News

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed Mrs. P.A.G. Fernando as the Chief Secretary of Uva Province, effective immediately.

The letter of appointment was officially handed over to her by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (28).

Mrs. Fernando, a Special Grade Officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, previously served as the Secretary to the Ministry of Education Cultural & Arts, Sports & Youth Affairs & Information Technology Western Province

It has been revealed during a meeting of the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) that a sum of over Rs. 2.4 million has been spent solely on name boards to designate 809 provincial schools as national schools.

However, it has come to light that these schools have been designated as national schools in name only, with no substantive changes implemented to reflect their new status.

These findings were disclosed during a recent session of COPA, in which officials from the Ministry of Education were summoned for questioning.

Furthermore, the committee has recommended that the Ministry of Education submit a comprehensive report within three months regarding the program launched by the previous government to increase the number of national schools to 1,000, along with details of the 72 projects initiated under the State Ministry.

An arrest warrant has been issued today (July 28) against Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa by the Hambantota Magistrate’s Court.

The warrant was issued after MP Rajapaksa failed to appear in court for a case that was scheduled to be taken up for hearing today.

Brigadier Franklin Joseph USP officially assumed duties as the new Director Media and Spokesman of the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday (Jul 22). He officially assumed responsibilities from Colonel Nalin Herath, who previously served as the Director Media and Spokesman.

Brigadier Franklin Joseph, a distinguished officer of the Sri Lanka Army Engineers Corps, brings with him over three decades of exemplary service marked by professionalism, leadership and a deep commitment to national security.

He served with distinction as the Centre Commandant of the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers prior takeover the duties as the Director Media.

Former Sri Lanka Navy Commander Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne has been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with an investigation into the abduction and murder of an individual in the Pothuhera area.

At the time of the incident, Admiral Ulugetenne served as the Head of Naval Intelligence, and the alleged victim was reportedly held in a clandestine detention facility operated under his command.

Police stated that the investigation was initiated based on a letter allegedly sent from the detention center.

Several suspects have already been arrested in connection with the case.

The Cabinet of Ministers have approved, tourists from 40 more countries to visit Sri Lanka without paying visa fees.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vijitha Herath stated this while addressing the "Hotel Show 2025" exhibition, which commenced today at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that 
the country is seeing an increase in global tourism. In response, the government has made key policy changes, including a recent Cabinet decision to offer visa-free entry to visitors from an additional 40 countries. This expands the total to 47 countries worldwide whose citizens can now visit Sri Lanka without paying a visa fee.

Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said same-sex marriage is not a human right and should not be permitted, speaking at a religious ceremony held at St. Anne’s Church in Beruwala.

The Cardinal warned against the increasing promotion of what he described as “corrupt ideologies” in modern society, including the push for same-sex marriage, which he claimed undermines traditional family values.

“How can two men build a family? How can they have children?” Cardinal Ranjith questioned, adding that marriage should not be treated as a temporary experience and must be based on moral and spiritual understanding.

He further stated that young men and women today often enter relationships without proper awareness or commitment, contrasting it with earlier times when marriages were arranged with parental guidance and blessings.

Cardinal Ranjith emphasized that such traditional unions were more successful and contributed to stable families, calling on society to resist what he described as distorted notions of human rights.

A discussion took place yesterday afternoon (24) at the Presidential Secretariat between the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake and a delegation from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, along with representatives from Japanese trade, commerce and industry sectors.

This delegation from Japan has arrived in Sri Lanka to explore opportunities for increasing Japanese investment in the country.

The Japanese delegation, focusing on new investment opportunities in Sri Lanka, is scheduled to hold discussions with public and private sector companies in the upcoming days.

Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Mr. Roshan Gamage, Director for Southwest Asia, Trade Policy Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Toshiyuki Shimano, Deputy Director Hiromi Sumi, Regional Representative for Southwest Asia, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, Toyokazu Nagamune, along with representatives from Japanese trade, commerce and industry and officials from the Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka also attended the meeting.

The Ministry of Public Security announced plans to deploy 10,000 civil security officers to support the police service.

