Sep 4 (AD) An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team will visit Sri Lanka from September 10 to 23 to hold discussions with govt authorities on the combined Seventh Review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme and the 2026 Article IV Consultation. The mission will be led by Evan Papageorgiou, IMF Mission Chief for SL, and will assess the country’s progress under the IMF-supported economic reform programme more..

Sep 4 (TM) Govt has ruled out power cuts despite a decline in coal stocks at the Lakvijaya Power Plant in Norochcholai, assuring the public that sufficient hydropower generation is currently available to maintain an uninterrupted electricity supply. Minister Anura Karunathilaka said reduced coal stocks had prompted authorities to limit coal-fired generation at the plant, but stressed that the situation had not affected the overall electricity supply. Two coal shipments are expected to arrive more..

Sep 4 (EN) SL govt’s bilateral and multilateral loans increased in the first six months of this year while commercial debts fell. Bilateral loans led by China rose 1.1% or US$ 119 mil to US$ 10,797 million by the end of June, compared to US$ 10,678 at the end of last year, the data showed. Multilateral loans also increased by 3.4% or US$ 488 million in the first half to US$ 14,802 million. Govt’s commercial debts, however, fell 2.1% or US$262 mil in the first half of this year to US$12,409 mil. more..

Sep 4 (FT) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday said that his Govt would not hesitate to introduce Constitutional amendments it considers necessary to combat drug trafficking and crime and build a more peaceful country. Speaking at an event marking the 160th anniversary of the SL Police, the Prez said the Govt had taken steps to strengthen the process of bringing suspects to justice but acknowledged delays between more..

Sep 4 (TM) Bhutan has expressed interest in drawing on Sri Lanka’s experience and expertise to support its future development priorities, during a meeting between PM Dr Harini Amarasuriya and King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in Thimphu on Wednesday (2). PM had an audience with the King at the Tashichhodzong during her official visit to Bhutan. Discussions focused on Bhutan’s development priorities and opportunities to expand cooperation between the two countries. more..

Sep 4 (TM) Education Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa said that some national school teacher transfer orders are being held back due to practical reasons. Kaluwewa said that around 2,000 transfers had been issued last year, of which, 24 were held back due to practical reasons. He said that some of the reasons given by principals involved practical issues which had to be considered by the Ministry. He said that there are also several opportunities for teachers to appeal against transfer decisions more..

Sep 4 (FT) The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), by filing a motion before the Supreme Court yesterday, informed that it will not be tendering the post-hearing written submissions in connection with its Special Determination applications against the proposed 22nd Amendment, citing circumstances including the Court’s decision to refuse the petitioners an oral right of reply after the Attorney General’s oral submissions during Wednesday’s (2) hearings. more..

Sep 4 (NW) Indian High Commissioner to SL Santosh Jha has met the Most Ven. Mahanayake Theros of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters and sought their blessings for stronger ties between India and SL. Jha said he paid his respects to the Mahanayake Theros and sought their blessings for strengthening the fraternal relationship between the two countries. HC also briefed the senior Buddhist prelates on India’s ongoing support for SL’s development efforts following the cyclone. more..

Sep 4 (Island) Norochcholai coal-fired power plant is now digging into the last dredges of its coal stock, with two operational units forced to slash generation from around 270 MW to just 140 MW on Sunday as the plant ran critically short of fuel, according to independent energy analysts and sources familiar with the National System Operator (NSO). The sudden reduction of approximately 130 MW in coal generation has once again more..

Sep 4 (ST) Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development is gearing to implement a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for employees of entities to be liquidated under the ministry. The staff at SL Cement Corporation, Lanka Cement, Hingurana Sugar Industries Company, Kantale Sugar Industries Ltd, Small and Medium Enterprises Authority, Wood-based Design Centre, Kahatagaha Engineering Services Ltd, Lanka Textile Mills Embilipitiya Ltd will be granted a VRS or compensation, more..

Sep 4 (FT) The Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC) yesterday defended co-hosted roadshows saying foreign purchases of Sri Lankan equities from Singapore nearly tripled in the 12 months following the Invest Sri Lanka Forum held in the city-state last year. The SEC said this was evidence of the value of sustained overseas investor engagement. The statement also comes hot on the heels of a roadshow in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, recently. more..

