The low-pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal was located south of Sri Lanka at around last midnight (November 25). It is likely to intensify into a depression during the next 30 hours. Due to the influence of this system, the rainy and windy conditions in the island are expected to enhance for the next few days. The general public is kindly requested to be attentive about future advisories issued by the Department of Meteorology in this regard.
Cloudy skies can be expected over most parts of the island.

Showers or thundershowers will occur at times over most parts of the island.

Very heavy falls above 150 mm are likely at some places in Eastern, Central, and Uva provinces and in Polonnaruwa district. Heavy falls above 100 mm are likely at some places in the other areas of the island.

Strong winds of about 50 kmph can be expected at times over Northern, North-central, North-western, Western and Eastern provinces and in Hambantota and Matale districts. Fairly strong winds of about 40 kmph may occur at times in other areas over the island.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by strong winds and lightning.

November 25, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka has been named among six countries the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) intends to visit in 2026, as part of a renewed international effort to reinforce protections against torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

The announcement follows the easing of the UN’s recent financial constraints, which had forced several planned inspections to be pushed back. With its budgetary challenges stabilising, the SPT confirmed that previously postponed visits to Burundi, France and Mexico will now move ahead next year, together with new missions to Paraguay, Rwanda and Sri Lanka.

The 2026 programme is set to begin in January with an inspection of facilities in Mexico. The decision comes after a year in which the Subcommittee managed to complete only four of its planned visits—Mozambique, New Zealand, Peru and Serbia—because of funding shortages.

Operating under its global mandate to prevent torture, the SPT conducts unannounced inspections of places where individuals are deprived of their liberty, including prisons, police cells, psychiatric institutions and immigration detention centres.

During these visits, the Subcommittee engages with state officials, civil society actors and national human rights bodies to promote reforms and strengthen safeguards against abuse.

November 25, Colombo (LNW): A series of essential public services offered by the Registrar General’s Department has been rolled out across several district secretariat areas under the government’s “Happy Nation – Clean Sri Lanka” community outreach initiative, which aims to take administrative services directly to village residents.

The mobile programme, implemented on the instructions of Registrar General S. Jaladeepan, is designed to reduce the hurdles many citizens face when attempting to obtain vital documents. District secretariats are coordinating the effort, which forms part of a broader drive to enhance access to civil registration services in rural and underserved areas.

During a recent service day held at the Ottusudan Divisional Secretariat in the Jaffna District, officials processed 73 registrations of births and deaths. Fourteen couples who had been cohabiting without formal recognition were also able to legalise their unions and receive marriage certificates on the spot — a step that local officers said would help families secure legal rights often tied to marital status.

In addition to registration work, several other public services were offered to residents, making it easier for them to update records and obtain official documentation without travelling long distances.

The event drew the participation of Northern Province Deputy Registrar General P. Prabhakar, along with the Ottusudan Divisional Secretary, Assistant Divisional Secretary, the Additional District Registrar and other departmental staff, who described the initiative as an important step toward improving administrative outreach in remote communities.

November 25, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka has stopped issuing new licences for terrestrial analogue television channels, following Cabinet approval of a proposal jointly put forward by the Minister of Mass Media and the President in his role as Minister of Digital Economy.

Currently, 24 analogue TV channels — five of them state-run — operate under licences granted to 16 organisations. Officials say the analogue frequency spectrum has reached full capacity, leaving no room for additional broadcasters and prompting the need for a long-delayed technological shift.

To manage this transition, the Ministry of Mass Media has launched the Digital Non-Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Project, which will replace the nation’s patchwork of 46 analogue transmission systems with a unified digital platform. The initiative promises clearer picture quality, improved reliability and more efficient use of the broadcast spectrum.

The project is being carried out with technical and financial support from the Government of Japan, and is expected to be fully operational by 2029. Once the digital network is complete, authorities plan to phase out analogue transmissions entirely within a two-year wind-down period.

As part of this transition, the Cabinet has formally discontinued the issuance of analogue terrestrial TV licences with immediate effect. Going forward, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) will oversee all future frequency allocations for terrestrial broadcasting, ensuring that the shift to digital technology proceeds in an orderly and transparent manner.

November 25, Colombo (LNW): An external probe commissioned by Parliament has concluded that an allegation of sexual harassment involving a female officer attached to the Department of Information Systems and Management is unfounded, according to an official statement issued by the Parliamentary administration.

The investigation, led by retired High Court Judge Sujatha Alahapperuma, was formally handed over to Speaker Dr Jagath Wickramaratne on November 24.

The inquiry stemmed from a concern raised in the Chamber on January 07, 2025 by MP Mujibur Rahman, who alleged that an employee had faced inappropriate treatment at her workplace.

Although Parliament initially carried out its own internal review, the complainant rejected those findings. In response, the Parliamentary Staff Advisory Committee resolved on July 25, 2025 to commission an independent investigation to ensure impartiality and transparency.

