Jan 11 (ST) SL’s recent Asia Cup campaign ended with three wins and three defeats. On paper, it suggests balance. In truth, it was disorder disguised as arithmetic. Those 3 defeats denied SL the chance to defend a title won only 2 years earlier. More damaging than the results, however, was what followed. Once again, SLC revealed how little it understands elite sport, long-term planning or even fundamentals of professional governance. more..

Jan 11 (Island) Trade unions and professional associations have been cranking up pressure on the NPP govt to put its education reforms on hold and invite all key stakeholders to a serious discussion. PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya struck a conciliatory note in Parliament the other day, indicating that the govt was willing to take dissenting views on board. But Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said in no uncertain terms that the govt will go ahead with its education reform programme. more..

Jan 11 (Island) Presidential election campaign was drawing to a close. We had campaigned hard but everyone knew that it would be a keenly contested election. A final meeting was scheduled for Saturday December 18, 1999. It was to be held near the Town Hall in Colombo and CBK was to be the chief speaker. I was accommodated in the front row of the stage together with other party leaders. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, the PM, had invited me to be a speaker at his final meeting in Horana. more..

Jan 11 (TM) What is unfolding in SL today is not a dramatic invasion or an overt loss of sovereignty, but something far subtler and therefore more dangerous: a renewed form of imperial influence advancing quietly through the language of reform, stability, and modernisation. This phenomenon is not new to the Global South, but its present intensity and the ease with which it appears to be gaining ground right before our eyes should give serious pause. The troubling reality is that this occurrence more..

Jan 11 (ST) My dear Harini sahodariya, I cannot help but write to you this week, because you are the talk of the town. Suddenly, you have become the prime target of the opposition. You are being accused of single-handedly trying to destroy our cultural values. A lot of abuse and hate is being directed at you by your opponents. Even before all this, you were subjected to intense scrutiny when you became PM, because you were a lady. You may be the third female PM in the country that gave the world more..

Jan 11 (ST) With a no-confidence motion being launched against PM and Education Minister Harini Amarasuriya in Parliament over the controversy of the school book for Grade Six, one of the opposition political parties, the ITAK, condemned the move and noted PM is subjected to hate speech both online and offline by lawmakers, discrediting her name and office. Following the stand taken by the party, party’s Parliamentary Committee, more..

Jan 11 (ST) The drama that unfolded in faraway Venezuela exposed the JVP-NPP Govt’s two-pronged, some say two-faced, policy of keeping its Marxist ideological base intact domestically but, thankfully, staying alive to the real world of geopolitics. Its party headquarters condemning in the strongest terms the kidnapping of the president of one sovereign country by another, while its own government deftly passing the ball to the United Nations, expressing its deep concern while more..

Jan 11 (SO) How would the world react if Russian Prez Vladimir Putin captures and arrests Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy? Or imagine what would the U.S. and the UN would have said and done if Chinese Prez Xi Jinping sends the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to Taiwan to arrest its Prez Lai Ching-te in a dramatic way? There would have been serious repercussions for these two nations in the BRICS bloc for sure. But, on Jan 3, world witnessed a dramatic escalation in U.S. foreign policy more..

Jan 11 (TM) The impact of the unfolding developments on the global stage is bound to be felt by many countries including Sri Lanka. It would therefore be correct to state that a new set of challenges has now fallen before President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his JVP-led NPP Govt. Within the first few days of the new year, the masses were treated to price hikes as well as proposed tariff hikes. more..

Jan 11 (GV) The debate over parliamentary pensions has resurfaced in SL, raising critical questions of fairness, accountability and fiscal responsibility. At a time when citizens face economic hardship, tax pressures and reforms to their own retirement benefits, the privileges enjoyed by elected representatives are under unprecedented scrutiny. Globally, many democracies have grappled with similar issues. In response, they have restructured parliamentary pension schemes to reflect more..

Jan 11 (SO) Govt’s decision to abolish lifetime Parliamentary pensions for MPs and their spouses marks one of the most consequential reforms in SL’s political culture in decades. With the Gazette for the Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Bill, SL is now poised to end an arrangement that symbolises the widening gap between citizens and their elected representatives. This is a long-overdue realignment of political incentives and public expectations at a time when trust in lawmakers remains weak more..