Sep 4 (DN) SL captain Chamari Athapaththu, who was named Player of the Match after producing record-breaking bowling figures of 7 for 5 against Indonesia, praised Nilakshika Silva for her heroic knock under pressure and was keen to share her award with her teammate at the presentation ceremony following the Asia Cup game at the Dubai Stadium. “I am not a regular bowler, but I play as an all-rounder. I was also surprised by my bowling performance today. I am really happy with more..

Sep 4 (DM) Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake has called for immediate measures to ease the heavy Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax burden on the general public, stressing that the current situation requires swift corrective action. Speaking at the 21st Annual General Conference of the Association of Inland Revenue Commissioners in Colombo, Dr. Kumanayake emphasized the need to address the tax pressure faced by the public without delay. more..

Sep 4 (UN) El Niño is strengthening rapidly in the Pacific Ocean, raising the prospect of months of extreme heat, floods, drought, and disruptive weather around the globe. The phenomenon, already firmly established, is expected to become very strong and peak around the end of the year, according to new forecasts from WMO. The likelihood that El Niño will persist through Feb 2027 is now close to 100%. more..

Sep 4 (ST) The manager’s report to the Ministry of Sports (MoS) following Sri Lanka’s disappointing campaign at the 2026 Asian Netball Championship is expected to reveal a series of incidents that undermined the team’s hopes of reclaiming the regional title they lost in 2024. Rather than focusing on reaching the final, a stage SL has featured in 11 of the 14 editions of the Asian Championship, six-time champions and five-time runners-up slipped to third place for only the third time since 2005. more..

Sep 4 (ST) Out of the operating theatres, surgeons from wide and varied fields will gather to brainstorm, share the latest techniques and network to offer the best for patients going under the knife for open surgery, keyhole surgery or robotic-assisted surgery. The august Sri Lanka Surgical Congress 2026 will be held from Sept 2 to 5 in Colombo. Organised by the College of Surgeons of SL (CSSL), the congress is a joint collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, UK, more..

Sep 4 (TM) President of the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association, Steven Thiru, has raised concerns over the decision not to appoint a larger or full bench to hear petitions challenging the Govt’s proposed 22nd Amendment, questioning whether the approach could affect public confidence in judicial independence. Thiru, who attended Wednesday’s Supreme Court proceedings as an observer, said he had spoken to more..

Sep 4 (NW) Ayurvedic physician Dr. Indrani Senaratne has raised serious concerns over recent police raids targeting wellness spas and massage therapy centers, claiming that practitioners are being wrongfully arrested and remanded without proper legal procedures. ‎Speaking on the professional standards of the industry, Dr. Senaratne emphasized that spa therapists undergo rigorous training in traditional anatomy, including the study of the body’s vital pressure points. more..

Sep 4 (DM) Former TNA MP and President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran has drawn public attention on social media after posting two Latin legal maxims relating to the fundamental principles of natural justice: that no one should be a judge in their own case and that the other side should also be heard. Sumanthiran, in a post uploaded today on his official Facebook page, referred to the maxims Nemo judex in causa sua and Audi alteram partem. Nemo judex in causa sua, which translates as more..

Sep 4 (FT) Touli, a civic impact platform built by DWorld and developed with SL technology partner SoftSora, has launched in Colombo with founding youth partners AIESEC Sri Lanka and Women in Tech Sri Lanka. The platform rewards people for doing good in their communities. Across four pillars, Social, Environment, Personal Wellbeing and Education, users complete real world actions such as volunteering, mentoring and environmental clean ups. Each action is verified through more..

Sep 4 (FT) National Commission on Women (NCW) is preparing policy reforms aimed at liberating women from unpaid domestic and care responsibilities, so they can participate more fully in the economy and in politics, NCW Chairperson Grace Asirwatham told the CoPF. Briefing the Committee, former Ambassador Asirwatham said the Commission’s mandate went beyond litigation and included a draft policy on unpaid work performed by women. Asked by MP Karunanayake more..

