Jan 30 (NW) The Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, conducted a special inspection on Thursday of the ongoing construction of the new Children’s Ward Complex at Maharagama Apeksha Hospital. The five-storey building is being constructed under the financial sponsorship of Mr. Indra Kumara Silva, Founder and Chairman of the Indra Traders Group, with construction supervision and manpower support provided by the Sri Lanka Air Force. more..

Jan 30 (DM) The planned international donor conference to raise funds for rebuilding areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah in SL continues to be delayed, with no fixed date finalised as of yesterday, govt sources revealed. The delay is hampering the recovery of affected communities and slowing the country’s broader reconstruction programme. Earlier, govt said that the conference was scheduled for January this year and was expected to mobilise additional funding for recovery, more..

Jan 30 (EN) IMF is discussing combining the fifth and sixth reviews of the of the Extended Fund Facility with SL, Mission Chief Evan Papageorgiou said after last review was delayed due to Cyclone Ditwah. Combining reviews is a live discussion he told reporters in Colombo after concluding a mission to assess the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. President’s media office said discussions related the of “the sixth tranche more..

Jan 30 (NW) Former Minister Johnston Fernando, his two sons have been further remanded until Feb 13 by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court. Two other suspects were also ordered to be further remanded. The group was arrested by the FCID over allegations of misusing a Sathosa lorry during Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Cooperative and Internal Trade. It is alleged that the vehicle was used for operations linked to an ethanol company reportedly owned by Fernando, more..

Jan 30 (CT) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva has criticised the Govt over what he described as a lack of funding and operational support for SL’s newly established National Women’s Commission, following the resignation of its inaugural Chairperson. In a post on social media, de Silva said he had raised concerns at the Committee on Public Finance last week over the absence of a budgetary allocation for the Commission, despite the Govt’s stated commitment to progressive gender more..

Jan 30 (USE) U.S. Embassy in SL this week welcomed a team of engineers and medical professionals from the Montana National Guard as they engaged with counterparts from SL’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and other govt agencies to assess damage to health facilities and critical infrastructure following Cyclone Ditwah. The visit reflects the United States’ partnership-based approach to humanitarian assistance more..

Jan 30 (AD) Govt of Korea has partnered with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in SL to support SL in addressing its growing waste management challenges, with funding of USD 4.7 million for a new initiative. The project, titled Scale-up and Sustain the Low-Carbon Municipal Solid Waste Management and Resource Recovery in SL, is funded by the Ministry of Climate, Energy & Environment of Korea through Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI). more..

Jan 30 (AD) A discussion has been held yesterday between the Executive Committee of the GMOA and representatives of all health sector trade unions. Trade union representatives from across the health service including doctors, dentists, nurses, paramedics, and other paramedical staff had participated in the discussion. During the meeting, it was agreed that all unions will work together as a single group on common issues affecting the health service and health workers, without dividing more..

Jan 30 (NW) Right to Information (RTI) Commission has ordered Dept of External Resources (DER) to release a 2017 loan agreement linked to the Katana Water Supply Project, ruling that continued secrecy is not justified and that the public interest outweighs potential harm from disclosure. The Commission directed that the USD 54.8 million loan agreement signed between the China Development Bank and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board be released on or before Feb 28, 2026. more..

Jan 30 (AD) Court of Appeal has postponed the delivery of its decision on a writ petition filed seeking the invalidation of the remand order issued against Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero and Venerable Trincomalee Kalyanawansa Tissa Thero in connection with the Buddha statue incident in Trincomalee, until 3 Feb. The order had been scheduled to be delivered today by a bench comprising President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Rohanta Abeysuriya, and more..

Jan 30 (DM) Rita Wasanthi (54) from Jim Brown Nagar, a small hamlet in Mannar Island located in the Northern Province recalls how the shoreline along this coastal town has changed over the years. A greater part of the land on which she spent her childhood has now been dominated by the sea. Today, women bear the hidden costs of climate change and mega development projects in terms of loss of property, livelihoods and income more..

