May 23 (FT) CH17 International, official rewards and loyalty partner of Port City Colombo, has launched a high-impact promotional campaign in Dubai to spotlight the exceptional duty-free retail experience available at The Mall at Port City Colombo. This campaign is being driven through CH17’s regional franchise partner, Finwin Group, who have mobilised a dedicated team of front-line representatives across the UAE to raise awareness of this first-of-its-kind opportunity for SL travellers. more..

May 23 (Island) Constitutional Council (CC) has rejected Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s nominee for the post of the Auditor General. The Opposition has torn into President Dissanayake—and quite rightly so—for his attempt to have one of his cronies elected to the post of Auditor General at the expense of a highly deserving officer with 30 years of experience in the Auditor General’s Dept. The rejected nominee has only five years of experience in the CPC, the Opposition has alleged. more..

May 23 (FT) Sri Lanka’s tea export performance saw a notable uptick in April 2025, with total exports reaching 18.20 million kg, marking an increase of 1.82 million kg compared to 16.38 million kg recorded in April 2024. The growth was driven by improved performance across all categories except Tea in Bulk, reflecting a diversified demand for value-added products such as Tea Packets, Tea Bags and Instant Tea. more..

May 23 (ST) Recently, I came across a popular slogan: Let’s make the country by making the village first! While this phrase is politically correct and sentimentally appealing, a deeper examination reveals that, from an economic standpoint, it is more opinion-based than principle-driven. According to the latest issue of SL’s Development Updates, released by World Bank in April 2025, nearly a quarter of Sri Lankans survive on less than Rs. 1,000 per day, while 2/3ds live on less than Rs. 2,000 daily. more..

May 23 (FT) The cut in the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) by the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) had a positive impact on the Colombo stock market yesterday, with indices and turnover gaining relatively higher. The ASPI gained by 0.7% and the active S&P SL20 by 0.54%. Turnover was Rs. 4.54 billion involving 277.35 million shares. The Monetary Policy Board at its meeting on Wednesday evening decided to reduce the OPR by 25 bps to 7.75%, thereby easing monetary policy further. more..

May 23 (DN) SL’s Hiruni Wijesinghe claimed the nation’s first silver medal at the ASBC Asian Under-22 and Youth Boxing Championship yesterday, boosting the country’s medal count to 18 bronzes as the event entered its penultimate day at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo. Hiruni, fighting in the women’s 63kg weight class, fought bravely but lost to Kazakhstan’s powerful Alina Kudaigenova in the final bout. Despite the defeat, Hiruni made history as SL’s best-performing more..

May 23 (Island) In a decisive move to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world industry demands, Exiga, ROBOXA and ICBT Campus entered into strategic partnerships that promise to significantly enhance SL’s technology talent pipeline. The landmark MOU signing ceremony, held at the Kingsbury in Colombo recently drew industry heavyweights, academia and representatives from EY Global Delivery Services. The event marked the formalization of two key agreements: more..

May 23 (TM) Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage yesterday removed with immediate effect the appointment of Shemal Fernando as the Competent Authority (CA) for Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR). This was by revoking the Extraordinary Gazette Notification bearing No. 2386/08 published on 29 May 2024 by his predecessor Harin Fernando. In a startling shake up of the local rugby status quo, minister thus resorted to his actions more..

May 23 (TM) Ex-SL cricket captain Mahela Jayawardena has warned the public against fake AI-generated advertisements misusing his name and image. His warning comes after his colleague former skipper Kumar Sangakkara too had issued a similar warning previously of his own image being fraudulently used to publicise certain commercial brands. In a social media post, Jayawardena clarified that all genuine endorsements and partnerships will only be announced more..

May 23 (FT) Hemas Holdings announced strong earnings for the financial year ended 31 March 2025 and singled out the continuity of the ‘AAA’ credit rating despite revenue pressures. Hemas Group delivered a strong performance during the year, accomplishing cumulative earnings of Rs. 8.1 billion, a year-on-year growth of 31.9%. Healthcare and Mobility sectors witnessed a cumulative revenue growth compared to last year, while the Consumer Brands sector recorded a 9.4% decline. more..

May 23 (TM) Noting that the Auditor General’s (AG) Department has thus far remained an institution with no issues, SJB questioned President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s nominations for the post of the AG. The SJB questioned as to why the Prez took steps to nominate to the post someone who is connected to the Govt. SJB MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha posed these questions during a press briefing held yesterday. more..

