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Home » NewsAragalaya recaptured
There is no denying that the largely youth-led 2022 Aragalaya, or people’s power movement, was a watershed in Sri Lanka’s tryst with democracy. These two youngsters are among several who visited a photographic exhibition being held at the JDA Perera Gallery in Colombo 7 to mark the fourth anniversary of the event. Pic M.A.Pushpa Kumara
High-end electricity users face bigger bill from this month
Industries, hotels, places of worship, and govt. offices among those hit by 18% hike Electricity consumers were given another price hike shock yesterday with the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) announcing an 18% increase in electricity tariffs for domestic consumers using more than 180 units per month. The new rates will be applicable to [...]
Sanjula, Sri Lanka’s first-ever MasterChef!
Sanjula Manoj emerged victorious as the winner of the inaugural season of MasterChef Sri Lanka, following a highly competitive finale that brought together the season’s strongest culinary talent. Throughout the competition, Manoj, hailing from Hasalaka, impressed the judges with his creativity, consistency, and ability to perform under pressure, ultimately earning the title of Sri Lanka’s [...]
Ravi pleads guilty to lesser charge; seeks withdrawal of drunk-driving charge
By Ranjith Padmasiri Public Security Ministry Secretary Ravi Seneviratne pleaded guilty to failing to prevent an accident when he was arraigned in the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court on Thursday in relation to a 2023 road accident on Marine Drive in Wellawatte. When the case was taken up before Magistrate Kanchana Niranjala Silva, Mr Seneviratne’s lawyer, [...]
Detectives trace funds to Delaware bank
US$2.5 million Treasury heist: A part of the US$2.5 million transferred by the Treasury to scammers after a breach of the computer system at the Ministry of Finance has been traced to a bank account in the state of Delaware in the United States, a senior police officer said. The account had been in the [...]
CPC plans refinery expansion; new pipeline and Trinco tank overhaul on the cards
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has requested proposals from consultancy firms to conduct a comprehensive business valuation of its Sapugaskanda oil refinery ahead of tenders for the long-delayed expansion of the 60-year-old complex. Bids will close on June 15, 2026. The country’s only refinery was designed to process 38,000 barrels per stream day (BPSD) and [...]
Kapila Chandrasena’s body released; cause of death remains inconclusive
The body of Sri Lankan Airlines’s former chief executive officer Kapila Chandrasena was released yesterday to his relatives for final rites after the postmortem examination, police said. There is no conclusive cause of his death so far, but specimens taken from his organs have been sent for testing by the Government Analysts’ Department. Fort [...]
Former Energy Minister endorses three points at pre-trial session
By Ranjith Padmasiri Accused former Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody has accepted three out of the 31 points presented to him by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) during the pre-trial conference on the case prior to the case being taken up at the High Court. Accordingly, Mr Jayakody has accepted that [...]
Shareholder files derivative action against NDB, Ernst & Young
By Namini Wijedasa A shareholder of National Development Bank (NDB) this week filed a derivative action in the Commercial High Court of the Western Province against the leadership of the bank and its external auditors, Ernst & Young, following the internal fraud that resulted in a loss of approximately Rs 13.2 billion. M Thiyagarajah alleges [...]
Sri Lanka a ‘‘paradise’’ for international scammers due to weak visa controls
By Ishu Bandara Cybersecurity analysts and policy observers are warning that weak visa controls and relaxed monitoring of foreign visitors have made the island an attractive base for global scam syndicates. In recent weeks, Sri Lanka has witnessed a wave of cybercrime cases reported from various parts of the country. Since January 1, 2026, Sri [...]
Supreme Court upholds death sentences of four of Vidya’s murderers
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentences imposed on four accused by the Jaffna High Court over the abduction, gang rape and subsequent murder of 18-year-old schoolgirl Sivaloganathan Vidya, delivering a verdict which ensures that those sentenced over the crime will spend the rest of their lives in prison even if [...]
