Nov 22 (CT) Between 1 Jan and 31 Oct 2025, Sri Lanka recorded a notable rise in traffic accidents, minor and major offences, and violent crimes involving foreign nationals, underscoring the urgent need for stricter monitoring and enhanced public awareness, according to the Tourist Police. SL, celebrated for its natural beauty and expanding tourism sector, has this year seen an increase in incidents ranging from road mishaps to immigration violations and criminal offences. more..

Nov 22 (Island) The joint opposition Maha Jana Handa public rally went ahead yesterday at the Ananda Samarakoon Open Air Theatre in Nugegoda despite heavy rain, with supporters converging in large numbers, causing significant congestion in the town, despite police having cordoned off the surroundings in advance to vehicular movement and subject to other restrictions. Several Opposition parties organised the event in protest against the govt failure to fulfill many of its grandiose promises, more..

Nov 22 (CT) With the Ministry of Health receiving Rs 654 billion in the 2026 National Budget, the Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) has accused the Ministry of failing to effectively utilise its allocations. MCPA President Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa said on Friday that, according to information obtained under the Right to Information Act, No. 12 of 2016, the Ministry received a total of Rs 474,874,000,000 — approximately Rs 475 billion — from the 2025 Budget. more..

Nov 22 (NW) Matara Magistrate’s Court was informed on Friday that former Minister Basil Rajapaksa had reserved air tickets to travel to Sri Lanka and later cancelled them, despite submitting medical reports claiming he was unfit for air travel. Deputy Solicitor General Lakmini Girihagama told court there was a serious suspicion that Rajapaksa was deliberately avoiding appearing before court, pointing to inconsistencies in the medical documents submitted on his behalf. more..

Nov 22 (EN) SL is expecting a joint working team from India to discuss the development of a tank farm in Trincomalee linked to the development of an energy hub around the port in the North East of the island, Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody said. About 14 of a 99-tank complex built by the British during World War II, has been given to Indian Oil Corporation for the use by Lanka IOC. Another 61-tanks are in a joint venture between Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and Indian Oil Corporation. more..

Nov 22 (AD) The Shaheens clinched a thrilling last-ball victory over Sri Lanka A, securing their place in the Asia Cup Rising Stars final. The match featured intense momentum swings, standout individual performances and a dramatic finish that booked the Shaheens’ spot in the title clash. Pakistan Shaheens qualified for the final of the Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 as they got over the line by five runs in a last-ball thriller against SL A, while defending the 153-run total in the second semi-final more..

Nov 22 (DW) SL’s elephant population has recorded a notable increase, according to the latest figures released by the Ministry of Environment, with the minimum estimated number rising to 7,451 in 2024. The new data shows a steady upward trend when compared to previous nationwide counts, which recorded a minimum of 1,967 elephants in 1993 and 5,879 in 2011. Between 2021 and 2024 alone, the population has increased by 1,572 elephants, indicating significant growth in recent years. more..

Nov 22 (DN) Minister Dr. Upali Pannilage told Parliament that a comprehensive programme is being implemented to eradicate poverty in the country without providing aid alone. He said that development in the country cannot be expected without eradicating rural poverty. The Minister made this statement while participating in the 2026 Budget Committee Stage debate on the expenditure heads of the Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Ministry and more..

Nov 22 (DM) Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa announced that the Govt is considering expanding pharmaceutical price controls to cover an additional 200 varieties of medicines. Speaking at an event held to introduce a new batch of medicines to the local market, Jayatissa said the Ministry had already implemented significant price reductions for 350 essential medicines, marking what he described as a major transformation in the country’s pharmaceutical supply system. more..

Nov 22 (DM) The new pension scheme introduced under the 2026 Budget for the fisheries community officially comes into effect today. The launch ceremony will be held at the Lotus Tower, Colombo under the patronage of PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. Fishermen will begin receiving pension benefits once they reach the age of 60. The programme has been introduced under govt’s Pohosath Ratak – Lassana Jeewithayak policy to ensure the social protection of fishing families. more..

Nov 22 (NW) Jaffna District MP Archchuna Ramanathan told Parliament today (21) that Puttalam District MP Faisal had threatened to kill him. MP Archchuna explained that under Standing Order 27(2), he had raised a question regarding the development of the Puttalam Hospital with Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa. He claimed that MP Faisal became agitated during the exchange and later confronted him, saying, “If you continue to play games, I will kill you. Don’t come to Puttalam.” more..