Jan 10 (CT) US has formally withdrawn from the 76-year-old Colombo Plan Council, a multilateral development organisation established in 1950 that helped strengthen SL’s National Dangerous Drugs Control Board and Govt Analyst’s Department, as part of a sweeping reassessment of American participation in int'l organisations under President Donald Trump. The Colombo Plan Council, which remains more..

Jan 10 (NW) Construction activities at the Ambuluwawa Environmental Zone have been ordered to be suspended until further notice, pending a technical assessment by experts, the Ministry of Environment said. In a statement, the ministry said it has instructed the Central Environmental Authority to halt all construction on the Ambuluwawa mountain until a formal report is obtained from specialists and a determination is made on the level of risk in the area. more..

Jan 10 (FT) Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has underscored the urgent need for a centralised and continuously updated digital data system covering all antiquities and archaeological excavations in SL, warning that the absence of such a system undermines effective heritage management, transparency, and tourism promotion. The issue was raised when the COPA met in Parliament on Tuesday, chaired by MP Kabir Hashim, to examine AG’s Reports more..

Jan 10 (CT) CID has focused its attention on whether the third DNA report, which stated that Sarah Jasmine was among those killed in a suicide bombing at a safe house in Sainthamaruthu linked to the Easter Sunday attacks, had been issued with the intention of misleading the criminal investigation. This concern arose because two earlier DNA examinations of body parts recovered from those killed in the Sainthamaruthu blast more..

Jan 10 (CT) The first in a series of seminars under the theme Positive Discipline Instead of Punishing Schoolchildren, aimed at educating principals on preventing violence against schoolchildren, commenced in A'pura on 8 January. All school principals in the A'pura District participated in this special awareness programme, held at the North Central PC Auditorium. Programme aimed to eliminate physical punishment in schools and to promote positive thinking & discipline among more..

Jan 10 (CT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake emphasised that the Govt is dedicated to creating an education system that does not impose a burden on parents or cause distress for children. The Prez highlighted that the country needs a modern education system that enables its children to compete on the global stage and serves as the only pathway to lift rural children out of entrenched poverty. He affirmed that, without yielding to misinformation or false narratives, more..

Jan 10 (FT) The Colombo stock market yesterday ended the week 3.45% on the up with the ASPI six points shy of reaching a new all-time high and gaining Rs. 264.8 billion in value during the week. During the week, the ASPI had gained 790.22 points and the S&P SL20 gained 5.12% or 316.93 points. Yesterday, ASPI closed 0.54% or 127.17 points on the up to 23,654.30, and the S&P SL20 was up 0.70% or 44.99 points to 6,503.02. The ASPI hit an all-time high of 23,659 on 12 Nov 2025. more..

Jan 10 (DN) Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa revealed to Parliament yesterday that the death of 12-year-old Kuganeshan Dinoja who was admitted to the Mullaitivu District Base Hospital on Dec 21, 2025 at around 7.20 pm cannot be ruled out as a murder until on-going investigations are concluded. Responding to an allegation made by Jaffna District MP Ramanathan Archchuna in Parliament that Kuganeshan Dinoja was murdered in the Mullaitivu Base Hospital, more..

Jan 10 (Island) Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne yesterday (09) delivered a ruling under Standing Order 27(3), declaring out of order a motion submitted by 31 Members of Parliament to appoint a Select Committee to examine the powers of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The Speaker emphasised that the JSC’s functions constitute the exercise of the People’s judicial power and were protected by constitutional more..

Jan 10 (EN) SL’s central bank has bought US$ 250.8 million from the people in Dec 2025 and sold US$ 28.3 million back to them, official data shows, depreciating the rupee by close to three rupees in the process. The rupee ended the year a tad shy of 310 to the US dollar in the spot market with some moral suasion being used. There has been a narrative spread in the island by macro-economists that the rupee is market determined, but there is aggressive exchange rate policy being more..

