May 10 (ST) Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) has officially contracted 21 leading 7s players under a six-month High Performance programme, as part of its strategic push towards securing a historic medal at the upcoming Asian Games. The selected players will transition into a fully professional high-performance environment, operating under strict training, conditioning, and performance monitoring protocols. This initiative is designed to elevate preparation standards and ensure SL competes more..

May 10 (TM) Former Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara claims that he firmly believes the previous SLC administration led by Shammi Silva had been removed following an understanding reached between the Prez, Indian PM Narendra Modi, and International Cricket Council (ICC) Chair Jay Shah. SJB MP made this allegation during the Derana 360 political talk show broadcast early last week. Jayasekara, who served as Sports Minister from 2015 to 2018 under former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, more..

May 10 (ST) A group of Point Pedro fisherfolk families were up in arms this week after their trade union imposed a Rs 3,000 fine on those who did not take part in the ruling National People’s Power May Day rally in Jaffna last Friday. Ahead of the rally, the Koddadi Fishermen Union of Point Pedro instructed their members to join the NPP rally in Jaffna. More than 60 members did not attend the rally, prompting the union leadership to impose the fine. more..

May 10 (SO) The discovery of the body of Kapila Chandrasena, the former CEO of SriLankan Airlines, possibly marks a sombre and sudden end to one of the most significant figures in the modern corporate and legal history of both Sri Lanka and the world. Chandrasena’s death has sent shockwaves through the island’s political and business establishment, not merely because of the loss of life, but because of the immense, unresolved judicial questions he leaves behind. more..

May 10 (Island) SJV Chelvanayakam, the founder leader of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi, aka Ceylon Tamil Federal Party, passed away 49 years ago on 26 April 1977. There were events in Sri Lanka and other parts of the world where Tamils live, to commemorate his memory and his contributions to Tamil society and politics. His legacy is most remembered for his espousal of the cause of federalism and his commitment to pursuing it solely through non-violent politics. more..

May 10 (Phys) A study published in the Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology has identified the earliest evidence of prehistoric occupation by island dwellers of northern Sri Lanka. Long thought to be unsuitable for human occupation due to its scarce stone resources and semi-arid landscape, the findings at Velanai Island challenge this long-held belief and offer insights into early raw-material exploitation, seafaring capabilities, and subsistence behavior. more..

May 10 (DM) She wakes before the mist clears. By the time most of Colombo is having breakfast, she has already been working for two hours, plucking, carrying, meeting a daily quota that does not change regardless of her rest, discomfort or nourishment. She works on a tea plantation and is among many others whose contributions are vital to the economy, yet whose experiences are not always reflected in any occupational health statistic. The pressure to meet quotas is often matched by more..

May 10 (CT) The recently concluded visit of the Vietnamese Prez and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Tô Lâm, to SL is carrying many narratives both in Colombo and other neighbours, as she attempts new friendships. Friendships aligned with JVP’s traditional communist political order. Vietnam is a one-party communist State, governed by the Communist Party of Vietnam, a possible concern for Colombo and its immediate neighbours. more..

May 10 (SO) Sri Lankans often talk about loss of public money due to corruption. That is understandable given that corruption has robbed the State and weakened the trust in Govt for decades. But corruption is not the only way the country loses money. Sri Lanka also loses money when officials fail to check, when systems do not work, when institutions do not speak to one another, and when no one takes responsibility for the final outcome. Recent events show how costly that failure has become. more..

May 10 (ST) Prez A.K. Dissanayake’s May Day speech reference to a specific court case and an anticipated judgment has got the Opposition activated – from suggesting he is interfering with the judiciary to demanding a parliamentary debate. Govt is downplaying the remark, saying it is normal political rhetoric and dismissing any insinuation of interference with the judiciary. It was ironic to hear a retired professor donning the black coat of a lawyer waxing eloquent about judicial interference. more..

May 10 (TM) Prez AKD and his JVP-led NPP Govt continues to face a political landscape in the country that reads less like routine governance and more like a tightly wound thriller where allegations, investigations, and counter-allegations move in parallel, while the line between accountability and accusation grows increasingly blurred. At the centre is the continuing controversy over the alleged disappearance of $ 2.5 million from Treasury-linked transactions, more..

