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Muslims in Sri Lanka celebrated the Eid ul-Fitr festival yesterday with special morning prayers, concluding their month-long dawn-to-dusk fast during Ramadan. Our picture shows a Muslim woman soothing her baby amid prayers at Galle Face Green. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Oil shock: Steep price hike; relief for key sectors
By Damith Wickremasekera The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) effected a sharp fuel price revision from midnight yesterday, marking the second increase in less than two weeks as international oil prices soared. The increase was also the biggest price revision after the country’s economic crisis in the 2022/23 period. Accordingly, the price of a litre of [...]
Six fake QR code sites shut down; public warned
By S. Rubatheesan At least six fraudulent websites posing as “National Fuel Pass” platforms have been taken down after being flagged for stealing personal and vehicle registration data to obtain QR codes, according to the national cybersecurity agency. Nirosh Ananda, Chief Information Security Engineer at the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), told the [...]
11 companies permitted to import and sell fuel to private sector in US dollars
By Feizal Samath The government has permitted 11 companies, with a valid bunker licence, to independently import fuel and sell it to any private-sector entity that can pay for the supply, strictly in US dollars, to overcome pressure on oil stocks imported by state agencies for public use. The companies, listed in a March 17 [...]
Iran fires missiles at Diego Garcia; war spreads to Indian Ocean
Iran launched two ballistic missiles at the joint US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia on Friday in another indication that the ongoing conflict is expanding into the Indian Ocean. Iran’s intermediate-range ballistic missiles were fired at the Diego Garcia facility, a key airfield for Washington’s heavy bomber fleet in the Indian Ocean [...]
Wolverhampton University says it invited Wickremesinghe for graduation ceremony
Ex-president undergoes heart surgery; ‘No visitors’ order by his doctors By Ranjith Padmasiri The University of Wolverhampton has informed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) that it had invited former President Ranil Wickremesinghe to attend the 2023 graduation ceremony at the university, where his wife Maithree Wickramasinghe was conferred an honorary professorship. The confirmation has been [...]
Sri Lanka tells US envoy Gor to reconsider tariffs amidst West Asian crisis
Sri Lanka has appealed to the United States to reconsider tariffs imposed on Lankan goods in view of the ongoing conflict, given the new economic challenges the country is facing. The request was made when Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath and senior officials from the ministries of trade and finance on Thursday met with the [...]
SL Ambassador to Qatar thanks Emir, asks Lankan expats to remain vigilant
Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Qatar, Sithara Khan, has joined the Lankan community in the state to place on record the country’s appreciation to the Emir and the government of Qatar for the assurances of security and the measures taken so far to safeguard all citizens, residents and visitors in the country. Ms Khan requested Lankans [...]
Bill to amend Terrorist Financing law to include new powers, widen net
The government has gazetted the Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Bill of 2026, which broadens the scope of offences, introduces new investigative powers, and updates the management of seized assets. Like the proposed Prevention of Money Laundering (Amendment) and the Financial Transactions Reporting (Amendment) Bills, this draft, too, contains new definitions that [...]
Memorial oration postponed
The 19th Sujata Jayawardene Memorial Oration which was to be held on Saturday, March 28, at the BMICH has been postponed due to the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka. The new date and venue will be notified in due course. All those interested in participating at this year’s oration are requested to connect with the [...]
Govt to tighten money laundering law targeting virtual asset service providers
Sri Lanka has gazetted a Prevention of Money Laundering (Amendment) Bill that integrates virtual asset service providers into the country’s anti-money laundering laws but stops short of establishing a standalone operational regulatory framework for these entities. The bill introduces and updates several definitions, including “beneficial ownership”, “criminal property”, “computer data”, “virtual asset”, and “virtual asset [...]
QR Code persists amidst glitches and hitches
By Tharushi Weerasinghe Sri Lanka’s reintroduction of the QR Code-based fuel purchase system had a rocky start earlier this week, as motorists and vehicle owners reported system glitches that prevented them from signing in. Over the past week in Sri Lanka, the government progressively tightened fuel rationing measures and brought back the 2022 rationing system [...]
Fuel crisis: A range of sectors face challenges to continue operations
By Kasun Warakapitiya The fuel crisis has far-reaching consequences for a range of sectors, varying from industries to individuals engaged in various businesses. These sectors called on the government to respond fast so they can maintain services. They complained that although the politicians make bold statements in Parliament and explain mechanisms, solutions have not been [...]
Wednesday breather stretches fuel stock drawdown
By Kasun Warakapitiya The public sector has scaled down operations after measures were put in place this week to cut down on energy use and fuel. While mentioning disruptions and increases in fuel prices, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in Parliament on Friday that reserve stocks have been secured. Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody told Parliament [...]
