Sep 21 (DM) The CAA has detected 104 violations during a special islandwide raid and market inspection programme targeting lunch sheets and LDPE/LLDPE Sili-Sili bags. The raids were conducted on Sept 15, with preliminary reports from district offices indicating violations in 22 districts. Of the violations detected, around 43 involved lunch sheets, while approximately 58 were related to Sili-Sili bags and three involved other polythene products. more..

Sep 21 (Island) National Building Research Institute (NBRI) has issued a Level 3 (Red) landslide early warning for several areas in the Kandy, Kegalle & Nuwara Eliya districts amidst continuing heavy rainfall. The warning, issued at 2 p.m. yesterday, will remain in effect until 2 p.m. today. In Kandy District, the red alert covers the Pasbage Korale DS Division and surrounding areas. In Kegalle District, red-level warnings have been issued for the Dehiowita, Aranayake, Deraniyagala, Mawanella and Yatiyanthota more..

Sep 21 (SO) Investigations into former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa over the murder of Wasim Thajudeen and several alleged financial crimes have reached a crucial stage. Shiranthi is expected to give a statement to investigators next week. She was summoned to the FCID on Sept 24 over alleged financial irregularities involving an account maintained by the Siriliya Saviya Foundation, which she headed. Police launched the investigations following advice from the AG’s Dept that more..

Sep 21 (TM) Govt has addressed three key concerns raised by the FUTA, according to Deputy Education Minister Madhura Seneviratne. Seneviratne said FUTA had been informed of the steps taken by the Govt to address the concerns. “The first one is the period of the academic year of a student being extended within the university. We have now reached out to the universities and discussed the issues related to delays, whether they are academic, non-academic, or related to physical facilities more..

Sep 21 (Island) When SL’s athletics contingent lines up in Nagoya later this week champion thrower Rumesh Tharanga will carry the nation’s hopes as the track and field team vie to better the records of the last edition. ‎The presence of the world number one ranked javelin thrower in their team is the biggest positive as the team try to fill the vacume created by the absence of Tharushi Karunaratne, the 800m runner who delivered the country’s first track and field gold in 21 years at Hangzhou 2022. more..

Sep 21 (Island) The bizarre dismissal of Wanindu Hasaranga in the third T20I against England at Old Trafford on Saturday has raised eyebrows among SL cricket followers, with several former captains also expressing surprise at the manner in which the all-rounder departed. Hasaranga was dismissed hit wicket after being deceived by a Jofra Archer slower ball. What made the dismissal all the more unusual was Hasaranga’s reaction. He immediately began walking back to the pavilion, more..

Sep 21 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has called for public mobilisation against the proposed 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, saying the government’s two-thirds parliamentary majority should not prevent people from opposing the legislation. Speaking at an SJB meeting in Ibbagamuwa, Kurunegala, Premadasa said the amendment is scheduled to be debated in Parliament on Sept. 24 and 25. Current reporting confirms the two-day debate is scheduled for those dates. more..

Sep 21 (ST) The Attorney General’s Dept has given the approval for the CID to record statements from 10 opposition parliamentarians, including Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, over statements they had made in parliament alleging that former head of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Suresh Sallay, was involved in the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks. Since the MPs had made these statements in parliament, they are subject to parliamentary privilege, and therefore, more..

Sep 21 (CI) Chamari Athapaththu hit six sixes in an unbeaten 50-ball 83 to lead Sri Lanka into the final of the Asian Games Women's Cricket Competition. Her innings helped SL equal their highest total in a successful chase, after fifties from Shawaal Zulfiqar and Ayesha Zafar had helped Pakistan set them a target of 178. Athapaththu was quiet at the start of her innings, and she could afford it because her opening partner Imesha Dulani gave SL immediate impetus in their chase, more..

Sep 21 (FT) The Commercial High Court in Colombo has allowed an application by shareholder and Director Rameez Mahamoor, finding that the affairs of Spark Air Engineering Ltd., had been conducted in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the company. This landmark order, delivered on 21 August by Commercial High Court Judge Chamath Madanayake, followed a forensic audit into the company’s financial affairs and transactions involving its Directors. more..

Sep 21 (SO) Investigators probing alleged fraud in the Aswesuma welfare payments at the Norwood DS believe the case could be the largest such fraud detected in SL to date, with suspected losses approaching Rs.30 million. The investigation has also uncovered allegations that State employees obtained Aswesuma payments intended for low-income families by using the details of elderly persons who had died, according to investigators familiar with the inquiry. more..

