Latest Sri Lanka News and Top Stories

Patabendi Maddumage Shehan Sathsara, alias “Dehibale Malli,” an alleged organised criminal and drug trafficker, has reportedly been arrested in a European country.

Sri Lanka has cut import levies on sprats, Maldive fish and dried chillies, while increasing the sugar levy by Rs. 10 per kilogram, effective today (November 13, 2026).

Sri Lanka’s 2027 Budget proposes removing Value Added Tax (VAT) on exercise books, textbooks and other printed books, while increasing the Special Commodity Levy on imported sugar by Rs. 10 per kilogram.

A vessel carrying more than 3,000 metric tonnes of gas has arrived in Sri Lanka, and LAUGFS Gas PLC says it will resume supplying gas cylinders to domestic and business customers in several phases.

A Sri Lanka Customs Security Officer was arrested on November 12, 2026, for allegedly soliciting and accepting a bribe of Rs. 30,000 to provide documents needed to clear two motorcycles imported from Japan.

Sri Lanka’s 2027 Budget proposes raising the monthly tax-free threshold for salaried employees to Rs. 162,500, with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announcing additional monthly personal income tax relief ranging from Rs. 750 to Rs. 15,750.

The family of Anojan Sivarasa, who had been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today (November 12, 2026) to thank him for his intervention in securing Sivarasa’s release and clearing him of all charges.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake presented the 2027 Budget in Parliament today (November 12, 2026), with the final vote scheduled for December 14, 2026.

The Ministry of Justice and National Integration and People’s Bank have signed an agreement to allow the public to pay court fees, fines and other court-related charges electronically in Sri Lanka.

A Buddhist monk was hospitalized with head injuries following a clash at a satyagraha protest site near the Ruwanweli Maha Seya in Anuradhapura today (November 12, 2026).

Sri Lanka’s Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the government of hiding true budget figures and fabricating data to achieve its aims.

Sri Lanka’s 2027 Budget should be judged by its plans for investment, job creation and economic growth rather than the amount allocated to individual ministries, Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Anil Jayantha Fernando said on Wednesday (November 11, 2026).

Two suspects were arrested with 13 forged driving licences and eight forged national identity cards following an operation in the Welikada Police Division on Wednesday (November 11, 2026).

Saudi Arabia has formally closed the case against Sri Lankan national Anojan Sivarasa after his death sentence was overturned, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism announced today (November 11, 2026).

Sri Lanka Police have urged the public to report dangerous driving through WhatsApp on 070-4755600 following a significant rise in fatal and serious road accidents across the country.