Jan 30 (AD) SL’s Sabina Yousaf has been named the Second Runner-Up at the 41st Mrs. World pageant, earning international recognition for the country at the prestigious global competition. In addition, she won the Mrs. Photogenic mini-title and secured a place in the Top 20. Chanita Craythorne of Thailand was crowned Mrs. World 2025, while Paige Ewing of the US was declared First Runner-Up. The pageant, held on 29 Jan in Las Vegas, Nevada, featured contestants from over 60 countries more..

Jan 30 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has responded sharply to recent comments by Minister Nalinda Jayatissa regarding the opposition’s stance on the govt’s education reforms. Premadasa said his opposition was based on serious flaws in the school modules, including what he described as glaring errors and links to pornographic websites. “If that passed your review, the real question is not my mentality — it’s your competence. So please do your homework before judging others,” more..

Jan 30 (AD) An agreement was signed this morning between the Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) and the Govt at the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure to increase the daily wage of plantation workers to Rs. 1,750. Signing ceremony took place in the presence of Ministry Secretary Prabath Chandrakeerthi, officials of the Wages Board, and other representatives. more..

Jan 30 (NW) CERT has alerted the public to a rising credit card scam involving fake SMS messages and online alerts claiming cards have been suspended due to suspicious activity. Victims are tricked into clicking links and entering personal information, including NIC numbers, after being warned their cards will be cancelled within 24 hours. Scammers then use this data and obtain OTPs to steal funds from accounts, CERT said. In a separate tactic, fraudsters have reportedly impersonated more..

Jan 30 (DM) An Advisory Council for the Development of the Textile and Apparel Manufacturing Industry was formally appointed yesterday under the patronage of Minister Sunil Handunnetti. Council is one of 26 Sectoral Advisory Councils operating under the Ministry and comprises 25 members representing the public sector, private sector and academia. Hemantha Perera, Managing Director of Isabella (Pvt) Ltd and Sarasavi Export (Pvt) Ltd, was appointed Chairman. more..

Jan 30 (Island) National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) received 10,455 complaints related to children in 2025. 8,514 of the complaints fell within the scope of the NCPA Act, while 1,941 cases were outside its purview. The complaints included 545 cases of sexual harassment and 231 incidents of grave sexual abuse. NCPA also recorded 79 teenage pregnancies and three abortions involving minors during the year. Other reported cases included 38 incidents of rape, 9 child marriages, more..

Jan 30 (AD) Colombo Magistrate’s Court ordered that the complaint filed against two defendants, including former Minister Rajitha Senaratne, regarding the alleged incurrence of a loss exceeding Rs. 20 million to the govt, be recalled on 10 July. Case involves the awarding of a sand mining project at the Kirinda Fisheries Harbour to a Korean company. The case was taken up today before Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga Bodaragama. During the proceedings, officials from the BC more..

Jan 30 (NW) SL records around 100 new cancer patients daily, while approximately 40 deaths occur each day due to cancer, according to National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP). Community Medicine Specialist Dr Hasarali Fernando said these figures were based on the National Cancer Registry 2022. 35,855 new cancer cases were reported in 2022, while 14,986 cancer-related deaths were recorded in 2021. more..

Jan 30 (EN) Central Bank will continue its dollar purchasing from the market in January after acquiring the US currency for the past few months straight, Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. Central Bank has been buying dollars to build up foreign exchange reserves with an aim to meet targets set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under its US$ 3 billion External Fund Facility (EFF). It has bought a net US$ 2 billion in the last 12 months, official data showed. more..

Jan 30 (AD) Minister Bimal Rathnayake stated that Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has proposed another name for the currently vacant post of Auditor General. Constitutional Council (CC) is scheduled to meet tomorrow, where a final decision on the matter is expected to be taken. Minister noted that although the President had previously proposed four names for the position on separate occasions, the position remains vacant to date as the CC has failed to properly exercise its executive authority. more..

