Oct 12 (DM) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) has issued a landmark ruling declaring that the continued detention of two Tamil-language books by Sri Lanka Customs is a direct violation of the author's fundamental rights. The case involves author B. Piratheepan from Kilinochchi, whose consignment of 288 imported books printed in Chennai, India, was seized by customs officials over claims that the publications could damage national harmony. Disputed consignment comprised four titles: more..

Oct 12 (Island) An ex-LTTE cadre Sumathipala Suresh Kumar, alias Thavendran Murali, has told a 3-member bench of the Colombo High Court, hearing the disappearance of media personality Prageeth Ekneligoda, that during the war they discussed plans to assassinate President Mahinda Rajapaksa and a group of govt people. The alleged meeting took place in Habarana. The bench consisted of A.G.U.S.N.K. Seneviratne (Chairperson), Dr. Nalin Hewawasam and Lakmali Hewawasam. more..

Oct 12 (NW) PHU Leader Udaya Gammanpila has alleged that Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera was forcibly stripped of his monastic attire and made to wear a prison uniform while in custody at Welikada Prison. Addressing a press conference in Colombo today (12), dressed in black, Gammanpila claimed that the incident had taken place despite strong objections from both Gnanasara Thera and the prison officers involved. more..

Oct 12 (AM) A Buddhist monk attached to a temple in the Kadurupokuna area of Tangalle has been arrested and released on bail after a French woman visiting Sri Lanka alleged that he had attempted to sexually assault her during a visit to the temple. Police Media Division has confirmed to BBC Sinhala that a complaint had been received at the Tangalle Police Station. The complaint was lodged by the woman and her partner, a German national. The incident occurred on 2 Oct, more..

Oct 12 (NW) MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake has been arrested by the CIABOC today (12). He was arrested after arriving at the Bribery Commission to provide a statement in connection with an ongoing investigation. According to reports, the investigation concerns allegations that a bribe of Rs. 8.1 million was obtained from three companies in exchange for facilitating phosphate exports exclusively through those companies without following proper procedures. more..

Oct 12 (DM) Sri Lanka is slowly emerging out of its worst economic crisis. As part of the initiatives to stabilise the economy, the govt has commenced many programs to combat corruption and the black economy as part of the IMF program. However, some developments in the economy suggest a possible increase in black economy activities and corruption. In 2025, Sri Lanka improved its score in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. more..

Oct 12 (AD) Former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, who is currently in remand custody at Welikada Prison, has been admitted to the Cardiology Unit of the National Hospital in Colombo. Rajapaksa was previously taken to the National Eye Hospital on Oct 9 for specialist medical treatment and was subsequently returned to prison custody. She had been referred to a prison medical specialist on Oct 8 due to an eye condition. Meanwhile, the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court earlier rejected an anticipatory bail more..

Oct 12 (DM) Young people representing all 25 districts of SL gathered in Colombo today to urge the Govt to enact the proposed Tobacco-Free Generation policy into law. The event was organised by the Youth Action Network SL (YAN SL) to strengthen youth advocacy for protecting future generations from tobacco use. The proposed policy seeks to prohibit the sale of tobacco products to people born in or after 2010, with the aim of preventing younger generations from taking up tobacco use. more..

Oct 12 (FT) Sri Lanka’s 2024 political transition was historic. After an unprecedented economic crisis, the Aragalaya protest movement, deep public anger over corruption and widespread frustration with established political elites, voters chose a radically different political force. Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the National People’s Power (NPP) came to office promising to dismantle privilege, end corruption, strengthen social justice and create a new political culture. more..

Oct 12 (FT) The Central Bank has recently intensified its policy drive toward achieving financial inclusiveness and financial literacy. These dual concepts are foundational pillars of a modern, stable economy. In the lexicon of policymakers, financial inclusiveness means ensuring that sustainable financial habits and access are extended to everyone in society, rather than to an exclusive group. Financial literacy, on the other hand, demands that individuals who engage in financial transactions do so,. more..

