A 33-year-old man from Colombo 09 has been arrested on charges of having purchased a property valued at Rs. 250 million through money earned via illegal means. According to the Police, the suspect was arrested following investigations launched by the Illegal Assets Investigation Division based on a complaint. Subsequent investigations revealed that the man, originally a resident of Mahara, had used illegally obtained money to purchase the plot of land. The Police said the suspect was arrested yesterday (14). He is a 33-year-old resident of Aaramaya Road in Colombo 09. Furthermore, assets under the suspect’s name have been frozen, and…
The Sri Lankan Report
Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Rathnayake, says a special select committee will be appointed to review the legal situation related to conducting the Provincial Council Elections. Minister Rathnayake further said that the committee will review and take necessary steps to hold the elections expeditiously. He made the remarks while addressing the Parliament today. (Newswire) The post Provincial Council Elections : Update from Govt appeared first on Newswire.
Sri Lanka is at an advantageous position to bring in value-addition stages for its exports but to do so, significant focus needs to be given to bring in the necessary policies, infrastructure and administrative measures, said Deloitte India Executive Director Direct Tax Policy Vijay Chauhan.
A Grays Harbor resident in Washington State, USA, who was hospitalized with influenza symptoms in early November, has been confirmed to have influenza A H5, a type of avian influenza. According to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), additional testing shows the virus to be H5N5, an avian influenza virus that has previously been reported in animals but never before in humans. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and DOH currently consider the risk to the public from avian influenza to be low. The person is an older adult with underlying health conditions and remains hospitalized. The…
Chennai Super Kings have officially confirmed the signing of Sanju Samson ahead of the IPL 2026 retention deadline. After recruiting several young talents such as Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis and Urvil Patel last season, the five-time champions had been targeting Samson since the conclusion of IPL 2025, viewing him as a long-term successor to MS Dhoni. With the need for an Indian wicketkeeper-batter, Samson turned out to be the ideal fit. Rajasthan Royals, however, proved to be tough negotiators and were unwilling to release Samson in an all-cash trade. They were looking to strengthen their lower middle order and expressed…
ECONOMYNEXT – Profits at Sri Lanka’s Nations Trust Bank jumped 48 percent from a year ago to 6.1 billion rupees helped by higher net interest income, while the Bank expects its acquisition of HSBC’s retail banking business to be a catalyst for the next phase of growth. NTB reported earnings of 18.50 rupees for the quarter. For the nine months to September, NTB reported earnings of 45.10 rupees on total profits of 14.9 billion rupees, which were up 23 percent. Income from net fee and commission gained 18 percent to 2,335 billion rupees. Gains from trading jumped 184 percent to…
Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has expressed concern that the impact of Section 21 of the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA) No. 44 of 2024 compromises the financial and institutional independence of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). Issuing a statement, TISL said Section 21 of the PFMA requires every budgetary entity to prepare and submit its budget estimates in line with the “budget call circular” issued by the Treasury. The section empowers the Ministry of Finance to set binding expenditure ceilings, issue detailed policy guidance, and include other instructions or information as deemed necessary by…
The Muslim community in Welimada staged a protest yesterday, alleging that the death of a 12-year-old child in the area was suspicious. The boy was found dead inside a washroom of the Madrasa where he was undergoing education. He was said to have died by suicide at the time. Staging a protest in front of the Welimada mosque yesterday, the area residents called for a comprehensive investigation into the death. “The child was found dead on November 03rd. We still do not know what happened to the child. It is a mystery. How can such a small child die by…
The Government has allocated Rs. 01 Million each to all District Secretariat Offices and Divisional Secretariat Offices across the island under the ‘Praja Shakthi’ National Programme. According to the President’s Office, this funding is for the procurement of necessary information technology hardware and services, including laptops and computers, as well as for building the related capacity of officers. A key ambition of the present government is to modernise the public service to enable the delivery of a more efficient and higher quality service to the public. Consequently, efforts are currently in progress to establish a public service that utilizes digital…
The low-level atmospheric disturbance persists to the East of Sri Lanka, leading to showers in several areas today, according to the Department of Meteorology. Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Northern, North-central and Eastern provinces. Heavy falls of about 100 mm are likely in some places in the Northern and Eastern provinces. Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places in the other areas of the island after 1.00 pm. Showers may occur in the Uva province and in the Hambantota district during the morning too. Fairly heavy falls above 75 mm are likely at some places…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange revenue from tourism in October 2025 edged up marginally from a year ago, the central bank said, quoting tourism promotion authority data. The monthly revenue fell in July and August, but reversed with a 1 percent rise in September. The revenue from tourism, which accounts for nearly 3 percent of the island nation’s economy, edged up 0.27 percent or 0.5 million US dollars to 186.1 million US dollars. The tourist arrivals in October, however, saw a jump of 21.5 percent to 165,193, the official data showed. In July, the revenue fell 3 percent to 318.5…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s military has signed a memorandum with the US National Guard in Montana, to expand interoperability, joint training, disaster recovery and anti-drug operations. “From wildfire response and flood relief in Montana to peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts overseas, the Montana National Guard has a proud record of service and professionalism,” US Ambassador Julie Chung said in a statement. “This partnership with Sri Lanka, reaffirmed through today’s MOU, strengthens our shared resolve for a secure Indo-Pacific—building trust, readiness, and lasting peace through partnership.” Planned activities include : Joint training and professional exchanges to enhance interoperability and readiness. Maritime Domain…
Leader of the House Minister Bimal Rathnayake said in Parliament today that the provincial council elections would be conducted for sure.
Colombo High Court sentenced a father who pleaded guilty to raping his 14-year-old daughter to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment. As the accused admitted to the charge before court, the sentence was imposed without any fine or compensation order.
A video showing a foreign female tourist being sexually harassed by a Sri Lankan man has gone viral on social media.
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa today accused the government of engaging in severe repression against state sector employees and called on the public to remain patient during what he described as a challenging period.
Sri Lanka’s Department of Examinations has announced the schedule for school examinations to be held in 2026. According to the timetable, the 2025 GCE Ordinary Level Examination will be held from February 17 to February 26, 2026. The Grade 5 Scholarship Examination for 2026 has been scheduled for August 9, while the 2026 GCE Advanced Level Examination will take place from August 10 to September 5. The Department further noted that the General Information Technology (GIT) Examination for students sitting the 2027 GCE Advanced Level for the first time will be conducted on October 24, 2026. The 2026 GCE Ordinary…
Sri Lanka’s tourism and worker remittance inflows posted strong growth in October 2025, reflecting continued recovery in both sectors, official data showed. Tourist arrivals rose to 165,193 in October 2025, up from 135,907 in the same month last year — a year-on-year increase of 16.7 percent. Arrivals for the January–October period climbed to 1.89 million, compared to 1.62 million in 2024. Tourism earnings also improved, reaching USD 186.1 million in October 2025, slightly higher than USD 185.6 million recorded in October 2024. Cumulative tourism revenue for the first ten months rose to USD 2.66 billion, up 4.9 percent from last…
Sri Lanka rupee down 4.1% so far this year, according to the Central Bank. The year-to-date depreciation is measured against the US dollar as of 14 November 2025. The post Sri Lanka rupee down 4.1% year-to-date as of Nov 14 appeared first on Newswire.
A low-level atmospheric disturbance lingering to the east of Sri Lanka is expected to bring widespread showers and thundershowers across several parts of the island in the coming hours, said the Meteorology Department.