Sep 7 (CI) Harshitha Samarawickrama's splendid 48 not out off 37 balls took SL over the line in a low-scoring thriller against Bangladesh. The defending champions secured a semi-final berth with a four-wicket win, and by virtue of topping Group B, will play the side that finishes second in Group A on Friday. An excellent opening spell of 2 for 17 from Marufa Akter put Bangladesh in firm control of the match after they posted a below-par target of 115, thanks to Chamudi Praboda's career-best more..

Sep 7 (EN) Hambantota International Port has welcomed NYK’s Azalea Leader, which made its maiden call to the port in August. Azalea Leader is a 200-metre long new generation LNG dual-fuel pure car and truck carrier (PCTC). The ship was built in 2026 and sails under the Liberian flag and is capable of transporting 4,810 vehicles and another 47 units for local discharge. The new gen carrier has a maximum carrying capacity of 7,000 units. The ship also has Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) more..

Sep 7 (FT) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) was a net buyer of a record $ 579 million worth of foreign currency from the domestic market in August, the highest single-month purchase since Jan 2025, as an increasingly stable rupee allowed the monetary authority to accumulate reserves rather than run them down to defend the currency. August figure surpassed the previous highs of $461 mil in Feb 2026, and $356 mil in Aug 2025. more..

Sep 7 (FT) Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has loosened the terms under which licensed banks may rely on corporate guarantees when lending to related parties, while allowing machinery to be pledged as collateral for the first time, under a revised Determination on insider lending. Banking Act Determination No. 01 of 2026, dated 28 Aug 2026, takes effect from 1 Sept 2026, replacing Determination No. 04 of 2024 and its 2025 amendment. It was issued under Sections 47 more..

Sep 7 (DN) Sri Lanka could develop gemstones into a strategic foreign exchange asset by establishing a national gem reserve similar to its dollar and gold reserves, while using the initiative to expand imports, value addition and exports, according to Sri Lanka Miners and Dealers Association Director Dr. Sanjeewa Fonseka. Dr. Fonseka, who is also Chairman of Ceylon Sapphire Mining Ltd and Ceylon FACET and a member of the Ceylon Gem and Jewellery Traders Association (CEJTA), said more..

Sep 7 (DN) Dineth Induwara and Shafiya Yamick became fastest men and women athletes at the 104th National Athletic Championship concluded at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium Diyagama yesterday. The South Asian Championship triple gold winner Shafiya once again came on top in sprint events when she became fastest women with a time of 11.85 seconds in 100m to claim the gold medal. Dineth Induwara became first in 100m more..

Sep 7 (NW) Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage has rejected claims by an athlete that he had not received adequate support, saying the athlete was already part of the national pool and was being provided with the equipment he required. Referring to remarks made by the athlete in an interview with a television channel, in which he said he did not have shoes or a javelin, Minister Gamage said he had checked the matter personally. “He is a child in our national pool, and more..

Sep 7 (FT) SL apparel manufacturers have fallen behind regional competitors on automation and technology adoption, not for want of capability but because the industry has spent much of the past decade absorbing one crisis after another, Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) Secretary General Yohan Lawrence said. Speaking at a recent First Capital Research Stock Talk podcast on Global Trade Reset: What It Means for SL’s Apparel Industry, Lawrence said that from the end of more..

Sep 7 (FT) SL – Benelux Business Council (SLBBC) of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce conducted its 31st AGM recently. Chief Guest Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to SL and the Maldives Wiebe de Boer, during his address, highlighted the enduring relevance of the Benelux union as a sandbox for further European Intergration – including its role in linking SL exporters to the Port of Rotterdam. The Ambassador confirmed that SL’s GSP+ access remains in place until 2029, more..

Sep 7 (FT) Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of SL (FCCISL) held a high-level bilateral policy dialogue with Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe last week. The meeting established a unified roadmap to accelerate regional enterprise growth and integrate the private sector with the govt’s newly launched National SME Strategy Framework, aligning with the strategic vision created by the FCCISL Strategy and State Affairs Committees. more..

Sep 7 (TM) Top-order batter Kamindu Mendis says that being stripped of the vice-captaincy ahead of SL’s white-ball cricket tour of England will not put any dampener on his game, but insisted that he will gamely continue to serve his country’s cause. He made this comment following religious observances held at SLC, and moments before boarding the team bus to head to the BIA, to commence his team’s first bilateral white-ball more..

