Nov 18 (TM) In the wake of allegations that the Education Ministry did not adequately consult the teachers’ trade unions (TUs) on the upcoming education reforms – particularly the extension of school hours – the Ministry stated that while it had provided multiple opportunities for the unions to present their views, certain unions had however failed to engage meaningfully. Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa said that the Ministry had more..

Nov 18 (DN) SL’s promising batsman Pavan Ratnayake has been added to SL squad for the T20 tri-series in Pakistan which will commence today at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Pakistan will meet Zimbabwe in the opening match today. 23-year-old right handed player Ratnayake who made his debut in ODI on Sunday has been added to the T-20 squad following several members of the team having fallen ill. Skipper Charith Asalanka and Asitha Fernando both having fever while Wanindu Hasaranga more..

Nov 18 (TM) In the wake of reports that the Govt plans to overhaul the Right to Information (RTI) Act, No. 12 of 2016, the RTI Commission states the current plan is to revise the existing fee structure, not amend the Act. RTI Commission's Director General K.D.S. Ruwanchandra clarified that fees for official record requests under the RTI Act are determined through a gazette notification, and therefore, any changes would require amending the relevant gazette rather than altering the Act. more..

Nov 18 (FT) Free Trade Zone Manufacturers' Association (FTZMA) has agreed on a general wage increase of Rs 3,000 for workers in 2026, following a decision reached by a majority of member companies at a Special General Meeting held on 28 Oct. In a notice issued to member firms, Association said the proposed increase reflects the current economic environment and the cost pressures faced by export manufacturers, more..

Nov 18 (FT) Vidullanka PLC said that it has acquired a 30% equity stake in SAFE Power International Ltd, a company which secured the licenses to develop a 10MW wind power plant in Alankuda in Kalpitiya. The transaction concluded on 14 Nov, which saw Vidullanka investing Rs. 225 million to secure the stake from Arinma Power Ltd, the promoters of the proposed Alankuda wind power project. This acquisition marks Vidullanka’s entry into wind power development in addition to more..

Nov 18 (FT) In a groundbreaking moment for Sri Lanka’s creative and event marketing industry, Ride Colombo 2025 has been honoured with the Platinum Award at the prestigious MarCom Awards 2025, under the category of Strategic Communications – Digital Marketing Campaign. This marks the first time in history that a Sri Lankan initiative has won a MarCom Award, setting a new benchmark for excellence in digital communication and creative strategy. more..

Nov 18 (FT) SLT-Mobitel Mobile said yesterday it has set a new benchmark in Sri Lanka’s digital journey achieving the highest-ever 5G speeds in the country, exceeding 10Gbps recently, on its advanced 5G Standalone (SA) ready network, under TRCSL 5G trial approval. The milestone surpasses previous records and demonstrates SLT-Mobitel’s commitment to driving Sri Lanka’s digital evolution with cutting-edge technology and future-ready connectivity. more..

Nov 18 (FT) Green Tape, Sri Lanka’s cutting-edge integrated digital procurement ecosystem, has reached a major milestone with the execution of its 10,000th tender; underscoring the growing shift toward transparent, accountable, and sustainable business practices. The tender, for the supply of electronics and computer hardware, was called by Alliance Finance Company PLC, and the successful bidder was Leosys Corporation, which joined the platform in late 2024. more..

Nov 18 (TM) SL expects to increase its tourist arrivals from China in the first quarter of the year, with the opening of a Consulate General office in Chengdu, Sichuan Province in China, Minister Vijitha Herath told parliament. “We expect next year, in the first quarter, to open a Consulate General office in the city of Chengdu, China. There are Consulate General offices operating in a few cities across China at present,” Herath said more..

Nov 18 (Island) The govt has been continuously demonstrating an ambivalence to the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the constitution under which the provincial council system has been established. In its election manifesto, the NPP said it did not agree that provincial councils were the answer to the ethnic conflict. However, it also recognised that the Tamil and Muslim communities believed the provincial council system was in their interests. more..

Nov 18 (Island) NPP govt is busy building walls of secrecy. It has already erected quite a few of them around vital pacts and MoUs it entered into with some foreign powers. This is in sharp contrast to what Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake and other JVP seniors asked the previous govts to do while they were Opposition MPs. They demanded that such agreements and MoUs be made public immediately. Opposition has called upon the govt to disclose the contents of a defence MoU more..

