President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will present the 2026 Budget in Parliament at 1.30 p.m. today (07) in his capacity as Minister of Finance.&nbsp; This marks the 80th budget of independent Sri Lanka. The Budget Debate will run from 8 November to 5 December, with the second reading vote scheduled for November 14 and the third reading on 5 December.&nbsp; Debates will be held daily except on Sundays and public holidays, according to the Department of Communication of Parliament.

President to present 2026 budget in parliament today

Sri Lankan man who pleaded guilty to killing a mother, her four children and a family friend in a gruesome mass stabbing in an Ottawa suburb in 2024 has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years. Febrio De-Zoysa pleaded guilty Thursday to four counts of first degree murder, two counts of second degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Darshani Ekanayake, 35, and four children, Inuka, 7, Ashwini, 4, Ranaya, 3, and Kelly, a baby just two months old, were all killed in the attack. Gamini Amarakoon, 40, a family friend and tenant in their home, was also killed, while the children’s father, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, was injured. Justice Kevin Phillips called it one of the worst crimes in the city’s history, telling De-Zoysa he destroyed “two beautiful families” and shook the community “to its core.” Phillips said De-Zoysa violated the trust of a family that took him into their home and that he used the knife to “grotesque effect.” He called the level of violence involved “stupefying, monstrous — even demonic.” “You are the stuff of nightmares,” the judge said. “You have caused so much loss and grief. If I could give consecutive life sentences, I would.” A 2022 Supreme Court of Canada ruling determined that issuing consecutive sentences for first-degree murder is unconstitutional. Phillips sentenced De-Zoysa to life without parole for 25 years for the murder convictions, and to 25 years for the attempted murder charge, to run concurrently. De-Zoysa’s defence attorney, Ewan Little, told media outside the courthouse that the plea was the product of a negotiated resolution. Crown Attorney Dallas Mack said a conviction was inevitable due to the testimony of the brave father, who fended off the knife attack and attempted to save his family, though he did not know they were already dead. The killings took place in Barrhaven, a fast-growing suburb about 20 kilometres south of Ottawa’s downtown. All the victims, except the youngest child, were Sri Lankan nationals who arrived in the city within the past several years. The baby was born in Canada. De-Zoysa was 19 years old and living in Canada as an international student at the time of the murders. He was staying in the basement of the family’s rented townhouse and attended Algonquin College in Ottawa. The victims’ family members read out impact statements in the packed courtroom Thursday. Amarakoon’s wife sobbed as she read her statement by video. “My whole world has been shattered,” she said. “I could not comprehend that my husband’s life had been taken so suddenly, so cruelly — and by someone he trusted and spoke with affection (toward, like) brothers.” In his statement, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe called March 6, 2024 the “darkest day of my life.” The court heard from a statement of fact that cites a police interview with De-Zoysa conducted the day after the murders. De-Zoysa had stabbed Amarakoon to death in the basement and soon after told Dhanushka on the phone that the alarming sounds his family heard were from a horror film on television they were watching. He managed to convince the family that everything was fine, then headed up stairs and stabbed all four children and Darshani to death. Darshani held her baby in her arms and failed to fend off the attacks. The court heard De-Zoysa told police that he had watched TikTok videos trying to calm himself down before attacking the father when he came home many hours later. Dhanushka came home late after working two jobs that day when De-Zoysa attacked him. He told the court De-Zoysa struck him multiple times, stabbing his face and chest. He tried to escape to his family upstairs — who in fact were dead in the basement — but the doors were locked and he was stabbed again. Dhanushka managed to fend off De-Zoysa’s attacks and overpower him, then ran outside, covered in blood and wailing. Police were called and De-Zoysa was arrested. Dhanushka was stabbed six times in total, suffering extensive pain and nerve damage and losing multiple fingers. He told the court he lost his family, his home and livelihood in the “unbearable tragedy.” “I wake up every day with their faces in my heart,” he said. In a statement from Amarakoon’s 12-year-old daughter read out in court, the girl said she now wakes up crying and scared. She said she struggles financially and academically, rarely sees her friends and feels like her “best teenage years are slipping away, filled with limitations and uncertainty instead of the experiences I once enjoyed.” The court also heard about the impact on Amarakoon’s younger daughter, who is three years old. The court heard she is still too young to fully understand what happened but feels her father’s absence and still asks for him all the time. The court heard from the Crown that De-Zoysa had told police he had stopped attending classes that year and feared failing would result in the revocation his student visa and the termination of financial support from his family. His banking records and Amazon purchase history shows he ordered a 38-centimetre-long hunting knife in January of that year. De-Zoysa told the court in his statement that he was not thinking rationally at the time and became “suicidal and depressed,” and now must live with his actions. This did not move the judge, who said the evidence shows that “at all times,” he was “fully capable of appreciating the nature and quality” of his actions. The court heard from Crown prosecutors that De-Zoysa told Ottawa police that he originally planned to take his own life with the knife but was “too weak to do it.” Source : The Canadian Press - OTTAWA&nbsp;