Sep 7 (Island) Malnutrition in Sri Lanka’s tea-producing regions represents a significant public health challenge. Defined as a state where an individual’s dietary intake does not meet their nutritional needs, malnutrition can manifest in various forms, including undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. Addressing malnutrition is crucial, particularly in vulnerable communities like those within the tea plantations, where socioeconomic factors compound problem. more..

Sep 7 (DM) Global warming could be the principal cause of the catastrophic floods which struck the Nepal-Tibet border on Aug 26. No one is quite sure yet what exactly caused it, though some are pointing fingers at construction work done by China in Tibet as a contributing cause, a claim China has categorically rejected. Arnab Goswami, Indian journalist, television news anchor, and editor-in-chief of Republic TV, directly accuses China of being responsible for the disaster, blames China more..

Sep 7 (Island) The irony of the JVP and the UNP clashing over last week’s arrest and remand of SLPP National Organiser and MP Namal Rajapaksa over an alleged Rs. 100 million bribe linked to an Airbus deal may not have been lost on political observers. One may recall that during the UNP-led Yahapalana govt, arrests were made the way volleyball is played, as it were. The JVP, which was honeymooning with the UNP at the time, raised questions in Parliament about allegations more..

Sep 7 (ST) My dear Namal baby, I am writing to you even though I am not certain whether you will get to read this, having suddenly being put behind bars Friday evening. I don’t know whether you were surprised by this turn of events, but for some time there were murmurs on the political grapevine that this would happen. It shouldn’t have come as a shock to you because there were signs that this could occur. In recent weeks, Akila Viraj suffered the same fate and Piyankara was sentenced to more..

Sep 7 (SO) When the final locking bar on the standard blue shipping container was cut, releasing a hissed breath of pressurised, humid air at the Colombo Port, the resulting cascade of crystal did more than just break the quiet of the SL twilight. It was the physical manifestation of a profound, digital shift in global anti-narcotics warfare. A sophisticated transnational network, which had confidently navigated oceans, currencies, and borders, more..

Sep 7 (ST) Once again, the manic leaders in Washington, determined not to lose face over its war on Iran, have launched a fresh wave of military strikes on that country and imposed their own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital artery that supplies oil to this part of the world. Now six months into a war that those American cowboys said would end in four days, world economies and the lives of millions have been upended. Unable to open the Straits with military force, the US last week, more..

Sep 7 (GV) UNHRC will take up the case of SL when it begins its 63rd session in Geneva on Sept 7, which opens with an address by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and an update on reconciliation and accountability in SL. The UNHRC has released an advance copy of the report that Mr. Turk will present to the UNHRC. Published below is the press release issued by the HRC on the report and a list of recommendations to the govt and the int'l community on how to more..

Sep 7 (ST) A collective commemoration organised at Thavadi in Jaffna in memory of the late MP and one of the prominent leaders of ITAK, V. Dharmalingam, turned out to be eventful on Tuesday when the talk of who assassinated him surfaced. 41st anniversary was held at the spot where Mr Dharmalingam was found dead after being abducted by armed militants in 1985. One of the speakers at the ceremony indicated in his more..

Sep 7 (TM) Constitutions are written not because govts lack power but because power requires boundaries. They establish the relationship between the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary, assigning each its own sphere of responsibility while ensuring that none becomes supreme over the others. Most constitutional debates concern one of these institutions. Occasionally they involve two. Rarely does a single constitutional proposal bring all three into the same constitutional question. more..

Sep 7 (TM) As the onset of El Niño alters global weather patterns, Sri Lanka finds itself caught in a hydrological paradox. While excessive rains deluge certain districts, causing sudden flash floods and landslides, vast stretches of the country are drying up at an alarming rate. According to recent figures from the Disaster Management Centre, over 115,000 people across seven districts are suffering severe drinking water shortages. In Monaragala, Batticaloa, and Badulla, families are queuing up more..

Sep 6 (ST) Amid chaotic scenes, with a large group of visibly emotional supporters shouting Jayawewa, SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa was bundled into a prison bus outside the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court on Friday evening after being ordered to be remanded until September 18. Even though it was only a short distance from the prison gates to the bus, it was a struggle for prison officers and police to take Mr Rajapaksa through more..

