Nov 10 (ST) The CIABOC is locked in a tug-of-war with the govt over who controls its purse strings. CIABOC Director General (DG) Ranga Dissanayake insists that the framers of the Anti-Corruption Act (ACA) of 2023 intended to create a highly independent—that means, one hundred percent independent—Bribery Commission. Under that law, it is interpreted that the Commission has the authority to decide its own budget, more..

Nov 10 (SLN) During an operation conducted on the night of 09 Nov 25, the SL Navy and Coast Guard seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended 14 Indian fishermen, while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters off the Analativu Island, Jaffna. Recognizing the detrimental effects of poaching on marine resources and the livelihoods of local fishing communities, SL Navy and Coast Guard continue to conduct regular operations as proactive measures to deter such activities. more..

Nov 10 (AD) The Court of Appeal today ordered that the writ petition filed by Attorney-at-Law Gunaratne Wanninayake —seeking an order preventing his arrest by police over an incident that occurred within the Mount Lavinia Magistrate’s Court premises—be taken up once again on Jan 14, 2026. The petition was called before a bench of the Court of Appeal comprising its President, Justice Rohantha Abeysooriya and Justice Priyantha Fernando. At the hearing, Prez’s Counsel Upul Jayasuriya, more..

Nov 10 (FT) NPP Govt’s second Budget was a unique opportunity to make innovative public policy. Sadly, the opportunity may be missed. But there still is time. Public Financial Management Act (PFMA), No. 44 of 2024, which extends the revenue and expenditure limits of 15.3% and 13% of GDP, respectively, beyond the duration of the Extended Fund Facility constitutes a disciplinary framework. Our Budget makers are not used to this kind of discipline. But such limits will keep us safe more..

Nov 10 (FT) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake or AKD, in a marathon Budget speech taking more than four and a half hours to finish, presented his second Budget for 2026 in Parliament last week. Though it is an exhausting exercise, throughout the Budget speech, there was the usual calm composure which he maintains when addressing the public countering the occasional catcalls of opposition members with well-articulated humour treating everyone with a savouring appetiser. more..

Nov 10 (DM) Indian intelligence agencies have issued a serious alert over a new alliance forming between the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate and remnants of the LTTE. Officials say the D-syndicate is now exploiting South Indian and SL routes to expand its drug trade after suffering major losses in western and northern India. D-syndicate, long known for its narcotics and smuggling networks, has been hit hard in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and other more..

Nov 10 (FT) Minister Ananda Wijepala yesterday revealed that seven SL nationals involved in drug trafficking and currently hiding in Middle Eastern countries have indicated their readiness to surrender to local authorities. The Minister made the disclosure, while participating in the Colombo District Operation held under the Ratam Ekata national anti-drug campaign at the Colombo District Secretariat. Wijepala said the development marks a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts more..

Nov 10 (TM) All arrangements have been made for the 2025 GCE A/L examination, which is scheduled to commence today. The examination will be held at 2,362 centres islandwide and will continue until 5 Dec. A total of 345,525 candidates have qualified to sit for this year’s examination, comprising 246,521 school candidates and 94,004 private candidates. 325 examination coordination centres and 32 divisional paper collecting centres have been established across the country more..

Nov 10 (DN) PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that this year’s Budget covers all sectors of the country, and that the Govt does not act based on short-term personal agendas or interests. PM made these remarks in Parliament while commenting on the Appropriation Bill presented for 2026 on Saturday. PM stated: If the MPs, setting aside the divisions, had truly listened to the Prez’s Budget speech, they would have more..

Nov 10 (Island) The Maldives Coast Guard has seized a Lankan fishing vessel carrying a massive stock of narcotics, with a street value of over Rs. 3 billion. Five Lankan fishermen on board were arrested in what authorities believe to be one of the region’s largest recent drug interceptions. Defence Ministry sources said that the operation had been conducted, based on intelligence shared by the Sri Lanka Navy. The vessel was found to be carrying approximately 300 kilos of heroin and more..

