May 9 (DN) The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has raised concerns regarding the failure of the National Development Bank (NDB)’s audit committees to detect a massive internal fraud, estimated at over Rs.13 billion and the effectiveness of its internal controls. CoPF questioned how the Internal Audit Committee, the External Audit firm, Board’s Audit Committee, and CB's Bank Supervision Dept all failed to detect the fraud. more..

May 9 (DN) Deputy Minister Dr. Madura Seneviratne told Parliament that there are major initiatives to centralize the registration of all degree-granting institutions including state, private and non-Governmental organization to regulate the use of academic titles like Prof. and Dr. to prevent misuse. A new regulatory mechanism is being developed to bring all these institutions under a centralized monitoring system with the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC). more..

May 9 (Island) Viet Nam is ready to share its experience in fostering investment and in sustainable agriculture with SL, its President Tô Lâm, who is also the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, said in his address to Parliament. “In services and industries, Vietnam opened its door to investment, developed its infrastructure, built industrial and economic zones, promoted trade, and participated more deeply in regional and global value chains,” more..

May 9 (NW) Police have taken steps to arrest the Anuradhapura Atamasthanadhipathi, Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Thera, over allegations linked to the sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl. In a statement issued today, Police said the Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate had also imposed a foreign travel ban on the monk and directed immigration authorities to prevent him from leaving the country. more..

May 9 (FT) PM Harini Amarasuriya underscored the pivotal role of rural youth in driving SL’s agricultural transformation, addressing the National Youth Agripreneur Showcase and Business-to-Business Connect event in Colombo. The initiative, organised by the Smallholder Agribusiness Partnerships Program (SAPP) with support from the Int'l Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Govt of SL, highlighted how targeted support can enable young entrepreneurs to build a more productive, more..

May 9 (FT) SL must urgently reposition itself to capture a greater share of India’s rapidly expanding outbound travel market, Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe said, pointing out that despite 32.7 million Indians travelling overseas in 2025, only over 531,000 chose SL as a destination. Addressing the Global Innovation & Leadership Summit in Colombo under the theme Island where India feels at home, Prof. Ranasinghe acknowledged a major gap in SL’s tourism strategy towards India. more..

May 9 (FT) Colombo stock market yesterday closed on the up for the third straight session with the benchmark index crossing 23,000 points for the first time since 27 February 2026. During the week, the ASPI gained 2.28% or 514.45 points while the active S&P SL20 Index was up 1.8% or 111.68 points. Yesterday, ASPI closed up 0.29% or 66.12 points at 23,063.98 and the S&P SL20 was up 0.43% or 26.98 points at 6,319.24. Turnover was nearly Rs. 4.1 bil on over 273.7 mil shares traded. more..

May 9 (FT) Vietjet Air yesterday announced its first direct service connecting Colombo to Ho Chi Minh City at the Sri Lanka – Vietnam Trade, Investment and Tourism Cooperation Forum. The announcement took place in the presence of General Secretary and President of Vietnam To Lam, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Harini Amarasuriya, and senior officials from both countries. This is the airline’s first direct service between SL and Vietnam, supporting the airline’s int'l expansion more..

May 9 (FT) Vietnamese President Tô Lâm yesterday called for a new phase of strategic economic cooperation with SL, highlighting direct air connectivity, logistics integration, trade expansion and tourism cooperation as key pillars for strengthening bilateral ties. Addressing the SL–Vietnam Trade, Investment and Tourism Cooperation Forum, Prez said the two nations share a long-standing friendship built on sincerity, more..

May 9 (Island) Executive Committee of the Sustainable Tourism Association of SL (SusTour) announced the above at its final meeting held on May 6, at Connaisance head office, Colombo. The committee finalised all preparations for the official launch in August of the first private sector led, non-governmental Sustainable Tourism Association in South Asia, as most tourism associations in Asia operate as dedicated Eco Tourism entities while this is probably the first in Asia. more..

May 9 (DM) The SL corporates are better prepared for external shocks than they were during the 2022 crisis but significant gaps remain, particularly in scenario planning and deep risk analysis, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Chairman Chaaminda Kumarasiri said. The key challenge he said is not disruption itself but the inability to respond when opportunities emerge. He noted that while the crisis management capabilities have improved in recent years, more..

