Business
Huge influx of aid urgently needed amid catastrophic conditions in Gaza
Despite the 1 March 2026 deadline for 37 NGOs to leave the Occupied Palestinian Territory, MSF is committed to remaining to provide assistance
The international medical humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), is calling for a massive scale-up of lifesaving assistance and unhindered humanitarian access amid the ongoing catastrophe in Gaza, where lives continue to be lost due to sustained violence and persistent aid restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities. Despite these policies, MSF is committed to remaining to provide assistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) for as long as possible, working under its registration with the Palestinian Authority.
Under international humanitarian law, as the occupying power, the Israeli authorities are obliged to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance. Yet restrictive new rules, which require 37 NGOs to leave the OPT by 1 March 2026, threaten to drastically reduce already insufficient aid. Governments worldwide must ensure that the International Court of Justice decisions are respected, including facilitating the provision of humanitarian assistance.
“MSF is working to preserve services for patients in an increasingly constrained environment,” says Christopher Lockyear, MSF Secretary General. “The needs are immense and drastic restrictions have deadly consequences.
Hundreds of thousands of patients need medical and mental health care, and tens of thousands require long-term medical, surgical and psychological follow-up.”
Despite the US-led peace plan, the Israeli authorities continue to heavily restrict and even deny water, shelter and medical care. Living conditions are maintained at undignified levels, and violence continues to kill and injure Palestinians on a daily basis. In recent weeks, humanitarian aid reaching Gaza has significantly decreased. In the West Bank, medical and humanitarian needs continue to escalate amidst alarming increases in violence, forced displacements, armed settler attacks, home demolitions, settlement expansion and obstruction to healthcare.
The withdrawal of MSF’s registration with the Israeli authorities is already impacting patient care, as deregistration compounds the strain on a health system devastated over the past two years and constrained by persistent restrictions on essential medical equipment and supplies.
Since the beginning of January, MSF has been prevented by the Israeli authorities from bringing international staff and additional supplies into the OPT, and by March 1 2026 all MSF’s international staff will be forced to leave the territory.
MSF’s medical programmes are already facing shortages, and our medical teams are particularly concerned for their ability to continue to provide emergency trauma care and rehabilitation services to patients, as well as pediatric care, sexual and reproductive health services, care for non-communicable diseases and psychiatric conditions. In the longer term, MSF’s activities will be uncertain and potentially impossible to maintain under such restrictive conditions.
“MSF’s programmes are critical lifelines. Medical care and humanitarian assistance on this scale cannot easily be replaced,” says Christopher Lockyear. “Amid ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, MSF will stay in the OPT for as long as possible, doing as much as we can. We call on the Israeli authorities to enable humanitarian aid at scale and on the international community to ensure Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are not abandoned to their fate.”
MSF has been working in the OPT since 1988, providing medical and mental health care, as well as large-scale water and sanitation services more recently. In 2025, MSF supported one in five hospital beds in Gaza, assisted one in three deliveries, carried out 913,284 outpatient consultations, and distributed more than 700 million litres of water. In January 2026, MSF provided 83,579 outpatient consultations, treated 40,646 emergency cases, and treated 5,981 patients for trauma-related conditions. In response to overwhelming needs, MSF had planned to expand its programmes in 2026 with a budget of €130 million. That support is now shrouded in uncertainty.
The restrictive new registration requirements, used as a pretext to obstruct assistance, coincides with a coordinated global campaign of online attacks targeting MSF, promoted by the government of Israel.
“A delegitimisation campaign, grounded in false and unsubstantiated allegations, is designed to discredit MSF, silence the organisation’s voice, and obstruct the provision of healthcare,” says Christopher Lockyear. “In a context where international journalists are barred and Palestinian journalists are regularly killed, further reducing NGO access risks removing yet another layer of witnesses to the ongoing violence and its enduring impacts on people.”
Dialog Axiata PLC, Sri Lanka’s #1 connectivity provider, joins the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) to launch the IESL National Startup Challenge, creating a national pathway for aspiring entrepreneurs to transform innovative ideas into commercially viable, investment-ready startups. The initiative reflects a shared commitment to strengthening Sri Lanka’s entrepreneurship ecosystem through structured development, expert mentorship and practical support that enables promising ideas to progress towards market readiness and scale.
Launched through the IESL Entrepreneurship Forum at the Dialog Auditorium on 5 October 2026, the competition invites Engineering Undergraduates, Engineering Practitioners and participants in an Open Category for Non-Engineers to submit ideas across 12 innovation verticals aligned with national priorities, emerging technology and market trends, and inclusive innovation. Participants will progress through idea development, pitching, incubation, prototyping, validation, minimum viable product development and business scaling, supported by industry experts, mentors and ecosystem partners. The programme will culminate in a Top 10 selection, with the first-place winner receiving an award of LKR 1 million.
