Sep 8 (NW) Colombo Marathon- 2026 will take place on Sept 13 at the Galle Face Grounds, coinciding with the 50th National Sports Festival. Organized by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Depat of Sports Development, and other relevant institutions, int'l marathon is aimed at promoting both sports culture and tourism. The competition will feature a full marathon, half marathon, 10 km run, and a 5 km Fun Run, with a large turnout of national and int'l runners expected to participate. more..

Sep 8 (NW) Minister Vijitha Herath clarified today that the case relating to the arrest of SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa was not filed by the current administration but during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s tenure. Minister stressed that the case was initiated before the current government came to power. “This is not a case filed by us. It was filed earlier, during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s time. He seems to have forgotten this,” Herath said. The Minister further alleged that more..

Sep 8 (NF) Former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa has appeared before the CIABOC. His appearance follows a summons issued by the Bribery Commission in connection with the ongoing investigation into the Airbus scandal. Commission stated that a statement is currently being recorded from former Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa. He had previously been instructed to appear before the Bribery Commission on Sept 4. However, Rajapaksa had informed the Commission that he was unable to attend on that date more..

Sep 8 (FT) Sri Lanka’s tourism sector is facing a more challenging 2026 than initially anticipated, with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) sharply revising down its arrival projections amid the Middle East conflict, higher energy costs, and growing uncertainty in international travel. The revised assessment comes after a record 2025, when SL welcomed 2,362,521 tourists, surpassing the country’s pre-pandemic 2018 arrival level and recording 15.1% growth over 2024. more..

Sep 8 (NW) Cabinet has approved a proposal to sign a five-year MoU on labour cooperation and a supplementary agreement governing the employment of SL workers in Thailand. The agreements, which follow bilateral discussions between SL and Thailand, are aimed at establishing a formal framework for cooperation on labour migration. Under the proposed arrangements, authorities in both countries will establish mechanisms to facilitate the transparent and more..

Sep 8 (NW) Minister Vijitha Herath denied reports that Iranian vessels had entered SL’s territorial waters, saying authorities were monitoring several vessels operating in international waters near the country. Herath said authorities had identified 47 vessels in the vicinity of SL, including some Iranian vessels, but that they remained outside the country’s territorial waters. “There are 47 vessels that have been identified in the vicinity. more..

Sep 8 (NW) Govt has launched a Multi‑Purpose Loan Scheme to support SL migrant workers, enabling them to invest their overseas earnings in housing, education, business ventures, and other financial needs. According to SL Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), scheme is open to Sri Lankans employed abroad who can provide proof of overseas employment contracts and remittance records. Applicants must submit documents such as their passport, employment agreement, more..

Sep 8 (NF) Sri Lanka has moved a step closer to introducing a comprehensive legal framework to combat organized crime, with Cabinet granting approval to publish and present a new Anti-Organized Crime Bill in Parliament. The proposed legislation, which has already received clearance from the Attorney General, was submitted jointly by the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Security, along with the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. According to the Govt, more..

Sep 8 (NF) Sri Lanka has told the UNHRC that the country remains committed to a nationally owned process of healing, reconciliation and reform, emphasizing that the end of conflict marked not the end of challenges but the beginning of a long and difficult journey toward rebuilding a united nation. Addressing UNHRC, Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake, said SL has consistently more..

Sep 8 (Island) NPP General Secretary Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe yesterday reiterated that the ruling party is confident of winning successive presidential and parliamentary polls. Kalutara District lawmaker Dr. Abeysinghe said that contrary to Opposition claims, the electorate was still with the govt. The NPPer said so when The Island asked him whether his bombastic declaration at a rally in Beruwala, on Sunday, that the incumbent administration could continue till 2050 was achievable. more..

Sep 8 (EN) Sri Lanka will invite fresh tenders for the returfing of synthetic running tracks at the Sugathadasa National Sports Complex after the only qualified bidder submitted a price significantly above initial estimates, govt said. The project covers the resurfacing of the 400-meter, 200-meter, and 80-meter synthetic tracks under the Sugathadasa National Sports Complex Authority, with an estimated total cost of 1.06 billion rupees. Previous cabinet approvals for the project were more..

