Jan 3 (FT) CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe will announce the bank’s policy agenda for 2026 next Thursday (8) amid concerns of external sector and inflationary pressures post-Ditwah. CBSL is hosting an event titled Central Bank’s Policy Agenda for 2026 and Beyond intended to set out the institution’s policy priorities for the coming year and the medium term. CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, speaking at more..

Jan 3 (DM) Despite the lapse of almost one year after signing the MoU, the proposed US $ 3.7 billion investment by Sinopec is yet to see the light of day. In January 2025, Chinese state-owned oil and gas giant China Petrochemical Corporation which is called Sinopec, entered into an agreement with the govt to expedite the construction of a state-of-the-art $ 3.7 billion oil refinery in the investment zone near Hambantota International Port (HIP). MoU was signed during the visit of Prez Anura Kumara more..

Jan 3 (CT) Amid SL’s increasingly delicate foreign policy balancing act between China and India, it has emerged that 28 Pakistani nationals and two Chinese nationals who were employed in a wind power project in Mannar have left the country after completing turbine installation work. The issue drew official attention after concerns were raised over the engagement of foreign nationals on work permits in a strategically sensitive area. In response, a national-level steering committee meeting more..

Jan 3 (DM) Sri Lanka today kicks off its first international gem and jewellery exhibition of the year as FACETS Sri Lanka 2026 opens at The Forum, Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, marking a significant new chapter for the country’s flagship industry showcase. Now in its 33rd year, FACETS has moved to the newly opened Cinnamon Life complex, hosting its most expansive edition to date across two floors. more..

Jan 3 (FT) SL’s total outstanding debt held by Provincial Councils and local Govt authorities rose 24.62% in the six months to 30 Sept 2025, increasing by Rs. 1,268 million to Rs. 6,419 million from Rs. 5,151 million as at 31 March 2025, according to Finance Ministry tracking. The sharp increase was driven overwhelmingly by the Western Province, where outstanding debt surged by Rs. 2,349 million, or 388.91%, rising to Rs. 2,953 million from Rs. 604 million over the period. more..

Jan 3 (FT) Former Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake yesterday criticised the CEB proposal to increase electricity tariffs in the first quarter of the year, questioning both its timing and justification. Speaking to the media, Ratnayake said the proposed revision comes at a period of acute economic stress for households, noting that nearly 35% of the population is struggling to secure three meals a day in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. more..

Jan 3 (NW) SL reaffirmed its firm support for the One China policy, reiterating that it recognises the govt of China as the sole legal govt representing the whole of China, in line with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758. The assurance was conveyed during a meeting between Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong and SL’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath, held amid discussions on possible Chinese assistance to SL following Cyclone Ditwah. more..

Jan 3 (FT) Non-Bank Finance Company (FC) sector expanded sharply in the year to end-September 2025, with total assets growing 35.3% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs. 2.49 trillion, driven primarily by a strong increase in loans and advances, according to the Central Bank of SL’s Financial Soundness Indicators (FSI) for the third quarter of 2025. Net loans and advances rose 48.4% YoY to Rs. 1.99 trillion from Rs. 1.34 trillion at end-September 2024, reflecting an acceleration in credit growth. more..

Jan 3 (CT) Govt is set to re-examine the newly introduced education reforms following widespread concerns raised by educators, parents and other stakeholders. According to a senior ministry official, several aspects of the reform process are likely to be amended after a fresh review. Requests have been received from multiple quarters calling for comprehensive oversight of the entire reform programme, including more..

Jan 3 (FT) SL’s coconut sector has recorded a landmark year in 2025, with export earnings surpassing $ 1 billion and projected to reach around $ 1.2 billion by year-end, Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe said, highlighting the industry’s growing importance in the country’s export basket. He said the performance represents a sharp increase from $ 800 million in 2024, translating into year-on-year (YoY) growth of over 40% and marking a major milestone for the coconut industry. more..

Jan 3 (AM) SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa said on Wednesday that the government is digging its own grave through its actions, while stressing that the role of the Opposition is to pressure the govt to fulfil the promises made to the people. Speaking to the media at an event held in Seenigama, Rajapaksa said National People’s Power (NPP) had engaged in various promotional and political activities over the past year, a period which, he noted, had been particularly difficult for the public. more..

