Sat, Jul 11, 2026
22 headlines
SRI LANKA DAILY NEWS DIGEST — Saturday, July 11, 2026
PRISON CRISIS DEEPENS: Fallout from the Negombo Prison violence continues to dominate. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has launched a probe into the clashes and subsequent incidents at other prisons, examining the deaths and injuries of inmates and officers as well as allegations of torture and ill-treatment. The Department of Prisons has posthumously promoted the eight officers killed in the violence. Politically, the SJB has filed a No-Confidence Motion against Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, accusing him of failing to ensure the safety of prisons. Meanwhile, unrest persists elsewhere: a clash among inmates at Magazine Prison on Friday left two prisoners injured. Separately, a committee reviewing the presidential pardon system handed over a report recommending a more systematic, fair and transparent framework for granting pardons.
FINANCE AND GOVERNANCE: Opposition MP Ravi Karunanayake slammed the Central Bank's response to the Rs. 13.2 billion fraud at National Development Bank, accusing the regulator of supervisory failure and of giving Parliament inaccurate information. COPF Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva warned that cyber-crime-related fraud risks have increased and called for a special review of the entire foreign debt repayment process. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya assured Parliament that Cyclone Ditwah donations — over Rs. 7.59 billion domestic and USD 11.5 million foreign — are safely deposited in Treasury accounts and will be used transparently. The Attorney General informed the Supreme Court that the Cabinet will review the legality of E-Visa tender agreements signed by the previous government, and ITAK MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam questioned whether the Colombo Port City has delivered on its promised USD 15 billion investment and 80,000 jobs.
DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION: Sri Lanka's second-largest water supply project began in Anuradhapura District under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's patronage, set to provide safe drinking water to about 67,000 families. The President also pledged greater social recognition and a better quality of life for farmers. Environment Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody said future infrastructure development must be guided by research and science-based solutions to protect forests, rivers, wetlands and coasts. In education, trained student counsellors and career guidance teachers will be appointed to all schools, the Education Deputy Minister confirmed in Parliament.
COURTS: The Court of Appeal fixed July 17 to hear a series of intervention petitions in the writ case involving former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay.
FAREWELL TO A LEGEND: Veteran singer Mariazelle Goonetilleke, beloved as "Kandy Lamissi," has passed away, leaving behind a musical legacy spanning more than five decades.
WORLD NEWS: U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran requested continued talks and the U.S. agreed, but declared the June ceasefire "over." In the Philippines, landslides triggered by one of the strongest storms in decades killed at least 15 people on Mindanao, with six missing, as East Asia braces for the typhoon. Passengers reported a man was nearly sucked out of a cabin window mid-flight on a Ryanair plane. In cricket, the ICC will take no action against England over Ben Stokes' retirement video.