Jan 30 (AD) Ministry of Ports & Civil Aviation has issued a statement rejecting reports circulating on social media platforms regarding the removal of former Chairman of the Airport and Aviation Services (SL) (Pvt) Ltd (AASL), Harsha Abeywickrama. According to the Ministry, false claims are being spread based on a letter sent by Prez of the Mahabodhi Society of SL, Venerable Banagala Upatissa Thero, requesting more..

Jan 30 (NW) Commercial High Court of Colombo, presided over by Amali Ranaweera, has issued an enjoining order restraining Suresh Maliadda and five others from staging musical performances based on the Sinhala film Rhythm of Guitar, based on the life story of the late Clarance Wijewardena, without the consent of the film’s producer, Art Movies (PVT) Ltd. The order was granted in an action instituted by the producing company of the film, which complained that the Defendants, more..

Jan 30 (AM) A Sri Lankan national has been arrested in Israel in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of a schoolgirl enrolled at a special needs school, SL’s Embassy in Israel confirmed. The Embassy said it had been informed by the Interpol Branch of the Israeli Police that the suspect was taken into custody by the Beit Shemesh Police Station and is currently being detained for further investigations. The individual had arrived in Israel in May 2025 for employment purposes more..

Jan 30 (FT) Canadian PM Mark Carney’s celebrated speech at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos was widely interpreted as a candid admission that the so-called rules-based international order has fractured. He stated “we knew the story of the int'l rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically, and we knew that int'l law applied with varying rigour depending on the more..

Jan 30 (FT) Ravana, or Ravan, as he is known across the Palk Strait, means different things to different audiences. In Sri Lanka, he is a figure with multiple, sometimes competing identities. Some traditions describe him as being of Dravidian origin; others place him among the ancestors of the Sinhalese, linked through the Raksha lineage. These interpretations coexist uneasily, reflecting the island’s layered history and contested past. In India, the picture is far less ambiguous. more..

Jan 30 (DN) The foundation for creating a future generation full of all virtues and compassion is being laid today, PM and Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said yesterday, launching the new education reforms starting from Grade 1. She further said that the Govt has accepted the responsibility of providing a sound education to every child in the country. PM made this statement while addressing the National Programme for more..

Jan 30 (CT) As fears grow across Asia following India’s confirmation of two Nipah virus cases, SL’s Ministry of Health said it is closely monitoring the situation in the region. Airport and Aviation Services (SL) (Private) Ltd Spokesman Aruna Rajapaksha said that the Health Ministry has formally informed airport authorities that the situation is under close observation. He noted that airports would be advised by the Health Ministry to implement necessary measures, including health-related screening more..

Jan 30 (AD) National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection (NMCRP) has warned that due to the budget proposal submitted by the govt to remove the Special Commodity Levy on coconut oil and palm oil, it could lead to serious market and health-related consequences. NMCRP chairman Ranjith Vithanage stated that the proposed decision carries a high risk of coconut oil being mixed with harmful oils before entering the local market. A potential increase in the price of locally produced more..

Jan 30 (TM) SJB MP S.M. Marikkar said the losses caused by the import of substandard coal for the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant in Norochcholai must be fully calculated, including the damage to machinery, additional electricity generation costs, and environmental harm. He said the Party had taken steps to expose the issue both in Parliament & outside, accusing Govt of attempting to cover up large-scale irregularities more..

Jan 30 (Island) Hunger strike launched by a group of Development Officers demanding their absorption into the teacher service entered its fourth day yesterday outside the Prez Secretariat Colombo.The protesters, members of the Ceylon School Development Officers’ Union (CSDOU), began their satyagraha on Jan 26. One of the four officers participating in the fast-unto-death fell seriously ill on the fourth day and was rushed to hospital for treatment, while the remaining 3 continued more..

Jan 30 (FT) IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva is expected to visit Sri Lanka in February as part of a planned Asia tour, a spokesperson for the IMF said. Exact dates will be announced in due course. The President’s Media Division released a video of a brief statement by IMF Asia and Pacific Department Director Krishna Srinivasan during the visiting IMF team’s meeting with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake. “Our Managing Director will be coming to Colombo next month. more..