Jan 17 (AD) PM Harini Amarasuriya has stated that the Govt is making every effort to ensure the quality education to nurture a developed citizen that the country requires, and that providing quality education is a massive process that takes time and must begin not only with curriculum changes, but also by ensuring all necessary infrastructure for both students and teachers. PM made these remarks, while participating in more..

Jan 17 (DM) A new luxury tourist bus service named Bustaurant, equipped with all the facilities of a high-end hotel, was officially launched yesterday (15), providing domestic and international visitors with a modern and fully equipped travel experience. The initiative, the first of its kind in SL, was implemented by the Central Province Dept of Tourism with the participation of the Dambulla Municipal Council and the Pradeshiya Sabha, based on a proposal from a private entrepreneur. more..

Jan 17 (EN) Sri Lanka central bank’s foreign exchange reserves, net of swaps, fell to US$ 2,298 million in November 2025, from US$ 2,533 million in October before cyclone Ditwah, and a new IMF emergency loan, official data show. Reserves, net of swaps were, US$ 2482 million in January 2025. Gross reserves were large unchanged. In January 2025, central bank’s swaps, including one with the People’s Bank of China, which is not inflationary, was US$ 3,548 million. more..

Jan 17 (CT) The Supreme Court, on Friday (16), ordered that a Fundamental Rights petition filed by a Kandy-based attorney, alleging that the Govt violated basic human rights by failing to take necessary measures to mitigate the disaster caused by Cyclone Ditwah, be taken up for consideration on 15 July. The petition was taken up before a Supreme Court Bench comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and more..

Jan 17 (ST) Dept of Railways is awaiting Public Service Commission approval for its amended Scheme of Recruitment (SOR) which allows women to occupy all job positions that were previously confined to men, General Manager Ravindra Pathmapriya said. Once it is passed, recruitment will take place as and when there are vacancies, he said. The SOR was amended to remove the restriction over women applying for certain posts. Women were traditionally frozen out of all more..

Jan 17 (FT) Central Bank of SL’s (CBSL) Policy Agenda for 2026 signals a vigilant but steady monetary stance in the year ahead, with policy rates likely to be kept on hold in early 2026 as inflation is gradually steered back toward the 5% target, according to a note by First Capital Research. In its flash note analysing the CBSL’s newly unveiled agenda, First Capital Research said the Central Bank’s approach reflects confidence in the macroeconomic stability achieved over more..

Jan 17 (EN) SL’s manufacturing sector expanded in December, registering a value of 60.9 on the Purchasing Managers Index compiled by the CB, supported by seasonal demand, despite adverse weather-related disruptions experienced early in the month. All sub-indices contributed positively to this increase, CBSL said. “New Orders and Production sub-indices increased in December, driven by the manufacture of food & beverages sector.” Employment and Stock of Purchases more..

Jan 17 (DN) Inaugural Lanka Ride cycling race began in impressive fashion yesterday, with the SL Army asserting early dominance as Sandaruwan Pinto took the opening stage honours, while teammate Saranga Perera finished second and claimed the King of the Mountain title after leading the decisive climbs. Deshan Kavinda of Ja Ela Flash Club secured third place, while Suranga Ranaweera of the Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Municipal Council finished fourth. Sithum Poorna of Kadirana more..

Jan 17 (Island) Leader of the PHU, Udaya Gammanpila, yesterday launched a scathing attack on outgoing United States Ambassador to SL Julie Chung, accusing her of interfering in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs and exerting undue influence over recent political developments. He said Chung’s departure, after a four-year tenure, marked a day of national relief, claiming her presence had been harmful to the country. more..

Jan 17 (FT) The National Chamber of Commerce of SL announced the official launch of the National Business Excellence Awards (NBEA) 2026 on 14 January, celebrating a landmark 21st year of recognising excellence in SL business. Established in 2004, the NBEA has become the country’s premier business awards platform, applauding organisations that demonstrate exemplary business practices, strong governance, and a lasting contribution to national economic progress. more..

Jan 17 (Island) Amid softening diplomatic rhetoric between the US and Iran, a senior economist said that the stability of Sri Lanka’s tea exports to the Middle East, particularly Iran, would be maintained. The economist, who closely follows regional developments, pointed to recent statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Prez Donald Trump as signs of de-escalation. Araghchi denied plans to execute anti-govt protesters, while Trump indicated more..

