Jan 23 (DM) The govt has issued a new circular granting additional financial assistance to businesses affected and disrupted by recent disasters, with the aim of restoring livelihoods and improving living conditions in affected communities. According to the circular, the relief measures will be implemented under the empowerment programme introduced through Budget Circular No. 08/2025 dated Dec 5, 2025, together with the amended circulars issued in relation to it. more..

Jan 23 (AD) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa have agreed on the appointments of civil society representatives to the Constitutional Council (CC). Accordingly, Prof. Wasantha Seneviratne, Austin Fernando, and Ranjith Ariyaratne have been proposed for the positions. Senior Professor (Chair) Wasantha Seneviratne currently serves as the Chair Professor of Public and International Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. more..

Jan 23 (NW) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and her delegation returned to the country this morning after a successful four‑day official visit to Davos, Switzerland, where they attended the 2026 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum. During the summit from January 19 to 22, the PM held extensive discussions with leading global state leaders, heads of international financial institutions, and business leaders on strengthening SL’s more..

Jan 23 (DM) CIABOC informed Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama today that indictments have been filed before the High Court against MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake in connection with an investigation into alleged corruption. Making further submissions, CIABOC stated that indictments have already been filed in respect of one case pending against MP Chamara Sampath. Meanwhile, two other cases relating to the same PM were also taken up before the court more..

Jan 23 (NW) Civil Aviation Authority of SL (CAASL) has announced plans to introduce a licensing system for drone pilots engaged in commercial and professional activities, marking the first such initiative in the country. Under the leadership of Capt. Daminda Rambukwella, Director General of Civil Aviation and Chief Executive Officer, the CAASL has already established standard drone regulations under IS-53, which form the basis of the new licensing framework. more..

Jan 23 (NF) SL’s rebuilding and relief efforts have received overwhelming international and domestic support, with total donations exceeding Rs. 8.5 billion, according to an update issued by the Ministry of Finance. Providing a progress briefing on the rebuilding initiative, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, said the Treasury continues to maintain full and transparent accounts of all funds received, more..

Jan 23 (AD) Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has directed a letter to Prez regarding the abolition of pensions for MPs. Letter was submitted in his capacity as the Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus. In the letter, Jayasuriya stated that at the time of SL’s independence, politics was largely confined to an educated and wealthy land-owning elite, but that a major social transformation took place after 1956, allowing ordinary citizens to also participate in politics. more..

Jan 23 (NW) Dept of Meteorology reported that SL’s lowest minimum temperature today (23) was recorded at 5.0 degrees Celsius in Nuwara Eliya, according to early morning observations. Minimum temperatures across the country were recorded from regional meteorological stations during the early hours of the day, with cooler conditions prevailing in the central highlands. Nuwara Eliya had recorded an even lower minimum temperature of 3.5 degrees Celsius on the previous day, more..

Jan 23 (Island) There was a need for comprehensive legislation to regulate social media, particularly promotions and advertisements that caused public distress across multiple sectors, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa told Parliament. Minister said that while certain content such as the promotion of Ayurvedic products and specific medical treatments could be regulated under existing laws, there was currently no overarching legal framework to govern social media activities across all sectors. more..

Jan 23 (AD) Former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has visited the Chief Prelates of the Malwathu and Asgiriya Buddhist Chapters and received their blessings, this morning. During his visit to Kandy, he met the Maha Nayaka of the Malwathu Chapter, Most Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero, and the Maha Nayaka of the Asgiriya Chapter, Most Ven. Dr. Warakagoda Dhammasiddi Sri Gnanarathabidhana Thero. Former Prez has discussed the current political situation more..

Jan 23 (FT) Northern Province moved firmly into the national economic spotlight as it hosted the Northern Investment Summit 2026 on 21 and 22 January, repositioning the region as an emerging destination for local and int'l investment under the theme Building a Resilient, Inclusive & Globally Connected Northern Economy. Held at a pivotal juncture in the province’s post-conflict development journey, the two-day summit more..