May 23 (ST) Sri Lanka is grappling with a deepening crisis in the coconut and palm oil industry, triggered by a severe shortage of coconuts and soaring global palm oil prices. A ban on oil palm cultivation as a substitute crop, along with a restriction on oil palm imports, is threatening the industry, potentially leading to a halt in domestic coconut production within the next 3-4 years. The govt’s position is still uncertain, with no clear indication of when the ban may be lifted. more..

May 23 (DN) Police seized a stock of heroin weighing over 100 kg that was hidden inside a house in Weeraketiya in Hambantota. SSP Buddhika Manatunga said that a stock of 101.47 kg of heroin have been discovered and seized along with two suspects who were arrested while in possession of the stock of narcotics that was hidden inside a house in the Athubode area of Weeraketiya in Hambantota yesterday. A team of officers of the Police Narcotics Control Bureau had carried out a raid more..

May 23 (FT) A special workshop to brief Ministry Secretaries on the Govt’s Digital Economy Strategy and its implementation was held yesterday at the Presidential Secretariat, under the patronage of Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake. The session focused on the Govt’s latest digital economic strategies and their implementation, along with discussions regarding the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into public sector functions. more..

May 23 (TM) National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has filled over 60 vacancies in a move aimed at improving its operational efficiency, following serious concerns raised in a recent audit report about delays and lapses in drug regulation. NMRA Chairperson Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama said that approval had been received to recruit officers, and that around 60 to 70 new staff members were recruited over the past month (April). “Some of them were given their appointment letters on more..

May 23 (Island) The COPF has approved the resolution for the revision of the limits of several Advance Accounts of ministries and departments, including CIABOC and SL Customs. The COPF approved the resolutions under Section 8 of the Appropriation Act No. 34 of 2023 to revise the limits of several ministries and departments for the year 2024. Approval was granted at a recent meeting of the COPF held in Parliament more..

May 23 (Island) The earthquake relief humanitarian aid donation shipment from SL at last has reached Myanmar. Ambassador of SL to Myanmar and the staff officially handed over the donation to the relevant Myanmar Govt Authorities on 18 May at the Asia World Port Terminal in Yangon. The relief items, intended for the victims affected by the recent earthquake in Myanmar, were voluntarily collected and donated by the Most Ven. Amarapura & Ramanna Monastic Communities in SL, more..

May 23 (DN) A delegation from the World Bank Group held a meeting with the Jaffna District Govt Agent, M. Piiratheepan, to discuss development priorities and regional economic challenges facing the Northern Province. The meeting was convened at the District Secretariat in Jaffna and focused on structural issues, sectoral constraints and investment requirements related to agriculture, industry, infrastructure and livelihoods. Govt Agent presented a brief on the limited growth and more..

May 23 (AD) Anudi Gunasekara of SL has secured a spot among the final 20 contestants in the Miss World Head-to-Head Challenge, following a powerful first round that spotlighted eloquence, compassion, and global awareness from 107 young women around the world. Head-to-Head Challenge serves as a platform for contestants to speak on issues close to their hearts—ranging from personal journeys to pressing global challenges. This year’s first round saw an outpouring of more..

May 23 (DN) Minister Sunil Handunnetti told Parliament that the crisis over a salt shortage in the country has now been resolved. Speaking in Parliament yesterday (22) in response to several Opposition members’ claims on shortage of salt in the country, the Minister refuted all such claims by the Opposition stating that with the recent salt shortage, sufficient stocks of salt have now arrived at the Port with the Govt’s Cabinet decision to import salt from abroad. more..

May 23 (FT) Sri Lanka cut rates by 25 basis points due to lower than projected inflation and expected lower external demand from geopolitical uncertainties, CB Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. Central Bank lowered its lending window rate to 8.25% and the enforceable deposit facility to 7.25%. Its so-called overnight policy rate which has been held up by signalling in recent weeks, was lowered to 7.25%. more..

May 23 (TM) Sri Lanka is expected to record a surplus in its current account for the third consecutive year in 2025, with a 0.9% of GDP increase projected in the surplus, CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said. He said that SL is going to have a third year of current account surplus in 2025, even after full relaxation of import controls. “Our projection on the external side, although the external demand factor is lower, but still, because of the favourable impact on petroleum prices, more..

