Nov 3 (FT) Govt’s Budget swung to a surplus of Rs. 9.5 billion in the first half of 2026 from a deficit of Rs. 405.6 billion a year earlier, as a surge in revenue and lower execution of capital expenditure outpaced spending growth, while Govt debt stood at Rs. 32 trillion, or 88.8% of estimated GDP. This is according to the Finance, Planning and Economic Development’s Mid-Year Fiscal Position Report released yesterday under more..

Nov 3 (NW) Chevaan Daniel, Group Director of the Capital Maharaja Group, has reportedly been elected Vice President of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), becoming the first Sri Lankan to hold the position. The appointment marks a significant milestone for Sri Lanka’s broadcasting industry, with Daniel securing a leadership position in one of the world’s largest broadcasting organisations. The development comes as SL hosts the 63rd ABU General Assembly and more..

Nov 3 (DN) The Sabaragamuwa Provincial programme to recognise outstanding students who excelled at the 2025 GCE A/L Exam, under the President’s Fund initiative to honour high achievers at district level, was held on Sunday at the Ratnapura District Secretariat. The programme aims to recognise and encourage the dedication and achievements of these students, who represent the country’s future human capital. Accordingly, 20 students from each subject stream more..

Nov 3 (FT) SL must move its revenue administration from a reactive, crisis-driven model to a modern, risk-based and digitally enabled one if the tax gains that doubled revenue to 15.4% of GDP since 2021 are to endure, IMF said, with the next phase of revenue mobilisation dependent on compliance, data and enforcement rather than higher tax rates. The findings are contained in the IMF Fiscal Affairs more..

Nov 3 (FT) Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar has fixed the CB Bond case against former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran and several co-accused for a pre-trial conference on 28 Jan, 2027. The three-judge bench, presided over by Judge Priyantha Liyanage, made the order when the case was taken up yesterday. Perpetual Treasuries Ltd., (PTL) Directors Arjun Aloysius, Geoffrey Aloysius and Kasun Palisena, former CB Deputy Governor P. Samarasiri, Muthuraja more..

Nov 3 (FT) Investigations have been launched after a tusker was found dead with its left tusk cut off and removed in a forested area in Kahatagasdigiliya, Dept of Wildlife Conservation said. Wildlife officers discovered the carcass on Sunday in a forested area adjoining a paddy field near the Kayagollewa tank, within the Meeminnawala GN Division. Officials believe the tusker died about a week before it was found. Preliminary observations suggest the left tusk was cut off with a weapon more..

Nov 3 (NW) National Fertilizer Secretariat Director Chandana Lokuhewage emphasized that sufficient fertilizer stocks required for the Maha season are currently available within the country with distribution activities already underway. Outlining the supply breakdown, the Director stated that 180,000 metric tons of urea are required for the Maha season. Around 33,000 metric tons have already been distributed at the regional level, while approximately 42,000 metric tons remain with companies. more..

Nov 3 (TM) Govt is exploring the possibility of transforming selected fisheries harbours into green ports, with feasibility studies currently underway to assess their potential, while budgetary allocations for the initiative are expected to be announced next year. Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Ministry Secretary Dr. Kolitha Jinadasa said that fish products accompanied by certifications confirming environmentally friendly harvesting practices receive greater attention and fetch higher prices more..

Nov 3 (TM) The Govt is unlikely to make major changes to existing taxes in the upcoming Budget, Deputy Minister R M Jayawardena indicated, assuring that relief will instead be provided to people affected by the tax burden. He said that SL's agreements with the IMF did not allow the Govt to remove existing taxes without demonstrating how the resulting revenue losses would be offset. "Under the agreements with the IMF, we can’t afford more..

Nov 3 (DN) Sri Lanka men’s and women’s Kabaddi teams returned home yesterday after taking part in the 1st Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship held in Ahmadabad, India. Sri Lanka men’s team won the silver medal while women’s team won the bronze medal bringing honor to the country. This is the highest international achievement so far by the SL teams in this sport and the two medals will give a big boost to the sport in SL. The men’s Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship featured 13 teams more..

Nov 3 (TM) Former Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) President Rizly Illyas has called on Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage, to launch an independent and long-overdue investigation into the Fijian rugby players scandal, which tarnished the country’s sporting image over a decade ago. Illyas-a businessman turned sports administrator, who helmed the game’s domestic ruling body from 2020-23, stated that he is in possession of documentation in physical and digital form to more..

