- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has announced that the government has decided to allow the import of vehicles for personal use, with effect from February 01, 2025. He revealed this while delivering a special statement during the parliamentary session
- The Examinations Department announced that the 2024 (2025) G.C.E. Ordinary Level Examination will be held from the 17th of March to the 26th of March, 2025.
- Supplementary Estimate to provide allowance for school children passed in Parliament without a vote. The relevant debate was held yesterday and today. To minimize the adverse impact on the education of vulnerable school children, the government has decided to provide an allowance to support their studies commencing in 2025.
- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for its support during debt restructuring as well as in the face of the economic crisis. He stated that his appreciation extends to China’s assistance in the debt restructuring program and its provision of loans to Sri Lanka during the economic challenges.
- President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced that the Withholding Tax will be increased from 5% to 10%. Speaking in Parliament today (18), he said that the government agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reduce tax on services exports from the existing 30% to 15%.
- Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vijitha Herath, has provided an update on the country’s strategic efforts to revitalize its tourism sector, which has faced unprecedented challenges in recent years due to the Easter Sunday attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the economic crisis.
- The All Ceylon Poultry Traders Association (ACPTA) assured that the egg prices will not be increased during the Christmas and New Year season. He said enough eggs are currently being produced by poultry farms countrywide and there will be no shortage of eggs in the market.
- Around 16,000 metric tonnes of rice has been imported to Sri Lanka , following the relaxing of import restrictions on rice. Additional Director General of Customs and Customs Media Spokesperson, Seevali Arukgoda, stated that this total includes 6,000 metric tonnes of Red Raw Rice and 10,000 metric tonnes of Nadu Rice.
- The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has ordered to freeze two current and fixed deposit accounts belonging to former Minister Keheliya Rambukwella for a period of one week. The combined balance of the two bank accounts in question is around Rs. 20 million.
- The following 16-member national men’s squad has been selected by the Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee to take part in the T20I series against New Zealand. The T20I series will be played on the 28th and 30th of December and the 2nd of January 2025, which will be followed by the ODI series.
