COLOMBO (News 1st); The fallout from the deadly violence at Sri Lanka’s Negombo Prison has deepened further, with two inmates who were transferred to other prisons following the clash reportedly losing their lives. Prisons Department Spokesperson A.C. Gajanayake said one of the inmates transferred to Boossa Prison died after being admitted to the Karapitiya National...

COLOMBO : Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has expressed deep concern over the violent incidents reported at the Negombo Prison between July 5 and 7, 2026, which resulted in the deaths of 27 people, including seven prison officers, while more than 100 others were injured. Issuing a statement, the BASL condemned all forms of...

COLOMBO :President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed Kumarasingam Kunanathan as the Chief Secretary of the Eastern Province. The letter of appointment was presented to him this afternoon (08) at the Presidential Secretariat by the Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake. Mr Kumarasingam Kunanathan, a Special Grade officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service,...

COLOMBO : With harvesting for the 2026 Yala season now underway, Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake has instructed officials of the Ministry of Agriculture to commence paddy procurement without delay. He also directed that existing paddy stocks in warehouses be cleared and that preparations be made, in coordination with Sathosa, to receive...

NELUM BUDDHADASA COLOMBO : Preparations are underway for the inaugural Colombo Literary Festival 2026, a landmark event set to redefine Sri Lanka’s literary and cultural landscape. Taking place from July 24 to 29, 2026, at the Independence Arcade, Colombo 7, the festival will be the country’s first-ever trilingual international literary festival, giving equal prominence to...