Nov 3 (ST) While a husband and wife cannot normally be charged together under the offence of conspiracy, they can still be charged with the offence if they are found to have been engaged in a conspiracy with another party or parties unknown to the prosecution, Supreme Court has ruled. Supreme Court gave its ruling following its deliberations into an objection raised by a husband and wife duo, who had argued that they could not be charged together under the offence of conspiracy over a case more..

Nov 3 (FT) The national tea sale average climbed to its highest monthly level so far this year in October, lifted by Low Grown teas, but the average in US dollars fell from a year earlier as the rupee weakened against the dollar. The national sale average for Oct 2026 was Rs. 1,217.46 a kilo, Rs. 40.32 or 3.43% higher than Oct 2025 and Rs. 14.72 above Sept 2026, John Keells PLC said in its Market Insights report on National Tea Sale Averages, issued on Saturday. more..

Nov 3 (TM) Govt is preparing new Legislation to establish a National Cyber Security Regulatory Authority, which will have powers to introduce measures to strengthen data protection and prevent cyberattacks targeting Govt institutions, Digital Economy Ministry Secretary T R Waruna Sri Dhanapala said. He said that the draft Bill had been revised for the second time following Cabinet of Ministers instructions and is expected to more..

Nov 3 (FT) Seylan Bank said it posted a Profit Before Tax (PBT) of Rs. 14.04 million 3Q 2026, compared with Rs. 12.8 million in 3Q 2025, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 9.64%. For the nine months ended 30 Sept 2026, the bank recorded a Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs. 9.12 billion, an increase of 9.47% from Rs. 8.33 billion reported in the corresponding period of 2025. Net Interest Income increased by 6.62% to Rs. 28.8 billion for the nine months ended 30 Sept 2026, compared with more..

Nov 3 (FT) SL Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) Chairman Buddhika Hewawasam has resigned following the completion of his two-year term, leaving the tourism promotion agency without an officially appointed successor or Acting Chairman as of yesterday. Industry sources said Hewawasam’s final day in office was 30 Oct, with no formal announcement on a replacement made by the time of reporting. The Daily FT attempted to contact Hewawasam for comment, but more..

Nov 3 (FT) Finance Ministry said 51 major State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) reported a combined profit of Rs. 259.3 billion in the first half of 2026, up from Rs. 227.8 billion a year earlier. Rise in cumulative earnings is despite rising input costs, supply chain disruptions and order cancellations caused by the Middle East conflict, with State banks leading the gains while Treasury subsidies supported CPC and SriLankan Airlines sank more..

Nov 3 (FT) Customs control and oversight of Board of Investment (BOI) enterprises remains incomplete despite a 2025 agreement, leaving duty-exempt inputs open to diversion into the domestic market without payment of applicable taxes, IMF said, as tax exemptions and incentives, including BOI regimes, cost SL close to Rs. 800 billion to Rs. 1 trillion annually in recent years. Customs responsibilities for some 200 enterprises in special economic zones (SEZs) and more..

Nov 3 (FT) SL Tourism Promotion Bureau is sponsoring the 63rd Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU) General Assembly and associated meetings, music festival and excursion in SL to the tune of Rs. 104.6 million following the approval of the Cabinet. The General Assembly and connected activities kicked off on Sunday in Colombo and will go on till today. ABU is one of the largest professional broadcasting organisations in the Asia Pacific region, bringing together broadcasters and more..

Nov 3 (FT) Colombo Dockyard said that it continued its return to profitability during the second quarter of its 2026/27 financial year, recording its second consecutive profitable quarter and further strengthening the turnaround seen since the beginning of the current financial year. For the three months ended 30 Sept, profit attributable to shareholders reached Rs. 164.9 million, compared with a loss of Rs. 563.6 million during the corresponding quarter of the previous year. more..

Nov 3 (FT) SL Export Development Board (EDB), in collaboration with the SL High Commission in the UK, conducted a two-day business outreach program in London on 21 and 22 Oct to promote SL Expo 2027 and encourage greater participation by UK businesses. The move featured a Business and Investment Forum and networking session on 21 Oct, followed by bilateral business meetings on 22 Oct. Around 140 participants, including British buyers, investors, representatives of more..

