Mar 9 (Reuters) Iran on Monday named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father ​Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old US-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel. Mojtaba, a cleric with influence inside Iran's security forces and vast business networks ‌under his father, had been viewed as a frontrunner in the lead-up to Sunday's vote by the Assembly of Experts, a body of 88 clerics tasked with choosing Khamenei's successor. more..

Mar 9 (DM) SL’s banking sector is currently confronting a medium-high money laundering risk, compounded by emerging threats from financial fraud and tax evasion. These findings were recently published in the SL National Risk Assessment on Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Proliferation Financing 2024/25, a comprehensive evaluation coordinated by CB's Financial Intelligence Unit. Overarching national money laundering risk for the country has been evaluated as medium, more..

Mar 9 (FT) Sri Lanka has told International Sovereign Bond (ISB) investors that the Govt expects economic growth to stabilise at an average of 3.1% annually between 2027 and 2030 while maintaining a long-term real interest rate anchor of 2.5-2.6%, according to presentation documents released by the Finance Ministry last Friday. The projections were outlined as part of the Govt’s engagement with ISB holders more..

Mar 9 (FT) Govt and leading private sector executives have begun shaping a new strategy to steer the country’s export sector, with a high-level forum bringing together business leaders and State officials to chart priorities for the coming years. National Export Roadmap: CEO Forum was held last week, bringing together Chairmen and CEOs from across SL’s private sector to review export performance in 2025 and agree on strategic goals for 2026 and beyond. more..

Mar 9 (ST) Colombo High Court Judge Rashantha Godawela has been assigned to hear the corruption case against Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody. The case, the first against a ruling JVP-NPP minister, is due to come up for hearing next week. CIABOC this week indicted Minister Jayakody before the Colombo High Court on the charge of corruption, accusing him of causing a loss of over Rs 8.8 million to the state by allowing a contracted private company to make undue financial profits. more..

Mar 9 (FT) Sri Lanka Chamber of Small and Medium Industries (SLCSMI) is launching an initiative to support the backbone of Sri Lanka’s economy, the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector, which is currently facing one of the most challenging periods in recent history. Over the past few years, SMEs have endured a series of major shocks that have disrupted businesses, weakened financial stability, and threatened thousands of livelihoods across the country. more..

Mar 9 (CI) It was a sea of blue at the Narendra Modi Stadium, and a black-and-blue beating for the luckless nearly-men of world cricket, as India - the hosts and pre-tournament favourites - delivered their third T20 World Cup title, and second in a row, with a ruthless 96-run victory over New Zealand in Ahmedabad. Just as had been the case in their epic semi-final over England, India were asked to bat first but responded to the challenge with a fast-forwarded display of power-hitting. more..

Mar 9 (TM) SL has granted one-month relief visas to Iranian sailors rescued from two vessels currently in its waters, with authorities confirming they will remain in the country temporarily until arrangements are made for their departure. Minister Ananda Wijepala said the decision was taken strictly in line with international maritime conventions and humanitarian principles, despite mounting geopolitical tension surrounding the sinking of more..

Mar 9 (Island) Education Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) Pubudu Jayagoda says the Indian company which secured a tender to supply coal for electricity generation this year has delivered only 13 of the 25 shipments required and no vessel has arrived in Sri Lanka for the last 10 days or so. Jayagoda said the Indian company Trident Chemphar, which secured the tender to supply 25 coal shipments for 2026, had placed the country’s coal stocks at risk. more..

Mar 9 (DN) Two impressive half centuries by Nemindu Akmeemana (79) and Ranmith Dinuwara (78) followed by a superb bowling spell of 3 for 19 by Osanda Pamuditha helped Nalanda College record a 53 run win over arch rivals Ananda College in their 49 th limited over cricket encounter which was played for the first time under lights at the SSC grounds on Saturday . Nalanda Skipper Osanda Pamuditha elected to bat first and they made a challenging total of 261 all out in 50 overs more..

Mar 9 (DM) SL is better equipped than during its 2022 financial crisis to absorb shocks from rising oil prices, CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said, citing a strong US$ 7 billion foreign reserve buffer and low inflation as critical safeguards. With inflation at the end of last month standing at 1.6%, compared with the CB’s target of 5%, Dr. Weerasinghe confidently expressed that this gives SL sufficient space to absorb more..

