Mar 11 (EN) National carrier SriLankan will increase its frequency to Australia from August this year to cater a growing demand in the sector, the company said in a statement. SriLankan Airlines will increase its weekly service between Colombo and Melbourne to 10 flights, effective from August 2, this year with the addition of three more scheduled flights. The move comes in response to growing demand and evolving market dynamics, the Airlines said in a statement. more..

Mar 11 (NW) Committee on Parliamentary Business has decided that the Parliament will convene from March 17 to 20. The decision was made during a meeting of the committee held on March 6 under the chairmanship of Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne. Agenda for Tuesday (17); From 9.30 am to 10 am, time has been allocated for parliamentary business mentioned under Standing Order 22 (1–6). From 10 am to 11 am, time has been allocated for questions requiring oral answers, more..

Mar 11 (DM) While some countries are taking various measures to reduce fuel consumption amidst sky-rocketing fuel prices due to the tension in the Middle East, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said yesterday Sri Lanka is not expecting to reduce fuel consumption by contracting economic activities. The Minister told the weekly briefing to announce Cabinet decisions that the govt is expecting to maintain continuous fuel supply in the country. more..

Mar 11 (AD) The electricity sector trade unions have decided to call off the ongoing strike action launched by them based on several demands, following a discussion with relevant authorities. The trade unions action was called off after the union representatives signed an agreement following talks held this evening with the Commissioner General of Labour and the management of the newly established electricity sector companies. During today’s meeting, more..

Mar 11 (ANI) After the successful conclusion of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, ICC has confirmed the final allocation of the tournament's USD 11.25 million players' prize money pool, following the record-breaking increase in ICC prize money introduced in 2024. The champions of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, India, will receive USD 2,639,423, while the runners-up, NZ, will take home USD 1,422,692. South Africa, on the other hand, will get USD 1,005,577 and England are going to get USD 974,423. more..

Mar 11 (AD) The trade unions currently engaged in strike action in the power sector have demanded a 40% salary increase, and if that demand is granted, electricity tariffs may have to be increased by around 100%, according to Nusith Kumaratunga, the Chairman of the National Transmission Network Service Provider (Pvt) Ltd. Kumaratunga made these remarks while addressing a media briefing today organized by the management of the successor companies of the CEB. more..

Mar 11 (DM) Amid concerns among parents about a shortage of medicines for children, the health authorities have denied that there is any serious shortage at the hospitals. Lady Ridgeway Hospital Director Dr Pradeep Wijesinghe said there is no critical shortage of Ethosuximide, as claimed by unions. “I strongly reject these claims. There is no acute shortage of Ethosuximide at Lady Ridgeway Hospital. If anyone says otherwise, they should provide details. We are ready to check and clarify,” more..

Mar 11 (NW) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has warned that SL is facing an external economic shock due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, urging the public and businesses to respond collectively to manage its impact. Key points from his remarks: 1. The President said the Middle East conflict has disrupted global supply chains, creating economic pressure on many countries including SL. 2. He noted that global crude oil prices have increased by about 42% since early March, more..

Mar 11 (FT) In the quiet border town of O’Smach, Cambodia, authorities recently uncovered one of the most sophisticated scam operations the region has ever seen. The abandoned compound revealed rooms staged to look like international police stations, counterfeit uniforms, and stacks of forged documents, all meticulously designed to convince victims that they were under investigation. But beyond the physical deception lies a deeper, more insidious story, the emotional and psychological damage more..

Mar 11 (FT) Sri Lanka is currently in the vice grip of fear-driven administrative inertia, and this is proving to be a serious obstacle to economic recovery and a tangible barrier to the smooth functioning of the everyday life of citizens. When the fear of a future audit, a commission of inquiry, mudslinging on social media, et cetera, outweighs the perceived benefit of taking a calculated risk in the best interests of the country, the machinery of state grinds to a halt. more..

Mar 11 (Island) CEB Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) warned that uncertainty surrounding the ongoing restructuring of the CEB had forced many employees to refrain from performing their regular duties, raising concerns about potential disruptions to electricity sector operations. The engineers’ union said the current situation had arisen due to what it described as either deliberate actions or extreme negligence in implementing more..

