Category: Local News

The United States has announced an additional 2 million US dollars in humanitarian assistance for communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, raising total US support for disaster response in Sri Lanka to 4 million US dollars, the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka said today (January 13).

A group of representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on January 22, 2026, according to Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando.

A Beat Forest Officer serving at the Hulannuge Beat Forest Office was arrested after allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 30,000 and a bottle of arrack to avoid legal action against a resident accused of cultivating land belonging to the Nelumwewayaya reserve.

Veteran Sri Lankan journalist and defence analyst Iqbal Athas passed away this morning (January 13) at the age of 81 after a brief illness.

U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung called on Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (January 12) to bid farewell, ahead of her departure from Sri Lanka on January 16, 2026, marking the conclusion of her tenure as the United States’ top diplomat in Colombo from 2022 to 2026.

The main suspect in the sword attack on a woman in the Borella Police Division on November 14, 2025, which caused serious injuries, was arrested on the evening of January 12, 2026 in Thalahena, Malabe, along with a T56 firearm, ammunition, and a live hand grenade.

Sri Lanka Police has appointed an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) to conduct further investigations into the death of a 27 year old man following a police shooting in the Welikanda area, while confirming that the firearm used in the incident has been taken into police custody.

Sri Lanka and China strengthened their Strategic Cooperative Partnership today (January 12) as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath held productive talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who assured fullest support for Sri Lanka’s post-cyclone recovery and future development.

Four people died and others were injured this evening (January 12), after a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a car in the Murasumoddai area on the Paranthan–Mullaitivu road within the Kilinochchi Police Division.

Former Minister Wimal Weerawansa, along with civil society representatives and his supporters, launched a continuous ‘Satyagraha’ protest in front of the Ministry of Education at Isurupaya, Battaramulla this morning (January 12).

Three people died this morning (January 12) in a collision between a car and a van on the Puttalam–Colombo main road in the Navadankulama area of Mundalama.

A 65 year old British national who went swimming at Mirissa Beach on January 11, 2026, was rescued after being caught in a strong current and swept out to sea by Sri Lanka Police lifeguards attached to the Kotawila Police Station.

Sri Lanka Police arrested three suspects linked to a series of three wheeler thefts after an investigation into a stolen three wheeler reported to the Mirihana Police Station, recovering 11 stolen vehicles from several areas on January 10 and 11, 2026.

The Department of Motor Traffic says that providing the Taxpayer Identification Number, known as the TIN number, has now been made mandatory when transferring ownership of vehicles in Sri Lanka, with the law coming into effect from January 5, 2026.

The official website of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Public Security was hacked several times by an external party, with irregular changes also found in the state emblem, prompting a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigation and an internal inquiry.

The Sri Lanka Postal Department exceeded its 2025 revenue targets set by the Treasury by earning Rs. 13,100 million, according to Postmaster General Ruwan Sathkumara.