Nov 10 (SO) Presenting Budget 2026 in Parliament, President and Finance and Digital Economy Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Friday that all Govt payments will be moved into the digital sphere in due course. Prez said the Govt is taking decisive steps to build a digital economy. He said steps will be taken to introduce a Digital Economy Act. The Digital Economy Bill, now being formulated, will pave the way for the creation of more..

Nov 10 (ST) Prez A.K. Dissanayake launched his Govt’s newest campaign – an all-out war on narcotics, seeking the support of the entire nation to wipe out the menace of toxic drugs that has reportedly seeped into every nook and corner of the country. According to Narcotics Police guesstimates, hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans are addicts. This new crusade comes hot on the heels of the Govt’s Clean Sri Lanka campaign and a counter Opposition drive that accuses more..

Nov 10 (CT) A year after the leftist NPP coalition won an unprecedented supermajority in SL’s Nov 2024 parliamentary elections—with support from both the majority Sinhala and minority Tamil communities—it has fallen short in terms of delivering on its sweeping promises. As the first party to govern SL outside the two-party system, NPP during its election campaign promised to eliminate corruption, revive the economy, invest in public education, introduce a new constitution devolving power to regions, more..

Nov 10 (DM) Mahendra Percy Rajapaksa, known to his country and the world at large as Mahinda Rajapaksa, will celebrate his 80th birth anniversary on Nov 18, 2025. In a political career spanning more than five decades, Mahinda Rajapaksa has served as MP, Cabinet Minister, Leader of the Opposition, PM and Executive Prez. Medamulana Mahinda, as he is referred to at times, is a colourful politician who has been more..

Nov 10 (TM) The Govt is visibly pushing their act tough on crime policy, much to the satisfaction of the masses and newsrooms across the media spectrum. Most Sri Lankans are impressed by the Govt’s efforts in their first year. Unfortunately, in the past and even today, most counter narcotics operations have been hijacked by a Governmental-Political mindset of Show the public we are doing something. The focus seems to be on the photo opportunity, rather than the success of prosecution. more..

Nov 10 (DM) Three years ago, Sri Lanka was on its knees. Queues for fuel snaked for kilometres, electricity cuts plunged homes into darkness, and the shelves of pharmacies and supermarkets lay bare. It was not only an economic collapse — it was a collapse of confidence, governance, and faith. People felt abandoned by the very system meant to protect them. As 2025 draws to a close, the picture looks very different. The economy, once in free fall, is slowly finding its balance. more..

Nov 9 (ST) On Friday morning, ahead of the presentation of the NPP’s first full budget to Parliament, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held a special Cabinet meeting to brief ministers on what was in store for the country. The meeting was called to get Cabinet approval for his Budget proposals. The mood was upbeat with the sense that the Govt has delivered on its most important promises to the public by cutting waste & curbing corruption. more..

Nov 9 (SO) Sri Lanka’s Budget 2026, presented by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Friday (7), arrives at a pivotal juncture for the island nation, still grappling with the aftermath of its 2022 economic collapse. As the second fiscal plan under the NPP administration, it embodies a blend of continuity in economic reforms and fresh initiatives aimed at fostering stability and inclusivity. The document reflects the Govt’s commitment to adhering to international obligations, more..

Nov 9 (TM) Following the announcement of the Govt’s 2026 Budget by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his capacity as Minister of Finance, most economists, business chambers, and associations have expressed the view that the Budget is largely agreeable. However, many have pointed out that the reform agenda proposed in the 2026 Budget largely echoes the initiatives outlined in the 2025 Budget. Therefore, the general consensus is that the most appropriate yardstick to more..

Nov 9 (TM) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Budget proposal of Rs. 12,500 million for vehicles and machinery for Govt institutions has sparked a parliamentary firestorm, with allegations that the rushed tender to procure 1,775 automatic diesel double cabs circumvents procurement norms and enriches a select few companies. The controversy erupted yesterday during the opening of the Budget debate when SJB MP more..

Nov 9 (ST) The Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, fell ill in Sri Lanka while on a visit to commemorate 50 years of relations with the Holy See. Archbishop Gallagher, who arrived in SL on Nov 3, met with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, PM Harini Amarasuriya and Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath, but he could not carry out the rest of the engagements due to his sudden illness. The 72-year-old Vatican official more..