Oct 12 (NW) Govt expects to introduce new prison regulations within two weeks to allow Buddhist monks serving prison sentences to be taken outside prison wearing their robes, subject to recommendations from their respective Nikayas or chapters. Proposed changes follow discussions between Prez and senior Buddhist monks representing the three Nikayas on Oct 8, following the controversy surrounding the removal of more..

Oct 12 (Island) Malwathu Mahavihara Chapter has released an official statement on the recent discussion between the Prez and a delegation of the Maha Sangha, representing the Mahanayake Theras of the Three Chapters, concerning the removal of robes from imprisoned monks. According to the statement, Prez acknowledged as reasonable the concerns raised by the Mahanayake Theras regarding imprisoned bhikkhus. He pointed out that under the existing legal framework, more..

Oct 12 (FT) SL and US State of Montana have opened talks on expanding trade and investment links in agriculture, manufacturing, mineral resources, and information technology. No agreements or investment commitments were announced. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte met Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe last week. In agriculture, the two sides discussed widening market access for farm products, developing facilities to collect and store produce, more..

Oct 12 (DM) How much have prices in Sri Lanka changed over the past decade? This AI-powered Daily Mirror interactive compares prices from 2016 and 2026 across 65 everyday food items, Petrol 92, Auto Diesel, a 22K gold sovereign and the US dollar. Select an item to see the price difference, percentage increase and how many times its value has changed, or ask the AI Price Assistant to explore the figures for you. more..

Oct 12 (EN) Foreign investors bought SL rupee bonds for a second straight week in the week ended on Oct 9, amid a stable rupee. With the latest inflows, the island nation has witnessed net foreign buying in 15 of the last 17 weeks. Offshore investors bought a net Rs. Rs. Rs. 3,242 million (US$9.8 mil) worth of SL rupee bonds. Net buying extended the net foreign inflows into the rupee bonds to Rs. 5.1 billion in the last two weeks following a Rs. 16.5 billion outflow in the previous two weeks. more..

Oct 12 (EN) SL has spent less than 30% of 2026 capital spending, two govt sources said, with the govt expects to fully utilize it before the end of this year. SL has allocated Rs.1,380 billion for 2026 capital spending, but has spent only around Rs.385 billion through the first nine months of the year, two govt sources familiar with the details said. SL’s chronic failure to utilize its full budgetary allocations for capital investment reflects deep-rooted structural inefficiencies in public financial more..

Oct 12 (NW) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has alleged that money generated through drug trafficking is being used to finance media outlets, YouTube channels, websites and protests aimed at attacking his govt. Addressing a public rally, the Prez claimed that individuals linked to the drug trade were attempting to undermine the govt’s efforts to eliminate narcotics and organised crime. He said the govt had taken significant steps to combat drug trafficking and organised criminal activities, more..

Oct 12 (NF) Ministry of Defence says the country’s continued Tier 2 ranking in the USDS’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report reflects the govt’s ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking. Ministry said this marks the fifth consecutive year SL has retained its Tier 2 status. Ministry highlighted the launch of the National Strategic Action Plan to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking for 2026 to 2030 as a key step towards strengthening SL’s response to human trafficking. more..

Oct 12 (ST) The CIABOC has said its investigations revealed that although a request for a CT scanner for the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital was made by the Carlton Suwa Udana Project, the National Savings Bank (NSB) drew a cheque for Rs. 10 million in favour of the Siriliya Foundation headed by former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa. It also alleged that the money was instead used to purchase a house in Torrington Place. more..

Oct 12 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake will inaugurate the SL Economic and Investment Summit 2026 today at the Shangri-La Colombo. Organised by The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, the two-day Summit will feature senior business leaders, policymakers, and international experts discussing SL’s economic priorities and investment prospects. Held under the theme Positioning Sri Lanka in a Changing Global Economy: Resilience, Reform, and the Future of Economic Policy, more..

Oct 12 (FT) Private sector borrowing from SL’s banking system slowed for a second consecutive month in August. Net credit expanded by Rs. 105.7 billion month-on-month (MoM), smallest increase since April and 37% below July’s Rs. 169.1 billion. Outstanding credit to the private sector rose to Rs. 11.56 trillion in August from Rs. 11.45 trillion in July. Year-on-year (YoY) growth eased to 24.5% from 26.4% in July. August’s increase was less than half the Rs. 226.8 billion recorded in August 2025. more..