Jan 23 (CI) As the chase wore on, Khettarama's surface for the first ODI did what it often does - it became a minefield. Players from both teams agreed this is roughly what happened during the defining period of England's chase. England had been 129 for 1 in pursuit of 272 when the 27th over began. But then they lost five wickets for 36 runs in a 74-ball stretch. By the 40th over, it was clear which way the match was headed. "The pitch got a little bit more extreme," Harry Brook, more..

Jan 23 (CT) Colombo Vivekananda College, established on 24 March 1926 as the first Tamil-medium school in the city of Colombo, will mark its centenary with the release of a commemorative postage stamp, a commemorative cover, and two commemorative postal cards issued by the Philatelic Bureau, Dept of Posts, SL. The official release of the commemorative stamp, cover, and postal cards will take place on the 24th of March 2026 at a special ceremony to be held at Vivekananda College. more..

Jan 23 (Island) Opposition grouping Mahajana Handa has accused Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake of trying to exercise control over the judiciary by appointing a sitting High Court judge as Additional Secretary to the Justice and National Integration Ministry. Top Opposition spokesman Prof. G.L. Peiris warned the High Court judge D.M.D.C. Bandara’s appointment was nothing but a direct executive intervention in the judiciary. more..

Jan 23 (CT) Farmers in Gemunupura, within the Indikola Pelassa Grama Niladhari Division in Sevanagala, have alleged that their crops, including paddy, are dying because the Mahaweli Authority has not been supplying them with sufficient water. The farmers claimed that around 100 acres of paddy, plantain, vegetables, and other crops are being affected due to this shortage. They said they have been cultivating these lands since 1983 and had never been deprived of water until this year. more..

Jan 23 (ST) Three SL leopard cubs were born in the zoo on Jan 1, bringing the population of the rare animal in Mandai Wildlife Reserve to seven. The last time the leopard had a cub in Mandai was nearly 30 years ago, in 1997. The Singapore Zoo is now home to six Sri Lankan leopards. One more leopard is at the Night Safari. Mandai Wildlife Reserve, in a Jan 23 post on social media platform Instagram, said the cubs and their mum are enjoying their time together behind closed doors. more..

Jan 23 (DM) SL Ports Authority (SLPA) commenced operations of Phase III of the Eastern Container Terminal (CECT) today, marking a key milestone in the govt’s programme to develop the Port of Colombo into a regionally competitive maritime hub. With the completion of Phase III, 1,090 metres of the terminal’s total 1,300-metre length have now been completed, while 82% of the remaining construction work is also finished. The opening of this phase enables Eastern Container Terminal to handle more..

Jan 23 (NW) Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe has incorrectly cited information while addressing Parliament on the controversial web link issue in school textbooks. Speaking in Parliament, Jayasinghe said the Grade 11 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) textbook published in 2015 contained the same controversial weblink, noting that the textbook is still in use. “Page 77 includes a number of links. One of those links is this buddy- the one you referred to as obscene. more..

Jan 23 (DM) Despite political rhetoric for eradication of corruption, the situation in Sri Lanka seems to have taken a turn for the worse with the country now ranking 24.7, a drop by 7.3 notches in the Global Corruption Perception Index in 2025 prepared by World Economics which is a UK-based research organization. SL’s level of Corruption Perception is 24.7 in 2025 from the scale from 0-100 where 0 is absolute corruption and more..

Jan 23 (EN) Revenue collected by SL Customs in the first 22 days of January has exceeded this month’s target. Custom’s January revenue target has been set 160.2 billion rupees. But the revenue collecting body has already collected 175.4 billion rupees, exceeding the target by 9.5% in the first 22 days of this month. Customs has been accelerating container clearance since last month after Ditwah devastation hit the usual activities for at least four days in Nov amid higher imports in Dec. more..

Jan 23 (DM) Cyclone Ditwah has brought about permanent displacements while a question remains as to whether some displaced families should be resettled in their original dwelling places or not. Minister Samantha Vidyaratne who was speaking during a debate on Ditwah said the cyclone which hit Sri Lanka last November has forced the government to relocate eight schools in Badulla District. “The cyclone hit 233 kindergarten schools in Badulla,” the Minister said. more..

