Jan 25 (TM) Football Federation of SL (FFSL) President Jaswar Umar says that they will make an effort to lure back National Team Head Coach Abdullah Almutairi for a new contract. This was after the former Coach confirmed via a Facebook post on Friday that he had officially concluded his stint in the island nation. Umar stated that the Kuwaiti national, who lined up with SL two years ago following the departure of then more..

Jan 25 (BBC) Bangladesh will boycott next month's men's T20 World Cup and have been replaced by Scotland. Scotland, ranked 14 in the world, have been called up by the ICC by virtue of being the highest-ranked team not already at the tournament and will take Bangladesh's place in Group C. Bangladesh had asked for their games to be switched from India citing safety concerns amid growing tensions between the countries and demanded to play them in Sri Lanka, more..

Jan 25 (CI) Despite their relief at winning away from home for the first time in 12 attempts, both Joe Root and Harry Brook voiced their criticism of the Khettarama pitch after England's five-wicket win in the second ODI against Sri Lanka. The pair were their team's mainstays in a 220-run chase, adding 81 for the third wicket on a dry and slow surface on which England used six different spin options across 40.3 overs of SL's innings, both a record by their team in ODIs. more..

Jan 25 (Island) Sri Lanka’s home ODI record since the wreckage of the 2023 World Cup has been a study in quiet efficiency. Ninth place in India and an early Champions Trophy exit could have sent the wheels spinning, but instead the hosts have responded by turning their backyard into a fortress. Since then, Sri Lanka have played seven ODI series at home and won all of them. These are not against minnows, but against the heavyweights, including World Cup finalists Australia and India. more..

Jan 25 (Island) The Opposition asked the govt, in Parliament on Friday, whether the latter would go ahead with its plan to close down low-attendance schools, and if so, what would happen to the students in them. The govt said the number of students would not be the sole criterion for what it described as school restructuring, and factors such as population density and transport would also be taken into consideration. Its response smacked of obfuscation. more..

Jan 25 (CI) Joe Root struck his 45th ODI fifty and with it helped England snap an 11-match losing streak away from home, as they won the second ODI against SL by 5 wickets and with it levelled the three-match series at 1-1. Root was unable to see the game to a close, falling to an Asitha Fernando yorker with just 42 to get off 57 deliveries, but by that point - with England batting all the way down - it would have required a collapse of epic more..

Jan 25 (Island) Colombo East Container Terminal (CECT), SL’s flagship port project under the SL Ports Authority (SLPA), remains unable to reach full operational capacity, more than four years after construction began, industry insiders say. Despite near-complete infrastructure and a strategic vision to bolster SL’s position as a regional maritime hub, the terminal is paralyzed by a single missing component: straddle carriers, essential machines for moving containers between ships and yard storage. more..

Jan 25 (Island) I will not dwell in any detail about the numerous other issues that engaged the Minister’s (Athulathemudali) attention. That would add up to a book in itself. What I would do would be to briefly touch upon some selected matters. A structure of a Ministry is important and relevant as a facilitator or otherwise of work. There is also, in many ways a correlation between structure and achievement. In this vital area however, there was a major deficiency. At the political level, more..

Jan 25 (ST) My dear Lal, I thought of writing to you when you became the focus of attention after your recent public comments, firstly about departed comrade Nandana and then more generally, saying that if anyone takes to politics and attacks you and your party, they should expect the same treatment in return. I admire your honesty and for saying it as you see it. You once said, I’m just Lal, implying that what you see is what you get. Not many politicians can make that claim. more..

Jan 25 (ST) A presidential statement at a Thaipongal ceremony in Jaffna last week has made waves in the south, many perplexed by what exactly the message was that he was trying to convey. On plain listening, it seemed to target those whom he said were aiming to fan the communal flames using pilgrims from the south to the north, meaning Buddhists, to sow harvest hatred. Waving his finger as he is wont to do when stressing a point, either in Parliament or outside, he stressed he would never allow more..

Jan 25 (ST) Following criticism of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake by Buddhist monks as well as others for his remarks in Jaffna last week, where he said those gathering every full moon (Poya) day at certain disputed sites in the North were driven not by devoutness but by hatred, the govt is keen to win back its detractors over the issue. As a first step, Prez will hold a meeting in Colombo on Monday where he will announce generous funds more..

