Mar 3 (TM) In view of the unrest that has arisen in the Middle East and the Gulf region, the Govt launched a series of special operations to look into the safety and welfare of foreign tourists currently in SL, as well as to ensure the protection and well-being of SL migrant workers overseas. These decisions were taken at a special discussion held on 1 March at the Presidential Secretariat under the patronage of Deputy Tourism Minister more..

Mar 3 (CT) SL Govt has expressed its condolences over the loss of all lives, including those of Heads of State, resulting from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said yesterday. He stated that a formal message of condolence would be issued shortly through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Responding to a question from a journalist as to why the Govt had not yet released an official statement despite the reported assassinations of Iran’s Supreme Leader more..

Mar 3 (DM) The Israel-Iran war has entered its third day with sustained air strikes, expanding missile exchanges, and rising casualties across the Middle East, transforming what began as joint United States–Israeli operations against Iran into a widening regional conflict. Explosions have continued across Iran, Israel, and several Gulf states since Saturday, when Washington and Tel Aviv launched coordinated attacks targeting Iranian military, leadership, and infrastructure sites. more..

Mar 3 (DM) SL’s external sector delivered a stronger-than-expected start to 2026, with January’s numbers pointing to a more broad-based foreign exchange cushion. The data showed that the external current account recorded a larger surplus of US $ 369.7 million in January 2026, compared with both recent months and Jan 2025 (US $ 99.8 million). The performance follows a provisional surplus of US$ 1.7 bil for 2025. more..

Mar 3 (DM) Nearly 18% of SL’s population is now aged 60 years and above, reflecting a clear trend of population ageing, Population Association of SL (PASL), President Prof. Manori Weeratunga, said. She made these remarks while addressing the annual Population Conference organised by the PASL at the BHICH in Colombo recently. The conference, held under the theme Population Dynamics: Challenges and Opportunities, brought together scholars, policymakers, more..

Mar 3 (NW) MP Rauff Hakeem, Leader of the SLMC, has expressed condolences over the reported death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and strongly condemned what he described as a unilateral US-Israel military strike on Iran. In a statement, Hakeem said the reported killing of Khamenei and several senior Iranian defense officials amounted to a shocking violation of international law and an act of aggression against a sovereign state. more..

Mar 3 (FT) Over 3,400 flights have been cancelled in the first few days of the Middle East conflict according to flight-tracking data. Major regional airports – including Dubai International, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Hamad Int'l Airport in Doha – have suspended operations. In total, six or seven major airports across the region were shut down. Airspace over much of the region remains closed. This has had a major knock-on effect on global air travel, as Middle Eastern hubs serve as critical more..

Mar 3 (ST) An unprecedented 13,000 devotees, including 4,000 Indian pilgrims, took part in annual St Anthony’s Feast on the Katchatheevu islet. For the first time in decades, over 8,000 SL devotees visited from across the country, including Negombo, Thalai Mannar, Kalpitiya, and the North. Hundreds waited for hours to board the limited commercial ferries, prompting the Navy to step in to transport the remaining devotees. A few, however, had to return home from Kurikkaatuvan jetty due to more..

Mar 3 (ST) Grama Niladhari (GN) officers have officially paused their planned picketing and street protests after the Ministry of Public Admin. intervened and promised to resolve long-standing benefits, allowances and other issues. However, the unions made it clear that they will refrain from Ditwah disaster services and any future disaster duties until the govt provides a permanent and legally binding solution. more..

Mar 3 (Island) Sri Lanka beat India 3-0 at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup Asian qualifyig Wheelchair Tennis tournament commenced at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association clay courts. ‎In the men’s category India, Pakistan, Koria, Chinese Taipei and hosts Sri Lanka are the countries taking part. ‎In the first singles match, Sri Lanka’s ‎Lasantha Ranaweera beat Shekar Veeraswamy 6-2, 6-0. ‎Suresh Darmasena beat Basavaraj Kundargi 6-0, 6-0 in the second singles. ‎In the doubles match, more..

Mar 3 (DN) Skipper Chamari Athapaththu gave a fine all round performance as SL women recorded a four wicket win against West Indies women with 11 balls to spare in their second T -20 game played at National Cricket Stadium St George’s Grenada on Sunday. The first match of the three T-20 series washed out and with this second game victory Sri Lanka lasses leading the series 1-0 with one more match to be played today at the same venue. Chasing a target of 102 skipper more..

