Jan 31 (ST) It is a first not just for the flag-bearing Liver Transplant Programme of the National Hospital of SL (NHSL) but also for the state health sector. First adult living donor liver transplant – securing part of a liver from a person and implanting it in a critically-ill person – has been done this month at the NHSL bringing hope for the poorest of the poor who cannot afford this life-saving surgery. Most people who face end-stage liver failure more..

Jan 31 (DN) Central Province Governor Prof. Sarath Abhayakoon with officials received the ICC T-20 Men’s Cricket World Cup trophy in front of the Sri Dalada Maligawa yesterday. A large crowd gathered in Kandy city to catch a glimpse of the Trophy during its visit. SLC organised the tour to display the trophy in several major cities across the country, with support from the Central Province Tourism Dept. In a notable highlight of the Kandy leg, officials transported the trophy by boat more..

Jan 31 (CI) Former SL allrounder Shehan Jayasuriya is set to make his USA debut at the 2026 T20 World Cup. The 34-year-old, who bats left-handed and bowls offspin, has been named in USA's 15-man squad for the tournament, which is set to begin in India and SL on Feb 7. Jayasuriya, who played 12 ODIs and 18 T20Is for SL from 2015 to 2020, is one of two players in the squad who are yet to earn their first USA caps. The other is the 29-year-old Peshawar-born legspin-bowling allrounder more..

Jan 31 (CI) Sam Curran bounced back from a bruising opening spell to claim a memorable hat-trick, while Adil Rashid served notice of his World Cup readiness with another commanding performance, as England sealed a rain-shortened victory in the first T20I against SL in Pallekele. After persistent rain had forced a 90-minute delay, thus reducing the series opener to a 17-overs-a-side contest, it later returned with England just more..

Jan 31 (FT) As SL navigates the fragile transition from economic stabilisation to sustainable growth, a critical question emerges: what will drive the nation’s relevance in a competitive global economy over the next half-century? Beyond immediate recovery lies the longer, harder task of building a modern, resilient, and high-value economic model. It is in this context that Port City Colombo must be understood, not as a mere real estate venture or a short-term stimulus, but as a foundational platform more..

Jan 31 (FT) Colombo stock market ended the week in the red amidst profit taking, elevated turnover and foreign selling. ASPI closed down 0.37% or 88.58 points at 23,812.31 and the active S&P SL20 was down 0.22% or 14.51 points to 6,641.15. During the week, ASPI lost 144.2 points and the S&P SL20 lost 8.35 points. Net foreign outflow during the week was over Rs. 2.36 billion. Yesterday, turnover was nearly Rs. 9.2 billion, around 40% higher than the average, on over 211.5 million shares traded. more..

Jan 31 (FT) Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd. reaffirmed its commitment to transforming the Sri Lanka agriculture industry at the Jaffna International Trade Fair 2026, which was held from 23 to 25 January at the Muttraweli Grounds in Jaffna. The company’s presence at the exhibition underscored its focus on bringing modern agricultural technology and value-added agricultural products closer to farming communities, particularly in the Northern Province, while reinforcing its position as more..

Jan 31 (FT) SL’s apparel industry marked a milestone with its first country pavilion at Source Fashion 2026. The exhibition was held from 13 to 15 Jan at Olympia London, one of Europe’s leading apparel sourcing events. The pavilion was officially inaugurated on 13 January with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. High Commissioner of SL in the UK Nimal Senadheera and UK’s Trade Envoy to SL Lord Hannett of Everton OBE presided over the event. Apparel & fashion industry representatives, more..

Jan 31 (FT) SL must pursue a big bang reform agenda to convert its post-crisis stabilisation into durable, investment-led growth, former ADB Institute Research Director Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja said, warning that incremental reform would leave the economy exposed to renewed shocks. Delivering the keynote address at the Asia Securities Investor Conference 2026, Dr. Wignaraja said SL’s recent recovery, while credible, remained more..

Jan 31 (DM) Dr. Rohan Edrisingha in his illuminating essay Federalism: myths and realities makes the following observation – It is significant to note that long before Tamil political leaders advocated federalism, the young S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike in the mid 1920’s and the Kandyan Sinhalese representatives before the Donoughmore Commission in the late 1920’s were advocates of a federal SL. The Kandyan Sinhalese proposed a federal Ceylon with three provinces including more..