Jan 23 (AD) Former Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media and former Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of SL (TRCSL), Anusha Palpita, has been remanded until February 6 by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodharagama issued this order, after considering the facts presented by officers of the Bribery Commission and the defense attorneys representing suspect. more..

Jan 23 (AD) Minister Ananda Wijepala stated that 480 motorists found to be driving under the influence of narcotic substances have been arrested during the first 22 days of this year. He made the statement today while participating in a special media briefing held at Parliament. The Minister added that 135 road accidents occurred during this period, resulting in the deaths of 15 vehicle drivers and 50 pedestrians. Minister emphasized that all individuals driving under the influence of drugs more..

Jan 23 (NW) Sri Lankan Embassy in Doha announced that it recovered a total of Rs. 197,719,710.36 in compensation during 2025 on behalf of the next of kin (NOKs) of SL nationals who had passed away in Qatar. The recovered funds were remitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism in Colombo for disbursement to the respective families. Out of the total amount, Rs. 23,641,182.00 was directly paid to the NOKs through its efforts, while more..

Jan 23 (FT) The reality of business is that we have to be strongly data driven as consumer lifestyles are constantly changing and companies have to adopt. An important point to note is that some data is better than having no data when making business decisions. It is strange but there are instances when data is shown, people find it hard to believe the reality and the focus changes to the authenticity of the information rather than trying to find an insight. When it comes to tourism more..

Jan 23 (FT) In an article published in the Daily FT on 2 Dec, the former Chairman of the SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Priantha Fernando has warned that enforcing tour guide licencing requirements ahead of the high tourist season will have ominous consequences: unleashing operational chaos, fostering controversy and instability and damaging Sri Lanka’s reputation. Mr. Fernando’s statements both mis-diagnose the problem and misdirect the solution. more..

Jan 23 (CT) Investigations into more than 11,000 complaints related to missing persons will be completed within the next two years, Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said while visiting the Vanni. Minister also clarified that no discussions have taken place within the Cabinet regarding the removal of the current Attorney General, and that adequate funds have been allocated for investigations into mass graves. more..

Jan 23 (DM) Sri Lanka could be plunged into darkness if the government proceeds with its plan to dissolve the CEB without meeting trade union demands, the country’s electricity engineers warned yesterday. The CEB Technical Engineers and Superintendents Association has threatened an immediate strike and potential shutdown of the main power grids, raising fears of a nationwide blackout, if the govt issues a gazette establishing six new subsidiary companies to replace the CEB. more..

Jan 23 (DM) Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) has clarified that its members will not participate in any reported trade union action planned by the Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), which is expected to commence islandwide today (23). AMS said it had taken note of reliable media reports indicating that the GMOA is planning a Trade Union Action (TUA), but emphasized that specialist doctors attached to the AMS will continue to perform their professional duties as usual. more..

Jan 23 (DM) Sri Lanka crossed the US$ 1 billion mark in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in 2025 for the first time since the crisis. However, analysis of the data shows that the recovery remains uneven since the inflows are still dominated by debt-like instruments rather than fresh equity capital. BOI said FDI inflows reached US$ 1.057 billion in 2025, a 72% increase from 2024 and marginally above its US$ 1 billion target. more..

Jan 23 (FT) Jaffna International Trade Fair (JITF), Northern SL’s largest and most influential multi-trade exhibition, opens today for its 16th consecutive year, running from 23 to 25 Jan at the Muttraweli Ground, Jaffna. Recognised as the region’s most established commercial platform, JITF continues to strengthen economic growth, business connectivity, and innovation across the Northern Province. Organised by Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services (LECS)—SL’s leading exhibition organiser more..

Jan 23 (DM) The largest stockpile of narcotics seized during security forces’ operations was recorded in 2025, marking a threefold increase compared to 2024, ASP F.U. Wootler said. He said that islandwide operations have yielded significant success in controlling the spread of dangerous drugs. He said that in 2024, police seized a total of 10,871 kgs of heroin, cannabis, ice, hashish and cocaine, while in 2025 the figure rose sharply to 23,692 kgs and 307 gms. more..