Nov 9 (ST) With the govt’s proposal to reduce the registration threshold of the Value Added Tax and the Social Security Contribution Levy, some 25,000 to 30,000 new tax files are expected to be opened, targeting revenue of over Rs 150 billion. The 2026 budget has proposed that the annual thresholds of the VAT and the SSCL be reduced from Rs 60 million to Rs 36 million. In turn, small and medium business entities, including grocery shops under the tax net, will now be forced to register more..

Nov 9 (EN) Sri Lanka should control the pressure on the exchange, President Anura Kumara Disssanayake said, presenting a budget for 2026, as the so-called ‘flexible’ exchange rate weakened steadily over 2025, amid current account surpluses. “We saw two billion rupees of imports in September,” President Dissanayake said. “There are inputs for export and also machinery. We have to capture exports. “So we have to control the pressure on the dollar. We have some time.” more..

Nov 9 (TM) The Police is awaiting a report from the CID ahead of expediting the process of extraditing Singapore-based former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Arjuna Mahendran, Police Media Spokesman ASP F.U. Wootler said. This is pursuant to a notice issued by former Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali on 23 August for Mahendran, who has been named as a suspect in the 2015 CBSL bond scam, to appear before the said court on 26 Sept. more..

Nov 9 (EN) Sri Lanka’s plans to remove so-called para-tariffs, and the introduction of a higher 30% duty band is not aimed at getting any additional revenue, Treasury Secretary Harshana Suriyapperuma said. The budget for 2025 said a 30% rate will be added to the current import duty bands of 0%, 10%, 15% and 30%. The intention was to progressively eliminate so-called para tariffs including an import CESS, PAL and SCL more..

Nov 9 (SO) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake presenting the first full-fledged Budget of the Govt in Parliament on Friday, said the Govt aims at achieving 7 percent economic growth in the coming years ensuring the benefits of economic growth trickles down to every citizen of the country. Presenting the 2026 Budget which is also the second Budget of the current administration. Prez said Govt aims at restoring the country’s pre-crisis economy by the end of this year, more..

Nov 9 (AM) A disturbing incident was reported from the Horana Municipal Council Literature Festival, where a member of the organising committee allegedly spat into the water glass of veteran lyricist and National Library and Documentation Services Board Chairman Dr Rathna Sri Wijesingha. The festival, held on 31 Oct at the Horana Municipal Hall auditorium, had scheduled Dr Wijesingha’s keynote address for 3.30 p.m. He arrived 30 minutes early but was kept waiting for more than 3 hours, more..

Nov 9 (SO) Jayden de Silva of Stafford International School set the tone for a thrilling first day at the 30th Inter-International Schools Swimming Championship 2025 yesterday, breaking a 10-year-old Boys’ Under-16 100m backstroke meet record at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool Complex. The 15-year-old national squad member clocked 1:04.25s to win gold, erasing the previous record of 1:05.84s set by Vihanga Perera of Gateway College, Colombo in 2015. more..

Nov 9 (NW) Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath meets Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group leadership in Saudi Arabia. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath met with the top management of Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Services Group, one of the leading healthcare providers in the Middle East, during his official visit to Saudi Arabia. The Minister also undertook a brief tour of the group’s state-of-the-art medical facility, which is equipped with advanced technology and AI-driven systems. more..

Nov 9 (EN) Sri Lanka’s central bank has tightened credit for private commercial vehicles by reducing the loans value banks and finance companies can give to customers, with effect from Nov 8, 2025. Under the new direction, loan to value ratio for commercial vehicles has been cut to 70% from 80%. For motor cars, vans and SUVs the ratio has been cut to 50% from 60%. Three wheelers remain at 50%. more..

Nov 9 (NW) The organisers of the Galle Literary Festival have announced that the 2026 edition of the event will be postponed. They said the decision was made to allow time to review and strengthen the festival’s organisational structure and to secure a sustainable path forward. “We know this isn’t the news many were hoping for, and trust us, we feel the same,” the statement read. Since its inception in 2007, the Galle Literary Festival has been one of SL’s most celebrated cultural events, more..