Mar 3 (FT) SL’s outstanding Govt external debt rose to $ 37,663 million as at 31 December 2025, up by $ 425 million from $ 37,238 million recorded at end-September. This is according to the Quarterly Debt Bulletin – Dec 2025 released by the Treasury recently, Total outstanding public debt (gross), which includes central Govt debt, Govt-guaranteed SOE debt and Provincial Council and Local Govt debt, amounted to $ 103. 6 billion at end-2025, compared to $ 106.8 billion in the September quarter. more..

Mar 3 (DN) Vijitha Herath met with Oana Toiu during his official visit to Romania, holding discussions on strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. During the meeting, the two ministers recalled that diplomatic relations between SL and Romania were established in 1957, noting that the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties will be marked next year. Discussions focused on further expanding what both sides described as excellent bilateral relations into new areas of cooperation. more..

Mar 3 (DM) Besieged coach Sanath Jayasuriya has found himself trapped or poised to backtrack after telling the media he will throw in the towel after the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan last Saturday and then deciding to stay on for talks with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) that has become the fiefdom of a chosen few headed by Shammi Silva who is now into his seventh year at the helm, years longer than the term of the Head of State. more..

Mar 3 (ST) Bar Association of SL (BASL) will confer the distinguished title of Honoris Causa on Upul Jayasuriya, PC, in recognition of his exceptional and courageous service to the association and to the country’s legal system during some of its most turbulent years. The proposal, put forward by the incumbent president of the BASL, Rajeev Amarasuriya, received unanimous approval. Mr Jayasuriya’s presidency coincided with one of the most contentious constitutional episodes more..

Mar 3 (SO) A by-law passed by the Point Pedro PS concerning military-run businesses in its jurisdiction has sparked controversy on social media in recent days, with claims circulating that the local authority had imposed a ban on the public from patronising Army-operated establishments. However, a member of the Point Pedro PS has rejected those claims as misleading. Social media posts say that the Council had passed a new law prohibiting the public from engaging in any business activities more..

Mar 3 (DN) Madushani Herath the 20-year-old jumper once again came to the fore when she established a new SL Record in women’s Triple Jump event with a distance of 13.68m representing Sri Lak Athletic Club at the first selection trial held at Diyagama Stadium over the weekend. The undergraduate from Kelaniya University Madushani broke Vidushani Lakshsni’s National Triple Jump record of 13.66m set up in 2019. more..

Mar 3 (FT) Court of Appeal has delivered a significant judgment in favour of Colombo Fort Land & Building PLC, ruling that the company should be classified as a Holding Company rather than an Investment Company for corporate tax purposes under the Inland Revenue Act (IRA) of 2006. The decision arose from C.A. (Tax) 20/2022 and 21/2022, which centred on whether the company’s corporate structure and income profile warranted treatment as an Investment Company or more..

Mar 3 (FT) Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) Group has ended FY2025 strongly, with substantial improvement in profitability. Profit After Tax (PAT) surged 221% versus the previous year to Rs. 10 billion, compared to Rs. 3.1 billion in FY2024, sustained through cost savings, reduced finance costs, and steady revenue growth for fixed and mobile segments. Group revenue grew 3% to Rs. 114.2 billion, with SLT contributing a 2% increase and Mobitel reporting a stronger 5% growth. more..

Mar 3 (NW) Under the provisions of the Inland Revenue (Amd) Act of 2026, a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) certificate will become a mandatory requirement for several key services and transactions in SL starting April 1, 2026. This regulation empowers the Commissioner General to issue these certificates to any person or entity assigned a TIN, ensuring a formalized tax registration process for essential activities. Act specifies that the following tasks cannot be more..

Mar 3 (FT) Home Lands has secured an over 3-acre premium mixed-use land parcel at Port City Colombo in a landmark transaction valued at $ 40.1 mil (Rs. 12.5 bil), marking one of the most significant single investments made by a SL developer within the country’s most ambitious urban development project. With this milestone, Port City Colombo joins hands with Home Lands, SL’s market leader in real estate, consecutive 3-time Best Developer SL award winner at PropertyGuru Asia Awards, more..

