Nov 17 (DM) SL’s wild elephant population has seen a 21% birthrate decline according to the latest consensus, compared with the last one conducted 13 years ago. Dept of Wildlife Conservation revealed the preliminary findings ahead of the official report, set to be released next week. According to the census, SL’s wild elephant population, as counted during the census, is 7,451 males, but the actual figure can be 8,000. Of them, only about 420 calves have been spotted. more..

Nov 17 (CT) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa told Parliament that former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe had appointed 39 presidential advisers, a number significantly higher than that of the current administration. He noted that Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed only five presidential advisers, marking what he described as a substantial cut in the size and cost of the Presidential Secretariat. Jayatissa tabled detailed data on salaries and allowances paid to advisers under Wickremesinghe. more..

Nov 17 (Island) The NPP govt’s decision to establish an Office of the Public Prosecutor, in line with a UNHRC resolution, has hit a snag; the Legal Officers’ Association of the Attorney General’s Dept is opposing the creation of a separate prosecutorial office. Cabinet of Ministers, on 7 May, 2025, decided to set up a separate prosecutorial office. The Legal Officers’ Association has alleged that such a move would undermine the Dept’s independence, efficiency and professional standards. more..

Nov 17 (DM) With the key medical professional body declaring a trade union action from today, the patients are once again held to ransom, leaving them to face the fallout of stalled services. From today, doctors in hospitals island wide will limit several essential services, including issuing prescriptions for medicines to be purchased from external pharmacies and recommending laboratory tests to be conducted at private facilities. GMOA said the trade union action stems from more..

Nov 17 (AD) Former Chairman of the Geological Survey & Mines Bureau (GSMB), Anura Walpola, has been granted bail by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court after being arrested earlier today by the CIABOC. Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama issued the order after considering submissions made by officials of the CIABOC and Walpola’s attorney. Accordingly, Magistrate ordered that the suspect be released on two sureties of Rs. 1 million each and imposed a foreign travel ban more..

Nov 17 (PCB) Pakistan, SL & Zimbabwe will compete in a seven-match T20I tri-series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 18 to 29 Nov, marking the first-ever T20I tri-nation event to be staged in Pakistan. Each side will play four league matches, with the top two teams qualifying for the final scheduled on Saturday (29). All matches will begin at 6pm PST, while the toss will take place at 5.30pm. The hosts under the captaincy of Salman Ali Agha enter the tri-series with strong recent form in T20Is. more..

Nov 17 (NW) Saudi Post (SPL) has issued a commemorative postal stamp to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan officially presented the stamps to the visiting Minister Vijitha Herath during the bilateral meeting held between the two Ministers of Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on 09 Nov 2025. more..

Nov 17 (AD) Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has announced that following the discussion held with the President, an emergency Executive Committee meeting and a Central Committee meeting will be convened, during which future actions will be discussed. Speaking to media after the discussion held this morning at the Presidential Secretariat, the Secretary of the GMOA, Dr. Prabath Sugathadasa stated that a number of concerns were raised during the meeting. more..

Nov 17 (AFP) Sri Lanka is investigating allegations that two elephants gifted by Thailand have been subjected to cruel treatment at their homes in Buddhist temples, the environment minister said on Nov 17. Mr Dammika Patabendi said Bangkok raised concerns about the welfare of the two animals it presented to SL in 1980 and 2001 as symbols of close ties between the two Buddhist nations. “We have appointed a panel of vets more..

Nov 17 (DM) The audit of the Dept of Motor Traffic for the year 2024 has revealed that the govt incurred losses of over Rs.134 million in the printing of driving license cards. The audit found that while the SL Army purchased license cards in 2022 at Rs.311 per card for the Werahera printing facility, it later entered into an agreement with a private company to print the cards at Rs.576 each. This decision was made without inviting competitive bids or following proper procurement procedures. more..