Nov 9 (TM) Sri Lanka selectors on Friday (7) recalled hard-hitting middle-order batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa with pace bowler Eshan Malinga being in line to make his One-Day International (ODI) debut, as they named the two white-ball squads for the upcoming ODI series and tri-series also involving Zimbabwe in Pakistan. The Sanath Jayasuriya-coached side left the country last morning (8) after taking part in religious observances at the SLC Headquarters in Colombo. more..

Nov 9 (ST) Eleven years ago, in the middle of a World Cup campaign, Dinesh Chandimal did something few Sri Lankan captains would have ever dared to do. He stepped aside. With his form deserting him and the team wobbling, he handed over the captaincy to Lasith Malinga midway through the ICC World T20 in 2014. What followed is now part of cricketing history as SL, under Malinga’s stewardship, stormed to their long-awaited global title in Dhaka. more..

Nov 9 (NW) Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has voiced concern over what he described as an inappropriate sexual education program being prepared for inclusion in SL’s school curriculum next year. Speaking at the reopening of the renovated St. Stephen’s Church in the Meerigama–Kinadeniya area, Cardinal Ranjith said the initiative, set to begin in January under planned education reforms, is being developed under the influence of int'l organizations. more..

Nov 9 (SO) Sri Lanka went down 0-3 to the defending champions Kyrgyzstan in the semi-final of the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Women’s Under-19 Volleyball Championships at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo yesterday. SL started the first set trailing 8-12 but quickly gained momentum, levelling at 14-all. The set went down to the wire with Kyrgyzstan narrowly taking it 26-24. In the second set, SL began strongly, scoring four straight points while Kyrgyzstan struggled, more..

Nov 9 (ST) Sri Lanka will meet India in their last final ‘Bowl’ fixture this morning after both teams failed to enter the main draw in the Hong Kong Sixes cricket tournament, which draws to an end at Mong Kok in Hong Kong today. SL who lost both their Group ‘D’ games against Hong Kong and Bangladesh on day one, came back strong winning both their ‘Bowl’ fixtures yesterday. However, SL has already secured a passage to the Bowl finals, having already won both their games in the segment, more..

Nov 9 (TM) The decision made by Kandy SC (KSC) – the defending champions of the League and Knockout club tournaments – to desist from employing any foreign players during the upcoming rugby season will not make a decisive difference to their title aspirations, according to a few former stars of the game. The 2025-’26 inter-club rugby season is scheduled to kick off on Friday (14), when last season’s Runners-Up Havelock SC host Navy SC at Havelock Park. more..

Nov 9 (ST) Prez made sure he did not forget the welfare of pet animals when he presented the Budget to Parliament. Among the budget proposals was one to allocate Rs.100 million to develop a system to take care of stray dogs and pets in urban areas in collaboration with the local authorities as facilities for the burial and cremation of pets. Rs.100 million allocated will be to implement a pilot project in the local authorities of Kesbewa and Piliyandala areas, more..

Nov 9 (TM) There was a time when the United National Party (UNP) was the single largest political party with the largest vote bank. Its main rival, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), was able to defeat the UNP in the elections only through alliances with other parties, particularly with the Left. In the last century, we saw the UNP garner more total votes across the country, even in the few General Elections in which SLFP-led coalitions won and formed the government. more..

Nov 9 (Island) The JVP-led NPP govt has apparently taken a leaf out of its immediate predecessor’s book, where election postponements are concerned. It has said the much-delayed Provincial Council (PC) elections will be held only after the completion of the delimitation process, which is a prerequisite for the implementation of the mixed proportional system. Election Commission (EC) is reported to have said the completion of the delimitation process will take about one year. more..

Nov 9 (ST) The first day’s debate on the second reading of Budget 2026 saw sparks fly between the govt and opposition benches yesterday, hinting at more stormy exchanges among MPs in the coming days and weeks. Opening the second reading debate for the opposition, SJB MP Dr Harsha De Silva pushed back against President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s denial during his budget speech the previous day that his govt was headed towards a constitutional dictatorship. more..

Nov 9 (ST) My dear Tilvin sahodaraya and Nihal sahodaraya, I thought of writing to you because, even though Anura sahodaraya was busy presenting his Budget on Friday, that has been overshadowed by someone whose wife is a maalimaawa local councillor being arrested, allegedly with a stock of heroin. This is not exactly the news you wanted to hear, is it? After all, it was only last week that Anura sahodaraya made a stirring speech at the Sugathadasa Stadium and launched a campaign to rid the country of more..