Jan 3 (Island) Sri Lanka Tourism, in collaboration with the Embassy of SL to the Republic of Korea, is providing support for the two VVIP South Korean Buddhist delegations visiting the country, demonstrating solidarity and strengthening cultural and religious ties with SL. The first delegation included Anunayake thero of Jogye order, South Korean chief Buddhist monks and devotees arrived in SL consisting of 120, on 1st Dec 2025, with the intention of undertaking a pilgrimage tour and more..

Jan 3 (DM) Sixteen SL apparel companies, including 12 small and medium enterprises (SMEs), will be promoting local apparel products at the UK’s Source Fashion Exhibition this month. The exhibition, which will be held from Jan 13-15 in London, UK, is one of the UK’s leading sourcing platforms. It attracts more than 1,000 British and European retailers and buyers annually, including top brands like Tesco, ASOS and John Lewis. New trade openings under the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme, more..

Jan 3 (NW) SLC said it has borne a cost of Rs. 1.7 billion for ongoing development work at the SSC Grounds in Colombo, which is being upgraded ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. SLC conducted a media tour of the SSC Grounds today to brief journalists on the latest developments taking place at the venue in preparation for the tournament. The SSC Grounds will be one of the host venues of the T20 WC more..

Jan 3 (FT) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, in partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), successfully co-hosted the International Conference on the Global Partnership against Online Scams in Bangkok, Thailand. The Conference aimed to strengthen and complement ongoing regional and international efforts to combat online scams and to enhance global cooperation to address existing operational gaps in tackling this complex form of transnational crime. more..

Jan 3 (ST) Judicial independence is constitutionally recognised as an intangible heritage of the people, preserved through successive generations as a safeguard of dignity, equality, and freedom. It is not a privilege vested in individual judges, Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena stressed. He warned that failure to adjudicate impartially and competently, constitutes an indirect expropriation of that heritage from the people themselves. Justice Surasena made these remarks in his keynote address more..

Jan 3 (ST) The charge for plastic shopping bags at major supermarkets, introduced as an environmental measure, is prompting growing public scrutiny over who ultimately benefits from the policy. Since Nov 1, 2025, SL’s leading retail chains have been required, under Extraordinary Gazette Notification No. 2456/41, to end the free distribution of plastic shopping bags and instead charge Rs.3 for medium & Rs.5 for more..

Jan 3 (AD) Ministry of Health and Mass Media has stated that the State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC) has recorded the highest drug production in its history during the year 2025. Accordingly, the SPMC produced a total of 3,625 million tablets and capsules during the year 2025. Ministry further noted that the corporation also achieved its highest-ever monthly production in March 2025, during which 385 million tablets and capsules were manufactured. more..

Jan 3 (ST) With the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Act for the proper management and maintenance of SOEs coming in the 1Q next year, certain such entities have agreed in principle to go public on the Colombo Stock Exchange, a deputy minister said. About 65 SOEs have agreed in principle to go for listing. These entities are for a selected commercial nature, Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando said. He said that these selected entities will be brought under a holding company. more..

Jan 3 (FT) NDB Bank partnered with Kandy City Centre (KCC) as the Official Banking Partner of Splash Shopping Fiesta 2025, the biggest shopping festival of the season, held from 24-28 Dec. The event brought together an exciting blend of retail, entertainment, and festive cheer, creating a vibrant shopping experience for customers in the Central Province during the year-end season. As the Official Banking Partner, NDB Bank played a key role in enhancing the overall experience by more..

Jan 3 (FT) SL Export Development Board (EDB) recently hosted a networking session aimed at equipping new and prospective exporters with the knowledge and connections needed to succeed in international markets. A large number of entrepreneurs preparing to enter the export sector participated in the session, during which experienced industry professionals shared valuable insights essential for successful export operations. Key topics discussed included participation more..