35 years on the bench and a fair hearing to all
By Ranjith Padmasiri Outgoing Supreme Court Justice K. Priyantha Fernando stated that he never discriminated against counsel based on whether they were junior or senior lawyers, adding that he gave a fair hearing to all. He stressed that he was quite content as he retires from the bench after a period of 35 years’ service. [...]
CA upholds right of examinees to access their own answer scripts and marks, decides RTI Commission ruling to be well founded
Warns higher educational institutions not to play ‘hide-and-seek games’, emphasises transparency to be a paramount consideration Holds RTI Act to prevail over University By-Laws By Ranjith Padmasiri ‘I do not see any reason to refuse if examinees requests their own answer scripts which they wrote and how it was marked…University By-Laws suppressing the RTI have [...]
Sri Lanka and Viet Nam strengthen diplomatic ties during historic visit
A historic chapter in Sri Lanka-Viet Nam ties unfolded this week as the Sri Lanka hosted Vietnamese President To Lam for a two-day state visit. President Lam is also the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and undertook the visit following an invitation by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on his visit to [...]
Seven MOUs signed during Maldivian President’s visit
Seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in areas including defence and tourism were signed between Sri Lanka and the Maldives during the state visit of Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, this week. Education, higher education, health, sports, youth development were the other fields covered in the MOUs. The official state reception for President Muizzu, who arrived in [...]
Chief prelate of the Atamasthana remanded over allegations of child abuse
The Chief Prelate of the Atamasthana, Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thera, arrested over allegations of an abuse of a child, was yesterday remanded until May 12. Colombo Additional Magistrate Kasun Kanchana Dissanayake visited the monk at a private hospital and ordered that the monk should be produced before the Anuradhapura Magistrate next Tuesday. The Magistrate also [...]
Let’s tackle childhood obesity urgently
Clarion call by Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist Dr. Navoda Atapattu By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Childhood obesity has reached a critical pandemic level, is the strong alert going out from a specialist to all those parents out there, with a plea to take prompt action to curb this danger. Now obesity has been elevated to a pandemic level not [...]
SC orders Pera Uni to hold mandatory harassment training after Senior Professor found guilty of sexual abuse
By Namini Wijedasa The Supreme Court this week ordered the Peradeniya University to implement mandatory harassment training—including annual seminars for all academics, staff and students—and to take “appropriate measures” to enforce and raise awareness of its Policy on Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Sexual Violence. The Court was ruling on a fundamental rights petition filed [...]
El Niño likely to curtail monsoon rains
By Niranjala Ariyawansha The Meteorology Department emphasises that there is a significant risk of the southwest monsoon, which is scheduled to begin in the last week of May, being reduced due to the El Niño condition predicted to develop during July to August. The Southwest Monsoon is the most important monsoon for rainfall in the [...]
Rising fuel prices burn a hole in budgets
By Sajanya Sathanathan Fuel price increases for the third time in three months and higher cooking gas prices are being felt in the transport services sector by daily wage earners and households. The fuel price increase has not only burdened consumers but even taxi operators, who are not sure about how to adjust their fares [...]
Yet more deadly encounters between jailers and inmates prompt reform urgency
By Nidarshani Wickramasinghe An organisation working for the protection of the rights of prisoners has called on the government to promptly implement recent recommendations from various committees regarding solutions to conflicts involving prison inmates and prison officers. The move comes in the wake of a spate of incidents involving violence against inmates by prison officers. [...]
Rising global fertiliser price burdens farmers struggling with input costs
Despite the government introducing a controlled price of Rs 10,200 for fertiliser, farmers say they do not have enough cash to go around for the costs they have to bear. Farmers can collect a 50-kilo bag of urea at the controlled price per acre and are forced to source the remainder from the market. Rasarathinam [...]