Water runs dry in Sigiriya
Story and pix by Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa An old tank in Sigriya has dried out following the construction of a tunnel system to carry water from Moragahakanda Tank to the North Central Province. The villagers of Ilukwewa in Sigiriya complained that the cultivation tanks, underground wells as well as the old tank had completely dried [...]
Where have all the sparrows gone?
By Malaka Rodrigo World House Sparrow Day draws attention to a tiny bird whose absence speaks volumes about deeper ecological shifts unfolding right at our doorstep There was a time when mornings began with the lively chatter of sparrows perched on window sills and roof tiles. Their presence was so familiar it faded into the [...]
National security does not bar release of Gotabaya’s ‘departure’ cost details
Appeal Court affirms RTIC ruling, declares RTI Act to supersede Official Secrets Act States that information may be refused on ‘legitimate national security reasons’ but not to ‘protect a government from embarrassment or conceal wrongdoing’ By Ranjith Padmasiri The Court of Appeal held this Thursday that ‘financial and contractual information tied to defence infrastructure’ requested [...]
Fuel crisis grounds Lankan fishermen as Indian trawlers have a field day
By S. Rubatheesan With a weekly quota of only 30 litres of kerosene, Northern fishermen say they are forced to restrict their activity to coastal waters, unable to reach the deep sea for better catches. While local fishermen remain unable to venture out, Tamil Nadu fishermen continue illegal bottom trawling in Sri Lanka’s northern seas. [...]
Tourism operators say hiccups in fuel scheme
By Wasantha Ramanayake The tourism sector’s fuel QR system introduced by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) was not fully functional, and tour operators alleged they were in a quandary. Some operators said the QR codes were not functional as of Friday evening. The matter had been reported to the SLTDA. The QR code [...]
Panic buying fuels gas crisis as Litro vows steady supply
By Sajeniya Sathanandan As new shipments of gas reached the country amid an escalating war in West Asia, Sri Lanka’s gas duopoly announced that prices will remain unchanged until the end of March. Litro Gas Lanka chairman Channa Gunawardana said there would be no change in gas prices until the end of this month, as [...]
NJC denounces arrest of Sallay; points out national security is undermined
The National Joint Committee (NJC) has expressed its deep concern regarding the recent arrest and detention of Retired Major General Suresh Sallay under a detention order. In a statement, the NJC pointed out that Major General Sallay served Sri Lanka for decades in the armed forces and in the intelligence services during some of the [...]
FRECSL launches home-grown ethics reviews for biomedical research in SL
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Research using human participants in early times has had a scandalous and unethical journey worldwide, until saner counsel prevailed. Now on strong foundations such as the Declaration of Helsinki and the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS), ethical research is guided by core values. These values ensure the protection, dignity [...]
Activists petition President, PM to operationalise Women’s Commission
Civil society activists, including women’s organisations and professionals, have called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya to take immediate steps to operationalise the National Commission on Women (NCW). The request was made in a letter to the president and was endorsed by 78 members representing civil society and professionals from 18 [...]
Dozens of child drug couriers arrested raise red flags
By Ishu Bandara Children as young as five years old are being pulled into the narcotics trade, and authorities warn that traffickers are targeting children aged 5 to 14 years to move dangerous drugs and also as drug users, raising serious concerns about youngsters. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) director, Senior [...]
Study by Pera doctor-duo goes from just published to ‘citation classic’
‘Neurotoxic effects of organophosphorus insecticides: An intermediate syndrome’ in NEJM in 1987 By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Never in their wildest dreams did two medical specialists based in Peradeniya think that a humble study of theirs would reach such international heights – achieving the rare distinction of exceeding 1,000 citations, 1,054 citations to be exact. “It was [...]
Agri officials and fertiliser providers shake hands on stable price for now
By Kapila Bandara Fertiliser companies and agro chemicals suppliers have agreed to abide by regulated prices days ahead of the Yala paddy planting season, in a coordinated policy response to mitigate risks, just as prices increased sharply in domestic and global markets due to the widening war in West Asia. Following a meeting this week [...]
Govt. slow to lift book tax despite publishers’ requests
By Nidarshani Wickramasinghe The government has so far not provided a favourable response to the budget proposal and requests submitted by the Sri Lanka Book Publishers’ Association (SLBPA) to remove the tax imposed on books. The President of the Association, Dinesh Kulathunga, told the Sunday Times that although they had made written representations to the [...]
New Bailey bridge for Thoduwawa
Pix and text by Hiran Priyankara The Thoduwawa Bridge spanning the Iranawila Estuary which was damaged due to Cyclone Ditwah was declared open after being rebuilt by the Engineering Regiment of the Indian Army on Wednesday March 18. Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha, Minister of Public Administration Chandana Abeyratne and local politicians declared open the [...]