Jan 21 (EN) Sri Lanka has killed off the last vestiges of an attempt to create a contributed pension scheme for state workers and stop a fiscal bomb in the form of unfunded pension liabilities of an ageing population. Cabinet had ended a provision on the appointment of state workers recruited after Jan 1, 2016. Amid an ageing population unfunded pension liabilities is adding about 25% to national debt, according to one estimate. more..

Jan 21 (FT) Cabinet approved amendments to the pension-related provisions in the appointment letters of all public officers recruited into the public service on or after 1 Jan 2016, confirming their entitlement to the existing pension scheme. Under the approved changes, the relevant clause in appointment letters will be revised to state: “These appointments are pensionable. Furthermore, you should contribute to the Widows and Orphans Pension Scheme/ Widowers and Orphans Pension Scheme. more..

Jan 21 (CT) The national minimum wage in the private sector will rise from Rs 27,000 to Rs 30,000, effective 1 Jan 2026, Labour Commissioner General H.M.D.N.K. Wataliyadda said. She added that the announcement was made in accordance with the National Minimum Wage of Employees (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2025. She also noted that the daily wage will increase from Rs 1,080 to Rs 1,200, with employers required to make the relevant payments. “Under the provisions of more..

Jan 21 (TM) Claiming that responsibility cannot be limited to a few National Institute of Education (NIE) officials over failures in the education reform process, Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) has requested the appointment of an independent body, similar to a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI), to examine the entire process and recommend action against those responsible. more..

Jan 21 (AD) Govt Radiological Technologists’ Association has decided to launch a 24-hour token strike at 8 a.m. in all hospitals across the island. President of the Association Chanaka Dharmawickrama attributed the trade union action to the failure of the Ministry of Health to conduct an impartial investigation into the conduct of the Deputy Director of the National Institute for Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation in Maligawatte. He said although the matter has been raised more..

Jan 21 (NW) The Bar Association of SL (BASL) on Tuesday expressed serious concern over growing public pressure on the Office of the Attorney General, as opposing protests are planned in Colombo both against and in support of the Attorney General. In a statement issued on Jan. 20, the BASL warned that recent social media campaigns and public actions targeting the Attorney General risk undermining the independence of the office, which it described as a key pillar of the rule of law . more..

Jan 21 (AD) PM Harini Amarasuriya has held discussions with the President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Masato Kanda in Davos, Switzerland. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF) at the WEF Congress Centre in Davos-Klosters. Sri Lanka’s ongoing reform agenda, economic situation of the country among others were discussed during the high-level meeting. Meanwhile, yesterday, PM also met more..

Jan 21 (NW) The Judicial Services Association has warned that the spread of false and baseless criticism undermines public confidence in the judicial system and threatens the independence of the judiciary. The association said it was deeply concerned about what it described as a specific, targeted and destructive attempt to influence the judiciary, stressing that such actions pose a serious risk to the rule of law. The association said it would not hesitate to take all necessary measures more..

Jan 21 (EN) SL has earned 904 billion rupees from vehicle imports in 2025, higher than the 441 billion rupees, originally expected, Deputy Minister Nishantha Jayaweera said. SL banned car imports in 2020 after the central bank cut rates and printed money to target potential output, claiming that imports caused external problems. Imports bans after money printing or rate cuts are described as a cascading policy error of macro-economists more..

Jan 21 (FT) Cabinet approved a proposal to implement the incentive allowance for estate workers announced in the 2026 Budget, including the payment mechanism and timeline. In presenting the 2026 Budget in his capacity as Finance Minister, President proposed increasing the daily wage of estate workers to Rs. 1,550, along with a daily attendance allowance of Rs. 200, with the objective of ensuring a fair daily wage commensurate with workers’ service. more..

Jan 21 (AD) The second phase of the first school term for the 2026 academic year in govt and govt-approved private schools is scheduled to commence today. The first phase of the first term was conducted from January 5 to 9, after which schools were closed from Jan 10 until today to facilitate the conduct of the A/L exam subjects which were postponed following devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The second phase of the first term, which begins today will continue until Feb 13, 2026, more..