Jan 17 (DM) SL’s aluminium door, window and façade fabrication industry is being undercut by policy gaps that allow finished products to be imported duty-free, threatening jobs, foreign exchange savings and domestic manufacturing capacity, an industry body said. Aluminium Fabricators Association of SL (AFASL) said the omissions in the Board of Investment’s (BOI) Negative List have enabled fully fabricated aluminium doors, windows & façade systems more..

Jan 17 (ST) Sri Lanka will bank on ambitious talents as Football SL (FSL) officially released the names of the national Men’s and Women’s squads for the upcoming inaugural SAFF Futsal Championship 2026, taking place in Bangkok, Thailand. The dual competition, staged for the very first time by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) with the intention of popularising futsal among countries across the region, will take place at the Nonthaburi Stadium in Bangkok, from Jan 12 to 26. more..

Jan 17 (CT) Minister of Power and Energy Kumara Jayakody caused widespread confusion during the ceremonial inauguration of renewable energy projects in Talaimannar after claiming that agreements had been secured for 12,789 megawatts (MW) of power projects for SL. The statement immediately drew surprise and scepticism, even among engineers at the CEB, as the last approved CEB generation plan for more..

Jan 17 (EN) If the U.S. invades Iran, the Middle Eastern nation is ready to defend itself without relying on any other countries, Tehran govt’s ambassador to SL, Alireza Delkhosh said. He made these comments when he addressed a group of select journalists in Colombo over the latest development in Iran amid an expected impending U.S. attack citing the Tehran govt’s failure to protect the rights of protestors who started protests last month over sudden depreciation of Iranian more..

Jan 17 (FT) Brazil – Asia Chamber of Commerce has shown keen interest in participating in the SL Expo 2026 this June and commenced initial discussions on deepening trade ties focusing in tea, cinnamon and opportunities in Port City in Colombo. This was revealed at a recent discussion in Brazil between Ambassador of SL to Brazil Chaminda Colonne with Brazil – Asia Chamber of Commerce (CBA) President Reginaldo Lante, on 14 Jan 2026 in Brasilia, focusing on its participation more..

Jan 17 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism has successfully concluded a major tourism promotion initiative in India, its largest source market, covering key cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, as part of efforts to diversify arrivals and attract higher-spending visitors throughout the year. The campaign was carried out in collaboration with SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), SL Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), more..

Jan 17 (FT) The Colombo stock market ended the week on a new high despite closing flat yesterday. ASPI close on the up Friday, gaining a marginal 0.10% or 22.9 points to 23,731.60, a new high, while the active S&P SL20 closed 0.28% on the up, gaining 18.11 points to 6,560.08. Market turnover was nearly Rs. 4.73 billion on over 132.5 shares traded. Foreign investors were net buyers on net inflow of Rs. 65.3 million. During the week, the ASPI gained 77.3 points up 0.32% while more..

Jan 17 (CT) It came as a profound shock to the Ceylon Today editorial team to learn of the passing of veteran Indian journalist and political observer N. Sathiya Moorthy; a long-time guest columnist of this newspaper. He passed away at the age of 71 in Chennai on Thai Pongal Day, 15 Jan 2025. His last article for Ceylon Today was published on 19 Dec 2025, under the headline Why Ditwah Did Not Unite — yet another masterful analysis of SL affairs. When no column followed in subsequent weeks, more..

Jan 17 (FT) Two leading subsidiaries of Guston Ltd Hong Kong, Concord Apparel Ltd and Concord Footwear Ltd, have achieved a significant milestone by securing top honours at the Presidential Export Awards (PEA) 2024/2025. At this year’s awards, Concord Apparel was recognised as the Best Exporter – Apparel Sector (Medium Scale category), while Concord Footwear won the Best Exporter Award – Footwear & Leather Products Sector, highlighting the group’s excellence across more..

Jan 17 (CT) Mr. Upali Tennakoon began contributing articles, features, and news to newspapers in the 1970s while he was still a student. During this period, he served as the Imbulgoda correspondent for the Dawasa newspaper. Around 1976, he worked as a freelance journalist for the Priyavi newspaper, where in addition to providing articles and features, he authored several regular columns. He received his primary education at Imbulgoda Rajasinghe Maha Vidyalaya. more..

