Sep 26 (TM) Sri Lanka’s tax revenue has reached Rs. 3,400 billion by the fourth week of September, while the primary balance exceeded the annual target by over Rs. 200 billion, according to Minister Prof. Anil Jayantha. He said that by 23 Sept, the three main tax revenue collection agencies have achieved a tax revenue of Rs. 3,400 billion for 2025. Inland Revenue Dept (IRD) has collected Rs. 1,545 billion, achieving 103% of the target, more..

Sep 26 (TM) Police stated that there is no time to advise or warn motorists anymore, and that hence, stern action will be taken against those who violate traffic laws. ASP F.U. Wootler said that the country has 9,000 traffic Police officers who are now being directed to ensure that all traffic violations are strictly dealt with. Special teams are deployed daily to arrest or control instances of speeding, reckless and dangerous driving, and to check whether vehicles are in a proper condition. more..

Sep 26 (DM) The discovery of new antibiotics has become increasingly rare due to their widespread use in humans, animals, foods and soil—a trend that poses a serious concern for the country, Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe said. He cautioned that the misuse of antibiotics has significantly contributed to the rise of antibiotic resistance. Dr. Jasinghe made these remarks at a media briefing on the 78th World Health Assembly, held at the Govt Information Dept Auditorium. more..

Sep 26 (FT) SJB has announced plans to table a no-confidence motion against Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, citing his recent conduct in presiding over Parliamentary proceedings. Addressing the House, SJB MP Ajith P. Perera charged that the Speaker had dismissed a previously submitted motion of no confidence without giving reasons. He argued that such actions weaken democratic safeguards and diminish more..

Sep 26 (DM) Two intelligence officers who neglected the prior warnings on the Easter Sunday bomb attacks have engaged in a repeat performance by neglecting prior warnings on two containers comprising narcotic drugs, SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa told Parliament. "Dept of Customs has allowed the clearance of two containers which had arrived from Teheran despite receiving prior information that they contained consignments of drugs. Intelligence units have received more..

Sep 26 (DM) The Designated Officer at the Presidential Secretariat has upheld the Information Officer’s earlier decision to reject an information request made by a YouTuber under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding the expenditures incurred for domestic travel and accommodation by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the past 12 months. In response to the appeal filed by YouTuber Jinath Premaratne, the Designated Officer stated that there is no change to the earlier reply. more..

Sep 26 (NW) A public survey conducted in 2024 has identified the Police, politics, and Customs as the top three institutions perceived to be most vulnerable to bribery and corruption in SL. CIABOC Chairman Neil Iddawela said the survey placed the Police at number one, followed by politics and the Customs Department. Other institutions highlighted by the public included the Dept of Immigration and Emigration, schools and the Education Ministry, Land Registry, Provincial Councils, more..

Sep 26 (FT) SL business leaders joined more than 50 global CEOs, govt representatives, and UN leaders at the 2025 UN Global Compact Private Sector Forum (PSF) in New York, convened on 22 September, during the UN General Assembly. The high-level roundtable focused on mobilising private sector investment to close the global financing gap for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and accelerate inclusive, sustainable growth. Representing SL at this year’s Forum were: more..

Sep 26 (CT) Supreme Court, yesterday, directed the Attorney General to report on the possible legal action that can be taken against the foreign company linked to the MV X-Press Pearl vessel for failing to pay Court-ordered compensation for the environmental and economic damage caused by the ship’s fire and sinking. The report must be submitted on 26 Jan 2026. The order was issued when a Fundamental Rights Petition more..

Sep 26 (Island) For Sri Lanka, their last Asia Cup outing tonight in Dubai against world champions India is no mere dead rubber, pride is on the line for the former champions. After cruising through the group stage unbeaten, Charith Asalanka’s side hit a roadblock in the Super Four, suffering back-to-back defeats to Bangladesh and Pakistan that knocked them out of contention. Had they held their nerve in just one of those fixtures, tonight’s clash would have been a virtual semi-final. more..

Sep 26 (Island) Javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga has jumped up to the ninth position in the world rankings, the highest position ever achieved by a SL track and field athlete after the introduction of the system. ‎The outstanding performance of the 22-year-old at the World Championship has helped him improve his standings by three ranking positions. The thrower trained by Tony Prasanna was at the 12th position prior to the start of the Tokyo event. ‎The remarkable seventh place finish ahead of more..