Judge Alahapperuma subsequently interviewed relevant individuals, assessed documentary material and scrutinised the sequence of events before compiling her assessment.

The final report states that no evidence was found to substantiate the complaint. It further notes that there were no indications of similar misconduct affecting other female staff members within the division.

Parliamentary officials said the conclusion brings clarity to the matter and emphasised that safeguarding the wellbeing of employees remains a central institutional priority.

November 25, Colombo (LNW): The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched an inquiry into claims that the Economics paper of the ongoing G.C.E. Advanced Level examination was compromised ahead of its scheduled sitting.

At the weekly Cabinet briefing in Colombo today (25), Mass Media Minister Dr Nalin Jayatissa confirmed that investigators are pursuing information suggesting the paper may have circulated unofficially before the exam. He noted that the CID’s preliminary work is being guided by reports already received from several sources.

Speculation about a possible leak has been intensifying online, with social media users alleging that sets of “predicted questions” shared in advance bore striking similarities to those that appeared in the actual examination. The issue has stirred considerable unease among students and parents, who are demanding clarity and reassurance.

A number of teachers’ unions have also weighed in, saying that any breach of examination integrity must be treated with the utmost seriousness and calling for stronger safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future. They urged authorities to complete the probe swiftly to protect public confidence in the national assessment system.

November 25, Colombo (LNW): Mohammed Hilmi, the former head of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), has been taken into custody by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over suspected wrongdoing linked to a foreign job placement initiative.

CIABOC officers arrested Hilmi in connection with what investigators describe as a questionable procedure used during the recruitment of Sri Lankan workers for employment opportunities in Israel.

The alleged irregularities are said to have taken place under the previous administration, during a period when concerns were repeatedly raised about transparency in foreign employment programmes.

The matter had already drawn political attention earlier, when former Foreign Employment Minister Manusha Nanayakkara was arrested over the same episode and later released on bail pending further inquiries.

November 25, Colombo (LNW): The Government has given the green light to publish a revised draft of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act in the official gazette, paving the way for its tabling in Parliament in the coming weeks.

According to Cabinet officials, the decision marks the culmination of a series of approvals granted earlier on 7 July and 13 October 2025, aimed at overhauling key sections of the original 2021 legislation.

The proposed amendments are designed to create a more competitive tax environment within the Port City zone, while also reinforcing regulatory oversight and streamlining institutional structures linked to the project.

Legal experts from the Attorney General’s Department have now endorsed the updated draft, which was prepared by the Legal Draftsman’s Office. Their clearance effectively removes the final procedural barrier to gazetting.

With these steps completed, the Cabinet has endorsed a proposal submitted by the President in his capacity as Finance Minister, authorising the publication of the bill and its subsequent submission to Parliament.

Government sources indicated that once tabled, the revised legislation is expected to undergo detailed committee scrutiny, with the administration confident that the changes will accelerate investment and improve governance standards within the Port City development.

November 25, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s Inland Revenue Department (IRD) says it has already generated more than Rs. 2 trillion in tax receipts for 2025, the highest annual return in its history and amounting to 92 per cent of this year’s target.

Officials hailed the achievement as evidence of renewed economic stability and more disciplined fiscal management. They noted that the pool of contributors continues to widen, with some 200,000 new individual taxpayers and 18,000 additional companies registering during the first part of the year.

At a media briefing held yesterday (24) at the Government Information Department, IRD Commissioner General Rukdevi Fernando said the Department had been given a considerably more ambitious target for 2025, reflecting stronger economic activity and ongoing reforms to tax administration.

Of the Rs. 2,195 billion assigned for the year, Rs. 2,080 billion has already been collected—placing the IRD in a position to meet, or possibly exceed, the full-year goal.

Commissioner Nandana Kumara underscored that broadening the tax net has been central to the Department’s success. With the latest registrations, Sri Lanka now has around 1.2 million individual taxpayers. VAT registrations have risen to 30,000, while the number of registered organisations has reached 118,000.

According to Kumara, VAT receipts have grown by 21 per cent compared with last year, and corporate income tax revenue has increased by 14 per cent. He also highlighted changes to the personal income tax threshold, which has been lifted from Rs. 1.2 million to Rs. 1.8 million for 2025.

Providing context on recent revenue patterns, Senior Commissioner Nafeel Abu Bakr explained that collections plummeted in 2020—from Rs. 1,025 billion in 2019 to just Rs. 523 billion—amid economic disruption. Revenues then began a gradual recovery, rising to Rs. 632 billion in 2021, Rs. 1,058 billion in 2022 and Rs. 1,842 billion in 2023. The upward trend continued into 2024, when receipts approached the Rs. 2 trillion mark.

Officials added that continued growth will depend on maintaining tax compliance, simplifying systems for new registrants, and ensuring that economic reforms translate into a more predictable revenue stream in the coming years.