Sep 2 (AD) Veteran singer Priyankara Perera has passed away at the age of 64. Perera passed away last night while receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital, according to family members. He had been suffering from an illness for some time. The son of renowned singer Milton Perera, Priyankara Perera was a popular figure in SL’s music and entertainment industry. He was also known for his work as an actor. He gained widespread popularity through several memorable songs, more..

Sep 2 (Island) On the surface, the 41st Board Meeting of the India-SL Foundation (ISLF) in New Delhi on August 28, 2026, was structured as a routine diplomatic engagement. Co-chaired by Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and SL High Commissioner Mahishini Colonne, the session formally approved a standard slate of cultural and educational projects. However, looking closer at the broader macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape, the meeting underscored a much deeper more..

Sep 2 (FT) SL’s gross public debt increased by Rs. 744 billion during the second quarter of 2026 to Rs. 32.98 trillion, even as its dollar value declined by $ 4.32 billion to $ 97.95 billion. PDMO’s Statistical Debt Bulletin for the second quarter showed gross public debt rising 2.3% from Rs.32.23 trillion at end-March to Rs. 32.98 trillion at end-June. In dollar terms, however, the stock declined 4.2% from $ 102.27 billion to $ 97.95 billion. more..

Sep 2 (EN) Cabinet has approved signing a bilateral agreement on immigration control cooperation with China to facilitate legitimate travel and combat transnational crime minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. The agreement between SL’s Dept of Immigration and Emigration and the National Immigration Administration of China aims to enhance institutional coordination, intelligence sharing, and border management. “Facilitating visa and immigration matters for citizens engaged in more..

Sep 2 (FT) A major step towards strengthening trade, investment and business linkages between Sri Lanka and Hong Kong was taken with the successful hosting of the Bridging Markets: Unlocking Hong Kong–Sri Lanka Trade and Investment Opportunities seminar and business networking dinner on 19 August 2026 at the Celestine Ballroom, Cinnamon Life, Colombo. The program was organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Jakarta, Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and more..

Sep 2 (Island) Representatives of 40 professional organisations and trade unions have jointly opposed the proposed 22ned Amendment to SL’s Constitution, saying provisions extending the retirement age of judges could threaten judicial independence and the rule of law. The organisations, representing various professional and trade union bodies, met at Bar Association of SL (BASL) on Monday and adopted a joint statement more..

Sep 2 (FT) Hunas Holdings yesterday announced it is entering a new phase of growth through a collaborative partnership with CCH Co, Ltd, (CCH INC), a major Tokyo-based business group with experience across business process outsourcing (BPO), in-house services, investment, mergers and acquisitions, and business development. The partnership follows a period in which Hunas Holdings maintained a measured approach to new investments amid volatile market conditions, more..

Sep 2 (FT) The project arm of Hayleys Fentons Ltd, has successfully completed construction of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for Shield Restraint Systems Ltd, at the Wathupitiwala Export Processing Zone, delivered fully on schedule, from foundation stone to completion in roughly 14 months. The project, valued at over Rs. 1 billion, is among the more technically demanding industrial builds the company has undertaken, given the precision and int'l compliance standards required for more..

Sep 2 (DN) SL's Table Tennis prodigy Taavi Samaraweera once again came to the fore with a superb performance at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Youth Contender 2026 in Slovenia and Croatia in back to back WTT tournaments. Taavi who made history by becoming SL’s first-ever world number one and World Youth Champion in the ITTF Under-11 Boys’ category is taking part more WTT tournaments to improve his skills as well as cementing his reputation as a rising global more..

Sep 2 (ST) Sri Lanka will renegotiate all trade agreements in place including the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement to make them more favourable to the country, a senior govt official said. The proposal to renegotiate the four free trade agreements in place with India, Pakistan, Thailand and Singapore will be presented to Cabinet shortly, he said. The move to renegotiate the FTA follows a review of the agreements by a cabinet appointed committee for the purpose. more..

Sep 2 (ST) A fresh proposal to use belts instead of chains on elephants’ legs to restrain their movements has received mixed reactions from the custodian of the Sacred Tooth Relic, elephant owners, and animal welfare activists. Dalada Maligawa’s Diyawadana Nilame, Pradeep Nilanga Dela—who is also president of the Domesticated Elephant Owners Association—said belts pose practical concerns. more..