Nov 10 (TM) In the wake of reports that Indian intelligence agencies have uncovered a new alliance between Indian organised crime group Dawood Ibrahim syndicate and remnants of the LTTE, Ministry of Public Security stated the Police and other relevant authorities would take firm action against any illegal activity taking place within Sri Lanka. Responding to questions about the alleged collaboration, Minister Ananda Wijepala said that he was not aware of this particular information more..

Nov 10 (FT) ITAK has urged Prez Dissanayake not to appoint members with security backgrounds to the Office of Reparations (OoR), which has four vacancies. In a letter to the Prez, the ITKA has stated that it reliably understands that four names have been recommended for the four vacant positions in the OoR and that two of those names – Wasantha Perera and Joseph Sundaram – have security sector backgrounds. It stated that the OoR was generally promoted as a mechanism more..

Nov 10 (Island) Electricity consumers have criticised the budget allocations for the Power Sector Reform Secretariat (PSRS), alleging wasteful spending and attempts to undermine renewable energy development. Addressing a press conference in Veyangoda, Electricity Consumers’ Association National Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika questioned the govt’s decision to allocate Rs. 78 million to the PSRS, which was originally established to function on a voluntary basis. more..

Nov 10 (FT) The Govt has moved to slash long-term tax concessions granted under the Strategic Development Projects (SDP) Act, with the publication of the Strategic Development Projects (Amd) Bill, 2025 in the Gazette issued on 7 Nov. The amendments seek to limit tax holidays to 10 years from the previous 25 years, strengthen oversight, and introduce transparency measures for investment-related tax expenditures. more..

Nov 10 (EN) SL’s private credit hit a new monthly high of 236.3 billion rupees in Sept 2025, up from the previous high of 226.8 billion rupees, taking total credit disbursed so far this year to 1,364 billion rupees. 12-month private credit growth hit 22.1% in Sept 2025, up from 20.5% in August. However, credit is growing from a low base. Except for the last quarter of 2024, when aggressive inflationary open market operations were deployed to suppress rates and distort the workings of interbank market, more..

Nov 10 (Island) They may not have too many trophies to show for their efforts, but since the disappointment of finishing ninth at the 2023 World Cup — which shut the door on Champions Trophy qualification — SL have moved on with a real sense of purpose, tightening screws in key areas of their white-ball game. Fielding and fitness, long the Achilles heel, have been given a serious polish. During the recent Asia Cup in the UAE, the islanders looked the sharpest fielding outfit in more..

Nov 10 (FT) Sri Lanka’s workers’ remittances soared to $ 712 million in October 2025, the highest monthly inflow so far this year and the second-highest in the country’s history, reflecting strong overseas worker earnings and sustained recovery in external inflows. According to the latest data released by the CB, October’s figure marks a 21.2% year-on-year (YoY) increase, extending the streak of record inflows for the 7th consecutive month. Surge underscores the continued resilience of SL expatriates, more..

Nov 10 (EN) State-run SriLankan Airlines will be re-looked at if the plan by the new board and current management fails, Prez said delivering budget speech for 2025. “We all think there is a need for a national carrier,” Prez said. “The there is question before all of us whether this much of a cost should be borne by the people to keep it. The govt has had discussions with the Board and Management. “They have given a strong plan. They have given confidence that this company can be re-built. more..

Nov 10 (ST) Three days after closing the tender for an expedited multibillion-rupee double cab tender, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced in his budget speech that every MP will receive a pickup truck each. Finance Ministry’s tender to buy 1,775 diesel-powered double cabs closed on Nov 4, seven working days after it was first advertised. On Friday, Prez said every MP would be given a fully-insured double cab, more..

Nov 10 (SO) Pelwatte Dairy Industries plans to expand its exports to Japan and Saudi Arabia in the near future to widen the presence of the SL brand in the global market. At present, the company is working on exporting butter to the two countries with the Export Development Board and once the path is clear exports would commence. “We hope to dispatch the first consignments to these countries shortly when the green light is on,” Chairman Pelwatte Dairy, Ariyaseela Wickramanayake more..

Nov 10 (FT) Colombo Port City Economic Commission Chairman Harsha Amarasekera, said the project has the potential to become the single catalyst of growth for Sri Lanka, positioning the island as the Switzerland of the region for trade, investment and services, backed by an attractive incentive regime and renewed policy stability. He said the Port City, as the country’s first and only service-oriented Special Economic Zone (SEZ), can connect SL to high-value global sectors more..