Jan 31 (CT) The recent intervention by the four Mahanayake Theras regarding the appointment of the Auditor General has reignited a perennial debate in SL politics: what is the appropriate role of the Buddhist clergy in governance? History shows that while the Sangha serves as the nation’s moral compass, success lies in counseling rather than intervening or requesting. This article explores the delicate balance required to maintain a comfortable zone between prelates and govt, more..

Jan 31 (Island) The govt has ignored the ultimatum given by the GMOA. Its intransigence will only drive the protesting doctors to intensify their trade union action, causing more suffering to patients. The govt has launched a propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the GMOA by claiming that the doctors are demanding pay hikes with no heed for the economic difficulties caused by Cyclone Ditwah. It has stretched the truth to bolster its claims, suppressing the fact that protesting doctors more..

Jan 31 (CT) One of my favourite writers is Chinua Achebe, and A Man of the People remains one of his most unsettling novels. There is a line in it that refuses to age: The people were always the first to be fooled, and the last to know. It is a sentence that should make us uncomfortable, especially when we speak so confidently about democratic choice and popular sovereignty. Elections are often celebrated as moments of collective wisdom, yet Achebe reminds us that they can also be moments of more..

Jan 31 (TM) As the Govt reconsiders the direction of its education reform programme following a series of problematic developments, the Education Ministry has announced plans to open the reform process to public discussion in the coming days. The move comes amid criticism over the content of certain modules printed under the reform plans, limited consultation with teachers and principals, and questions surrounding more..

Jan 31 (DM) SL has since independence continuously remained a democratic state. Despite four attempts (thrice by insurgent groups and once by a group of military officers) to change the nature of the state, the people of this country have either by design or by the hand of God, managed to retain its basic democratic structure. The four pillars of democracy --Legislature, Executive, Judiciary & Media -- which create a system of checks and balances, (ensuring free & accountable govt) more..

Jan 31 (DM) There are several promises which the NPP gave during the last Prez and Parliamentary elections, but cannot keep as a govt -- at least for the moment. One of them is replacing the current Constitution with a new one. Nine months have elapsed since PM Harini Amarasuriya told parliament that her govt has two urgent priorities before commencing the process of formulating a new constitution for the country. While answering a question by ITAK MP Shanakiyan more..

Jan 31 (CT) A remark made recently by Minister K.D. Lalkantha, that while the Govt had secured political power, it had yet to capture State power, lingered in the public imagination far longer than perhaps was intended. It was not dismissed as an offhand comment or rhetorical flourish. Instead, it was widely read as a candid articulation of a deeper political impulse: the desire to bring the machinery of the State firmly under control of ruling coalition. more..

Jan 31 (CT) SL’s consideration of a ban on social media use and smartphone ownership for children under the age of 12 places the country within a rapidly growing global debate on how far govts should go in protecting young people from the harms of the digital world. While the proposal remains at a preliminary discussion stage, its very emergence reflects a broader international shift away from viewing unrestricted digital access as inevitable, and towards recognising childhood as more..

Jan 31 (Island) According to the SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), over 130,000 tourists have arrived in the country during the first 15 days of this year. Impressive, indeed, but how many of them make up the big spending list, or were the majority backpackers? Of course, we need both – the big spenders and the backpackers – but, as one knowledgeable source said, it’s better to have 10 tourists spending 1000 dollars (per day) than 1000 tourists spending 10 dollars (per day)! more..

Jan 30 (NW) The Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, conducted a special inspection on Thursday of the ongoing construction of the new Children’s Ward Complex at Maharagama Apeksha Hospital. The five-storey building is being constructed under the financial sponsorship of Mr. Indra Kumara Silva, Founder and Chairman of the Indra Traders Group, with construction supervision and manpower support provided by the Sri Lanka Air Force. more..

Jan 30 (DM) The planned international donor conference to raise funds for rebuilding areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah in SL continues to be delayed, with no fixed date finalised as of yesterday, govt sources revealed. The delay is hampering the recovery of affected communities and slowing the country’s broader reconstruction programme. Earlier, govt said that the conference was scheduled for January this year and was expected to mobilise additional funding for recovery, more..