Sep 26 (ST) Dry weather conditions in the Puttalam District have helped to increase salt production and are likely to lead to the best harvest in five years. Those engaged in the trade believe that an estimated 100,000 mt could be harvested this season. Salt production had been affected in the past few years due to the rains experienced, and as a result Sri Lanka was forced to import salt from India. Sri Lanka annually requires more than 180,000 mt of salt. more..

Sep 26 (DN) SL’s Para athletics team, comprising five athletes, is ready to compete at the 12th World Para Athletics Championship, scheduled from September 27 to October 5 in New Delhi, India. The team will travel in three batches: the first leaves today, the second on Sept 28, and the third on Oct 2. Palitha Bandara, the Commonwealth Games silver medalist in discus throw, will compete in the F-42/43 Shot Put event. Other senior athletes include Nuwan Indika (T-44 100m, 200m, long jump) and more..

Sep 26 (TM) Electricity Consumers’ Association alleged that splitting the CEB into four entities will affect the CEB’s ability to maintain a monopoly in the electricity sector, and that it will in turn have an adverse impact on electricity consumers. Association’s Chairperson M.D.R. Athula further said that the fact that these four entities will operate as companies, of which shares can be sold later, may compound this issue as far as the CEB’s more..

Sep 26 (FT) The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has considered regulations under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969 published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2449/60 of 15 August 2025. This was approved during a meeting of the Committee held on Tuesday in Parliament, chaired by MP Dr. Harsha de Silva. Accordingly, the said regulations to Parliament seeks approval to extend permission for the import of vehicles to boost the tourism sector. more..

Sep 26 (FT) EY Sri Lanka has said the new Colombo Port City tax regulations shift incentives firmly toward investment scale and execution certainty, offering up to 15-year income tax holidays for large projects while requiring investors to align closely with licencing and designation stages to secure benefits. The firm noted that although the incentive framework remains attractive, it is now more tightly linked to project size, job creation and application status, underscoring more..

Sep 26 (FT) Sri Lanka via a private-public initiative will make its biggest push to woo Japanese interests with key engagements in Osaka and Tokyo starting tomorrow and spanning five days. Whilst Prez Anura Kumara Disanayake will arrive in Japan tomorrow on a State visit after attending the UN General Assembly sessions in New York, a high-powered private sector and officials delegation has already arrived. SL—Japan Business Council more..

Sep 26 (Island) When Danil H Thisararachi had his hand raised as Best Boxer at the National Sports Festival 2025, winning gold in the minimum weight category, it felt like confirmation rather than surprise. The National Sports Festival is widely regarded as an elite stage for many sports in Sri Lanka, boxing included, and Danil owned it. For a young athlete who only laced up gloves at 20, his ascent has been brisk, deliberate and deeply impressive. A product of St Peter’s College, Colombo, more..

Sep 26 (FT) First Capital Holdings, a subsidiary of JXG (Janashakthi Group) has stepped forward as the title sponsor of First Capital Startup Nation by Hatch, a transformative program that connects investors with SL’s most promising startups. First Capital and Hatch share a common vision for SL’s future. Both organisations believe that true progress comes from empowering bold ideas and supporting entrepreneurs with the courage to build innovative solutions for the country and beyond. more..

Sep 26 (FT) Hayleys Fibre, a member of the Hayleys Group, announced the commissioning of a Rs. 600 million coir processing facility in Kadigawa, Nikaweratiya, one of the largest recent investments in Sri Lanka’s coconut sector. The 48-acre site, located in the heart of SL’s Coconut Triangle, integrates husk processing, fibre extraction, coco peat milling, drying, and storage within a single facility. Designed to meet nearly one third of the company’s raw material requirements, more..

Sep 26 (FT) Asia-Pacific region can demonstrate that living wages are achievable through a systematic approach grounded in social dialogue and evidence-based wage systems, participants at a regional dialogue organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) heard. Shaping the living wage agenda in Asia and the Pacific – A High-Level Regional Dialogue under the Global Coalition for Social Justice took place 23-26 Sept in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The event brought together more..

