Jan 7 (TM) The Opposition is likely to commence preparing a no-confidence motion (NCM) against the Minister of Education PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, in connection with her alleged responsibility regarding the error in the Grade Six English language module prepared by the National Institute of Education (NIE), it is learnt. According to SJB MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Opposition will commence collecting MPs' signatures for more..

Jan 7 (TM) Education Ministry has stated that changes to the Grade Six English language module, which was found to contain a reference to an inappropriate website, can be carried out before 22 January, when education reforms are due to commence. Ministry Secretary, Nalaka Kaluwewa said that the State Printing Corporation (SPC) has informed the Ministry that whatever changes are proposed could be implemented within that time frame. He said that several options more..

Jan 7 (CT) The annual St. Anthony’s Festival at Katchatheevu Church is scheduled to take place on 27 Feb 2026. The initial preparatory meeting for the festival was held yesterday at the Neduntheevu DS. The meeting, chaired by Neduntheevu Divisional Secretary N. Prabhakaran, was attended by the Neduntheevu Naval Command Officer and officials from the Divisional Secretariat. During the discussion, officials reviewed issues from last year’s festival, focusing on addressing the difficulties more..

Jan 7 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday reviewed the progress of the national anti-narcotics drive at the third meeting of the A Nation United National Steering Council, a body set up to coordinate efforts to eradicate drug abuse in the country. Addressing the Council, the Prez noted that just as the country’s physical development is important, wellbeing and stability of society are equally vital, and that more..

Jan 7 (DM) Cabinet has approved proposals to expand advanced diagnostic services and hemodialysis facilities in govt hospitals through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mechanisms, subject to performance-based payment schemes. Demand for advanced diagnostic services within public health system has increased significantly due to the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases and the expansion of comprehensive healthcare services at all levels. more..

Jan 7 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers at their first meeting for 2026 held on Monday approved calling for expressions of interest (EOIs) from investors to lease 24 identified bungalows and houses under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, aiming to ensure more productive and economically viable use of underutilised State assets. The selected properties will be offered on a 30-year lease basis, with the Government noting that the process will be carried out without creating social concerns. more..

Jan 7 (DN) Securities and Exchange Commission of SL (SEC), in collaboration with Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), has intensified efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of public listings by conducting an awareness session for Corporate Finance Advisors, underscoring their pivotal role in safeguarding investor confidence and market integrity. The forum brought together Corporate Finance Advisors alongside senior officials from SEC & CSE to clarify regulatory expectations, more..

Jan 7 (FT) Marking a significant milestone in the digital transformation of SL’s legal sector, Bar Association of SL (BASL) has adopted LankaSign Digital Signatures, enabled by LankaPay, to digitally sign electronic documents to drive digital transformation in the legal profession. To commemorate this landmark initiative, several key office bearers of BASL were ceremoniously handed over highly secure LankaSign digital signature tokens on 5 Jan at the premises of BASL. more..

Jan 7 (FT) SL’s digital economy is advancing faster than the trust architecture required to sustain it, creating a growing risk to adoption, confidence and long-term economic value, Supreme Court Judge Arjuna Obeyesekere said. Delivering the keynote address at the 2nd National Data Protection Symposium organised by the Bar Association of SL, Justice Obeyesekere said the country had moved from preparing for more..

Jan 7 (TM) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) stated that, as the CEB moves ahead with its restructuring into six new companies, the relevant licences will be issued under the names of those companies once they are formally established, and that until then, existing licences will continue to remain valid. PUCSL’s Director - Communication, Jayanat Herat said that PUCSL has currently issued four distribution licences, one transmission licence & generation licences to relevant power plants more..

Jan 7 (FT) Cabinet approved a targeted relief package to support farmers whose export-oriented crops were destroyed by recent extreme and erratic weather conditions, with a focus on restoring long-term agricultural productivity and safeguarding export earnings. The decision follows the issuance of Budget Circulars No. 08/2025 and 08/2025 (i), which set out the instructions for granting relief to farmers affected by climate-related calamities, particularly those cultivating short-term crops. more..

