Nov 9 (SO) Jayden de Silva of Stafford International School set the tone for a thrilling first day at the 30th Inter-International Schools Swimming Championship 2025 yesterday, breaking a 10-year-old Boys’ Under-16 100m backstroke meet record at the Sugathadasa Swimming Pool Complex. The 15-year-old national squad member clocked 1:04.25s to win gold, erasing the previous record of 1:05.84s set by Vihanga Perera of Gateway College, Colombo in 2015. more..

Nov 9 (NW) Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath meets Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group leadership in Saudi Arabia. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath met with the top management of Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Services Group, one of the leading healthcare providers in the Middle East, during his official visit to Saudi Arabia. The Minister also undertook a brief tour of the group’s state-of-the-art medical facility, which is equipped with advanced technology and AI-driven systems. more..

Nov 9 (EN) Sri Lanka’s central bank has tightened credit for private commercial vehicles by reducing the loans value banks and finance companies can give to customers, with effect from Nov 8, 2025. Under the new direction, loan to value ratio for commercial vehicles has been cut to 70% from 80%. For motor cars, vans and SUVs the ratio has been cut to 50% from 60%. Three wheelers remain at 50%. more..

Nov 9 (NW) The organisers of the Galle Literary Festival have announced that the 2026 edition of the event will be postponed. They said the decision was made to allow time to review and strengthen the festival’s organisational structure and to secure a sustainable path forward. “We know this isn’t the news many were hoping for, and trust us, we feel the same,” the statement read. Since its inception in 2007, the Galle Literary Festival has been one of SL’s most celebrated cultural events, more..

Nov 9 (TM) Sri Lanka selectors on Friday (7) recalled hard-hitting middle-order batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa with pace bowler Eshan Malinga being in line to make his One-Day International (ODI) debut, as they named the two white-ball squads for the upcoming ODI series and tri-series also involving Zimbabwe in Pakistan. The Sanath Jayasuriya-coached side left the country last morning (8) after taking part in religious observances at the SLC Headquarters in Colombo. more..

Nov 9 (ST) Eleven years ago, in the middle of a World Cup campaign, Dinesh Chandimal did something few Sri Lankan captains would have ever dared to do. He stepped aside. With his form deserting him and the team wobbling, he handed over the captaincy to Lasith Malinga midway through the ICC World T20 in 2014. What followed is now part of cricketing history as SL, under Malinga’s stewardship, stormed to their long-awaited global title in Dhaka. more..

Nov 9 (NW) Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has voiced concern over what he described as an inappropriate sexual education program being prepared for inclusion in SL’s school curriculum next year. Speaking at the reopening of the renovated St. Stephen’s Church in the Meerigama–Kinadeniya area, Cardinal Ranjith said the initiative, set to begin in January under planned education reforms, is being developed under the influence of int'l organizations. more..

Nov 9 (SO) Sri Lanka went down 0-3 to the defending champions Kyrgyzstan in the semi-final of the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Women’s Under-19 Volleyball Championships at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo yesterday. SL started the first set trailing 8-12 but quickly gained momentum, levelling at 14-all. The set went down to the wire with Kyrgyzstan narrowly taking it 26-24. In the second set, SL began strongly, scoring four straight points while Kyrgyzstan struggled, more..

Nov 9 (ST) Sri Lanka will meet India in their last final ‘Bowl’ fixture this morning after both teams failed to enter the main draw in the Hong Kong Sixes cricket tournament, which draws to an end at Mong Kok in Hong Kong today. SL who lost both their Group ‘D’ games against Hong Kong and Bangladesh on day one, came back strong winning both their ‘Bowl’ fixtures yesterday. However, SL has already secured a passage to the Bowl finals, having already won both their games in the segment, more..

Nov 9 (TM) The decision made by Kandy SC (KSC) – the defending champions of the League and Knockout club tournaments – to desist from employing any foreign players during the upcoming rugby season will not make a decisive difference to their title aspirations, according to a few former stars of the game. The 2025-’26 inter-club rugby season is scheduled to kick off on Friday (14), when last season’s Runners-Up Havelock SC host Navy SC at Havelock Park. more..