Sep 26 (FT) With just five days to go before the Govt abolishes the Simplified Value Added Tax (SVAT) regime, leading export associations yesterday voiced deep concerns and warned of a looming cash flow crisis that could choke the country’s $ 19 billion export target for 2025. At a joint press briefing, representatives from a range of key export industries stressed that while the move is framed as aligning with IMF-backed reforms, absence of a tested more..

Sep 26 (Island) In the twenty-first century, education is no longer confined to classrooms, textbooks, and black or white boards. The digital world has redefined how children learn, socialise, and imagine their futures. Yet, while children adapt to technology at lightning speed, many parents remain far behind. In SL, this generational gap in digital literacy is growing wider every day, raising serious concerns about children’s education, online safety, and long-term development. more..

Sep 26 (Island) The wheels of justice apparently turn slowly across the globe. French Prez Nicolas Sarkozy, 70, was yesterday found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a high-profile trial wherein he and his top aides were accused of having struck a corrupt deal with the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to secure funding for the 2007 prez election. Sarkozy was acquitted of three charges. Sentencing had not been announced at the time of going to press, and Sarkozy was expected to appeal immediately. more..

Sep 26 (CT) It was Marie Antoinette who, when the French rioted for bread, asked why not give them cake? It did not work for Marie but President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) seems a firm believer in her bag of tricks. She believed cake will work in place of bread despite the price, but does AKD? Can Tamils be bought over so easily? Many of us in the Tamil Country were willing to forget that one of the JVP’s five lessons in 1971 was that we Tamils are intrinsicallly chauvinistic and more..

Sep 26 (CT) Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe’s assets declaration came under much scrutiny as it portrayed him as a rich person – or at least a much richer person than the public had expected. While there is no law preventing a political figure of a leftist party that represents the poor and the oppressed from becoming rich, what piqued the interest of the public was not necessarily the amount of wealth the minister has declared, but some of the means through which he had accumulated more..

Sep 26 (TM) SL’s existing legal and institutional frameworks are not adequately equipped to address the growing dangers of children’s exposure to sexual content online, and yet not much can be done about it, Sri Lanka CERT|CC Senior Information Security Engineer Charuka Damunupola claims. This warning comes amid rising concerns over online pornography, grooming, and child sex tourism, all of which continue to threaten more..

Sep 26 (GV) Geneva is where human rights record of SL has come under regular and heavy scrutiny. Reports of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and discussions at the UNHRC have generated local and int'l media coverage and heated debates in SL. These have also led to resolutions on SL at the Council, and there is another draft resolution tabled at the ongoing 60th session of the Council. But there’s something lesser known but very important also happening in Geneva on more..

Sep 26 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake was elected President on 21 Sept of last year (2024) and now completes the first year in power. Previous Presidents, especially Mahinda Rajapaksa, had established the precedent of spending crores of public money to celebrate their inauguration anniversaries. But, Prez Dissanayake has not announced anything about his first inauguration ceremony so far. President's political opponents were boasting that an inexperienced Prez more..

Sep 26 (DM) Dr. Debajit Palit, an Indian scholar who has done extensive research on climate change and energy transition, speaks about SL’s clean energy potential and the benefits of developing the sector. He is the Centre Head- Climate Change and Energy Transition – of Chintan Research Foundation in India. He was in SL recently to attend a forum organised by Pathfinder Foundation. Chintan is a think tank started with initial more..

Sep 26 (ST) SL has reported an alarmingly high percentage of children with low weight-for height (wasting), making it one of the worst-performing countries in the world. According to Global Nutrition Report 2023-2024, children under 5 years of age with low weight is 15.1% in SL, compared with Asia’s regional average of 8.9%. This alarming figure reflects a broader pattern of acute maternal and child malnutrition. Poor nutritional status in mothers often translates into undernourished children, more..

Sep 26 (DM) Govt ministers are being flayed on social media for actions that run counter to the positions they professed while in the opposition before last year’s presidential and general elections. The left-leaning, JVP-led political force, NPP, was once a harsh critic of the IMF. Yet, upon assuming office, the NPP decided forthwith to keep the IMF programme intact as initiated by the previous administration — a decision that carries merit under the circumstances. more..