Jan 7 (DM) The daughter of specialist neurosurgeon Dr. Maheshi Wijerathne of the Sri J'pura Hospital, who is charged with verbally abusing and threatening officers of the Bribery Commission and obstructing them in the discharge of their duties, pleaded not guilty before Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga Bodaragama. The suspect, Hemali Wijerathne, who is the daughter of Dr. Maheshi Wijerathne, an alleged suspect in a corruption case involving the sale of neurosurgical equipment more..

Jan 7 (AD) Three Indian nationals have been arrested at the BIA with 50kg of Kush cannabis. The stock of narcotics valued at Rs. 500 million has been seized by SL Customs Narcotics Control Unit officers. The suspects, aged between 25 and 31, arrived at 11:07 a.m. on SriLankan Airlines flight UL 403 from Bangkok, Thailand. According to preliminary investigations by customs officers, drug traffickers had promised to provide the group with a Bangkok trip to smuggle the consignment. more..

Jan 7 (FT) Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe said that amendments to the Employees’ Provident Fund Act are being discussed at the tripartite National Labour Advisory Council, as the Govt examines whether EPF contributors should be given the option of receiving a regular pension instead of a lump sum upon retirement. He said the proposal is aimed at strengthening long-term retirement income security for private sector and semi-Govt more..

Jan 7 (DM) Govt has decided to hold off on finalising the specific tourism revenue targets for 2026, until the completion of a comprehensive data-gathering exercise under the Tourism Satellite Accounting framework. SLTDA Chairman Buddika Hewawasam emphasised that the future goals would no longer rely on assumptions or outdated metrics but would instead be grounded in a scientific model, once the full suite of surveys—including the critical leakage & domestic tourism data—is validated. more..

Jan 7 (ST) State university academics are threatening to intensify their protests over the UGC’s decision to revise the system of appointing deans and dept heads, a move they say undermines the autonomy of higher education institutions. In a letter to vice chancellors, the UGC urged them not to appoint new deans or department heads until further notice, while a proposed amendment to the system of appointments is pending. The academics launched a one-day token strike on Dec 30, more..

Jan 7 (DN) SL cricket team led by Dasun Shanaka is expected to rectify their previous mistakes and come back strongly with a winning mentality when they play their first T-20 of the three match series against Pakistan at Rangiri Dambulla Int'l Cricket Stadium today, commencing at 7 pm. The series will play for the Rhino Roofing Trophy. Head of Exports, Rhino Roofing Ranil Chandrasekara said that they are very happy more..

Jan 7 (FT) Cabinet on Monday approved awarding the procurement contract for the printing and supply of vehicle number plates to M/s South Asian Technologies Ltd, in a move aimed at resolving prolonged shortages and delays in the country’s vehicle registration system. The decision comes amid a surge in vehicle registrations following the lifting of import controls in 2025, which led to a sharp influx of new vehicles and exposed weaknesses in the existing system. more..

Jan 7 (FT) FACETS SL 2026, the country’s premier int'l gem and jewellery exhibition, on Monday concluded successfully at The Forum, Cinnamon Life – City of Dreams, receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from stakeholders, exhibitors, int'l buyers, and visitors. FACETS 2026 recorded over 4,500 registered visitors, including approximately 450 foreign buyers and int'l visitors, reaffirming its position as a key sourcing and networking platform for the global gem and jewellery trade. more..

Jan 7 (FT) SC Judge Arjuna Obeyesekere yesterday urged the legal profession against turning uncertainty around data protection into a wave of opportunistic litigation, warning that such an approach could weaken trust in Sri Lanka’s emerging digital framework. Addressing lawyers at the 2nd National Data Protection Symposium, he said that while breaches, disputes, and ambiguity are inevitable in a transitioning digital economy, flooding the courts with minor cases would more..

Jan 7 (DM) Singapore Airlines has commenced an additional afternoon flight service between Sri Lanka and Singapore, increasing its operations to three extra flights per week with effect from June 1, marking another milestone in its 52 years of service between the two countries by 2026. The airline has deployed a wide-body Airbus A350-900 aircraft to operate the new afternoon service every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from Singapore’s Changi International Airport to BIA, Katunayake. more..