Jan 10 (DM) Sri Lanka has secured its position as the third fastest-growing travel destination for Australian tourists in 2025, recording a 19% year-on-year growth in arrivals. According to the latest data, the island nation trails only Israel and Iran, while outperforming popular regional competitors such as Vietnam and Nepal. ​The data reveals a significant shift in the market’s behaviour, with a total of 132,390 Australian visitors arriving in Sri Lanka during the year. more..

Jan 10 (DN) Skipper Chamudi Probodha returned excellent figures of 4 for 10 as Team Reds pulled off a major upset, defeating Team Greys by 17 runs in their Women’s National Super League T20 match played at the Thurstan Grounds yesterday. Packed with promising Under-19 players, Team Reds posted 107 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs. The 16-year-old leg-spinner Probodha then led from the front with a match-winning spell, as Team Greys were bowled out for 90 in 19.3 overs. more..

Jan 10 (DN) TikTok recently shared the top searched words on the platform in SL in 2025, offering a snapshot of what Sri Lankans were most curious about this year — from the celebrities and creators they follow, to the music and dramas they can’t stop talking about, the places they’re planning to visit, and the moments driving conversation across the platform. From cricket-led highlights and entertainment buzz to cultural touchpoints like Kandy Esala Perahera, the 2025 list reflects more..

Jan 10 (FT) Minister Sunil Handunneththi confirmed that SL’s export revenues exceeded $ 17 billion in 2025, highlighting the resilience of the country’s exporters and the impact of coordinated policy support, strategic market development, and targeted capacity-building initiatives. Addressing the official launch of Sri Lanka Expo 2026, Minister congratulated the export community, Export Development Board, more..

Jan 10 (DN) The Lanka Ride cycling race, jointly organised by the Sports Development Department and the Cycling Umpires’ Association under will commence on Jan 16 at 9 a.m. opposite Lake House on D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo. The first stage of the Lanka Ride will be from Colombo to Gannoruwa on Jan 16, followed by the second stage from Gannoruwa to Auradhapura on Jan 17. On the final day, the race will return to Colombo, finishing at Torrington Square. more..

Jan 10 (DN) Among the 20 Sectoral Advisory Councils operating under the Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development, Huzefa Akbarally, Chairman of the Tea Exporters Association, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Sectoral Advisory Council for the Value Added Tea Sector. The appointment was made at the Sectoral Advisory Council for the Value Added Tea Sectoral Advisory Council on Wednesday (07) under the patronage of Minister of more..

Jan 10 (FT) Sri Lanka Expo 2026, returning after a 14-year hiatus, was officially launched yesterday by the Export Development Board (EDB) as a flagship national initiative aimed at accelerating export growth, industrial transformation, and global engagement, with strong backing from both the Govt and the private sector. The four-day exhibition will be held from 18 to 21 June at the BMICH in Colombo. Speaking at the launch, EDB Chairman more..

Jan 10 (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the banking sector of resorting to debt traps instead of offering practical solutions to ease the economic hardships faced by micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs). Speaking in Parliament, he warned that MSMEs, which contribute about 52% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and provide employment to nearly 4.5 million people, are in severe distress following the economic crisis. more..

Jan 10 (FT) SL must stay the course with the IMF program, invest decisively in tourism-related infrastructure, and cut regulatory red tape for foreign investors if it is to convert recent economic stabilisation into sustained and inclusive growth, speakers said yesterday at a policy discussion held alongside the launch of the report Sustaining transformative growth in SL, 2025–2030 by the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) and ODI Global at SL Foundation Institute in Colombo. more..

Jan 10 (FT) Consulate General of SL in Guangzhou, in partnership with the SL Tourism Promotion Bureau, successfully hosted the Sri Lanka Is Ready networking evening. The event attracted over 60 senior executives and key industry figures, including representatives from the Guangzhou International Travel Fair, leading outbound tour operators from Guangzhou and Shenzhen, prospective Chinese travellers, and prominent Chinese media and social media influencers, alongside more..

Jan 10 (FT) SLTDA Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam announced that it will launch a comprehensive tourism leakage survey towards the end of this month to accurately assess how much of tourist spending remains within the domestic economy. Hewawasam said the survey will examine how much of the revised average daily tourist spending of $ 148 actually stays in SL. The announcement builds on SL’s largest-ever tourism research initiative unveiled on 27 Nov 2025, more..