Jan 25 (SO) Is the political discourse getting more coarse by the day, if not more vitriolic? For many, the question would be a bit of a joke in the context that in SL, politicians have been at each others’ throats for seemingly eons. Ominously, in the era of the visual representation disseminated through social media, stick and stones may break bones, but words definitely can cause mayhem. Today’s tribal political invective reaches far & wide through media channels on Tik-Tok, Youtube & what have you. more..

Jan 25 (CT) In the hallowed halls of Sri Lanka’s state hospitals, where the scent of antiseptic usually mingles with hope, a darker, more pungent atmosphere has taken hold: the stench of betrayal. As the Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) initiates yet another round of industrial action in Jan 2026, the question on every citizen’s lips is no longer about demands or allowances. It is a question of basic survival: Have our healers become our primary predators? more..

Jan 25 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) and his JVP-led NPP Govt are facing a conundrum in one of their key pledges to the people prior to election to office. It is the promise to ensure justice to victims in many cases, including several emblematic cases as well as the Easter Sunday attacks probe. Govt, or rather Prez AKD, is now facing quite a crisis with two key State institutions – CID and Attorney General’s (AG) Dept – more..

Jan 25 (TM) The growing fissures within the ruling coalition comprising JVP and its broader political vehicle, NPP, are no longer a matter of idle speculation. They have burst into the open with unmistakable clarity, revealing a profound ideological and strategic divergence at the very heart of the administration. Nowhere has this rupture become more evident than in the fallout from the bitter controversy surrounding the proposed education reforms, championed by PM Harini more..

Jan 25 (SO) SL’s proposed education reforms have ignited one of the most emotionally charged debates in recent years, revealing not only deep concerns about the future of schooling but also the ease with which misinformation can derail a national conversation. At the heart of the reforms lies a simple but urgent goal: to prepare young Sri Lankans for the realities of the 21st century. Yet, political opposition and deliberate disinformation have reduced this complex policy shift to more..

Jan 24 (DM) Colombo has been identified as the most difficult city globally for local income earners to purchase property in 2026, revealing a severe decoupling between asset prices and domestic wages. According to the latest Numbeo Property Investment Index, Sri Lanka’s commercial capital recorded a price-to-income ratio of 55.1, the highest figure among all 395 cities monitored worldwide. more..

Jan 24 (DN) PM Harini Amarasuriya and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa have reached an agreement regarding the appointment of three civil society representatives to the Constitutional Council. PM and the Opposition Leader agreed to nominate Prof. Wasantha Seneviratne, Austin Fernando and Ranjit Ariyaratne as the civil society representatives for the Council. Parliamentary approval was granted for these three nominees and the Speaker will submit the names to Prez for appointment. more..

Jan 24 (Island) Electricity Consumers’ Association has raised serious concerns over the consultation process for the proposed National Electricity Policy, describing it as inadequate and legally questionable. National Secretary of the Association, Sanjeewa Dhammika, said he had been given only 30 minutes to present his views on the policy at a meeting held on Wednesday (21) at the Ministry of Power and Energy. He said that although six members had been appointed to National Policy Committee, more..

Jan 24 (CT) Delays in issuing licences for the appointment of authorised persons in the Colombo Port City were taken up for discussion at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF). The matter was discussed when the COPF met in Parliament recently, under the chairmanship of Dr. Harsha de Silva. Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe and MPs Ravi Karunanayake, Ajith Agalawatte, M.K.M. Aslam, Nimal Palihena, more..

Jan 24 (FT) Surgical services have now resumed at the District General Hospital, Chilaw, following emergency repairs supported by UNFPA in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. The rapid restoration of critical sections of the operating theatre has enabled the hospital to safely recommence sterilisation procedures and resume surgeries, ensuring continued access to life-saving maternal and newborn care for hundreds of patients each month. In the immediate aftermath of Cyclone more..

