May 23 (FT) The Colombo stock market yesterday closed in the green for the third consecutive session, ending a week characterised by subdued investor sentiment and concerns over the exchange rate. During the week, the ASPI had declined 4.26% or 976.11 points while the active S&P SL20 fell 3.55% or 223.22 points. Yesterday, the ASPI made a strong recovery, closing up 0.44% or 95.87 points at 21,929.64 while the S&P SL20 ended up 0.37% or 22.31 points at 6,061.02. more..

May 23 (AD) Chief Health Epidemiologist Dr. Palitha Karunapema says that viral meningitis is currently spreading among schoolchildren in certain areas, but there is no need for any undue fear. He noted that the disease, which was first reported from Deniyaya, has now been detected in several other areas as well. Accordingly, 28 cases have been reported from Diyatalawa, 13 from Welimada, and 25 from Rikillagaskada. He confirmed that the medical condition has been identified as viral more..

May 23 (FT) ITAK MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam called for a bipartisan national response to mounting economic pressures, warning that rising currency volatility, inflation and energy costs were placing growing strain on households and businesses. Rasamanickam questioned the Govt on what immediate relief measures would be introduced to support low- and middle-income families affected by the depreciation of the rupee, rising fuel more..

May 23 (TM) The Family Health Bureau (FHB) has said that while positive trends such as the lowering of teen pregnancy are reported, on the other hand, the instances where the youth are going for risky experimental sexual behaviours are not seen to have reduced. Consultant Community Physician at the FHB, Dr Chiranthika Vithana said that due to the fact that an increase is seen in taking part in consultancy and awareness programmes, the teen pregnancy rate has gone down. more..

May 23 (BP) The SL Embassy in Bangkok marked International Tea Day with a ceremony promoting Ceylon Tea. The Sri Lankan Embassy and the Sri Lanka Tea Board jointly hosted the International Tea Day celebration on Thursday, an annual event honouring tea as a globally cherished beverage. SL Ambassador to Thailand, Wijayanthi Edirisinghe, said the embassy had organised the event for a second consecutive year to promote Ceylon Tea as a key symbol of Sri Lanka's national identity. more..

May 23 (DN) SL will field a strong and determined side led by dynamic number eight Lasindu Karunathilaka when they take on the powerful Hong Kong China national rugby union team in their Asia Rugby Men’s Championship 2026 clash at the Racecourse Grounds tomorrow at 3 pm, with the hosts aiming to end their long losing streak against the visitors and produce a major upset on home soil. 48th-ranked SL national rugby union team Tuskers face a massive challenge against more..

May 23 (FT) Commercial Bank of Ceylon yesterday said it has become one of the first banks in Sri Lanka to enter into an agreement to establish a fully-fledged branch at Port City Colombo, marking a significant step in the bank’s strategic expansion into the country’s emerging international financial hub. The agreement was signed by Commercial Bank Managing Director/CEO Sanath Manatunge and CHEC Port City Colombo Ltd. Managing Director Xiong Hongfeng. more..

May 23 (NW) Former Sports Ministers Harin Fernando and Dayasiri Jayasekara have raised concerns over the recent changes to SLC’s national selection committee, claiming the move is illegal and risks further politicising cricket administration. Fernando said the newly appointed Cricket Transformation Committee appeared to have made its first major move by changing the selectors, instead of focusing on wider structural more..

May 23 (DM) Former Minister Bandula Gunawardena had shared a video on his official Facebook page showcasing his experience riding in a Waymo self-driving vehicle in Hollywood, highlighting the growing use of autonomous transport technology. In the video, Gunawardena is seen entering an autonomous taxi to travel to a destination within Hollywood while accompanied by his family. During the journey, he explained that they were travelling through an area known for more..

May 23 (NW) The Colombo Additional Magistrate’s Court yesterday ordered the release of Aura Lanka Company Chairman Viranjith Thambugala from a case filed by the CID over the alleged misappropriation of Rs. 70 million in connection with the purchase of a helicopter. Colombo Additional Magistrate Darshika Premaratne issued the order after being informed that the Attorney General had advised that there was no basis to pursue criminal proceedings against the suspect. more..

