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Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, is the world’s largest urban centre with a population of almost 42 million, according to new research by the United Nations.Tokyo was the largest city in the world in the year 2000, but slower population growth over the previous quarter of a century has meant it has now been surpassed by Jakarta and Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka.The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Population Division found Jakarta and Dhaka, with its population of nearly 37 million people, now far exceeded Tokyo’s 33 million.

Dhaka is expected to become the world’s largest city by 2050, while Tokyo’s population is projected to decline over the next 25 years — reflecting Japan’s shrinking ageing population.

Nine of the 10 most populous cities on the planet are located in Asia, the report’s authors said, with Cairo in Egypt the only non-Asian city making the top 10.

Elisa Sutanudjaja, director of the Jakarta-based Rujak Centre for Urban Studies, said the report confirmed what urbanists already knew — that greater Jakarta’s population had exceeded that of Tokyo for years.The huge size of Jakarta’s population posed major challenges, she said, not least because of poor coordination between local governments.Jakartans routinely deal with extreme traffic congestion, pollution and flooding.

In response, Indonesia’s government announced in 2019 that it would move the capital city off the densely populated island of Java to Borneo.

But the project to build Nusantara, as the new administrative capital is named, is behind schedule and has struggled to attract investment.Urbanisation a ‘defining force of our time’Cities were home to 45 per cent of the world’s 8.2 billion people in 2025, up from just one in five people in 1950, according to the UN report.It found the number of megacities - those with a population more than 10 million -had quadrupled since 1975 from eight to 33.

Nineteen of the world’s megacities are located in Asia.

The UN report’s authors said that Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, would likely surpass the 10 million population mark by 2050 to become one of several additional megacities along with Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Hajipur, India.Li Junhua, head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said in a statement that “urbanisation is a defining force of our time”.

“When managed inclusively and strategically, it can unlock transformative pathways for climate action, economic growth, and social equity,” he said.

“To achieve balanced territorial development, countries must adopt integrated national policies that align housing, land use, mobility, and public services across urban and rural areas.”

( Source : adaderana.lk)

Sri Lanka’s push to introduce a comprehensive property tax by 2027 faces significant uncertainty as the government struggles to build the digital land-ownership infrastructure required under the IMF Extended Fund Facility.

The initiativeintended to modernise property valuation, improve tax administration and widen the fiscal basehas become entangled in administrative delays and political baggage linked to the National People's Power (NPP) government’s past resistance to similar reforms.

Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma recently emphasised that the foundation of the forthcoming property tax must be a fully digitised property database.

The system is expected to capture detailed information including property valuations, ownership structures, types, distribution and other key descriptors essential for reliable taxation. “We need a database that gives the administration reliable information,” he said at a public forum.

While stressing the importance of the property tax, Dr. Suriyapperuma noted that the government would initially focus on broadening the current fiscal base through other revenue channels. Taxes on imported motor vehicles remain a major state income source, while SMEs are supported through nearly Rs. 80 billion in budgetary financing facilities aimed at strengthening their profitability and ultimately their tax contribution.

However, experts argue that Sri Lanka is already behind schedule. A study by Verité Research and Prof. Mick Moore highlighted that more than two years have passed since the IMF agreement obligated Sri Lanka to introduce a property tax. Although the Valuation Department is digitising its records and building a Sales Price and Rents Register, progress remains slow, leaving serious doubts about the timeline.

Prof. Moore warned that the current manual valuation process dependent on site inspections—is inefficient, expensive and highly vulnerable to manipulation. He urged the adoption of widely used digital technologies capable of generating mass, fair and low-cost property valuations.

The broader issue, analysts point out, is not only technical. Political resistance to external funding and digitisation in the past including the NPP’s strong opposition to the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) land component while in opposition cost Sri Lanka a US$480 million grant that would have funded precisely this type of land-administration modernisation. The same digitisation work now must be funded domestically under tighter fiscal constraints.

With IMF deadlines approaching, Sri Lanka risks repeating history: rejecting internationally funded modernisation when offered, then being forced to implement the same reforms later under economic stress. Unless the government accelerates the digital land-data programme, the country may face delays in introducing the property tax—along with the continued loss of revenue urgently required for economic recovery

Police officers at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake have taken three individuals into custody after uncovering a substantial quantity of foreign-made cigarettes valued at approximately Rs. 17.85 million.The suspects, all businessmen from Aluthgama, Yatiyanthota, and Mawanella, had flown into the country from Dubai. A detailed inspection of their baggage revealed 595 cartons holding a total of 119,000 cigarette sticks.