Nov 18 (GV) There is, quite rightly, a public outcry when a tusker is killed. There are probably less than two dozen mature tuskers left on the island, if that. This year over 350 wild elephants have been killed to date, with over 100 humans also succumbing to the conflict. Since 2010, almost 5,000 elephants have died and this number is continuing to rise. A recent census (final results still pending) conducted in 2024 estimated that there were between 6,000 and 7,000 wild elephants in Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 18 (CT) Ceylon Today commemorates its 14th anniversary today, at a time when print media stands at a pivotal moment, both for the nation and for the entire landscape of information and communication in SL. In a time when algorithms are shaping the very fabric of perceived reality, trapping citizens in echo chambers that dissolve the boundary between fact and fiction, print media and journalism stand as a sentinel against sensationalism and bias, delivering clear information unbiased, vetted, more..

Nov 18 (SO) The 36th commemoration of the JVP’s November Martyrs is not only a moment to remember its leaders who sacrificed their lives for the oppressed, including JVP founder Rohana Wijeweera, but also to reflect on the journey of the party they built. Over the decades, the long serving General Secretary of the JVP, Tilvin Silva has guided the party through imprisonment, political splits, and immense challenges, more..

Nov 18 (DM) Sex education has been a taboo topic in Sri Lanka. But perverseness strangely is not. A man could simply expose his private parts and harass a foreigner, and those who have been going to town against sex education are nowhere to be seen. But such incidents are enough proof to justify why this country needs comprehensive sex education. Every time the topic of sex education emerges, many influential people protest against the govt. They talk about more..

Nov 18 (TM) In next year’s (2026) Budget that has been presented, the Govt has allocated Rs. 5 billion to settle the outstanding arrears of statutory payments – EPF, ETF, gratuity allowances and taxes – owed by 10 State-owned enterprises (SOEs). Total arrears stand at Rs. 11 billion, a staggering amount that shows the deep financial struggles faced by these institutions. Among these SOEs are notable entities like Lanka Sugar Company Ltd, State Plantations Corporation, Rupavahini Corp, more..

Nov 18 (TM) Despite fuel price reductions and increments approved for welfare schemes over the last year, the cost of living (CoL) for the common man remains unbearable. The prolonged effect of such austerity has led to many questions about why the Govt has failed to provide the relief it promised, while seeking clarity about the State’s plans to address the issue. Following the double whammy of the Covid pandemic and more..

Nov 18 (ST) The Head of the Catholic Church in Lanka, Cardinal Ranjith Malcolm, in a pulpit blast last Sunday, made a scathing attack on govt plans to radically reform education and enthrone literature promoting LGBTQs as the third sex of the human species in school classrooms, with students brainwashed in their formative years to accept this freak deviation of nature as part and parcel of natural life. There were no three sexes of all species on earth that Noah boarded on his Ark before more..

Nov 18 (CT) The JVP held its 36th commemoration of November Heroes at the Viharamahadevi Open Air Theatre on Thursday (13). The stage arrangement – mise-en-scčne, the bright red painted background with a single large beaming figure of Rohana Wijeweera wearing a Che Guevara Beret with a white star (Che’s Beret star was deep red). The stage accommodated the party’s Politburo and Central Committee heavy wights. It was theatre for the core ranks of JVP veterans. more..

Nov 17 (AD) The decision to remove the Buddha statue from the premises of the Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Bodhiraja Viharaya in Trincomalee was taken as a precautionary measure, Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala stated in Parliament today. Minister noted that since police received information that the statue might be damaged, officers decided to remove it from the premises. A heated situation arose last night when police officers took steps to remove a Buddha statue more..

Nov 17 (AD) Four defendants including former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, his son Ramith Rambukwella and his daughter have been served indictments before the Colombo High Court in two separate cases filed by the CIABOC. The indictments were served before the Colombo High Court Judge Mohamed Mihal. The charges were filed in two cases filed against Keheliya Rambukwella, his son Ramith Rambukwella, his daughter Amali Rambukwella and more..

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. 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 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. 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 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 9 Nov 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..