Sep 29 (TM) Govt will not remove nearly one million families classified as extremely poor and poor from the Aswesuma welfare programme unless their incomes improve, despite an IMF condition requiring the two categories to be phased out by next year, Deputy Minister Wasantha Piyathissa said. Around one million families currently classified as extremely poor and poor are receiving Aswesuma benefits, with families in the two categories receiving Rs 17,000 and Rs 10,000 per month, respectively. more..

Sep 29 (NW) Regular train services between Colombo Fort and Peradeniya/Gampola will resume from the evening of Oct 2, following the completion of reconstruction work on the railway line damaged by Cyclone Ditwah. Railway Dept said the railway line between Rambukkana and Gampola was damaged at 103 locations, including 36 large-scale landslides and 67 railway line washouts and rockfalls. The restoration work was carried out by the Roads and Industries Sub-Department of more..

Sep 29 (IANS) India on Monday sent about three tonnes of anti-tuberculosis medicines to Colombo, reaffirming its commitment to supporting SL's public health system. Minister S Jaishankar said that a consignment of anti-tuberculosis medicines was sent to Colombo aboard an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft. "India remains committed to supporting SL's public health system. About 3 tonnes of anti-tuberculosis medicines were dispatched to Colombo today aboard an IAF C130J," more..

Sep 29 (TM) Govt has ruled out introducing a minimum age for children to use digital devices for now, with the Women & Child Affairs Ministry saying it will instead focus on changing children’s screen-use behaviour through parental education. Ministry Secretary Tharangani Wickramasinghe said the Govt had identified parental guidance as a more effective way of influencing children than imposing minimum age restrictions. “We currently have no plans to introduce a minimum age. more..

Sep 29 (Island) SLPP MP Chanaka Madugoda has asked Education minister and PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya what action will be taken against the principal of a school whose students attended a commemoration for Lt Col. Thileepan. He has also demanded to know why memorials to LTTE cadres are allowed to be erected in the North. Chanaka Madugoda has told Parliament that the govt should act against those responsible for involving schoolchildren in such events. more..

Sep 29 (TM) An audit report for 2024 has raised serious concerns over repeated thefts of electrical cables, copper wires, streetlight poles and other equipment from the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway, warning that the cost of repairing the resulting damage could exceed Rs 1.77 billion. 100 theft incidents were recorded on the Expressway between 2021 and 2023. The estimated value of 11 of these thefts was Rs 580 million, while the value of the remaining 89 incidents had not been determined. more..

Sep 29 (DM) Business Media International (BMI) Group has launched Ahasa TV, a new television channel dedicated to education, quality programming and family-oriented content, with the aim of offering SL viewers an alternative to the increasingly fragmented media environment. Announcing the launch at a gathering, BMI Group Chairman Nilanga Karunarathne said the new channel was conceived following extensive research and consultations conducted across the country. more..

Sep 29 (Island) SL’s leading hospitality training organisation, Institute of Hospitality (SL) will present International Hospitality Leaders’ Conference 2026 at Cinnamon Grand Colombo from 8 am onwards today. Over 200 senior industry leaders will converge in Colombo today for a full day confab, focused on one defining question: What changes should the SL hospitality undergo to remain competitive by 2030? Bringing together more than 200 hotel owners, General Managers, commercial leaders, more..

Sep 29 (NW) A Bill proposing a new statutory framework for the governance of Sri Lanka Cricket has been published in the Gazette. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Bill proposes establishing SLC as a body corporate responsible for regulating, promoting and developing cricket in the country. It was published in a Gazette supplement dated Sept 25 and issued on Sept 28. Proposed board would have 14 members: seven Independent Directors and seven Elected Directors. more..

Sep 29 (PMD) The first programme to recognise the high achievers of the GCE A/L Examination 2025 under the President’s Fund’s district-level recognition programme for students who demonstrated outstanding performance at the examination was held today (26) in Kilinochchi. Launched in 2025 as a new initiative of the President’s Fund under the chairmanship of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the programme recognises, at district level, students who demonstrate outstanding performance more..

Sep 29 (DN) SL women’s under-19 cricket team will embark on a tri-nation T-20 series in Pakistan from Oct 3. Bangladesh is the other country in the tournament. SL lasses left to Faisalabad yesterday. Before their departure, Lankan skipper Chamudi Praboda said that she is armed with a well balanced team and ready to take the challenge in the forthcoming Tri-Nation tournament. The 15-member Lankan women’s team is coached by Ruvin Peiris.The matches will be played in Faisalabad and more..

