Jan 8 (CT) A Chinese national who allegedly stole USD 10,000 from the hand luggage of a Thai Buddhist monk arriving in Sri Lanka was arrested following a coordinated operation by the Katunayake Airport Police and the Tourist Police on Tuesday (6). The stolen cash, valued at approximately Rs 3.08 million, belonged to a 78-year-old Buddhist monk who serves as a responsible official at the Thai Embassy in SL. He had arrived at BIA from Bangkok at 11:07 a.m. on flight UL 403. more..

Jan 8 (ST) A racket involving the illegal sale of dead chicken meat was busted in the Pallama area following a raid by Public Health Inspectors (PHIs), leading to the arrest of two suspects and the seizure of a large stock of meat that had been distributed to several other areas. The suspects were accused of collecting chickens that had died due to various illnesses from poultry farms in Pallama and surrounding regions under the guise of transporting them for animal feed. Instead, more..

Jan 8 (FT) The third edition of Gem Sri Lanka, a major showcase of the country’s high-quality stones and craftsmanship, kicked off yesterday in Colombo, bringing together top exhibitors, designers, and buyers from across the world. Organised by the Ceylon Gem and Jewellery Traders Association (CGJTA), international event, themed The Source. The Production. The Selection, will take place from 7-9 January more..

Jan 8 (TM) SL Govt is to present its progress on trade negotiations with the US Trade Representative in two weeks time, Deputy Minister of Trade and Commerce R.M. Jayawardena informed parliament yesterday, responding to a question posed by MP Ravi Karunanayake.. “What is the current status of the trade negotiations with the United States, and have any timelines, draft frameworks or commitments being agreed upon with the target of March 2026?,” Karunanayake had queried more..

Jan 8 (FT) Govt acknowledged a steady decline in foreign employment opportunities in Korea over the past three years, citing policy shifts, employer concerns and illegal overstays as key factors, while outlining ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure relief for more than 10,000 SL job seekers awaiting placement. Minister Vijitha Herath provided a detailed breakdown of bilateral employment arrangements, job categories, trends and challenges facing SL workers seeking overseas more..

Jan 8 (FT) The SL rupee continued its depreciating trend against the US dollar yesterday, with the currency weakening to the Rs. 310 level against the greenback for the first time since February 2024, based on the indicative spot rate published by the Central Bank of SL (CBSL). The CBSL reported the USD/LKR spot rate at Rs. 310.02. The buying rate of the US dollar was recorded at Rs. 306.28, while the selling rate stood at Rs. 313.81. The rupee depreciated by 5.6% in 2025, more..

Jan 8 (NW) Former Minister Ali Sabry has criticised the govt’s decision to cancel pension entitlements for former MPs, describing it as a symbolic move driven by political optics rather than economic necessity. Sabry said the amounts involved in MP pensions are negligible and would not meaningfully contribute to fixing the economy, reducing the budget deficit, or improving public services. “The decision serves no real economic purpose. It is designed to satisfy short-term political optics and more..

Jan 8 (EN) SL’s budget deficit will rise 1.4% to 6.5% of GDP in 2026 as a result of extra spending related to Cyclone Ditwah relief & recovery. Capital expenditure will rise by 1% of GDP to 5% from 4% in the original budget passed in parliament, the document said. Recurrent spending will grow 16.9% of GDP from the original 16.5% in the original budget. SL is planning to spend an extra 500 billion rupees for Ditwah spending. more..

Jan 8 (DM) SL’s tourism authorities are moving to implement strict carrying capacity limits and a unified digital ticketing system for the national parks, with a primary focus on the Yala National Park, to address the persistent overcrowding issues that threaten the visitor experience. SLTDA Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam acknowledged that overcrowding at Yala has reached critical levels, primarily because SL’s wildlife parks currently operate without any restrictions on carrying capacity. more..

Jan 8 (DN) Modarawila playground, Panadura will be developed as a well-equipped stadium by the Sports Ministry. Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage visited the venue on an inspection visit yesterday. “Modarawila Playground has long been neglected and the present Govt has identifyied the need of a proper sporting facility to the region and take action to fulfill that need in near future,” said Sports Minister during his visit to the venue. Sports Ministry has decided to undertake the refurbishment more..