Sep 2 (Island) It is a Friday evening in Colombo. On the waterfront, a queue of well-dressed tourists files past a doorman and into the blinking lights of a casino floor, where a croupier is dealing baccarat to a table of high rollers. A few kilometres away, under an awning strung with festival lights, reading a racing paper from dawn to dusk, a group of neighbours sit cross-legged around a well-worn deck of cards, playing a fast, noisy game called Buruwa, small notes changing hands with every round. more..

Sep 2 (GV) Sri Lanka, once celebrated as the Pearl of Asia and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, entered independence in 1948 with extraordinary promise. It enjoyed one of the highest literacy rates in the developing world, a respected civil service, a thriving plantation economy, democratic institutions and a strategic position along one of the world’s busiest sea routes. Following independence, it was widely regarded as one of Asia’s most promising nations. At a time when many countries more..

Sep 2 (DM) The title of the NPP manifesto, a Thriving Nation, a Beautiful Life, suggests that those running the present govt believe that the state has a responsibility to ensure a higher quality of life for the citizens. This issue was raised in a recent public discussion, in implicit criticism of my advocacy of reducing taxes and promoting exports as against actions to ensure a rich life. The state cannot take responsibility for the happiness of its citizens. Its responsibility is to preserve more..

Sep 2 (Island) Five suspects have been arrested over the recent detection of more than 471 kg of ICE concealed in a freight container. Three of the suspects are Pakistani nationals, and the others are Sri Lankans. The container carrying drugs came from Pakistan for onward shipment to Cameroon. Given the sheer cargo volumes handled by ports around the world, there is reason to believe that a large number of shipping containers carrying narcotics go undetected. more..

Sep 2 (SO) SL has endured decades of political turmoil, communal violence and social upheaval, forcing thousands of its citizens, particularly members of the Tamil community, to flee the country and seek refuge overseas. Many found new lives in countries across the world, while others eventually returned home. Yet close to two decades after the end of the conflict, around 90,000 SL Tamil refugees continue to live in India, both in refugee camps and more..

Sep 2 (ST) Watching SL’s unfolding tragi-comic drama even from this distance seems like sitting in a box seat. It appears so close. Except that it is so fast-moving that even Donald Trump cannot keep pace with his disappearing White House staff and military high command throwing off their pips and quitting the Pentagon. There is this difference, though. To the superpower chief today’s friend might well be tomorrow’s foe. Over in our motherland, they know well enough who is who and what was more..

Sep 2 (DM) Japan was sworn to pacifism after the devastating impact that World War II had on it. Its 1947 constitution had Article 9, through which it explicitly abjured war. It gave up its sovereign right to wage war and also to maintain war potential. Post-war Japan handed over responsibility for its defence to the US, the occupying power turned ally. But there was no remorse because Japan’s rather unflattering image, through the 1930s till 1945 as an expansionist power, had been shed. more..

Sep 2 (TM) “If a fire breaks out in one house, and we are delayed in reaching it, the entire area catches fire progressively,” says CMC Acting Chief Fire Officer P.D.K.A. Wilson, recounting the six or seven major blazes his teams have battled in the city’s informal settlements in recent years. Even when the ground looks passable, he said, overhead wiring and makeshift extensions block his engines from reaching the source of the fire. more..

Sep 2 (DM) Given several recent developments, it is timely that Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake firmly stated his govt would not tolerate racism from any ethnic group—Sinhalese, Tamil, or Muslim. During the National Milad-un-Nabi or Holy Prophet’s Birthday celebration in Negombo on Aug 26, the President said his govt would not allow another ethnic or religious conflict to break out in SL. He made this remark against the backdrop of some individuals and groups making malicious more..

Sep 2 (TM) When Sri Lanka opened its retail petroleum sector to new commercial distributors, the policy makers argued that introducing foreign players into a market historically dominated by State enterprise would unleash competitive forces, encourage operational efficiency, and deliver dynamic pricing to consumers. Yet, from the very inception of this policy, the promised price competition has failed to materialise. Rather than cultivating a transparent marketplace more..