Nov 22 (NF) National Police Commission has approved the transfer of 25 Police Officers. Accordingly, OICs have been transferred from their posts to general duties. OIC of the illegal assets investigation division has been transferred as the OIC of the Kitulgala Police Division. The Head of the National Police Academy has been transferred as the OIC of the Mulleriyawa Police Division. Two officers engaged in general duties at the Criminal Investigation Department have been transferred as more..

Nov 22 (AAP) Deputy Pakistan PM and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Friday met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of SL, Arun Hemachandra, on the sidelines of the 4th EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum being held from 20-21 Nov in Brussels. During the meeting, both sides agreed to continue close collaboration bilaterally and at multilateral fora. The two sides highlighted the importance of strengthening the existing fraternal relations between the two countries more..

Nov 22 (ST) As the budget proposals for 2026 are being absorbed by Sri Lankans before their implementation, reactions have been flowing in with expectations and concerns. Among the concerns is the transparency of the proposals, as revenue measures are not clear, though most expenses have been detailed. Nalin Liyanage, who worked for 20 years in the vehicle repair trade before retiring, said understanding how the budget would work out is difficult. more..

Nov 22 (FT) Right to Information Commission (RTIC) has warned that chronic understaffing and ignored statutory safeguards are weakening Sri Lanka’s transparency framework, even as the Commission continues to be held as a global role-model disposing a high volume of appeals under severe operational constraints. In a public statement issued this week, the RTIC drew attention to official Parliamentary data showing that it concluded 1,157 out of 1,306 appeals received between Jan and Sept 2025. more..

Nov 22 (FT) The Western Province Entrepreneur Awards 2025 was held in grandeur on 19 Nov at the BMICH, marking the eighth consecutive year of this prestigious event. The National Chamber of Commerce of SL (NCCSL) and National Enterprise Development Authority (NEDA) jointly organised this annual award scheme to categorise, reward, and motivate SL’s domestic entrepreneurs. This initiative aims to recognise outstanding accomplishments in the Western Province business community, more..

Nov 22 (FT) CEB has recorded a near-elimination of profit for the quarter ended 30 Sept, with earnings, margins, and operating performance deteriorating year-on-year (YoY) and quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) amid rising generation costs, tariff pressures, and weakening cash flows. Interim financial statements released this week also showed the utility slipping into a Rs. 9 bil loss for the nine months to end-September, compared to a Rs. 152 bil profit in the same period of 2024. more..

Nov 22 (DM) A crushing cost of living is expected to stifle consumer demand in 2026, keeping inflation well below the Central Bank’s target range and creating a complex environment for interest rates, according to a new analysis by First Capital Research (FCR). While the Central Bank has guided markets to expect inflation to rebound and stabilise around its 5% target by mid-2026, FCR challenges this view, projecting that inflation will average just 2.8% throughout the year. more..

Nov 22 (FT) Jetwing Symphony Chairman and veteran tourism leader Hiran Cooray said Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Clean Sri Lanka initiative offers the country its strongest opportunity in decades to finally build a compelling and enduring national tourism brand. Speaking at the India–SL Tourism Forum this week, Cooray said SL has long struggled to define its global identity despite possessing world-class natural and cultural assets. In contrast, India’s Incredible India campaign more..

Nov 22 (Island) Aragalaya (2022) is in the news again. Speaking at the launch of a book, Aragalaye Balaya authored by Dr. Sunanda Madduma Bandara, on Thursday, ex-Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena reminisced about their experiences during the 2022 popular uprising and the subsequent wave of anarchical violence. Wickremesinghe denied having employed undemocratic methods to disperse Aragalaya protesters, and reiterated how democracy had been saved and more..

Nov 22 (ST) The CIABOC this week informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate that an investigation is underway about five brokering firms that were reportedly threatened by former Minister Prsanna Ranatunga who faces allegations of misappropriating public funds and causing a loss to the state. Mr Ranatunga was produced before Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama and was released on a cash bail of Rs. 100,000 and two surety bails of Rs. 500,000 each. Mr Ranatunga is accused of unlawfully appointing more..