Deputy Minister of Public Security, Attorney-at-Law Sunil Watagala, said that the newly recruited officers will be assigned to police stations across the country.

He added that drug prevention operations have been intensified island-wide and are being carried throughout the day.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held a discussion this afternoon (24) at the Presidential Secretariat with relevant Ministers and Officials regarding the protection of wild elephants and the safeguarding daily lives of rural community.

During the meeting, the President inquired into the current situation regarding the increasing harassment incidents involving wild elephants and their disruptive impact on the daily lives of rural populations.

Officials briefed the President on the prevailing situation and the longstanding difficulties faced by relevant institutions in addressing this issue effectively, according to the President’s Media Division (PMD).

President Dissanayake emphasized that under no circumstances should wild elephants be subjected to harm or harassment and stressed the importance of identifying short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions.

The President directed officials to conduct in-depth assessments at the village level and noted that effective solutions need to be provided with the support of both political leadership and the public, the PMD said.

The President instructed the relevant Ministers and Officials to immediately assign 5,000 members of the Civil Security Force as assistants to address the current shortage of human resources.

President Dissanayake further directed that the number of vehicles allocated to officers of the Department of Wildlife be increased, noting that the current shortage hampers their duties. Accordingly, immediate steps are to be taken to procure cabs and motorcycles for this purpose.

In addition, the President called for the prompt preparation and submission of necessary plans for the proposed 800 kilometres of electric fencing and the restoration of 16 elephant corridors, aimed at preventing wild elephants from encroaching into villages, the statement added.

President Dissanayake also called for an immediate resolution to communication gaps within the Department of Wildlife Conservation and emphasized the need to establish a streamlined system for public access to information and assistance.

Among those present were Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala, Minister of Environment, Dhammika Patabendi, Deputy Minister of Environment, Anton Jayakody, Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, K.R. Uduwawala, Acting Inspector General of Police, Priyantha Weerasuriya, Director General of the Department of Civil Security, Major General Palitha Fernando, Director General of the Department of Wildlife, M.S.L.R.P. Marasinghe, Deputy Director (Elephant Conservation) V.L. Thaufeen, DIG of the Environmental Division, Bimshani Jasin Arachchi, Conservator General of Forests, S.C. Palamakumbura, as well as representatives from the security forces and the Department of Forest Conservation.

--PMD--

Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, the senior-most justice of the Supreme Court, was sworn in as the 49th Chief Justice of Sri Lanka before President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the President's Office this morning.

His appointment follows the retirement of former Chief Justice Murdhu Fernando, and was approved by the Constitutional Council.

Justice Surasena took oaths as an attorney-at-law in 1989 and joined the Attorney General’s Department, where he served as a State Counsel.

In 2007, he was appointed as a High Court Judge.

He was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2016 and served as President of the Court of Appeal from 2018.

In 2019, he was appointed as Justice of the Supreme Court.

He is currently the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ordered the shipping company responsible for the X-Press Pearl maritime disaster to pay USD 1 billion in compensation to the Sri Lankan government.

The payment is to cover the extensive environmental and economic damage caused by the vessel’s fire and sinking off the country’s western coast.

The court found that the failure to prevent the disaster constituted a violation of fundamental human rights, and held several parties accountable.

The ruling was delivered by a five-member Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Murdhu fernando, Justices Yasantha Kodagoda, Shiran Gunaratne, Achala Wengappuli, and Priyantha Fernando.

The compensation order follows series of fundamental rights petitions filed by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and members of the fisheries community, who suffered severe losses due to the environmental fallout and disruption to livelihoods.

The court directed that the compensation be paid within one year from the date of the ruling, with the first installment due by September 23, 2025.

Named respondents in the case include the Minister of Environment, Minister of Fisheries, Minister of Ports, the Chairman of the Ports Authority, the Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, the local agent of the X-Press Pearl vessel (Sea Consortium Lanka Pvt Ltd), the Marine Pollution Prevention Authority, the Central Environmental Authority, and the Attorney General, among others.