Sep 8 (NW) Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara responded in Parliament after Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa raised concerns highlighted in Commonwealth Lawyers Association President Steven Thiru’s report on the Supreme Court proceedings over the proposed 22nd Amendment. Minister did not specifically respond to the individual concerns raised in Thiru’s report over procedural fairness, transparency and public confidence in the proceedings. Nanayakkara said more..

Sep 8 (AD) The ITAK has welcomed concerns raised by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights over the lack of progress on accountability for alleged human rights abuses and other issues affecting SL’s Tamil community. In response to a statement made by UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Awa Dabo at the opening session of the UN Human Rights Council, ITAK General Secretary M. A. Sumanthiran said the party welcomed Office of UN High Commissioner more..

Sep 8 (AD) Sri Lanka and India are scheduled to sign three agreements on defence cooperation tomorrow during the official visit of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister Vijitha Herath has confirmed. The agreements will cover cadet training and joint programmes, cooperation between the two countries’ defence colleges and the free maintenance of anti-aircraft weapons supplied by India to Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 8 (NW) Private-sector employees in Sri Lanka will be able to obtain railway season tickets online from October 1, under a new initiative announced by the Sri Lanka Railways. The facility, previously available to public-sector employees, will be extended to private-sector employees who use trains for their daily commute. Passengers will be able to apply for and obtain monthly season tickets through the Railways’ online reservation platform, seatreservation.railway.gov.lk. more..

Sep 8 (Island) A comprehensive new media initiative is officially underway in SL following the official signing of agreements with the French media development agency, Canal France International (CFI), and SL Press Institute (SLPI) yesterday. Backed by the European Union-funded Green Recovery Facility programme, Media Capacity Building Programme for the Promotion of the Green Transition aims to strengthen the reporting of environmental, climate & economic stories more..

Sep 8 (DM) Africa is rapidly shedding its outdated image of instability to emerge as the world’s next economic powerhouse. Driven by a young, expanding workforce, vast natural wealth, and a firm resolve to shift from raw material exporter to industrial manufacturer, the continent presents unprecedented opportunities. Global giants like China and India recognized this trajectory early and built deep roots. For SL businesses—already tested by pioneering conglomerates in apparel, more..

Sep 8 (FT) Board of Investment of SL (BOI) has stepped up efforts to address operational challenges faced by Japanese investors, with the fifth working-level meeting of the SL–Japan Business Environment Committee providing a platform for companies to raise concerns directly with relevant govt agencies. The quarterly meeting brought together representatives of the Embassy of Japan, Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), more..

Sep 8 (Island) Supreme Court has been petitioned seeking an explanation as to how eight petitions filed against the 22nd Amendment were not listed for hearing. Two of the petitioners, namely Ajith Jayathilaka and Dakum Gunathilaka, have requested an opportunity to examine the official Registry and parliamentary records so that all material facts may be objectively established. They said that their petitions that had been more..

Sep 8 (DM) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will not attend this year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with Sri Lanka to be represented at ministerial level, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said today. Speaking at the Cabinet decisions media briefing, Herath said he would represent Sri Lanka at the UN General Assembly and deliver the country’s address on Sept 28. He said he is scheduled to leave for New York on Sept 26 to attend the annual UN gathering. more..

Sep 8 (NW) India has agreed to continue providing technical and other assistance to Sri Lanka to strengthen efforts to control tuberculosis, following bilateral talks between the two countries’ health ministers. SL Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa met Indian Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia in Dili, Timor-Leste. During the meeting, Jayatissa expressed SL’s more..

Sep 8 (DM) Illegal activities allegedly committed by Sri Lankan nationals while using Thailand’s visa-free facility contributed to the decision to end visa-free entry for SL passport holders, Cabinet Spokesman and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said. Herath said the Thai Govt had conducted a review of its visa arrangements for countries around the world and identified 60 countries, including Sri Lanka, for which visa-free facility would be withdrawn. more..