May 23 (DN) Defence Deputy Minister Aruna Jayasekara stated that they are considering releasing the remaining land to the Forest Conservation Dept out of the 245.9 hectares currently used by the Navy in the Mullikulam area, while retaining the areas that are important for national security and necessary for the Navy. Responding to questions raised by Vanni District ITAK MP Thurairasa Ravikaran during more..

May 23 (FT) China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has achieved a major construction milestone in the China-aided affordable housing project in Colombo, with the successful topping out of the Maharagama site on 12 May 2026. The milestone marks the completion of the main structural works for 112 housing units, forming part of a wider 1,996-unit housing development designed to support low-income families in SL. Funded by the Govt of China under Belt & Road initiative more..

May 23 (FT) Sri Lanka’s smallholder tea sector received a major digital and knowledge-sharing boost with the official handover of new Regenerative Agriculture Digital Resource Centres to the Tea Smallholdings Development Authority at a ceremony held on 20 May at the Ratnasiri Wickramanayake National Training Centre. The initiative, launched in conjunction with the 6th Asian Tea Alliance, was aimed at accelerating the modernisation of the small tea estate sector through more..

May 23 (FT) The much looked forward to Build SL Housing and Construction Int'l Exhibition held for the 21st time kicked off yesterday at the BMICH under the auspices of Transport, Highways, and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Kumudu Lal Bogahawatta. The Build SL Housing and Construction Int'l Exhibition which is now a premiere exhibition in the construction sector has been a platform for both leading local and international manufacturers to showcase their products. more..

May 23 (CT) Dr. Swasti Rao, Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Global Initiatives) at the Jindal School of Int'l Affairs, Consulting Editor for International and Strategic Affairs at ThePrint, Non-Resident Fellow at Eastern Circles, and consultant to India’s Defence Industrial Corridor under the Ministry of Defence, speaks to Ceylon Today on India’s evolving geopolitical and strategic engagement in the Indian Ocean region, SL’s growing ties with India and other key more..

May 23 (FT) The rupee appreciated yesterday after the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) moved to calm a nervous and sentiment-driven foreign exchange market following sharp depreciation earlier this week triggered by panic dollar demand and delayed exporter conversions. The interbank US dollar spot market buy/sell rate eased to Rs. 329/335 yesterday, with the rupee strengthening from Thursday’s Rs. 331/348, which marked more..

May 23 (Island) The gradual depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee is one of the most serious economic signals facing the country today. It is not merely a change in the exchange rate. It is a powerful reflection of a nation’s economic strength, fiscal discipline, investor confidence, political stability, and the future hopes of its people. When a country’s currency loses value, it indicates deeper weaknesses in production capacity, foreign exchange earnings, economic management, more..

May 23 (FT) Picture a SL manufacturer trying to supply some raw materials to a BOI industry. Yet every time he quotes, he loses the order to a supplier abroad. Not because the foreign product is better. Not because it is cheaper to make. But because the SL Govt adds eighteen percent to his price as VAT the moment he quotes, while the same item arrives from abroad at zero VAT. When a BOI exporter imports a raw material from abroad, the input enters at zero VAT & zero customs duty. more..

May 23 (TM) There comes a point where fiscal spreadsheets must yield to the reality of the kitchen table. For months, the public has been treated to a steady stream of bureaucratic optimism. We are told of stabilising reserves, structural benchmarks, and the necessity of fiscal discipline. But walk into any local market, or any small boutique in a rural village, and a vastly different, terrifying story unfolds. The public is currently being crushed under a relentless, multi-pronged assault on more..

May 23 (FT) The day before the Beijing summit began on 14 May, I published a commentary on this page titled Winning Without Fighting, examining the strategic role the Colombo administration may play in advancing its proclaimed National Renaissance. I argued that the modern contest between the US and China is increasingly defined not by battlefield victories, but by strategic positioning, patience, and narrative control. That observation deserves further examination after more..