Sep 21 (ST) SL’s intention to join the BRICS-established New Development Bank (NDB) has been officially welcomed and accepted by the bank’s leadership, Finance Ministry sources confirmed. However the ministry is still to finalise the domestic assessments and necessary financial compliance to formally deposit its instrument of accession. The failure to promptly deposit its instrument of accession with the NDB has locked the economy out of critical, non-Western emergency capital at a time when more..

Sep 21 (DM) Sri Lanka is sharpening its focus on wellness, wildlife and experiential tourism to attract more travellers from the Middle East, using its participation at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026, to promote the island beyond its traditional beach offering. The SL Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), together with 58 representatives from the local travel and tourism industry, showcased the country’s wellness experiences, wildlife, cultural heritage, beaches and scenic landscapes more..

Sep 21 (TM) Sri Lankan small-scale chemical importers and blenders who predominantly purchase their stocks in foreign currency while relying on short-term credit are increasingly exposed to compliance and cash-flow risks under the general import payment monitoring rules introduced in June 2026, according to SenFin Securities' report on the impact of chemical import regulatory changes on CSE-listed companies. Based on Regulations No. 06 of 2026 (Gazette Extraordinary 2493/39), more..

Sep 21 (FT) SL’s real GDP fell 17.1% between the first and second quarters of 2026, but the drop mirrors a recurring seasonal pattern rather than a genuine loss of economic momentum within the year. Real GDP at constant 2015 prices came in at Rs. 3,029,816 million in 2Q 2026, down from an estimated Rs. 3,652,503 million in 1Q. 1Q figure is derived by subtracting the DCS’s separately published 2Q figure from the 1H total of Rs. 6,682,319 million, and independently reproduces the 5.1% year-on-year (YoY) growth more..

Sep 21 (FT) Passport Reports’ September data place Sri Lanka 35th among 199 countries in the Welcoming Ranking, while the SL passport is ranked 170th globally (SL Passport Ranking). Passport Reports, which prepares and publishes passport reports for 199 countries in 34 languages, records a Mobility Score of 53 and global access of 26.8% for SL passport holders. Of the 53 destinations counted in the mobility score, 16 are visa-free, more..

Sep 21 (Island) As climate variability becomes an increasing challenge for nations worldwide, SL faces growing concerns over the impact of El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon that can disrupt rainfall patterns, increase temperatures, and place additional pressure on agricultural production. For a country where agriculture remains a vital part of the economy and rural livelihoods, preparing for climate uncertainty has become essential to safeguarding food security. more..

Sep 21 (Island) Sri Lankans always use highways and waterways recklessly as if they had a death wish. This fact is borne out by the chilling statistics about fatal road accidents and drowning incidents. About seven people, including five youths, have drowned in separate incidents during the past week alone, according to media reports. Road accidents snuff out about seven lives a day. Drowning reportedly causes about 600-900 deaths annually. The disturbing cluster of drowning incidents that received media attention, more..

Sep 21 (FT) Four years after SL defaulted on its external debt, the country’s economic stabilisation is, by most conventional measures, a genuine achievement. Reserves have been rebuilt, a primary surplus delivered, debt restructuring is largely complete, and the sovereign rating has been moving in the right direction. It was against this backdrop that CCC Chairperson Krishan Balendra, used the SL Retail Forum 2026 to argue that SL should consider a follow-on IMF-supported program, more..

Sep 21 (DN) Japan’s population of people aged 100 or older has surpassed 100,000 for the first time, reaching a record 107,677 people as of Sept 2026. Women make up about 88 percent of the total, numbering 94,298, while men account for 13,379. This marks the 56th straight year that Japan’s centenarian count has hit a new record. Sri Lanka’s elderly population (aged 60 and older) stands at 18 percent of the total population, amounting to nearly 3.92 million people. more..

Sep 21 (TM) DCS has released SL’s economic growth figures for the second quarter of 2026. The economy grew by 4.2% compared with the same quarter of 2025. In the first quarter, year-on-year growth was 5.1%. Therefore, the pace of growth eased by 0.9 percentage points. This is not a collapse. A 4.2% growth rate, particularly after the shocks SL faced during the quarter, is still welcome. In fact, real GDP during the first half of 2026 was about 4.7% higher than in the first half of 2025. more..

