Jan 21 (DM) SL has been presented with a fresh opportunity to access global support for climate-related loss and damage, as the newly operational Loss and Damage Fund opened its first call for funding, creating a formal pathway for vulnerable countries facing intensifying extreme weather events. Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage Deputy Executive Director Mathilde Laurans said the launch of the Barbados Implementation Modalities marked a shift from negotiations to action. more..

Jan 21 (FT) Standard Chartered Bank Economist Saurav Anand said SL’s improving fiscal and debt indicators, recovery in consumption and the potential for an investment rebound, could support a change in the sovereign ratings outlook this year, even if the headline rating remains unchanged. “Our view is that we will see a change in the rating outlook this year,” Anand said, adding that the most likely shift would be from Stable to Positive. S&P Global and Fitch have upgraded SL’s sovereign ratings more..

Jan 21 (DM) A new study by Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) shows that about 1.83 million SL workers, or roughly 22.8% of the employed population, are in occupations that could be exposed to Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), which means that AI has some influence over job security for these workers. According to the IPS “Gen AI is a more advanced AI that is enabled to create new content, rather than analyzing existing data, more..

Jan 21 (TM) With an alleged drinking culture and reports of indiscipline swirling around England following their recent 4-1 Ashes capitulation in Australia, the tourists will seek rebound against Sri Lanka, as they clash in the first ODI of a 3-match series at the Khettarama Stadium in Colombo on Thursday. Harry Brook’s team which arrived in these shores on Monday, have been beset by allegations of certain players drinking on a mid-Ashes beach break in the resort Australian town of Noosa more..

Jan 21 (DN) The ICC T20 World Cup trophy tour is set to begin in Sri Lanka from today to January 24, with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expected to officially launch the tour. During World Cup’s short stay in Sri Lanka, the trophy will travel to major cities including Colombo, Kandy, Dambulla and Jaffna as part of the nationwide tour and giving fans an opportunity to view the World Cup ahead of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup which will be held from February 7 to March 8. more..

Jan 21 (FT) Standard Chartered Bank CEO Bingumal Thewarathanthri said Sri Lanka’s economic outlook for 2026 was cautiously optimistic but warned that delays in reforms and policy execution could weaken the investment climate and slow foreign direct investment inflows projected to reach between $ 600-900 million in 2026. “As a country with a CCC-plus credit rating, Sri Lanka is vulnerable to external shocks, and more..

Jan 21 (FT) Softlogic Life Insurance announced it has secured a $ 15 million landmark five-year Tier 2 loan facility from Norfund and OP Finnfund Global Impact Fund I, that will be the initial part and set the next phase of growth. It said the latest step further reinforces Softlogic Life’s position as one of SL’s most resilient and future-focused insurers, while signaling strong international investor confidence in the company’s long-term trajectory and the broader insurance sector. more..

Jan 21 (FT) India’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, has acquired a 41.73% stake in Colombo Dockyard PLC following an allotment of shares arising from the unsubscribed Rights entitlement of Onomichi Dockyard Company Ltd. Mazagon Dock said it acquired 164,916,229 fully paid ordinary shares of Colombo Dockyard on 19 January at a price of Rs. 40 per share. The acquisition represents 41.73% of the issued share capital of Colombo Dockyard, which has total issued shares of 395,224,082. more..

Jan 21 (DN) Lakshitha Madushan of Weligama and Anantharasa Ammu Jansee of Arugam Bay win the men’s and women’s titles at the 2025 National Surfing Competition, which was successfully held over the weekend at the Hikkaduwa Main Point. Minami Sato of Mambos Surf Club and his club-mate Sayuni Anjana bagged the U-18 boys’ and girls’ title while Kanapathy Ramesh of Sri Lanka and Crystal Jade Davies of Australia emerged Open International men’s and women’s champions. more..

Jan 21 (FT) Institute of Certified Management Accountants of SL (CMA SL) will host an Integrated Reporting and Sustainability Accounting Standards Workshop under the distinguished patronage of Int'l Federation of Accountants President Jean Bouquot tomorrow from 8.00 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. at the Cinnamon Grand, Mahogany Ballroom, Colombo, CMA Sri Lanka is a Member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) the global organisation for the Accounting Profession more..

