Jan 25 (Island) Engineers at the CEB have drawn a clear red line over the govt’s plan to gazette the appointed date for restructuring the utility, warning that trade union action will follow if the move is pushed through without addressing their core demands. The powerful CEB Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) says preparations are already under way for industrial action, most likely after the appointed date gazette is published, should the Minister proceed without resolving outstanding issues more..

Jan 25 (AD) Following direct discussions conducted by IGP with Govt of India, Indian High Commission in SL, and Indian security authorities, an organized criminal who was the subject of an international Red Notice and residing overseas has been repatriated to Sri Lanka from India by air. These efforts were coordinated through Minister of Public Security and the Secretary to the Ministry, police said. The underworld figure known as Keselwatte Dinusha was arrested in Chennai, more..

Jan 25 (SO) With the air quality in several Sri Lankan cities recently reaching unhealthy levels and pollution intensifying across South Asia, the Government has taken steps to revive and strengthen regional cooperation under the long-dormant Malé Declaration on Control and Prevention of Air Pollution, Environment Minister Dammika Patabendi said. Move comes amid growing public concern over the deteriorating air quality more..

Jan 25 (EN) Sri Lanka’s solar power firms were promised a battery tariff of 46.80 rupees a unit in 2025, but the deadline has expired in December without the Ceylon Electricity Board issuing guidelines or contract amendments, an industry association said. Instead of giving the battery tariff which is the solution to absorb more solar power to the system, solar energy is curtailed in the daytime leading to wasted energy and revenue losses which pushing some firms into a debt crisis. more..

Jan 25 (ST) Deputy Secretary General of Parliament and Chief of Staff Chaminda Kularatne has been suspended with effect from Friday. The decision to suspend Mr Kularatne, second most senior parliamentary official after Secretary General Kushani Rohanadeera, was taken by the Parliament Staff Advisory Committee (SAC), chaired by Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne. Mr Kularatne was served his letter on Friday, following a preliminary inquiry conducted by former administrative service more..

Jan 25 (DM) As many as 16-20% of passenger bus drivers operate under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, posing a threat to public safety, a Minister said. The Transport Ministry has launched a stringent new campaign to tackle substance use among public transport staff. Speaking to the media, Minister Rathnayake revealed that while the driving profession is a respectable and vital part of the nation’s economy, it is being tarnished by a minority of individuals. more..

Jan 25 (AD) Minister Prof. Chandana Abeyratne says that this year’s State Vesak Festival will be held on May 30, 2026. The Minister said the decision was taken based on recommendations made by the Poya Committee, taking into consideration a request submitted by the Chief Prelates of the three Buddhist Chapters in SL. Accordingly, on Dec 29, 2025, the Chief Prelates of the three Buddhist Chapters wrote to Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, requesting that May 30, 2026, be declared Vesak Poya Day, more..

Jan 25 (CT) “Looking ahead to 2026, SL’s investment landscape is entering a new phase of momentum, with several transformative projects in the pipeline that will shape the country’s next growth cycle,” said outgoing Chairman of BOI, Arjuna Herath. He noted that among the key projects under preparation are the SINOPEC oil refinery, alongside sector-specific investments in Thriloka Vijaya Pathra-based manufacturing, spices more..

Jan 25 (DM) Chinese govt has decided to donate 100 electric buses to SL to reduce environmental pollution caused by carbon emissions from fossil fuels. During a meeting with the Mahanayaka of the Malwatta Chapter, Most Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera, Chinese Ambassador in SL Qi Zhenhong said. He said the buses will be used to operate bus services in Colombo-Kandy and Colombo-Galle routes. He said the electric buses are widely used in China, and more..

Jan 25 (TM) The 48-hour strike action by the GMOA is to conclude by 8 a.m. today (25), with further Trade Union (TU) actions to be implemented following their announcement tomorrow (26). GMOA Media Spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe noted that Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa had given the association a number of written agreements regarding solutions to various issues faced by hospitals – especially medical officers – following a series of discussions on the matter. more..

Jan 25 (TM) Football Federation of SL (FFSL) President Jaswar Umar says that they will make an effort to lure back National Team Head Coach Abdullah Almutairi for a new contract. This was after the former Coach confirmed via a Facebook post on Friday that he had officially concluded his stint in the island nation. Umar stated that the Kuwaiti national, who lined up with SL two years ago following the departure of then more..

