Feb 5 (TM) A special discussion was held yesterday at the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure to assess the impact of the ongoing war situation in the Middle East on SL’s tea industry and to explore measures to safeguard the sector. The meeting, chaired by Minister Samantha Vidyarathna, brought together officials from key institutions and representatives of the tea industry to examine the challenges already emerging more..

Mar 5 (NW) Renovation work at the Pettah Central Bus Stand is progressing rapidly and is expected to be completed within the first two weeks of April, Ministry Of Transport, Highways & Urban Development reports. The project is being carried out under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development as a key initiative under the national Clean Sri Lanka program. Labour support for the renovation is being provided by the SL Air Force. more..

Mar 5 (CI) Opener Hasini Perera's second T20I fifty, on the back of two wickets apiece by left-arm spinners Sugandika Kumari and Inoka Ranaweera, capped off another strong effort by SL as they beat West Indies by nine wickets to seal the three-match T20I series 2-0. Captain Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and elected to field in Grenada, and much like in the second T20I, the spinners strangled the West Indies batters. Sugandika was introduced into the attack in the third over more..

Mar 5 (ST) Litro Gas Terminal Lanka has moved to stabilise cooking gas supplies amid panic stemming from a shortage of gas from privately held Laugfs Gas. State-owned Litro confirmed that 38,000 metric tonnes of LP gas have been secured to ensure supply throughout March. Chairman of Litro Gas Lanka Channa Gunawardana, said that “28,000 metric tonnes of gas were ordered for February. Continuous supply of new cylinders more..

Mar 5 (FT) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya last week emphasised that enhancing energy efficiency is an essential factor in strengthening the country’s economy, and that it is not merely about limiting consumption but about making a distinctive contribution to the national development process. PM made these remarks while addressing the SL National Energy Efficiency Awards Ceremony, organised jointly by the SL Sustainable Energy Authority and the Ministry of Power & Energy, more..

Mar 5 (FT) The Regional Exporters Networking Forum for the Southern Province, organised by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), was successfully held in Matara recently. The primary objectives of the forum were to identify challenges faced by regional exporters and to explore new export opportunities. Minister Sunil Handunneththi, participated as the Chief Guest, providing exporters with a special opportunity to directly present their issues to the Minister. more..

Mar 5 (NW) President’s Counsel Saliya Pieris has warned that Sri Lanka cannot be under any illusion that it is immune from the ongoing war in the Middle East, stressing that the country’s economy faces both short‑term and long‑term risks from the crisis. He noted that global oil prices have already risen steeply and natural gas production has been restricted, developments that will inevitably affect Sri Lanka in the coming months. Pieris highlighted possible consequences, including more..

Mar 5 (FT) A Bill to amend the Social Security Contribution Levy (SSCL) Act No. 25 of 2022 has been gazetted following the Budget 2026 proposals, introducing several changes including a lower registration threshold and revisions to the levy treatment on motor vehicles, according to a briefing by KPMG Sri Lanka. The Bill was published in the Gazette Extraordinary dated 27 February 2026 and issued on 3 March 2026 by the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. more..

Mar 5 (FT) SL’s weak foreign direct investment (FDI) performance reflects not only policy shortcomings but also the failure of parts of the private sector to generate competitive returns, according to Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Ltd, Chief Investment Officer – Int'l Sarath Sathkumara, who oversees a $ 50 billion investment portfolio. Speaking at a symposium titled Trade in turbulent times: Geopolitical challenges and more..

Mar 5 (CT) The Rubber-Rice Pact, officially known as the Ceylon–China Trade Agreement of 1952, was signed on Dec 18, 1952, in Beijing. Our first PM DS Senanayake had already passed away. His son, Dudley had to deal with the oncoming crisis; and he apparently was not ready for the national turmoil that was to follow. Dudley may have been a dignified gentleman; he may have accumulated some rare qualities that characterize men of honor and poise, and the very image he depicted to more..

Mar 5 (ST) O Tempora, O Mores! These words of the illustrious Roman senator Cicero might be rather wasted on the Oxbridge student unions that found hosting two speeches by a foreign politician they had invited too hot to handle. So they probably thought it more convenient to call it a day and never mind any missing Oxford comma, if you know what that means. Having heard of some ho ha (sorry, not Oxford English, but then what the hell), I scanned the British media. more..