Jan 21 (ST) UN agencies, international organisations and local groups have focused their attention on welfare of children in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. Despite challenges on funding and other limitations, organisations have drawn programmes covering children’s education, security, mental health and welfare among other needs. Chief of Communications of UNICEF Bismarck Swangin said that despite more..

Jan 21 (Island) A recent tragedy of a young audit professional has prompted a nationwide conversation on SL’s audit work culture. What was initially described as an untimely passing has since raised serious concerns about excessive workloads, workplace responsibility, and the well-being implications of the professional pressure. Accordingly, this article seeks to explore prevailing audit culture and professional practices in SL, and highlights areas where thoughtful reform more..

Jan 21 (CT) SL’s public health sector appears to be heading towards another period of uncertainty, as medical trade unions signal strike action in response to unresolved concerns. As announcements are made and timelines set, what emerges is not merely a labour dispute, but a broader reflection of how fragile the relationship between policy, professionals and public welfare has become. The GMOA’s decision to initiate continuous islandwide trade union action from 23 Jan follows more..

Jan 21 (Island) A rice tycoon has become a clout chaser, posting ostentatiously on social media about his extravagance ad nauseam. He has been TikToking his newly acquired Rolls-Royce to boost his ego and online visibility. What he does with his own money should not be anyone else’s concern, one can argue. This argument is not without some merit. But the large-scale rice millers are making a vulgar display of their wealth in this manner while paddy cultivators, stuck neck-deep in debt, more..

Jan 21 (ST) SL recorded a historic milestone in 2025: foreign remittances from migrant workers reached US$8 billion, the highest in 40 years of overseas employment. This marks a 23% jump from the previous year. I am not sure whether to weep or chuckle. At a meeting with Dr. Dirk Willem te Velde and Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja of ODI Global, I remarked: “We can multiply this further—by making life harder for our people in the years ahead.” They visited me at Centre for Poverty Analysis. more..

Jan 21 (TM) SL’s delicate tea-for-oil barter trade with Iran is suddenly under the spotlight as US Prez Donald Trump’s tariff threats loom large and SL must, going forward, weigh its options both geopolitically and economically. With the US as SL’s largest export market – accounting for over 25% of total merchandise exports in 2025 – SL faces a stark choice: preserve an important energy lifeline or risk punishing duties on key sectors more..

Jan 21 (TM) A Presidential Task Force (PTF) has been appointed for rebuilding the Nation through an Extraordinary Gazette in response to Cyclone Ditwah. Given the scale of the damage to infrastructure, livelihoods, housing, and essential services, such a high-powered coordinating mechanism is both timely and appropriate. Prez’s decision to establish a high-powered, multi-sectorial TF Chaired by the PM, consisting of 25 members, is appropriate given national scale of disaster, more..

Jan 21 (DM) In Jan 2026, SL stand at historical crossroads. The past year was characterised by a complex interplay of political transition under the JVP-led administration and the devastating physical and economic shock of Cyclone Ditwah (Nov 2025), which caused an estimated US $4.1 billion (4% of GDP) in direct damage. To achieve true economic independence, the nation must move beyond reactive crisis management towards a structured, productivity-driven roadmap. more..

Jan 21 (CT) Minor changes can sometimes have a butterfly effect. What begins as a small adjustment, almost unnoticeable, can quietly grow into something that matters. In contexts where traditions, beliefs and institutions are deeply rooted, this is often the only realistic way change happens. Captive animals, especially elephants, have long been part of a complicated conversation in Sri Lanka. more..

Jan 21 (CT) In the space of 15 months, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has visited the North of the country more than any other Prez or PM. These were not flying visits either. The president’s most recent visit to Jaffna last week was on the occasion of Thai Pongal to celebrate the harvest and the dawning of a new season. During the two days he spent in Jaffna, the prez launched the national housing project, announced plans to renovate Palaly Airport, to expedite operations at KKS Port, more..

Jan 21 (TM) Sri Lanka stands at a critical juncture. After weathering the worst economic crisis in its post-independence history, the country was now on a fragile path to recovery when cyclone Ditwah struck, leaving in its wake a trail of devastation and losses, many of which are yet to be calculated. Govt has announced its decision to develop a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), which UN agencies have pledged to support. The full extent of damage to SL may only be known later on. more..