Jan 8 (FT) Dr. Ray Jayawardhana, an accomplished academic leader and renowned astrophysicist who currently serves as provost of Johns Hopkins University, has been named Caltech’s next President, the tenth in the Institute’s 105-year history. Jayawardhana’s appointment by Caltech’s Board of Trustees, announced today at a community-wide gathering on the Institute’s Pasadena campus, was the result of a more..

Jan 8 (Island) Sri Lanka Cricket have strengthened their backroom staff ahead of the World Cup by roping in former India opener Vikram Rathour as Batting Coach, SLC sources told The Island. The 56-year-old brings a weighty CV to the dressing room, having been part of the Indian coaching set-up that lifted the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in 2024. Rathour is currently serving as assistant coach of IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, but will join the Sri Lankan camp next week. more..

Jan 8 (DM) SL’s first ever CORALL Conservation Trust Fund was established to conserve Pigeon Island National Park, Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary and Kayankerni Marine Sanctuary and their associated seascapes. Trust Deed was signed by the Settlor, Environment Foundation Guarantee Ltd (EFL) and members of the Board of Trustees recently. Trust is formally known as CORALL (Conservation of Reefs for All Lives & Livelihoods) Conservation Trust Fund, and more..

Jan 8 (TM) The National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) is expecting to amend the NATA Act to strengthen tobacco control measures. NATA Chairperson, Dr. Ananda Rathnayaka said that the NATA Act will be amended and the institution is actively engaged in discussions towards this end. The amendments that the NATA plans to introduce and implement include: raising the minimum age for tobacco/alcohol purchase to 21 years; plain packaging for cigarette packets with more..

Jan 8 (TM) The Opposition’s move to initiate a No-Confidence Motion against Minister of Education, PM Harini Amarasuriya, marks a significant moment for a Govt that promised competence, integrity, and a clean break from the political failures of the past. Education, more than any other portfolio, demands clarity, credibility & accountability. What has unfolded over recent weeks suggests a troubling deficit in all three. The motion, signed at Opposition Leader’s Office under leadership of Sajith Premadasa, more..

Jan 8 (CI) Pakistan flexed their muscle in the first T20I in Dambulla, beating SL by six wickets with 20 balls to spare. The win was set up by their bowling unit. On a two-paced pitch, Salman Mirza and Abrar Ahmed picked up three wickets each and a returning Shadab Khan two. SL's innings never got going. Sent in, they found themselves on 38 for 4 in the seventh over. They recovered to reach 127 for 6 in the 18th but lost the last 4 wickets more..

Jan 8 (Island) Research and Development (R&D) constitutes the intellectual and technological foundation upon which modern economies are built. Nations that invest strategically in R&D consistently outperform those that rely primarily on resource extraction, low-wage labour, or import-driven consumption. For SL, a country with limited natural resources, a small domestic market, and high vulnerability to external shocks, knowledge-driven development is not merely desirable but more..

Jan 8 (Island) JVP/NPP leaders seem to have forgotten that serving justice for the Easter Sunday terror victims was a central plank of their election platform in 2024. They delivered thunderous speeches replete with theatrics at election rallies, condemning the previous govts for their failure to trace the masterminds behind the Easter Sunday carnage. They garnered favour with the families of the Easter Sunday carnage victims and other seekers of justice to win elections. more..

Jan 8 (SO) In the shadow of Cyclone Ditwah’s catastrophic wake, SL potentially faces a food scarcity that should be addressed soon. As SL grapples with the aftermath of Nov 2025’s devastating storm, there is a possibility of a food crisis fuelled by disrupted agriculture, soaring prices, and fragile supply chains. Yet, amid this gloom, a bold path emerges: aggressive pursuit of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with nations far and wide. This is not just an economic strategy, but also a more..

Jan 8 (CT) The deaths reported from Thambarawila in Waikkala last morning were not merely another tragic headline; they were a stark reminder of a long-festering national failure. Lives were lost not to a sudden epidemic or natural disaster, but to a toxic brew circulating freely among the most vulnerable. Illicit liquor, often dismissed as a marginal or rural problem, once again revealed its deadly reach, devastating families, workplaces and communities within hours. more..