Jan 30 (EN) IMF is discussing combining the fifth and sixth reviews of the of the Extended Fund Facility with SL, Mission Chief Evan Papageorgiou said after last review was delayed due to Cyclone Ditwah. Combining reviews is a live discussion he told reporters in Colombo after concluding a mission to assess the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. President’s media office said discussions related the of “the sixth tranche more..

Jan 30 (NW) Former Minister Johnston Fernando, his two sons have been further remanded until Feb 13 by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court. Two other suspects were also ordered to be further remanded. The group was arrested by the FCID over allegations of misusing a Sathosa lorry during Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Cooperative and Internal Trade. It is alleged that the vehicle was used for operations linked to an ethanol company reportedly owned by Fernando, more..

Jan 30 (CT) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva has criticised the Govt over what he described as a lack of funding and operational support for SL’s newly established National Women’s Commission, following the resignation of its inaugural Chairperson. In a post on social media, de Silva said he had raised concerns at the Committee on Public Finance last week over the absence of a budgetary allocation for the Commission, despite the Govt’s stated commitment to progressive gender more..

Jan 30 (USE) U.S. Embassy in SL this week welcomed a team of engineers and medical professionals from the Montana National Guard as they engaged with counterparts from SL’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and other govt agencies to assess damage to health facilities and critical infrastructure following Cyclone Ditwah. The visit reflects the United States’ partnership-based approach to humanitarian assistance more..

Jan 30 (AD) Govt of Korea has partnered with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in SL to support SL in addressing its growing waste management challenges, with funding of USD 4.7 million for a new initiative. The project, titled Scale-up and Sustain the Low-Carbon Municipal Solid Waste Management and Resource Recovery in SL, is funded by the Ministry of Climate, Energy & Environment of Korea through Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI). more..

Jan 30 (AD) A discussion has been held yesterday between the Executive Committee of the GMOA and representatives of all health sector trade unions. Trade union representatives from across the health service including doctors, dentists, nurses, paramedics, and other paramedical staff had participated in the discussion. During the meeting, it was agreed that all unions will work together as a single group on common issues affecting the health service and health workers, without dividing more..

Jan 30 (NW) Right to Information (RTI) Commission has ordered Dept of External Resources (DER) to release a 2017 loan agreement linked to the Katana Water Supply Project, ruling that continued secrecy is not justified and that the public interest outweighs potential harm from disclosure. The Commission directed that the USD 54.8 million loan agreement signed between the China Development Bank and the National Water Supply and Drainage Board be released on or before Feb 28, 2026. more..

Jan 30 (AD) Court of Appeal has postponed the delivery of its decision on a writ petition filed seeking the invalidation of the remand order issued against Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero and Venerable Trincomalee Kalyanawansa Tissa Thero in connection with the Buddha statue incident in Trincomalee, until 3 Feb. The order had been scheduled to be delivered today by a bench comprising President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Rohanta Abeysuriya, and more..

Jan 30 (DM) Rita Wasanthi (54) from Jim Brown Nagar, a small hamlet in Mannar Island located in the Northern Province recalls how the shoreline along this coastal town has changed over the years. A greater part of the land on which she spent her childhood has now been dominated by the sea. Today, women bear the hidden costs of climate change and mega development projects in terms of loss of property, livelihoods and income more..

Jan 30 (AD) SL’s Sabina Yousaf has been named the Second Runner-Up at the 41st Mrs. World pageant, earning international recognition for the country at the prestigious global competition. In addition, she won the Mrs. Photogenic mini-title and secured a place in the Top 20. Chanita Craythorne of Thailand was crowned Mrs. World 2025, while Paige Ewing of the US was declared First Runner-Up. The pageant, held on 29 Jan in Las Vegas, Nevada, featured contestants from over 60 countries more..

Jan 30 (NW) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has responded sharply to recent comments by Minister Nalinda Jayatissa regarding the opposition’s stance on the govt’s education reforms. Premadasa said his opposition was based on serious flaws in the school modules, including what he described as glaring errors and links to pornographic websites. “If that passed your review, the real question is not my mentality — it’s your competence. So please do your homework before judging others,” more..