The Sri Lankan Rupee has appreciated further against the US Dollar today (14 Oct), compared to Monday. According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the buying rate of the US Dollar has reduced from Rs. 298.88 to Rs. 298.84, while the selling rate has also dropped from Rs. 306.37 to Rs. 306.33. The Sri Lankan Rupee has also appreciated against a basket of foreign currencies, including Gulf currencies. (Newswire) The post Today’s CBSL official exchange rates appeared first on Newswire.
The Sri Lankan Report
Photo courtesy of NPR More than a year has passed since the NPP government came into office yet many of Sri Lanka’s long standing political and constitutional issues remain unresolved. The Election Commissioner recently stated that there is currently no legal framework to conduct the long overdue Provincial Council elections. If this is accurate, it raises serious concerns that the NPP government is using the situation to deliberately delay the elections possibly due to falling popularity, declining public confidence and fears of losing control over all nine provinces. It is widely accepted that the NPP has little to no chance…
Opposition MP Harsha de Silva says it has been confirmed that changes have been made to the 1990 Suwa Seriya free ambulance service. In a post on ‘X’, MP de Silva said the name ‘Suwa Seriya’ has been dropped and changes have been made to the ambulance service’s logo and colours, at least on paper. “So is it now official? “Suwa Seriya” has been dropped from the name, and the logo and colours have been changed, at least on paper. The question is, when was the “1990 Sri Lanka Emergency Medical Service” established? Under what law? What are its objectives?…
Sri Lanka Customs has destroyed a container full of illegally imported cigarettes. It is reported that the seized imported cigarettes were estimated to be worth Rs. 820 million. Following an inspection by Customs officials, the stock of cigarettes was destroyed. (Newswire) The post Customs destroys Rs. 820 Mn worth of imported cigarettes appeared first on Newswire.
Alleged organised criminal Lalith Kannangara, widely known as ‘Bus Lalith,’ has been arrested in Dubai, the Sri Lankan Police sources confirmed on Tuesday. Police said Kannangara, who had been wanted in connection with multiple organised criminal activities in Sri Lanka, was taken into custody following a joint operation with international law enforcement agencies. He is wanted for several crimes in Sri Lanka, including ransom and shootings. (Newswire) The post Wanted criminal Bus Lalith arrested in Dubai appeared first on Newswire.
The Indian cricket team reaffirmed its home dominance with a comfortable 2-0 series sweep against the West Indies. While the West Indies posed a bigger challenge than expected in the Delhi Test, taking the game to the fifth day, they still could not deny Shubman Gill’s side a series-clinching victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday. Courtesy of the win, India boosted their World Test Championship (WTC) points tally to 52, taking their PCT (Points Collected percentage) up to 61.90. However, the series sweep was not enough for Shubman Gill’s men to increase their standing in the table. The…
The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has granted bail to former state minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa, who was arrested and remanded in connection with the case filed on corruption and the misuse of a property belonging to the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority. He has been released on two sureties of Rs. 02 million each and a cash bail of Rs. 50,000. The court has also imposed an overseas travel ban on Shasheendra Rajapaksa. The former state minister was arrested in August this year over allegations of illegally constructing a farm building on land belonging to the Sri Lanka Mahaweli Authority, located near the…
The Sri Lanka Navy has recovered several floating packages suspected to contain narcotics, on the seas off the southern coast. According to the Navy spokesman, an operation is underway to recover the floating sacks. The Navy spokesman added that further investigations are being conducted into the incident. (Newswire) The post Navy recovers suspicious parcels in the seas off the southern coast appeared first on Newswire.
Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has engaged in a discussion with the Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Wang Huning, focused on further strengthening the longstanding Sri Lanka–China friendship. During the discussion held in Beijing on Monday (13), PM Amarasuriya also held discussions on advancing bilateral cooperation in multiple sectors, including trade, investment, tourism, culture, education, and people-to-people engagement. The Prime Minister further extended her appreciation for the invitation to attend the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women and expressed gratitude for the warm hospitality extended to her delegation. She also conveyed greetings on the…
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) states it has not evaluated the Sri Lanka Board of Investment-reported foreign direct investment data, refuting reports related to figures handed to the IMF Mission Chief for Sri Lanka. Issuing a clarification, the IMF said that a recent report inaccurately attributes critical comments about the Board of Investment’s handling of foreign direct investment figures to the IMF Mission Chief for Sri Lanka. While the IMF stresses the importance of data transparency and genuine investment for Sri Lanka’s economic progress, it has not evaluated the BOI-reported FDI data, it further said. The IMF added that the…
Former Navy Commander Nishantha Ulugetenne, who was under remand custody in relation to a disappearance case, has been released on bail by the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court. Ulugetenne was arrested in July in connection with the disappearance of a youth from Pothuhera, reportedly during his tenure as Director of Naval Intelligence. Meanwhile, former Navy Intelligence Director Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Mohotti was also arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department on Sept. 18, on charges related to the disappearance. (Newswire) The post Former Navy Commander Nishantha Ulugetenne granted bail appeared first on Newswire.