May 10 (TM) Millions of Sri Lankans did not simply vote for a new Govt in Sept 2024; they voted for a new political culture. They voted in the hope that arrogance would give way to accountability, corruption would give way to transparency, and impunity would finally come to an end. Yet today, less than two years into office, a growing number of citizens are beginning to wonder whether they voted for transformation or merely another variation of the same old cycle. more..

May 10 (CT) As the Trial at Bar this week announced the recommencement of the case concerning the abduction and disappearance of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, one cannot but hope that this will commence a move in the right direction for freedoms against the media that have continued to suffer under several past regimes. The deaths of several journalists including the cold-blooded murders of Lasantha Wickrematunge and Dharmeratnam Taraki Sivaram loom large over this conversation, more..

May 9 (DN) The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has raised concerns regarding the failure of the National Development Bank (NDB)’s audit committees to detect a massive internal fraud, estimated at over Rs.13 billion and the effectiveness of its internal controls. CoPF questioned how the Internal Audit Committee, the External Audit firm, Board’s Audit Committee, and CB's Bank Supervision Dept all failed to detect the fraud. more..

May 9 (DN) Deputy Minister Dr. Madura Seneviratne told Parliament that there are major initiatives to centralize the registration of all degree-granting institutions including state, private and non-Governmental organization to regulate the use of academic titles like Prof. and Dr. to prevent misuse. A new regulatory mechanism is being developed to bring all these institutions under a centralized monitoring system with the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC). more..

May 9 (Island) Viet Nam is ready to share its experience in fostering investment and in sustainable agriculture with SL, its President Tô Lâm, who is also the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, said in his address to Parliament. “In services and industries, Vietnam opened its door to investment, developed its infrastructure, built industrial and economic zones, promoted trade, and participated more deeply in regional and global value chains,” more..

May 9 (NW) Police have taken steps to arrest the Anuradhapura Atamasthanadhipathi, Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thera, over allegations linked to the sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl. In a statement issued today, Police said the Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate had also imposed a foreign travel ban on the monk and directed immigration authorities to prevent him from leaving the country. more..

May 9 (FT) PM Harini Amarasuriya underscored the pivotal role of rural youth in driving SL’s agricultural transformation, addressing the National Youth Agripreneur Showcase and Business-to-Business Connect event in Colombo. The initiative, organised by the Smallholder Agribusiness Partnerships Program (SAPP) with support from the Int'l Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Govt of SL, highlighted how targeted support can enable young entrepreneurs to build a more productive, more..

May 9 (FT) SL must urgently reposition itself to capture a greater share of India’s rapidly expanding outbound travel market, Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe said, pointing out that despite 32.7 million Indians travelling overseas in 2025, only over 531,000 chose SL as a destination. Addressing the Global Innovation & Leadership Summit in Colombo under the theme Island where India feels at home, Prof. Ranasinghe acknowledged a major gap in SL’s tourism strategy towards India. more..

May 9 (FT) Colombo stock market yesterday closed on the up for the third straight session with the benchmark index crossing 23,000 points for the first time since 27 February 2026. During the week, the ASPI gained 2.28% or 514.45 points while the active S&P SL20 Index was up 1.8% or 111.68 points. Yesterday, ASPI closed up 0.29% or 66.12 points at 23,063.98 and the S&P SL20 was up 0.43% or 26.98 points at 6,319.24. Turnover was nearly Rs. 4.1 bil on over 273.7 mil shares traded. more..

May 9 (FT) Vietjet Air yesterday announced its first direct service connecting Colombo to Ho Chi Minh City at the Sri Lanka – Vietnam Trade, Investment and Tourism Cooperation Forum. The announcement took place in the presence of General Secretary and President of Vietnam To Lam, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Harini Amarasuriya, and senior officials from both countries. This is the airline’s first direct service between SL and Vietnam, supporting the airline’s int'l expansion more..

May 9 (FT) Vietnamese President Tô Lâm yesterday called for a new phase of strategic economic cooperation with SL, highlighting direct air connectivity, logistics integration, trade expansion and tourism cooperation as key pillars for strengthening bilateral ties. Addressing the SL–Vietnam Trade, Investment and Tourism Cooperation Forum, Prez said the two nations share a long-standing friendship built on sincerity, more..