Mar 11 (DM) Drug trafficking, fraud and trade-based money laundering are Sri Lanka’s most significant money laundering threats, while warning that terrorist financing risks have increased, the latest national risk assessment released by the Financial Intelligence Unit of SL revealed. The assessment, coordinated by the FIU of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, found that Sri Lanka’s overall national money laundering (ML) risk remains at a medium level, unchanged from the previous review. more..

Mar 11 (NW) Former CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal has rejected social media claims that he paid Rs. 1.84 billion in connection with the Greek bond case. Cabraal had earlier stated that he did not agree to the condition requiring him to deposit Rs. 1,843,267,595.65 and maintained his innocence. Colombo High Court had released Cabraal on conditions after the CIABOC withdrew indictments against him under the Bribery Act. As part of the arrangement proposed by the BC, more..

Mar 11 (DM) The SL govt has signaled a strong commitment to expanding public-private partnerships (PPPs) within the healthcare sector, aligning with industry leaders who view collaborative governance as the key to unlocking the country’s medical potential. Policymakers and private healthcare executives emphasised at the healthcare summit that deeper integration is required to manage rising costs, more..

Mar 11 (DN) The convener of the Central Province Drinking Water Bottle Manufacturers Association, Sapumal Kumara, emphasizes the bottled water industry has a huge potential to boost as a foreign reserve generation industry. To reach this target it should find new foreign markets, where there is a scarcity of drinking water supply. However he empathised that some of the bottled water available in the market in this country contains dead water that has no minerals. more..

Mar 11 (Island) Swiss Ambassador in Colombo Dr Siri Walt has appreciated the position taken by the government regarding the situation in the Middle East. Dr. Walt said so when she met the Chief of Staff to the President, Prabath Chandrakeerthi, yesterday morning (10). During the meeting, discussions focused on the current economic situation in Sri Lanka, as well as the prevailing circumstances arising from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. more..

Mar 11 (Island) Netherlands Embassy in Colombo has accused the Russian Embassy of trying to limit freedom of expression and right to know in SL. Embassy issued the following statement: “Embassy of Netherlands’ attention has been drawn to the attempts by the Russian Embassy in Colombo to deny the people of SL’s right to information and freedom of expression by demanding photos related to Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine be removed from World Press Photo exhibition, more..

Mar 11 (DM) Litro Gas Lanka has announced a revision of domestic gas cylinder prices with effect from midnight on March 10, 2026, citing rising gas prices in the global market. The company said the price adjustment was made after considering the minimum possible revision required due to the increase in international gas prices. Accordingly, the price of the 12.5 kg domestic cylinder has been increased by Rs. 300, raising the new price to Rs. 3,990 from the previous Rs. 3,690. more..

Mar 11 (TM) Following the Govt’s decision to increase fuel prices across all categories with effect from Monday, several consumer groups and industry representatives yesterday warned of a cascading impact on transport costs, essential goods and household expenses, with some demanding urgent policy revisions and others announcing immediate fee hikes. The upward revision, introduced amid rising global oil prices and similar increases more..

Mar 11 (DN) The long delayed Sri Lanka Athletic (SLA) election which should have been held an year ago will be held tomorrow at the Sports Ministry Auditorium. Two factions are contesting this election for the next term of office at SLA. Bimal Wijesinghe, president of Colonel Henry Steel Olcott Memorial Sports Foundation and senior administrator as well as a former athlete will contest for presidency from one camp. Madhava Senarath, an athletics coach and athletics data analyst will contest more..

Mar 11 (TM) Three prominent activists of the aragalaya, last week announced a one-month’s ultimatum to the Govt to either remove the Shammi Silva-led Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) administration, or brace themselves to face another series of mass protests. In one voice they said they will mobilise the nation to bring forth the necessary transformation the country seeks to the game’s governing body, in a bid to shed the team’s defeatist mindset and become a force in the world game. more..

