News

Jayne Howell, a career US diplomat, has been appointed as the Deputy Chief of the US Embassy in Sri Lanka, effective from June 2025.

According to the US Embassy, Jayne Howell is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counsellor.

Jayne has extensive overseas experience, including recent postings as Minister-Counsellor for Consular Affairs (MCCA) in both Pakistan and Türkiye, where she served as the Ambassador’s senior advisor on immigration and visa policy as well as coordinated countrywide services for the thousands of American citizens visiting those countries each year. Jayne also worked as the Consular Section Chief in Accra, Ghana; Harare, Zimbabwe; and Kabul, Afghanistan.

In Washington, Jayne has served in several senior leadership roles in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, including Deputy Executive Director, Supervisory Regional Consular Officer, and inaugural Director of 1CA, the Bureau’s leadership and management excellence program. For her work in 1CA, Jayne received the Department of State’s Luther I. Replogle Award for Management Improvement.

Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Jayne holds a B.A. in Archaeological Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Outside of work, Jayne is a passionate explorer of ancient and historical sites, goes deep-sea fishing whenever she can, and tries to learn to cook a traditional dish from every country she visits.

The government has opened its third state-owned Osusala outlet in Narahenpita under the current administration, with the aim of expanding access to quality and affordable medicine.

Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said this is part of a broader plan to establish Osusala branches near 130 secondary and tertiary hospitals and major private hospitals across the country. The outlet in Narahenpita marks the 65th branch of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC).

Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa says the government is expanding the Osusala network to address gaps in drug distribution and prevent future shortages.

The SPC, which had only 68 tenders in 2024, has already issued 268 tenders in the first five months of this year, significantly improving procurement efficiency. Upcoming outlets are planned in Batticaloa, Kegalle, Trincomalee, and Puttalam.

Sri Lanka mourns the loss of Prof. Malani Andagama, a distinguished historian, academic, and former Head of the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, who passed away at the age of 85.

Born in Galapitamada, Kegalle, Prof. Andagama began her academic journey at Ruwanwella Central College, later entering the University of Peradeniya, where she earned her Honours Degree in History.

She briefly served as an Assistant Lecturer before joining the University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 1971, where she remained until her retirement in 2005.

Prof. Andagama was widely respected for her pioneering research on Sri Lanka’s village council and municipal systems, and her acclaimed book “Sri Lankave Gam Sabha Kramaya” earned the State Literary Award.

She also served as the Chairperson of the Mahavamsa Editorial Board, contributing significantly to the preservation and study of Sri Lanka’s historical chronicles.

She was married to the late Pandula Andagama, a prominent anthropologist and scholar.

Final rites will be announced in due course.

The National Transport Commission has announced that wearing seatbelts will be mandatory for all bus drivers from July 1 onwards.

Chairman of the Commission, Engineer P.A. Chandrapala, stated that strict legal action will be taken against drivers who fail to comply with the regulation.

Although the Motor Traffic Act was amended to require seatbelt use by drivers through a gazette issued on October 1, 2011, many drivers continue to disregard the rule, particularly in public transport services.

The Commission emphasized that the upcoming implementation will ensure greater accountability and road safety in the transport sector.

 Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) F.U. Wootler is the new Police Spokesperson, effective immediately. 

The announcement was made by the Police Media Division in an official statement.

ASP Wootler takes over the role from Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Buddhika Manatunga, who has been transferred to serve as the Officer-in-Charge of the Polonnaruwa Division.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shani Abeysekara has been appointed as the Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), police stated.

The appointment has been made with the approval of the National Police Commission (NPC).

SSP Imesha Muthumala functioned as the CID Director until the appointment of SSP Abeysekara.

The Ministry of Health says that 27,932 dengue fever cases have been reported so far this year, with 16 related deaths recorded during this period.

According to the Ministry, 45 percent of the cases have been reported from the Western Province. The Western, Eastern, Sabaragamuwa, and Southern provinces have been identified as the most affected regions. The health sector also confirmed that several child deaths have been reported due to dengue.

To curb the spread of dengue and chickenpox, a mosquito control week will be carried out from tomorrow (30) until the 6th of next month.

