palk Straits, they used to carry their massive [...]
Nuwara Eliya frost damaging crops, farmers moan
With the extreme cold experienced in many areas in Nuwara Eliya District, ground frost could be experienced in some of these areas. This could damage to crops in these areas. The residents in the area explained that with the extreme cold conditions experienced in the area they witness the ground frost which had accumulated on [...]
Hobbled by cyclone damage, Peradeniya Uni gets back to work
All faculties of the University of Peradeniya have resumed operations despite facing “severe limitations” regarding scientific instruments and equipment, Vice Chancellor Prof. Terrance Madhujith said this week. Cyclone Ditwah caused extensive damage, including to about 350 computers. Hardware, software and other equipment are being shared among faculties and centres to continue lectures. The university has [...]
Ella seeks solutions for garbage stench from fertiliser project
An organic fertiliser plant near the Ella town has become an eyesore for tourists, who have to put up with the stench as well, while hoteliers and eateries struggle with fly infestations. Tourist guides said that the organic fertiliser plant is located at the junction towards the entry point to the city on the Kithal [...]
Gazette notification to be issued for new political parties to register
A gazette notification will be issued on Thursday calling for applications to register new political parties for 2026, Election Commission Chairman R. M. A. L. Rathnayake said. He revealed that, out of the 83 parties that applied last year, only five were officially approved under the Parliamentary Elections Act and recognized by the Election Commission. [...]
Agriculture expert warns of threat to paddy harvest if remedial actions not taken
Natural disasters over the last three seasons including flooding due to cyclone Ditwah have led to serious soil-related problems that, if not controlled, could have significant impact on future paddy harvests, Dr. S. R. Sarathchandra, the Chief Agricultural Scientist (Entomologist) of the Batalagoda Rice Research Institute has warned. Among the most serious soil-related issues are [...]
Grama Niladaris fear bad precedent from Rs 500,000 damage payout
Although the Defence Ministry issued a second circular to address the controversy over the payment of Rs 500,000 as compensation to owners of partially damaged houses without proper assessment following Cyclone Ditwah, the Grama Niladhari Union has continued to oppose the decision. Sri Lanka Grama Niladhari National Union general secretary Neville Wijerathnatold the Sunday Times: [...]
Forest Dept weighs bringing Diyagama forest under its purview amid sports complex plans
The Forest Conservation Department is considering bringing the Diyagama forest under its purview, following conservation calls – even as the Sports Ministry plans to extend a sports complex with pitches and hostels on the site. The ecologically rich forest patches of approximately 24 and 25 acres each currently belong to the Homagama Divisional Secretariat and [...]