Sep 29 (FT) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday congratulated javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage on winning SL’s first Asian Games Gold medal in the event, pledging continued State support as the athlete turns his attention to the Olympics. In a post on ‘X,’ Dissanayake said Pathirage had made the entire nation proud. “On behalf of all Sri Lankans, I wish you continued success as you set your sights on the greatest prize of all: Olympic gold,” Prez said. more..

Sep 29 (Island) After all the euphoria of Headingley, SL’s men’s cricket team came crashing back to earth, suffering an embarrassing defeat in front of a capacity crowd at The Oval on Sunday. SL have been playing ODI cricket for more than 50 years and this was their fifth heaviest defeat in the format and their worst against England. Defeats hurt, but over the years good teams have used them as motivation to bounce back. With SL, however, there appears to be precious little light at the end of the tunnel. more..

Sep 29 (NF) As wars, geopolitical tensions and humanitarian crises continue to reshape the global landscape, SL has presented itself as a nation determined to place humanity above conflict, with Minister Vijitha Herath delivering a powerful appeal for compassion, int'l law and dialogue on the world stage. Addressing the UN General Assembly, Herath said SL, like many countries, is feeling the far-reaching consequences of conflicts unfolding across West Asia and other regions. more..

Sep 29 (TM) SL’s yearly migration for employment as a percentage of departures fell to 7.2% in 2025, down from 8.1% in 2024 and a peak of 27.6% in 2022, according to the Central Bank. Departures of Sri Lankans for employment stood at 311,223 in 2025, slightly down from 314,670 in 2024, which remains the highest number through eight years in a row. The average number of migrant travellers for employment per day was 853 in 2025, compared with 862 in 2024 and 852 in 2022. more..

Sep 29 (FT) DHL Express has announced price adjustments that will take effect on 1 Jan 2027. “Int'l trade continues to create new opportunities for businesses, while supply chains are becoming increasingly interconnected and complex,” said DHL Express Country Manager for SL Dimithri Perera. “We remain committed to helping our customers navigate this evolving environment by investing in our global network, digital capabilities, security infrastructure, and sustainable logistics solutions. more..

Sep 29 (FT) SL’s emerging luxury boutique hospitality sector has received a significant international endorsement, with W15 Hanthana Estate and W15 Ambuluwawa of the W15 Collection receiving recognition at the prestigious World Travel Awards 2026. The recognition was presented at the 33rd annual World Travel Awards Asia, Oceania and Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony, held at Crossroads Maldives on Sunday. Event brought together senior figures from the international travel and tourism industry to more..

Sep 29 (FT) A property tax on houses proposed under SL’s IMF program has been deferred for another year, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake told a public rally in Gampaha. Prez said the tax would have fallen on houses built with the savings of people who had already paid tax on their earnings. He said that in the run-up to the elections, there had been fearmongering that a NPP Govt would take away people’s second houses. “Even at that time, there was an agreement that there would be a property tax. more..

Sep 29 (ST) IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya commended the Institute of Chartered Accountants of SL (CA SL), highlighting that the newly launched specialised Faculty of Forensic Accounting and Investigation was a timely national initiative. Speaking at the ceremony at the launch of the Institute, IGP Weerasooriya, who was the Chief Guest said, “Law enforcement agencies, including SL Police, require strong collaboration with highly trained professional more..

Sep 29 (FT) Mintpay has partnered with the Curtin Colombo Student Guild (CCSG) to introduce Mintpay Vouchers as part of the rewards and benefits available to students at Curtin University’s Colombo campus. Under the partnership, CCSG will distribute Mintpay Vouchers at selected campus events and guild-led activities throughout the academic year, adding a practical rewards component to initiatives designed to strengthen student engagement and participation. Mintpay Vouchers can be delivered more..

Sep 29 (FT) Sri Lanka has invited Malaysian businesses to actively collaborate with the strategically located Indian Ocean island nation to enhance the competitiveness of Malaysian corporates, establish strong and sustainable supply chains, and become key partners in SL’s next phase of growth. Speaking at the business networking event themed Business Beyond Borders, held on 22 Sept at the Commonwealth Club, Kuala Lumpur, to discuss trade and investment opportunities, more..

