Jan 10 (CT) US has formally withdrawn from the 76-year-old Colombo Plan Council, a multilateral development organisation established in 1950 that helped strengthen SL’s National Dangerous Drugs Control Board and Govt Analyst’s Department, as part of a sweeping reassessment of American participation in int'l organisations under President Donald Trump. The Colombo Plan Council, which remains more..

Jan 10 (NW) Construction activities at the Ambuluwawa Environmental Zone have been ordered to be suspended until further notice, pending a technical assessment by experts, the Ministry of Environment said. In a statement, the ministry said it has instructed the Central Environmental Authority to halt all construction on the Ambuluwawa mountain until a formal report is obtained from specialists and a determination is made on the level of risk in the area. more..

Jan 10 (FT) Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has underscored the urgent need for a centralised and continuously updated digital data system covering all antiquities and archaeological excavations in SL, warning that the absence of such a system undermines effective heritage management, transparency, and tourism promotion. The issue was raised when the COPA met in Parliament on Tuesday, chaired by MP Kabir Hashim, to examine AG’s Reports more..

Jan 10 (CT) CID has focused its attention on whether the third DNA report, which stated that Sarah Jasmine was among those killed in a suicide bombing at a safe house in Sainthamaruthu linked to the Easter Sunday attacks, had been issued with the intention of misleading the criminal investigation. This concern arose because two earlier DNA examinations of body parts recovered from those killed in the Sainthamaruthu blast more..

Jan 10 (CT) The first in a series of seminars under the theme Positive Discipline Instead of Punishing Schoolchildren, aimed at educating principals on preventing violence against schoolchildren, commenced in A'pura on 8 January. All school principals in the A'pura District participated in this special awareness programme, held at the North Central PC Auditorium. Programme aimed to eliminate physical punishment in schools and to promote positive thinking & discipline among more..

Jan 10 (CT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasised that the Govt is dedicated to creating an education system that does not impose a burden on parents or cause distress for children. The Prez highlighted that the country needs a modern education system that enables its children to compete on the global stage and serves as the only pathway to lift rural children out of entrenched poverty. He affirmed that, without yielding to misinformation or false narratives, more..

Jan 10 (FT) The Colombo stock market yesterday ended the week 3.45% on the up with the ASPI six points shy of reaching a new all-time high and gaining Rs. 264.8 billion in value during the week. During the week, the ASPI had gained 790.22 points and the S&P SL20 gained 5.12% or 316.93 points. Yesterday, ASPI closed 0.54% or 127.17 points on the up to 23,654.30, and the S&P SL20 was up 0.70% or 44.99 points to 6,503.02. The ASPI hit an all-time high of 23,659 on 12 Nov 2025. more..

Jan 10 (DN) Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa revealed to Parliament yesterday that the death of 12-year-old Kuganeshan Dinoja who was admitted to the Mullaitivu District Base Hospital on Dec 21, 2025 at around 7.20 pm cannot be ruled out as a murder until on-going investigations are concluded. Responding to an allegation made by Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna in Parliament that Kuganeshan Dinoja was murdered in the Mullaitivu Base Hospital, more..

Jan 10 (Island) Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne yesterday (09) delivered a ruling under Standing Order 27(3), declaring out of order a motion submitted by 31 Members of Parliament to appoint a Select Committee to examine the powers of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The Speaker emphasised that the JSC’s functions constitute the exercise of the People’s judicial power and were protected by constitutional more..

Jan 10 (EN) SL’s central bank has bought US$ 250.8 million from the people in Dec 2025 and sold US$ 28.3 million back to them, official data shows, depreciating the rupee by close to three rupees in the process. The rupee ended the year a tad shy of 310 to the US dollar in the spot market with some moral suasion being used. There has been a narrative spread in the island by macro-economists that the rupee is market determined, but there is aggressive exchange rate policy being more..

Jan 10 (DM) Sri Lanka has secured its position as the third fastest-growing travel destination for Australian tourists in 2025, recording a 19% year-on-year growth in arrivals. According to the latest data, the island nation trails only Israel and Iran, while outperforming popular regional competitors such as Vietnam and Nepal. ​The data reveals a significant shift in the market’s behaviour, with a total of 132,390 Australian visitors arriving in Sri Lanka during the year. more..