Sep 1 (AD) Lecturers at state universities will hold protests tomorrow during the lunch break, demanding permanent solutions to long-standing issues affecting the university system. Federation of Uni Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) said lecturers from all state universities would participate in the protest. FUTA Secretary Senior Lecturer Charudaththe Illangasinghe said further trade union action would be launched next week if the govt failed to address their concerns. more..

Sep 1 (AD) Sri Lanka’s total public debt stood at US$97.952 billion (Rs. 32.977 trillion) as of June 30, according to the latest report issued by the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) of the Ministry of Finance. The report, issued by the Public Debt Management Office states that as of June 30, the govt’s debt alone amounted to Rs. 31.999 trillion, or US$95.047 billion. In addition, the report records US$20 million in debt owed by provincial councils and provincial institutions, more..

Sep 1 (Island) Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S Bodaragama has directed the police FCID to respond to Court on the written application under 124 CCPA made to the Chief Magistrate on behalf of first suspect Jiffry Mohamed of AY Investments Impex Pvt Ltd, that FCID be directed to investigate directly or through the banks and ascertain from the overseas exporters by fax or email the relevant exports made by them to SL in respect of more..

Sep 1 (NW) A vibrant evening of music and cultural exchange is set to unfold as the SL Air Force Performing Arts Wing joins hands with the U.S. Pacific Air Force Band for a joint concert titled Fusion Performance Atlas Angel 2026. The event will take place on Sept 4, 2026, from 5:30 pm onwards at Arcade Independence Square, Colombo, with free entry for the public. Organizers say the concert will showcase a blend of music, dance, and artistic collaboration, highlighting the strengthening more..

Sep 1 (NW) PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila has questioned the govt’s argument that the proposed 22nd Amendment is aimed at retaining experienced judges, pointing to the composition of the 5-member Supreme Court bench appointed to hear challenges against the Bill. The Supreme Court began considering petitions challenging the proposed 22nd Amendment on Tuesday before a 5-member bench headed by Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena. The other members are Justices Achala more..

Sep 1 (FT) SL’s national official poverty line rose to Rs. 17,679 per person per month in July 2026, up 0.5% from the previous month, according to the latest DCS data. The minimum monthly expenditure required per person to meet defined basic needs increased by Rs. 87 from Rs. 17,592 in June. Threshold was 7.2% higher year-on-year (YoY), rising by Rs. 1,195 from Rs. 16,484 in July 2025. July figure was also the highest more..

Sep 1 (EN) Cabinet has approved a proposal to sign a complementary adjustment agreement with Brazil to implement a sugarcane project, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. Sri Lanka originally entered into a basic Technical Cooperation Agreement with Brazil on Sept 16, 2008, aimed at promoting bilateral cooperation across mutually beneficial sectors. “According to the basic agreement on technical cooperation signed between SL and Brazil, more..

Sep 1 (Island) Convenor of the Janathawadi Joint Opposition, Prof. G. L. Peiris, on Sunday said that they were suspicious of a possible attempt to put off the next presidential election. The former External Affairs Minister said that they were also seriously concerned about the holding of the next parliamentary polls. He said so at a meeting held in Galle in support of the Opposition efforts against the 22nd Constitutional Amendment. Referring to numerous NPP members declaring that more..

Sep 1 (NW) An appeal has been lodged in the Colombo Civil Appellate High Court challenging the order of the Colombo District Court, which rejected a request to compel Sri Lanka cricketer Chamika Karunaratne to provide a blood sample for a DNA test in a paternity case. The District Court dismissed the application, ruling that sufficient grounds had not been presented to justify a DNA test. The case was filed by airline pilot Rasika Sewwandi, who claims Karunaratne fathered her child and more..

Sep 1 (DM) Authorities have proposed introducing an Electric Vehicle (EV) shuttle service inside Horton Plains National Park to reduce vehicle emissions, carbon footprints and noise pollution. The proposal was made during a special field observation tour and progress review discussion held at Horton Plains on Aug 29 under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody. Under the proposed system, dedicated parking facilities would be established near the park's entrance gates, more..