Nov 9 (ST) Prez made sure he did not forget the welfare of pet animals when he presented the Budget to Parliament. Among the budget proposals was one to allocate Rs.100 million to develop a system to take care of stray dogs and pets in urban areas in collaboration with the local authorities as facilities for the burial and cremation of pets. Rs.100 million allocated will be to implement a pilot project in the local authorities of Kesbewa and Piliyandala areas, more..

Nov 9 (TM) There was a time when the United National Party (UNP) was the single largest political party with the largest vote bank. Its main rival, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), was able to defeat the UNP in the elections only through alliances with other parties, particularly with the Left. In the last century, we saw the UNP garner more total votes across the country, even in the few General Elections in which SLFP-led coalitions won and formed the government. more..

Nov 9 (Island) The JVP-led NPP govt has apparently taken a leaf out of its immediate predecessor’s book, where election postponements are concerned. It has said the much-delayed Provincial Council (PC) elections will be held only after the completion of the delimitation process, which is a prerequisite for the implementation of the mixed proportional system. Election Commission (EC) is reported to have said the completion of the delimitation process will take about one year. more..

Nov 9 (ST) The first day’s debate on the second reading of Budget 2026 saw sparks fly between the govt and opposition benches yesterday, hinting at more stormy exchanges among MPs in the coming days and weeks. Opening the second reading debate for the opposition, SJB MP Dr Harsha De Silva pushed back against President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s denial during his budget speech the previous day that his govt was headed towards a constitutional dictatorship. more..

Nov 9 (ST) My dear Tilvin sahodaraya and Nihal sahodaraya, I thought of writing to you because, even though Anura sahodaraya was busy presenting his Budget on Friday, that has been overshadowed by someone whose wife is a maalimaawa local councillor being arrested, allegedly with a stock of heroin. This is not exactly the news you wanted to hear, is it? After all, it was only last week that Anura sahodaraya made a stirring speech at the Sugathadasa Stadium and launched a campaign to rid the country of more..

Nov 9 (TM) Presenting the second budget of the JVP-led NPP Govt on Friday, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) firmly stated that the country would not face another economic crisis come 2028, as predicted by Opposition parties. He said the Govt would not allow the country to slide back into a crisis. The 2026 Budget seemed focused mostly on development and increasing investments, while the provision of relief to the masses, more..

Nov 9 (CT) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Budget 2026, presented on November 7, 2025, signals a clear shift from crisis management to strategic economic transformation. The main message is that fiscal consolidation and inclusive development are not opposing priorities but essential, interconnected elements for long-term national resilience. The budget successfully navigates the challenging dual mandate of meeting international fiscal requirements (IMF targets) more..

Nov 9 (CT) SL’s 2026 Budget arrives with the air of cautious optimism, though perhaps a little too cautious for a nation still struggling to regain its economic footing. After years of hardship and painful adjustment, the public might have expected a more decisive vision, one that goes beyond stabilising spreadsheets and speaks directly to people’s lived realities. Instead, what we see is a document that talks of balance and recovery but often feels more like a holding operation; more..

Nov 9 (CT) In unveiling his maiden Budget, Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake did more than read out a set of fiscal projections. He delivered a political statement, draped in restraint and conviction — a declaration that the NPP govt could marry compassion with competence, and equity with efficiency. The Budget, therefore, is not just an economic document but a test of political credibility. For a country still bearing the scars of the more..

Nov 9 (TM) While Budget 2026 will go down as a masterclass in political performance, it failed where it matters most: policy. Fifteen months later and into its second budget, the NPP Govt stands accused not of breaking the old political mould, but of perfecting it: replacing policy with performance, promises with posturing, and governance with grandstanding. The past 15 months have revealed one undeniable truth, the NPP’s leadership is blessed with extraordinary performance skills. more..

Nov 9 (SO) As President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in his Budget 2026 speech on Friday, Sri Lanka has spent US$ 1.3 billion on vehicle imports since the personal car import ban was lifted in February this year. In terms of the number of vehicles imported, this is equivalent to around 60,000 cars and other vehicles (including three wheelers) and more than 100,000 motorcycles and scooters. While this seems to be a high volume for a small island like Sri Lanka, more..