The Sri Lankan Rupee has changed slightly against the US Dollar at commercial banks in Sri Lanka today (14 Oct), compared to Monday. At Seylan Bank, the buying rate of the US Dollar remains unchanged at Rs. 299.40, while the selling rate is also unchanged at Rs. 304.90. According to NDB Bank, the buying and selling rates of the US Dollar have increased from Rs. 299.22 to Rs. 299.45 and from Rs. 305.81 to Rs. 305.95, respectively. People’s Bank reports that the buying rate of the US Dollar has reduced from Rs. 299.27 to Rs. 299.17, while the selling rate…
The Ceylon Electricity Board unions have announced that they will suspend their work-to-rule campaign after receiving written confirmations of the verbal agreements reached on their demands. It is reported that the Unions engaged in discussions with the Minister of Power yesterday, during which certain agreements had been reached. CEB employees have been engaged in a trade union action over the past few weeks to protest the government’s decision to restructure the CEB, dividing it into four key entities. (Newswire) The post CEB unions to suspend TU action appeared first on Newswire.
A stockpile of empty bullet casings and live ammunition was discovered today (14) near Mudunegama School, along the Thalawa–Rathmalgahawewa Road. Police stated that the ammunition is used for T-56 type firearms. The stockpile was found by the Tambuttegama Headquarters Police, and further investigations into the incident are being carried out by the police. (Newswire) The post Cache of ammunition found near a school appeared first on Newswire.
The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has announced that it has decided not to revise electricity tariffs. Addressing the media today, PUCSL Chairman Prof. K.P.L. Chandralal said that the existing tariff will remain for the next three months, effective from midnight today (14 Oct.). Prof. K.P.L. Chandralal noted that the decision was taken after reviewing written and oral submissions received during the public consultation process held on the proposed tariff revision. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) had submitted a tariff review proposal on 27th August 2025, covering the quarter of October–December 2025, in accordance with Section 30 of…
The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has dismissed the anticipatory bail application filed by former minister Manusha Nanayakkara, seeking to prevent his arrest by the Bribery Commission. The anticipatory bail was dismissed by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanka S. Bodaragama today. During court proceedings, Manusha Nanayakkara’s lawyer informed the court that he would appear before the Bribery Commission tomorrow to provide a statement. The anticipatory bail application was submitted, stating that the Bribery Commission was conducting an investigation into alleged irregularities during the previous government’s program to send workers to Israel for agricultural employment, and that he faces a risk of arrest as…
Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has refuted recent reports linking him to a property in Kataragama, stating that the building near the Menik Ganga is not his property. Issuing a statement, Rajapaksa said that a news report previously published in the media has mistakenly claimed that a building constructed by another individual near the Menik Ganga in Kataragama belongs to him. “On Monday, October 13, 2025, certain television channels aired a report in which my name was once again mentioned in relation to this building. A CID investigation was conducted in the past regarding the ownership of this building. I also…
The Department of Immigration and Emigration has announced that all foreign nationals arriving in Sri Lanka for short stays (tourism and business) are now required to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) prior to their arrival. According to the department, this requirement will come into effect starting tomorrow, the 15th of October 2025. Tourists can obtain the Electronic Travel Authorization via the Immigration Department’s website, www.eta.gov.lk. Passport holders of Seychelles, Maldives, Singapore, China, India, Russia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Japan shall be exempted from fees per existing regulations. (Newswire) The post Sri Lanka introduces pre-arrival ETA rule for tourists from…
Sri Lanka has reported 62,741 tourist arrivals in the first 12 days of October 2025, according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA). SLTDA data shows that 38,475 tourists arrived from 1st to 7th October and 24,266 tourists arrived from 8th to 12th October. The highest number of tourists during this period was from India, amounting to 18,299, followed by 5,417 from China, 4,874 from the UK, 3,804 from Germany, and 2,954 from Australia. Tourist arrivals have also been reported from Russia, Bangladesh, France, the USA, and Spain. Sri Lanka has recorded a total of 1,788,235 tourist arrivals so…
The land where the Karaitivu Army Camp was located in Amparai has been handed back to the public after 35 years. The 10th Battalion Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment, which was stationed on half an acre of land in Karaitivu since 1990, was removed, and the land was officially handed over to Karaitivu Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Subramaniam Bhaskaran (ITAK) on Friday (10). The Karaitivu Pradeshiya Sabha and the Public Library building were located within this camp. During the occupation, the PS and the library had to be relocated elsewhere. (Newswire) The post Army hands back Karaitivu land to public after 35 years…