Nov 10 (FT) SJB MP Harsha de Silva has slammed the 2026 Budget as a betrayal of public trust, built on false narratives and unrealistic promises. “In my detailed response to the 2026 Budget speech, I exposed a Govt that has not only failed to deliver on its core election promises but has presented a Budget that is a betrayal of the very people who voted for it,” he said. While acknowledging that the Govt has maintained more..

Nov 10 (CT) Free Trade Zone Manufacturers Association (FTZMA) has raised concerns over the increasing number of vessel omissions at the Port of Colombo, warning that the situation is severely affecting Sri Lanka’s exporters and undermining the country’s status as a regional shipping hub. In a letter to the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, the FTZMA said that the frequent skipping of Colombo by mainline operators in recent months has created production bottlenecks, more..

Nov 10 (FT) Hemas Holdings’s consolidated earnings in 2Q of FY26 rose by 36.6% to Rs. 2.1 billion compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, driven by robust revenue growth across all its business sectors. This growth in revenue, together with sustained operating margins, contributed to a 13% increase in operating profit which grew to Rs. 3.5 billion. Further, net interest cost decreased by 78.9% during the quarter benefitting from reduced interest rates and more..

Nov 10 (FT) Ceylon Federation of MSME President Mahendra Perera criticised the 2026 Budget for failing to provide relief to struggling micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and warning that the reduction of the VAT threshold and lack of credit access could further strain both enterprises and consumers. Perera said while the Government had introduced several new loan schemes for MSMEs, there was no meaningful support for businesses that have suffered losses over the past five years. more..

Nov 10 (FT) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said the Budget 2026 maintains a clear trajectory of policy predictability, fiscal consolidation, and disciplined debt management, continuing the stability required for Sri Lanka’s medium-term reform agenda. “This consistency is critical for sustaining a transformative growth trajectory that is underpinned by low inflation, stable interest rates and renewed investor confidence,” it said in a statement. With economic recovery driven primarily by more..

Nov 10 (TM) Govt’s proposal to remove the Special Commodity Levy (SCL) imposed on imported coconut oil and palm oil will damage the domestic coconut oil industry, local producers claim. Govt has noted that the policy, scheduled to be implemented from April 2026, where the SCL on imported oil will be replaced with the general tax structure, including the VAT and Social Security Contribution Levy (SSCL), intends to create more..

Nov 10 (Island) A landmark Indo–Lanka Policy Dialogue on Regional Environmental Cooperation, held recently at the Uni of Colombo, has charted a bold new path for strengthening bilateral environmental collaboration between the two neighbours. The event, jointly organised by Faculty of Law & Centre for Environmental Law and Policy (CELP) of the Uni of Colombo in collaboration with the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) and Amity Law School, more..

Nov 10 (DM) Three years ago, Sri Lanka was on its knees. Queues for fuel snaked for kilometres, electricity cuts plunged homes into darkness, and the shelves of pharmacies and supermarkets lay bare. It was not only an economic collapse — it was a collapse of confidence, governance, and faith. People felt abandoned by the very system meant to protect them. As 2025 draws to a close, the picture looks very different. The economy, once in free fall, is slowly finding its balance. more..

Nov 10 (Island) Underworld killings have resumed, after a brief lull, giving the lie to the NPP politicians’ claim that the recent arrests of some criminals, such as Kehelbaddara Padme, have dealt a paralysing blow to the underworld. Such arrests are no doubt essential and welcome, but voids they create in the underworld do not last long, for there are many dangerous criminals vying for supremacy. Amidst media reports of a series of successful anti-drug raids in this country, disturbing news has more..

Nov 10 (CT) SL is a land blessed by history. From the ancient city kingdoms of A'pura and Polonnaruwa to the rock temple complex of Sigiriya, our terrain is softened by ruins and relics that echo a past of splendour. Yet, for far too long, this precious cultural and archaeological inheritance has been treated as an afterthought rather than a priority. Now, with the 2025 National Budget of SL offering fresh allocations to the Dept of Archaeology (Rs 341 mil recurrent and Rs 1,706 mil development) more..