Category: Local News

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.

The Consumer Affairs Authority of Sri Lanka received 10,616 telephone calls in 2025, including 5,026 complaints that required raids and investigations, with most cases already acted upon and the remaining probes to be completed by the end of January 2026.

Sri Lanka recorded the highest migrant worker remittances in its 40 year foreign employment history in 2025, with inflows reaching US dollars 8.07 billion, a 22.8 percent increase compared to 2024, according to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment.

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the Government will provide every possible form of assistance to help communities affected by the disaster rebuild their lives, even though the lives lost can never be replaced.

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the government is committed to building an education system that does not burden parents or cause stress for children, while preparing students to compete globally and helping rural children escape long standing poverty.

Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that 2026 will mark the highest number of houses ever built with state support in the country’s history, with around 50,000 to 55,000 homes set to be constructed nationwide.

Five suspects, including former minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, have been ordered to be further remanded until January 23, 2026.

Former Minister Douglas Devananda, who had been arrested and remanded in custody, has been released on bail.

The United States will provide 10 U.S. Navy TH-57 (Bell 206 Sea Ranger) helicopters to the Sri Lanka Air Force at no cost for the equipment itself, with the aircraft expected to arrive in early 2026.

A deep depression in the Bay of Bengal, located about 170 kilometers east of Batticaloa at 6:00 a.m. today (January 9), is moving northwest and is likely to cross the Sri Lankan coast between Pottuvil and Trincomalee this evening.

A depression that formed in the Bay of Bengal southeast of Sri Lanka is gradually intensifying into a deep depression and is likely to cross Sri Lanka tomorrow (January 09) between 5:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., the Department of Meteorology announced.