May 9 (DN) SL’s 200m breaststroke long course national record holder MF Muhammad of Zahira College Colombo produced another outstanding performance to emerge the Under-20 champion with four gold medals at the 50th HNB National Age Group Swimming Championship worked off at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool Complex in Colombo recently. The meet was organised by the SL Aquatic Sports Union (SLASU). Representing Zahira College Colombo and training under Killer Whale more..

May 9 (DN) International and Thai Martial Arts Games (ITMA), which is held annually in Thailand, will be hosted for the first time in SL in 2026. The prestigious international championship will be conducted from May 28 to June 1 at the Goldi Sands Hotel, Negombo marking a significant milestone in the country’s sports history. The opening ceremony is scheduled to be held on 31st May 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at the same venue. The championship is being officially sanctioned and more..

May 9 (FT) Visiting Vietnamese Prez Tô Lâm addressing SL’s Parliament yesterday shared lessons from the country’s transformation into an economic miracle. “Our infrastructure ravaged, our economy in stagnation, the people’s lives in great deprivation, and resources for national development extremely limited. That was the backdrop against which Vietnam embarked on its Doi Moi reforms,” Lâm said. Initiated in Dec 1986, more..

May 9 (TM) SL’s ongoing tariff policy reform momentum runs the risk of slowing down, due to the growing severity of external shocks and the possible impact it may have on SL’s GDP and employment levels, Institute of Policy Studies of SL (IPS) Executive Director Dushni Weerakone said recently, speaking to the World Bank. “Sometimes I think if the current stress that we see as a result of external shocks becomes more intense, that reform momentum may slow down if there are more..

May 9 (DM) SL’s renewable energy sector is warning of a severe long-term fallout from the ongoing financial crisis, cautioning that the government’s blatant disregard for the existing payment agreements will drastically drive up the cost of future clean energy projects. With the National System Operator currently defaulting on a staggering Rs.10 billion owed to the independent developers, the industry leaders stress that investor confidence has been fundamentally shattered. more..

May 9 (ST) He has walked thousands of kilometres in the freezing cold of the US and the burning heat of SL. Following the just concluded Walk for Peace in SL, Aloka the Peace Dog, the Walk’s endearing mascot, is a celebrity today with 1.1 million followers on Facebook and over 440K followers on Instagram. Only time will tell if Aloka will become an enduring legend like Hachiko from Japan (who waited faithfully at more..

May 9 (FT) PM Harini Amarasuriya yesterday outlined SL’s ambition to deepen economic engagement with Vietnam, setting a bilateral trade target of $ 1 billion by 2030, while positioning the country as an export-driven and investment-friendly economy ready for its next phase of growth. Addressing the SL–Vietnam Trade, Investment & Tourism Cooperation Forum at Hilton Colombo, she said the two countries are entering a new chapter in bilateral relations, moving beyond traditional more..

May 9 (FT) The National Chamber of Exporters of SL (NCE) marked its 40th anniversary by honouring its past presidents, with special recognition extended to its Founder President and President Emeritus, the late Patrick Amarasinghe, whose initiative in establishing the Chamber in 1986 laid the groundwork for four decades of organised representation for Sri Lanka’s export community. The tribute, held at the Chamber’s 40th AGM and anniversary celebration, on 27 March 2026, more..

May 9 (FT) Macktiles Lanka Ltd, has announced the launch of its latest showroom located at 236, Main Road, Attidiya, Dehiwala (opposite the Commercial Bank). The grand opening for the new showroom, now bringing the latest in Macktiles’ innovation and technology to the residents of Attidiya, was held on 24 April 2026, graced by the presence of Macksons Holdings Ltd’s leadership, showroom staff, as well as customers and well-wishers. The distinguished invitees included Macksons Holdings Group more..

May 9 (DM) District 82 Toastmasters International is gearing up for Ovation 2026, its annual conference themed Tides of Transformation, scheduled for May 16 - 17 at Shangri-La Colombo, powered by Home Lands as the Title Partner. The event was announced by the District 82 during a media briefing held at the Courtyard by Marriott Colombo last week, to give a closer look at the organization, its four-decade journey in Sri Lanka and what to expect at this year’s conference. more..

