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 budget would work out more..

Nov 22 (FT) Right to Information Commission (RTIC) has warned that chronic understaffing and ignored statutory safeguards are weakening SL’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 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 9 months to end-Sept, compared to a Rs. 152b 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 (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 (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 CID have been transferred as 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 & additional considerations. 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 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 (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 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 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 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) 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 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..

Nov 21 (CT) Families of missing persons from across SL — including relatives of those who disappeared during the civil conflict, families of missing migrants, and representatives from associations advocating for the disappeared — participated in the 4th International Conference for Families of Missing Persons, hosted by ICRC delegations and Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide, from 11–13 Nov. 4th Int'l Conference for Families of Missing Persons more..

Nov 21 (EN) Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Industries is opening 10 industrial parks for entrepreneurs, with land availability being identified as a key barrier, Deputy Minister Chaturanga Abeysinghe said. This year 10 industrial estates are being built under the Industries Ministry. “Three have been completed, and the Sooriyawewa, Raigam, and Alhuthapola ones can start in early 2026,” Abeysinghe told parliament on Friday. He said the government had allocated land to 50 businesses this year. more..

Nov 21 (AD) Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arun Hemachandra, met with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas in Brussels. During the meeting on 20 Nov, EU High Representative Kallas—an accomplished European leader and former PM of Estonia—engaged in productive discussions with Dy Minister more..

Nov 21 (DM) SL’s coconut sector is aiming for a major boost in its annual yield, targeting 4.2 billion high-grade coconuts as part of its production goals. Coconut Cultivation Board Chairman Dr. Sunimal Jayakody said that Treasury funds allocated for coconut plantations in 2026 have increased when compared to previous years. He noted that coconut plantations declined last year due to a shortage of compost, including the unavailability of APH compost, which affected overall cultivation. more..

Nov 21 (AM) A legal controversy has emerged involving Sri Lankan cricketer Chamika Karunaratne following a lawsuit filed by a woman alleging that he is the father of her two-month-old child. The plaintiff has petitioned the court for a DNA test and is seeking maintenance, citing the cricketer’s alleged failure to meet his parental responsibilities. According to the plaintiff, Karunaratne has refused to acknowledge paternity or allow his name to be used for the child. more..

Nov 21 (EN) SL may again see solar power linked grid instability early next year when demand falls, Minister Kumara Jayakody said, outlining the investments being made to counter the problem over time. “We have received warnings of grid instability early next year, just like this year due to the electricity grid due to low demand and high solar power,” Minister said. SL was hit by a so-called Sunny Sunday blackout last year, more..

Nov 21 (AM) Independent MP Ramanathan Archchuna today told Parliament that Puttalam District MP Faizal of the NPP had threatened to kill him. Archchuna said that under Standing Order 27(2), he had raised a question regarding the Puttalam Hospital with Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, when MP Faizal became agitated and directed a death threat at him. Although the Speaker initially ruled that it was not a matter of order, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and more..

Nov 21 (AD) Maha Jana Handa public rally, organized by several opposition parties in protest against the govt, is scheduled to commence today at the Ananda Samarakoon Open Air Theatre in Nugegoda. Opposition political representatives had visited the venue this morning (21) to inspect the preparations for the event, Ada Derana reporter said. However, SJB, SB, and NFF have announced that they will not participate in the rally. Meanwhile, Police Media Division had issued a statement more..

Nov 21 (AD) A large quantity of narcotics has been seized thus far under the Nation United – National Drive campaign, launched on Oct 30, aimed at eradicating the drug menace from the country. 23,550 suspects have been arrested following a total of 23,891 raids conducted across the island as of yesterday under the operation. Authorities have also commenced investigations into illicit assets linked to 26 suspects apprehended during the operations. Meanwhile, during these operations, more..

Nov 21 (FT) Hatton National Bank (HNB) won the coveted Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Award 2025 at the 22nd Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability (BCCS) Awards organised by The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel. Commercial Bank of Ceylon and Hemas Holdings were adjudged the first & second runners-up, respectively. Annual BCCS Awards are the premier corporate citizenship award and highlight sustainability champions more..

Nov 21 (Island) Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) has urged India to use its leverage over Sri Lanka to secure a permanent political solution acceptable to what the party called the Eelam Tamil nation, stressing that the current moment presents an unprecedented opportunity that must not be wasted. The remarks were made during a recent meeting between a TNPF delegation, led by party leader and Jaffna MP Gajendrakumar more..

Nov 21 (Island) The Special Sub-Committee appointed on Western Province Waste Management convened on 19 th of Nov at the Parliament premises with the participation of PM Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. The discussion was focused on the current status of managing municipal solid waste generated through households, streets, institutions, and businesses , challenges, and way forward in the Western Province. Extended discussions were also held on issues such as lack of designated, more..

Nov 21 (NW) Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe has rejected claims by Opposition MP Chaminda Wijesiri that the newly opened govt sugar outlet selling brown sugar has failed, saying sales have exceeded expectations within days of its launch. Wijesiri, a SJB MP, said the sugar outlet had been unsuccessful, accusing the govt of poor planning and execution. Responding to the criticism, Abeysinghe said the outlet had been in operation for only nine days and had already recorded more..