News

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.

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.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake officially received the credentials of five newly appointed ambassadors and one high commissioner at a ceremony held at the Presidential Secretariat.

Among the diplomats was Sergey Viktorov, the first-ever resident Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Sri Lanka, marking a historic milestone in bilateral relations.

Kazakhstan becomes the first Central Asian nation to establish a resident diplomatic mission in Colombo, signaling a new chapter in regional cooperation.

The other envoys who presented their credentials included:

Alem Woldemariam – Ambassador of Eritrea (resident in New Delhi)

Jagnnath Sami – High Commissioner of Fiji (resident in New Delhi)

Alisher Tukhtaev – Ambassador of Uzbekistan (resident in Islamabad)

Yousef Mustafa Abdelghani – Ambassador of Jordan (resident in New Delhi)

Dasho Karma Hamu Dorjee – Ambassador of Bhutan (resident in Dhaka)

The ceremony was attended by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Presidential Secretary Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

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.

The Constitutional Council has ratified President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s nomination of Supreme Court Justice Preethi Padman Surasena as the next Chief Justice of Sri Lanka.

Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, one of the most senior justices in the Supreme Court was nominated by the President recently.

Accordingly, the Constitutional Council, which convened today, ratified the nomination.

Chief Justice Murdu Fernando is scheduled to retire on July 27, and a new Chief Justice is to be appointed to fill the vacancy shortly.

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.

Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, announced today that Sri Lanka is shifting away from an education system solely focused on pass/fail examination outcomes. The government’s objective is to deliver quality education to children through the introduction of a module-based system.

Prime Minister Amarasuriya made these remarks while addressing a media briefing held at the Ministry of Education in Isurupaya today (23), regarding the new education reforms scheduled for implementation in 2026.

The awareness session for media personnel representing various media organizations on the upcoming educational reforms was conducted by Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewa, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, and Dr. Ashoka de Silva, Deputy Director General of the National Institute of Education.

Responding to questions from journalists, the Prime Minister stated, "We, as teachers, parents, and students, have grown accustomed to an education system designed primarily around examinations. However, with this module-based system, students will engage in diverse learning activities and undergo continuous assessments."

The General Certificate of Education (G.C.E.) Ordinary Level examination under the new curriculum is scheduled to commence in 2029, while the module system will be introduced for Grades 1 and 6 starting in 2026.

"We have three years to observe this system," the Prime Minister explained. "Based on the evolving circumstances and needs, we are prepared to make the necessary adjustments. We have never claimed that these reforms are final. We expect to revise them in line with future developments. Furthermore, we welcome suggestions and feedback from all stakeholders."

The Prime Minister also emphasized the need to reduce classroom sizes to 25–30 students, noting that some classrooms currently exceed 40 students due to admissions granted on the basis of recommendations from previous Ministers and Secretaries of Education. "Our government has entirely discontinued this practice," she affirmed. "Going forward, only the officially sanctioned number of students will be admitted into schools." Addressing concerns about the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination, the Prime Minister stated, "No decision has been made to abolish the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination. In order to do so, we must first address disparities among schools, which cannot be resolved overnight. Our aim through these reforms is to alleviate the pressure and stress this examination places on children."

She further stated that the reforms include a proposal for the Ministry of Education to assume full responsibility for the operation of early childhood development centers, including the training of early childhood educators.

Mr. Madhura Seneviratne, Deputy Minister of Education, also addressed the media briefing, stating, "These reforms place strong emphasis on teacher training. It is one of the five core pillars we have outlined. A dedicated training program for teachers has been planned and will commence in August."

Several upcoming meetings are scheduled to brief university academics, teacher unions, and education officials on the proposed reforms.