Jan 8 (CT) SL’s already fragile system of public financial accountability has been pushed deeper into crisis following the Constitutional Council’s rejection of yet another nominee put forward by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake to assume duties as Auditor General. The decision, taken in mid-Dec 2025, marks the fourth rejection of a presidential nominee within an 8-month period and leaves the country without either a permanent more..

Jan 8 (CT) The Sri Lankan public is navigating a period of profound fiscal contraction. Under the stringent IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF), the govt has been compelled to pursue aggressive revenue mobilization. Tax brackets have widened, and the annual turnover threshold for VAT has been slashed from Rs. 60 million to Rs. 36 million. For the average person, these are not just numbers; they are daily battles with the cost of living. However, there is a social contract at play. more..

Jan 8 (GV) SL did not enter 2026 through celebration. It crossed the threshold quietly, carrying grief. The final days of 2025 did not offer closure but catastrophe. Cyclone Ditwah, the most devastating climate disaster since the 2004 tsunami, swept across the island with a force that felt sudden yet deeply foretold. Floodwaters swallowed towns in the lowlands. In the Central Highlands, long abused in the name of development, the earth itself gave way. More than 1,500 major landslides were more..

Jan 8 (TM) Under the Govt’s newly-introduced education reforms, curriculum changes for Grades 1 and 6 are set to be implemented from tomorrow (5). According to the proposed framework, these reforms will be gradually introduced into SL’s general education system from this year onwards. The revised curricula will initially apply to Grade 1 in the primary education sector and Grade 6 in the junior secondary sector. more..

Jan 8 (DM) US Prez Donald Trump has thrown a wrecking ball at the rule-based international order and brags about it. However, unlike his previous action, the cost of the latest misadventures is hard to undo, and it has set the template for the other great powers to follow suit at their own volition. The international order that would emerge from the smouldering of American action in Venezuela would mimic the int'l system harking back to 19th-century great-power politics, when each great power more..

Jan 8 (DM) Adverse weather conditions are likely to prevail in SL with another depression forming over the Bay of Bengal. This Depression is likely to intensify over the next 24 hours. Red alerts have been issued in several districts including Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and Matale. Many of these areas are now like an active volcano, erupting frequently, posing threats to people living in these rather isolated locations. More than a month has elapsed since Cyclone Ditwah struck SL. more..

Jan 7 (NW) Ministry of Transport and Highways says tenders have been invited for the construction of the Central Expressway up to the Rambukkana-Galagedara section. In November last year, Govt announced that it had decided to commence the construction of the Rambukkana-Galagedara section of the Central Expressway Phase III using domestic funds. Presenting the 2026 Budget proposal to Parliament, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake said it has been proposed to commence more..

Jan 7 (AD) Minister of Justice and National Integration, Harshana Nanayakkara, has stated that once the Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Bill, which seeks to repeal the Parliamentary Pensions Law, is enacted, no Member of Parliament will be entitled to receive a pension. The First Reading of the Bill seeking to repeal parliamentary pensions was held in Parliament today. Minister commented further: “Following the Second and Third Readings, this Bill will be passed into law, more..

Jan 7 (DM) The programme to provide compensation for fully damaged houses and to construct new homes for families affected by the disaster will commence on January 9 in A'pura and Kurunegala, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. Prez made these remarks while participating in the second meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Finance, Planning & Economic Development of the 10th Parliament, more..

Jan 7 (Island) SJB MP Gayantha Karunathilaka yesterday urged Parliament to assign the chairmanship of the proposed Special Committee to investigate the lack of preparedness for Cyclone Ditwah to an Opposition MP. Raising the matter in the House, Karunathilaka also called for a revision of the committee’s composition, stressing the need for greater Opposition representation. He noted that a formal written request, signed by several MPs, had already been submitted to the Speaker more..

Jan 7 (AD) Opposition MPs have commenced signing a no-confidence motion against Minister of Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. A discussion in this regard commenced this morning under the auspices of Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa at the opposition leader’s office in Parliament. According to members of the opposition, no-confidence motion is being planned due to several shortcomings in the current govt’s education reforms, including content deemed more..