Jan 20 (NW) Cabinet approval has been granted to implement the third phase of the Baseline Road extension project. Accordingly, approval was first given at the Cabinet meeting held in Nov 2009, to construct a 0.86-kilometre stretch of road with six lanes from the Kirulapone junction up to Dutugemunu Street on the Colombo–Horana Road. However, due to the economic crisis in 2022, the project was temporarily suspended. Later, under the National Highway Master Plan, this road was identified as more..

Jan 20 (NW) SL recorded 113 fatal road accidents from the beginning of this year up to Jan 19, claiming the lives of 120 people, police said on Tuesday. DIG in charge of Traffic Control & Road Safety, W.P.J. Senadheera, said 216 people sustained serious injuries in the accidents, while 490 minor accidents were also reported during the same period. 159 incidents involving property damage had also been recorded. He noted that pedestrians accounted for the highest number of fatalities, more..

Jan 20 (CT) Serious concerns have been raised over the sale of unregistered cancer medicines imported from India at private pharmacies across the country, amid an ongoing shortage of essential oncology drugs in State hospitals. Chairman of the Doctors’ Trade Union Alliance for Medical and Civil Rights, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, said he had informed the NMRA in writing that several unregistered medicines, including cancer drugs, were being openly sold at private pharmacies. more..

Jan 20 (AD) The Colombo High Court today (20) scheduled the next hearing for February 12 in the case filed against three defendants, including former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka over a 2016 car accident. Former Minister Ranawaka and others have been accused of causing an accident due to negligent driving and evidence tampering. The case was called before High Court Judge Rashmi Singappuli today. Witnesses in the case did not appear in court today, Ada Derana reporter said. more..

Jan 20 (CT) National Consumer Front said there had been a steep increase in the prices of school supplies, including exercise books, stationery, school bags and footwear, and called on Ministry of Education to introduce a programme to provide these items at concessionary prices through schools. Organisation said, the price of an ordinary pen had risen to between Rs. 25 and Rs. 30, while a pencil now cost close to Rs. 20. It also pointed out serious quality issues in some pens, pencils and colour packs, more..

Jan 20 (NW) Construction of the Colombo Port Access Road has entered its final stages and is expected to be opened to the public before the end of this year, officials said. The project is being implemented with financial assistance from the ADB, under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development and the Road Development Authority. Construction work has continued steadily after delays caused by SL’s recent economic crisis. more..

Jan 20 (FT) The world’s no. 1 thought leader in organisational culture and no. 10 in leadership for 2021 and 2022 by Global Gurus, Arthur Francisco Carmazzi will be in SL in February to empower corporates and employees with his expertise. He will hold a live behavioural science full-day workshop titled Spectrum of Minds on 7 Feb at the Monarch Imperia, Kotte. Carmazzi is the Creator of the Web3 Global Mentor Exchange and the Wisdom City Learning and Development Metaverse. more..

Jan 20 (DM) The second phase of the first school term for the 2026 academic year in govt and govt-approved private schools will commence tomorrow (21), the Education Ministry announced. The first phase of the first term was held from Jan 5 to 9. Schools were then closed from Jan 10 to today to facilitate the conduct of postponed G.C.E. A/L exam subjects, which were delayed due to the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah. The second phase of the first term will continue until Feb 13. more..

Jan 20 (Island) Speaker of Lok Sabha Om Birla and SL Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne recently discussed the possibility of expanding parliamentary cooperation through regular exchanges, formation of friendship groups, collaboration in policy and programme design and deeper engagement in technology-driven parliamentary innovation, including AI-enabled systems, real-time multilingual translation, and capacity building through Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE). more..

Jan 20 (NW) Singapore Airlines has expanded its services between Colombo and Singapore with the introduction of three new daytime flights, effective Jan. 6, strengthening air connectivity between SL and the airline’s global network. The new daytime services operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. With the addition, Singapore Airlines now operates a total of 10 weekly flights between Colombo and Singapore. The airline said the expanded schedule is expected to offer passengers more..