Upcountry railway line on a slow lifeline to recovery
Train services to the upcountry remain severely disrupted due to delays in repairing the railway line which was badly damaged by Cyclone Ditwah. Railway officials said that the Upcountry and Matale railway lines have serious damages in 32 locations. Train operations on the Northern Line are continuing under speed restrictions, while passenger train services on [...]
FAO–Norway research vessel leaves after survey, raises hopes for science-based fisheries
The research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen has successfully completed a marine scientific survey in Sri Lankan waters and departed Colombo, marking the conclusion of a critical mission to strengthen the country’s ocean knowledge base. As part of the EAF-Nansen Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and Norway, the vessel [...]
Treasure hunters on the prowl
Story and pix by D Gnanasiri Hettiarachchi in Ampara The resident monk of the Girigumbira Raja Maha Vihara in Uhana and villagers have appealed for security to be provided to the temple, stating that it is under constant threat from treasure hunters. This temple, located within the Uhana Divisional Secretariat area, about one and a [...]
Tri-Forces mobilised to build transitional houses for Ditwah victims
By Dilushi Wijesinghe The Government’s interim housing programme for families displaced by Cyclone Ditwah is now in its operational phase, with the Tri-Forces being mobilised to construct transitional shelters across the Central and Uva Provinces within a month. Cabinet last week approved the programme to provide interim housing for 1000 families displaced by the disaster. [...]
A switch in time
Nattandiya office train commuters left waiting as switching sytem not repaired Story and pix by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe Nearly 1,000 passengers have been severely inconvenienced due to the failure to promptly repair a fault that occurred in the railway switching system near the Nattandiya Railway Station. As a result, the Puttalam office train has been delayed at the [...]
EPF offloads seven stocks including Laugfs Gas, raises stake in fraud-hit NDB in 2025
By Kapila Bandara Sri Lanka’s largest retirement money pool for more than 2 million private sector workers and semi-government workers, the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), offloaded seven holdings, including Laugfs Gas, and pared down 13 others in 2025. The fund also increased its holding in the National Development Bank (NDB), the private commercial bank now [...]
Traditional funeral rites for Rathugala indigenous leader
The final rites of Rathugala indigenous leader, Daniyagala Magabandalage Sudawannila Eththo (62), were held yesterday (9) at the Rathugala indigenous village. He had provided leadership for nearly 21 years since 2005 to around 150 families in the Bibile Rathugala village. He passed away on May 8 while receiving treatment at a hospital in Colombo. A [...]
Senarath Paranavithana museum reopened after five years amid probe into missing items
By L.B. Senaratne The Senarath Paranavitharne Teaching and Research Museum at the University of Peradeniya was reopened this week amidst an ongoing investigation into missing artefacts, including several valuable ivory items. Chancellor Lakshman Dissanayake and Vice Chancellor Terrance Mudajith declared the museum reopened on Monday after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) obtained judicial approval. Speaking [...]
Acting principals’ permanency push blocked by Govt. barriers
The demand by teachers serving as acting principals that they be given permanent appointments as principals has been turned down by the government, citing administrative hurdles. The Education Ministry has firmly said the structural requirements outlined in service minutes cannot be altered. However, it added that a salary increment may be provided to teachers covering [...]
The US$2.5 million disconnect: Systems transition, national confusion, and the future of debt management
“In a time of turbulence and change, it is truer than ever that knowledge is power.” — Sir Francis Bacon The recent diversion of US$ 2.5 million intended for Australia has triggered a national firestorm. While the political opposition decries it as theft and the public laments it as gross incompetence, these labels—though understandable in [...]
Sharks International 2026 makes Colombo hotspot for the finny predators
By Malaka Rodrigo For the past five days, Colombo became the global capital of shark and ray science as Sri Lanka hosted Sharks International 2026 (SI2026), the world’s largest scientific conference dedicated entirely to sharks, rays and chimaeras. Held from May 4 to 8, the event marked a milestone not only for marine conservation, but [...]