Nov 17 (DM) Opposition MP Chaminda Wijesiri, while firing allegations against ruling party members, said a certain deputy minister lives in an apartment valued Rs.500 million, and asked who donated it to him. However, he did not mention the deputy minister’s name. He said this Deputy Minister had been retained by the JVP for court cases. “How did this Deputy Minister purchase this apartment? Who had given him the apartment? Did Arjun Aloysius give him the apartment?, Or was it from more..

Nov 17 (NW) Sri Lanka welcomes two millionth tourist for 2025, signalling strong rebound in arrivals. Sri Lanka on Monday marked a major milestone in its post-crisis tourism recovery, welcoming its two millionth visitor for 2025 — a French couple who arrived at BIA on 17 Nov. The SLTDA said the country is now on track to reach at least 2.3 million tourist arrivals this year, moving closer to its annual target of 2.5 million. more..

Nov 17 (AD) The govt today signed loan agreements to obtain US$ 300 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Loan Agreements were signed between the govt and the ADB at the Treasury in Colombo by Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, on behalf of the govt of SL and Takafumi Kadono, Country Director of ADB SL Residence Mission, on behalf of the ADB. The govt held discussions with more..

Nov 17 (CT) Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, on Saturday, presented to Parliament a detailed breakdown of foreign travel undertaken by former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and the expenditure incurred by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake since assuming office. According to figures tabled in Parliament, former Prez Wickremesinghe undertook 24 foreign trips between 2022 and 2024, accompanied by a total of 385 individuals, at a combined cost exceeding Rs 1 billion. more..

Nov 17 (DM) ITAK has demanded the immediate resignation of all Tamil members of the NPP, including Trincomalee District MP and Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra, following the govt’s handling of a Buddha statue installation in Trincomalee. A tense situation arose on Tuesday night when a group attempted to place a Buddha statue at a Dhamma school within a temple in the area. Police were deployed to defuse the situation, and the statue was subsequently removed more..

Nov 17 (AD) SL Police have issued a statement regarding video footage showing unrest connected to the removal of a Buddha statue from the premises of the Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Bodhiraja Viharaya in Trincomalee. According to the Police, following the incident, fabricated stories are being circulated widely on various media platforms. A media statement was issued to clarify the accurate account of the incident. SL Police observed a potential for tensions between communities arising from more..

Nov 17 (NW) A discussion aimed at formulating a systematic programme to address the issues faced by local big onion farmers was held this morning at the Presidential Secretariat. It was held under the patronage of Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land & Irrigation, K.D. Lal Kantha, together with the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development, Wasantha Samarasinghe. Minister K.D. Lal kantha more..

Nov 17 (NW) Founder of the SLPP Basil Rajapaksa is due to appear before the Matara Magistrate’s Court on Friday (21), in connection with a case involving the alleged illegal acquisition of land using Rs. 50 million in unlawfully obtained funds. However, it remains uncertain whether the former minister will return to Sri Lanka for the hearing. Rajapaksa’s legal team in May told the court he is receiving treatment in the US for spinal and nerve complications following a fall from a chair. more..

Nov 17 (AD) Former Minister Mervyn Silva today pleaded not guilty to the charges filed before the Colombo High Court by the CIABOC, which accuse him of illegally acquiring assets while serving as a minister. The case filed by the Bribery Commission against the former minister over the alleged unlawful acquisition of assets was taken up today before Colombo HC Judge Mohammed Mihal. During the hearing, Mervyn Silva, through his counsel informed court that he pleads not guilty to the charges. more..

Nov 17 (TM) Lanka Coal Company (LCC) has finalised its long-term coal procurement for the upcoming season, with bonds deposited by Indian supplier Trident Chemphar Ltd. Ministry of Power & Energy Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala stated that supply contracts had been awarded following Cabinet approval and confirmed that the bond money had been deposited by the company last week. more..

Nov 17 (CT) Kumar Sangakkara will perform the dual role of head coach and director of cricket at Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2026, with Vikram Rathour, batting coach last season, elevated to assistant coach. As reported in September, in Sangakkara’s case, the change in designation is a formality, since he had performed the two roles even in IPL 2025 after head coach Rahul Dravid and RR parted ways. Sangakkara had previously served as the team’s head coach from 2021 to 2024, more..