Mar 3 (FT) Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) came under sustained and unusually direct scrutiny last week as some of the country’s most senior capital market lawyers and jurists publicly questioned whether the regulator’s expanded enforcement powers under the new SEC Act are adequately balanced by constitutional safeguards, structural separation, and institutional capacity. The debate unfolded at the BASL more..

Mar 3 (Island) Sri Lankans had to languish in long queues outside filling stations for days on end in 2022, when the country was short of foreign exchange for fuel imports. JVP/NPP leaders made the most of that situation; they condemned the govt of the day, instigated protests and shored up their electoral prospects. Today, winding queues have appeared again outside filling stations due to panic buying and hoarding triggered by the ongoing Middle East conflict though the CPC has assured more..

Mar 3 (Island) Time has, by and large, stood still in the business of academic staff recruitment to state universities. Qualifications have proliferated and evolved to be more interdisciplinary, but our selection processes and evaluation criteria are unchanged since at least the late 1990s. But before I delve into the problems, I will describe the existing processes and schemes of recruitment. The discussion is limited to UGC-governed state universities (and does not include recruitment more..

Mar 3 (FT) A customised capacity-building program for 10 aquaculturists from the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) under the Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Ministry of SL, was organizsed from 2 to 13 Feb at the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), Bhubaneshwar, India - the premier research institute for freshwater aquaculture in India under the aegeis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. The program encompassed technical sessions on more..

Mar 3 (SO) The long-shadowed diplomatic winter of the Middle East has officially morphed into a scorching firestorm. In the early hours of February 28, 2026, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) launched Operation Shield of Judah, a massive pre-emptive strike against Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure. Within minutes, the geopolitical landscape shifted fundamentally as US Prez Donald Trump confirmed from Mar-a-Lago in Florida that US had joined the fray with Operation Epic Fury, more..

Mar 3 (TM) SL’s plantation wage debate has once again surfaced at the highest levels of Govt, but this time the dispute is no longer only about how much an estate worker should earn at the end of the day. The debate has evolved into a wider confrontation over public finance discipline, legal authority, labour market distortions, and the future structure of the plantation economy – with a parallel Govt push to reclaim unused fertile land, more..

Mar 3 (GV) Before the expulsion of the Northern Muslims in 1990 by the LTTE, Muslims and Tamils of the North lived in harmony with one another. An exhibition testifying to this co-existence was held recently, with photographs—most of them in black and white—displaying images of buildings, ornaments, items of clothing and people, while some captured ruins where once-thriving structures stood. Together, these images served as a poignant reminder that the way of life captured in more..

Mar 3 (CT) Panic buying surged across certain parts of the island following escalated attacks in the Middle East, while tensions reached a critical point when Iranian State media confirmed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the wake of Israeli & US airstrikes, threatening widespread regional destabilisation. Potential global impact of these attacks cannot be understated. Entire region has transitioned beyond an energy supplier, into a global hub for business connecting the East & West. more..

Mar 3 (SO) Life in Colombo increasingly feels like a crawl through exhaust fumes. Buses idle, vehicles surge forward and stop again, and a fine layer of dust settles on clothes even before we get to school or work. Children cough, many reach into their bags for inhalers – these are common sights now in any city across Asia. In Sri Lanka, people usually consider asthma and allergies to be dust problems or more..

Mar 3 (DM) People who have lost their homes are all over my social media feeds. But they are from Gaza, not from SL. The pictures are horrific and the stories are heart rending. But we’re not doing much for them beyond putting flags on our profiles. As social animals, we are programmed to sympathize. Those who do not are called sociopaths. Close to home. In addition to the many innocents who have lost their homes in West Asia, we also have many close-to-home who had homes in November but more..

Mar 3 (DM) On 28 Feb as peace negotiations were ongoing between the US and Iran in a sneak attack the US and its partner Israel, attacked multiple locations in Iran, including the home of Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Among other locations targeted by the US and Israel was a girls kindergarten. Over a hundred little children were killed in the attack. Ayatollah himself was meeting with a number of military commanders at his residence. The Iranian leader, at least five more..