Jan 21 (DM) SL has been presented with a fresh opportunity to access global support for climate-related loss and damage, as the newly operational Loss and Damage Fund opened its first call for funding, creating a formal pathway for vulnerable countries facing intensifying extreme weather events. Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage Deputy Executive Director Mathilde Laurans said the launch of the Barbados Implementation Modalities marked a shift from negotiations to action. more..

Jan 21 (FT) Standard Chartered Bank Economist Saurav Anand said SL’s improving fiscal and debt indicators, recovery in consumption and the potential for an investment rebound, could support a change in the sovereign ratings outlook this year, even if the headline rating remains unchanged. “Our view is that we will see a change in the rating outlook this year,” Anand said, adding that the most likely shift would be from Stable to Positive. S&P Global and Fitch have upgraded SL’s sovereign ratings more..

Jan 21 (DM) A new study by Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) shows that about 1.83 million SL workers, or roughly 22.8% of the employed population, are in occupations that could be exposed to Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), which means that AI has some influence over job security for these workers. According to the IPS “Gen AI is a more advanced AI that is enabled to create new content, rather than analyzing existing data, more..

Jan 21 (TM) With an alleged drinking culture and reports of indiscipline swirling around England following their recent 4-1 Ashes capitulation in Australia, the tourists will seek rebound against Sri Lanka, as they clash in the first ODI of a 3-match series at the Khettarama Stadium in Colombo on Thursday. Harry Brook’s team which arrived in these shores on Monday, have been beset by allegations of certain players drinking on a mid-Ashes beach break in the resort Australian town of Noosa more..

Jan 21 (DN) The ICC T20 World Cup trophy tour is set to begin in Sri Lanka from today to January 24, with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expected to officially launch the tour. During World Cup’s short stay in Sri Lanka, the trophy will travel to major cities including Colombo, Kandy, Dambulla and Jaffna as part of the nationwide tour and giving fans an opportunity to view the World Cup ahead of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup which will be held from February 7 to March 8. more..

Jan 21 (FT) Standard Chartered Bank CEO Bingumal Thewarathanthri said Sri Lanka’s economic outlook for 2026 was cautiously optimistic but warned that delays in reforms and policy execution could weaken the investment climate and slow foreign direct investment inflows projected to reach between $ 600-900 million in 2026. “As a country with a CCC-plus credit rating, Sri Lanka is vulnerable to external shocks, and more..

Jan 21 (FT) Softlogic Life Insurance announced it has secured a $ 15 million landmark five-year Tier 2 loan facility from Norfund and OP Finnfund Global Impact Fund I, that will be the initial part and set the next phase of growth. It said the latest step further reinforces Softlogic Life’s position as one of SL’s most resilient and future-focused insurers, while signaling strong international investor confidence in the company’s long-term trajectory and the broader insurance sector. more..

Jan 21 (FT) India’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, has acquired a 41.73% stake in Colombo Dockyard PLC following an allotment of shares arising from the unsubscribed Rights entitlement of Onomichi Dockyard Company Ltd. Mazagon Dock said it acquired 164,916,229 fully paid ordinary shares of Colombo Dockyard on 19 January at a price of Rs. 40 per share. The acquisition represents 41.73% of the issued share capital of Colombo Dockyard, which has total issued shares of 395,224,082. more..

Jan 21 (DN) Lakshitha Madushan of Weligama and Anantharasa Ammu Jansee of Arugam Bay win the men’s and women’s titles at the 2025 National Surfing Competition, which was successfully held over the weekend at the Hikkaduwa Main Point. Minami Sato of Mambos Surf Club and his club-mate Sayuni Anjana bagged the U-18 boys’ and girls’ title while Kanapathy Ramesh of Sri Lanka and Crystal Jade Davies of Australia emerged Open International men’s and women’s champions. more..

Jan 21 (FT) Institute of Certified Management Accountants of SL (CMA SL) will host an Integrated Reporting and Sustainability Accounting Standards Workshop under the distinguished patronage of Int'l Federation of Accountants President Jean Bouquot tomorrow from 8.00 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. at the Cinnamon Grand, Mahogany Ballroom, Colombo, CMA Sri Lanka is a Member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) the global organisation for the Accounting Profession more..