Following their arrest, the trio was presented before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court, where each was imposed a fine of Rs. 30,000.

Sri Lanka’s Colombo Port recorded a 6.7% increase in container volumes during the first nine months of 2025, reaching nearly 6.2 million TEUs compared with 5.8 million TEUs a year earlier. Although the numbers point to continued recovery, exporters warn that recurring vessel omissions and operational lapses threaten the port’s reliability and competitiveness.

According to Central Bank data, September throughput rose 14.4% year-on-year to 742,116 TEUs. However, month-on-month growth was minimal at 0.13%, suggesting that capacity constraints and yard congestion are emerging.

Transshipment cargo, which accounts for nearly 80% of Colombo’s operations, expanded 4.8% to 4.94 million TEUs during the nine-month period. September also saw a 13.1% annual increase in transshipment volumes, though activity dipped compared to August.

Domestic handling rose 13.6% to 971,875 TEUs, reflecting stronger import and export movements. Re-stowing operations posted the fastest growth, up 20% year-on-year to 267,231 TEUs, with September recording a sharp 42.4% annual increase.

Vessel traffic across Colombo, Galle, Trincomalee and Hambantota increased 12.6% to 3,792 ships in the January–September period. September recorded 457 calls, almost 20% higher than the previous year.

Despite this growth, exporters have expressed concern about operational disruptions. The Free Trade Zone Manufacturers’ Association (FTZMA), in a letter to Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Anura Karunathilaka, warned that recurring vessel omissions in recent months have led to shortages of raw materials, production delays and missed export deadlines. Industries that depend on precise shipping schedules, such as apparel, electronics and rubber-based manufacturing, have been most affected.

The Government, however, maintains that reforms are underway. In the 2026 Budget, President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced several key initiatives, including Phase II of the Western Container Terminal with ADB support, feasibility studies for Port Logistics Centres with the World Bank and preliminary work for the Colombo North Port Development Project.

The Budget also outlined new trade-facilitation infrastructure, such as the Kerawalapitiya Customs Verification Centre and logistics facilities in Bloemendal. Digitalisation initiatives, including the Port Community System, are being scaled up to improve data integration and turnaround times.

The FTZMA has urged authorities to address immediate operational shortcomings by improving yard efficiency, speeding inter-terminal transfers, strengthening road access and expediting the commissioning of the East and West Container Terminals. Exporters insist that clearer communication and collaborative action are necessary to stabilise port operations and restore confidence.

Prime Minister and Minister of Education Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament today that the government will gradually increase education spending to 6 per cent of the GDP, in line with the commitment made in the NPP election manifesto.

She noted that while the pledge remains firm, the government had not promised to achieve the 6 per cent target within its first year in office. “We will fulfil this commitment over time,” she said.

Responding to comments from SJB MP Rohini Wijeratne, the Prime Minister acknowledged that she and others had protested while in the opposition to push the former administration to allocate 6 per cent of GDP for education. However, she clarified that their demand was never for an immediate implementation but for a structured and sustainable increase.

Her remarks were made during a parliamentary exchange where the fulfilment of education funding promises was brought into focus.

An uncounted number of extra people have died from AIDS and 2.5 million have lost access to antiretroviral medicine to block the spread of HIV because of cuts to global programs since Donald Trump returned to the White House, the UN body fighting AIDS says.

“Persistent funding shortfalls and the perilous risks facing the global HIV response are having profound, lasting effects on the health and wellbeing of millions of people throughout the world,” the UNAIDS agency said on Tuesday in a report titled “Overcoming Disruption”.

The report, released ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1, said UNAIDS’s community partners had reported deaths of people living with HIV due to the closure of local clinics and treatment programs, although the exact number of additional deaths remained unclear as data collection was ongoing.

The global AIDS response community entered “crisis mode”, UNAIDS said, when its largest donor the United States, which accounted for 75 per cent of international HIV funding, temporarily halted all of its contributions earlier in the year.

The White House, asked for comment, rejected the assessment as “totally false” and said Mr Trump had a “humanitarian heart”.