Jan 25 (BBC) Bangladesh will boycott next month's men's T20 World Cup and have been replaced by Scotland. Scotland, ranked 14 in the world, have been called up by the ICC by virtue of being the highest-ranked team not already at the tournament and will take Bangladesh's place in Group C. Bangladesh had asked for their games to be switched from India citing safety concerns amid growing tensions between the countries and demanded to play them in Sri Lanka, more..

Jan 25 (CI) Despite their relief at winning away from home for the first time in 12 attempts, both Joe Root and Harry Brook voiced their criticism of the Khettarama pitch after England's five-wicket win in the second ODI against Sri Lanka. The pair were their team's mainstays in a 220-run chase, adding 81 for the third wicket on a dry and slow surface on which England used six different spin options across 40.3 overs of SL's innings, both a record by their team in ODIs. more..

Jan 25 (Island) Sri Lanka’s home ODI record since the wreckage of the 2023 World Cup has been a study in quiet efficiency. Ninth place in India and an early Champions Trophy exit could have sent the wheels spinning, but instead the hosts have responded by turning their backyard into a fortress. Since then, Sri Lanka have played seven ODI series at home and won all of them. These are not against minnows, but against the heavyweights, including World Cup finalists Australia and India. more..

Jan 25 (Island) The Opposition asked the govt, in Parliament on Friday, whether the latter would go ahead with its plan to close down low-attendance schools, and if so, what would happen to the students in them. The govt said the number of students would not be the sole criterion for what it described as school restructuring, and factors such as population density and transport would also be taken into consideration. Its response smacked of obfuscation. more..

Jan 25 (CI) Joe Root struck his 45th ODI fifty and with it helped England snap an 11-match losing streak away from home, as they won the second ODI against SL by 5 wickets and with it levelled the three-match series at 1-1. Root was unable to see the game to a close, falling to an Asitha Fernando yorker with just 42 to get off 57 deliveries, but by that point - with England batting all the way down - it would have required a collapse of epic more..

Jan 25 (Island) Colombo East Container Terminal (CECT), SL’s flagship port project under the SL Ports Authority (SLPA), remains unable to reach full operational capacity, more than four years after construction began, industry insiders say. Despite near-complete infrastructure and a strategic vision to bolster SL’s position as a regional maritime hub, the terminal is paralyzed by a single missing component: straddle carriers, essential machines for moving containers between ships and yard storage. more..

Jan 25 (Island) I will not dwell in any detail about the numerous other issues that engaged the Minister’s (Athulathemudali) attention. That would add up to a book in itself. What I would do would be to briefly touch upon some selected matters. A structure of a Ministry is important and relevant as a facilitator or otherwise of work. There is also, in many ways a correlation between structure and achievement. In this vital area however, there was a major deficiency. At the political level, more..

Jan 25 (ST) My dear Lal, I thought of writing to you when you became the focus of attention after your recent public comments, firstly about departed comrade Nandana and then more generally, saying that if anyone takes to politics and attacks you and your party, they should expect the same treatment in return. I admire your honesty and for saying it as you see it. You once said, I’m just Lal, implying that what you see is what you get. Not many politicians can make that claim. more..

Jan 25 (ST) A presidential statement at a Thaipongal ceremony in Jaffna last week has made waves in the south, many perplexed by what exactly the message was that he was trying to convey. On plain listening, it seemed to target those whom he said were aiming to fan the communal flames using pilgrims from the south to the north, meaning Buddhists, to sow harvest hatred. Waving his finger as he is wont to do when stressing a point, either in Parliament or outside, he stressed he would never allow more..

Jan 25 (ST) Following criticism of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake by Buddhist monks as well as others for his remarks in Jaffna last week, where he said those gathering every full moon (Poya) day at certain disputed sites in the North were driven not by devoutness but by hatred, the govt is keen to win back its detractors over the issue. As a first step, Prez will hold a meeting in Colombo on Monday where he will announce generous funds more..