May 9 (Island) Executive Committee of the Sustainable Tourism Association of SL (SusTour) announced the above at its final meeting held on May 6, at Connaisance head office, Colombo. The committee finalised all preparations for the official launch in August of the first private sector led, non-governmental Sustainable Tourism Association in South Asia, as most tourism associations in Asia operate as dedicated Eco Tourism entities while this is probably the first in Asia. more..

May 9 (DM) The SL corporates are better prepared for external shocks than they were during the 2022 crisis but significant gaps remain, particularly in scenario planning and deep risk analysis, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Chairman Chaaminda Kumarasiri said. The key challenge he said is not disruption itself but the inability to respond when opportunities emerge. He noted that while the crisis management capabilities have improved in recent years, more..

May 9 (DN) SL’s 200m breaststroke long course national record holder MF Muhammad of Zahira College Colombo produced another outstanding performance to emerge the Under-20 champion with four gold medals at the 50th HNB National Age Group Swimming Championship worked off at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool Complex in Colombo recently. The meet was organised by the SL Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU). Representing Zahira College Colombo and training under Killer Whale more..

May 9 (DN) International and Thai Martial Arts Games (ITMA), which is held annually in Thailand, will be hosted for the first time in SL in 2026. The prestigious international championship will be conducted from May 28 to June 1 at the Goldi Sands Hotel, Negombo marking a significant milestone in the country’s sports history. The opening ceremony is scheduled to be held on 31st May 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at the same venue. The championship is being officially sanctioned and more..

May 9 (FT) Visiting Vietnamese Prez Tô Lâm addressing SL’s Parliament yesterday shared lessons from the country’s transformation into an economic miracle. “Our infrastructure ravaged, our economy in stagnation, the people’s lives in great deprivation, and resources for national development extremely limited. That was the backdrop against which Vietnam embarked on its Doi Moi reforms,” Lâm said. Initiated in Dec 1986, more..

May 9 (TM) SL’s ongoing tariff policy reform momentum runs the risk of slowing down, due to the growing severity of external shocks and the possible impact it may have on SL’s GDP and employment levels, Institute of Policy Studies of SL (IPS) Executive Director Dushni Weerakone said recently, speaking to the World Bank. “Sometimes I think if the current stress that we see as a result of external shocks becomes more intense, that reform momentum may slow down if there are more..

May 9 (DM) SL’s renewable energy sector is warning of a severe long-term fallout from the ongoing financial crisis, cautioning that the government’s blatant disregard for the existing payment agreements will drastically drive up the cost of future clean energy projects. With the National System Operator currently defaulting on a staggering Rs.10 billion owed to the independent developers, the industry leaders stress that investor confidence has been fundamentally shattered. more..

May 9 (ST) He has walked thousands of kilometres in the freezing cold of the US and the burning heat of SL. Following the just concluded Walk for Peace in SL, Aloka the Peace Dog, the Walk’s endearing mascot, is a celebrity today with 1.1 million followers on Facebook and over 440K followers on Instagram. Only time will tell if Aloka will become an enduring legend like Hachiko from Japan (who waited faithfully at more..

May 9 (FT) PM Harini Amarasuriya yesterday outlined SL’s ambition to deepen economic engagement with Vietnam, setting a bilateral trade target of $ 1 billion by 2030, while positioning the country as an export-driven and investment-friendly economy ready for its next phase of growth. Addressing the SL–Vietnam Trade, Investment & Tourism Cooperation Forum at Hilton Colombo, she said the two countries are entering a new chapter in bilateral relations, moving beyond traditional more..

May 9 (FT) The National Chamber of Exporters of SL (NCE) marked its 40th anniversary by honouring its past presidents, with special recognition extended to its Founder President and President Emeritus, the late Patrick Amarasinghe, whose initiative in establishing the Chamber in 1986 laid the groundwork for four decades of organised representation for Sri Lanka’s export community. The tribute, held at the Chamber’s 40th AGM and anniversary celebration, on 27 March 2026, more..