Sri Lankan youth given life sentence for 2024 murder of family in Ottawa

<ul><li>Dep. Environment Min. blames ‘misinfo by Min. official’, says chasing from villages to forests ongoing as DWC requires no Min. permission&nbsp;</li></ul> Contradicting a statement made by an official of the Ministry of Environment that approval had not been granted for the ongoing elephant drive in the Hambantota and Anuradhapura Districts, Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody said the operation is being carried out in accordance with the proper procedure.Speaking to The Daily Morning, he said the programme to drive wild elephants that have entered villages back into forest areas is being implemented by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) in line with due procedures.&nbsp;“It is the DWC that implements this. Somebody has said something, but that is misinformation. There is no permission needed from the Ministry. The DWC has done this in coordination with the relevant District Coordination Committees,” he said.The DWC comes under the purview of the Ministry.When questioned as to whether the operation had followed the proper procedure, he replied: “Yes. There is no need for special permission from the Ministry. This will continue.”Earlier, a senior spokesperson from the Ministry had told the media that the Ministry had not granted approval for the elephant drive and had only learned of the operation after media reports emerged. The official had also said the Ministry had subsequently instructed Wildlife Conservation officers to suspend the activities immediately.As announced earlier, the ongoing operation involves around 2,000 personnel from the DWC, the Air Force, the Police, and the Civil Defence Force. Environmental groups have urged the authorities to review the initiative, citing research indicating that elephant drives are rarely effective and may cause further disruption to elephant herds.

Wild elephants: Intra-Environment Min. conflict over corral 

<ul><li>&nbsp;3rd reading final vote on 5 Dec.</li></ul> The second Budget of the National People’s Power (NPP) Government is scheduled to be presented to the Parliament today (7). This will be the 80th Budget of independent Sri Lanka.President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, will deliver the second reading of the Appropriation Bill or the Budget speech in the Parliament. The first reading of the Appropriation Bill was presented to the Parliament on 26 September of this year.&nbsp;Following the presentation of next year’s (2026) Budget, the debate on the second reading of the Appropriation Bill will commence tomorrow (8). A total of six days has been allocated for the debate on the second reading of the Budget while the vote on the second reading will take place at 6 p.m. on 14 November. The Committee Stage debate will be held for 17 days from 15 November to 5 December 2025. The third reading vote is scheduled to be held at 6 p.m. on 5 December.&nbsp;During the Budget period, the Budget debate will be held every day, including Saturdays, except on public holidays and Sundays. Also, during the Committee Stage debate period, the Parliament is scheduled to meet at 9.30 a.m. on Mondays and at 9 a.m. on all other days. Accordingly, during this period, in addition to the business under Standing Orders 22(1) to (6), time has been allocated for five questions for oral answers and one question under Standing Orders 27(2). Also, during this period, the Budget debate is scheduled to be held until 6 p.m. and, on all days except voting days, from 6 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., time will be allotted for motions at the adjournment time based on a 50:50 allocation between the Government and the Opposition.

For 2026: Prez to present Budget to P’ment today

<ul><li>Govt./pvt. institutions request to use buildings including fmr. Prezs’/Mins’. official residences</li><li>To be accommodated on priority basis, fees to be charged&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul> The Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils, and Local Government stated that they are currently reviewing the requests made by various parties for the use of buildings including those previously used by former Presidents and former Ministers as official residences and accommodating them based on priority.Speaking to The Daily Morning, subject Minister Prof. A.H.M.H. Abayarathna said that the Ministry has received several requests from different Government and private institutions and is handing them over accordingly.&nbsp;“For now, we consider the requests made by various parties and accommodate them. For instance, we have given four buildings to establish special high courts,” he said.He added that requests from private institutions will also be considered if they are reasonable. “If private institutions make fair requests, we will also consider them. Our aim is to use these buildings efficiently and effectively in a way that benefits the economy. Even if we grant them to Government institutions, we will charge a fee,” he noted.Earlier, the Ministry stated that it had submitted evaluation reports on all official buildings under its purview – which were previously allocated to Ministers – to the Presidential Secretariat. Prof. Abayarathna said that the Secretariat had instructed the Ministry to provide all relevant information related to these properties.The issue of official residences and other privileges granted to politicians has been the subject of intense public debate in recent years, with many arguing that such privileges for politicians are unnecessary and claiming that they contributed to the country’s economic collapse.&nbsp;The National People’s Power (NPP), during recent elections, pledged to abolish such facilities provided to politicians, framing them as an unfair burden on taxpayers. In line with this stance, Ministers and Deputy Ministers of the current NPP Government have not taken up official residences. On 10 September, the Parliament also passed legislation abolishing the official residences and several other privileges previously granted to former Presidents.&nbsp;

