The India Cup 2026 Golf Tournament was successfully held at the Royal Colombo Golf Club on 23rd January 2026, bringing together a distinguished and unprecedented field of local and overseas golfers for a day of competitive sport, camaraderie, and fellowship. This year’s tournament saw a record number of participants, including several high-profile personalities, underscoring the growing stature and international appeal of this prestigious annual event.

The tournament was followed by a networking reception hosted by the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka at India House on 25th January 2026, providing a fitting and elegant conclusion to the celebrations.

At the awards ceremony, Ms. Chris Benjamin delivered an outstanding performance to be crowned the Overall Winner and also emerged as the Ladies’ Winner, marking a remarkable double achievement. In the Men’s category, John Head Rapson secured the Winner’s title, while Capt. Jayalath Perera finished as Runner-up. In the Ladies’ category, Ms. Deepani Gamage was declared Runner-up.

Special awards were presented to Sunil Jayakody for Nearest to the Pin on Hole 9, W. A. K. Fernando for the Longest Drive in the Men’s category on Hole 8, Ms. Darnie Rajapaksha for the Longest Drive in the Ladies’ category on Hole 8, and Suhayb Sangani for the Longest Drive in the Men’s category on Hole 15.

In his remarks, M. Raghuraman, the President of the Indo–Lanka Chamber of Commerce (ILCCI) affiliated to the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the notable presence of overseas participants and the unprecedented level of participation witnessed this year, reflecting the tournament’s growing international appeal. He expressed optimism that the India Cup would continue to feature as a regular and much-anticipated annual fixture in golfers’ calendars, further strengthening sporting ties and people-to-people connections between India and Sri Lanka.

Santosh Jha the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, in his address, reminisced about tournaments held in the past and reflected on the enduring spirit of sportsmanship and friendship that the India Cup represents. He also spoke about the close and evolving relationship between India and Sri Lanka, noting that bilateral relations continue to strengthen across trade, investment, tourism, culture, and sport.

Sri Lanka’s rising exposure to climate-related disasters and their growing implications for poverty, development planning, and fiscal sustainability were examined at a high-level policy panel organised by the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA), in collaboration with the Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development of the Open University of Sri Lanka.

The discussion, titled “Facing the Future: Environmental Disasters and Poverty in Sri Lanka,” was held on 26 January at the Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala, against the backdrop of Cyclone Ditwah and a series of climate shocks that have intensified vulnerabilities as the country recovers from the 2022 economic crisis.

Addressing post-disaster recovery financing, John Keells Holdings Chairperson and CEO Krishan Balendra said the private sector’s role has been focused on mobilising funds rather than determining reconstruction priorities. He noted that fiscal discipline maintained since the economic crisis allowed the Government to finance immediate relief without emergency market borrowing. The Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund, he said, has so far mobilised over Rs. 8.4 billion from private sector sources, with additional commitments expected as overseas partners complete approval processes.

Several panellists highlighted that Sri Lanka’s disaster risks are being amplified by weaknesses in development planning and institutional coordination. Prof. Jagath Munasinghe of the University of Moratuwa observed that while Sri Lanka has numerous institutions and plans, the core challenge lies in poor coordination and weak implementation frameworks. He stressed that the country has repeatedly failed to undertake advance risk and damage assessments despite decades of exposure to floods, landslides, and other disasters, limiting opportunities to genuinely “build back better.”

From an environmental economics perspective, Dr. Herath Gunathilake emphasised that climate-related disasters are scientifically linked to global climate change, even as global governance systems for climate action weaken. Given Sri Lanka’s limited capacity to influence global emissions outcomes, he argued that national policy must place greater emphasis on adaptation, resilience, and disaster preparedness, while continuing to meet international climate responsibilities.

Concerns were also raised regarding environmental regulation and enforcement. Kusala Mahalekama, Director, Strategic Environmental Assessment at the Central Environmental Authority, pointed to capacity constraints in monitoring compliance with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) conditions, particularly in infrastructure, irrigation, and energy projects. She underscored the importance of expanding Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) at national and regional levels to integrate disaster risk reduction into policies, plans, and programmes, allowing for better mapping of vulnerable ecosystems and communities.

Linking environmental vulnerability with long-standing development challenges, CEPA Executive Director Prof. Sirimal Abeyratne noted that Sri Lanka’s limited urbanisation and industrialisation have resulted in nearly 78.5% of the population living in rural areas, often in environmentally fragile locations such as riverbanks, coastal belts, and landslide-prone zones. He stressed that disaster mitigation should focus on reducing people’s exposure to risk through better spatial planning, urban development, and livelihood diversification, rather than attempting to prevent natural events themselves.

Delivering opening remarks, UNDP Resident Representative Azusa Kubota highlighted the importance of nationally led assessment and recovery frameworks. She explained that different post-disaster assessment tools serve distinct purposes and should not be directly compared. Sri Lanka’s Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) led by the Disaster Management Centre and Ministry of Finance, she said, represents the most comprehensive national instrument to guide emergency financing, recovery planning, and a coordinated “Building Back Better” approach based on hazard-informed planning and stronger institutional collaboration.

The discussion was moderated by Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja, Senior Advisor at CEPA and Visiting Fellow at ODI, UK. Participants agreed that without deeper integration of disaster risk reduction into development planning, climate shocks could undermine recovery gains and place renewed pressure on public finances and livelihoods.

The CSE yesterday kicked off on a positive note consequent to the Central Bank keeping policy rates unchanged at 7.75 percent, while later the market showed some weakness due to selling pressure but at the end it did recover.

Amid those developments both indices moved upwards. The All Share Price Index went up by 31.95 points, while the S and P SL20 rose by 49 points. Turnover stood at Rs 6.94 points with ten crossings.

The top seven crossings were: Prime Lands Residencies 7.4 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 321 million and its shares traded at Rs 44, JKH 5.9 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 136 million; its shares traded at Rs 23, LOLC Holdings 108 million shares crossed for Rs 66.4 million; its shares traded at Rs 615, Dipped Products 1 million shares crossed to the tune of Rs 263 million and its shares traded at Rs 63, Hayleys 167,000 shares crossed for Rs 39.2 million; its shares traded at Rs 254, ACL Cables Rs 250,000 shares crossed for Rs 23.8 million; its shares traded at Rs 53.

In the retail market companies that mainly contributed to the turnover were; JKH Rs 655 million (28.3 million shares traded), LOLC Holdings Rs 478 million (776,000 shares traded), Prime Lands Residencies Rs 331 million (7.6 million shares traded), ACL Cables Rs 238 million (2.4 million shares traded), Corporative Insurance Rs 237 million (50 million shares traded), York Arcade Rs 233 million (10 million shares traded) and Acme Printers and Packaging Rs 176 million (6.2 million shares traded). During the day 347 million shares volumes changed hands in 62793 transactions.

It is said that Prime Lands Residencies and JKH performed well. Further, the Capital goods sector also performed well.

Hemas Holdings has been cleared by the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) to purchase a 75 percent stake in East Africa’s Twiga Stationers and Printers Limited, the company said in a disclosure to CSE.

The purchase was made through Hemas Holdings’ subsidiary Atlas Axillia.

Yesterday the rupee was quoted at Rs 309.65/80 to the US dollar in the spot market, relatively flat from Rs 309.65/75 the previous day, having depreciated in recent weeks, dealers said, while bond yields dropped on tshorter tenors after the Central Bank kept the OPR unchanged.

By Hiran H Senewiratne