Jan 7 (WTC) Word has it that the first Arabica seeds planted on SL’s soil originated from Yemen and were brought to the island by Arabs via India in the early 1600s. The first ones to cultivate coffee were the Dutch who shipped plants from the Amsterdam botanical gardens. Crop was discovered as potentially profitable almost a century later by the Dutch East India Company, who controlled major coastal regions of SL at the time more..

Jan 7 (Island) When the NPP won elections in 2024, there was much hope that the country’s education sector could be made better. Besides the promise of good governance and system change that the NPP offered, this hope was fuelled in part by the appointment of an academic who was at the forefront of the struggle to strengthen free public education and actively involved in the campaign for 6% of GDP for education, as the Minister of Education. Reforms in the education sector more..

Jan 7 (GV) In the first quarter of 2026, CEB’s plan of increasing electricity tariffs by 11.57% has understandably sparked public anxiety around affordability. In a shaky economy, electricity prices are foremost on the minds of households, businesses and industry, and discussions about fairness are unavoidable. But tariffs are more than just prices. They are also signals. Yet, read side by side with the National Electricity Plan, the latest tariff proposal exposes something deeper than more..

Jan 7 (Island) Lessons of history often go unlearnt in SL politics, defined by policy contradictions and about-turns. NPP govt is planning to relaunch a risky mission that a powerful regime once had to abandon for fear of a backlash. Yesterday, Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe said that NPP govt had given thought to introducing a pension scheme for the private sector workers because the current lump-sum EPF payments did not help achieve the desired social security goals. more..

Jan 7 (CT) Deciding whether to plan or not has always been a complex question for urban and regional planners—yet after every natural disaster, it reemerges with renewed urgency. Planning is crucial to guide organised growth, protect lives, ensure access to services, safeguard the environment, and uphold quality of life. Without it, chaos ensues. However, disasters also expose the limitations of rigid, technocratic planning: plans that ignore lived realities, silence communities, more..

Jan 7 (CT) Looking back at 2025, it is clear that Sri Lanka’s 21 million citizens allowed the NPP–JVP alliance both time and political space to attempt a new model of governance. While translating rhetoric into results is never easy, the Govt entered the year’s final phase without having faced its most severe tests. That changed with a controversy surrounding a Grade 6 school textbook, which included links to external websites more..

Jan 7 (ST) SL’s tourism boom in 2025 ended not with fireworks, but with a tuk-tuk turmoil. While SL proudly celebrated over 2.3 million tourist arrivals during the year, the final weeks were overshadowed by ugly tuk-tuk chaos in several popular destinations. Organised groups of local tuk-tuk drivers were reported to have harassed tourists and clashed with drivers attached to ride-hailing platforms like PickMe and Uber. Protests against app-based transport services have steadily more..

Jan 7 (DM) Nature seems to beat war with a market-driven investment pattern, slowly decaying the means of survival for the masses. In many ways, this ecological pushback expressed through Cyclone Ditwah mirrors the 2022 people’s uprising, which sought to overthrow an entrenched political establishment. Just as that quest remains incomplete, nature is waging its own campaign against an economy dictated by self-interest. As the climate breaks, more decisive acts of more..

Jan 7 (TM) In the final two weeks of December, three-wheeler drivers at major tourist hubs such as Ella, Weligama, and Sigiriya renewed protests against app-based ride-hailing platforms, including PickMe and Uber, claiming that the rapid expansion of these services was steadily eroding their livelihoods. SL’s transportation sector has been lagging for decades, and with a large volume of three-wheelers in the island with little or more..

Jan 7 (CT) Sri Lanka’s record earnings of USD 7.8 billion from foreign employment last year have been presented as a moment of national achievement, and in purely numerical terms, they are. At a time when the economy remains fragile and recovery continues to feel uneven, remittances from overseas workers once again appear as a financial lifeline. Yet numbers, however impressive, rarely tell the full story. Behind this figure lies a reality that demands closer scrutiny, because more..

Jan 7 (TM) The recent military operation conducted by the US in Venezuela, resulting in Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro being taken into US custody and presented before the US legal system, has triggered serious int'l controversy. Beyond the immediate political shockwaves, the incident raises fundamental questions about int'l laws and legal order, the limits of state power, and the responsibilities of global actors, particularly those entrusted with upholding international peace more..