Nov 11 (DM) Credit extended to Sri Lanka's private sector reached Rs. 2.1 trillion during the first nine months of 2026, up from Rs. 1.9 trillion during the corresponding period last year, Central Bank officials told the COPF. The increase in private sector lending, inflation targeting and the stability of the banking system were among the key issues discussed at a recent COPF meeting held in Parliament under the chairmanship of MP Dr. Harsha de Silva. more..

Nov 11 (NF) SL has been entrusted with a key leadership role in regional health cooperation after Health and Mass Media Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa was elected Chair of the first BIMSTEC Health Ministers’ Meeting currently being held in Colombo. Appointment came at the opening session of the summit, which got underway on Wednesday morning, bringing together health ministers and senior representatives from the seven BIMSTEC member states: SL, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar & Thailand. more..

Nov 11 (NW) Govt plans to introduce the Metro Bus service in Jaffna next year as part of its efforts to expand the public transport service beyond Colombo, Deputy Minister of Transport Prasanna Gunasena said. He said preliminary discussions have already been held with relevant state institutions, including Road Development Authority, Provincial Transport Authority and SL Police, regarding the implementation of the service and selection of suitable routes in Jaffna. more..

Nov 11 (AD) SL Police have raised concerns over a significant increase in fatal and serious road accidents reported across the country, attributing many of the incidents to excessive speeding and reckless driving. In a statement, Police Media Division said such incidents were largely caused by motorists who disregard traffic regulations, demonstrate a lack of consideration for the safety of other road users and place human lives at risk through negligent behaviour. more..

Nov 11 (DM) Police have seized a container carrying approximately 5.7 million illegal cigarettes worth more than Rs. 600 million during a raid at a private container yard in Sedawatta. Raid was carried out on November 10 by officers of the Western Province North Crimes Division. The container, which had been imported from Dubai, was found to contain cigarettes of the Manchester brand, with an estimated market value exceeding Rs. 600 million. Two suspects, residents of Ja-Ela and Katugastota, more..

Nov 11 (NW) Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj has expressed her condolences over the death of popular social media personality Nayomi Chan, who reportedly died due to complications during childbirth. According to her family, Nayomi Chan passed away following complications related to childbirth. In a statement, Minister Paulraj expressed her deep sorrow over Nayomi Chan’s passing, highlighting her efforts to use her social media popularity to create a positive impact on society, more..

Nov 11 (TM) National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has taken steps to introduce a national code of guidelines to ensure child protection in SL. The initiative aims to minimise various forms of abuse against children. NCPA Director Shanika Malalgoda stated that the Authority receives nearly 10,000 complaints relating to child abuse annually. The need for such guidelines had arisen due to the increasing number of challenges affecting children's safety, including sexual abuse, cruelty, more..

Nov 11 (EN) Sri Lanka has launched a pilot project to replace its century-old business name registration process with a simplified, unified system that cuts registration time to just five days. The Simplified and Unified Business Name Registration (BNR) pilot was launched in Anuradhapura on Nov 10. The programme is being carried out by the Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development in partnership with the Chrysalis institute and provincial councils. more..

Nov 11 (NW) First wholesale sales centre of the Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE), rebranded as National Sathosa, was officially opened in Matara today, marking a key step in the govt’s efforts to revive the state-owned wholesale supplier. Centre, located at No. 31, Rahula Mawatha, Matara, aims to provide essential food items at reasonable wholesale prices while ensuring fair prices for local farmers. Centre will facilitate the wholesale distribution of more..

Nov 11 (NW) Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sought public assistance to identify a SL national believed to have been residing in Italy since at least 2009. In a public notice issued today, Ministry said it was seeking information to establish the identity of the individual and locate his family members or known contacts. Individual may be one of two persons identified as Gamage Sunil Sarath, born on Feb 8, 1961, in Maradana, or Fernando Noel Vianie Kumara, born on June 28, 1963, in Negombo. more..

Nov 11 (CI) If Pakistan thought they had gone into the third day of the Rawalpindi Test in a position of strength, SL showed across three dispiriting sessions for the home side how dangerous it can be to underestimate the visitors' lower middle order. Across a ruthless day of Test match batting, SL lost just the one wicket, adding 288 runs to their overnight score. Dhananjaya de Silva batted the whole day, and finished unbeaten on 167, just six runs away from matching his career best. more..