Jan 10 (DN) Skipper Chamudi Probodha returned excellent figures of 4 for 10 as Team Reds pulled off a major upset, defeating Team Greys by 17 runs in their Women’s National Super League T20 match played at the Thurstan Grounds yesterday. Packed with promising Under-19 players, Team Reds posted 107 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs. The 16-year-old leg-spinner Probodha then led from the front with a match-winning spell, as Team Greys were bowled out for 90 in 19.3 overs. more..

Jan 10 (DN) TikTok recently shared the top searched words on the platform in SL in 2025, offering a snapshot of what Sri Lankans were most curious about this year — from the celebrities and creators they follow, to the music and dramas they can’t stop talking about, the places they’re planning to visit, and the moments driving conversation across the platform. From cricket-led highlights and entertainment buzz to cultural touchpoints like Kandy Esala Perahera, the 2025 list reflects more..

Jan 10 (FT) Minister Sunil Handunneththi confirmed that SL’s export revenues exceeded $ 17 billion in 2025, highlighting the resilience of the country’s exporters and the impact of coordinated policy support, strategic market development, and targeted capacity-building initiatives. Addressing the official launch of Sri Lanka Expo 2026, Minister congratulated the export community, Export Development Board, more..

Jan 10 (DN) The Lanka Ride cycling race, jointly organised by the Sports Development Department and the Cycling Umpires’ Association under will commence on Jan 16 at 9 a.m. opposite Lake House on D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo. The first stage of the Lanka Ride will be from Colombo to Gannoruwa on Jan 16, followed by the second stage from Gannoruwa to Auradhapura on Jan 17. On the final day, the race will return to Colombo, finishing at Torrington Square. more..

Jan 10 (DN) Among the 20 Sectoral Advisory Councils operating under the Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development, Huzefa Akbarally, Chairman of the Tea Exporters Association, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Sectoral Advisory Council for the Value Added Tea Sector. The appointment was made at the Sectoral Advisory Council for the Value Added Tea Sectoral Advisory Council on Wednesday (07) under the patronage of Minister of more..

Jan 10 (FT) Sri Lanka Expo 2026, returning after a 14-year hiatus, was officially launched yesterday by the Export Development Board (EDB) as a flagship national initiative aimed at accelerating export growth, industrial transformation, and global engagement, with strong backing from both the Govt and the private sector. The four-day exhibition will be held from 18 to 21 June at the BMICH in Colombo. Speaking at the launch, EDB Chairman more..

Jan 10 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the banking sector of resorting to debt traps instead of offering practical solutions to ease the economic hardships faced by micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs). Speaking in Parliament, he warned that MSMEs, which contribute about 52% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and provide employment to nearly 4.5 million people, are in severe distress following the economic crisis. more..

Jan 10 (FT) SL must stay the course with the IMF program, invest decisively in tourism-related infrastructure, and cut regulatory red tape for foreign investors if it is to convert recent economic stabilisation into sustained and inclusive growth, speakers said yesterday at a policy discussion held alongside the launch of the report Sustaining transformative growth in SL, 2025–2030 by the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) and ODI Global at SL Foundation Institute in Colombo. more..

Jan 10 (FT) Consulate General of SL in Guangzhou, in partnership with the SL Tourism Promotion Bureau, successfully hosted the Sri Lanka Is Ready networking evening. The event attracted over 60 senior executives and key industry figures, including representatives from the Guangzhou International Travel Fair, leading outbound tour operators from Guangzhou and Shenzhen, prospective Chinese travellers, and prominent Chinese media and social media influencers, alongside more..

Jan 10 (FT) SLTDA Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam announced that it will launch a comprehensive tourism leakage survey towards the end of this month to accurately assess how much of tourist spending remains within the domestic economy. Hewawasam said the survey will examine how much of the revised average daily tourist spending of $ 148 actually stays in SL. The announcement builds on SL’s largest-ever tourism research initiative unveiled on 27 Nov 2025, more..