Sep 21 (TM) Across the island, families, businesses, schools and places of worship can see the attraction of rooftop solar. A panel installed today can reduce exposure to electricity-price shocks, ease the country’s dependence on imported fuel and turn an unused roof into a small power station. At a national level, solar energy can help SL conserve foreign exchange, improve energy security and move towards its climate goals. Sri Lankans have already shown they are willing to invest. more..

Sep 21 (TM) When the rains fail, the damage does not check whether a Ministry has the mandate to deal with it, and it does not ask whether the person affected holds a formal contract. That is the hard lesson in the latest figures on the dry spell brought on by El Niño, and it is one the Government cannot afford to overlook. On 10 Sept, Environment Minister Dr Dammika Patabendi told Parliament that 78,368 people from 25,037 families in seven Districts had lost their livelihoods. more..

Sep 21 (SO) SL’s 2022 economic crisis was the result of years of policy and management shortcomings, compounded by the pursuit of politically popular decisions over necessary economic reforms according to former State Minister Shehan Semasinghe. Semasinghe discussed the measures taken to stabilise the economy following the crisis, the country’s debt restructuring process and the challenges SL faces in building foreign exchange reserves more..

Sep 21 (ST) The UN had warned that this year’s El Niño would not be the run-of-the-mill phenomenon the world was accustomed to expecting each year. The fearsome spectre that caused world temperatures to go over the top or take nosedives would, the UN warned, be a scale-busting torrent that would leave a horrific trail of destruction and havoc of a magnitude the world had never experienced before. Furthermore, the UN has warned that it’s on track to potentially become the strongest ever recorded more..

Sep 21 (CT) President AKD is attuned to the rhythm of the universe. He has pronounced that only a group better than the NPP would be trusted by people to replace the NPP, come next elections. On Sept 23rd Prez AKD completes two years in office. Two years in office Prez AKD remains committed to a Socal Contract of State Accountability and Good Governance. His reading of power is in sharp contrast to his Minister of Agriculture K D Lalakantha who speaks of refashioning the state apparatus more..

Sep 20 (ST) For Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the coming week is shaping up to be one of the most pivotal weeks of his presidency. On Sept 23, it will be exactly two years since Mr Dissanayake was sworn in as the 9th Executive Prez of SL, having emerged victorious at the prez election held on Sept 21, 2024. Even as he marks two years in office, NPP govt is moving next week to debate perhaps the most crucial piece of legislation more..

Sep 20 (ST) Govt will begin talks with the IMF to implement a new fuel subsidy aimed at avoiding further burden on the public from petrol and diesel price hikes, senior govt official said. Talks will begin shortly amid the escalation in the West Asian war, which is disrupting energy supplies and driving up fuel prices worldwide. “Increasing fuel costs further will place a burden on the public as well as impact the work in industrial zones, electricity generation costs, and the transport sector. more..

Sep 20 (DM) The Govt will provide Rs. 60 million to each district to identify and improve unsafe and dangerous locations on roads that are not part of the national road network. The funding is part of a Rs. 1.5 billion national programme aimed at reducing road accidents by addressing physical safety hazards on roads. Local govt institutions will identify dangerous locations within their respective areas and carry out the required safety improvements under the programme. more..

Sep 20 (ST) New regulations have been gazetted requiring a licence to play songs at weddings, parties, banks, supermarkets, private and corporate events & DJ shows, in a move described as a measure to protect intellectual property rights. The regulations gazetted by the Association of Creators and Publishers of SL (ACPOSL) under the National Intellectual Property Office of Sri Lanka came into force last Tuesday. more..

Sep 20 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has released what he describes as the full, unedited footage of his meeting with UN Resident Coordinator in SL Marc-André Franche, following controversy over remarks attributed to the UN official in a leaked video from a closed-door civil society meeting. Premadasa said reports circulating in certain sections of the media had created misleading impressions about his recent meeting with Franche and the views exchanged between them. more..

Sep 20 (AD) Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra will undertake an official visit to the State of Qatar from today (20) to 23 Sept, leading the SL delegation to the SL–Qatar Joint Committee Meeting on labour and foreign employment cooperation. The Joint Committee is being reconvened after a lapse of more than five years and will provide an important platform for the two countries to review existing cooperation and identify areas for more..