Bigger prisons, ankle bracelets, more guards; “common sense” ideas for prison reform abound after the Negombo prison violence. But there’s actually a very simple solution to prison overcrowding — send people home. Our laws actually encourage it, argues Ambika Satkunanathan.

Colombo high court trial-at-bar today sentenced Pujith Jayasundara, the former police chief, to death for failing in his duty to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019 which saw over 200 dead.

As the Bar unanimously opposes extending judges’ terms, the government is doubling down on its constitutional amendment. The president’s office hopes to pass it by September. Lal Wijenayake, a top NPPer, understands they want “certain judges out and certain judges in.”

From passports and driving licences to drugs and fuel, the civil service struggles to deliver. Even though it’s overstaffed thanks to politicians, the government is “always breakdown”. A key problem is the quality of top civil servants, who are paid a fraction of their Indian counterparts.

Despite knowing that Global Fund won’t be able to continue donating medicines, the Health Ministry’s failed to secure tuberculosis and HIV medicines. Without an alternative supplier in place, the island will run out of tuberculosis drugs in the next three weeks.

Two meteor showers light the night sky this week; for a longer run, Abhisari, at Scope Cinemas, explores the  “raw and complex lives of sex workers.” The fact-y crowd descends into Macfarlane's

Conventional fertilisers aren’t very effective, nor are they environmentally-friendly. The world is shifting towards “improved” varieties. But in Sri Lanka, old-fashioned subsidies are slowing down the transition.

Two independent commissions — police and human rights — will be selected solely via applications rather than nominations. But the Constitutional Council was so dissatisfied with the pool, it called for fresh applications.