Sep 29 (FT) Bank lending against gold grew by more than Rs. 200 billion in the first six months of 2026. That was the second-largest increase of any sub-sector, only just behind financial and business services, CB data showed. Pawning loans rose Rs. 211.9 billion, or 23.6%, in the first half of 2026, from end-December 2025 to end-June, to Rs. 1.11 trillion. Lending by Licensed Commercial Banks to financial and business services rose Rs. 212.7 billion, or 27.1%, more..

Sep 29 (Island) There is an important change in the way peace is being understood in Sri Lanka. The notion that peacebuilding is not simply the responsibility of govts, politicians and peace organisations, but is also a responsibility of educational institutions, appears to be permeating the consciousness of at least a section of the academic community. This was visible on International Peace Day at an event held at Eastern University by the Faculty of Health-Care Sciences. more..

Sep 29 (Island) The govt is busy concocting various theories in a bid to justify the manner in which the 22nd constitutional amendment (22A) was enacted. Its leaders claim that even in India, the retirement ages of judges have been increased recently, but there have been no protests. Their reference is to an order of the Indian Supreme Court in All India Judges Association v. Union of India case, directing seven states to raise the retirement age of district judicial officers from 60 to 62, more..

Sep 29 (GV) Pallegama Hemaratana Thero is no longer the Atamasthanadhipati. Accused of child rape, he was officially removed from that august position in May 2026 by the chief prelates of his nikaya. Yet there he was a few days ago, posing for the cameras while gifting a Sri Maha Bodhi sapling to retired Rear-Admiral Sarath Weerasekara, SLPP politician, Rajapaksa acolyte and minister of public security under Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Mr Weerasekara took the sapling in procession more..

Sep 29 (TM) Consumer Affairs Authority's announcement that it seized more than 1,400 non-compliant plastic and baby feeding bottles during a nationwide inspection drive ought to reassure the public. Instead, read alongside the regulation it enforces, it tells another story: one of good rules arriving years before the will to enforce them. The standards in question, SLS 1616 for reusable plastic bottles and SLS 1306 for baby feeding bottles, were gazetted a year ago and became compulsory only this April. more..

Sep 29 (TM) SL’s troubled coal procurement has moved beyond questions of tender procedure and fuel quality to a more immediate problem: the country’s only coal power plant has lost thousands of megawatt hours of low-cost generation after running short of coal. Around 32,350 MWh of generation from the 900 MW Lakvijaya Power Plant in Norochcholai had been lost after the replacement for a rejected emergency coal shipment had arrived eight days behind schedule, more..

Sep 29 (TM) In 2019, poverty in SL stood at 11%. By the height of the 2022 crisis, it had more than doubled to 25%; some estimates now put it above 30%. Out of that collapse came Aswesuma, the country’s biggest welfare overhaul in a generation. Dr Thisuri Wanniarachchi helped build it. She is a public policy scholar and former Govt official who has worked in international development, advising Govts and multilateral institutions on social protection policy and investment operations more..

Sep 29 (ST) JVP led NPP Govt pointed an accusing finger at critics of the 22nd Amendment in Parliament this week, alleging that a constitutional bogeyman (billa) has been manufactured. But three fingers turn back towards the Govt equally accusingly. If the intent to increase the retirement ages of serving judges from the Supreme Court downwards had been purer, Govt would not have been crucified by its own actions; namely its secrecy until the very minute that it was sprung from the Cabinet’s hat. more..

Sep 29 (SO) SL’s economy has remained broadly stable during the NPP Govt’s first two years despite a series of domestic and global shocks. But with the country now facing a slowing global economy, energy pressures and weaker conditions in key export markets, the next phase will require reforms that can generate sustained economic growth, says Advocata Institute CEO, Dhananath Fernando. Q: How would you assess the economic performance of the Govt over the past two years? more..

Sep 29 (CT) SL’s Muslims have lived through a few decades of organised hostility, and it has found a new home online. Sinhala nationalist networks have long stirred suspicion against the community. Today, a series of recent events, some domestic and some far away, is fuelling a fresh wave of social media abuse. Whether the govt, with a determination to rid the country of its racist politics, can repair the enormous damage done by decades of past failures, is one of the country’s most important challenges. more..

Sep 29 (DM) In Sept 1951, Ceylon’s Finance Minister J. R. Jayewardene rose to speak at one of the most consequential diplomatic gatherings of the post-war world: the San Francisco Conference on the peace treaty with Japan. Representing a nation barely three years independent, he argued for restoring Japan’s sovereignty, equality and dignity without qualification. The New York Times described the moment as one in which the voice of free Asia dominated the proceedings. more..