Director General of Health Services, Dr. Asela Gunawardena, stated that the campaign will target 16 districts and aims to reduce mosquito density, particularly following the increase in southwest monsoon rainfall. 

The Ministry of Education has announced that a revised circular regarding student admissions to intermediate grades will be issued next week, aiming to address shortcomings in the previous version.

Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Madura Seneviratne, stated that the new circular has been carefully prepared to eliminate several deficiencies identified in the earlier guidelines. It is designed to ensure that the most suitable students are admitted to schools in a fair and transparent manner.

The revised circular will also introduce measures to curb illegal and unethical admission practices.

In addition, Dr. Seneviratne confirmed that a revised circular for Grade 1 admissions is also scheduled for release next week.

Dr. Sanjeewa Thennakoon has been elected as the new President of the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA).

The election of the GMOA was held yesterday (28).

He contested for the position against Dr. Darshana Sirisena, a former President of GMOA.

Dr. Prabath Sugathadasa was elected as the new Secretary of the GMOA after he won the election against former Secretary of the GMOA Haritha Aluthge.

16 Officials were elected to the Executive Council of the GMOA, while 40 members were elected to the Central Council.

Former chairman of Srilankan and Mihin Lanka Airlines, Nishantha Wickramasinghe, was arrested at Nawala by Bribery Commission officials this morning (27).

He is presently under interrogation, sources said.

The brother of ex-first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, he stands accused of serious misappropriation of resources at Srilankan Airlines.

Those accusations have been found to be correct as per a report by senior lawyer J.C. Weliamuna.

Sri Lanka Customs says the congestion and delays in clearing import containers at the Colombo Port have now been fully resolved.

Customs Media Spokesperson and Additional Director General Seevali Arukgoda stated that the delays, experienced over the past several days, were due to a sharp increase in the number of containers arriving at the port.

He explained that while the port usually handles around 1,200 containers a day, on some days that number rose to as high as 2,900, creating significant congestion and slowing down the clearance process.

However, Arukgoda confirmed that as of this morning (29), all pending containers scheduled for release have been cleared, and regular clearance operations have resumed.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has expressed his complete support for the direction Sri Lanka is pursuing under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Disanayake to strengthen national unity, promote reconciliation and safeguard Human Rights.

He made this statement during a meeting with President Disanayake at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (26), as part of his visit to Sri Lanka.

The High Commissioner commended the current political and social transformation taking place in the country and noted that people in both the North and the South have placed strong confidence in the President and the Government. Mr. Volker Türk stated that during his visit to Sri Lanka, he was able to gain a clear understanding of the on-going transformation taking place in the country. He expressed his belief that the people of Sri Lanka are now placing a renewed optimism for a brighter future.

The issue of missing persons was also discussed in detail. The High Commissioner observed that families of the missing whether in the North or the South share the same pain and emphasized the expectation of the UN Human Rights Office that the Sri Lankan Government will honour the trust these families have placed in it.

The discussion further stressed the importance of strengthening and restructuring the institutional framework responsible for addressing the issue of missing persons. It was noted that past political cultures had hindered these institutions from effectively delivering on public expectations and protecting the rights of citizens.

In his remarks, President Anura Kumara Disanayake stated that, as a political movement that has directly faced the experience of the missing persons his administration has a deep understanding of their pain.

The President emphasized that his government is fully committed to implementing the necessary reforms to ensure national unity, foster reconciliation and safeguard human rights across the country.

The President also emphasized that restoring economic stability remains a top priority of his administration. While recognizing the scale of the current challenges, the President reiterated his Government’s strong determination to address them and called for the continued support of the international community.

President Disanayake further said that international cooperation, including the support of the UN Human Rights Office and other global institutions, is essential for accurately conveying Sri Lanka’s actual circumstances to the global community and improving the nation’s international reputation.

Also present at the meeting were several senior officials from the United Nations, including UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Marc-André Franche, Chief of the Asia-Pacific Section of Global Operations Division Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) Rory Mungoven, Desk Officer of OHCHR Elaine Chan, Senior Human Rights Adviser at the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator Laila Nazarali, Development Coordination Officer, Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator Azam Bakeer Markar and Public Information Officer of the OHCHR Anthony Headley.

Representing the Government of Sri Lanka were Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara, Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala and Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, among other officials. (PMD)