Mar 5 (Island) It was Iran’s first spiritual head of state, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, who singled out and castigated the US as the ‘Great Satan’ in the revolutionary turmoil of the late seventies of the last century that ushered in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The core issue driving the long-running confrontation between Islamic Iran and the West has been religious identity and the seasoned observer cannot be faulted for seeing the explosive emergence of the current war in the Middle East as more..

Mar 5 (DM) Joint US-Israeli air attack on Iran was a bid to bring about a regime change and establish total US-Israeli dominance in the West Asian region. The nuclear enrichment issue, which the duo had touted as the reason for the deadly strikes, was only a pretext to forcibly overthrow the radical Islamic regime and install a puppet. Yes, decapitation has taken place. Ayatollah Khamenei along with other key leaders were killed. But the next critical step, setting up an alternative puppet regime more..

Mar 5 (TM) Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the fastest-growing technologies today. It refers to machines and computer systems that can-do tasks typically requiring human intelligence, like learning, reasoning, decision-making, understanding language, and solving problems. In the last 10 years, AI has shifted from a futuristic idea to a real part of daily life. Countries are using AI in business, healthcare, edu, transportation more..

Mar 5 (DM) Poverty alleviation, especially at the rural level had been a central objective of various governments that were in power. But whether successive governments succeeded in alleviating poverty remains unclear. This is because a myriad of issues that have not only pushed people towards abject poverty but have also disrupted social relationships. Predatory microfinance practices has been one such approach that pushed rural communities towards a vicious cycle of debt. more..

Mar 5 (Island) There was a time when Sri Lanka was known the world over as the Granary of the East. Ancient rulers made selfless sacrifices to enable it to achieve and sustain self-sufficiency in food, especially rice. Alas, it has today become a hunduwa (a small traditional rice-measuring cup), according to its current Head of State himself. On Tuesday, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) caused quite a stir by referring to SL as a hunduwa in a bid to drive a point home in Parliament. more..

Mar 5 (TM) After a lapse of a few months, we re-connected with Tharushi Karunarathna, the young woman who brought immense honour to Sri Lanka by dominating the Asian track and field arena. Currently residing and studying in the faraway US, Tharushi has been focused on a gruelling transition period. While she may not have been in the headlines daily, her silence was merely the preamble to a new surge of success. more..

Mar 5 (TM) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s admission in Parliament on Tuesday (3) that Sri Lanka does not have sufficient long-term fuel storage facilities should not pass as just another statement in Hansard. It is a warning. Fuel is still the most sensitive issue in this country. The economic crisis is not a distant memory. People remember the queues. They remember the anger, the uncertainty and the daily humiliation of not knowing whether they could get petrol or diesel. more..

Mar 5 (TM) Rising tensions in the Middle East are being watched closely in Sri Lanka, and for good reason. For a country still recovering from its worst economic crisis in decades, developments in that region are not distant geopolitical events. They have direct consequences for our economy and thousands of Sri Lankan families. Sri Lanka’s links with the Middle East are both financial and human. A significant share of our migrant workforce is employed in Gulf countries. more..

Mar 4 (AD) Attorney General informed the Court of Appeal today that the SL Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has taken a policy decision to refrain from conducting tourism promotion programs specifically targeting the LGBTIQ community in SL. This was conveyed during the hearing of a petition seeking an order to invalidate a letter previously issued by the Chairman of SLTDA to a NGO. Letter in question had granted approval for a project aimed at promoting LGBTQ-centered tourism more..

Mar 4 (NW) Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) has presented evidence confirming that the coal imported by the govt from South Africa is of poor quality, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said in a special statement today. He noted that the SJB had repeatedly warned the government, the President, and the subject minister about the inferior quality of South African coal. PUCSL’s latest report, comparing Russian and South African coal, has now reaffirmed these concerns, he said. more..