“The Trump administration is simultaneously ensuring all programs funded by American taxpayers align with American interests, just as this president was elected to do,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.

Other donor countries have also dramatically scaled back foreign aid programs this year, including European countries pressed by Mr Trump to ramp up spending on defence instead.

Though some HIV programs have since resumed with funds from a US program known as PEPFAR — the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — overall funding continues to decline, jeopardising 2030 targets to end AIDS as a public health threat, the agency said.

UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima said her agency was working with at least 30 countries to improve domestic financing to move away from dependency on international donors.

But she said the funding gap could not be closed immediately, and major challenges remained.

UNAIDS says 40.8 million people globally are living with HIV, with 1.3 million new infections reported in 2024.Prevention services ‘devastated’
Between 2010 and 2024, annual AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 54 per cent to 630,000, and new infections have also dropped by 40 per cent.But maintaining that progress has been put in peril by funding cuts which have “devastated” prevention services, the report found.

It was estimated that 2.5 million people had lost access to the PrEP preventive HIV medication as of October 2025 due to donor funding cuts.

Ms Byanyima said the distribution of preventive HIV medicines had fallen by 31 per cent in Uganda, 21 per cent in Vietnam and 64 per cent in Burundi.In Nigeria, the distribution of condoms fell by 55 per cent from December last year to March this year.

A survey conducted earlier this year by UNAIDS and women’s rights group the ATHENA Network found that nearly half of women and adolescent girls reported disruptions to HIV prevention and treatment services in their communities.

“Behind every data point in this report are people — babies and children missed for HIV screening or early HIV diagnosis, young women cut off from prevention support, and communities suddenly left without services and care,” Ms Byanyima said.

“We cannot abandon them. We must overcome this disruption and transform the AIDS response.”

( Source : adaderana.lk)

Sri Lanka’s Inland Revenue Department (IRD) is recording one of its strongest years in recent history, with new data showing sharp improvements in taxpayer registration, revenue mobilisation, and overall administrative performance compared to 2024. Under the current leadership, the Department has reported a significant expansion of the tax net, strengthening the country’s fiscal position amid continued economic recovery efforts.

At a media briefing organised by the Government Information Department, Senior Deputy Commissioner P. Nandana Kumara revealed that 200,000 new individual taxpayers have been added so far this year, taking the total number of registered individuals to 1.2 million. This marks one of the largest annual increases in recent years and reflects a sustained push to improve compliance and reduce tax leakages.

The Department’s 2025 performance is also supported by the formalisation of business activity. Kumara noted that the IRD has registered 18,000 new companies, a notable rise that signals growing business confidence and expanding economic activity. Alongside this, excise duty registrations have increased to 30,000, contributing to a broader diversification of revenue sources.

The new registrations have translated directly into stronger revenue outcomes. The IRD has already collected over Rs. 2 trillion as of 17 November 2025, surpassing the full-year collection for 2024 by more than Rs. 60 billion. In 2024, the IRD achieved a record Rs. 2,620 billion, building upon a recovery trend that began in 2022 after the sharp revenue contraction caused by tax cuts and the pandemic.

Sri Lanka’s tax revenue had plunged from Rs. 1,025 billion in 2019 to Rs. 523 billion in 2020, before slowly recovering to Rs. 632 billion in 2021, Rs. 1,058 billion in 2022, and Rs. 1,842 billion in 2023. The current administration has pushed these gains further, with 2025 shaping up to outperform all previous years.

According to Kumara, VAT revenue has increased by 21% compared to last year, reflecting stronger enforcement and the widening of the tax base. Income tax collection is also up 14%, supported by the rise in new registrants and tighter compliance monitoring.

These improvements come alongside a policy change that raises the personal income tax threshold from Rs. 1.2 million to Rs. 1.8 million for the 2025 assessment year. Officials argue that this adjustment provides relief to low- and middle-income earners while ensuring higher-income groups contribute more effectively.

The IRD attributes the improved performance to increased digitalisation, stricter enforcement, and targeted efforts to bring previously unregistered individuals and businesses into the tax system. Officials say the 2025 outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of ongoing institutional reforms, positioning the Department to meetand likely exceed this year’s revenue goals.

The All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) has extended significant support to Sri Lanka through a donation of materials worth 1,000,000 RMB (approximately Rs. 43 million), aimed at improving the welfare of women and children in the country. The consignment includes equipment for a mother-and-baby room, facilities for a childcare centre serving Parliament staff, and essential women’s hygiene items to be distributed by the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus.

