The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Maria Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition politician, is the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Mochado was awarded for “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the committee said. Last year, the Japanese peace organization Nihon Hidankyo received the award for promoting a world free of nuclear weapons. Nihon Hidankyo is a group of survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Since August 1956, the organization has campaigned for greater healthcare provisions for survivors…
The Sri Lankan Report
The Sri Lankan Rupee has depreciated further against the US Dollar today (10 Oct), compared to Thursday. According to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the buying rate of the US Dollar has increased from Rs. 298.92 to Rs. 298.98, while the selling rate has also increased from Rs. 306.39 to Rs. 306.45. However, the Sri Lankan Rupee has appreciated against a basket of foreign currencies, while it has depreciated against Gulf currencies. (Newswire) The post Today’s CBSL official exchange rates appeared first on Newswire.
The Sri Lankan government has announced a major Cabinet reshuffle to accelerate its 2026 development goals.
A tsunami warning has been issued for the Philippines and neighbouring regions of Indonesia after a powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the region on Mindanao on Friday morning.
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) working committee and the management committee have approved a resolution to work with the United National Party (UNP), Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said in a statement.
The Education Ministry has updated the “SISURAKSHA” student insurance scheme, offering enhanced medical and life benefits for school students under a renewed agreement with the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation General Ltd., signed on Thursday (09) under the patronage of Education Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa. Under the revised scheme, the inpatient benefit has been increased to Rs. 300,000 and outpatient treatment to Rs. 20,000, while coverage for critical illnesses now begins at Rs. 1.5 million. Accident coverage now includes Rs. 200,000 for permanent disability and up to Rs. 100,000 for temporary disability. Life insurance benefits for students from families earning below…
The Department of Meteorology has issued an advisory for severe lightning in the Eastern, Uva, and Central provinces and the Polonnaruwa district today. Per the advisory, effective until 11.00 pm, red alerts have been issued to 09 districts and amber alerts to 09 districts. The public is requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by lightning activity. (Newswire) The post Lightning advisory : Red alert issued to 09 districts appeared first on Newswire.
Representatives of the United Nations Technical Electoral Needs Assessment Mission have commended the role of the National Election Commission and acknowledged the credibility and transparency of Sri Lanka’s electoral framework. The UN delegation has also expressed the UN’s willingness to extend technical assistance to support ongoing and future electoral reforms. The views were expressed after the UN delegation engaged in a series of consultation meetings at Parliament premises this week (07), with key parliamentary stakeholders to assess opportunities for international support to strengthen electoral processes in the country. The UN delegation met with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and a group…
A group of monks, including Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, have visited former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Tangalle. The meeting had taken place at the former President’s private residence in Tangalle. “Mahinda Rajapaksa is an unforgettable President of the nation. He is a hero we have seen during our lifetime. Mahinda Rajapaksa ended a 30-year war, even though many said this guerrilla war could not be ended,” Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera said, speaking to the media. (Newswire) The post BBS monk Gnanasara Thera visits Mahinda appeared first on Newswire.
SriLankan Airlines (UL) and Saudia Airlines (SV) have renewed and strengthened their interline partnership, reinforcing the long-standing relationship between the two national flag carriers. This enhanced collaboration connects 13 international destinations of the SV network and 13 domestic points across Saudi Arabia, covering all three provinces to Sri Lanka and beyond. According to SriLankan Airlines, passengers across Saudi Arabia can now enjoy greater convenience, improved connectivity, and wider travel options across both networks. (Newswire) The post SriLankan Airlines, Saudia strengthen interline partnership appeared first on Newswire.