Mar 9 (FT) Web3Interactive LLC, a UAE-based immersive technology company headquartered in Dubai, is introducing advanced real estate visualisation and immersive sales technologies to Sri Lanka through its innovation subsidiary, Immersive Labs. SL’s real estate sector is demonstrating steady recovery in 2025, boosted by macroeconomic stabilisation, lower policy rates and renewed investor confidence. Overseas and Diaspora interest is increasing with foreign buyers more..

Mar 9 (FT) World Trade Center (WTC) Colombo won the Gold Award for the Most Energy Efficient Building in SL at the SL National Energy Efficiency Awards 2025, organised by the SL Sustainable Energy Authority under the guidance of the Ministry of Power and Energy. The award ceremony, held on 24 Feb at the BMICH, was graced by PM Harini Amarasuriya, Power & Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody, and Deputy Minister Arkam Ilyas along with several distinguished guests and more..

Mar 9 (Island) Traditional Big Match between St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa and Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa ended in a draw after an absorbing contest at De Soysa Stadium Moratuwa on Sunday. St. Sebastian’s produced a strong second innings batting display with five top-order batsmen scoring half centuries to finish on 279 for five wickets declared, setting their arch rivals a target of 230 runs for victory. Prince of Wales struggled in their run chase and were reeling more..

Mar 9 (ST) The 30% surge in prices for Solar PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) over the last three months has rendered such investments financially unviable in the current climate, according to industry analysts. The removal of a 9% VAT rebate on solar exports, along with surging silver prices (a critical component), has forced manufacturers to raise prices, reversing the previous cheap era of solar and batteries. Analysts said that in the residential sector, more..

Mar 9 (FT) Cricketer turned investor-cum-entrepreneur Aravinda de Silva last week made a compelling case for a further reduction in lending rates whilst reiterating his strong belief in SL’s potential to do better. “The interest rates need to come down further. Just because the interest rates have been at an all-time low, doesn’t mean that we have to remain at that,” Aravinda argued during his remarks at an investor forum more..

Mar 9 (Island) Sri Lanka stands at a geopolitical crossroads where geography is both its greatest asset and its most vulnerable liability. Sitting astride the Indian Ocean’s critical east-west highway, the waters, south of Dondra Head, channel nearly 30% of the world’s maritime trade. This route is the arterial vein connecting Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Yet, as tensions flare in the Middle East and great power competition intensifies, Sri Lanka finds itself guarding a highway it does not own, more..

Mar 9 (Island) JVP-NPP govt came to power, promising to play a messianic role and cleanse SL politics, but a dirty coal procurement deal has blackened its reputation. Its leaders and propagandists are unashamedly trying to obfuscate the issue of procuring low-quality coal and causing huge losses to the ailing economy. They have made a fresh attempt to muddy the water by asking for further testing of the low-grade coal, which has already caused a loss of about Rs. 9 billion more..

Mar 9 (ST) The escalating conflict in West Asia and its impact on the country dwarfed all other topics in Parliament as lawmakers tried to keep pace with fast-moving developments in a war that had unexpectedly come to SL’s own doorstep. Opposition MPs had questioned the govt during the start of the Wednesday’s parliamentary proceedings on reports of an Iranian vessel being in distress near SL waters off Galle. Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed the matter, identifying the Iranian vessel as more..

Mar 9 (GV) In late 2025, as economic anxieties deepened and global climate warnings grew louder, a tropical storm formed over the Bay of Bengal and intensified into what would be known as Cyclone Ditwah. The storm moved across SL’s northern and eastern regions bringing torrential rainfall, severe flooding, landslides and widespread infrastructure damage. The numbers were staggering: approximately $4.1 billion in losses – nearly 4% of national GDP – 2 million people affected more..

Mar 9 (TM) Three months after Cyclone Ditwah triggered devastating floods and landslides across SL, thousands of families remain displaced, with many still living in temporary shelters, camps, overcrowded homes, and rented rooms as the State struggles to move from emergency relief to long-term resettlement. In Haggala and Rendapola in Nuwara Eliya, 23 estate families displaced by landslides are still living more..