Public Admin.: Requests for building use under review 

<ul><li>CTU steadfast on calling in sick on 1 day in Dec. 1st week, cites impracticality of shifting from current syllabus covered with 40-min. periods to 50-min. ones&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul> The Ministry of Education stated that although there is no barrier to discuss the Government’s decision to extend school hours with the sectoral trade unions (TU), there is no possibility of changing the decision to implement the new schedule from January of next year (2026).Speaking to The Daily Morning, Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa said that while TUs are free to express their views and engage in discussions, the decision to extend the school hours until 2 p.m. has already been finalised.&nbsp;“We can discuss the matter, but we can’t change this decision. It is final. TUs can express their ideas, but there is no possibility to change this reform programme,” he said.The Ministry’s stance comes in response to the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU), which has announced a one-day strike in the second week of December to protest the decision.CTU President Priyantha Fernando told The Daily Morning recently that the Union rejects the claim by Prime Minister and Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya that teachers don’t oppose the said change.&nbsp;“We have been going from school to school, discussing this with teachers over the past few weeks. They are against this decision,” he said.Urging the Government to reverse its decision to extend school hours by half an hour (from 1.30 p.m. to 2 p.m.), CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin warned that they would launch TU action from the first week of next month (December) if the Government proceeds with the plan.&nbsp;Accordingly, teachers are expected to call in sick on one day of the week to express their opposition. Addressing a public event, Stalin said: “All teachers in all schools should call in sick and show what our stance is. I suggest that we go even further in our action if the Government continues with the decision.”Moreover, pointing out contradictions between the initial reform plans and their implementation plan, he questioned how concrete the proposed reforms are. Stalin also raised concerns about the practicality of shifting from the current syllabus, which is designed to be covered through 40-minute periods, to the proposed 50-minute period system. He expressed disapproval of what he referred to as the Government’s rigid stance on proceeding with the proposed education reforms, which include the extension of school hours, and its apparent willingness to disregard the concerns raised by teachers and principals.On an earlier occasion, Kaluwewa said that the Ministry is only implementing reforms designed by the National Institute of Education (NIE), which holds the technical expertise in the area. He said that while the NIE had initially proposed extending each period to one hour, the Ministry had however requested that it be reduced to 50 minutes for practical reasons. As a result, the total school hours must be extended until 2 p.m.The proposed reforms are scheduled to come into effect in January 2026.

No change to school hrs. extension: Govt. willing to discuss with TUs

<ul><li>DMC blames bathing in unsafe water bodies and unfamiliar locations</li><li>5 including 2 children dead in Deduru Oya tragedy, youth swept away in Talalla seas </li></ul> The number of fatal drownings in rivers, tanks and reservoirs has seen a sharp increase in recent times, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) noted.The DMC Director Pradeep Kodippili said that bathing in unsafe locations is the main cause of such incidents. He therefore requested people to be mindful when entering water bodies at unfamiliar locations. He also requested the general public to adhere to directives issued by the authorities.Meanwhile, five individuals, including two children, drowned in the Deduru Oya in Chilaw on Wednesday evening (5). According to the Police, a group of around 10 people from Kiribathgoda who were on a recreational trip to the Munneswaram temple in Chilaw had entered the Deduru Oya without proper knowledge of the water level. Out of the group, five people drowned – four of them died on the spot, while the fifth, a youth who was rescued after drowning, succumbed while receiving treatment after being admitted to the Chilaw District General Hospital. The deceased have been identified as residents of Makola and Grandpass, aged 12, 16, 19, and 27 years.The search and rescue operation for the missing persons was conducted by the Chilaw Police, officers of the Police Life-Saving Unit, the Navy and area residents.Meanwhile, a youth who was bathing at the Talalla beach had been swept away by strong currents, the Gandara Police stated. The incident occurred on Wednesday, and the missing person has been identified as a 19-year-old resident of Ransagoda. According to preliminary investigations, the youth had been bathing in the sea with five other individuals when he was dragged away by the current and disappeared. Lifeguards attached to the Hiriketiya Police Station, together with the Navy, have launched an operation to locate the missing youth.