Sep 4 (TM) Maternal and foetal health could come under increasing pressure as the country grapples with the effects of the prevailing El Niño weather conditions, with extreme heat, drought, food insecurity and disease outbreaks potentially raising the risk of serious pregnancy complications, a leading obstetrician and gynaecologist has warned. Former President of the College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, more..

Sep 4 (ST) It was a chance remark by Opposition MP Ravi Karunanayake on migrant workers that drew my attention. While revealing that a large number (around 300,000 Sri Lankans) go overseas for work annually, he said this could create problems owing to many skilled workers going abroad. “How do we meet the local demand for skilled workers,” was what Karunanayake was getting at. At any given time, there are 1.5 million Sri Lanka migrant workers overseas on short-term contracts more..

Sep 4 (Island) On the 4th of February every year, we raise the lion flag and speak of democracy. We speak of 78 years of self-rule. But honesty demands we ask: what kind of rule have we actually had? It was not democracy. Democracy is govt for the common good, constrained by law, informed by reason, and accountable to truth. What SL has had for 78 years is demagoguery — govt by manipulation, by party, and by passion. The dictionary defines demagoguery as more..

Sep 4 (TM) Every year, the release of the Grade Five Scholarship Examination results plunges the country into a collective psychosis. Within hours of the numbers appearing online, news feeds are flooded with cut-off mark tally sheets, photographs of jubilant ten-year-olds adorned with garlands, and boasts from proud parents. Yet, behind this loud digital parade lies a darker reality: thousands of shattered children weeping in silence, convinced they have failed their families, more..

Sep 4 (Island) Doomed are the nations that look on while rulers seek to perpetuate their grip on power through undemocratic means. John Stuart Mill famously observed in 1867: “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” Adolf Hitler established an authoritarian rule in Germany by throttling democracy, which enabled him to capture power, and the entire world suffered as a result. His rise to power followed Nazi Party’s victory at more..

Sep 4 (TM) The Bar Association of SL (BASL) has mounted an aggressive campaign against the proposed Constitutional Amendment to extend judicial retirement ages, framing the reform as an existential threat to the rule of law. Yet, in an expansive, one-hour-and-24-minute broadcast interview defending this stance, the leadership of the BASL committed a fatal omission: not once was it explained how or why extending a judge’s more..

Sep 4 (DM) Take a walk down the busy streets of Colpetty for instance and certain new establishments would surely grab your attention. From fancy-looking supermarkets to bubble tea shops, hotpot noodle restaurants and more, there’s just one thing that all of them have in common; the Chinese origin. What is common in each one of these establishments is the fact they are frequented by Sri Lankans. This is evident if one visits the bubble tea shops on a given day. more..

Sep 4 (CT) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe claimed at a launch of a book titled Shouldering Two Wars written by Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, that it would be another war to start repaying debts in 2028, and it will be the real problem facing the country although it is not discussed within or outside the Parliament. Explaining further he said in 2028 our foreign reserves should be at the level of USD 15 billion according to the agreement with the IMF. At present we have USD 6 billion and it should be more..

Sep 4 (SO) For many people, a cancer diagnosis begins with a worrying lump, an unusual symptom or a persistent change that they can no longer ignore. At the Cancer Early Detection Centre (CEDC), those concerns can now be investigated free of charge — and, where necessary, patients can be moved swiftly into specialist care. Relocated from Narahenpita to the National Hospital in Colombo this February, more..

Sep 4 (GV) The publication of Rathuwevi Mihimadala, a book chronicling the life and political journey of veteran politician Vasudeva Nanayakkara, provides an appropriate moment not merely to celebrate an individual but to examine one of the longest and most complex political careers in modern SL history. There is little dispute that Vasudeva deserves a place in SL’s political history. The more difficult question is which Vasudeva should history remember? more..

Sep 4 (DM) Supreme Court on Tuesday took up for hearing 67 petitions regarding the Bill on the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which seeks to increase the retirement age of judges of the Superior Courts. The determination on the Bill by the Supreme Court would be directly conveyed to the Speaker of Parliament within three weeks after its consideration, and the Speaker in turn would make it public during a Parliamentary sitting. Some of the 67 petitioners contended that more..