Jan 10 (DM) India awaits Sri Lanka’s response to the proposal for a detailed project report on land connectivity between the two countries, an official said yesterday. Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha said that the land connectivity project was actually a proposal that originated from Sri Lanka. “Our proposal to the govt of Sri Lanka is to conduct a detailed project report to initiate that. We are waiting for govt of SL more..

Jan 10 (DM) Ministry of Education has suspended distribution of the newly printed Grade 6 English language module after discovering that it contained an incorrect website reference, sparking broader questions about the quality control mechanisms governing new education reforms. While some critics have sought to assign blame to PM and Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. It would be unreasonable to hold the Minister personally responsible without a comprehensive more..

Jan 10 (DM) It is not clear how many people in this country can understand the ongoing row over the proposed education reforms which the govt initially planned to implement from this month. The only thing one can very clearly understand is that people are divided on political party lines and not on the merits and demerits of the reforms. Interestingly and importantly, only a small number of them on either side of the divide seems to be acquainted of these reforms. more..

Jan 10 (Island) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has revealed in Parliament that as many as 65 court cases, withdrawn during previous govts, have been refiled since the current administration came to power. Attorney General’s Department and the CIABOC had withdrawn those cases, she said in answer to a question raised by an Opposition MP. In this country, govts are notorious for perverting the legal and judicial processes to let lawbreakers among their members off the hook. more..

Jan 10 (FT) Sri Lanka is currently confronting a national crisis of exceptional magnitude. Recent natural disasters have inflicted damage that surpasses even the devastation caused by the 2004 tsunami. While a comprehensive assessment is still underway, preliminary estimates place the economic losses at approximately $ 5.6 billion. This shock has occurred at a particularly vulnerable juncture as the country is still in the early stages of recovery from a profound economic collapse, more..

Jan 10 (CT) In September of last year, security minister Ananda Wijepala informed Parliament that investigations into the 2009 assassination of prolofic journalist and human rights defender Lasantha Wickrematunge, has now been completed and handed to the Attorney General. The assassination of Wickrematunge constitutes a flagrant and prima facie case of egregious corruption, precipitating a profound crisis more..

Jan 10 (GV) The govt enters its second year with mixed reviews. While gaining points for action on the anti-corruption front and turning away from the elite old political guard, it has earned brickbats for inaction on human rights issues and addressing the concerns of minority communities. There are no concrete moves to deal with the causes that led to the 26 year civil war nor to bring justice to victims of war related crimes. The country is awaiting a firm date for Provincial Council elections. more..

Jan 10 (DM) Our Foreign Minister – Vijitha Herath -- was in a jubilant mood over the past few days. He announced foreign exchange remittances from Sri Lankan migrant workers had increased by nineteen percent. He boasted that the remittances at the end of December 2025 stood at a massive US$ 7.8 billion. Central Bank reports at March 2025 showed that while our total export trade amounted to US$ 1,242 million, migrant worker remittances amounted to US$ 693 million. more..

Jan 10 (CT) What began as an admission of a serious blunder in a Grade 6 English language module grew into a full-blown political storm by the end of the week, one that exposed not only flaws in institutional safeguards, but also the deep fault lines shaping SL’s current political moment. Govt moved quickly, at least in words, to concede error. The assurance that the controversial material would be completely removed from Grade 6 English more..

Jan 10 (CT) 17 years after the brutal assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunge, SL stands at a grim crossroads. On 8 Jan 2026, family members, colleagues, and fellow journalists gathered at the Borella Cemetery to mark the death anniversary of the founding Editor of The Sunday Leader. Flowers were laid, candles were lit, and familiar questions lingered in the air. Who ordered his killing, and why has the State still failed to deliver justice? Lasantha Wickrematunge was not merely a journalist. more..

Jan 10 (TM) For nearly 175 years, the Teaching Hospital (TH), Jaffna, has stood not simply as a cluster of wards and operating theatres, but as a quiet witness to the social, political and medical history of the Northern Province. From modest beginnings in the mid-19th Century to its present role as a major tertiary care and academic institution, the Hospital’s story is inseparable from that of the people that it serves, stretching from Jaffna to Mannar, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, more..