Sun, Aug 16, 2026
14 headlines
SRI LANKA DAILY NEWS DIGEST - Sunday, August 16, 2026
NAVY CRAFT IN DISTRESS OFF ANGULANA, ONE MISSING
Eleven crew members of a Sri Lanka Navy fast attack craft have been rescued and admitted to hospital after the vessel ran into distress off Angulana while on a routine patrol. One person remains missing and a search and rescue operation is continuing, Police said.
VEHICLE PRICES SET TO RISE AGAIN
Vehicle prices are expected to climb further after the Government extended the 50 percent surcharge on vehicle import duties until December 31. The Vehicle Importers Association of Sri Lanka said the extension will push retail prices higher across the market.
CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
The Central Crimes Investigation Bureau has obtained a 72-hour detention order to question Shiran Basik, an alleged large-scale drug trafficker recently deported to Sri Lanka from Dubai.
A man shot and wounded on Huludagoda Road, Mount Lavinia, has died of his injuries, Police said.
Three people have been arrested over a viral incident in Divulapitiya in which a bus and a main road were allegedly blocked before a man was threatened with a sword.
BASL STILL AWAITING FULL RECORD OF PRESIDENTIAL MEETING
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka says it has yet to receive the complete video recordings of its recent meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on the proposed constitutional amendment to raise the retirement age of superior court judges.
TWO QUAKES STRIKE INDONESIA, NO TSUNAMI THREAT HERE
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake in the Flores region of eastern Indonesia on Saturday killed at least 38 people and injured 13, according to the country's disaster management agency, which revised an earlier toll. Hours later a second major quake, measuring 6.8, struck northern Sumatra. The Department of Meteorology has confirmed there is no tsunami threat to Sri Lanka.
SRI LANKA RANKS MOST FAVOURABLE TOWARDS INDIA
A new Pew Research Center survey finds Sri Lanka holds the most favourable view of India of any country surveyed, with 79 percent of adults expressing a positive opinion.
INTERNATIONAL
US President Donald Trump said he will declare the Strait of Hormuz US "territory" amid the war with Iran. Control of the waterway has been a sticking point in US-Iran negotiations, and the remarks are expected to raise tensions further.
Jason Arday, the youngest Black professor appointed at the University of Cambridge, was found dead on Friday at the age of 37. The British sociologist resigned last week after weeks of public plagiarism accusations and intense media scrutiny.
END OF DIGEST