Jan 21 (ST) UN agencies, international organisations and local groups have focused their attention on welfare of children in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. Despite challenges on funding and other limitations, organisations have drawn programmes covering children’s education, security, mental health and welfare among other needs. Chief of Communications of UNICEF Bismarck Swangin said that despite more..

Jan 21 (Island) A recent tragedy of a young audit professional has prompted a nationwide conversation on SL’s audit work culture. What was initially described as an untimely passing has since raised serious concerns about excessive workloads, workplace responsibility, and the well-being implications of the professional pressure. Accordingly, this article seeks to explore prevailing audit culture and professional practices in SL, and highlights areas where thoughtful reform more..

Jan 21 (CT) SL’s public health sector appears to be heading towards another period of uncertainty, as medical trade unions signal strike action in response to unresolved concerns. As announcements are made and timelines set, what emerges is not merely a labour dispute, but a broader reflection of how fragile the relationship between policy, professionals and public welfare has become. The GMOA’s decision to initiate continuous islandwide trade union action from 23 Jan follows more..

Jan 21 (Island) A rice tycoon has become a clout chaser, posting ostentatiously on social media about his extravagance ad nauseam. He has been TikToking his newly acquired Rolls-Royce to boost his ego and online visibility. What he does with his own money should not be anyone else’s concern, one can argue. This argument is not without some merit. But the large-scale rice millers are making a vulgar display of their wealth in this manner while paddy cultivators, stuck neck-deep in debt, more..

Jan 21 (ST) SL recorded a historic milestone in 2025: foreign remittances from migrant workers reached US$8 billion, the highest in 40 years of overseas employment. This marks a 23% jump from the previous year. I am not sure whether to weep or chuckle. At a meeting with Dr. Dirk Willem te Velde and Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja of ODI Global, I remarked: “We can multiply this further—by making life harder for our people in the years ahead.” They visited me at Centre for Poverty Analysis. more..

Jan 21 (TM) SL’s delicate tea-for-oil barter trade with Iran is suddenly under the spotlight as US Prez Donald Trump’s tariff threats loom large and SL must, going forward, weigh its options both geopolitically and economically. With the US as SL’s largest export market – accounting for over 25% of total merchandise exports in 2025 – SL faces a stark choice: preserve an important energy lifeline or risk punishing duties on key sectors more..

Jan 21 (TM) A Presidential Task Force (PTF) has been appointed for rebuilding the Nation through an Extraordinary Gazette in response to Cyclone Ditwah. Given the scale of the damage to infrastructure, livelihoods, housing, and essential services, such a high-powered coordinating mechanism is both timely and appropriate. Prez’s decision to establish a high-powered, multi-sectorial TF Chaired by the PM, consisting of 25 members, is appropriate given national scale of disaster, more..

Jan 21 (DM) In Jan 2026, SL stand at historical crossroads. The past year was characterised by a complex interplay of political transition under the JVP-led administration and the devastating physical and economic shock of Cyclone Ditwah (Nov 2025), which caused an estimated US $4.1 billion (4% of GDP) in direct damage. To achieve true economic independence, the nation must move beyond reactive crisis management towards a structured, productivity-driven roadmap. more..

Jan 21 (CT) Minor changes can sometimes have a butterfly effect. What begins as a small adjustment, almost unnoticeable, can quietly grow into something that matters. In contexts where traditions, beliefs and institutions are deeply rooted, this is often the only realistic way change happens. Captive animals, especially elephants, have long been part of a complicated conversation in Sri Lanka. more..

Jan 21 (CT) In the space of 15 months, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has visited the North of the country more than any other Prez or PM. These were not flying visits either. The president’s most recent visit to Jaffna last week was on the occasion of Thai Pongal to celebrate the harvest and the dawning of a new season. During the two days he spent in Jaffna, the prez launched the national housing project, announced plans to renovate Palaly Airport, to expedite operations at KKS Port, more..

Jan 21 (TM) Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture. After weathering the worst economic crisis in its post-independence history, the country was now on a fragile path to recovery when cyclone Ditwah struck, leaving in its wake a trail of devastation and losses, many of which are yet to be calculated. Govt has announced its decision to develop a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), which UN agencies have pledged to support. The full extent of damage to SL may only be known later on. more..