Author: LBO
VIDEO: India’s Defence Minister Is Visiting Sri Lanka After 38 years. Here’s Why
India is making a major push in the Indian Ocean. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s Sri Lanka visit comes at a crucial time, as tensions rise across these waters. But why is India turning to Sri Lanka now?
SL appeals to Human Rights High Commissioner to conclude country-specific mandates where national processes demonstrate progress
Addressing the 63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on 08 September 2026 during the General Debate under the Agenda Item 2, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake emphasized that no Council mandate should be regarded as indefinite. The written update on human […]
Opinion: For the first time, an idea that needs several ministries has the right place to go—the NBFC
By Lalith Kahatapitiya The Cabinet’s announcement of 24 August carried more than an administrative decision. Read carefully, it has the power to become the turning point of Sri Lanka’s economy, if what it promises is built into the Centre from the start. What the Centre is for The Cabinet decision of 24 August creates a […]
Singer partners with Mintpay to make every upgrade more flexible and rewarding
Singer, one of Sri Lanka’s largest and most trusted consumer durables retailers, has partnered with Mintpay, Sri Lanka’s premier payments platform, to give customers a more flexible and rewarding way to pay across its network. With this collaboration, Singer customers can now split the cost into three interest-free instalments with Pay Later or pay upfront […]
Godrej consumer products consolidates international media operations under WPP media
Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. (GCPL), a leading emerging markets FMCG company, has appointed WPP Media as its global media agency partner for its international business spanning Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nigeria, South Africa, Indonesia, Argentina and Chile. EssenceMediacom, part of WPP Media, has already been managing GCPL’s media mandate in India since 2025. The appointment follows […]
Vietjet’s three-day 9.9 sale offers fares from USD90 on flights to Vietnam
Vietjet is giving Sri Lankan travellers another reason to plan their next trip, with a three-day 9.9 sale featuring Eco tickets from USD90 one-way (inclusive of taxes and fees) and 22% off Deluxe base fares on its newly-launched Colombo–Ho Chi Minh City route. The sale runs from 22:30 on 7 September to 21:30 on 10 […]
Renegotiating Plantation Company Leases Mid-Tenure Could Impact FDI: Advocata Institute
Plans to prematurely renegotiate the lease agreements of Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) set a dangerous precedent against security of tenure and risk discouraging foreign direct investment (FDI) into state-owned lands, the Advocata Institute warned. This follows a statement made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who announced that the government is reviewing existing RPC lease agreements, […]
Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Colombo Stock Exchange Sign MoU to Strengthen Capital Market Connectivity
Members of the Sri Lankan Delegation meeting with members of ADX The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen capital market cooperation between Sri Lanka and the UAE. The agreement aims to promote knowledge exchange, enhance, support collaboration across trading technologies and […]
FCCISL, Ministry of Industry Open Talks to Drive SMEs Toward 25% Export Growth
The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) held a high-level bilateral policy dialogue with Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Deputy Minister of Industry & Entrepreneurship Development, on September 3, 2026. The meeting, held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Narahenpita, established a unified roadmap to accelerate regional enterprise growth and integrate the private sector […]
NYK’s new-generation RoRo vessel AZALEA LEADER makes maiden call at Hambantota International Port
Hambantota, Sri Lanka, August 2026: NYK’s Azalea Leader, a new-generation LNG dual-fuel Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC), made its maiden call at Hambantota International Port (HIP) recently, marking another significant development in the port’s growing role as a regional automotive transhipment gateway. Built in 2026 and sailing under the Liberian flag, the nearly 200-metre […]
US -SL Partnership Seizes 463 KG of Crystal Methamphetamine in Joint Counternarcotics Operation
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Delhi Country Office and Sri Lanka’s Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) conducted a successful joint operation disrupting a Pakistan-based narcotrafficking network attempting to smuggle crystal methamphetamine through Sri Lanka to international markets. Acting on intelligence developed by DEA’s Foreign Counterparts Unit Pakistan Anti-Narcotics Force Special Investigations Cell between August 14–29 on suspicious maritime […]
Sri Lanka launches National Food Safety Policy with support from FAO and the European Union
Sri Lanka has reached a major milestone in strengthening its national food control system with the launch of its first National Food Safety Policy, providing a comprehensive framework to safeguard public health, strengthen food systems, and support economic growth through a coordinated, risk-based approach to food safety. Developed under the leadership of the Ministry of […]