Mar 11 (Island) The stage is set for another chapter of the historic Battle of the Blues when traditional rivals Royal College Colombo and S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia clash in their annual Big Match which begins at the SCC on Thursday. Royal enter the encounter as favourites once again with a formidable batting line-up and a well-balanced bowling attack. The Reid Avenue boys will also be determined to avenge their defeat at the hands of their arch rivals in last year’s edition more..

Mar 11 (FT) Renuka Weerakoon has been appointed as the new Director General of the Board of Investment (BOI). She has served in the position in an acting capacity for the past 4 years. Weerakoon brings over three decades of experience at the BOI, having held several senior roles within the institution during her tenure. Prior to her appointment as the Acting Director General, she served as Senior Executive Director of the BOI. However, position of BOI Chairman still remains vacant, more..

Mar 11 (ST) Energy officials this week received a strong directive from an all-party Parliamentary committee to commission without further delay a third independent accredited lab to test coal samples from the Trident Chemphar shipments. On Tuesday, the Lakvijaya coal power plant (LVP) switched completely to South African coal imported via India’s Trident Chemphar. This is after the better-quality Russian coal more..

Mar 11 (FT) The Colombo stock market rebounded sharply yesterday after the previous session’s panic selling induced by oil prices breaking the $ 100 per barrel barrier due to the Mideast conflict. The ASPI ended on the up by 2.17% or 474.38 points to 22,378.52 and the S&P SL20 was up 2.47% or 151.56 points to 6,280.42. Market turnover was nearly Rs. 4.48 billion on over 236 million shares traded. The rebound follows trends elsewhere after Asian markets reported encouraging gains more..

Mar 11 (FT) Cabinet approved spending an estimated Rs. 131.02 million to develop tourism infrastructure facilities in the Jaffna District during this year. The move is part of a larger tourism development program prepared by the Dept of National Planning to be implemented from 2026-2028 covering all nine provinces. “A tourism development program covers all nine provinces, focusing on the identification of tourism potential destinations & development of infrastructure more..

Mar 11 (ST) As Iranian missiles and drones targeted military and infrastructure facilities in the UAE, fear-stricken Sri Lankans shared their horrifying experiences with the Sunday Times. They recounted their stories hours before Iran’s Prez Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring states, saying Tehran would not attack them unless attacked first. UAE-based SL expats noted that although a sense of normalcy had returned more..

Mar 11 (FT) Nestlé Lanka is set to invest Rs. 9 billion over the next four years to expand its manufacturing operations in Sri Lanka, signalling renewed confidence in the country’s domestic market and export potential even amid recent economic challenges. Speaking at the celebration marking 120 years of Nestlé’s operations in SL, Chairman and Managing Director Bernie Stefan said the investment will largely focus on strengthening the company’s manufacturing base in Pannala, more..

Mar 11 (FT) SL Export Development Board (EDB) has called on export community to apply for the Sri Lanka Expo 2026 int'l trade exhibition, which is scheduled to be held from 18-21 June at the BMICH in Colombo. EDB noted that Sri Lanka Expo 2026 is organised with the primary objective of connecting local businesses with international buyers and investors. “Sri Lankan exporters, export-oriented businesses and companies with export potential are eligible to apply,” it added. more..

Mar 11 (TM) Govt’s assurances that SL is not solely dependent on the Gulf markets for fuel supplies and that a steady supply can be secured from India, Malaysia, and Singapore, should be approached with a degree of scepticism. Although it is a sensible message, it is also only half the story. In moments of geopolitical tension, particularly when instability threatens the Strait of Hormuz, oil markets react long before tankers stop moving. Prices surge on risk perception. Insurance costs climb. more..

Mar 11 (FT) DCSL Breweries Lanka Ltd., has announced the international launch of Aliya Beer, the latest beer brand to emerge from Sri Lanka. Following its successful reception in local markets, Aliya Beer is now set to make its mark in export markets, introducing the world to the true taste of Sri Lanka. Available in both Strong and Lager variants, Aliya has been meticulously crafted to appeal to a wide range of palates globally, while retaining its authentic Sri Lankan identity. more..