Nov 11 (NW) Minister K.D. Lal Kantha has rejected Kaduwela Mayor Ranjan Jayalal’s remarks which appeared to encourage private companies to provide festive gift parcels to public-sector employees. Responding to Jayalal’s controversial remarks, Minister Lal Kantha said the Bribery Act contains provisions prohibiting public officials from accepting gifts, stressing that even a cup of tea could be considered a bribe under certain circumstances. more..

Nov 11 (NW) Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court has issued an arrest warrant against Ven. Balangoda Kassapa Thera for failing to appear before court in connection with a case involving the alleged unauthorised installation of a Buddha statue along the Trincomalee coastline. The warrant was issued by Trincomalee Magistrate M.S.M. Samsudeen when the case was taken up for hearing today. The Magistrate ordered that Ven. Balangoda Kassapa Thera be arrested and produced before court. more..

Nov 11 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake today reviewed the final document containing the proposals of the 2027 Budget at the Presidential Secretariat, ahead of its presentation to Parliament tomorrow. The Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, was also present at the occasion. The government has made significant progress across several key sectors of the economy despite facing domestic and external challenges, including more..

Nov 11 (FT) On 12 Nov the President, Finance Minister, will present the 2027 Budget to a Parliament. The public that have grown used to fiscal good news have plethora of expectations. The numbers justify some of that optimism. In the first eight months of 2026, revenue and grants came in at Rs. 4,002 billion, an increase of 21% year-on-year and 75.5% of the annual estimate, when a pro-rata basis it would have been 66.7%. The Treasury ran an overall surplus of Rs. 35 billion for the period against more..

Nov 11 (FT) Govt serves as the primary governing institution responsible for providing public goods, enforcing law and order, ensuring economic stability, and advancing national development goals. To carry out these wide-ranging economic and social functions, the sovereign state must systematically raise revenue through taxation, duties, and non-tax channels, and strategically deploy these financial resources across public institutions. The execution of these fiscal responsibilities more..

Nov 11 (TM) People's Power against Bribery, Corruption, and Waste organisation yesterday lodged a complaint with the CIABOC over a statement made by the Kaduwela Municipal Council (MC) Mayor Ranjan Jayalal, claiming that the matter would serve as a litmus test of whether the CIABOC is prepared to independently investigate allegations involving politicians affiliated with both the Govt and the Opposition. more..

Nov 11 (NW) Central Bank has clarified that Ernst & Young (E&Y) SL remains eligible to audit licensed banks, despite restrictions imposed on two of its audit partners following the disclosure of an internal fraud at National Development Bank (NDB). In a statement issued on Tuesday, Central Bank said it had requested E&Y not to assign the Engagement Partner and Quality Assurance Partner involved in auditing NDB’s financial statements to any licensed bank audit engagements. more..

Nov 11 (Island) Rising middle-distance runner Lahiru Achintha produced yet another remarkable int'l performance to win the silver medal in the men’s 1500 metres at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal on Monday. ‎Achintha clocked 3:59.08 in a closely contested final, finishing just 0.35 seconds behind Ethiopia’s Wabi Seblega, who won the gold medal in 3:58.73. Spain’s Alex Sangil took the bronze in 3:59.70. After setting the pace of the race leading the first two laps, more..

Nov 11 (NW) SL’s major state-owned enterprises (SOEs) recorded a combined profit of Rs. 259.3 billion during the first six months of 2026, compared to Rs. 227.8 billion during the corresponding period in 2025, according to the Ministry of Finance. The increase of Rs. 31.5 billion, or approximately 13.8%, reflects improved overall financial performance despite losses at several state institutions and economic pressures arising more..

Nov 11 (TM) Met Dept stated that data indicates that an atmospheric disturbance over the south-east Bay of Bengal is expected to develop into a low-pressure area and subsequently intensify into a depression. Director General of the Dept, Ajith Wijemannage stated that its impact is likely to affect the island from 15-17 Nov. Accordingly, rainfall is expected to increase in Northern, North-Central & Eastern Provinces. However, he added that sufficient data is currently unavailable to issue precise more..