May 23 (AD) IMF Spokesperson Julie Kozack stated that the completion of the review is subject to approval by the executive board and that the IMF expects the board meeting to take place in the coming weeks. However, Kozack noted that the precise timing of that board meeting is contingent on two things - the first is the implementation of prior actions. She stated that the main prior actions are relating to restoring electricity cost recovery pricing and ensuring proper function of more..

May 23 (CT) CIABOC has launched an investigation into the installation of a digital radiological image archiving and communication system—commonly known as the PACS system—at five SL hospitals. The probe follows concerns that the project was implemented in violation of official procurement guidelines and without a formal request from the Ministry of Health. PACS system, designed to digitally manage and access CT & MRI more..

May 23 (FT) From our colonisers we inherited a state consisting of a democratic representative system and an administrative system to support that. We have misused both inheritances to end up today with an ineffective and insensitive state. Nothing illustrates the present situation more than the untimely death of 15-year-old student Deshi Amshika by suicide on 29 April 2025. As the timeline of events leading to the death of the child shows, the school, represented by the principal in this case, more..

May 23 (FT) Talking lightly on the strategically important subject of a nation’s security strikes me in two significant ways. Firstly, it reveals how seriously a strategically heavy subject as national security is looked at by the State. Secondly, it highlights a significant vacuum of knowledge on the subject within the State apparatus. National security is a subject that must be discussed by individuals who are well-versed in the field or who have the necessary experience and maturity to more..

May 23 (NW) Acting Director General of Health Services, Dr. Ananda Jayalal, has refuted reports circulating in the media claiming that the Health Ministry was obstructing the importation of salt to SL. Ananda Jayalal said the reports were false, adding that the Health Ministry or any dept under its purview were not involved in such actions. He further said that as of 22 May, a total of 117 importers have submitted requests to the Health Ministry’s Food Control Unit for the importation of salt. more..

May 23 (NW) SJB MP Nalin Bandara criticized the govt’s decision to restrict admissions to the medical faculty of the KDU to only cadet officers and international students. Bandara questioned the origins and implications of the move, saying, “I wonder if this is a decision of the NPP or the JVP. I don’t believe this is a decision of the NPP.” Highlighting the economic impact of outbound medical education, Bandara noted that between 700 and 800 students leave SL annually more..

May 23 (AD) Former Minister and Anuradhapura District Organiser of the SLFP, Duminda Dissanayake, has been arrested by police. Police said that the arrest was made in connection with the investigation carried out by the TID regarding the ownership of the gold-plated T-56 assault rifle discovered at a prominent apartment complex in Havelock Town on Tuesday (20). The gold-plated T-56 assault rifle was discovered on May 20 more..

May 21 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake is scheduled to visit Germany on June 10 for an official state visit. This was revealed by the Minister Vijitha Herath, while addressing the Tourism Renaissance 2025 (Sancharaka Udawa 2025) exhibition, which was inaugurated today at the BMICH in Colombo. He stated that Prez Dissanayake will meet the German President during the visit and that discussions will focus on the possible steps required to increase the number of German tourists more..

May 23 (DM) Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake has appointed Professor I.M. Karunathilake as the new Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo. The official letter of appointment was handed over to Prof. Karunathilake today at the Presidential Secretariat by Secretary to the Prez Dr. Nandika Kumanayake. Prof. I.M. Karunathilake is a pioneer in the field of medical education in SL and holds the distinction of being the first Professor of Medical Education at Uni of Colombo. more..

May 23 (CI) Angelo Mathews will retire from Test cricket after the first Test against Bangladesh in Galle, starting on June 17. He will remain available for white-ball selection if and when my country needs me, he said in an announcement on his social media handle. Mathews has not been picked in a white-ball Sri Lanka side in almost a year, but in any case, the forthcoming Test will mark the end of a Test career that will have stretched for more..

May 23 (EN) A second round of bilateral talks between SL and Bhutan will be held on May 27 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade in Thimphu. “The forthcoming consultations will review the progress made since the first round of Bilateral Political Consultations held in Colombo in Nov 2015,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “The discussions will focus on strengthening cooperation between the two countries in key areas including education, health, culture, connectivity & more..

May 23 (DM) The Parliamentary Staff Advisory Committee has approved the ongoing renovation works of the Parliament building to be carried out with the assistance of the SL Army and SL Police. The Parliament Media Unit said priority renovation activities such as repairing the leaks in the roof of the Parliament building, rectifying the operating mechanism of the main copper door, expanding sanitary facilities, upgrading the Parliamentary Medical Center & installing a Fire Detection more..