Sri Lanka has been listed as among a group of high-risk financial systems in Asia and the Pacific by Fitch Ratings, a claim rejected by the authorities but endorsed by economists and stock market analysts. Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said it was an insignificant statement given that all the countries mentioned as high risk – India, China and Sri Lanka – had all achieved high growth.

A gang that operated for more than a year providing forged official documents to Sri Lankans to obtain visas to the United States and European countries has been busted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).