Oct 12 (NW) Prez has announced that public sector salaries will increase again in Jan 2027, with the starting salary of a teacher rising to Rs. 65,000 and that of a doctor to Rs. 94,000. Addressing a public rally, Prez said the govt had already increased public sector salaries through its first budget and would implement another increase at the beginning of next year. He said strengthening the public service was essential for implementing development projects and improving the delivery of govt services. more..

Oct 12 (NW) SL has established its second king coconut village in the Badulla District as part of a national programme to develop 250 king coconut villages across the country. The village was inaugurated in Dehigama, Rideemaliyadda, on Saturday, under the Ceylon King Coconut Village – 250 programme, which aims to expand cultivation and increase export earnings. The programme aims to increase SL’s annual king coconut production by 25 million nuts and boost export revenue from more..

Oct 12 (AD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that agreements already signed with private fuel companies will be amended in the future. He said certain conditions in agreements signed with private fuel companies had limited the CPC in its ability to determine fuel prices flexibly and regulate the market. Prez stressed that the govt would take measures to protect consumers rather than allow private companies to operate more..

Oct 12 (FT) Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC) is calling for a balanced approach in SL in terms of taxation of legal products and enforcements on illicits, which have seen sharp growth over the last decade. Consumption of legal products has been on the decline in SL due to stretched consumer affordability driven by excise-led increases in price. However, smoking has increased relatively due to a thriving illegal and illicit market and availability of more affordable alternatives such as beedi. more..

Oct 12 (EN) SL’s foreign reserves fell 1.1 percent to US$ 6,851 million by the end of Sept 2026, down from 6,929 million dollars a month earlier amid central bank purchasing US$ 64.2 million on a net basis in the month. Central Bank has been aggressively buying dollars to boost the reserves. Analysts say the Central Bank’s year end reserve target of US$8 billion is achievable with the dollar inflows from the IMF and other multilateral institutions in the final quarter of 2026. more..

Oct 12 (DN) Sri Lanka women’s under 19 team led by Chamudi Praboda determined to continue their winning form when they meet Pakistan today (12) for the third time of the Tri-Nation series at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Sri Lanka already played 4 matches in their series. They started with a defeat against Pakistan by 5 wickets. But Sri Lanka fought back strongly to win back to back matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan and once again they will meet Pakistan today. more..

Oct 12 (FT) A delegation from SL–Thailand Business Council (SLTBC) consisting of the President Rizan Nazeer and a few Exco members met with Thailand Ambassador Paitoon Mahapannaporn recently. Strategic dialogue focused on unlocking new economic avenues, advancing implementation of the landmark SL–Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and operationalising the newly signed labour cooperation frameworks. FTA was signed on 3 Feb 2024 but is not yet in force. more..

Oct 12 (TM) Central Bank inflation target of 5% allowed it the flexibility to only increase interest rates by 1% or 100 bps in May – and forego further tightening, Director of Economic Research Lasitha Pathberiya said, speaking on the CBSL's panel discussion on inflation target review on Friday. Speaking of a hypothetical 2% inflation target, Pathberiya said: "If we had the inflation target of 2% at that time, then our response would have more..

Oct 12 (FT) Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of SL (FCCISL) participated in a high-level consultation convened by the Dept of Commerce at the request of the Trade Ministry recently. FCCISL was represented by State Affairs Committee Director Ruwan De Silva, and Secretary General Thilan Wijesinghe. Consultation brought together leading trade chambers and industry associations to review international trade developments and strengthen collaboration more..

Oct 12 (DN) SL’s Asian Games players Ravindu Laksiri and Chanithma Sinaly emerged as the Men’s and Women’s Open champions respectively at the 18th SL Air Force Open Squash C'ship 2026, which concluded at the Air Force Squash Complex in Ratmalana. Laksiri captured the Men’s Open title ahead of runner-up Shamil Wakeel, while Nevindu Lakman finished third and Royal College player Matheesha Wijesekara took fourth place. Sinaly took the Women’s Open crown, with more..