Nov 11 (DN) Four people were killed and 60 others injured in a fatal head-on collision between two buses in the Rambewa area of Anuradhapura yesterday morning, according to A'pura police. Four fatalities were reported at the Rambewa Hospital. Among the 60 injured individuals are 40 men and 20 women. The accident occurred when a SLTB bus travelling from Mullaitivu to Colombo was attempting to overtake a Colombo-bound private bus from Vavuniya while speeding, more..

Nov 11 (ST) Traders at People’s Park, in Pettah, Colombo were among those badly affected in the city after floodwaters inundated their shops. They blamed the authorities for their failure to maintain drains and called them to ensure that similar situations do not happen again. Downpours caused widespread flooding in several parts of Colombo in a very short while; at People’s Park, floodwater reached the shops 2 hours after the rain began, rising to 5 feet in basement-level shops, more..

Nov 11 (Island) Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) has brought to Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayathissa’s attention the fast spreading measles among inmates at the Welikada, Magazine, and the Colombo Remand Prisons. Top CPRP spokesperson Senaka Perera said that the deteriorating situation had even disrupted court proceedings. Civil society activist blamed the developing situation on the failure on the part of prison administration to meet basic medical more..

Nov 11 (TM) National Building Research Institute (NBRI) has identified and processed approximately 75 buildings and structures within the CMC limits for critical structural integrity audits following reports of structural distress, said Dammika Kahahengoda of Structural Engineering Research & Project Management Division at NBRI. He said that a subset of the 75 inspected structures was found to have more..

Nov 11 (FT) Cabinet has approved four road development and rehabilitation contracts worth Rs. 9.1 billion, covering national highway improvements and the restoration of roads damaged by Cyclone Ditwah. Three contracts under the National Highway Widening and Improvement Program have a combined value of Rs. 8.33 billion, while the fourth, valued at Rs. 763.98 million, covers rehabilitation and improvements to road sections in the Nawalapitiya area affected by the cyclone. more..

Nov 11 (NW) A group of fuel station owners affiliated with Sinopec, RM Parks and Lanka IOC staged a silent protest outside the World Trade Centre in Colombo on Tuesday, alleging that the companies were failing to provide adequate fuel supplies to their filling stations. The protesters later gathered outside the Presidential Secretariat, where they submitted a letter outlining their grievances. They also took steps to submit letters to CPC, Chinese Embassy & Indian HC, seeking intervention more..

Nov 11 (Island) There are no free lunches in the competitive telecom arena, and Dialog Axiata’s commanding market position is the hard-earned result of relentless, calculated capital deployment over three decades. Addressing the media at a forum held Monday at the Cinnamon Grand, Dialog Axiata Group Chief Executive Supun Weerasinghe dismantled any lingering misconceptions about the company’s industry footprint, delivering a blunt reality check to critics. more..

Nov 11 (CI) The second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has been moved from Lahore to Rawalpindi, where the first Test is currently ongoing. The PCB announced the decision was being taken due to prevailing weather conditions. Lahore is currently engulfed in severe seasonal smog, which affects parts of India and Pakistan between October and December. At the time of writing (Nov 10), Lahore has the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to IQAir, more..

Nov 11 (AD) Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has decided that no electricity tariff revision will be implemented for the fourth quarter of 2026. The Commission said its review of cost data submitted by National System Operator (NSO) initially indicated a 2.88% increase in the cost of electricity supply for the final quarter of the year. However, the NSO submitted revised cost data on Nov 9. more..

Nov 11 (FT) Treasury yesterday said the Govt of Japan has agreed to provide grant assistance amounting to ¥ 1 billion (Rs. 2.08 bil) under its Official Security Assistance (OSA) Program 2026 to further strengthen the defence and maritime surveillance capabilities of the SL Navy. Exchange of Notes pertaining to this grant assistance was signed on 10 Nov by Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma on behalf of Govt of SL, and Ambassador of Japan Akio Isomata more..

Nov 11 (DM) Shangri-La’s two SL hotels more than tripled their after-tax profit to US$ 6.8 million in the first half of 2026, as the occupancy at Shangri-La Colombo and Shangri-La Hambantota climbed sharply, even while SL’s tourist arrivals dipped, interim results filed by Hong Kong-listed parent Shangri-La Asia Limited showed. The profit, which reflects the parent’s 90% stake in both properties, compares with US$ 1.9 million a year earlier, while the hotel revenue rose 7.7% to US$ 21 mil, more..