Sep 8 (EN) Viet Nam budget airline Vietjet is offering Sri Lankan travellers Eco tickets from 90 dollars one-way (inclusive of taxes and fees) and 22% off Deluxe fares on its Colombo–Ho Chi Minh City route. The sale runs from 22:30 on 7 Sept to 21:30 on 10 Sept. The promotional Eco fares are available across Vietnam domestic and international routes, while the Deluxe discount applies to international flights using the promo code SALE99. Travel period is between 10 Sept 2026 and 31 Mar 2027. more..

Sep 8 (AD) Indian Naval Ship (INS) Udaygiri has arrived at the Port of Colombo today on an official visit and was received by the SL Navy in accordance with time-honoured naval traditions. INS Udaygiri is a 149.02m long Frigate, commanded by Captain Vikas Sood. Meanwhile, the Commanding Officer of the visiting ship is scheduled to call on the Commander, Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Harsha De Silva, at the Western Naval Command Headquarters, according to a statement more..

Sep 8 (FT) The new National Business Facilitation Centre (NBFC) will remove the obstacles that slow our businesses. It can do something far larger. It can become the one place in Sri Lanka where a new concept for earning foreign exchange, one that belongs to no ministry, is received, evaluated, coordinated and launched. On 24 August the Cabinet approved a proposal from the President to establish a National Business Facilitation Centre under the Presidential Secretariat. more..

Sep 8 (FT) five years after the MV X-Press Pearl caught fire and sank off Colombo, spilling plastic pellets and chemicals along SL’s western coastline, the environmental case has largely been settled in the country’s favour. The economic one has not. As compensation proceedings drag on, unresolved and increasingly contested, the dispute has quietly shifted shape, from a question of damages owed for an environmental disaster to a question of whether Colombo can be trusted to run a global more..

Sep 8 (TM) Govt plans to establish 1,000 new Arogya Health and Wellness Centres over the next three years as part of a wider effort to introduce a family doctor-based primary healthcare system across the country and reduce the growing burden on major hospitals, Consultant Medical Administrator, Dr Sarathchandra Kumarawansa, said. He said the Govt’s health policy envisages providing a medical team, more..

Sep 8 (EN) Sri Lanka’s Central Bank bought a net US$ 579 million in August, official data showed, amid a stabilizing local currency that touched a four-year low in the May this year. It was the highest highest net absorption by the Central Bank from the domestic foreign exchange market since March 2024, the official data showed. The Central Bank did not sell any dollars in August, after selling more than US$211 million in May on a net basis for the first time in 22 months. more..

Sep 8 (AD) Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka today on an official visit. Accordingly, he is scheduled to undertake his official visit from today until Sept 10. The visit is aimed at further strengthening defence cooperation between India and SL. During his visit, the Indian Defence Minister is expected to meet Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, PM Harini Amarasuriya, Defence Ministry Secretary Sampath Thuyacontha, and several other officials. more..

Sep 8 (FT) SL’s macroeconomic foundations are stronger than they have been in years, though the recovery remains incomplete and structural reforms must be deepened rather than merely maintained, Capital Alliance Holdings PLC (CAL) said. “Macroeconomic foundations are stronger than it has been in years,” CAL said in its 2025/26 Annual Report released last week, pointing to rebuilt reserves, anchored inflation, more..

Sep 8 (TM) Agriculture Dept has advised farmers to cultivate paddy only in the most productive areas and shift to field crops in other areas, as the country prepares for the predicted dry conditions associated with El Niño. Deputy Director of Agriculture (Research) Dr H Shyamalee said that although there are paddy varieties capable of withstanding water shortages, the Department was encouraging farmers to turn more towards field crops in light of the impending El Niño conditions. more..

Sep 8 (DN) SL’s state universities have been urged to move beyond being users of imported technologies and play a leading role in developing local digital solutions as the country accelerates its transition towards a digital economy. The call was made at a special dialogue on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation in Higher Education, held at the Uni of Colombo on Sept 4 in conjunction with Conference of Dy Vice-Chancellors & Councils of Vice-Chancellors Conference more..