Jan 24 (ST) NBRO has recommended that all construction projects be cleared from high-risk areas demarcated through boundary demarcation maps developed using satellite images following the landslides triggered by cyclone Ditwah in November. However, the areas and the corresponding landmass affected have not been confirmed, and this will take time, Dr Wasantha Senadeera, senior scientist of the NBRO said. Total number of landslides and natural disasters will be computed after verification. more..

Jan 24 (NW) Businessman Dudley Sirisena has issued a detailed statement explaining the controversy surrounding the import of his Rolls-Royce vehicle, saying he was not involved in any customs misdeclaration and had only purchased the car through an intermediary company. Sirisena said he had arranged all banking facilities, including letters of credit, and initially imported a Rolls-Royce Phantom 8 months ago, but later learned that cross-border import regulations had been more..

Jan 24 (Island) Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the FCID, were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The former Minister’s sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister. Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, more..

Jan 24 (FT) Apparel exporters have welcomed early gains from the abolition of the Simplified VAT (SVAT) scheme and the transition to the Risk-Based Refund Scheme (RBRS), describing the timely release of VAT refunds as a positive and confidence-boosting development for the country’s largest export industry, while cautioning that consistency and deeper digital reform will be critical to sustaining momentum. more..

Jan 24 (FT) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, together with Deputy Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, held meetings with members of the Swiss business community as well as SL business leaders and professionals based in Switzerland on the side-lines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. The engagements focused on strengthening partnerships, building confidence, and exploring practical avenues for collaboration to support SL’s economic recovery & long-term development. more..

Jan 24 (CT) Colombo’s strategic location and rising regional trade flows are underpinning strong demand for expanded port capacity, according to remarks by Gihan Cooray, Deputy Chairperson and Group Finance Director of John Keells Holdings (JKH), who highlighted the rapid ramp‑up of the JKH‑partnered Colombo West Container Terminal (CWCT) as evidence of SL’s transhipment potential. Addressing the First Capital PLC Investor Forum on Thursday, he said that Colombo has long required more..

Jan 24 (FT) AirAsia continues to strengthen connectivity between Sri Lanka and Thailand with the introduction of three additional weekly flights (Wed, Fri, Sun) between Colombo (CMB) and Bangkok (Don Mueang - DMK) for the Winter 2025/26 season. The new services are in operation providing travellers even greater flexibility and choice when planning their trips. With the addition of these frequencies, AirAsia now operates 10 weekly flights between Colombo and Bangkok. more..

Jan 24 (Island) The revenue that was earned from the tourism sector in 2025 was US $ 3.2 billion, which is a significant drop compared to the 2018 figure, which is US$ 4.3 billion, a top tourism sector specialist said. "Comparatively there is a revenue deficit of US $ 1.2 billion, which we cannot be satisfied with at any cost," Island Leisure Lanka founder chairman Chandana Amaradasa said. Amaradasa made these observations at a Rotary Club joint meeting organised by more..

Jan 24 (DM) Concerns have been flagged regarding the incumbent govt’s draft National Electricity Policy which had been tabled with the objective of ensuring an efficient electricity supply at cost-effective prices. However, according to industry stakeholders and energy experts, imposing mandatory time-of-use tariffs for solar power users, removing feed-in tariffs and removing cross-subsidies are certain proposals that could more..

Jan 24 (FT) Colombo stock market ended the week on a new year high with the benchmark index 43.49 points away from the 24,000 milestone. ASPI closed yesterday 0.60% on the up, gaining 142.74 points to 23,956.51 and the active S&P SL20 ended 0.48% or 31.65 points on the up at 6,649.50. Market turnover was over Rs.10.5 billion on nearly 256 million shares traded. Foreign investors were net sellers on a net outflow of Rs 82.1 million. Bourse showed a positive sentiment on the back of heightened more..

Jan 24 (Fox) A burgeoning Australian U-19s pace attack has steamrolled SL in yet another brutal World Cup display, winning by nine wickets in Namibia on Friday evening. After winning the toss and electing to field, the reigning champions smelt blood from ball one to take a trio of wickets in a six-ball stretch that left the Lions reeling at 3/3 after just 20 balls. Only two partnerships from there on reached double figures, and even then, none surpassed the 12 put on for the fourth wicket more..