Mar 9 (SO) The Indian Ocean, once celebrated as a Zone of Peace, has been transformed into a graveyard of metal and a crucible of high-stakes diplomacy. On the morning of March 4, 2026, the quiet serenity of the waters just 65 Km South of Galle, was shattered by a huge explosion (equivalent to 200 tons of TNT) that will be remembered as the first major submarine-on-surface-ship engagement of the 21st Century. The sinking of the IRIS Dena, an Iranian frigate, more..

Mar 9 (DM) At a time when global tensions are rising between US, Israel and Iran, the last thing a small country like Sri Lanka needs is to be dragged into someone else’s war. Yet worrying reports have emerged that pressure may have been exerted by the US on the SL govt regarding the handling of Iranian sailors and citizens whose bodies are currently in the country. If such reports are accurate, they raise serious questions about sovereignty & respect for independent nations. more..

Mar 9 (SO) With the industrial renaissance that began in Europe in the 18th century, huge factories producing goods spread rapidly. Although their workers had to work more than 12 hours a day, they did not receive adequate wages or even a living wage. They were also deprived of professional rights. During this era, women workers were employed in large numbers in the textile and clothing industries. more..

Mar 9 (TM) SL’s national security thinking has long been shaped by a brutal land war. For nearly three decades, the country’s military posture, budgets, and instincts were forged in the crucible of internal conflict. That made sense then. But, it does not make sense now. At a recent Pathfinder Foundation event, Admiral Jayanath Colombage put it bluntly. Our military was designed and developed throughout a three-decade-long civil conflict. But now we have come a long way from 2009 until 2026. more..

Mar 9 (DM) We are not sure exactly why, but cricket is like a religion here. So wrote W. Lewis Amselem, Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Colombo, in a cable to Washington on Sept 13, 2002, logged in the WikiLeaks database. The observation was made in passing, almost as an aside, yet it captured something profound about the subcontinent’s relationship with a bat-and-ball game that has long ceased to be merely a sport. Religion, at its core, is a system of beliefs, practices, and more..

Mar 8 (ST) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake had the unenviable task of walking the diplomatic tightrope this week when SL was unexpectedly thrust into the middle of the ongoing conflict engulfing West Asia, commonly referred to even here as the Middle East, and the Gulf States. Initially, it seemed that SL had pulled off a diplomatic coup by playing peacemaker in the middle of warring parties by giving refuge to Iranian sailors more..

Mar 8 (TM) SL has secured fuel stocks until the end of August, ensuring continuity of supply despite growing tensions in the Middle East. According to the CPC, orders have been placed to cover requirements through August, in addition to long-term tenders already arranged by the Govt. CPC Managing Director Dr. Mayura Neththikumarage said that the country currently had sufficient stocks of diesel, petrol, crude oil & naphtha to last until end of April under prevailing consumption patterns. more..

Mar 8 (TM) There are no immediate or direct risks to Sri Lanka’s food security arising from the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, the Ministry of Trade has stated. However, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has called for a comprehensive study to assess the potential impact on the SL economy should the conflict continue for an extended period. Trade Ministry Secretary K.A. Vimalenthirarajah noted that the ongoing conflict did not pose a direct threat to Sri Lanka’s food security. more..

Mar 8 (TM) Ministry of Defence rejected foreign media reports which claimed that the US had pressured Sri Lanka not to return rescued Iranian sailors to Tehran following recent maritime incidents in the Indian Ocean. “There is no truth to the claims that the US Govt or the US Embassy have applied pressure on SL to refrain from returning the sailors to Iran and no such dialogue has taken place,” Dy Minister Aruna Jayasekara said, more..

Mar 8 (EN) SL’s official remittances rose 33% to US$729 million in Feb 2026 with the rising trend continued from 2024. The February inflows from the foreign workers come after the island nation saw a record monthly remittance in December last year, which also witnessed the historical annual high worker remittances of US$ 8,076.2 million. The inflows from SL workers abroad rose 32% to US$1,480.1 million in the first two months of this year compared to the same period last year. more..

Mar 8 (ST) The Treasury has left out a salary increase for the three Commissioners and the Director General of CIABOC, despite the COPF recommending salary hikes for the last two years. With Parliament set to debate a resolution over cadre and salary structures of the Commission on March 17, the recommendations were left out for a third time by the Dept of Management Services under the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning & Development. more..