Two Chinese nationals were arrested yesterday (25) by Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) Police for allegedly stealing foreign currency worth Rs. 483,855 from a Buddhist monk on an aircraft in transit.
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The Sri Lanka Air Force has carried out the retrieval of the 2025 G.C.E. Advanced Level examination answer scripts from Delft Island in the Northern Province. Due to the impact of adverse weather conditions, the Sri Lanka Air Force today (26) transported the exam answer scripts from the examination centre located on Delft Island back to the Northern Province Department of Education Office. The exam answer scripts were transported using a Bell 212 helicopter belonging to the Air Force. (Newswire) The post SLAF airlifts A/L answer scripts from Delft Island due to bad weather appeared first on Newswire.
Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva says Sri Lanka has recorded approximately US$827 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) so far in 2025, according to the Board of Investment (BOI). However, he cautioned that a significant portion of the reported figure consists of previous commitments and internal rollovers, rather than fresh equity inflows. Dr. de Silva pointed out that several major investment announcements, including by Sinopec, have yet to materialize. Highlighting the need for genuine new investment to support economic growth above 7%, he urged the BOI to accelerate key policy reforms, including the Economic Transformation…
Happily ever after doesn’t require any complicated maths, the Vatican said on Tuesday for Catholics, one spouse is enough.
Ather Energy, India’s electric two-wheeler manufacturer, has launched its second scooter in Sri Lanka, the Ather Rizta, building on the success of its 450X, introduced last year. Founded by Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain, Ather has focused on delivering reliable engineering, smart software, and practical safety features in its vehicles. The company has quickly expanded its presence in Sri Lanka and now operates 40 experience centres to provide information, test rides, and support for customers interested in switching to electric mobility. The Ather Rizta priced starting at 699,900 LKR sits in the fastest growing price segment of 600,000 to 800,000…
A 24-year-old Sri Lankan national in Bengaluru has fallen victim to an online sextortion racket involving an unidentified individual who first contacted him through Instagram. According to a case filed by the police, the unknown person met the victim, a student, on Instagram and gradually developed an online friendship. The individual later contacted the victim on WhatsApp. The victim alleged that during the video calls, the accused secretly took his personal photos and private videos without his consent. The accused then began demanding money in exchange for deleting the content. When the victim refused to pay, the individual allegedly threatened…
The Department of Irrigation has issued flood warnings for areas in the vicinity of the Heda Oya Basin, Kumbukkan Oya Basin, and the Mahaweli Basin. The flood warning for the Heda Oya Basin, valid until 3.30 pm on November 28, is as follows; Due to heavy rainfall received last night in parts of Ampara and Monaragala districts, there is a possibility of flooding in low‑lying areas around Heda Oya, particularly in Siyambalanduwa and Lahugala Divisional Secretariat divisions. Residents and travellers are advised to take adequate precautions, while disaster management authorities are requested to act accordingly. The flood warning issued for…
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has unveiled plans for its 75th anniversary celebrations, centered on the International Fleet Review (IFR) 2025, which will see eight warships from seven nations—Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Russia—joining the Sri Lanka Navy fleet. The event, themed “Sailing Strong Together,” aims to showcase Sri Lanka’s naval traditions while promoting international maritime cooperation.
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s tourism revenue has been lower since August this year compared to arrival after the relevant authority revising down per day tourism spending, top Central Bank officials said. The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) estimates that per day revenue based on a survey. The revenue from tourism, which accounts for nearly 3 percent of the island nation’s economy, edged up 0.3 percent in October despite a 21.5 percent jump in arrivals, the official data showed. Similarly the revenue rose 1 percent in September, despite 30 percent increase in the tourist arrivals in the same month. In…
The Government will hold a grand auction to sell 5G spectrum space soon, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne told Parliament today.
Fisherfolk should not always be dependent on fuel subsidies, Minister of Fisheries Ramalingam Chandrasekar told Parliament today.
A New Zealand woman who murdered her two children and hid their bodies in suitcases at a storage facility has been sentenced to life in prison.
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s rupee closed at 308.00/05 to the US dollar in the spot market Wednesday, from 307.90/308.00 the previous day, dealers said, while bond yields were up. A bond maturing on 15.12.2026 was quoted at 8.20/30 percent. A bond maturing on 15.09.2027 was quoted at 8.78/85 percent, A bond maturing on 15.03.2028 was quoted at 9.02/10 percent, down from 9.05/10 percent. A bond maturing on 15.09.2029 was quoted at 9.50/55 percent. A bond maturing on 01.07.2030 was quoted at 9.59/64 percent, up from 9.58/65 percent. A bond maturing on 15.12.2032 was quoted at 10.23/30 percent, up from 10.22/32…
The losses the country has suffered as a result of the famous bond scam in 2015 are yet to be determined, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament today.
ECONOMYNEXT- Sri Lanka’s rupee can move both ways, Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said, as concerns rose over the depreciation of the rupee in 2025 amid record external current account surpluses and falling budget deficit. “I want to emphasize that under the current exchange rate regime, the exchange rate can move both ways,” Governor Weerasinghe told reporters after the November monetary policy decision. “It is not a one way movement. We have seen even in the last couple of weeks, some depreciation. It has turned around and is stable.” “Gradual movement in both ways is good. We will ensure that…
A national programme was launched yesterday to protect the ecosystem of the Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) sacred site and enhance facilities for pilgrims during the Sri Pada pilgrimage season. According to the President’s Office, the initiative was launched jointly by ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ and the Ministry of Environment. In line with this initiative, a comprehensive clean-up operation has been launched to eliminate accumulated waste, especially in hard-to-reach areas and around the ‘Siripa Maluwa’, in order to mitigate further pollution from polythene and plastic products. This Special Clean-Up Operation, carried out under the leadership of the Sri Lanka Army and the…
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake says the advancement of cinema contributes to the spiritual and cultural development of a country’s citizens and that while safeguarding the domestic film industry, Sri Lankan audiences must be given the opportunity to watch international film productions. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made these remarks during a discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat today with film distributors and producers. A lengthy discussion took place regarding the issues they face as an industry, and the President provided reasonable solutions to all of those concerns. In particular, film distributors and producers briefed the President on the irregularities occurring in…
Funds allocated for education will be gradually increased to 6 per cent of the GDP, Prime Minister and Minister of Education Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament today.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa today unveiled a comprehensive national roadmap to transform Sri Lanka into a USD 25–30 billion digital economy by 2030, stressing that the country must urgently modernise its digital infrastructure, strengthen governance, and create high-value employment for its youth. Speaking in Parliament, Sajith Premadasa said Sri Lanka has the potential to become a regional technology hub if it invests decisively in telecommunications upgrades, data centres, cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence education and large-scale IT talent development. He emphasised the need to expand 5G nationwide, incentivise fibre connectivity, partner with global cloud providers and establish tech investment zones across…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s forex reserves will hit a post-crisis high by the end of the year with strong flows from multilateral agencies in December, Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe said. Sri Lanka is expecting 370 million dollars from budget support loans given by the Asian Development Bank and more than 340 million dollars from the International Monetary Fund. “Those will come in December,” Governor Weerasinghe told reporters Wednesday. “As a result there will be significant increase in reserves in December.” Sri Lanka’s forex reserves did not grow much so far this year due to some delays in loan approvals,…