Nov 8 (FT) President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Disanayake yesterday in Parliament presented a Budget for 2026 and beyond delivering broadly beneficial measures to the people, public and private sectors, all of whom are key stakeholders. In tandem with the President’s 2026 Budget presentation in Parliament which lasted four hours, Treasury also released a public-friendly version titled Citizens Budget. more..

Nov 8 (FT) Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday accused the Govt of betraying public trust through a Budget that offers no tangible relief to the people, claiming it appears to have been scripted by a top official of the IMF. Speaking to journalists following the presentation of Budget 2026 in Parliament, he said the Govt had failed to deliver on its promises and had instead abandoned citizens struggling with the cost of living. “This is a two-tongued Govt. more..

Nov 8 (FT) The 2026 Budget presented yesterday by President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Disanayake has given a big boost for Sri Lanka’s aspiration of becoming a digital economy. The Govt will invest Rs. 35.6 billion to advance digitisation across the country with Disanayake expecting these measures to promote inclusive digital access. The President said Sri Lanka has a high potential to emerge as a regional hub for setting up data centres. “There are many crucial steps that more..

Nov 8 (FT) President Anura Kumara Disanayake yesterday wooed foreign investors with the 2026 Budget presented in Parliament. An investor is an asset to us, President said during his speech and added Sri Lanka will continue to attract foreign investment through a transparent and rules-based mechanism. He said that the NPP Govt has changed the way Sri Lanka looks at foreign investors and their attitude. more..

Nov 8 (EN) Sri Lanka’s debt service in 2025 amounts to US$ 2,435 million of which 1,948 million dollars has been paid by September, Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake said. “Another US$ 487 million is to be paid by Dec 31 of this year,” Prez said. In 2024, SL serviced debt of 1,674 million dollars, he said. There is a narrative that SL’s debt repayment will begin in 2028. SL’s Treasury at the moment uses new loans from multilaterals and reserves from the central bank to repay debt. more..

Nov 8 (FT) The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) yesterday welcomed the Govt’s 2026 Budget, recognising its emphasis on export-led growth, investment facilitation, and continued macroeconomic stability. It said the industry body commended the clear direction towards strengthening SL’s external sector and building investor confidence, while also urging consistent implementation of reforms to sustain momentum. The apparel industry, SL’s largest industrial more..

Nov 8 (EN) Sri Lanka will reduce the threshold for VAT to 36 million rupees a year from the current 60 million rupees, effective April next year, according to a budget for 2026. Some businesses which were splitting their businesses in two avoid paying VAT will be brought in to the VAT by reducing the threshold, he said. The maximum import duty rate will be raised from 20% to 30%, though para tariffs will be phased out. SL has high protectionist taxes made up of import duties, CES and PAL, more..

Nov 8 (FT) The Colombo stock market ended the week on a positive note yesterday, with both key indices rising sharply as investors reacted favourably to the Budget presented by Prez and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Disanayake. The benchmark ASPI gained by 0.98% or 225 points and the active S&P SL20 by 1.13%. During the week, the ASPI and the S&P SL20 gained 2.3% and 2.7% respectively. Turnover yesterday was Rs. 6.7 billion whilst the average for the week was Rs. 5.73 billion. more..

Nov 8 (FT) Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairperson Krishan Balendra last night hailed Budget 2026 as a continuation of the country’s post-crisis fiscal discipline and stability, describing it as a key turning point that could usher in a new era of sustained low inflation, stable interest rates and renewed investor confidence. Speaking at a post-Budget panel discussion organised by EY SL for the 25th consecutive year, more..

Nov 8 (FT) Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has appointed Riyaaz Rasheed as its new CEO. In a professional career spanning over 34 years, Rasheed counts 29 years in the field of telecommunications, working for subsidiaries of multinational corporations like Millicom International Cellular SA of Luxemburg (Millicom), Emirates Telecommunication Group Company PJSC (Etisalat) and CK Hutchison Group (Hutchison). Rasheed started his professional career at Ernst & Young. more..

Nov 8 (AD) The Ape Janabala Party (Our Power of People Party) has decided to extend its support to the current govt. This was announced in a statement issued by the party’s General Secretary, Chinthaka Weerakoon. According to the statement, the supreme council of the party has decided to offer its full cooperation to the current govt led by the National People’s Power (NPP). It further noted that the party has also decided to support the NPP in the upcoming elections. more..