May 9 (TM) Ex-SL and FIFA accredited referee, administrator and football official Sunil Senaweera stated that he will shortly write to the sport’s world controlling body, to seek their consent to effect a change in the current elected administration of the Football Federation of SL (FFSL). He said the bane of domestic football had been the corruption-riddled incumbent FFSL administration led by Jaswar Umar, and more..

May 9 (FT) On 9 May 2022, the political establishment ruling the roost at the time made a catastrophic miscalculation. It obviously believed that brute force would succeed where patronage, propaganda and intimidation had failed. And let loose its dogs of war. Those loyalists of the ancien régime descended on peaceful protestors at the Galle Face Green. Like the Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold, these minions of the regime assailed the camps of the righteous and more..

May 9 (FT) Be that as it may, the death of former CEO of SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena was always likely to trigger something beyond ordinary public mourning. In today’s SL, where institutional trust has steadily deteriorated over decades, almost every high-profile death linked in any way to controversy risks entering dangerous territory - territory where rumour, speculation and political mythology begin competing with fact itself. And perhaps that alone should deeply concern more..

May 9 (DM) The JVP-led NPP Govt has been in power for the past two years and five months. In simple language the regime has only two more years in power before it has to face the people at the next round of elections. It is a good time as any to check how many of its pre-election pledges Govt has achieved. In the run-up to the Prez and General Elections, regime promised to renegotiate the IMF deal cut by the earlier regime, bring down the cost of living (COL), develop the country, more..

May 9 (Island) Former MP Eran Wickramaratne’s unexpected move jolted the SJB. In spite of being aware of covert moves to bring in Wickramaratne as chief of the corruption-riddled SLC, in place of Shammi Silva, SJB never really believed it could succeed as it was considered a literal goldmine. But when Prez Dissanayake pushed the deal through on 29 April, a furious SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, however, tried to save face by merely declaring it as a political appointment. more..

May 9 (SO) Once, truth travelled at the speed of a printing press. Today, it races through timelines, hash tags, live streams and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated feeds. In this new era, press freedom is no longer only about the right to publish. It is about the right to be heard above the noise, the ability to verify amid misinformation and the courage to hold power to account in an increasingly complex digital world. As the world marks more..

May 9 (TM) Sri Lanka cannot afford another episode of financial carelessness dressed up as administrative error. Not now. Not after the queues, the shortages, the tax hikes, the collapse of public confidence, and the painful sacrifices demanded from ordinary citizens in the name of economic recovery. Yet, this is precisely the impression being created by the latest controversy of the alleged irregular disbursement of nearly Rs. 500 million in Aswesuma welfare funds. more..

May 9 (DM) She wakes before the mist clears. By the time most of Colombo is having breakfast, she has already been working for two hours, plucking, carrying, meeting a daily quota that does not change regardless of her rest, discomfort or nourishment. She works on a tea plantation and is among many others whose contributions are vital to the economy, yet whose experiences are not always reflected in any occupational health statistic. The pressure to meet quotas is often matched by more..

May 9 (TM) As global climate volatility continues to threaten island nations, SL is currently modernising its weather monitoring and prediction capabilities. State agencies are working to transition from outdated infrastructure to highly advanced, data-driven systems. However, this critical transition is currently facing significant hurdles, ranging from severely compressed project deadlines imposed by int'l funders to a stark lack of advanced more..

May 9 (DN) According to Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala, a series of Court cases will be instituted against those accused of misappropriating public funds. According to the Deputy Minister, the people have a right to know about these cases and understand the verdicts, which is a cornerstone of the democratic system. We have reasons to believe that this time around all such cases would be brought to their conclusions, unlike in the past where only lip service was paid to such matters. more..

May 9 (Island) An exchange of fire between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz sent shockwaves across the world yesterday, and oil prices soared as a result. Thankfully, it was a brief clash. The US has claimed that it foiled Iranian attacks on three of its ships. Iran has said it came under unprovoked attacks. Ceasefires in military conflicts are never free from such shocks, and care needs to be exercised to prevent skirmishes from spiraling out of control. The international community has a pivotal role more..