Mar 4 (NW) A discussion was held this morning at the Presidential Secretariat under the leadership of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake regarding the possible impact on SL’s economy due to the current war situation in the Middle East and the urgent measures that should be taken to manage it. Prez pointed out that although future developments cannot be predicted, continuous attention must be paid to new developments more..

Mar 4 (DM) UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake raised serious concerns over Sri Lanka’s continued below-target inflation, questioning whether official economic indicators reflect the rising cost of living faced by the public. Raising the matter in Parliament, Karunanayake said the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) has submitted several deviation reports confirming that quarterly headline inflation has remained below the lower bound of the 5% target for five consecutive reporting cycles. more..

Mar 4 (AD) Former Minister Ali Sabry has expressed concern over rising tensions in the Middle East, urging restraint and dialogue amid escalating regional instability. Sabry extended his thoughts and prayers to the people of UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Iran, describing the situation as a deeply troubling moment for the region. He noted that ordinary citizens across these nations are being drawn into a dangerous cycle of war, violence, and insecurity through more..

Mar 4 (DN) India has taken steps to provide research, innovation and technical assistance for the advancement of SL’s digitalization project. Under this, India will support SL-India digital cooperation and SL’s journey towards becoming a regional technology hub. With the aim of further strengthening digital cooperation between SL and India, a delegation including the Deputy Minister Eranga Weeraratne, engaged in a special more..

Mar 4 (Island) Dialog Axiata marks World Hearing Day 2026 by offering free hearing tests throughout March at the Ratmalana Audiology Centre (RAC), reaffirming its commitment to expanding access to hearing care services across SL. Aligned with the 2026 global theme, From communities to classrooms: hearing care for all children, the initiative supports greater awareness of early detection and timely intervention, while making hearing screening services accessible to more..

Mar 4 (EN) Cabinet have approved a proposal to remove cess and non-tariff barriers imposed on 2,634 imported goods in stages, minister Nalinda Jayatissa said. “We will remove the cess on around 2,634 goods in stages through to 2029, while protecting domestic industries,” he said. The phased approach will see the para tariffs removed from 25%, to 50%, upto 100%, he said. Cess is planned to be removed in phases with the aim of ensuring a level playing field for all stakeholders and more..

Mar 4 (Island) Court of Appeal bench, comprising Justice Dhammika Ganepola and Justice Adithya Patabendige, has granted interim relief to Tuk Tuk Rental (Pvt) Ltd, to continue to operate in terms of the existing legal framework, regardless of the declaration that foreigners could not drive three-wheelers on the basis of having international driving permits. The petitioner moved court recently in the wake of Police Headquarters declaration that international driving permit holders more..

Mar 4 (NW) A meeting between PM Harini Amarasuriya and officials of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was held at the Ministry of Education this week (2), during which ADB officials informed the Prime Minister about the Human Resource Development for Education Project (HRDEP). During this discussion, attention was focused on improving the quality of advanced-level education and curriculum design, strengthening the quality and efficiency of the workforce in the edu sector, more..

Mar 4 (DM) One-week closure of Middle East airspace will deny Sri Lanka US$ 15 million in tourism revenue, as around 30% of arrivals take place through that region, an official said. SL tourism authorities have assessed the possible implications for the tourism industry following the escalation of the war situation in the Middle East after the US and Israel attacked Iran, which retaliated with a barrage of missile strikes more..

Mar 4 (DM) Iranian warship that sank off SL’s southern coast had been attacked by a foreign submarine while it was outside Sri Lankan waters, defense sources confirmed. The frigate IRIS Dena, carrying around 180 crew members, went down about 25 miles south of SL after issuing a distress call at dawn, SL authorities said. At least 101 sailors are reported missing, while 78 others were injured in the incident. During a session in Parliament, Foreign Minister Vajitha Herath confirmed that more..

Mar 4 (Island) Court of Appeal yesterday ordered that a petition filed by former Deputy Secretary General of Parliament, Chaminda Kularatne, seeking the issuance of a writ order to nullify the decision to suspend him without conducting a fair inquiry, be taken up for consideration on 18 March. Petition was taken up yesterday before a bench comprising President of the Court of Appeal Rohantha Abeysuriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando. The petitioner, Chaminda Kularatne, was present more..