Fatal drownings see sharp increase  

<ul><li>Resigns as Urban Councilor over her husband’s and son’s drug cases&nbsp;</li></ul> The wife of the principal arrested with heroin in Anuradhapura, Disna Niranjala Kumari, who is a Councilor of the Peliyagoda Urban Council (UC) representing the National People’s Power (NPP), has been identified as a relative of the large-scale drug trafficker and criminal known by the alias ‘Kosgoda Sujee’. Niranjala Kumari has since resigned as an Urban Councilor.&nbsp;Police further stated that an investigation has been launched into the assets of the arrested principal. The husband of Niranjala Kumari was arrested on Wednesday (5). The said principal of a primary school in Eppawala, Anuradhapura, has been arrested with over 1 kg of heroin.&nbsp;The individual has been apprehended based on information obtained from a 30-year-old man arrested in Nallamudawa, Eppawala, a week ago by the Anuradhapura Divisional Crime Investigation Department. During the raid, the authorities recovered one kg and 185 g of heroin, reportedly belonging to the principal, which had been hidden at the back of a hotel in Eppawala. Additionally, Police said that they also found an electronic scale used for measuring drugs and a polythene sealing machine, which had been hidden in a nearby tank by the principal. Furthermore, the principal’s son was also arrested last month (October) with 25 g of heroin.Meanwhile, the Thambuththegama Magistrate yesterday (6) ordered that the husband of Niranjala Kumari, arrested for the possession of heroin, be remanded until 12 November. The court yesterday granted permission to detain and question the husband of Niranjala Kumari, who was arrested with heroin in Anuradhapura on Wednesday.&nbsp;The Thambuththegama Magistrate’s Court granted permission to the Anuradhapura Division Criminal Investigation Department to detain and question the suspect until 12 November. The suspect was produced before the Court yesterday by the Anuradhapura&nbsp;Police.Niranjala Kumari has submitted her resignation letter to the Gampaha District Returning Officer and a copy of the same has been sent to the National People’s Power General Secretary.&nbsp;

Principal remanded for heroin: NPP LG politico related to ‘Kosgoda Sujee’

&nbsp;<ul><li>Dep. Labour Min. emphasises importance of utilising foreign experiences, concepts, suggestions&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul> International experience is extremely vital to eradicate poverty in Sri Lanka, Labour Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe stated.&nbsp;He made these remarks while attending the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar, and addressing the media on the sidelines of the event. He noted that nearly 25% of Sri Lankans currently live in poverty, emphasising that the experiences, concepts and suggestions of other countries could be effectively utilised to overcome this challenge and promote sustainable development in Sri Lanka. Jayasinghe also participated in a concurrent programme themed ‘The Path out of Poverty’.

President to present 2026 budget in parliament today

Sri Lankan youth given life sentence for 2024 murder of family in Otta ...

Sri Lankan youth given life se ...

Wild elephants: Intra-Environment Min. conflict over corral

Wild elephants: Intra-Environm ...

For 2026: Prez to present Budget to P’ment today

For 2026: Prez to present Budg ...

Public Admin.: Requests for building use under review

Public Admin.: Requests for bu ...

No change to school hrs. extension: Govt. willing to discuss with TUs

No change to school hrs. exten ...

Fatal drownings see sharp increase

Fatal drownings see sharp incr ...

Principal remanded for heroin: NPP LG politico related to ‘Kosgoda Suj ...

Principal remanded for heroin: ...

Int’l experience vital for poverty eradication

Int’l experience vital for pov ...

Sri Lankan youth given life sentence for 2024 murder of family in Otta ...

Sri Lankan youth given life se ...

Wild elephants: Intra-Environment Min. conflict over corral

Wild elephants: Intra-Environm ...

For 2026: Prez to present Budget to P’ment today

For 2026: Prez to present Budg ...

Public Admin.: Requests for building use under review

Public Admin.: Requests for bu ...

No change to school hrs. extension: Govt. willing to discuss with TUs

No change to school hrs. exten ...

Fatal drownings see sharp increase

Fatal drownings see sharp incr ...

Principal remanded for heroin: NPP LG politico related to ‘Kosgoda Suj ...

Principal remanded for heroin: ...

Int’l experience vital for poverty eradication

Int’l experience vital for pov ...

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Fatal drownings see sharp increase

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