The official handover took place on 25 November at the Parliament of Sri Lanka, with Hon. Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne presiding. The donation was formally presented to Dr. Wickramaratne and the Minister of Women and Child Affairs, as well as Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, Mrs. Saroja Savithri Paulraj, by H.E. Qi Zhenhong, the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Wickramaratne noted that the gesture reflects the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and China, highlighting both nations’ shared focus on advancing the wellbeing of women and children.

Mrs. Paulraj welcomed the contribution, stating that the donated items will directly enhance programmes dedicated to improving the lives of women and children across the country, especially those in vulnerable groups.

Ambassador Qi emphasized the deep-rooted ties between the two nations and reiterated China’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s efforts in women’s empowerment and child development.

The donation builds on previous discussions held in 2023 and 2024 between the ACWF and the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, during which China pledged support for school uniforms and future initiatives aimed at uplifting women and children.

Sri Lanka’s latest Medium-Term Debt Management Strategy (MTDS) 2026–2030 reveals a stark shift in the country’s debt risk profile. While external debt restructuring has eased immediate repayment pressure, the country is now grappling with a far more urgent threat: a heavy concentration of short-term domestic borrowing that must be refinanced within the next few years.

According to the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO), total Government debt reached Rs. 30.8 trillion by June 2025, with 64% sourced domestically and 36% externally. The debt-to-GDP ratio has stabilised at 99.1% in 2024, down from 114.2% in 2022, thanks largely to IMF-driven fiscal consolidation. But behind this improvement lies a compressed maturity structure that could threaten financial stability.

The biggest red flag is the growing stock of Treasury Bills (T-Bills), projected to reach Rs. 3.6 trillion by end-2025 all maturing in 2026. The PDMO warns that this concentration creates a “refinancing cliff” that will severely test Government cashflows. T-Bills stood at Rs. 4.09 trillion at the start of 2024 and Rs. 4.07 trillion at the beginning of 2025, requiring repeated rollovers.

Treasury Bonds (T-Bonds) dominate the long-term profile, but they too pose risks. A major maturity spike of Rs. 2.15 trillion arrives in 2028, the result of shorter-tenor borrowings issued after the 2022 economic crisis. The period between 2027 and 2033 is now heavily clustered with domestic redemptions.

Sri Lanka’s restructuring agreements with the Official Creditor Committee and China Exim Bank have significantly eased short-term pressures. Grace periods extend to 2028, interest rates have been reduced, and repayment horizons stretch to 2043. International sovereign bonds were pushed forward by roughly six years.

Yet, even with restructuring, Sri Lanka must service USD 2.45 billion in 2025, followed by USD 2.13 billion in 2026, USD 2.09 billion in 2027, and USD 3.10 billion in 2028. External risks remain heavily tied to exchange rate movements, with 37.8% of total Government debt denominated in foreign currency.

The MTDS proposes sourcing 90% of Government borrowing domestically by 2030, reducing dependency on external markets while preparing for higher post-2030 repayments. The Government plans to reopen benchmark bonds of 5, 8, 10, 12 and 15 years, introduce inflation-linked instruments, and strengthen the domestic investor base.

The PDMO is also exploring Samurai, Panda, Sukuk, and syndicated loans as alternative channels.

The report cautions that debt stability depends heavily on policy coordination. Data limitations, volatility in the exchange rate, slow market development and shallow liquidity continue to pose risks. Success will require disciplined cashflow management, longer maturities, and rebuilding investor confidence.

Train services along the upcountry railway line have been limited as authorities respond to the challenging weather conditions affecting the region.

Railway officials announced that the night mail train departing from Colombo Fort to Badulla will now conclude its journey at the Nanu Oya station instead of travelling the full route. Likewise, the night mail service operating from Badulla to Colombo will begin its trip from Nanu Oya until conditions improve

The Road Development Authority (RDA) says that one lane of the Kandy–Colombo main road at Pahala Kadugannawa is now open to motorists, allowing limited traffic flow through the area.

The section was completely shut down for several days after a landslide struck the site on November 22, forcing authorities to halt all vehicle movement for safety. Restoration and stabilization efforts are continuing, and officials expect further updates as work progresses.