Jan 3 (FT) EDB Chairman Mangala Wijesinghe said SL is projecting total export earnings of $ 20 billion in 2026, reflecting a year-on-year (YoY) growth of 10%, whilst expressing confidence in the country’s steady recovery and medium-term export expansion strategy. “Merchandise exports are forecast to exceed $ 15.7 billion in 2026, while services exports are expected to rise to $ 4.3 billion, supported by growth in key sectors more..

Jan 3 (Island) Superlatives galore were used, especially on social media, to highlight R&B singer Ne-Yo’s trip to SL: Global superstar Ne-Yo to perform live in Colombo this December; Ne-Yo concert puts Sri Lanka back on the global entertainment map; A global music sensation is coming to SL … and there were lots more! At an official press conference, held at a five-star venue, in Colombo, it was indicated that the gathering marked a defining moment for SL’s entertainment more..

Jan 3 (DM) The NPP govt is being accused of suppression of media freedom again, a month after it was accused of the same, after the Chief Editor of the Sinhala language daily, Aruna was summoned by the CID over a news item published in that newspaper. The govt this time is being accused after the police requested Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of SL (TRCSL) to look into certain news items telecast by a controversial television channel. Even most groups that are not happy with more..

Jan 3 (Island) Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA) has said the govt is planning to pass the cost of the voluntary retirement scheme for the employees of the CEB, which is to be restructured, on to the public in the form of a power tariff hike. A proposal to this effect has been submitted to Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL), ECA has said. The proposed tariff hike is said to be 11.57% for the first quarter of the current year. Speculation is rife that the PUCSL will grant the CEB’s request, more..

Jan 3 (ST) As Sri Lankans prepare to move into 2026, three significant events that defined and shaped SL this year were parliamentary polls (in which the NPP secured a landslide victory); the continuation of the IMF’s extended fund facility by the ruling party contrary to expectations that it would be abandoned; and the Nov 28th Cyclone Ditwah (while the number of casualties was less than the 2004 tsunami, the destruction to land and property was higher than in 2004). more..

Jan 3 (CT) The political year opened in SL not with fireworks or slogans, but with gestures heavy in symbolism: religious observances, unexpected phone calls, quiet meetings behind hotel doors, and carefully worded public statements. Together, they offered early clues to the contours of a political season likely to be shaped as much by recalibration within the Opposition as by the governing coalition’s attempt to consolidate authority amid more..

Jan 3 (CT) Sri Lanka enters the New Year without an Auditor General. This is not a mere administrative delay. It is a grave failure of governance that strikes at the heart of public accountability, financial oversight and constitutional responsibility. The prolonged deadlock over appointing the country’s chief auditor has now crossed the line from procedural dysfunction to institutional negligence. For more than ten months since the retirement of the previous Auditor General, more..

Jan 3 (CT) The passing away of veteran singer Mrs Latha Walpola, The Queen of Songs of Lanka, has created an unfillable void in the Lankan music world. The boundless body of creations she gifted to Sri Lankan singing culture will remain as a cultural heritage of ours. Her melodious voice and her singing ability, which won hearts for generations, set a benchmark in Sri Lankan music. We sang many of her songs on numerous occasions while enjoying ourselves. more..

Jan 3 (DM) Knuckles Forest is a unique forest ecosystem in Sri Lanka, which was declared as a conservation forest by the Dept of Forest Conservation through Extraordinary Gazette No. 1130/22 dated 05.05.2000. It is also the first conservation forest in the country. In addition, under the National Environmental Act No. 47 of 1980, the Knuckles area was designated as an environmental protection area through Extraordinary more..

Jan 3 (FT) Local governance is about managing public affairs at the community level. It involves Local Govt, citizens, and organisations in making and implementing decisions for services like roads, sanitation, schools & parks. It aims to be responsive, efficient, and representative of local needs through participatory processes like budgeting, planning & service delivery. It decentralises power, bringing Govt closer to people, fostering democracy & tackling local development issues. more..

Jan 3 (DM) Under the original provisions, if the Council failed to pass the budget within two weeks of its submission, the budget would, notwithstanding such failure, be deemed to have been duly adopted. Even where the Council modified or rejected the budget, Section 215A allowed the Mayor to resubmit it for further consideration if he did not agree with the Council’s decision. Importantly, under this earlier legal position, defeat of the budget did not require the Mayor to resign. more..