Nov 17 (TM) Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death in abstentia by a court in Dhaka for crimes against humanity over a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. A three-judge bench of the country’s international crimes tribunal convicted Hasina of crimes including incitement, orders to kill, and inaction to prevent atrocities, carried out as she oversaw a crackdown on anti-govt protesters last year. Reading the verdict to the court, more..

Nov 17 (FT) On 14 Nov, the second reading of the Budget for the year 2026 was adopted in Parliament with a majority of 118 votes. That is no surprise with the JVP/NPP having 159 MPs in the current Parliament. It was also no surprise to see three Opposition MPs representing the plantation sector voting for the Budget, with statements that they do so, in favour of wage increases promised by the Govt for the plantation sector workers. None would oppose wage increases to any sector more..

Nov 17 (FT) Polythene bags which are humorously called Sili-Sili bags due to the exceptional chattering sound they make when in use, made its strong entry into SL’s popular consumerist culture in early 1980s. Prior to that, when the country was under a strict import control regime, polythene bags were so scanty that they were treated as a luxury item available only to those who had got the rare opportunity of traveling abroad. Thus, it was an exclusive item used only by a few people more..

Nov 17 (TM) Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has decided to commence a series of Trade Union (TU) actions beginning Monday (17) in response to ongoing shortages of medical staff, equipment, and essential medicines in the public health system. GMOA Spokesman Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe stated that while a full-scale strike remained a last resort, the association was prepared to escalate actions if govt failed to respond. more..

Nov 17 (SO) With mounting pressure from across the political spectrum over the prolonged delay in Provincial Council elections, the Government has decided to appoint a special Select Committee to resolve the issue. Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament yesterday (15) that the Committee will review the legal framework governing the polls and take steps to ensure that the elections will be held without further delay. more..

Nov 17 (TM) The main Opposition, SJB, stated that they would decide whether to accept the double cabs or not as the Govt proceeds with its plan to import vehicles for MPs. SJB General Secretary and MP Ranjith Maddumabandara said that the party had not yet reached a decision on the offer. “We have not made a decision. It is the Govt that has to decide whether to go ahead with the import. As they move forward, we will decide whether to accept the cabs or not.” His comments came after more..

Nov 17 (ST) The NMRA has published the maximum retail prices (MRP) of 350 medications, calling on the public to report to the regulator any individual or institution that sells these products at higher prices. The move comes after the Court of Appeal on Wednesday lifted an interim injunction that had prevented the NMRA or its pricing committee from imposing price controls on any medicine in respect of which price control more..

Nov 17 (DM) Claiming that no legal bearing of opposition claims on allocating state funds for the payment of estate workers’ attendance allowance, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said Rs. 5,000 million was allocated to the Plantations Ministry and not to increase wages of workers in a private company. Minister told parliament that the Plantations Ministry has powers, capacity and legal basis to use funds allocated to the Ministry to use for development of the plantations sector. more..

Nov 17 (AD) A 25-year-old individual, a father of one, has been arrested on charges of an attempted sexual assault of a foreign national woman in the Thirukkovil area, after a video of the incident was widely circulated on social media. The arrest was made today (16) during a special search operation carried out in the Marandamadu area of Kalmunai by the OIC of the Thirukkovil Police and a team of officers. Police report that the suspect, a father of one, had been living with his wife more..

Nov 17 (FT) Senior Adviser to the Prez Duminda Hulangamuwa said SL should make a strategic pivot towards high-value service exports, citing deep-rooted structural constraints that limit the country’s ability to scale up manufacturing exports despite decades of incentives and free trade agreements (FTAs). Highlighting the persistent challenges facing SL’s export sector, he said export diversification and growth are not merely Govt issues but broader structural challenges within the economy. more..

Nov 17 (NW) The Armed Forces Remembrance and Poppy flower celebration Day commemoration ceremony was held on 16th of Nov 2025 at the Cenotaph War Memorial at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo, under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. The Cenotaph War Memorial has been built in memory of war heroes from Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) who were killed in action during World War I and World War II. It was designed by the architect Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens. more..