Nov 3 (TM) Citizen Power Against Bribery, Corruption and Waste organisation has requested the CIABOC to launch an investigation into allegations that a former Senior DIG of the FCID received a bribe to halt an investigation into Krrish Transworks Colombo (Pvt) Limited. In a complaint dated yesterday and addressed to the CIABOC, the organisation's President Kamantha Thushara alleged that an investigation into Company, more..

Nov 3 (Island) The unexpected challenge that the govt had to face in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to revoke the presidential pardon given to the well-known Buddhist monk Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara would come as a warning about the extra-parliamentary methods that might be used to undermine it. The episode demonstrated that even a govt with an overwhelming parliamentary majority is not immune to political pressures that can arise outside Parliament. more..

Nov 3 (CT) SL’s Tamil Question is not an insoluble political puzzle. It is a national tragedy prolonged by generations of politicians who discovered that ethnic suspicion could be converted into electoral victory, communal fear marketed as patriotism, and the denial of another community’s dignity celebrated as the defense of one’s own. For nearly eight decades since Independence, thousands have perished, generations have suffered, and opportunities for national advancement have been sacrificed more..

Nov 3 (TM) The influence exerted by the Maha Sangha in SL politics and Sinhala Buddhist society has deep historical roots. The perception that the Maha Sangha places rulers on the throne and deposes them has been built over centuries. However, the firm stance taken by the NPP Govt, led by Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake, on the issue of once again granting a pardon to BBS General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera, who is serving a prison sentence, marked more..

Nov 3 (Island) Power not only corrupts but also blinds the wielders of it to reality. Most rulers cherish the delusion that they can perpetuate their hold on power by making oppressive laws to overcome dissent and debilitate the Opposition, ignoring protests and wise counsel. When they lose power, they become the victims of their own draconian laws. In a fast-changing world, new laws to meet emerging threats to national and public security are not optional; they are imperative. more..

Nov 3 (SO) Among the new faces elected to Parliament in 2024, Amila Prasad Siriwardana, who entered Parliament for the first time as a SJB MP, has quickly established himself within the party. He currently serves as Media Spokesperson for Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. The Gampaha District MP, who entered Parliament after a career spanning more than two decades as a private tuition teacher, has emerged as more..

Nov 3 (ST) Having a sign or a symbol tattooed on your chest or sporting long hair can be hazardous to your health, a former President of the Bar Association has warned. President’s Counsel Saliya Peiris—responding to the Justice Minister’s claim in Parliament last week that the relevant provisions applied to characteristics associated with known members of organised criminal groups and did not criminalise personal appearance—asked: ‘Who decides at the point of arrest whether more..

Nov 3 (TM) When the Cabinet decided in September last year to liquidate 33 non-functional State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), the move was rightly welcomed. Few could argue for keeping alive entities such as Mihin Lanka, Selendiva Investments or the company set up for the Hambantota Commonwealth Games bid, many of which, by the Govt's own admission, existed only as name boards. It was the low-hanging fruit of State-sector reform. more..

Nov 3 (TM) SL’s Electric Vehicle (EV) population has more than tripled in just nine months, rising from approximately 30,000 in Sept 2025 to over 100,000 by June this year, raising questions over the Govt’s preparedness to manage the rapid expansion of the sector amid serious regulatory shortcomings, policy gaps, and inadequate environmental safeguards. National Audit Office (NAO), in its performance audit report titled more..

Nov 3 (DM) I recently visited one of the primary schools in an oppressed caste village in Karainagar. The coastal village on the lagoon side of the Karainagar Island in northern Jaffna was hard to reach with the road in a disintegrating state. The little over one hundred students in the school live within walking distance. As I began the discussion with the principal about the childrens’ education and health, it became apparent that the principal had a clear understanding of not just the needs of more..

Nov 3 (DM) A major row has erupted over the execution of two Bangladeshi nationals, a man and a woman, in Saudi Arabia on Oct 14. Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said they were executed for committing an immoral act inside a mosque. No details of this immoral act have been made clear. Some unconfirmed reports say it was kissing, while others claim it was adultery. Bangladeshi govt says it wasn’t given prior notice of the executions and learnt of the event via news reports. more..