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Sri Lanka leads Asia’s best beaches in the 2026 Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards.

Arugam Bay Beach takes the top spot in Asia with an outstanding score of 98.84. Bentota Beach, Tangalle Beach and Negombo Beach also rank among the continent’s top 20.

Railay Beach in Thailand places second, followed by Malaysia’s Coral Beach and the Philippines’ Boracay. The rankings reflect Condé Nast Traveller readers’ favourite beach experiences across Asia for 2026.

According to the Asian Development Bank’s September 2026 Asian Development Outlook, Sri Lanka is forecast to record economic growth of 4% in 2026.

Taiwan is forecast to lead the rankings with 11% growth, followed by Kyrgyzstan at 8.9% and Vietnam at 7.8%.

India, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are each projected to grow by 7%, while China’s growth is forecast at 4.6%.

Sri Lanka's economic growth is ranked 18th, among asia's fastest growing economies.

A new subject covering entrepreneurship and financial literacy will be introduced for Grade 6 students from 2027 as part of Sri Lanka’s new curriculum reforms, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has announced.

PM Amarasuriya said the broader curriculum reforms are designed to provide students from Grades 6 to 9 with knowledge of entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

As the first phase of the initiative, the new subject will be introduced to all Grade 6 students in 2027, she said while addressing a bell-ringing ceremony held to promote financial literacy.

The Prime Minister also highlighted programmes such as the Stock Market Game and school capital market clubs, which are aimed at giving schoolchildren and young people practical exposure to entrepreneurship and investment from an early age.

She stressed that financial literacy education should also have a strong focus on ethics and responsible financial behaviour.

John Keells Holdings PLC was presented with the awards for Sri Lanka’s Most Loved Corporate Brand and Sri Lanka’s Most Respected Entity for the years 2024 and 2025 at the LMD Awards Night 2025 held on 11th September 2025.

The Most Loved Corporate Brand awards were accepted by Gihan Cooray, John Keells Group’s Deputy Chairperson & Group Finance Director, while the awards for the Most Respected Entity were received by Krishan Balendra, Chairperson of the Group.