Jan 17 (SO) Last year, IRD collected the highest revenue in its 93-year history, exceeding the expected target by Rs. 33 billion. As SL closed the year of assessment 2024/2025, Govt reported remarkable progress in tax collection by all of its revenue collection agencies. Deputy Minister Nishantha Jayaweera discussed the public’s response to tax obligations, steps being taken to broaden the tax base, and initiatives to more..

Jan 17 (GV) The recent visit to Jaffna by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has stirred an unusual political mood in the Northern Province. Unlike the guarded receptions accorded to previous presidents, this visit generated visible public warmth heightened media attention and a notable surge of interest among young people particularly young women. This response raises a compelling question: why is Prez Dissanayake gaining popularity in the North despite limited policy delivery and more..

Jan 17 (FT) IT was reported that Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne has rejected a motion submitted to him by 31 Members of Parliament requesting the appointment of a Select Committee of Parliament to examine the exercise by the Judicial Service Commission of its powers relating to “the appointment, promotion, transfer, dismissal, and disciplinary control” of judicial officers. The reason for the rejection of the motion, as stated by him, is that compliance with the motion more..

Jan 17 (Island) Police HQ has released an AI-generated image of a suspect wanted in connection with a fatal shooting incident in Dehiwala on 09 Jan, and sought public assistance to arrest him. AI has made the task of creating facial composites much easier. The public no doubt must cooperate with the police and help combat crime, but much more needs to be done to neutralise the dangerous underworld gangs. Two notorious criminals and a female suspect arrested in Dubai were brought back more..

Jan 17 (Island) On 8 Jan, I delivered a talk at an event at the Uni of Colombo marking the retirement of my longtime friend and former Professor of Sinhala, Ananda Tissa Kumara and his appointment as Emeritus Professor of Sinhala in that university. What I said has much to do with decolonising social sciences and humanities and the contributions countries like ours can make to the global discourses of knowledge in these broad disciplines. I have previously discussed these issues more..

Jan 17 (CT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s presidency has increasingly been defined by moments that blur the line between symbolism and substance. One such moment surfaced quietly this week in Palali, where bystanders recorded the President during an early morning walk. As people along the road greeted him with a respectful Good morning, sir, he responded in Tamil, Naan poittu waren; loosely translated as, I’m leaving now, more..

Jan 17 (CT) SL’s recent education reform debate revealed less about curriculum and more about power. The proposed reforms included basic technology, electronics & financial literacy at Grade 6. These are not radical subjects. They are foundational skills in any modern economy. Yet the public backlash that followed barely engaged with what children would actually learn. Instead, the controversy fixated on surface features. A textbook cover containing a rainbow graphic became the centre of attention. more..

Jan 17 (DM) Within a short time span since the British rulers left Ceylon, the Tamils have been subjected to a quagmire situation wherein there is no dearth of discrimination, racism, religious fanaticism, chauvinism, xenophobia, misanthropy, violence, racial riots, militarisation, state terrorism, and other wrongful acts that were exercised by successive governments in the country against the politically powerless minority Tamil community. Such govts have been elected and represented more..

Jan 17 (DM) If not for an exclusive revelation by a journalist in 2003 when the ceasefire agreement between the SL govt and the LTTE was in force, SL’s history between then and now would have been totally different. If he had not got wind of the goings on at the highest-level then, hundreds if not thousands of soldiers, LTTE cadres and civilians might still be dying, especially in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, more..

Jan 17 (DM) Our country is like no other. A past president once described this land as the Wonder of Asia. How right he was. We as a people were able to successfully end a near three-decade-long insurgency aimed at dividing the country. A few years later, we overthrew -- largely bloodlessly -- an elected president who oversaw the country’s fall into a state of bankruptcy. The economy was balanced via an unelected president who failed to win his seat in parliament. more..

Jan 17 (CT) SL’s debt debate has once again been dragged into the realm of manufactured panic. CB Governor, Dr Nandalal Weerasinghe, has now said it plainly and on the record. There is no looming debt servicing crisis in 2028 if the country stays on its present course. Yet the din of alarmism continues, driven less by economics and more by politics and selective memory. At the Governor’s Forum this week, Dr Weerasinghe laid out figures that deserve far more attention than the scare stories more..