Sep 6 (SO) Coastal Conservation authorities, in a major enforcement move, will demolish and remove all identified unauthorised structures, including hotels, along the coastal stretch from Bambalapitiya to Dehiwala, starting Sept 10. This will follow a grace period given by the Dept of Coast Conservation & Coastal Resource Management to the owners to evacuate such structures. Many unauthorised buildings and businesses have been operating in this highly sensitive and tourist area more..

Sep 6 (DM) The OIC of the Traffic Division of the Dehiwala Police Station has reportedly left his post and returned home, citing unbearable work-related pressure. According to reports, the Inspector had recorded a note in the police information book before leaving, stating that he could no longer cope with the heavy workload and pressure associated with his duties. Following the incident, Mount Lavinia Division SSP Ashoka Gunasekara has instructed the Mount Lavinia Crimes Investigation Bureau to more..

Sep 6 (DM) Govt has received no formal request or message from Iran regarding its vessels that remained close to SL's territorial waters, Deputy Minister Aruna Jayasekera said. He said that no issue had arisen in this regard with the U.S. authorities. It was reported that several Iranian-flagged vessels anchored off the country’s coast near the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) due to the U.S blockade. Mr Jayasekera said more..

Sep 6 (Island) A dispute between a wholly owned subsidiary of Lanka Realty Investments, Mulberry Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, and a contractor, Omni Engineering & Trading Solutions, that resulted in Executive Director Hisham Jamaldeen of Lanka Realty being stopped at Katunayake and prevented from leaving on a business visit to the UK has been resolved with Jamaldeen bailed and the travel ban imposed on him revoked by the Maligakanda Magistrate, Lanka Realty’s said more..

Sep 6 (AD) Ministry of Education has stated that the promotion and use of drugs and alcohol are strictly prohibited at any event organized using a school crest. Under Circular No. 2026/10 issued by the Ministry, the Secretary to the Ministry of Education has been empowered to immediately ban any event at which such practices occur. This was announced by Mahesh Rathnayake, Deputy Director of the Co-Curricular Guidance and Counseling Branch of the Ministry of Education, more..

Sep 6 (AD) The SLPP has denied all the allegations levelled against its National Organiser, MP Namal Rajapaksa, who was arrested and remanded yesterday in connection with the controversial Airbus deal. Issuing a statement, SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam, said that his party believes the allegations to be baseless and politically motivated. He further stated that the CIABOC was created with extensive powers to root out corruption or fraud that may occur in the country, more..

Sep 6 (AD) The 80th anniversary of the United National Party (UNP) falls today. A commemorative programme to mark the occasion is scheduled to be held under the patronage of UNP Leader and former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Accordingly, the anniversary celebrations will be held at 9.00 a.m. today at the Sirikotha - UNP Head Office in Pitakotte, the party said. UNP was founded on Sept 6, 1946, at the Palm Court Mansion in Colombo. D.S. Senanayake was elected as the party’s first more..

Sep 6 (TM) The latest UN report on SL has warned that the NPP-led Govt’s commitments to truth, justice, and systemic reform risk stalling, citing severe external shocks, escalating custodial violence, and a failure to dismantle repressive State machinery. The report, released by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), will be presented at the 63rd session of UNHRC in Geneva on Monday (7). more..

Sep 6 (AD) A total of 41 suspects, including five women, have been arrested by Teldeniya Police after raiding an illegal Facebook party in the Victoria area of Teldeniya, during which illicit narcotics were also seized. The party organised through social media has been raided in the Victoria area of Teldeniya. The raid was carried out by a team of officers from the Teldeniya Police Station based on information received by the police. Upon inspection, police had recovered 947 mg of cannabis, more..

Sep 6 (NW) Former MP Udaya Gammanpila has described the arrest and remanding of SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa as illegal and unjust, questioning whether there is sufficient evidence to establish that Rajapaksa received USD 800,000 allegedly linked to the SriLankan Airlines aircraft procurement deal. Gammanpila claimed that the case against Rajapaksa was based primarily on a statement allegedly given by businessman Nimal Perera, who had said that he handed USD 800,000 to more..