ECONOMYNEXT – The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has named Slogal Energy DMCC, a unit of Sri Lanka’s Laugfs group, for alledgedly trading in Iranian petrochemicals. “United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Markan White Trading Crude Oil Abroad Co. L.L.C (Markan White) and Slogal Energy DMCC (Slogal) play a key role in enabling the sale and shipment of Iranian LPG to Sri Lanka,” a US Treasury statement said. Iranian petrochemicals had been purchased from Iran-based petrochemical broker Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industry Commercial Co (PGPICC) by Dubai based firms. “In late 2024, PGPICC and Markan White…
The Sri Lankan Rupee remains steady against the US Dollar at commercial banks in Sri Lanka today (10 Oct), compared to Thursday. At Seylan Bank, the buying rate of the US Dollar remains unchanged at Rs. 299.45, while the selling rate is also unchanged at Rs. 304.95. According to NDB Bank, the buying and selling rates of the US Dollar are unchanged at Rs. 299.55 and Rs. 306.05, respectively. People’s Bank reports that the buying rate of the US Dollar has increased from Rs. 299.22 to Rs. 299.27, while the selling rate has also increased from Rs. 305.81 to Rs.…
Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Jagath Wickramaratne, has announced that the Leader of the House had not breached Parliament’s privileges concerning the nomination of the Director General of the Bribery Commission to the National Constitutional Council. Announcing his ruling on the matter raised by MP Dayasiri Jayasekara in Parliament recently (07), the Speaker said MP Jayasekara had alleged that the Leader of the House had misled the National Constitutional Council during the process of nominating a candidate for the post of Director General of the Bribery Commission. Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne further said that MP Jayasekara alleged that this…
ECONOMYNEXT – A team from the UN Technical Electoral Needs Assessment Mission has met key parliament members, including prime minister Harini Amarasuriya and opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, to assess opportunities for international support to strengthen electoral processes in Sri Lanka. “The mission focused on gathering insights from a wide range of stakeholders including government representatives, political parties, election observers, civil society, and development partners,” parliament statement said. “Discussions centered on enhancing the efficiency, transparency, and inclusivity of Sri Lanka’s electoral system.” Key topics addressed included strengthening transparency and integrity in elections, increasing women’s political representation, promoting political literacy and voter…
A resident of Mannar has been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by Colombo High Court Judge Rashantha Godawela, following a conviction for trafficking ‘ICE’ narcotics. The sentence was handed down to a 21-year-old youth residing in the Mannar area. The accused was arrested by police near the Eluthoor Junction in Mannar on November 3, 2022, while transporting the narcotic substance. Subsequently, the Attorney General filed charges against the accused under the Poisons, Opium, and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance No. 1 of 2008. Delivering the verdict after the trial, the High Court Judge stated that the charges brought against the…
Opposition MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam has welcomed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s decision to remove the Ports and Aviation portfolio from Minister Bimal Rathnayake. Rasamanickam said it was a necessary move, given the serious allegations of a container fraud linked to the minister. He added that he looks forward to working constructively with the new minister in charge of Ports and Aviation to expedite long-delayed development projects at Sri Lanka’s ports and airports. Following the Cabinet reshuffle announced today, Bimal Rathnayake, who previously held the portfolio of Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports, and Civil Aviation, has been reassigned as the Minister of…
Jaynevieve Davidson, Regional Account Director at 3P Media with Bimali Malalasekara, Manager – Digital Commerce at Sri Lankan Airlines Ltd In a landmark display of how strategic digital advertising can transform nationally significant industries, Roar Global’s 3P Media, the Official Media Sales Representative (MSR) for Google in Sri Lanka, Laos, and Brunei has enabled SriLankan Airlines to surpass its monthly direct booking revenue targets by +23% – recording the national carrier’s highest-ever monthly revenue through Google Ads. The milestone signifies the growing role of performance-driven digital marketing in accelerating national industries into the digital age, with SriLankan Airlines leading the…
ECONOMYNEXT – Sri Lanka’s People’s Leasing & Finance said it has listed 55,491,496 new ordinary voting shares after a scrip dividend. “Please note that 55,491,496 ordinary voting shares of the Company have been listed with effect from 10th October 2025, pursuant to a Scrip Dividend,” the bank said in stock exchange filing. The stock was trading down 40 cents at 27.70 rupees on Friday. (Colombo/Oct10/2025)
The Colombo Magistrate’s Court has imposed a fine of Rs. 600,000 on a business establishment in the Kolonnawa area, found guilty of selling a bottle of drinking water at a price exceeding the government-controlled rate. The case was filed by the Narahenpita District Office of the Consumer Affairs Authority. The accused business had sold a 500ml bottle of drinking water, priced at the controlled rate of Rs. 70, for Rs. 90, thereby committing an offence under consumer protection regulations. At yesterday’s hearing, the accused establishment pleaded guilty before the court. Prior to sentencing, investigation officers from the Consumer Affairs Authority…
Seven individuals, including the assistant principal of the preschool attended by the child, have been arrested by the Mirihana Police in connection with the death of a five-year-old boy who drowned in a hotel swimming pool in the Nugegoda area. The tragic incident was reported on the morning of 08th October at a hotel located on Stanley Mawatha in Mirihana. At the time, a group of children, including the victim, were participating in swimming activities at the hotel under the supervision of teachers and a trainer when the child drowned. Investigations revealed that the child had died upon admission to…