Jan 25 (SO) Is the political discourse getting more coarse by the day, if not more vitriolic? For many, the question would be a bit of a joke in the context that in SL, politicians have been at each others’ throats for seemingly eons. Ominously, in the era of the visual representation disseminated through social media, stick and stones may break bones, but words definitely can cause mayhem. Today’s tribal political invective reaches far & wide through media channels on Tik-Tok, Youtube & what have you. more..

Jan 25 (CT) In the hallowed halls of Sri Lanka’s state hospitals, where the scent of antiseptic usually mingles with hope, a darker, more pungent atmosphere has taken hold: the stench of betrayal. As the Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) initiates yet another round of industrial action in Jan 2026, the question on every citizen’s lips is no longer about demands or allowances. It is a question of basic survival: Have our healers become our primary predators? more..

Jan 25 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his JVP-led NPP Govt are facing a conundrum in one of their key pledges to the people prior to election to office. It is the promise to ensure justice to victims in many cases, including several emblematic cases as well as the Easter Sunday attacks probe. Govt, or rather Prez AKD, is now facing quite a crisis with two key State institutions – CID and Attorney General’s (AG) Dept – more..

Jan 25 (TM) The growing fissures within the ruling coalition comprising JVP and its broader political vehicle, NPP, are no longer a matter of idle speculation. They have burst into the open with unmistakable clarity, revealing a profound ideological and strategic divergence at the very heart of the administration. Nowhere has this rupture become more evident than in the fallout from the bitter controversy surrounding the proposed education reforms, championed by PM Harini more..

Jan 25 (SO) SL’s proposed education reforms have ignited one of the most emotionally charged debates in recent years, revealing not only deep concerns about the future of schooling but also the ease with which misinformation can derail a national conversation. At the heart of the reforms lies a simple but urgent goal: to prepare young Sri Lankans for the realities of the 21st century. Yet, political opposition and deliberate disinformation have reduced this complex policy shift to more..

Jan 24 (DM) Colombo has been identified as the most difficult city globally for local income earners to purchase property in 2026, revealing a severe decoupling between asset prices and domestic wages. According to the latest Numbeo Property Investment Index, Sri Lanka’s commercial capital recorded a price-to-income ratio of 55.1, the highest figure among all 395 cities monitored worldwide. more..

Jan 24 (DN) PM Harini Amarasuriya and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa have reached an agreement regarding the appointment of three civil society representatives to the Constitutional Council. PM and the Opposition Leader agreed to nominate Prof. Wasantha Seneviratne, Austin Fernando and Ranjit Ariyaratne as the civil society representatives for the Council. Parliamentary approval was granted for these three nominees and the Speaker will submit the names to Prez for appointment. more..

Jan 24 (Island) Electricity Consumers’ Association has raised serious concerns over the consultation process for the proposed National Electricity Policy, describing it as inadequate and legally questionable. National Secretary of the Association, Sanjeewa Dhammika, said he had been given only 30 minutes to present his views on the policy at a meeting held on Wednesday (21) at the Ministry of Power and Energy. He said that although six members had been appointed to National Policy Committee, more..

Jan 24 (CT) Delays in issuing licences for the appointment of authorised persons in the Colombo Port City were taken up for discussion at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF). The matter was discussed when the COPF met in Parliament recently, under the chairmanship of Dr. Harsha de Silva. Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe and MPs Ravi Karunanayake, Ajith Agalawatte, M.K.M. Aslam, Nimal Palihena, more..

Jan 24 (FT) Surgical services have now resumed at the District General Hospital, Chilaw, following emergency repairs supported by UNFPA in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. The rapid restoration of critical sections of the operating theatre has enabled the hospital to safely recommence sterilisation procedures and resume surgeries, ensuring continued access to life-saving maternal and newborn care for hundreds of patients each month. In the immediate aftermath of Cyclone more..

Jan 24 (ST) NBRO has recommended that all construction projects be cleared from high-risk areas demarcated through boundary demarcation maps developed using satellite images following the landslides triggered by cyclone Ditwah in November. However, the areas and the corresponding landmass affected have not been confirmed, and this will take time, Dr Wasantha Senadeera, senior scientist of the NBRO said. Total number of landslides and natural disasters will be computed after verification. more..