Nov 22 (TM) Components of an effective referral pertaining to patient management include patient information, referring and recipient doctors’ information, the reason for the referral, the relevant clinical history, the physical examination findings, investigations and results, the provisional diagnosis and the differential diagnosis, the current treatment and management plan, specific requests to the recipient, and additional considerations. more..

Nov 22 (FT) In collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), the High Commission of Sri Lanka in London has marked a remarkable level of participation by the nation’s tourism industry at World Travel Market (WTM) 2025, held from 4–6 November 2025 at the ExCel London. A delegation of 92 leading travel and tourism partners represented the island, highlighting its vibrant and rapidly growing tourism sector to an international audience. more..

Nov 22 (DM) The proposal to increase the salaries of estate workers in the second budget of Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the NPP seems to have put the Opposition, especially the SJB, in an embarrassing situation. It is something that the Opposition can neither swallow nor spit out. SJB has been highly dependent on the Tamil people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, as well as the Tamil-speaking people living mainly in the tea-growing up-country, who are lately being referred to more..

Nov 22 (DM) After one full year out of power, sections of the parliamentary opposition in our country are attempting to join hands to oppose the year-old NPP govt. On Nov 21, a number of these political parties have called for a joint rally demanding govt fulfil the plethora of election promises it made in the run-up to the Nov 2024 general election. Let’s face it, the govt has failed to implement most of its election promises. It promised to redraft the agreement signed by more..

Nov 22 (FT) Defamation disputes have long been part of SL’s legal landscape, well before the arrival of the Online Safety Act (OSA). The recent settlement of President's Counsel Ali Sabry’s 2021 defamation suit underscores how fully the existing system already functioned. Although the allegations circulated online, the matter was resolved through established civil procedures, with no reliance on the OSA or any special law regulating online content. The case involved accusations made by more..

Nov 22 (CT) Sri Lanka’s tourism industry—after years of economic hardship, political turmoil, and global disruptions—has been steadily regaining momentum, drawing more than one million visitors this year alone. Hotels are reporting high occupancy, travel operators are expanding their services, and a new free airport-to-city taxi transfer scheme has earned applause from international travellers for its convenience and safety. more..

Nov 22 (SO) November 13 marked 36 years since the arrest and subsequent murder of comrade Rohana Wijeweera, the founder of the JVP. His disappearance in 1989 symbolised the turbulent end of the JVP’s second insurrection; a period of extreme political violence involving the State, its affiliated groups, and the JVP itself. This occasion offers an opportunity to reflect not simply on the past, but on the lessons that remain essential for SL’s future. The late 1980s were one of the most painful chapters in more..

Nov 22 (CT) Nugegoda meetings have had a short history of success for the country’s political opposition. The first impeachment rally organized by the then DUNF in 1993 was held in Nugegoda. And it was a grand success. Prez Premadasa was rattled; later, his responses to the subsequent DUNF action were measured and brutal. He did not last more than one year after the meeting. His ultimate demise was greeted by firecrackers all over the island, even though such callous and uncivilized responses more..

Nov 22 (CT) Last week, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake sought to convey both reassurance and resolve in Parliament and across the country, addressing issues that have long tested SL’s political fabric: ethnic tensions, security preparedness, and the rising social malaise caused by narcotics. His interventions, ranging from the contentious Buddha statue incident in Trincomalee to the launch of the Southern Provincial phase of the A Nation United anti-drug mission, more..

Nov 22 (CT) In a recent statement, a group of public intellectuals calling themselves Justice for All has called for the total repeal of the obnoxious PTA. As they pointed out, the ruling JVP-NPP, in its Election Manifesto, also promises to repeal the same, the statement recalled and expressed the hope that the new draft Bill will fully reflect this promise. The signatories comprised Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda, Jayampathy Wickramaratne, PC, Eran Wickramaratne, A.M. Faaiz, more..

Nov 22 (CT) The World Bank’s latest SL Country Climate and Development Report reads less like a technical document and more like a warning. It paints a picture of urban areas moving steadily towards a gridlocked and polluted future unless the country rethinks how its people move, live and work. None of this is entirely new. Anyone who has sat through the morning bottlenecks on Galle Road or the evening crawl along Parliament Road knows the frustration. Yet the scale of the problem, more..