As title sponsor and a key ecosystem enabler, Dialog is contributing practical expertise and resources beyond sponsorship, providing technical expertise, mentors and digital resources to help participating teams develop, validate and scale their solutions. Each of the Top 10 teams will also receive a Dialog Digital Startup Support Package valued at LKR 250,000, comprising selected Dialog digital products and services.
“Dialog is committed to enabling Sri Lanka’s next generation of innovators by connecting entrepreneurial ambition with the technology, expertise and practical resources needed to turn ideas into scalable ventures. Through the IESL National Startup Challenge, Dialog is extending its digital capabilities, mentorship and ecosystem support to help promising teams progress from concept to validation and investment readiness,” said a representative of Dialog Axiata PLC.
Eng. Jasmine Nanayakkara, Chairperson of the Entrepreneurship Forum at the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, added, “The IESL National Startup Challenge is designed to turn innovative ideas into viable businesses by connecting aspiring entrepreneurs with industry expertise, mentorship and continuous practical support. More importantly, it is about creating an ‘Engineer to Entrepreneur’ transformation and nurturing a stronger entrepreneurial culture within the IESL community. By encouraging our engineers and aspiring founders to create, commercialise and scale solutions, we aim to contribute to new ventures, new opportunities and meaningful job creation for Sri Lanka’s skilled and educated next generation. We are grateful to Dialog for partnering with IESL to create this pathway for innovation, entrepreneurship and national economic growth.”
Driving innovation across Sri Lanka, the National Startup Challenge also brings together a strong network of partners, including The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce as Ecosystem and Mentoring Partner, Helago as Official Mobility Partner, Helakuru as Official Digital News Partner, and Real Life as Official Climate Action Partner.
The IESL National Startup Challenge represents a collaborative effort to strengthen Sri Lanka’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem by creating a structured pathway from promising ideas to market-ready businesses. Applications are now open via www.iesl.lk/announcements, giving aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to access the resources and funding they need to succeed. Applications close on 16th November 2026. For more information, contact mgr.pub@iesl.lk / 071 109 4393.
Keeping a home clean involves more than dealing with one kind of mess. Kitchens face grease and cooking splashes, bathrooms develop soap scum and limescale, while frequently used areas around the home collect marks, fingerprints and everyday dirt.
For households looking to simplify this routine, multi-surface cleaners offer a practical solution by allowing one product to tackle multiple cleaning needs across suitable surfaces.
One home, many everyday messes
In the kitchen, grease, splashes and burnt-on food can build up around hobs and hotplates. Cupboard doors and appliance exteriors can also collect smudges and marks through daily use.
Bathrooms present different challenges, including limescale, soap scum, toothpaste residue and water marks around sinks, washbasins and shower doors.
Even outside these rooms, surfaces such as door handles, baseboards, table mats and PVC areas can require regular attention.
Making everyday cleaning simpler
This is where the versatility of products such as CIF Cream becomes useful.
CIF Cream can help tackle a range of common household cleaning challenges across suitable surfaces, from grease and burnt-on food in the kitchen to limescale and soap scum in the bathroom.
Its uses can also extend to other suitable areas and items around the home, including cupboard doors, appliance exteriors, PVC surfaces and more, when used according to product directions.
For busy households, the benefit is straightforward: a versatile cleaner can help reduce the complexity of everyday cleaning by addressing several common cleaning needs with one product.
Consumers should always follow product instructions and check suitability before using any cleaner on a particular surface.
CIF products are now available at Cargills, Keells, Glomark and Celeste, as well as online through Daraz and uStore, at a retail price of Rs. 900 for 500ml. Shop CIF online at https://ustore.lk/collections/cif or https://www.daraz.lk/cif/
As household routines continue to evolve, multi-surface cleaning provides a simple approach to keeping different areas of the home clean — one versatile solution for many of the everyday messes that come with daily life.
SriLankan Airlines set dreams in motion for 24 young students selected to represent Sri Lanka at the 2026 International Mathematics and Science Olympiad, held in Indonesia from 2 to 7 October 2026, helping make their journey to Indonesia and back an extra special one.
The students were selected through a four-stage national selection process covering school, zonal, provincial and national levels, with the highest-performing students progressing at each stage.
As a special initiative for Children’s Day, the Ministry of Education sponsored the air travel of all 24 students for the first time. Returning to Sri Lanka with an impressive haul of three Silver Medals and 10 Bronze Medals, the young contestants competed alongside students from 23 countries.
SriLankan Airlines was privileged to be part of their special journey, helping make their experience even more memorable as they represented Sri Lanka on the international stage.
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