May 23 (TM) Illicit substance abuse among Sri Lankan teenagers is strongly associated with peer influence (both use and the encouragement of use), family disruption (parental separation), school neglect and disengagement, social vulnerabilities such as social media addiction (problematic use), gang (anti-social peer groups) association, and the perception of substance use as a means of gaining social popularity. more..

May 23 (Island) SJB MP Mujibur Rahman has alleged in Parliament that on the eve of the announcement of a 50% customs duty surcharge on vehicle imports, LCs for 1,782 vehicles had been opened by three close associates of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Previously, the Opposition claimed that the number of LCs opened on that day exceeded 4,000. Rahman said the number of LCs opened during the week prior to the announcement of the surcharge mounted to 4,000. more..

May 23 (FT) SL’s recent, unexpected currency depreciation—which pushed the SL Rupee (SLR) toward the 345–354 per US Dollar range—has triggered widespread economic anxiety, evoking dark memories of the 2022 collapse. While mainstream commentators routinely blame generic global shocks or resort to circular political rhetoric, they consistently overlook the structural reality. The crisis stems from a profound policy asymmetry: SL aggressively stabilised and strengthened more..

May 23 (SO) Would you believe that centuries ago in Europe, your ancestors were displayed alongside exotic animals in human zoos? In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a disturbing form of entertainment known as the Völkerschau, or people’s show, captivated Western audiences. These human zoos were designed to exhibit indigenous people from colonised lands in simulated natural environments. more..

May 23 (TM) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena made a sensational revelation in 2025 that everybody knew who was the mastermind of the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb blasts spearheaded by Muslim extremist suicide bombers. Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Asian Geopolitics, Sustainability and Peace Council last November, Sixth President of SL hinted the mastermind was an Indian intelligence officer, who later provided intelligence information to SL sleuths hours more..

May 23 (FT) The social media was and is still ablaze because of the harrowing case of a thirteen-year-old girl in Anuradhapura who was allegedly sold by her own mother to one of the country’s most powerful religious figures, Pallegama Hemarathana. Despite the gravity of the child abuse allegation, the state mechinery delayed action, allowing the senior monk to be shielded under the guise of medical care in a luxury private hospital rather than facing immediate detention. more..

May 22 (DM) Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court has ordered the release on bail of Atamasthanadhipathi Pallegama Hemarathana Thera, who is accused of sexual abuse of a minor girl. He was released on two surety bails of Rs. 5 million each and a cash bail of Rs. 100,000. The Magistrate further cautioned that the bail order would be revoked if conditions are violated or if any attempt is made to influence witnesses. The court also imposed a foreign travel ban on the suspect. more..

May 22 (DM) A group of Hajj operators has lodged a formal complaint with the CIABOC against the Department of Muslim Religious & Cultural Affairs and the Hajj Committee, alleging that more than Rs. 110 million owed to operators has been withheld for over a year without valid justification. According to the complaint, around 3,500 pilgrims participated in the 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, with each pilgrim charged an additional 362 Saudi Riyals as a surcharge for special tent facilities. more..

May 22 (TM) In the wake of allegations that two companies had opened about 4,000 LCs shortly before the Govt imposed a 50 per cent surcharge on vehicle imports, Vehicle Importers’ Association (VIA) called on the authorities including the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank to investigate the matter and take appropriate action. Association's Vice President Arosha Rodrigo said that reports circulating in the media claimed more..

May 22 (TM) National Construction Association warned the Govt that unless fluctuating material prices and other costs are incorporated into the formula used for construction contracts, many projects across the country would come to a halt as contractors stand to lose their profit margins. Chairperson of the Association, Darinton Paul said that with the current unforeseen situation of the rapidly depreciating Rupee, contractors are struggling to finalise projects with clients more..

May 22 (FT) Sri Lanka is preparing to make history in the global tourism and events landscape as the internationally anticipated ONE LOVE Reggae Festival 2026 receives the endorsement and support of the SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and SL Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB). Scheduled to take place from 7 to 9 August along the breathtaking southern coastline of Bentota, followed by an exclusive after-party on 10 August at the iconic Port City Colombo, more..